NEWS AND NOTES:
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-UConn and Houston both faced good opponents at home, but both won handily. UConn beat Creighton 62-48 without really having to sweat, and Houston blew out Texas Tech 77-54. North Carolina, Kentucky, Arizona, and Auburn also all won easily. It was an unusual night of chalk.
-Ole Miss suffered what was just their second loss of the season, and it was a bit surprising as they fell 89-80 at LSU. LSU is suddenly 3-1 in SEC and 11-6 overall. They still have a ton of work to do to get themselves in the discussion, but it was a solid win yesterday and a solid start to league play.
-The Miami Hurricanes continue to spiral downward. Last night they lost at home 84-75 to Flroida State. They’ve now lost three of their last four games, and the losses were to Wake Forest, Louisville, and Florida State, none of which are solid tournament teams. That’s just a bad stretch.
-UCF bot a really nice road win at Texas 77-71. With wins over Kansas, and now a road win at Texas, UCF has done a lot to boost their value in the last week or so. They’ve still got a lot of work to do, but they’re heading in the right direction. Texas, on the other hand, has now lost three of their last four after playing a rather weak overall OOC schedule.
-San Diego State got out to a first half lead against Nevada and held it the whole game for a 71-59 win.
-Northwestern almost blew it against Maryland, but held on to win 72-69 in a game that saw several lead changes in the last minute of play.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State is feeling more and more bubblicioius as the year goes on. They need to start stringing together wins in order for their resume to become more stable. Minnesota has lost two straight and will likely have a hard time getting this one on the road.
-SOUTH FLORIDA AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis has had to sweat out a few games that they should have cruised through, but they keep winning. This is another game where they should be able to hold serve.
-WICHITA STATE AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (American). Three of FAU’s four losses have been surprises, especially given some of the games they’ve been able to win. They should cruise through this one at home tonight, but it doesn’t mean that they will.
ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Illinois isn’t quite the same team since they lost such a key player, but they’re still easily inside the bubble and this is the kind of road game they should be able to win.
-OREGON STATE AT UTAH (Pac 12). The Utes have lost three of their last four, and are coming off a particularly bad loss to Stanford. They should be able to hold serve in this one tonight….and they need to!!
-UTAH VALLEY AT GRAND CANYON (WAC). The Lopes have been rolling all season long and shouldn’t have too much trouble rolling today.
-GONZAGA AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast). Many people are saying Gonzaga is outside the bubble. I think the committee will still take them so long as they blow through the WCC between now and the end. Either way, they can’t afford to lose this one tonight.
-OREGON AT COLORADO (Pac 12). These teams seem to be going in opposite directions. Oregon has won six straight and is suddenly red hot, whereas Colorado just snapped a three game losing streak after beatinng USC at home. It would be another nice road win for the Ducks, and a chance for Colorado to shore up their resume and pull themselves out of their tailspin.
-LMU AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). San Francisco is out to a 14-4 start, is 3-0 in WCC play, and should be able to win tonight. They’re a team to keep an eye on.