NEWS AND NOTES:
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-Gonzaga blew out BYU at home. They continue to look like one of the top five teams in the nation and that they can sleepwalk through the rest of their regular season schedule.
-Oregon had been having an utterly disappointing year given the talent and potential they seemed to have, but they got a huge win yesterday at UCLA 84-81, and it was a win where they really battled and really played well. Perhaps this is when they begin to turn it around.
-Wisconsin continues to build to an already impressive resume. They basically controlled Ohio State from tip to buzzer last night and got another notable win on their resume. They look like they could have a shot at a #1 seed if they keep it up.
-Seton Hall fell at DePaul 96-92 in a game that was a bit of a shocker. Not that it’s easy to win at DePaul, but it’s the kind of game that you would expect a top 25 team to be able to win most of the time.
-Stanford is staring to build up a rather impressive resume. They had a nice 62-57 win at Wazzu yesterday to improve to 10-4 overall and 3-1 in Pac 12 play. They are looking more and more like a tournament team.
-Indiana is still winless in true road games, and that will be a big black eye on their resume. The had a lead against Iowa for much of the game last night, but couldn’t hold on. Iowa ended up winning 83-74.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). This is a winnable conference home game for Purdue where they should be able to hold serve.
-MONMOUTH AT SAINT PETER’S (MAAC). Monmouth is outside the bubble, but if they are able to blow through this league then they should at least get to a point to where they are at least on the board.
-MANHATTAN AT IONA (MAAC). This is one of the most exciting UTR rivalries, and it should be a fun one tonight. If Iona can continue to blow through the regular season and not slip up, which basically means winning out, they should be in the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the conference tournament.
-VCU AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). Both teams have quite a bit of work to do just to get onto the bubble, but both are also talented and are capable of finishing strong. Having said that, both really kind of need this one tonight if they want to have any sort of a chance.
-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). These two teams seem to be going in different directions. Illinois has been playing really well lately, and Michigan continues to disappoint. The Wolverines can make up a lot of ground rather quickly if they can somehow pull the shocker tonight, though.
-DAVIDSON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). Richmond has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they’re still capable of beating good teams when they play up to their potential. Davidson (for now) is safely inside the bubble, and perhaps even in the top half of the bracket. This game does have a bit of a pivotal feel to it. A loss wouldn’t cripple them, but it would set them back a bit, whereas a true conference road win against a solid Richmond team probably helps elevate them a bit.