NEWS AND NOTES:
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-I thought Saint Louis had a path to getting inside the bubble. Last night they lost at Saint Bonaventure 83-79. I no longer feel they have a path to land inside the bubble.
-An under the radar note, Vermont, who was completely blowing through the America East, lost to Hartford, who is one of the weaker teams in that conference, 75-74. It doesn’t matter that much. Vermont still has first place pretty much wrapped up and they had very little hope for an at-large bid anyway, but it was still a huge upset, and it is something that could potentially effect their seedline in the Round of 64 assuming that they win the auto-bid.
-Kansas State’s home win over West Virginia is enough to at least get K State into the discussion right now, and enough to knock West Virginia out of the discussion.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). This should be a winnable road game for Michigan State and keep them on pace for a protected seed.
-WAKE FOREST AT DUKE (ACC). Wake remains inside our bubble, but they are far from safe. Now, if they can win a game like this they’ll be safe, but that’s much easier said than done. Duke is almost assuredly going to get a protected seed and could end up as high as the #2 line.
-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Texas is coming off a loss to Baylor, but they’d won five of six before that and are playing better now. This will be a challenge against a team that just blew out Texas Tech at home and then nearly won at Kansas. Oklahoma is on the bubble, but they’ve really kicked it into gear their last two games. This is one they need.
-MEMPHIS AT CINCINNATI (American). Memphis is coming off a huge win at Houston and have won five straight, but they still have a lot of work to do. They’ve got another test tonight, and it’s another test that they have to pass.
-IONA AT SAINT PETER’S (Metro Atlantic). I think Iona is out of strikes and will need the auto-bid, but if they win out through the regular season they will at least be on the board.
-VCU AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten). It would take a huge finish, but VCU has a path (albeit a narrow one) to get inside the bubble.
-FLORIDA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Florida is right on the bubble and needs some big wins, and TAMU is outside of it and needs even more big wins.
-VILLANOVA AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Providence’s resume is outstanding, and they’ve won every close game they’ve been in. They’re at home tonight for what should be a crazy atmosphere against Villanova in a game that has 1st place implications in the Big East, as well as protected seed implications for both teams (although regardless of what happens both could easily end up with protected seeds).
-MINNESOTA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State is cruising toward the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve tonight against Minney.
-KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Kentucky is playing as well as anyone in the country right now and can end up as a #1 seed if they keep winning at this clip. They’ve got a very tough road game tonight against a Tennessee team that’s also in the rankings and while I don’t think they’re a protected seed now, they could end up there with a strong finish.
-WISCONSIN AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Wisconsin has an amazing profile and I think they’re a solid protected seed that actually has a shot at ending up as high as the #2 line, but they’re coming off a somewhat surprising loss at home to Rutgers. This is a winnable game, but Indiana also looks to be a likely Tournament team (and if they win this game they’ll look to be a VERY likely Tournament team), so it won’t be easy.
-IOWA STATE AT TCU (Big 12). Iowa State is slipping further and further down the seedlist and needs almost any type of win to stop them from drowning in quicksand. This one tonight won’t be easy. TCU looks like a likely Tournament team and they’ve been playing well at home.
-UTAH STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is straddling the bubble and they need this one at home.