NEWS AND NOTES:
-Cincinnati picked up their biggest win over the year, and it was one they really needed, as they held off Dayton 66-59. Cincinnati’s defense kept Dayton from doing anything at all for the first 15 minutes of the game, and then kept them from doing very little the rest of the way. Dayton did cut a 17pt second half lead down to 4, but couldn’t come all the way back.
-Saint John’s picked up their first true road win of the season as they held off Providence 72-70. The Jonnies are now 10-2 overall and are in pretty good shape where they stand.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-DUKE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). This should be a winnable conference road game for the Blue Devils.
-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier put up a fight against UConn in their overtime loss earlier this week, so this could be a tougher game for Marquette than what they’re expecting, especially since it is a road game. Still, Marquette is looking like a solid protected seed and Xavier is looking like an NIT team.
-UCONN AT BUTLER (Big East). It’s never easy to win on the road, and Butler has shown signs of being halfway decent at times, but having said that UConn has looked like a solid protected seed and Butler has looked like an NIT team.
-SMU AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). SMU is a very respectable 9-2, but is still in search of their first true road game. This is the kind of road game that an NCAA Tournament team should be expected to win.
-SYRACUSE VS MARYLAND (Game in Brooklyn NY). Syracuse is a former Big East team that’s now in the ACC and they’re taking on Maryland, who is a former ACC team that is now in the Big Ten. Maryland has a decent profile and should be able to hold serve in this one.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MEMPHIS. I think both of these teams are being undervalued somewhat. Memphis is in the rankings and they’ve they’ve played a tough schedule, much of it was away from home, and they’ve done very well against it and should probably be ranked a little higher. Mississippi State is an impressive 10-1, but this is probably their hardest game of the year so far and the fans in Memphis should be up for this one. They have a lot to be excited about.
-WAKE FOREST AT CLEMSON (ACC). Wake has a decent overall record and a nice win against Michigan, so they are at least within reach of the bubble. It’s not easy to win at Clemson, but if they do pull it off it would give them a big boost.
-UCLA VS NORTH CAROLINA (CBS Sports Classic, Game in New York NY). North Carolina has a 6-5 record against a very tough schedule, so they’re by no means sunk, but they do need to start winning games. UCLA is a very impressive 10-1 with impressive wins over Oregon and Arizona, so they are battle tested. This is a resume boosting opportunity for both of these teams.
-VILLANOVA AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both these teams are outside the bubble, and while both have some good things on their resume, both still have work to do (obviously) and both could really use a win today.
-WASHINGTON STATE VS NORTHERN IOWA (Game in Las Vegas). Wazzu is coming off a loss to their rivals Washington, but I really like how they’ve played this year. I also like how Nortthern Iowa is starting to play, and feel that this is a really compelling game today.
-DEPAUL AT NORTHWESTERN. DePaul is not nearly as bad as what we have seen, but they still have a long way to go before we start declaring them a tournament caliber team. Northwestern has a decent profile with some decent wins, but they still have work to do and they need to hold serve in this one today. It’s always kinda fun when these two play each other.
-PURDUE VS AUBURN (Game in Birmingham, AL). Auburn has been as impressive as any team in the country, so while Purdue is ranked in the top 20, and very deserving of that ranking, and has been tested and won some big games, you still get the sense that they are overmatched in this one. Auburn is just that good.
-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). Nevada is sitting at 8-3 and needs to string together a lot of wins and hold serve against teams that are outside the bubble in order to end up on the right side of the cut line come Selection Sunday.
-OHIO STATE VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic, Game in New York NY). Ohio State has some decent wins and looks like they’re currently on pace to be on the right side of the cut line. Kentucky has some amazing wins and looks like they’re on pace to end up on the #1 line.
-UTAH AT IOWA. Both teams have solid records, but both are also lacking in notable wins and both could really use this one today. Iowa is in decent shape with wins over Washington State and Northwestern, but it would still make their resume look better if they were able to pick this one up.
-TEMPLE VS RHODE ISLAND (Game in Springfield MA). A win for Rhody gets them to a very respectable 11-1 on the year.
-KANSAS STATE AT WICHITA STATE. Both teams have work to do, but both look like they may be good enough to get the wins they need between now and the end. It’s a fun in-state match-up and a nice opportunity for both teams.
-OREGON VS STANFORD (San Jose Tip-Off). Oregon has had a fantastic season so far and is looking like they may be on pace for a protected seed. This used to be an old Pac 12 match-up. I suppose now it is a defacto Big Ten/ACC Challenge game, which is very weird to say.
-CALIFORNIA VS SAN DIEGO STATE (San Jose Tip-Off). Cal is having a decent year, but San Diego State is once again looking like a solid tournament caliber team and they should be able to hold serve in this one.
BUY GAMES (and other games of note):
-North Florida @ Florida
-Princeton @ Rutgers – both teams are outside the bubble and need to start stringing together wins in order to reach it
-Penn State @ Drexel – not the easiest road game for Penn State, and this would be their first road win of the season, but it’s a game a tourney caliber team would be expected to win
-Chattanooga @ Indiana – the Hoosiers better be on upset alert
-Niagara @ Saint Bonaventure
-Sam Houston @ Pittsburgh
-Lamar @ Texas Tech
-TAMUCC @ Houston
-Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State – Michigan State should roll in this one
-High Point @ Southern Illinois – High Point is 11-2 overall, but is still lookin for their first true road win
-UT Arlington @ Liberty
-Canisius @ Bradley – Bradley can improve to 10-2 with a win
-NC A&T @ Arkansas
-UC Irvine @ Duquesne – UC Irvine is a long way from home, but this should be a winnable game for them
-Austin Peay @ Vanderbilt
-Furman @ Harvard – Furman can improve to 12-1 and pick up their 4th true road win
-Coastal Carolina @ Arkansas State
-Bellarmine @ Colorado
-Air Force @ Boise State (Mountain West) – it’s a conference game, but it may as well be a buy game
-Central Michigan @ Arizona
-Arizona State vs UMass (Game in Springfield) – Arizona State should roll in this one
-Queens @ Ole Miss
-Drake @ Green Bay – Drake can get to 11-0 with a win
-Montana @ San Francisco – San Francisco needs to bounce back from a tough loss at Bradley
-Jacksonville @ UCF
-Bucknell @ Gonzaga
-UC San Diego @ San Diego – I think UCSD is inside the bubble right now and hey can add another true road win to what is an already very impressive profile