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VCU (12-5, 3-1) at Dayton (12-5, 4-0) – 9:00 PM ET (ESPN2)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day goes to the Gem City where the hometown Dayton Flyers will attempt to win their 5th game in the row in the A-10 against the VCU Rams. UD came into the season with lofty expectations, but injuries and a bad showing in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament hampered the Flyers’ effort to build a strong out-of-conference profile. DaRon Holmes II did have a 32-point outing in the Flyers’ blowout win at Fordham earlier in the week.
VCU did manage a split against Arizona State and Pittsburgh during the Legends Classic back in November; the win against Pitt is gaining momentum for the Rams as the season progresses. After splitting their first games in conference play against La Salle and Duquesne, the Rams are coming off of double-digit wins against Davidson and Loyola-Chicago. Ace Baldwin Jr. leads the Rams with 13.3 points per game.
OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES (From David):
-In the past we’ve seen Gonzaga dominate the West Coast Conference and rarely even having to sweat. This year, they’re still winning, but they are definitely sweating. For the third game in a row it came down to the final seconds, but they held on to beat BYU after trailing late in the game 75-74. Yes, they won. Yes it was on the road. But, it was also close.
-Ohio State had a sub-NIT caliber team at home….and lost 70-67 to Minnesota. That hurts. It’s a setback, but it’s not a death sentence.
-Iowa seems to have come out of whatever funk they were in and had a big win in overtime against Michigan last night. Iowa’s resume, minus one really bad week back in December, doesn’t look bad at all. Their chances of making the field are quite good.
-Marshall blasted Southern Miss 89-67, which makes Southern Miss look very much like not an NCAA Tournament caliber team.
-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). The Boilers are heading toward a #1 seed and should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Both teams are inside the bubble, but both are good enough to improve their resumes between now and the end, which is what makes this game kind of appealing.
-UTAH STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). A bubbilicous game between two teams that could really use this win