SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE (click to view):
-OHIO VALLEY – Eastern Illinois fell to Morehead State yesterday, so they fall a half game behind Little Rock for 8th place and the final spot in the conference tournament. Little Rock will face SIUE tonight and can get a one game lead with one game to go with a win. I THINK Little Rock currently has the tiebreaker. The two teams split during the regular season, and they also split with the two teams that are tied for second, but Little Rock has the next highest win in the conference standings for now. Either way, it is a very tight race.
-We discuss more of this, as well as the rest of the UTR teams in our final UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast of the season. To check it out – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES:
-I am not going to talk about Alabama’s off the court issues other than to say I’m not going to talk about them. If that’s what you want to read about, there are thousands of other things out there you can easily find. They had to sweat last night at South Carolina, and needed overtime, but escaped with a 78-76 win, which should keep them atop the seedlist as the #1 overall.
-Virginia lost 63-48. At Boston College. Virginia has been asleep for the last couple of weeks. They had to sweat out both Louisville and Notre Dame in their two games prior to this one. What is going on in Hoo-Ville?
-UConn actually ran away from Providence in the second half, and ended up winning 87-69. I know they were at home, but it was one of the more impressive 20 minute stretches that we’ve seen out of UConn in quite some time.
-North Carolina really had to sweat, but they did escape from Notre Dame 63-59. It wasn’t the kind of performance that instills a lot of confidence that the team is actually any good, but it was enough to at least keep them within reach of the bubble. For now.
-Auburn also survived at home against Ole Miss 78-74. It wasn’t the kind of performance that instills a lot of confidence that the team is actually any good, but it was enough to at least keep them within reach of the bubble. For now.
-Wisconsin, who had been playing really poorly and slipped pretty far down the seedlist (and perhaps outside the bubble), got a 64-52 home win over Iowa that they DESPERATELY needed. All of their games from here on out will have a pivotal feel to them.
-Boise State needed a big win, and got it against New Mexico 82-77 at home last night. New Mexico is in very serious trouble as they are now just 7-8 in Mountain West play. the Mountain West isn’t exactly an Under the Radar conference, but it’s not exactly the Big 12 either. New Mexico needs a strong finish to their season.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN AT RUTGERS (BIG TEN). This should be a game where Rutgers is able to hold serve. Michigan can in theory make a run at the bubble, but they’d need to win tonight, finish the regular season strong, and then make a big run in the Big Ten Tournament.
-NORTHWESTERN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). This series has always had a little bit of heat to it, and I suppose some would consider it a rivalry, but RARELY has it ever had this kind of storyline to it. Northwestern (not Illinois) is ranked in the top 25 and should land comfortably in the top half of the seedlist. This would be another nice road win and improve their resume even more if the Wildcats are able to pull it off. Illinois has a strong resume as well, and while they’ve lost three of their last five they have still shown they can play at a high level and will also have the chance to move up the seedlist between now and the end.
-UCLA AT UTAH (Pac 12). UCLA is up to 4th in the rankings, and while they don’t have quite as much at the top of their profile as some of the other teams that are in the hunt for a #1 seed, I definitely think it is possible, and definitely think that regardless of what their seed is they’re good enough to go deep into the NCAA Tournament. Having said that, this won’t be an easy road game. Utah still has NCAA Tournament hopes that are barely flickering, and a win tonight could kindle them up some more, but I think it’s pretty much the consensus that they are much more of an NIT team than an NCAA Tournament team at the moment.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Memphis @ Wichita State (American) – Memphis is on the bubble. If they can avoid losses to all of the teams other than Houston the rest of the way then I believe they will make it into the field
-UTSA @ Florida Atlantic (Conference USA) – if FAU wins out through the regular I think they’ll be selected on the first ballot regardless of what happens in the CUSA Tournament
-North Texas @ Charlotte (Conference USA) – it would be a stretch, but North Texas should get at least a look from the committee if they win out until the CUSA Championship game, but then fail to beat FAU
-Towson @ Charleston (Colonial) – Towson is capable of playing at a high level and be able to test Charleston tonight
-USC @ Colorado (Pac 12) – USC is on the bubble, and Mountain Roadtrip is a difficult one, but it’s one that they need to come out of with wins.
-Pacific @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – should be a layup win for Saint Mary’s right before the big finale with Gonzaga
-San Diego @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – should be a layup win for Gonzaga right before the big finale with Saint Mary’s
UTR WATCH:
-FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON AT SAINT FRANCIS, PA (Northeast). These are the 3rd and 4th place teams, but they are also the top two teams that are eligible for the NCAA Tournament and are separated by just one game. If Merrimack wins the conference tournament, then the highest eligible team in the standings is who will get the auto-bid, and tonight’s game could play a big role in determining that.
-ORAL ROBERTS AT SOUTH DAKTOTA (Summit League). Oral Roberts has already clinched first place in the conference and is now just warming up for the conference tourney.
-SOUTHLAND – TAMUCC has a one game lead over Northwestern State and can clinch at least a share of first place if they win their game at home against TAMU Commerce and Northwestern State loses at Incarnate Word.