NEWS AND NOTES:
-Auburn continues to look like a #1 seed as they beat Kentucky 80-71 in this game. Obviously Auburn winning a big showcase game is the big story, but I think another story was how well Kentucky played on the road against a #1 seed caliber team. They jumped out early, they were in there until the end, and they had some setbacks with injuries as well. This is a Kentucky team that is really starting to put it together.
-Kansas needed to come from behind on the road against their rivals, but they somehow managed to do it and escaped from Kansas State with a 78-75 win.
-UCLA picked up another notable road win as they knocked off Colorado 71-65.
-LSU lost their third straight game and may start to be coming down to Earth a little bit. It’s not that winning at Tennessee is easy, and it’s not as if it’s any real setback, but after three straight losses (even though all were to good opponents), perhaps the talk of them being a #2 seed is dying down some.
-TCU needed a big road win, and they definitely got it yesterday as they knocked off Iowa State 59-44. It was a rock fight. It wasn’t always pretty to watch, but on paper this is HUGE for the Horned Frogs.
-Loyola Chicago fell behind big again, this time by as much as 20. While they started to come back in the final minutes, this time they didn’t make it all the way back. Missouri State knocked off the Ramblers 79-69, which is their first home loss of the year. They are still safely inside the bubble, but this does knock them down a peg or two.
-Texas needs notable wins, and they got one yesterday against Oklahoma State 56-51. It was at home, but it was still something.
-Florida State jumped out to an impressive 24pt lead at Miami, and almost blew it. The Canes came all the way back and nearly won the game, but the Noles held on for a very important 61-60 road win, which really helps them out. FSU has now won eight of their last nine.
-Davidson had to sweat at Fordham, but escaped with a 69-66 win. While Fordham is noticeably MUCH better, this would have still been a setback for the Wildcats.
-UAB is beginning to make a case for themselves. They aren’t quite inside our bubble, and given their remaining schedule it will be tough for them to get there, but they should probably be on our radar. They had a big 83-76 win at Louisiana Tech yesterday. It was LA Tech’s first home loss, which the committee should notice. If the Blazers can win out, which they are good enough to do, I believe they will deserve to be in the field.
-Wyoming is a team that is straddling the bubble. They held on to avoid what would have been a damaging loss to New Mexico 93-91.
-Wake Forest blew out North Carolina 98-76. This is a decent Wake team that is probably on the board, but even with that if North Carolina is on ANYONE’s board right now, that person should be made to quit even having a board.
-Arkansas held on for an overtime win against Texas A&M 76-73. Both teams are hovering around the bubble, and both could’ve really used this win yesterday.
-San Diego State and Boise State were in an absolute rock fight of a game yesterday. Neither team could get their offense going, but the important thing is that Boise State, who is straddling the bubble, picked up a huge and much needed road win 42-37. Other than the score (which doesn’t really matter) this win will look great on their resume.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-BUTLER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Providence is continuing to rack up wins and build a strong resume. This is a winnable conference home game, which would get them to 6-1 in Big East play.
-NORTHWESTERN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue is looking to bounce back from a road loss against rival Indiana. They’re still a solid protected seed, but it will take a Herculean effort to get them all the way up to the #! line.
-XAVIER AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Marquette is among the hottest teams in the country right now and is coming off a big win at Villanova. They’re at home today against a Xavier team that’s ranked solidly in the top 20, and who is looking for some big road wins of their own to get them considered for a protected seed.
-IONA AT QUINNIPIAC (MAAC). If Iona can keep winning, they should end up inside the bubble.
-ARIZONA AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12). With just one loss on the season Arizona continues to prove that they are a very tough team to beat. They blew out Stanford in their last game and should be able to pick up yet another road win this afternoon.
-MICHIGAN AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana has been playing really well lately, especially at home, and has another winnable conference home game today.
-WASHINGTON AT OREGON (Pac 12). Oregon has finally started to string together some wins and is looking more and more like a solid tournament team (at least on the court). They should be able to hold serve at home today against their rivals.