NEWS AND NOTES:
For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Xavier went on the road for what should have been a winnable game at Butler, but ended up coming up short 69-67. They trailed for pretty much the entire game, and by as many as 15 in the second half, but came back to tie it before Butler went ahead on a goaltending call in the final seconds.
-New Mexico, who was inside our bubble but close to it, did themselves absolutely no favors last night when they were beaten rather handily on the road at Air Force 89-77.
– And yet that was not even the most notable thing that happened yesterday. Not by a longshot. New Mexico State’s off-court woes took an even more bizarre turn yesterday with the entire coaching staff being put on paid administrative leave and their season now being suspended. Their game against California Baptist has been cancelled (NOT postponed). This was completely separate from the incident in Albuquerque that led to the cancellation of the New Mexico-New Mexico State games; Jeff Goodman (via Stadium) reported last night that there are hazing allegations within the NMSU program that led to the program now in complete limbo. California Baptist was able to scramble and get an emergency game with West Coast Baptist added to their schedule for today.
– Also some sad news out of East Carolina; their broadcaster Jeff Charles passed away unexpectedly while on the road with the team; their game at Tulane scheduled for today has been postponed and no makeup date as of yet has been scheduled. Charles was the voice of the Pirates for 30 years and was named the North Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 2000. Our condolences go out to his family and the ECU community.
SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE (Click Here to View the Board):
-COLUMBIA AT YALE (Ivy League). If Columbia loses this game, and Penn beats Harvard, then Columbia will be the first team (outside of Chicago State and Hartford) to be eliminated from the Survival Board. It will be mathematically impossible for them to finish in the top 4 and make the Ivy League Tournament.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas is in the hunt for a #1 seed, and West Virginia is just trying to end up on inside the bubble. A win today for WVU, while a VERY tall order, would skyrocket them up the seedlist.
-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC). Alabama has been on our #1 for pretty much the entire calendar year of 2023, whereas Auburn, while (presumably) good, can’t seem to get any big wins on their resume. Well, if they can pull off the upset in this one it would fix a lot of that. It’s a huge rivalry game, it means a ton on paper, the place is always bonkers and should be EXCEPTIONALLY bonkers for this one, and…well…truthfully I can’t wait!!
-CONNECTICUT AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both teams are suddenly playing really well, both are in the rankings, and both went through stretches during the season where they went into an absolute tailspin, but both have come out of it and appear to be solidifying their resumes and climbing up the seedlist.
-RUTGERS AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). I really like how Illinois has been playing, but still think they have room to improve their resume. As for Rutgers, as good as they’ve been this year, they also have room to move up. In short, this is a game between two good teams who can make their resumes look even better with a win today.
-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). Neither team has much of a chance at getting into the field without the auto-bid, but they are two of the better teams in the MVC, and both could be very dangerous in the Round of 64.
-CLEMSON AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Clemson doesn’t have many wins in Chapel Hill in the last…oh…century or so, but they’ve got a chance to get one this year. This is a HUGELY important game for both teams as we have both of them straddling our bubble right now, and both really need this win.
-DUKE AT VIRGINIA (ACC). As much as I’ve criticized Duke this year for being overvalued and not being good on the road, if they are somehow able to win this one I will concede that they have addressed all of my concerns, and that they belong well inside the top half of the bracket. But…that’s much easier said than done. I think Virginia is 2-seed-ish good and should roll at home.
-BAYLOR AT TCU (Big 12). It’s yet another Big 12 game between two teams that are battling it out for protected seeds. Baylor actually has a path (albeit a steep one) to a #1 seed if they can keep winning at the rate that they are. They’re 9-1 in their last ten games, and given the difficulty of their schedule that is utterly remarkable. Winning at TCU, who is another team that could end up as a protected seed and who has some high caliber wins of their own, won’t be easy, though.
-MISSOURI AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Missouri continues to land in that area of the seedlist that’s between the 9 line and the bubble. A win in a game like this would give them a lot more stability. Tennessee is coming off a somewhat surprising (and rather stupid) loss at Vanderbilt, but they’re still a solid protected seed and even have a path to a #1 seed if they can really finish strong.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Oklahoma State has put together an impressive string of wins after a rather sluggish start to the season, and is definitely playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team, but they need to keep it up in order to make the field. Iowa State has had an excellent season, but they’ve lost three of their last four, and some of those were rather surprising like a loss at Texas Tech (where they blew a huge lead) and to West Virginia. Still, they’ve been solid at home and should be way up for this one.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT ARKANSAS (SEC). After an entire season of coming up short in games against tournament-caliber opponents, Arkansas finally seems to have their motor going. This should be a winnable game for them. We actually selected Mississippi State in our field last night, and while they could end up making it I think they’ve got a ton of work to do. They have won four straight, and prior to this winning streak they had lost eight of nine, but they need to keep it up in order to be safely in. A road win in a game like this would certainly go a long way.
