NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Last night we saw the top two ranked teams both lose to unranked opponents.
-Purdue fell at Nebraska 88-72 in a game where the Huskers opened up a lead near the end of the first half, and every time it looked like Purdue was shifting the momentum back their way the Huskers would answer with a big bucket. Even though it was a home win, it was still a huge win for Nebraska and will likely land them inside the bubble for now.
-Houston fell behind early and fast to Iowa State, and then came back to tie it early in the second half after being absolutely anemic on offense in the first half. It looked like they would pull it out once they pulled even, but it stayed close throughout the second half and Iowa State got a huge 57-53 win that will do wonders for their resume.
-Baylor came from behind in the second half to knock off BYU 81-72 and pick up a big win for themselves. Its’ the second straight loss for BYU, but all and all they’re still in good shape.
-Colorado State lost their second straight game as they fell on the road to Boise State 65-58. The Broncos pretty much sustained a lead all throughout the second half and picked up a really big win that could put them on the bubble.
-I had mentioned earlier in the week that I thought if a fifth team from the Mountain West would play their way onto the bubble, it would likely not be New Mexico. Last night they showed everyone why I thought that when they lost (albeit on the road) 83-73 to a UNLV team that no one thinks is within a hundred miles of the bubble.
-Texas had done nothing at all on the season to warrant their top 25 ranking going into their game at Cincinnati last night. Now, the Longhorns HAVE done something! They held off Cincinnati 74-73 in an exciting game that seesawed back and forth and that saw a couple of lead changes in the final minute of play. Texas really needed this win. I mean, their resume was absolutely flat prior to last night.
-On Monday I talked a little bit about how I was starting to like Wake Forest. Last night Wake lost 87-82 team to a Florida State team that none of us really like. I am no longer starting to like Wake Forest.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-PROVIDENCE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams look good on paper, but with the recent injuries you get the sense that Providence is going to struggle the rest of the way whereas the Johnnies really seem to be hitting their stride. This has a bit of a pivotal feel for Providence. Can they play well in a tough road game given their recent setbacks?
-TENNESSEE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). The Vols have looked great both on paper and on the court. This will be a tough road test against a solid-looking Mississippi State team that appears to be good enough to make it to the NCAA Tournament and who should be jacked up pretty big for this one.
-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Clemson has lost two straight, and while they should be good enough to win this one on the road, VA Tech is no pushover and can get within reach of the bubble themselves if they can string together some wins.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT NC STATE (ACC). I think North Carolina is good enough to end up as a #1 seed. I’m not predicting that they will, but I am saying they’re in the mix. That being said, they’ll be tested tonight in a rivalry game against an NC State team that’s pretty good themselves and looking for a chance to put themselves into the spotlight.
-INDIANA STATE AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). These look to be the two best teams in the Missouri Valley, and Indiana State in particular looks to be a team that can land inside the bubble, but for that to happen they need to come close to winning out. This should be a fun one tonight.
-CONNECTICUT AT XAVIER (Big East). UConn is ranked in the top five, and it’s a ranking they’ve definitely earned. Xavier is starting to look better and better as the season continues, and a win tonight can change the entire complexion of their resume and give them a huge amount of momentum moving forward.
-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Wisconsin clearly looks to be the better of the two teams, but it’s not easy to go on the road and win, and Ohio State is still looking like a tournament caliber team. This is actually a nice resume-building opportunity for both of them.
-OKLAHOMA AT TCU (Big 12). TCU has had an unspectacular year, but they nearly won at Kansas in their last game, which indicates they’re good enough to get the wins they need between now and the end of the year to land inside the bubble. Oklahoma is currently ranked in the top ten, and while I believe the Sooners are a good team, they’ve done absolutely nothing to warrant a ranking that high. I may change my opinion if they’re able to get this one on the road, though.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Both teams are outside the bubble, but both are also perhaps within reach of it. That makes this a big game for both these teams.
-ARKANSAS AT GEORGIA (SEC). Arkansas has been somewhat disappointing this year given all their talent. Having said that, they are a talented team, and are capable of turning things around. Georgia has been better than expected. They’ve won eight straight and while none of those wins were against opponents that were super-strong, they’ve still played well during that stretch and are good enough to get this win at home tonight.
-FLORIDA AT OLE MISS (SEC). I like this Florida team, but they need some more meat on their resume if they want to land in the top half of the bracket. Ole Miss suffered their first loss against Tennessee over the weekend, but it was also their only real test so far. They’ll be tested again tonight despite being at home, and it will be interesting to see what they do in this one.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Northwestern @ Penn State (Big Ten) – Northwestern has a solid looking profile, but to date they only have one true road win so they could really use this one
-Purdue Fort Wayne @ Youngstown State (Horizon League) – perhaps the two best teams in the HL
-Kansas @ UCF (Big 12) – this should be a winnable road game for the Jayhawks, but even when highly ranked it can be tough to win on the road
-Louisville @ Miami FL (ACC) – this should be an easy bounce back game for the Canes
-Western Carolina @ East Tennessee State (SoCon) – a win for WCU gets them to 14-2 on the year
-Western Kentucky @ Sam Houston (Conference USA) – WKU would probably need to win out to reach the bubble, but a win gets them to 13-3
-UTSA @ Memphis (American) – this is a virtual buy game for Memphis
-Colorado @ California (Pac 12) – this should be an easy road win for the Buffs