NEWS AND NOTES:
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-So, we saw four top ten teams really sweat yesterday, but all four still ended up winning by 3pts or less.
-Purdue bounced back from their loss to Rutgers with a hard fought road win over Ohio State. The game was close all throughout and Purdue hit a 3pt shot in the final seconds to go ahead, and ultimately win, 71-69.
-Arizona had to really sweat at home against Washington. They fell behind early, and every time it appeared they were about to get control, Washington had an answer. Arizona ended up winning 70-67, which should secure their top five ranking (for now), but it wasn’t their most impressive performance of the year. As for Washington, you kind of have to wonder where this type of play suddenly came from.
-Gonzaga had to sweat even more in San Francisco, and was basically behind for the entire game before some big plays in the final minute, and one in particular in the final seconds, gave them a 77-76 win. San Francisco had looked good at times this year, but wasn’t playing at a high level consistently enough, which is why they weren’t really near our bubble. They played at a high level last night, though.
-UCLA also got a scare from crosstown rival USC. The Bruins appeared to be in complete control In the first half, then couldn’t get anything going offensively in the second half, but they still held on to win (just barely) 60-58.
-Whatever funk Iowa was in, they may have finally snapped out of it last night. They went from looking like a top 25 team to looking like they may not win a game for the rest of the year in a span of about a week, but they beat a good Indiana team 91-89 at home last night, and hopefully for them this is will be the start of a turnaround.
-Florida Atlantic improved to 13-1 after their big win over a really good UAB team. The game seesawed back and forth and was close all throughout, but FAU got control in the final seconds and held on for the 88-86 win. This FAU team has a good record with some pretty decent wins on their resume and should absolutely have the attention of the selection committee. It’s a shame they don’t have the attention of the AP voters, but at least the committee should recognize them.
-Sam Houston, who has some impressive wins on their resume, is off to a slow start in conference. They lost at home to Grand Canyon yesterday 72-68 and are now just 1-2 in WAC play. Grand Canyon is good, but for a team that’s trying to show that they belong in the bubble, it’s the kind of game that you need to be able to win at home.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Some good Ivy and MAAC games tonight, but nothing really jumps off the page as having any huge implications for the NCAA Tournament