NEWS AND NOTES:
-We have a VERY exciting new feature on the site!! Check out the new Hoops HD DEFCON Game Ratings by CLICKING HERE
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-The biggest shock of the day yesterday was Purdue’s road loss at Ohio State, especially since the Buckeyes were not only nowhere near the NCAA Tournament, but seemingly in complete disarray after firing their coach earlier in the week. I don’t think it knocks Purdue off the #1 line, and as big of a win as it was it does not put Ohio State anywhere near the bubble, but it was a rather surprising result.
-South Florida had a 20+ point lead in the second half against Florida Atlantic, and FAU came all the way back to have a chance to win the game with less than a minute to go, but the Bulls held on. They are now two full games ahead of FAU in the standings and improve to 19-5 overall, but a weak OOC schedule, along with a conference schedule that only has them facing FAU and Memphis one time, has their overall resume still looking kind of flimsy. I do think they look like the best team in the American right now, but their profile is far from the best, and they may need to win the conference tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
-Northwestern needed a road win, and got it. It was a 76-72 win at Indiana, which in and of itself doesn’t sound that amazing, but a road win of any kind would have helped strengthen the Wildcats’ profile.
-Memphis went into SMU, and lost 106-79. Memphis is now just 7-6 in the American, and I think it may be past time to not only place them outside the bubble, but to take them off the board entirely. They’re just 3-6 in their last nine games, and while that’s a nosedive even if you play in the Big 12, it’s far worse when you play in the American and do that against AAC caliber opponents that aren’t FAU.
-Seton Hall fell way behind at Saint John’s, and then came all the way back for a 68-62 road win that they desperately needed. This was such a pivotal game for both teams, so where it was a big win for the Hall, it was a damaging loss for the Johnnies. Rick Pitino was rather upset in his press conference, and blasted his players, his facilities, and basically everyone he could think of other than himself.
-Utah, who had spent most of the season pleasing their opponent’s fans whenever they went on the road, picked up a MUCH needed 70-69 road win at UCLA last night. The Bruins are nowhere near the bubble, but they had been playing really well these past few weeks, so it is a game that Utah deserves some credit for winning.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-IU NORTHWEST (nonD1) AT CHICAGO STATE. It is a little sad that this will be Chicago State’s last game of the season. What isn’t sad is that it will also (hopefully) be their last ever game as an independent, and the last game any D1 program has to play as an independent or without ties to a conference with an automatic bid ever again. I am sincerely impressed with the progress this program has made under Gerald Gillion. The circumstances they’ve had to operate within have made it practically impossible to have any sort of success, yet they’ve still managed to improve over time and have some success. One of the big upets of the year in all of college basketball was their win over Northwestern, and it gives them something that the vast majority of D1 teams will not have this year, including some that play in the NCAA Tournament. They have a true road win in quad 1. Next year they will join the Northeast Conference, and I think they can be competitive within that league right away.
-VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). UVA keeps stringing together wins. They still don’t seem to be climbing up very many people’s seedlists, but they’re 20-6 overall, a very impressive 11-4 in ACC play, are 9-1 in their last 10 games, and can improve to 5-4 in true road games tonight if they can knock off their rivals. It won’t be easy. It’s a rivalry game on the road, but aside from their freethrow shooting in their last game, this Hoos team has been looking really good.
-IOWA STATE AT HOUSTON (Big 12). Every Big 12 game seems like a must-watch game. This one features two top ten teams, with Iowa State in position to end up as a protected seed and Houston in position to end up as a #1 seed. A road win for Iowa State tonight would be huge, and probably one of the best singular wins that any team has managed all season, but a loss really won’t set them back at all.
-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas is solidly in the field and would likely go in on the first ballot if today was Selection Sunday. K State still has some work to do, and these are the kinds of wins they need in order to end up on the right side of the bubble. They’re just 2-5 in true road games, and have lost six of their last seven, so they are going in the wrong direction.