NEWS AND NOTES:
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-UConn suffered their second straight loss as they fell at Providence 73-61 yesterday. The Friars pretty much had a lead for the entire game and while it was never really out of reach for UConn until the final minute or so, it never looked like Providence wasn’t in control either. The Friars are really good. Again. As for UConn, while they have lost two in a row, both were on the road to really good teams, so it won’t set them back too badly.
-Miami FL had been one of the hotter teams in the country, but they lost just their second game of the season yesterday in a bit of a surprise at Georgia Tech. It was close, but GA Tech led for most of the way and ended up pulling it out 76-70. Winning on the road is tough.
-Missouri had been red hot, but also lost their second game of the year 74-68 on the road against a really good Arkansas team in a highly entertaining game that seesawed back and forth. While Missouri didn’t win, they were able to be competitive against a really good team on the road, which was one of the questions I had about them, so my opinion of them hasn’t been lowered at all. If anything, it may have been raised a little bit.
-Duke went on the road to NC State, and WAS NOT competitive. They were down 16-0 to start the game and never got any closer. It was actually quite pitiful. Having said that, it was a nice win for NC State.
-Auburn went on the road to Georgia, and while they weren’t blown out like Duke was, they weren’t really ever in control of the game either. Georgia picked up a really nice 76-64 win over the Tigers.
-TCU got a monster road win at Baylor 88-87 in a hard fought game that was close the whole way. Baylor had a chance to win on their last possession, but was unable to convert. It was a big win for TCU because it came on the road against a ranked team, and it was also their first Big 12 win.
-Iowa State is in the top 25, and showed they were deserving of it after they picked up a really big road win against Oklahoma 63-60. Any conference road win against a team that’s within reach of the NCAA Tournament is a good win.
-Michigan has now won two straight and looked impressive in both wins since their loss to Central Michigan. They were in control for pretty much the entire game against a fairly good Penn State team and ended up with a 79-69 win.
-Clemson picked up a hard fought win over Virginia Tech 68-65 and is now off to a 4-0 start in ACC play. Clemson hasn’t been garnering all that much attention, but at 12-3 overall, and 4-0 in the ACC, and with some pretty solid wins on their resume, they look like an NCAA Tournament team to me.
-Northwestern bounced back from their pitiful showing against Ohio State with a very impressive showing against rival Illinois. They were at home, but it was still an impressive looking win. Northwestern looks like they can be in the discussion come March.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARYLAND AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Rutgers picked up their biggest win of the year at Purdue earlier this week, so I think we now all think of them as being a solid NCAA Tournament team. Maryland also looks to be on their way to landing in the field, and a road win like this would really help out their resume. In short, this is a game between two good teams and winning it would look good on either resume.
-PURDUE AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Purdue is coming off their first loss of the season, and this won’t be an easy bounce back by any means. It’s a game they can win, but it’s against a top 25 team on the road. Still, if they want a #1 seed, then this is the kind of road game that #1 seeds are expected to be able to win.
-UAB AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Conference USA). This is perhaps the most important game of the day, at least in regards to what the stakes are for making the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are good enough to make a run at the bubble, but both also have limited chances at the kinds of wins that would impress the committee, which is what makes this game today so important for both of them.
-SOUTHERN MISS AT LOUISIANA (Sun Belt). Southern Miss is off to a fantastic start, and while this is a game they can/should win, it’s not an easy game, and the committee likely knows it. Louisiana has lost their last two, but they were really strong out of conference and won’t be easy to beat at home. Then again, if a team wants to make the NCAA Tournament, they need to be able to win games that aren’t easy to win, and that’s what Southern Miss needs to do tonight.
-INDIANA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa has come completely off the rails. They don’t even look like an NIT team. I keep waiting for them to bounce back, but am also questioning whether or not it will actually happen. This should be a winnable road game for the Hoosiers.
-USC AT UCLA (Pac 12). It’s a rivalry game between a USC team that’s played really well at times and is overall good enough to make the Tournament, and a UCLA team that’s played outstanding at times and has looked good enough to make a run at the Final Four. It’s always fun when these two match up, and it should be fun tonight. I like the contrasting styles, the rivalry, and the stakes of the game!
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Maine @ UMass Lowell (America East) – A win for UMass Lowell gets them to 14-2 on the year
-SMU @ Houston (American) – should be a winnable conference home game for the Cougars
-Texas State @ James Madison (Sun Belt) – James Madison has an outside shot at making a run at the bubble, but their margin for error is basically zero
-Grand Canyon @ Sam Houston (WAC) – I still think Sam Houston can make a run at the bubble despite a recent loss to Utah Valley. They can’t slip up tonight at home against a GCU team that’s also pretty good
-Washington State @ Arizona State (Pac 12) – Wazzu has shown they can be tough to beat at home, but not so much on the road. Arizona State should be able to hold serve int his one
-Louisiana Tech @ Rice (Conference USA) – I don’t think Rice will end up inside the bubble, but a win tonight gets them to 12-3 and the conference will give them some opportunities at good wins, so it’s not impossible
-North Texas @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – this is a challenging, but winnable, road game for North Texas who has a shot at making a run at the bubble
-Santa Clara @ Pepperdine (West Coast) – a winnable road game for Santa Clara that would get them to 14-4 on the year
-Washington @ Arizona (Pac 12) – Arizona looks to be among the teams that are good enough to make a run at a #1 seed, and they should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Gonzaga @ San Francisco (West Coast) – I was excited about San Francisco for a while, but they have not looked good lately. Gonzaga should roll in this one