HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (CLICK HERE to view the Whole Board):
-UTRGV AT SEATTLE U (WAC). UTRGV will be mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the conference tournament with a loss
-ALABAMA STATE AT FLORIDA A&M (SWAC). FAMU will be mathematically eliminated from qualifying for the conference tournament with a loss
-SEMO AT UT MARTIN (Ohio Valley). SEMO will be eliminated if they lose and if Southern Indiana wins at Western Illinois
-PENN AT HARVARD (Ivy League). Penn will be eliminated with a loss
-PRINCETON AT DARTMOUTH (Ivy League). Dartmouth eliminated with a loss
-BROWN AT CORNELL (Ivy League). If Brown wins, Dartmouth is eliminated even if they win their game.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day is a true Clash of the Titans!! To check it out – CLICK HERE
-HOUSTON AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Both teams look to be solid protected seeds, and Houston looks like they’ll almost assuredly end up ranked #1 on Monday if they can get this win. It won’t be easy, though. Baylor is 12-1 at home and is looking to bounce back from a road loss to BYU, so they will be jacked WAAAY up for this one!
-DUKE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). This will likely be a tough road game for the Blue Devils. I don’t think Wake is inside the bubble at all, but if they can somehow pull off this one it would make us all sit up and take notice. Duke appears to be cruising to a protected seed and has been a fairly solid road team, but this would probably be among their best road wins of the year so far if they’re able to pull it out. It should be a good one!
-BYU AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). The one thing BYU could really use to make their profile look a whole lot better is a notable road win. A win at K State would certainly qualify. K State has lost seven of their last eight, and for now is out of the picture, but their next three games (including this one) are winnable and if they get all three of them they can begin to turn things around.
-IOWA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). These two teams are pretty far apart on paper, but Iowa has had a much better week than Illinois. The Hawkeyes have won three of their last four and knocked off both Wisconsin and Michigan State in that stretch. Illinois is coming off a loss to a pretty weak Penn State team and really looking to bounce back today.
-CINCINNATI AT TCU (Big 12). Cincinnati is outside the bubble and if they want to get back inside of it then these are the games they’re going to have to find a way to win. TCU is solidly in the field and should easily land in the top half of the bracket if they continue to hold serve.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss’s tournament hopes are fading. A win today would help, but even with the win they’d still have a lot of work to do. South Carolina looks to be solidly in, but their resume and metrics could use some work. A road win like this would make an already impressive resume look a little bit better.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Virginia’s profile looks good, but on the court the Hoos have looked like the complete opposite of good in their last couple of games. They’re at home, and they are capable of playing at a high level, so it won’t be an easy game for North Carolina by any means. It’s a chance for Virginia to add a good win to their resume, and for North Carolina it’s a chance at a quality road win which can keep them within reach of the #1 line.
-ALABAMA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky had been playing really well, and this past weekend they picked up a huge road win at Auburn, but followed that up with an upset loss (albeit at the buzzer) on the road against LSU. Still, I think they’re playing at a really high caliber and will be way up for this one against a very good Alabama team today. Alabama is looking like they’ll end up as a protected seed, and a win like this can solidify their case even more.
-TEXAS TECH AT UCF (Big 12). Texas Tech is just 2-5 on the road and could really make their resume look better with a win in this one. UCF is not the easiest place to win, but it is perhaps easier than most of the rest of the Big 12, so the Red Raiders will really want to take care of business in this one.
-OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). BEDLAM!!!!! Sadly, it may be the last time we see these two play for a long time. Oklahoma has just two true road wins and another one would make their resume look a lot better (at least to me). Oklahoma State has had a miserable year, but they’ve won their last two against BYU and at Cincinnati, so they’ve suddenly been looking a lot better, and they should be way up for this one. It sucks this series is ending!! It really does!! If college sports were really “about the game” like so many people like to say it is, then there is no way these two would not continue to play after this year!!
-VIRGINIA TECH AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt was blown out by Wake Forest in their last game, but prior to that they had been playing really well. They are good enough to win out until the end of the regular season, and if they do I think the committee will give them one hell of a look. Anything short of that and they’ll be under a lot of pressure in the ACC Tournament.
