NEWS AND NOTES:
-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – CLICK HERE
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-For Jon Teitel’s All Conference Midseason Awards – CLICK HERE for Pt.1 and CLICK HERE for Pt.2
-The biggest news on the court last night was Rutgers’s huge upset win on the road against top ranked Purdue. It’s one of the better singular wins that any team has managed this season, and it suddenly makes their resume look tons better than what it did before yesterday. Rutgers had played really well against some really good teams, but came up just short. Yesterday they played really well against the #1 ranked team, and got the win, so I’m glad for them that they finally picked one up.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams are well within reach of the inside of the bubble, but both still have some work to do in order to actually reach it. The Johnnies have lost three straight and need a win like this in order to bounce back. Marquette has actually won five out of their last six with the only loss being a double overtime thriller against Providence and is coming off really nice win at Villanova, so for them to pick up another road win would really have them on a good path.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Mississippi State has lost two straight games since building up a big 11-0 record against what was mostly a pastry cart. They do have a couple of good wins, but they still have a lot of work to do. Tennessee has lifted some pretty heavy weight and appears to be on pace toward a protected seed. But to stay on that pace they need to be able to hold serve in games like this.
-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State appears to be outside the bubble right now and needs to string together some wins just to get back in the picture. This is a winnable conference home game and they need to take care of business.
-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT KENT STATE (MAC). I still think there will be room for Kent State inside the bubble if they can blow through the MAC. I know that’s easier said than done, but I do think they’re good en0ugh to do it.
-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky doesn’t have any notable wins yet, and a win today may actually be their best of the season so far, but they don’t have any damaging losses either and are talented enough to where they should safely reach the field so long as they hold serve. LSU has built up a big record, but mostly done so by going to the bakery and ordering cupcakes. They will certainly be tested tonight, though, and they are coming off a really nice win against Arkansas, so we can’t just brush off this LSU team.
-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both teams have to make up some ground, and both could really use this one tonight. Creighton just hasn’t looked good at all since their 6-0 start and needs to get things turned around. This is a winnable home game for them and they need to take advantage.
-KANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Kansas survived a battle at home against Oklahoma State, and like every conference road game they play they’re going to be in for another battle tonight. Texas Tech can really help out their resume with a win tonight even though they are at home.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). K State has just one loss on the season, but they didn’t amass that record by playing in games that will test them as much as this one will. Texas is 12-1, ranked really high, has some high caliber wins, and has been really good at home this year.
-OLE MISS AT ALABAMA (SEC). Alabama has some of the best wins of any team in the country, and depending on how well they do between now and the end I don’t think a #1 seed is out of the question. They do need to hold serve in games like this, which I expect they’ll be able to.
-VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt has won nine of their last ten and, as crazy as this is to say, they’re playing really well with some decent wins on their resume. If they can get this one tonight, they’ll REALLY get the attention of the committee. Virginia is one of the teams that appears to be contending for a #1 seed, and for teams like that road wins in games like this come with the territory, but Pitt has reason to be optimistic.
-MINNESOTA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisconsin is up to 14th in the rankings, and they are well deserving of it and in contention for a protected seed. They should be able to hold serve in the basketball version of Paul Bunyan’s Axe tonight
-UTAH STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). I really like this Utah State team and feel they can land inside the bubble. Air Force can be a tricky team to play against, especially on the road, but it’s still a winnable conference road game that they can add to their resume.
-SAN JOSE STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). I think this is a good Boise State team, but I also realize they still have a ton of work to do if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament and can’t afford to drop games like this at home.
-NEW MEXICO AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West). New Mexico is the last unbeaten and this should be another winnable road game for them.