NEWS AND NOTES:
-Nebraska and Indiana were close for about 35 minutes before Nebraska blew it open down the stretch and picked up the 85-68 win. The nice way to say this is that the Hoosiers have struggled this year.
-Colorado is now a very respectful 8-2 after beating a pretty good South Dakota State team 81-70.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MEMPHIS AT CLEMSON. Memphis’s last game was a home loss to Arkansas State, and while they had played well for the first part of the season they’ve now dropped two of their last three and it doesn’t get any easier today. Clemson is 9-1, has beaten Kentucky and Miami FL in their last two games, and will be very tough to beat on their floor.
-TEXAS A&M VS PURDUE (Indy Classic – Indianapolis IN). Both teams are in the top 25 and both teams are likely solid NCAA Tournament teams, so it’s a really good resume building opportunity for both. Purdue already has some nice wins against Alabama and Ole Miss, whereas TAMU has a good profile, but this would be their best win of the season up to this point.
-OHIO STATE VS AUBURN (Holiday Hoopsgiving – Atlanta GA). Ohio State is having a decent year at 6-3, whereas Auburn looks like a Final Four caliber team. This would obviously be a huge win for the Buckeyes if they can pull off the upset. The game seems to have the feel of a 1 vs 8/9 type of game in the Round of 32. It’s possible, but not probable.
-WICHITA STATE AT DEPAUL. Both teams have solid records, but have amassed most of those wins against weak schedules and could use some meat on their resumes. This would probably be the best win that either team has managed so far.
-XAVIER AT CINCINNATI. Both teams are good, or at least have shown signs of being good, but both should also be coming into this with a huge sense of urgency. It’s a rivalry game, but it’s also a really important game on paper. Xavier has a home win against Wake Forest, but has done little else and actually went through a stretch where they had been blown out by Michigan and struggled in a home buy game against South Carolina State. Cincinnati is 7-1, but none of their opponents appear to be teams that will be anywhere near the bubble, and they lost their only real test of the season at Villanova. So, both could really use this one today.
-WISCONSIN VS BUTLER (Indy Classic – Indianapolis IN). I still think Butler can be a dark horse this season, although they certainly haven’t shown it in their last two games. They really need a game like this to get themselves turned back around. Wisconsin has also lost three straight and is also looking to get things turned back around, so both teams kind of need this one.
-GEORGETOWN AT SYRACUSE. I’m glad these two teams continue to play each other, but it’s nothing like it used to be. Having said that, Georgetown has their program going in the right direction, and this would be a huge road win for them. Syracuse has looked good at times, but still has more work to do than what they’re probably capable of doing in order to land inside the bubble.
-UCLA VS ARIZONA (Hall of Fame Rivalry – Phoenix AZ). Arizona still has a high ceiling and will probably still end up having a big year, but as of now they’re just 4-4 (albeit against a very tough schedule) and could use a big win to get things turned around. Knocking off their old rivals, who have been playing really well lately, would be a big step in the right direction.
-SETON HALL AT RUTGERS. This really needs to be a “Get Right” game for Rutgers. It won’t do much for their paper if they win it, and it will set them back quite a bit if they lose it. Seton Hall is a sub-NIT so beating them at home won’t mean that much on paper, but beating a rival at home and getting some momentum built back up is what Rutgers needs more than anything else right now.
-NC STATE AT KANSAS. NC State has lost three straight, and while they were all against good teams and they were competitive in those games, this is by far a tougher test than anything they’ve faced all season. Kansas is a possible #1 seed and should roll in this one.
-ARIZONA STATE VS FLORIDA (Holiday Hoopsgiving – Atlanta GA). This is one of the more intriguing games of the day. Arizona State has had a really good year with their only loss being a close one on the road at Gonzaga, and they’ve managed some pretty good wins. None are as good as this one would be as the Gators come in ranked in the top ten. Having said that, Arizona State has arguably played a tougher schedule and beaten tougher teams up to this point, so this may be a game where the nation wakes up to the reality that the Sun Devils are really good.
-LSU VS SMU (Compete 4 Cause Classic – Frisco TX). LSU has made some noise this year. They’re 8-1 with wins over Kansas State, UCF, and Florida State. That’s not great, but it’s certainly more than nothing. SMU has a nice win over Washington State and just beat Virginia. Again, not great, but certainly not nothing. Both these teams are good enough to build up their resumes, and both could use this win today to help do it.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT PROVIDENCE. The Bonnies are 9-1 with three true road wins, so they have our attention. Having said that, their schedule hasn’t exactly been a gauntlet, and getting a win over a decent Providence team on the road would make their resume look a lot better.
