-San Diego State and Colorado State was a rock fight in the first half with Colorado State struggling to score, but San Diego State struggling even more. Colorado State managed to hold a lead for pretty much the entire game until San Diego State finally went ahead in the final seconds. Colorado State answered right back, and on their final possession San Diego State came up empty and the Rams held on for a 58-57 win.
-St. Bonaventure just might be toast when it comes to NCAA at-large chances; they are now 4-4 in A-10 play following a loss at Richmond last night.
-Seton Hall got a much-needed win at home by 19 points against the up-and-down Creighton Bluejays. Five Pirates scored in double figures and they also have a winnable game at home next Wednesday against Xavier, Could The Hall finally be waking up?
-In Under The Radar action, Toledo got caught looking ahead to next week’s game against Ohio U and ended up losing at Ball State last night. This puts the OU Bobcats back on top of the MAC for now.
-CONNECTICUT AT VILLANOVA (Big East). This is a game with protected-seed implications. It’s quite possible that both could end up with protected seeds, but as good as they have both been they both still have room on their resumes to improve, and winning this game would certainly fall into that category.
-ILLINOIS AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Illinois is coming off a big win against Wisconsin, but that was at home. Indiana is inside the bubble and could use some more road wins, but a home win against Illinois would also help the Hoosiers. They seem to be improving as the season goes on.
-WAKE FOREST AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). I think both teams are outside the bubble and need to start stringing together wins in order to get on the right side of it.
-OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). BEDLAM!!!!! This is a great rivalry, and it’s also one that Oklahoma really needs to win. Their resume is a bit flimsy and a road win in a game like this would make a huge difference.
-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC). Auburn is the top ranked team in the country, and deservedly so, and this should be a winnable road game form them against a conference rival.
-TENNESSEE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). South Carolina still has such a long way to go that it’s barely worth bringing them up in the discussion…but it is at least BARELY worth it. It would take a Herculean finish for them to get on the board, but they have been playing better and they have a shot against a ranked team at home tonight. This would be a nice road win for Tennessee as well.
-TEXAS TECH AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). I like this Texas Tech team a lot, but the one thing that sticks out to me as far as them being deficient is that they have just one true road win. If they can win this one today, I’ll feel a lot better about them. West Virginia is in a total tailspin and could use a win of any kind to help pull them out of it.
-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). Both teams are ranked and both appear to be safely inside the bubble, so this is a resume building opportunity for both of them.
-DEPAUL AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has been playing well lately, and shouldn’t have too much trouble at home against a DePaul team that has (as expected) struggled in Big East play. Then again, the Musketeers did play with their food at DePaul in their first meeting before coming from behind to avoid a toe-stubbing.
-DAYTON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). It’s the next exciting edition of the Arch-Baron Cup!!!!! And….it actually has some meaning on paper!! Every time I think Dayton is about to make a run, they lose a game they should win. Every time I write them off, they win a big game and look fantastic doing it. I think they can get onto the bubble, and perhaps even inside of it, but they have to blow through the rest of their schedule in order to do it. That means winning this game on the road in what is perhaps the biggest rivalry in the entire history of sports!!
-DAVIDSON AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). It’s a road game against a weak team, and Davidson needs to hold serve.
-MICHIGAN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). For most of the season I haven’t been on the #1 seed bandwagon for Purdue, but I am now on it. They should be able to win this one at home and stay on pace to end up with a #1 seed.
-NOTRE DAME AT NC STATE (ACC). Notre Dame continues to crawl closer and closer to the bubble. They’re coming off a nice road win against Miami FL and can add another road win to their resume today.
-OLE MISS AT FLORIDA (SEC). The Gators appear to be right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it. They can’t afford to lose home games to teams that are nowhere near the field. That said, Ole Miss has been a thorn in the side of a few teams in the SEC.
-BAYLOR AT KANSAS (Big 12). One of the bigger showcase games of the year as both are within reach of getting a #1 seed, and today’s game will most likely be a big determining factor in who ends up getting one. Kansas was blown out at home last week by Kentucky, and will be looking to bounce back against a highly ranked team. Baylor, in turn, lost on the road to Alabama, and will be looking to add a win that would arguably be their most impressive of the season to their resume. It’s always fun when these two get together, and today shouldn’t be any different.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). It’s always a tricky road game when going to Jersey Mike’s Arena the RAC at Rutgers, but the Spartans should be up for it. They are on pace to get a protected seed and are expected to be able to win games like this.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12). Wazzu is pretty far outside the bubble (despite a strong NET rating), and if they want any hope at all at getting inside of it then they need to put together a long string of wins.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT UAB (Conference USA). UAB looks to be clinging to a spot on the bubble, and basically needs to win out to have any hope at all of ending up there.
