NEWS AND NOTES:
-Kentucky, who had been looking like the best team in the nation, did not look that way last night. Long scoring and field goal droughts plagued them as Tennessee rolled 76-63. It was a great showing by the Vols, especially on the defensive end.
-Villanova got what was arguably their most impressive win of the year as they went into Providence, played a top ten team in front of a hostile environment, and basically had a lead from tip to buzzer in an 89-84 win.
-Duke had to sweat, and Coach K did not come out for the second half due to health concerns, but they held on to beat Wake Forest 76-74 with a game winning dunk in the final seconds. This would have been a massive win for Wake and put to bed any debate as to whether or not they belonged inside the bubble.
-Wisconsin had to gut it out at Indiana, but they got the 74-69 win.
-Michigan State fell on the road at Penn State 62-58. At times the Spartans have looked good enough to make the Final Four, and at other times you’re really scratching your head. Then again, if you look at Michigan State’s NCAA Tournament history, perhaps they feel their chances of a deep run are better if they are a #7 seed.
-Texas got a big overtime win at Oklahoma 80-78. The Sooners have been looking a lot better, but what they need is wins and they kind of let this one get away last night.
-Wyoming was unable to win their first game after cracking the rankings, and it was a bit of a surprising loss to New Mexico 75-66. The Pit is traditionally not an easy place to play, but New Mexico has not looked good at all this year, so it was a bit of a surprise.
-I don’t want to declare that Memphis is inside the bubble yet, but I am going to declare that they are now very much worth paying attention to. After six straight wins, and their last two coming at Houston and at Cincinnati, they are at least looking like a solid tournament team at the moment. Their game at SMU this Sunday is HUGE…
-Florida is on the bubble. Florida lost at Texas A&M 56-55. Texas A&M is outside the bubble. That is not good for Florida.
-Iowa State needed a good win in the worst way, and got it on the road last night against TCU. Their overall resume is solid minus their record in conference, but that may not be a factor. Still, stringing together wins between now and the end is very much in the best interest of the Cyclones.
– While South Carolina’s win at Ole Miss has absolutely no NCAA Tournament implications, it is always fun to watch an overtime buzzer beater from Angry Frank’s team. Oh, and this was a halfcourt game-winner. There is that.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier appears to be cruising toward the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve tonight.
-ILLINOIS AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Rutgers is starting to look more and more like a Tournament team both on paper and on the court They’ve got a chance to pick up another very notable win tonight against an Illinois team that is really good, but not quite as good on the road.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ALABAMA (SEC). Alabama still has a path to a protected seed and has been very good at home this year. Mississippi State has not been able to do anything on the road this year, so…
-MIAMI FL AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). I think Miami is inside the bubble and will make the field so long as they hold serve. That would mean they would need to win tonight.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). The Irish have won eight of their last nine and their resume continues to get stronger. They should be able to hold serve tonight.
-GEORGIA AT LSU (SEC). LSU has digressed some over the last few weeks, but they haven’t digressed to the point to where they are likely to struggle tonight. In fact a game like this could help them reform some good habits and be the start of starting to play like a protected seed again.
-GEORGETOWN AT MARQUETTE (Big East). It has been a nightmare of a season for Georgetown. Marquette has lost two straight, including a surprising loss to Butler in their last game, but their resume is still outstanding and they could still end up as a protected seed if they can get back to playing the way they were prior to last week.
-PITTSBURGH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Until North Carolina gets a good win on their resume they have to continue to avoid bad losses.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT VALPARAISO (Missouri Valley). Loyola Chicago is still inside the bubble, but I wouldn’t call them safe. They need to win out through the regular season for me to feel like they can safely make the field.
-SETON HALL AT UCONN (Big East). I really like UConn’s resume, but they’ve lost three of their last five and barely beat a mediocre (at best) Saint John’s team in their last game. Seton Hall has been playing really well. They did lose to Villanova their last time out, but you can hardly ding them for that. Both teams are likely Tournament teams, so this is a resume building opportunity.
-VANDERBILT AT AUBURN (SEC). Auburn is still on a path for a #1 seed and shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one.
-PURDUE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Purdue has struggled on the road at times this year, including against teams that don’t appear to be inside the bubble, but their resume is still outstanding and they could still wind up as a #1 seed.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). This is a big time showcase game between Baylor, who is almost certainly a protected seed, and Texas Tech, who has a very good chance of getting a protected seed barring a collapse. The fans should be out in full force for this one.
-SMU AT TEMPLE (American). SMU can make the field, but their margin for error is small. They basically need to win all their remaining games minus maybe the road game at Houston.
-BOISE STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Boise State is coming off a tough overtime loss to Colorado State, but I still think they are a solid team that is very much inside the bubble. They should be able to pick this one up on the road tonight.
-GONZAGA AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast). Gonzaga is the top ranked team who has a rather clear path to a #1 seed if they win out, which they are certainly good enough to do.