-LOUISVILLE AT KENTUCKY. While this game will be more competitive than what we’ve seen in recent years, it’s still looks like it’s going to be a big mismatch. Kentucky is looking like a #1 seed, and while Louisville did look good early on, they aren’t the same since having to deal with injuries and are likely way overmatched in this one.
-TENNESSEE AT ILLINOIS. Tennessee has basically blown everyone they’ve faced off the court. This is one of their toughest tests of the year since it’s a true road game against a really good Illinois team, but the Vols have shown before that they can be up to the task.
-MCNEESE VS MISSISSIPPI STATE (Game in Tupelo MS). McNeese has been somewhat of a disappointment this year considering how good we thought they were going to be, but they still have a high ceiling and a deep roster and are still potentially a dangerous team. Mississippi State has looked really strong, but McNeese is good enough to beat them if they overlook them.
-GRAND CANYON VS GEORGIA (Holiday Hoopsgiving – Atlanta GA). This is a hugely important game for Grand Canyon. They’re a modest 6-2, but if they want to end up inside the bubble they need wins that are more notable than the ones that they currently have and they’re running out of chances. Georgia is a solid 8-1, they beat a good Saint John’s team, and their only loss was to Marquette. So far, they’ve looked good. Beating Grand Canyon would be a nice pick-up for their resume as well.
-MARQUETTE AT DAYTON. I’m probably as excited for this one as any game being played today. Marquette is ranked #6 in the nation and they have absolutely earned that ranking. Dayton is 8-2 and I feel they’re being undervalued. They beat UConn handily, and their only two losses were very close games to Iowa State and North Carolina. Their fans will be jacked way up for this one as the Flyers really have a chance to make a statement.
-GONZAGA VS UCONN (Game in New York, NY). Both teams are off to really good starts, but neither team is off to the elite-level start that they were probably expecting, and both suffered losses in their in-season tournaments. Still, both teams are ranked in the top 20, both have earned those rankings, both are on pace to end up with a protected seed, and this would be a huge resume boost to whichever team pulls it off.
-OKLAHOMA STATE VS OKLAHOMA (game in Oklahoma City OK). BEDLAM!!!!!! It’s good to see this series continue, and while it may not be quite the same seeing as how it’s no longer a conference game, seeing them go at it on a neutral floor in front of a split crowd should be fun. Oklahoma is a perfect 9-0 with a few notable wins whereas Okie State is a respectable 6-2 but has no real wins of note, so the Pokes could probably use this one a little more, but in a rivalry game like this it’s more about the rivalry than anything else.
-CREIGHTON AT ALABAMA. Creighton has sustained some key injuries, but given their recent win against Kansas they have shown they can still play at a very high level. Having said that, being able to win on the road at Alabama will require them to again play at a very high level. Bama is a likely protected seed, and it’s just not going to be easy at all to beat them at home.
-SAINT MARY’S AT BOISE STATE. I really like what Saint Mary’s has done so far, and they can add another really nice win to what is already a really solid profile if they can get this one on the road. It would be their second true road win of the season, and they’re coming off their first road win at Utah. Boise State has been a little bit disappointing, but they’ll still be in good shape if they can get this one and are still looking like they can cause quite a bit of damage in the Mountain West.
BUY GAMES (and other games of note):
-South Carolina State @ Furman – Furman can get to 10-1
-Long Island @ Missouri
-Coppin State @ Penn State
-Tulsa @ UCF
-Texas State @ Florida Atlantic – it’s at least an intriguing matchup
-Appalachian State @ High Point – High Point has been a home court here, and they’re at home again in this one, but they should be tested at least a little bit more
-USC Upstate @ South Carolina
-Southern Miss @ Ole Miss
-South Florida @ Utah State – Utah State can remain unbeaten
-Central Arkansas @ Arkansas
-La Salle @ North Carolina – UNC needs to start stringing together wins
-Bradley vs Santa Clara (Jack Jones Classic – Henderson NV) – Bradley can get a nice neutral floor win and improve to 9-1
-Tulane @ Florida State
-Missouri State @ Washington State
-Bethune Cookman @ West Virginia
-Belmont @ Richmond – this is a winnable game for Belmont and it will get them to 9-2 on the year, and 3-0 in true road games
-Western New Mexico (nonD1) @ New Mexico
-Detroit Mercy @ Davidson
-Radford @ Utah – Radford is 9-2, so Utah doesn’t want to just completely overlook them, but it’s still a home buy game that the Utes should win
-NC A&T @ Liberty
-Colorado State @ VCU
-Wyoming @ BYU – a win for the Cougars gets them to 8-2
-Texas Southern @ Nevada – Nevada can get to 8-3 with a win