NEWS AND NOTES:
-We recorded our UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast last night. CLICK HERE TO WATCH OR LISTEN
-Other than that, there was nothing that happened on the court yesterday (or really even the day before) that is worth reporting. I mean…NOTHING!!
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SAMFORD AT OLE MISS. Samford is off to an impressive 9-2 start, and although they are probably overmatched in this one, if they were to pick it up and get to 10-2 and have a win like this on their resume, you’d have to sit up and take some notice.
-DAVIDSON AT ALABAMA. Davidson hasn’t had a spectacular season, but they’ve at least had a respectable one and as it turns out may have one of the best profiles in the Atlantic Ten. If they could somehow get this one on the road it would catapult them inside the bubble (for now). Alabama has some great wins, but has struggled in their last couple of games, so it’s not impossible.
-XAVIER AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Nova hasn’t been quite as good as expected this year, and Xavier has actually exceeded expectations. The Muskies have shown they can play really well at home, but to get a road win in a game like this it would indicate that they are a protected seeded caliber team all across the board. As for Nova, they just need to start playing better, and a win at home in a game like this could get their motor started.
-FRESNO STATE AT UTAH. We’ve got our eyes on Fresno State. This is not an easy road game, but it’s a road game they can win.
-MICHIGAN STATE VS OAKLAND. This game is in Detroit, and it’s a huge chance for Oakland to pick up another notable win. They’ve already got a nice win against Oklahoma State, but if they could pick this one up they could make a legit claim that they belong inside the bubble. Michigan State keeps looking better and better and is showing all signs of ending up as a protected seed caliber team.
-DELAWARE AT IONA. Delaware comes in at a respectable 9-3, but this is still the kind of game Iona needs to hold serve in if they want to remain inside the bubble.
-KANSAS AT COLORADO. This is an old Big Eight rivalry renewed. They’ve played in the past, and it hasn’t always gone Kansas’s way. Kansas clearly has the better team, but this is still a really tough road win. As for the Buffs, their resume could use a bit of a boost and a win tonight would certainly help even though they’re the home team.
-UCONN AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Both teams look like solid NCAA Tournament teams, and both are looking for a resume building caliber win.
-GRAND CANYON AT NEVADA. Grand Canyon has a bloated record, but it’s also almost entirely lacking wins of substance. They need road wins and notable wins. They basically need to tear through the rest of their schedule if they want to get inside the bubble.
BUY GAMES (or games that might as well be):
-South Carolina Upstate @ Ohio U
-Southern Miss @ East Carolina
-Northwestern State @ Texas A&M
-Chicago State @ Iowa State
-Fort Wayne @ Michigan
-Winthrop @ Mississippi State
-Elon @ Arkansas
-Tennessee Tech @ Cincinnati
-Southern @ Dayton
-Wright State @ NC State
-Appalachian State @ North Carolina
-Grambling @ TCU
-SELA @ Iowa
-McNeese @ Kansas State
-Portland State @ Utah State
-Pepperdine @ Oregon – Oregon needs to start stringing together some wins.