-We will be recording the Hoops HD Report tonight, and I’ll have my personal bracket projection posted some time this afternoon. Be on the lookout for both of those.
-Purdue followed up their loss at Rutgers with a near loss to NC State. The game was on a neutral floor, so it was kind of surprising to see Purdue trail for most of the game. They did manage an 82-72 win in overtime, and while losing to NC State on a neutral floor is hardly the kind of loss that sinks your season, it is the kind of loss that indicates that a team may not be a #1 seed caliber team like we believe Purdue to be.
-The Villanova vs Baylor game may have been the worst game that i’ve ever seen between two teams that were really good. And…both teams are really good. You just wouldn’t have known that by watching the first half. I’ll give credit to Baylor. Their defense is ridiculously good. And, they did beat a really good Villanova team without even having to sweat 57-36. Going back to last season Baylor has won 15 straight, and 37 of their last 39. Of all those wins, I only count eight that you would consider to be buy games. They are on a ridiculous run!
-Florida has hit a skid. They’ve now lost three of their last four, one of those was to Texas Southern in a blowout, and yesterday they fell to a Maryland team 70-68 that hadn’t been playing well at all. The Gators need to pull themselves out of the tailspin they’re in.
-Florida’s rivals to the North are also having issues. Florida State fell to South Carolina 66-65 and are now just 5-4 on the season.
-Let’s keep the underachievements rolling!! Oregon!! They… have underachieved. They fell at Stanford last night 72-69 and are now just 5-5 on the year. They have the time and talent to get things turned around, but to date have not looked anything like the team we thought they would.
-Seton Hall held of Rutgers 77-63 in a game that was close most of the way, but that Seton Hall opened up at the end. I pretty good week for Seton Hall who beat Texas earlier in the week. Now they need to get some wins away from home.
As for tonight’s games, it has been a long time since so few games of meaning were played..
-CLEVELAND STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE. This game would be a little bit more important if only Oklahoma State were eligible for the postseason. Cleveland State will be one of the frontrunners in the Horizon League, and with a 6-2 record I suppose a big win like this could catch the attention of the committee.
-RHODE ISLAND AT MILWAUKEE. It’s some low hanging fruit for Rhody. It should be an easy road win for them.