-TEXAS AT KANSAS (Big 12). Texas is a solid tournament team, and Kansas is a solid protected seed. Seeing as how Kansas is at home, they should be able to hold serve in this one. A loss for Texas wouldn’t really set them back, but a win would REALLY boost their resume.
-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC). This looks to be a winnable road game for Auburn, and the more true road wins they can rack up, the stronger their profile is.
-BOISE STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West). I think Boise State is pretty safely inside the bubble and will stay there so long as they hold serve, but many others at Hoops HD still have them very close to the bubble. Either way, this is a game they got to win, and winning at Wyoming is not always easy.
-VILLANOVA AT CONNECTICUT (Big East). Nova is on the bubble and UConn is on the #1 line. One way for Nova to take a huge step toward landing inside the bubble would be to find a way to win this game, but UConn has pretty much been unstoppable at home. They don’t just win at home. They blow really good teams out at home.
-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC). TAMU is squarely on the bubble, so a game like this is a huge opportunity for them to land on the right side of it. It’s far easier said than done, though, especially when you look at TAMU’s three straight losses and how much they’ve been struggling lately, and how Tennessee may be moving up to the #1 line after Arizona’s most recent loss.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12). Wazzu just picked up the single most impressive that any team has managed all year, and while many may think this should be easy after that, it’s still a road game, and it’s sometimes very difficult for a team to refocus after such a big win.
-COLORADO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). Colorado State is safely inside our bubble and will remain there so long as they hold serve. This would be a nice road win against a UNLV team that isn’t in the field, but that has really been playing well lately, and still has some opportunities to pick up some big wins, climb the MWC standings, and maybe make a run at the bubble.
-BUTLER AT SETON HALL (Big East). This is a super bubblicous game that both teams really need, ESPECIALLY Butler. Both teams have a lot of good things on their resumes, and both will get serious looks, but both also need just a little bit more to lock themselves in, which is what makes this such a huge game for both teams.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT LSU (SEC). I’ve been beating up on Mississippi State all year because they’ve only won one true road game. They DESPERATELY need another one, and while they’ve still got games at Auburn and at Texas A&M, this is perhaps their most winnable remaining road game. If they don’t get this one, then it will be even harder to get the other two, so they REALLY need to win this game.
-UTAH AT COLORADO (Pac 12). This is another bubblicous game. Utah has not been good on the road at all, and may have actually saved their season when they beat UCLA at the buzzer earlier this week. If they can follow that up with another road win in this one, they will have breathed a lot of life back onto their resume.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
–Vanderbilt @ Florida (SEC) – The Gators just missed out on a huge win earlier this week as they came up just short at Alabama. They should be able to hold serve in this one, though
–Washington @ Arizona (Pac 12) – Arizona is still in good shape and could still end up with a #1 seed if they win out. They should be able to bounce back in this one
–West Virginia @ Iowa State (Big 12) – Iowa State had a pretty solid showing at Houston earlier this week, but came up short. That’s not too discouraging since Houston is one of the toughest places in the country to win. They should be able to bounce back today in a very winnable home game against WVU
–Boston College @ NC State (ACC) – if NC State has any shot at all at making the field, they’ll need to probably win four of their last five remaining games, which would mean holding serve in games like as well as beating either UNC or Duke
–Air Force @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico is solidly inside our field and has been very good at home this year. They should hold serve against AFA.
–Grand Canyon @ Abilene Christian (WAC) – GCU needs to bounce back from the loss earlier in the week. If they win out they should still be inside the bubble.
