NEWS AND NOTES:
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-After beating up on TCU for doing nothing all season other than devouring cupcakes, they went into Kansas and nearly pulled off one of the bigger surprises of the season. The game came down to the final possession, but Kansas held on to win 73-71. That makes me want to FURTHER emphasize how weak TCU’s schedule was. They’re a good team. They’re capable of beating teams that are much better than the ones they played OOC. Yet, because they did play that kind of schedule, their resume is still void of any big wins and they’ve actually put a lot more pressure on themselves to perform during conference play.
-Ole Miss suffered their first loss of the season, and that’s no real surprise because of how weak their schedule has been. Tennessee rolled them over 90-64 and the Vols continue to look like a solid top-15 caliber team.
-Kentucky picked up a big win as they went on the road to Florid and held on 87-85. This was another game that came down to the final minute of play. The Gators had an early lead, then Kentucky appeared to be in control, then the Gators came back. Both teams are good, and both will almost assuredly be dancing come March. As for Kentucky, it was their second road win of the season with the other coming against Louisville, which I’m not sure really counts.
-Marquette and Seton Hall was a game that seesawed back and forth, but Seton Hall held on to pick up yet another big win on their home court. Seton Hall didn’t exactly sprint out of the starting gate, but they didn’t really fall either. Since losing to Rutgers they’ve won five out of six and beaten Missouri, UConn, Providence, and now Marquette in that stretch.
-I really like this North Carolina team and think they’ve looked the best out of the entire ACC. They picked up a very impressive road win yesterday against Clemson 65-55, who I think has looked like the second best team out of the ACC. This may be the best regular season team the Tarheels have had since Huber Davis took over.
-Cincinnati amassed an 11-2 record by going to the pastry cart and loading up on cupcakes, and they even struggled to win a few of those, so it was an utter shock to see them go on the road to BYU and pick up what might be their most impressive win since Mick Cronin left. Their defense was incredible and they totally dominated the second half for a 71-60 win. And just like that, we’ve got to start paying really close attention to the Bearcats.
-Utah State held off Colorado State in a game that was an absolute rock fight. It was close throughout, but Utah State got control late and held on for the 77-72 win. Utah State is now 14-1 on the season and should be getting a lot more national love after knocking off a top 15 team (albeit at home).
-Florida Atlantic has a better record against tournament caliber teams than they do against teams that aren’t likely to make the NIT. Their wins have come against teams like Butler, Texas A&M, and Arizona, and their losses have come to teams like Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast, and now…Charlotte. I don’t really know how to evaluate this team because they are all over the place. The bad news for them is that their league is full of teams like Charlotte, who aren’t likely to be anywhere close to the NIT, and that seems to be FAU’s kryptonite. They actually trailed by 15 at the half and had to come back, but couldn’t come all the way back and lost 70-68.
-James Madison suffered their first loss of the season as they fell 81-71 to Southern Miss. Southern Miss has actually been a little disappointing this year given given what their potential appeared to be in the preseason, but sometimes a team like that that’s in a showcase game can be the most dangerous ones. I still think JMU is in good shape to land inside the bubble, and could even endure another loss or two and still be fine. This game was harder to win on the road than perhaps what it appears on the surface.
-Texas Tech got their first big win of the year as they went into Texas and knocked off the Longhorns 78-67. Texas is still looking for their first big win of the year, and why they are in the top 25 is a mystery to me.
-Providence has now lost two straight and is starting to show some real cracks in the armor. Granted, losing to Seton Hall and on the road at Creighton are not exactly bad losses at all, but injuries may be taking their toll. Creighton, on the other hand, picked up a 69-60 win at home that they really kinda needed and are still very much within reach of the NCAA Tournament.
-Auburn blew out Arkansas 83-51 on Arkansas’s home court. The Razorbacks just don’t look anything like we were expecting given all their talent this year. Auburn, on the other hand, is VERY good and they did something yesterday that I’ve beaten them up quite a bit for in recent years! They won on the road! BIG!!!
-South Carolina’s big season continues as they improved to 13-1 after a 68-62 win over a very good Mississippi State team. People need to start paying attention to the Gamecocks. I’m kind of surprised they’re not getting more national love yet.
-Saint John’s just keeps getting better and better, and they got a nice 81-71 win on the road against Villanova yesterday. These are two teams that look to be going in opposite directions.
-Georgia is now 11-3 on the year after their 75-68 win over Missouri on the road. It’s time to sit up and take some notice of the Bulldogs.
-Virginia continues to struggle big time, and at this point doesn’t look anything like an NCAA Tournament team. They lost handily on the road, again, to an NC State team that’s good, but not so good that they should be beating tournament caliber teams 76-60.
-George Mason is now 13-2 after their win over Saint Louis. They are one of a couple teams from the Atlantic 10 that may be positioning themselves to make a run at the bubble.
-Miami FL, after looking really good earlier in the week against Clemson, went on the road against a so-so Wake Forest team and lost 86-82 in overtime. It’s a bit of a setback for a Miami team that just seems to be flying under everyone’s radar, but the Canes are still good and can still be very dangerous come March.
-Colorado suffered their second straight loss as they fell 76-73 to Arizona State. The blowout loss to Arizona earlier in the week wasn’t all that damagin, but losing to an Arizona State team that’s looking like an NIT caliber team at the moment is actually a little more damaging.
-Ohio State could not hold on to beat Indiana and is now 12-3 on the season after losing 71-65 to the Hoosiers on the road. I’m still not a believer in the Hoosiers, but this was a nice win (albeit at home) for them.
-Texas A&M, a team that we were really big on from the start of the year up through the Holidays, lost rather badly at home 68-53 to an LSU team that we haven’t been big on at all at any point. It definitely raises some question marks about Uncle Buzz and TAMU.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-UMASS AT DAYTON (Atlantic 10). Both teams have good records, but Dayton’s team and profile appear to be better. If anyone is good enough from the A10 to make a run at landing solidly inside the bubble, it’s the Flyers, but they need to hold serve in games like this.
-INDIANA STATE AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley). This could be a tough road test against a Northern Iowa team that’s talented, but that’s sort of fallen short of expectations this year. Indiana State is unbeaten in league play, 12-2 overall, has a strong resume, and can land inside the bubble if they can keep winning at the clip they have been.
-DRAKE AT BELMONT (Missouri Valley). Drake still has a chance of landing inside the bubble, but their margin for error is small and they basically can’t afford to lose any games like this one.
-SMU AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis just keeps looking better and better. They appear to be heading toward the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve at home against a decent (but not great) SMU team.
-MARYLAND AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Minnesota comes in at 11-3, which is the kind of record that gets your attention, but they’re still a little low on the kinds of wins that get your attention. Still, a win today keeps them on a good path.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). This is probably the best game of the day. Both teams look like tournament caliber teams, but both also have room to improve and need to build up their resumes, so it’s a good opportunity at home. Northwestern has the big win against Purdue at home, but is also looking to bounce back from their blowout loss at Illinois. Michigan State has now won five straight after a bit of a sluggish start and is starting to look more and more like the team we thought they’d be in the preseason.