NEWS AND NOTES:
-Ohio State typically isn’t as good on the road as they are at home, but they gave Purdue all they wanted yesterday and the Boilers did not get control of the game until the final seconds, but held on for the 81-78 win. While this was nearly a huge win for Ohio State’s resume that would have pushed them up the seedlist, the loss is hardly a setback.
-Providence held off Marquette in a 65-63 thriller. Marquette had a chance to force overtime, but missed an open look right under the basket as time ran out. Both teams had been playing really well, and both can potentially be very dangerous in March. I’d go so far to say that they both look as good as anyone in the Big East right now, and yesterday’s result did not change my mind.
-It’s been a rough season for the Cincinnati Bearcats, and while they’ve looked good at times they’ve also struggled at others. The fans in that city were very excited yesterday though! CLICK HERE to see a video shot shortly after Cincinnati held on to beat East Carolina on the road!!
-Loyola Chicago continues to struggle, and while they’re at-large hopes are far from dead, they are also becoming far from a certainty. I know Drake is good, and I know it’s not easy to win there, but that’s kind of the point. Making the NCAA Tournament isn’t easy, and it requires that teams win games that aren’t easy to win. Loyola Chicago has fewer chances to do that given the make up of their conference, so whenever they lose it’s more of a setback. I don’t believe they are out of strikes yet, but they are getting there.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-DUKE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Notre Dame has now won 10 of their last 11 and is making a case that they belong in the field. If they were to pull this off at home tonight, it would be perhaps their biggest statement win of the year despite them being at home.
-IOWA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Iowa continues to hover around the area of being inside the bubble, but not solidly in the top half of the bracket. This is a winnable road game for them, and it’s one that they need to win if for no other reason than it’s the kind of game that they want to avoid losing.
-COLORADO STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West) (Front Range). We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!! And, we love this particular game. Wyoming is right on the bubble, and a win like this would likely be a big part in deciding whether or not they get in. Colorado State is coming off a rather surprising loss to UNLV that set them back a little bit, and winning a game like this on the road would look really good on their resume and probably rase them back up to where they were before. It’s hard to win at Wyoming, and the committee knows that.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT BAYLOR (Big 12). West Virginia has hit a major skid and unfortunately for them they aren’t likely to pull themselves out of it tonight. Baylor is coming off a road loss at Alabama, is looking to bounce back, and this is the kind of game that enables them to do that without too much trouble. WVU has lost five straight and that will likely stretch to six tonight.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). TCU picked up a huge win over the weekend against LSU, which helps out their resume. If they can pick this one up on the road we will probably no longer be considering them a bubble team any more. It’s a pivotal game for Oklahoma as well, who we have inside the bubble, but this game has a pivotal feel for them as well. They’ve lost five of their last six, are heading in the wrong direction, and really need a win in a game like this.
-NEW MEXICO AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is hovering around the inside part of our bubble, and will stay there so long as they can keep holding serve in games like this.
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