By David Dorman – Hoops HD Senior Staff Writer
NEWS AND NOTES:
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-West Virginia hadn’t looked good at all for the last couple of weeks, but they really played well against Baylor yesterday and were in a position to win it all the way until the very end. They couldn’t hold on (and to be fair, Baylor was not at full strength), but had they played like that for the last couple of weeks they wouldn’t be on the losing streak that they’re on.
-Duke won at Notre Dame. Given the streak the Irish were on we thought they might be able to make a run at the bubble. After watching them yesterday I’m starting to wonder how they ever beat anyone.
-Wyoming knocked off Colorado State in an 84-78 overtime thriller. The game was close all throughout, the atmosphere was intense, and the Cowboys picked up a big win. It isn’t so much that the loss hurt the Rams, but a win would have really helped and when you start to look at Colorado State’s profile and see that they’re now three games behind the conference leader, there is some cause for alarm.
-TCU is heading in the right direction. They picked up a road win against an Oklahoma team that is…well…NOT heading in the right direction.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CREIGHTON AT CONNECTICUT (Big East). There are some standout wins on Creighton’s resume, but overall their resume is slumping a little bit and a win like this could really give it a boost. UConn keeps getting better and better and should probably be ranked a little higher than what they actually are. They are looking to pick up their sixth straight Big East win tonight.
-KANSAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Both teams are in the rankings, and Kansas is on a pace that will land them on the top two lines despite their blowout loss to Kentucky in their last game. A big road win like this will offset that. Iowa State has been a surprise team this year and it should be a crazy atmosphere tonight.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). I still think that Michigan State is one of the better teams in the Big Ten and will likely end up as a protected seed. They should be able to pick this one up on the road tonight.
-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Texas A&M is outside the bubble, but they’re close enough to it to where if they win a game like this on the road they will be in the picture. Tennessee is looking to bounce back after their loss at Texas over the weekend.
-DAVIDSON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). Davidson has had a really good season, but they’ve struggled their last few times out. They will likely really be tested tonight against a Saint Bonaventure team that has been a disappointment this year, but that can still play up to a high ceiling, especially if they are at home for a big game.
-TOLEDO AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (MAC). The path to landing inside the bubble is narrow for Toledo, but if they can win out they should at least be in the discussion.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Both teams are pretty far outside the bubble, but both have a path to it if they can put together a long string of wins between now and the end of the season.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). North Carolina’s resume is flimsy at best. In fact if they win this game tonight it would arguably be their best win of the season so far. They are still on a lot of people’s boards, but from where I sit it seems like they have a ton of work to do.
-SETON HALL AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Seton Hall is in a bit of a tailspin,, but Georgetown is an absolute train wreck, so if Hall can’t win tonight they’re really going to be in trouble even though this is a road game.
-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC). It’s a rivalry game between the #1 team in the nation and an Alabama team who has been inconsistent this year, but that has also managed wins against Gonzaga, Houston, and Baylor. Winning at top ranked Auburn is a HUGE ask, though. A loss really won’t set them back at all.
-TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Texas Tech is ready to welcome back Chris Beard and show how appreciative they are for everything he did for that program. They are going to be so happy to see him! Texas Tech has thrown some heavyweight punches this year and is really looking good. Texas really didn’t have much on their resume until about a week ago, but they’ve put together a couple of impressive wins, so I wouldn’t count them out tonight. This one is going to be FUN!
-PROVIDENCE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Providence just keeps racking up win after win after win. Winning on the road at Saint John’s isn’t the easiest thing to do, but Providence has been winning tough games all season long and should be able to add another road win to their resume tonight.
-CALIFORNIA AT STANFORD (Pac 12). Stanford is outside the bubble, but could reach it if they finish strong and avoid bad losses. Like…for instance…at home to Cal.