NEWS AND NOTES:
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-After nearly beating Gonzaga in their last game, Arizona State did pick up a really nice win against Grand Canyon 78-69. It was a missed opportunity for GCU to get a statement win on a neutral floor, and that’s something they’ll have limited opportunities to do given the strength (or lack thereof) of their conference, but I still think the Lopes can play their way into the top 25 by the end of the year, and that this was a good win for the Sun Devils.
-LSU picked up their first road win of the season and stays unbeaten after knocking off what we think is a pretty solid Kansas State team 76-65. It’s not easy to win at the Octagon of Doom, and the Tigers did it.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VIRGINIA VS VILLANOVA (Hall of Fame Series – Baltimore, MD). Virginia won their first two buy games, and one could say this is their first real test, but when you look at how Villanova already has losses to Columbia and Saint Joseph’s and appears to be off the rails it may not be that much of a test after all. Still, it would be the most notable win on their resume to date.
-FLORIDA AT FLORIDA STATE. It’s a rivalry game between two teams that have blown through their home buy games up to this point, and will be tested for the first time tonight in a game that means something both on and off paper. We should learn something about both of them.
-TCU AT MICHIGAN. TCU is unbeaten in three buy games, but was challenged by Texas State in their last game and will be challenged a lot more tonight at Michigan. The Wolverines lost a close one to Wake Forest in their last game and will look to bounce back tonight at home against a quality opponent.
-ALABAMA AT PURDUE. Both teams are in the top 15, both have looked good so far, but both are also facing what will be their biggest test of the year so far tonight. It’s Alabama’s first road game, and while McNeese is solid, playing a ranked Purdue team on the road is a much higher hurdle to get over. It’s a chance for both teams to pick up a likely high caliber win that will look good on either teams’ resume come March.
-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT CHARLESTON. FAU didn’t get the win at UCF their last time out, but they played really well on the road against a really good team. I like this Charleston team as well. They come into this one unbeaten and while they don’t have any wins against the top 25, they didn’t just win easy home buy games either. They beat Southern Illinois out at the Pentagon in South Dakota and a decent South Florida team in their last game. This is the biggest test for either team so far, and we should learn something about both of them.
-UAB AT HIGH POINT. This is a VERY tough road test for UAB, and you get the sense that due to their light schedule it’s one that they kind of need on their resume. High Point is one of the better Under the Radar teams, and while I haven’t proclaimed them to be so good that I think they can make a run at the bubble just yet, I haven’t ruled out that possibility either. Another really good early season game where both teams will be tested and where we should learn something about both of them.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT PRINCETON. Both teams are unbeaten, and prior to the start of the season we felt that both of them had a very good chance of ending up as consensus top 40 teams and landing inside the bubble. Having said that, Princeton has had to sweat out three weak opponents, and while they did win them all, their level of play was concerning. Loyola hasn’t been tested yet and didn’t exactly blow through their first home buy game against Chicago State. Nevertheless, both teams have a lot of potential and tonight’s game is an opportunity for a solid win.
-SMU AT BUTLER. Butler has been a little disappointing so far, but has the chance to build up some momentum tonight. SMU comes in unbeaten, but this is their first road game and first real test. Like a lot of games we’re starting to see, it’s’ their first real test and we should learn something more about both of these teams.
-VIRGINIA TECH VS PENN STATE (Hall of Fame Series – Baltimore, MD). We aren’t really expecting big things from either team this year, but both are unbeaten and both have the chance to pick up what will (at least for now) be a notable win.
-MARQUETTE AT MARYLAND. This is the biggest test of the year so far for a Marquette team that we think can finish near the top of the Big East standings and end up as a protected seed. It’s their first road game against a Maryland team that’s blown through three buy games, and who is also being tested for the first time tonight.
-GEORGIA AT GEORGIA TECH. This one is usually fun. The Bulldogs are coming off a nice win against North Florida and can pick up their first road win against their rivals tonight.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH. It’s the Backyard Brawl!!! While we are happy that this series is back, and while both teams are undefeated, and while neither has faced a real test yet West Virginia has still shown a little more promise than what we were expecting. I’m not expecting either team to be inside the bubble come March, but they both certainly have a path to it and getting a win over a rival will help build up some momentum.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT IOWA. Both teams are unbeaten, but neither has faced a real test yet, so we should learn something about them tonight.
-ARIZONA AT WISCONSIN. Both teams are unbeaten, but both have played nothing but buy games. Arizona comes in ranked in the top ten and has very high expectations on the year. This is a very challenging road game, so we should learn something about the Wildcats.
-OHIO STATE AT TEXAS A&M. Ohio State already has a nice win against Texas, and if they can go on the road and beat what looks to be a really strong Texas A&M team then we’ll REALLY have to start looking at the Buckeyes. While we think TAMU is really good, they’re still looking for their first notable win of the year and have the chance to do that at home tonight.
BUY GAMES (and other games of note):
-Monmouth @ Rutgers
-Nicholls @ Cincinnati
-Tulane @ Furman – Both teams are unbeaten, and Furman has looked good so far, so this one is worth keeping an eye on
-Temple @ Boston College – it’s Temple’s first road game and a win gets them to 4-0
-American @ North Carolina
-Ohio U @ Memphis
-Eastern Illinois @ Northwestern
-Saint Joseph’s @ Pennsylvania (Big 5)
-Samford @ North Alabama – North Alabama can get to 4-0
-UMass Lowell @ Gonzaga – both teams are unbeaten, and Lowell will be a good team in the America East, but they are way overmatched tonight.
-Duquesne @ DePaul – DePaul can get to 4-0
-Cal State Fullerton @ Oregon State – Oregon State can get to 4-0