NEWS AND NOTES:
-For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast, where we run through all the conferences that normally get just one bid – CLICK HERE
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Tennessee followed up their highly impressive win against Texas with a bit of a head-scratching loss at Florida last night 67-54. The Gators have won six of their last eight and are looking noticeably better than they did early on, but it was still a little shocking to see them kind of run a way in the last few minutes against a Tennessee team that many of us were thinking could end up on the #1 line.
-Whenever Xavier and Providence play, the game is awesome. It should be no surprise that it went into overtime last night, and that Providence missed what would have been a game winning shot at the buzzer. Xavier gets the big 85-83 win, and they did it without Zach Freemantle who is out for several weeks with an injury.
-Pittsburgh and North Carolina were both very bubblicious teams last night. Both really needed the win, and Pittsburgh got it 65-64 after North Carolina failed to get up a shot at the buzzer (that was blocked anyway). Pitt has now won on the road at UNC, they have 6 overall road wins to UNC’s 2, they have a better record in the ACC, Pitt has 4 quad 1 wins and another really good win against Miami FL whereas North Carolina has a win over Ohio State. Essentially Pitt has COMPLETELY outperformed UNC, yet people will probably still be forecasting as being a head of Pitt. What can I say? People are stupid!
-Oklahoma State got a big road win against Oklahoma to take a big step toward the bubble. They still have work to do, but they can still get there. Oklahoma just blew out Alabama over the weekend, but at no point last night did it look like they were going to win the game.
-Utah State opened up a big halftime lead over New Mexico and held on to win 84-73. Utah State’s profile is very bland, sot his win will certainly help them even though it was at home.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT UAB (Conference USA). UAB was a team we had very high expectations for this year, but while they’ve been good, it’s FAU that has reached the levels we thought UAB might reach. Having said that, UAB is coming off what is perhaps their best performance of the season, and they’re at home against a top 25 team with a ton of momentum built up. This will be a harder test for FAU than what most people realize.
-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This game is VERY bubblicious. Wisconsin is in a complete tailspin having lost six of their last seven and needs any sort of a win to pull them out of it. Ohio State is even worse with losses in seven of their last eight. They need to string together some wins just to reach the bubble.
-OREGON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). Oregon won the first meeting between these two rather handily, but winning that handily on the road is an entirely different deal. Arizona is good enough to win out, and if they do they’ll be very much in the hunt for a #1 seed. Oregon has won four of their last five and is playing a lot better, but they need to continue to put together a long string of wins just to reach the bubble.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Michigan @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – Northwestern is coming off a loss, but they’re still having a good year and should be able to hold serve at home.
-Southern Miss @ Troy (Sun Belt) – I don’t think Southern Miss will make it all the way inside the bubble, but they could at least get very close if they win out. A win today gets them to 20-4 on the season, and would make them (I believe) just the third team to reach 20 wins this year
-Charleston @ Drexel (Colonial) – Charleston is looking to bounce back from just their second loss of the season. If they win out they should be inside the bubble
-Stanford @ Utah (Pac 12) – Utah needs to really finish strong in order to make the field
-Houston @ Wichita State (American) – This should be an easy road win for Houston…if they decide to show up
-Washington @ UCLA (Pac 12) – UCLA has lost two straight, but has what should be a very winnable game at home tonight.
-Santa Clara @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – The Zags should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-San Francisco @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – The Gaels should be able to hold serve in this one
-Washington State @ USC (Pac 12) – USC has been playing a lot better, but they need to keep stringing together wins and avoid home losses to teams that are nowhere near the field