NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s latest Staff Bracket – CLICK HERE
-Illinois led for most of the game at Northwestern last night, but the Wildcats were able to force overtime and then get the 70-66 win in OT. It’s will give the Wildcats a bit of a boost and make Illinois wait a little bit longer to get their first true road win.
-West Virginia and Georgetown were close for much of the game, but the Mountaineers got control in the second half and picked up the 73-60 win. Both of these teams are having better seasons than we expected, and while Georgetown didn’t get the win, they showed they can be competitive in games that aren’t just home buy games.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-KANSAS STATE AT SAINT JOHN’S. The Johnnies are a perfect 5-0 at home, but this is a tougher test than what most of them have been (although they have beaten New Mexico at home). K State is a respectable 6-2 on the season, but this is their first true road game and would be their biggest win to date if they can pull it off.
-CLEMSON AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Clemson is coming off the big home win against Kentucky, whereas Miami is coming off a home loss to Arkansas that they kind of blew. Miami has shown no signs of life this season despite having what appear to be talented players and good coaching. A win like this might give them a much needed jumpstart, but it won’t be easy despite being at home. Clemson is good! Having said that, this would be the first true road win of the year for the Tigers if they can pull it off.
-PRINCETON AT FURMAN. This is a VERY tough road test for a Princeton team that got off to a slow start, but that’s coming off a really nice win at Saint Joe’s and still has the opportunities they need to land back inside the bubble. Furman is 8-1 on the year with the only loss coming at Kansas, and is perfect at home.
-RUTGERS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Both teams have potential, and both have shown that potential, but both have also dropped a game or two that they should’ve/could’ve won. This is the conference opener for both, and it will be a nice win for whichever team picks it up, especially if it’s Rutgers since they’re the road team.
-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Nebraska has been very impressive this year and has exceeded all expectations (at least all of mine). They’re looking like a solid tournament team and already and already have a really strong road win at Creighton. Michigan State is also tough and is also looking like they’ll be solidly in the NCAA field. This is a conference opener and a resume boosting opportunity for both.
-PROVIDENCE AT RHODE ISLAND. This is a very bitter rivalry, and the storyline leading into this one is great since both teams have looked really strong this year. Rhode Island is a perfect 8-0, but has had a limited number of actual tests. Providence is 6-3 and just snapped a three game losing streak with a very impressive win over BYU. Both teams will be up for this one. It is important both on and off paper.
-WISCONSIN AT MARQUETTE. It’s a big time rivalry game between two highly ranked teams!! It’s Wisconsin’s first road game, and it will be a tough one. Marquette is looking to bounce back from a loss at Iowa State, and the fans will be jacked way up for this one.
-PITTSBURGH AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Pitt was blown to bits in their last game against Mississippi State, but they should be able to bounce back in this one and pick up a conference road game.
-GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). UNC is a very modest 4-4 on the year, but it’s not too discouraging since they’ve played such a tough schedule. A conference home game against Georgia Tech feels like some low hanging fruit that they should have no problems gathering.
-IOWA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are 7-1 and Michigan has really been on a roll. Iowa has some decent wins, but this would be their biggest of the year so far if they were somehow able to pull it off.
-EAST CAROLINA AT SOUTH CAROLINA. ECU is off to a modest 7-2 start and this is their first true road game. They probably won’t end up getting near the bubble, but they’ll at least have our attention if they’re able to pick up this road win and improve to 8-2.
-VIRGINIA AT SMU (ACC). Virginia has struggled this year. SMU has been decent, but still has work to do and needs to hold serve in this one.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT BELMONT. Two really good UTR teams in a crosstown rivalry. Both are 7-2, and while making a run at the bubble would be a long shot for either one, I wouldn’t say it’s completely out of the question yet.
-FLORIDA STATE AT NC STATE (ACC). Both of these teams have shown potential, but both still have a lot of work to do and both could use this one today.
-STANFORD AT CALIFORNIA (ACC). Both of these teams have shown potential, but both still have a lot of work to do and both could use this one today.
-UNLV AT CREIGHTON. Creighton just had the big win over Kansas. They need to regroup and make sure their feet are back on the ground and that they don’t blow it against a decent (but far from great) UNLV team.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT BOISE STATE. Wazzu is 7-2 and while not all those wins have been great, they are well positioned. They’re also coming off a road win at Nevada, which is their strongest of the season, and if they can pick this one up today I think we’ll have to start thinking of them as a possible tournament caliber team. Boise is a modest 5-2 and has some pretty high expectations. They also still have a lot of work to do.
-BUTLER AT HOUSTON. The storyline to this game is interesting. Butler is a potential darkhorse who comes in at 7-1 with notable wins over Northwestern and Mississippi State. Houston is believed to be a National Title contender, but who hasn’t gotten any wins of note yet and is actually looking to bounce back from losing two of their last three.
-LA SALLE VS SAINT JOSEPH’S (Big 5 Classic). This will not count in the Atlantic 10 standings because it’s part of the Big 5 Classic and not a scheduled conference game. I still want to think Joe’s can have a big year, but they keep coming up short when presented with opportunities. La Salle isn’t someone who I expected a lot out of, but they are a respectable 6-3 and can pick up a notable win this evening.
-SAINT MARY’S AT UTAH. I’m really big on this Saint Mary’s team and think they’ve been undervalued somewhat. Having said that, this is their first true road game and it is perhaps their biggest test of the season so far. And now having said that, while Utah is a perfect 6-0 at home, those were all buy games. This would be the most notable win of the year for the Utes so far if they can pull it off.
-COLORADO STATE AT COLORADO (Front Range). Colorado is off to a much better than expected start, but they still have a ton of work to do. A win in this one would certainly feel good and give them another momentum boost. Colorado State is a modest 5-3, but has nothing on their resume that’s as good as this win would be.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT NEW MEXICO. This appears to be a mismatch. New Mexico has a nice win against UCLA and is well positioned to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, whereas New Mexico State is just 3-5 and seemingly in store for a very long year. But, this is a bitter rivalry and sometimes very strange things happen.
-NEVADA AT LMU. This is the first true road game for Nevada, and a good way for them to bounce back from the loss to Washington State earlier this week.
-KENTUCKY VS GONZAGA (Battle In Seattle). Both teams are in the top ten, and both have earned those rankings with some very big wins. Kentucky is coming off a tough loss at Clemson, and while this will be another tough environment, it’s not the same as actually going to Gonzaga’s campus. Having said that, Gonzaga is a legit Final Four caliber team. Playing them anywhere isn’t going to be easy. This will be a likely high quad-1 win for whichever team pulls it off, and it should be a blast to watch.
BUY GAMES (and other games of note):
-Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC) – both have shown signs of life, but both still have a lot of work to do
-South Florida @ Loyola Chicago – a win for Loyola Chicago gets them to 8-0
-Southern Utah @ Arizona – Southern Utah is an impressive 8-2, but they’re likely way overmatched today
-Lehigh @ Dayton
-UTSA @ Arkansas
-Buffalo @ Saint Bonaventure – a win for the Bonnies gets them to 9-1
-Idaho @ Oregon State
-USC @ Washington (Big Ten) – both teams lost their conference openers and need to bounce back today
-East Tennessee State @ Wichita State – a win gets the Shockers to 8-1
-Mississippi Valley State @ Liberty
-Alcorn State @ Oklahoma
-Lindenwood @ Ole Miss
-Life Pacific (nonD1) @ Grand Canyon
-Utah Tech @ Utah State (Bee Hive)
-San Diego @ San Diego State – this is a rivalry, but only sort of. The Azetcs should roll.