NEWS AND NOTES:
-Auburn, who was down a key player due to an injury, showed no signs of missing him. They blew a really good Mississippi State team off the court 88-66.
-Ole Miss picked up one of the most impressive singular wins of the year with their 74-64 road win at Alabama. Bama was looking like they may be good enough to end up on the #1 line, so for Ole Miss to go in and get that one is a HUGE boost to their resume, and is now making a solid case that they should be a protected seed. And they weren’t the only ones that got a massive road win!
-Missouri sprinted out to a huge lead against Florida and was up 50-34 in the second half. The Gators kept chipping away at it, and in the final minutes were all the way back in it with a chance to win, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback. Mizzou held on to win 83-82 and after beating them up for doing nothing on the road for most of the season, I now have to concede that they’ve now done something on the road. That was a MASSIVE road win and it completely changes the complexion of their resume.
-Marquette trailed DePaul for most of the game, but kept it close, and was able to pull out the 85-83 win in overtime and avoid the big road upset.
-Kentucky pulled away from Texas A&M in the second half and added another really big win to their resume as they held on 81-69. Kentucky is having an outstanding season in Mark Pope’s first year.
-For the second game in a row, Indiana was absolutely blown off the floor. Illinois went into Bloomington and crushed them 94-69. The fans are starting to get quite anxious in Indiana.
-Wisconsin and Ohio State came down to the wire, but the Badgers held on to win 70-68. Wisky just broke into the top 25 and is continuing to climb the metrics and the rankings.
-Arizona is now a perfect 5-0 in Big 12 play after picking up another nice win by knocking off a pretty good Baylor team 81-70. Arizona fans were a little concerned due to a rough run OOC, but I’d say they’re back on track now.
-Villanova, who had been playing really well, lost their second straight game as they fell at Xavier 69-63. This is a major setback for a team that appeared to be playing their way into the NCAA Tournament discussion.
-Saint John’s v Georgetown was a thriller with Georgetown jumping out to a controlling lead early on, but then saw the Johnnies fight back, come back, and then hold on to win 63-58. Had Georgetown managed to pull this off we’d have started to have to take them seriously, and it has been a while since we’ve said that. Saint John’s is now an impressive 15-3 on the year, and all three losses were by a single possession, so no one should be overlooking them.
-New Mexico, who had absolutely been on fire, really shot themselves in the foot yesterday with the 71-70 loss at San Jose State. They didn’t shoot themselves in the face, but they did hurt themselves with that one.
-UCF, who many had written off after they got absolutely blown up all over the place by Kansas, picked up a real nice 95-89 road win at Arizona State last night, and has a resume that indicates they should be considered for the NCAA Tournament.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vandy is a very solid 13-3. There isn’t much low hanging fruit in the SEC, and while a home game against South Carolina isn’t the easiest game to win, it’s not nearly as difficult to win as most other SEC games, so Vandy needs to hold serve tonight.
-STANFORD AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake has been playing really well lately and can play their way inside the bubble if they keep stringing together wins.
-KANSAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). This is perhaps the biggest showcase game in the Big 12 this year outside the possibility of when the two face each other for a second time. Both teams are high in the rankings, both appear to be probable protected seeds, and Iowa State could end up as a #1 seed, especially if they’re able to add this win to their resume.
-CALIFORNIA AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). UNC has won five of their last six and should be able to pick this one up tonight without too much trouble.
-RICHMOND AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic 10). No one in the A10 is currently inside our bubble. Perhaps a team like the Bonnies can get there, but they pretty much need to win out to do it.
-GEORGE MASON AT DAYTON (Atlantic 10). Dayton is no longer inside our bubble, but they do have a path to get there if they can blow through the rest of their schedule. Having said that, they haven’t looked good at all in their last few games, and if they drop this one at home and fall to 1-3 in the A10 then chances are they’ll need the auto bid to make the field.
-SAMFORD AT MERCER (SoCon). A win for Samford gets them to a very impressive 15-3.
-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT FURMAN (SoCon). A win for Furman gets them to a very impressive 15-3.
-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Penn State has had some nice wins and can really improve their position if they’re somehow able to pull off a win tonight, but it won’t be easy. Michigan State is 14-2 and looking like they could end up as a protected seed come March.
-GEORGIA AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Both teams are in the rankings, both have multiple big wins, but Tennessee just appears to be the better team. The Vols are still very much within reach of a #1 seed and should be able to pick this one up at home.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT HOUSTON (Big 12). Houston keeps winning and keeps winning decisively. Their resume doesn’t have any huge wins on it, but it is still getting better and better as the season goes on. West Virginia is a likely tournament team, and if Houston can pick this one up they will continue to climb the metrics.
-INDIANA STATE AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley). A win for Bradley gets them to 15-3 on the year and keeps them in position of having an outside shot of reaching the bubble.
-CINCINNATI AT COLORADO (Big 12). Both teams are winless in conference, both are in a complete downward spiral, and it’s looking like neither one will end up in the NCAA Tournament at the rate their going. They both really need to turn things around, so they both really need this win tonight.
-SMU AT VIRGINIA (ACC). SMU is on the outside looking in, but they do have a path to landing inside the bubble. Having said that, this is the kind of game they need to win in order to get there.
-PITTSBURGH AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). This isn’t an easy road game for Pitt, but it’s one they should win if they really are a solid tournament caliber team.
-ILLINOIS STATE AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). Drake can get to 15-2 with a win and stay within reach of the bubble.
-PURDUE AT WASHINGTON (Big Ten). It’s never easy to cross multiple timezones and get a win, but Purdue is a solid team and should be able to pick this one up.
-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). The Red River Shootout!!! Both teams have solid resumes, but both come in at 0-3 in SEC play and are in a bit of a tailspin. It’s a rivalry game that both of them are kind of coming into with a sense of urgency.
-UTAH STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). Utah State continues to win games, climb the polls, climb the metrics, and that should continue tonight.