NEWS AND NOTES:
-Baylor got a battle from West Virginia, but held on to win and snap their two game losing streak 77-68. Like any Big 12 road win, it looks good on their resume.
-Florida State and Duke seemed to seesaw back and forth, but FSU ended up picking up a much needed overtime win 79-78 in a game that came down to the last possession. It was the 13th straight overtime win for Florida State, and more importantly for this year it was a much needed quality win on their resume.
-Kansas got all they wanted from Oklahoma, but pulled out a 67-64 win on the road.
-Wisconsin got a battle from Northwestern, but was able to hold serve 82-76 and add yet another road win to their resume.
-Texas Tech was in complete control agains Iowa State throughout the second half, and the 72-60 final score isn’t indicative of just how much the Red Raiders dominated. They are suddenly one of the hottest teams in college hoops. Well, minus the loss at Kansas State. Speaking of K State…
-Texas needed to hold serve at home against K State, and failed to do so. When you look at Texas on paper, they seem rather unspectacular to me, and when they fail to win at home against a team that does not appear to be solidly in the tournament field, that is a sign for alarm.
-Dayton blew out Saint Bonaventure, and are suddenly looking as good as anyone else in the Atlantic Ten on the court. They probably won’t have the resume to make the NCAA Tournament without the auto-bid, but if they do win the auto bid than their opponent in the Round of 64 better watch out.
-Iona needed overtime at Monmuth, but ended up getting a hugely important 86-85 win. This game had such a pivotal feel to it for the Gaels. A win meant beating a good team on the road, whereas a loss would have meant dropping another game to a team that does not appear to be inside the bubble.
-Davidson really had to sweat, but they came from behind and picked up a nice road win at VCU.
-Last, and certainly least, earlier in the week I had discussed how I didn’t think North Carolina was any good. Last night they did absolutely nothing to change my mind. They were completely blown out of the building by Miami FL 85-57.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT FLORIDA (SEC). This is a very bubblicious game that both teams need.
-LSU AT ALABAMA (SEC). Both teams are safely in the field (for now) and both could end up being protected seeds, but as good as they are both resumes have room to improve and this would end up being a big win for whoever pulls it off.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton looked to be on a roll, but they’ve lost their last two and are looking to bounce back. This is a winnable home game, so it’s a chance for them to do that.
-WAKE FOREST AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Wake is straddling the bubble right now, and although a win at Georgia Tech wouldn’t be Earth-shattering, it would at least be a road win.
-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Marquette looks to be on a roll, but with that being said winning a road game at Villanova would require a Herculean type of effort. A loss won’t set them back at all, but a win would really elevate their resume.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). Oklahoma State has won some big games this year, and are still playing with a lot of pride despite not being eligible for the postseason. TCU is hovering around the bubble and could really use a quality road win like this one.
-KENTUCKY AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). This game has something at stake for both teams. TAMU has a bloated record, but needs some more notable wins on their resume. Kentucky also needs some notable wins away from home to strengthen their profile. This one should be a fun one tonight!
-IOWA AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Iowa has put together a string of wins, and if they can keep that going with another conference road win then their resume will be bumped up another notch.
-GEORGIA AT AUBURN (SEC). Auburn is looking more and more like a team that will end up on the #1 line. They should be able to hold serve at home tonight.
-XAVIER AT DEPAUL (Big East). Xavier is having a really good year, but like a lot of teams the aren’t quite as good on the road as they are at home. This is a winnable (albeit not easy) road game and a chance to add another road win to their resume.
-SAN JOSE STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming is hovering around the bubble, so it’s important that they hold serve in games like this.
-NEW MEXICO AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Colorado State continues to remain safely inside the bubble, and will stay there so long as they continue to hold serve.