NEWS AND NOTES:
-Rutgers impressive win streak came to an end at Purdue yesterday as they fell 84-72, but it hardly the kind of loss that would set a team back. I think this team is still inside the bubble, and should perhaps be even further inside the bubble than where many are projecting them.
-Providence needed overtime to get by Butler, but they managed to once again win a close game.
-Houston needed double overtime to get by Wichita State, but they escaped with a 76-74 win. While it is important that the Cougars did win, for the past couple of weeks Houston has not been blowing teams off the floor the way they had been all season long.
USC got a big scare from Wazzu, but held on to win 62-60 to keep their resume from sustaining a bit of a dent.
-Memphis, who had been on a really good run, could not get it done at SMU yesterday and fell 73-57. I think both teams are on the bubble, but it’s possible that neither end up getting in.
-Creighton won a thriller at home against Marquette to help give their resume a bit of a boost, which it kind of needed. Marquette is still in really good shape, but the chances of ending up as a protected seed seem to be slipping away.
-Mississippi State finally won a road game as they beat Missouri 58-56. It isn’t nearly enough to get them onto the bubble, but it is at least a start.
-Last but not least, Wisconsin held serve at home against a Michigan team that appeared to be working its way toward the bubble, but couldn’t get the big win in Madison. Wisky had gotten control of the game down the stretch, so I turned it over with about 2 minutes to play. I’m going to assume that the game just ended normally and that I didn’t miss anything.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-INDIANA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This would be a big improvement to Indiana’s resume if they could pull off this win. They’re (relatively) safe right now, but they’d be much much much safer with a win like this.
-LOUISVILLE AT NORTH CAROLINA . North Carolina is overing around the outside of the bubble and needs to keep holding serve. They did get a nice win at Virginia Tech over the weekend, so they are still within reach of making the field.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TCU (Big 12). TCU is inside the bubble and should remain there so long as they hold serve in games like this, which is a home game against a team that’s outside the bubble.
-MARSHALL AT SOUTHERN MISS (We Think Conference USA). We highlight this game only so we can once again share THIS VIDEO of how CUSA reacted when these two schools announced they were leaving the league for the Sun Belt next year.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley). Loyola Chicago may be out of strikes when it comes to being inside the bubble and in a position to get an at-large bid if they don’t win the MVC Tournament. If they aren’t out of strikes, they are getting very close. Simply put, they cannot lose again until at least the semifinals.
-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). Baylor is solidly on the #2 line right now, and still has a path to end up as a #1 with a strong finish considering how good they are and how tough their schedule is.
-ARIZONA STATE AT UCLA (Pac 12). UCLA is within reach of a protected seed and they should get it if they can hold serve the rest of the way.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT PACIFIC (West Coast). San Francisco should make the field so long as they avoid losses to anyone that’s not inside the bubble the rest of the way. That obviously includes this one tonight.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT SEATTLE (WAC). Neither team is inside the bubble, but this is still a fun match-up with first place implications. New Mexico State is coming off a very impressive performance at Grand Canyon, and if they can get to the Round of 64 they will likely be a very tough match-up for someone.