NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a VERY good one between High Point and UNC Asheville – CLICK HERE
-Clemson managed to double their all-time win total in Chapel Hill last night as they outlasted North Carolina 80-76. North Carolina is a team that we’ve had on the #1 line for the last several weeks, so this is one of the single best wins that any team has managed all season long. Clemson has had some great moments, and they’ve had a few other near misses like a recent 1pt loss at Duke. They don’t always play up to their ceiling, but when they do they’re good enough to play with, and even beat, protected seeds on the road. They’ve shown that to us multiple times this year.
-Houston beat Oklahoma State very easily 79-63 in a game that isn’t noteworthy at all, other than that Kelvin Sampson went into complete Yosemite Sam mode with his team up 20 and got kicked out of the game! I mean…my goodness!! Could you imagine how angry he would have been had they only been up by 15??
-Iowa State opened up a big lead against Texas, but the Longhorns came back and made a game of it. The Cyclones held on to win, and a team that seems to have been kind of quiet this year is suddenly looking more and more like a solid protected seed, and could even end up as high as the #2 or #3 line. Texas is not a top 25 team right now, but to win on their floor is no small thing.
-Ole Miss could have REALLY used the win at South Carolina last night. It would have been massive, and probably moved them up multiple seedlines. They fell way behind, but came back and even tied it, but couldn’t get the win. South Carolina is having an amazing season and there is no reason to thnk they do not deserve a protected seed at this point.
-Dayton always seems to show up for a game and not really take their opponent seroiusly. Then at halftime they realize that they need to get it together, and they do. They fell behind early to Saint Joseph’s and trailed for the entire first half, but then blew it open in the second half and won easily 94-79. When Dayton wants to be good, they are VERY good!
-Nevada, who had been straddling the bubble for the past several weeks, took a big step in the right direction last night with their 77-63 win at Utah State. Utah State was in the rankings and unbeaten at home, so this was a MASSIVE win for the Wolfpack.
-South Florida came from 18 down against Charlotte and ended up with a 72-69 win. It is Amir Abdur-Rahim’s first year with the Bulls after an amazing run with Kennesaw State, and after a bit of a slow start they have now won 14 of their last 15 and are in a tie for 1st place in the American. Their NET is still not top 100, but there are enough things on their resume to where I think the committee will give them a serious look if they keep it up. Also, if they do keep it up, their NET will likely go up.
-Michigan State cannot win on the road. They’ve lost all their road games but one, and last night they fell to Minnesota 59-56. They’ve got four remaining road games left against Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, and Indiana. If they can’t win at least two of those then I don’t think they belong in the tournament.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC). This is the second part of the basketball version of the Iron Bowl. Alabama won the first one and is looking more and more like they could end up as a protected seed. Auburn is coming off their biggest win of the year as they knocked off Ole Miss, but they could give their resume another nice big boost if they’re able to knock off their rivals at home tonight.
-VILLANOVA AT XAVIER (Big East). This game is super-bubbilicous. Both teams have 12-10 records that they need to improve on. Both have a smattering of good wins, but both also have questionable losses. Both can reach the bubble, but need a really strong finish in order to do it, and both really need this win tonight.
-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Creighton is still in position to end up as a protected seed, and a road win like this would be huge for them. Providence is squarely on the bubble and just trying to end up in the field, and a win like this over Creighton would be huge for them. So, it’s safe to say that this is a huge game for both teams. The Friars have lost two straight, and were beaten rather badly against Villanova in their last game, so this one feels kind of pivotal.
-NEBRASKA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). We have both teams inside the bubble, but both resumes are a little flimsy and could use some work to help strengthen them up. The one thing Nebraska needs more than anything is road wins, and tonight is a chance to get a big one. Northwestern has some big home wins already, and tonight would certainly add to that, and they’ve still got some work to do in order to be considered a lock, so this is a big one for both teams.
-TEXAS A&M AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a game that TAMU needs to win. A win helps because it’s a road win, but a loss really hurts because it’s against a team that’s nowhere near the field, so it has an extremely pivotal feel to it.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
–Georgetown @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall is right on the bubble, while beating Georgetown at home wouldn’t be a huge win, losing to them would be a huge loss, so the Pirates need to hold serve
–LSU @ Tennessee (SEC) – Tennessee has a real good chance of ending up as a #1 seed and needs to hold serve tonight against LSU
–Wisconsin @ Michigan (Big Ten) – despite this being a road game, it should be a rather routine win for the Badgers, who are looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Purdue
–Pittsburgh @ NC State (ACC) – both teams are outisde the bubble, but both could still potentially reach it if they’re able to finish the season strong
–Valparaiso @ Indiana State (Missouri Valley) – If Indiana State can win out through the regular season, which they are good enough to do, they should be in position to get an at-large bid if they don’t win the MVC Tournament
–Southern Illinois @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – it’s possible that Drake also lands inside the bubble, but they’ll pretty much need to win out in order to get there
–Portland @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga can’t lose for the rest of the season. That’s pretty much their story
–Appalachian State @ Texas State (Sun Belt) – I think App State can be a bubble team if they can win out, which I think they are good enough to do
–Notre Dame @ Duke (ACC) – it’s technically a conference game, but it’s practically a guy game. Duke should roll at home.
–Georgia @ Mississippi State (SEC) – most have Mississippi State inside the bubble, but I still think that until they win a few road games they shouldn’t be considered. Either way, they need to avoid a loss at home tonight