Maryland-Eastern Shore (14-9, 6-2) at Howard (15-10, 7-1) – 7:30 PM ET
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to The Burr in Washington, DC where the Howard Bison host the Hawks of Maryland-Eastern Shore in a matchup of two of the top teams in the MEAC. UMES had a 7-game winning streak snapped on Saturday; they lost a game at home against Norfolk State 76-73. Kevon Voyles leads the Hawks with 12.1 points a game and 1.8 steals a game.
Thanks to a tougher-than-expected 86-85 win at Delaware State on Saturday, Howard is now on a 7-game winning streak and is now in sole possession of first place in the MEAC. The last loss on the schedule was an 82-73 loss at Maryland-Eastern Shore in the first meeting between both teams. Elijah Hawkins is averaging 13.1 points a game and 5.9 assists a game for the Bison.
HOOPS HD DAILY RUNDOWN (From the Puppet):
-After trailing Purdue for most of the game, but keeping it within reach, Northwestern got control in the last couple of minutes and actually pulled off a huge 64-58 upset win in front of an absolutely bonkers crowd! It was a really fun game to watch, and it’s exciting to see Northwestern, a team that has only been to one NCAA Tournament in its entire history, seemingly to be solidly inside the bubble and perhaps even in the top half of the bracket.
-Everything else was pretty chalky.
-MIAMI FL AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Miami FL is well placed in the top half of the bracket and still has an outside shot at a protected seed (although that will take quite a bit more work). They’ll be challenged tonight by a UNC team that I’ve been underwhelmed by overall, but who has been very solid at home. Still, this would be one of the better wins for the Tarheels on the season if they’re able to pick this one up, and it’s a game I think they kind of need.
-NORTHEASTERN AT CHARLESTON (Colonial). CofC is probably done because if they do lose in the conference tournament then it would be yet another loss to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble, but if they win out the committee will give them a serious look and perhaps even still select them.
-TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Texas appears to be a solid protected seed and even has a shot at a #1 seed if they can finish strong. That would mean taking care of business on the road in this one in what should be a winnable game, but also very hostile game.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Baylor is another team that I think is within reach of the #1 line, but needs to continue to win at the clip they have been in order to reach it. West Virginia is simply trying to get into the NCAA Tournament, and a win today would go a long way, but that’s far easier said than done.