-UMASS LOWELL AT VERMONT (America East) – If Vermont wins, they’ll have a 3 game lead over UMass Lowell with just five games remaining and if Lowell can win they’ll just be a game back. Lowell has been one of the stories in college basketball this year, but a first place finish could be out of reach if they can’t get this one.
-UCLA AT OREGON (Pac 12). Some feel UCLA could still end up as a #1 seed, and if they win out perhaps they can, but that’s easier said than done. This will be a very tough road test for the Bruins. It took Oregon a while to get rolling, and it perhaps took them a little too long because in order to get inside the bubble they’ll pretty much need to win out, but they are suddenly playing really well and will be jacked way up for this one. They’ve won six of their last eight and are very tough to beat at home. And if they can keep stringing together wins all the way until the end, they may have a shot at a bid.
UC RIVERSIDE AT UC IRVINE (Big West). THE RIVER-VINE CUP!!!! One of our favorite made up rivalries!!!
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Marquette @ Georgetown (Big East) – should be a winnable game for Marquette and keep them in the race for 1st in the Big East
-Providence @ Saint John’s (Big East) – Providence is in a position to go in on the first ballot, and should be able to hold serve in this one
-NC State @ Boston College (ACC) – this should be some low hanging fruit for NC State and enable them to pick up a winnable road game
-Pittsburgh @ Florida State – Pitt appears to be safely inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve
-Penn State @ Maryland (Big Ten) – I personally think Maryland is being a little overvalued, but I do believe they are inside the bubble and expect they’ll be able to hold serve in this one
-Kentucky @ Georgia (SEC) – Kentucky is right on our bubble and needs to hold serve in this game in order to stay there
-Kansas @ Oklahoma (Big 12) – Kansas is still very much in the hunt for a 1 seed and for 1st place in the Big 12, but they need to hold serve in games like this in order to stay there
-Vanderbilt @ Florida (SEC) – Florida is outside the bubble, but can reach it with a strong finish to the season. They can’t afford to drop a home game to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble
-UL Monroe @ Southern Miss (Sun Belt) – Southern Miss is playing really well right now, and should get a look from the committee if they’re able to win out
-UNLV @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – I’ve been critical of San Diego State, but they have absolutely put together a string of wins that is both long and impressive. They should be able to continue that at home today, and will safely land inside the bubble and probably go into the field on the first ballot if they keep holding serve
-Wisconsin @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Wisconsin is right on our bubble. I think they’re good enough to make the field, but they need to hold serve in games like this
-Georgia Tech @ Wake Forest (ACC) – Wake needs to string together wins between now and the end in order to make the field
-Saint Mary’s @ Portland (West Coast) – SMC is coming off a somewhat surprising road loss to LMU, which was their first in conference play, but is still in great shape and should be able to get this one on the road
-Indiana @ Michigan (Big Ten) – I really like how the Hoosiers are playing and believe they have a path to a protected seed. They should be able to hold serve in this one
-USC @ Oregon State (Pac 12) – USC is coming off a blowout loss to Oregon and continues to hover around the bubble. This is a road win that they have to get
-Kansas State @ Texas Tech (Big 12) – there aren’t many ‘gimme games’ in the Big 12, and even this isn’t an easy game to win, but it’s easier than most of the rest of the games in the league. K State is on pace to get a protected seed, and may even still have a path to a #1 seed
-Louisville @ Miami FL (ACC) – Miami is rolling and could end up as a protected seed. They should have no trouble holding serve in this one
-Arizona @ Stanford (Pac 12) – many think Arizona has a shot at the #1 line. I don’t think their resume tops out quite that high, but I could see the committee giving it to them, especially if they’re able to win out
-Arizona State @ California (Pac 12) – Arizona State is outside the bubble and needs a strong finish to get back in. A loss in a game like this could all but kill them
-Seton Hall @ Villanova (Big East) – Seton Hall is coming off a loss, but they are still definitely trending in the right direction and could easily end up inside the bubble if they keep it up. It’s never easy to go on the road and win, but this is the kind of game that an NCAA Tournament caliber team is expected to be able to win.
-Wyoming @ Boise State (Mountain West) – We’ve got Boise in our field, but close to the bubble. They need to hold serve in this one
-Texas A&M @ LSU (SEC) – TAMU is trending in the right direction after a very unimpressive start to the year, but they still have a lot of work to do and all their games have a pivotal feel to them. They need this one on the road tonight
-BYU @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – The first meeting between these two was a thriller, but the Zags are at home for this one and should roll
-Utah State @ San Jose State (Mountain West) – If Utah State has any shot at all of landing inside the bubble they basically need to win out