-DUQUESNE AT VCU (Atlantic Ten). VCU suffered a rough loss to Dayton a few nights ago, but they weren’t at full strength. They appear to be good enough to win out, and if they do they should be in the discussion.
-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). TAMU has looked good at times, but it will take a very strong finish in order for them to end up being seriously considered for a bid.
-USC AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). This would be a next level win for USC if they could somehow pull it off. They have a good resume, but this would by far be their biggest win of the year. Arizona is still a solid protected seed and could even end up as high as the #1 line if things fall correctly.
-MIAMI FL AT VIRGINIA (ACC). I think Miami has been playing better (for the most part) and is probably inside the bubble, but they certainly still have work to do. This is a winnable road game and they need to win it.
-DUKE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). These two schools are just eight miles apart!! And they have never met in the NCAA Tournament!! This rivalry rarely disappoints, but if there were ever any earmarks that it would disappoint, we are seeing them this year. It’s a big mismatch with Duke oftentimes looking like a #1 seed and North Carolina almost never looking like an NCAA Tournament team. Still, crazy things happen in rivalries, and if UNC could pull the upset it could turn the tide of their seaosn.
-PENN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisky is in great shape and will most likely end up as a protected seed. They just need to hold serve in this one.
-LSU AT VANDERBILT (SEC). LSU is in a bit of a tailspin having lost five of their last six, but this should be a winnable road game for them that could at least help pull them out of that slump.
-SMU AT WICHITA STATE (American). SMU will have to pretty much dominate the rest of the way, but I don’t think the bubble is completely out of reach for them. It goes without saying that they need to win tonight, though.
-NORTHERN IOWA AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). It seemed preposterous to ask this question until recently, but can Drake reach the bubble?? They’ve been playing really well, and if they win out they may find themselves squarely in the discussion. A first place finish in the MVC is not out of the question.
-SAN JOSE STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). This Boise State team appears to be rolling and they shouldn’t have too much trouble against a San Jose State team that is superbly coached, but still not quite there yet.
-KENTUCKY AT ALABAMA (SEC). This is a really big one. Alabama has shown that they can play with and beat anyone at home, but Kentucky has also shown that they can go on the road and win big games. Alabama has a very real possibility of ending up as a protected seed, and the way Kentucky is playing they could end up as high as the #2 line.
-SIUE AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley). Murray has been blowing through the OVC and that should continue tonight. This game feels a lot like a buy game even though it’s a conference game.
-PORTLAND AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). We’ve been big on this Dons team all year, but right now they appear to be straddling the bubble and absolutely need to hold serve in games like this.
-KANSAS STATE AT TCU (Big 12). I believe this TCU team is climbing the seedlist and can continue to remain inside the bubble so long as they take care of business in games like this.
-OREGON AT UTAH (Pac 12). Oregon has had their ups and downs this year, but I think they’ve had enough ups to make the field so long as they hold serve against non-tournament caliber teams, and Utah definitely falls into that category.
-BELMONT AT TENNESSEE TECH (Ohio Valley). If Belmont has any hope at all of landing inside the bubble they pretty much need to win out.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ARKANSAS (SEC). I really like how this Arkansas team is playing and think they are another team that’s climbing the seedlist and improving their resume. Mississippi State has done nothing on the road, but outside of that has a good enough profile to where they can at least get themselves considered for a bid if they could just win a few away from home. This would be huge for them if they could pull it off.
-GONZAGA AT BYU (West Coast). I’ve been critical of Gonzaga for playing so few true road games. Well, I will stop being critical if they win this game, which they are absolutely good enough to do. BYU is a good team that is tough to beat at home, but Gonzaga is one of the best teams in the country and should be able to do it. That said, BYU is on a 3-game losing streak and can’t take on much more water for what could be a sinking ship.
-UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12). This should be a winnable road game for a UCLA team that is a solid protected seed and could even end up as a #1 seed if everything falls right.
-LMU AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). We believe that SMC is inside the bubble, but not so far inside that they can start dropping games like this. They just need to hold serve and they should be okay.