–Incarnate Word @ McNeese (Southland) – McNeese should at least be in serious discussion for a bid if they win out. Anything short of that and they’ll definitely need the auto-bid. A win today and a TAMUCC loss at Lamar gives them at least a share of 1st place
–James Madison @ Georgia Southern (Sun Belt). JMU is in a race with Appalachian State for 1st place, and both teams are very close to the bubble, but both also probably have to win out to get any sort of a serious look
–Drake @ Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) – it’s a rivalry game, it’s potentially a tough road game for Drake, and it’s one they absolutely have to win to have any shot at all at landing inside the bubble
–Appalachian State @ Marshall (Sun Belt) – App State should be right on the bubble if they win out, but anything short of that and they’ll almost assuredly need the auto-bid
–Oregon @ California (Pac 12) – Oregon is somehow still just one game out of 1st place in the loss column and they have games remaining at Arizona and at home against Colorado and Utah, so the chances to play their way inside the bubble are actually in front of them
–Florida State @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson is a virtual lock to make the tournament and can still end up with a protected seed if they finish strong. They should be able to hold serve in this one
–UIC @ Indiana State (Missouri Valley) – Indiana State needs to win out just to stay on the bubble, and even that may not be enough without the auto bid. They sure as hell can’t afford to lose a game like this at home
–San Diego @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC continues to climb the rankings and the seedlist and will stay in great shape so long as they keep holding serve
–San Diego State @ Fresno State (Mountain West) – San Diego State is in play for a protected seed, and should be able to hold serve in this one
–Santa Clara @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – The Zags are squarely on the bubble and pretty much need to win out in order to feel like they are reasonably safely inside of it
–Pepperdine @ San Francisco (West Coast) – San Francisco is outside the bubble, but if they win out and beat either Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament, they will have a very compelling case for a bid
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UNDER THE RADAR WATCH:
–East Tennessee State @ Samford (SoCon) – Samford can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win today. While I think they’ll be on the board, I also (unfortunately) think they’ll need to win the auto-bid to make the field.
–UC Irvine @ UC San Diego (Big West) – perhaps the toughest remaining game left on the Eaters’ schedule. A win gives them a two game lead over UCSD with four games remaining
–Eastern Kentucky @ Central Arkansas (Atlantic Sun) – EKU can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win, and clinch it outright if Stetson also loses to Kennesaw
–Grambling @ Southern (SWAC) – it’s the Bayou Classic on the Hardwood!! And the two teams are tied for 1st place!!!
–Yale @ Columbia (Ivy League). 1st place implications for Yale, and 4th place implications for Columbia, which means major conference tournament implications for Columbia
–Princeton @ Dartmouth (Ivy League) – 1st place implications for Princeton as they are in a three way race for the #1 seed
–Bryant @ Vermont (America East) – These are the top two teams in the conference, and Vermont clinches 1st place (and home court advantage in the conference tournament) with a win tonight
-Eastern Washington @ Northern Colorado (Big Sky) – these are the top two teams in the league. Eastern Washington has lost two straight, but still has a one game lead over Northern Colorado with just four games to go. This is probably one of the more pivotal games of the day when it comes to conference standings
–Louisiana Tech @ New Mexico State (Conference USA) – LA Tech is tied with Sam Houston wiht 4 games to go, and the two play each other on the second to last game of the season
–Sam Houston @ UTEP (Conference USA) – see above^^^^
–High Point @ Charleston Southern (Big South) – High Point has a 1/2 game lead over UNC Asheville with just 3 games to go
–Charleston @ Towson (Coastal Athleitc) – Charleston has a 1 game lead over UNC Wilmington with three games to go, and since UNCW swept the regular season series, CofC will have to win it outright to get the #1 seed
–Norfolk State @ Coppin State (MEAC) – Norfolk State has a 2 game lead in the standings with 5 games to go, but their next three (including this one) are all on the road
–Central Connecticut @ Sacred Heart (Northeast Conference) – CCSU can get within a game of Merrimack with just two games remaining. The 1st place team gets home court advantage in the conference tournament
–Little Rock @ Lindenwood (Ohio Valley) – Little Rock can tie for 1st with Morehead State with a win today, and with just two games to go after today
–UT Martin @ SEMO (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin can tie for 1st with Morehead State with a win today, and with just two games to go after today
–Colgate @ American (Patriot League) – Colgate has already clinched 1st place and home court advantage during the conference tournament. They are now just playing to protect their NCAA Tournament resume if they win the auto-bid
–North Dakota @ North Dakota State (Summit League) – North Dakota has a big rivalry game today on the road, and they’re also tied for 1st place with South Dakota State with just two games to go. The two will play each other this Thursday in a game that could decide 1st place
–Saint Thomas @ South Dakota State (Summit League) – South Dakota State is tied with North Dakota State with just three games to go, and the two will play each other this Thursday