Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Saturday, Jan 25th

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Purdue was expected to beat Michigan, but they weren’t expected to beat them by 27 and dominate the whole game. They were basically up by 20 from the time of the tipoff and it never got close after that.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-IOWA STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). Iowa State hasn’t always been perfect, but they’ve been pretty close to it the vast majority of the time and can still get a #1 seed if they keep going like they have been. Arizona State is outside the bubble and could use a big win like this to help boost their resume. Even though it’s a home game it would still be a huge signature win for them.

-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky is having a crazy good year. They’re coming off a home loss to Alabama, but that is hardly a setback. Having said that, they will be challenged on the road today, and this is a big game for them because as good as Kentucky’s profile is, they still only have one true road win. Vandy looks like a solid tournament-caliber team that recently beat Tennessee at home, so they’ll be way up for this one as well.

-TEXAS A&M AT TEXAS (SEC). It’s a rivalry game! And it’s great to have it back as a conference game!! Texas A&M is a fringe protected seed that could use a road win like this, and Texas appears to be a fringe bubble team that could use a win over a highly ranked team like TAMU. This one is important both on and off paper.

-GEORGIA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida barely escaped at South Carolina earlier this week, but managed the win and is still high in the rankings and in the metrics. Georgia has lost three straight, and their last two were by 3pts or less. It doesn’t get any easier today as they go to one of the toughest road environments in the country. UGA is still inside the bubble for now, but a win like this would be a huge help.

-DUKE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). This is a hugely important game for Wake. They appear to be squarely on the bubble, and a win today could shoot them way up the seedlist and give their metrics a big boost as well. As for Duke, they are being projected onto our 1-seed line and are so good that they may actually win out. They’ll be tested today, though.

-BAYLOR AT UTAH (Big 12). Baylor hasn’t been 100% for most of the season, and while they’re not in the rankings or where we’re used to seeing them in the seedlist, they are still in good shape overall. They’ve only won one true road game so far, so a win today would really help them out.

-OLE MISS AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a fascinating game between two teams that are in the rankings, and at times have shone indications that they could be protected seeds. Mizzou is coming off a loss at Texas, and they haven’t been the best road team, but at home they’ve been as tough as anyone. Ole Miss has lost two straight, one in overtime by 3pts and another by just 1 pt, and is looking to bounce back from that. Both teams are solid, but both have room on their resumes for improvement, and a win today would be big.

-HOUSTON AT KANSAS (Big 12). All year long I’ve been saying I thought Houston could be a Final Four team. All year long I’ve also been saying that due to a backloaded schedule, their tournament resume has been flimsy when compared to other top teams up until now. Well, here is a chance to make it un-flimsy! If they go into Kansas and get a win, which I think they are good enough to do, it’s a sign that they are a protected seed caliber team (something most people think already). It’s also a sign that they can be as good as anyone in the Big 12 and can even end up as a #1 seed.

-UCONN AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has looked good in a lot of their games. The problem appears to be their depth. They just run out of gas down the stretch. But, if they can play at the level they’ve played at in the last two games, they may have an outside shot at playing their way into the field. Having said that, beating UConn won’t be easy even at home. The Huskies can still get a protected seed if they can finish strong, which they are good enough to do.

-TENNESSEE AT AUBURN (SEC). This is a huge one as far as it being a showcase game. Both are potential #1 seeds, and both are ranked highly in the polls. If Tennessee wins, it greatly strengthens their chances of getting a #1 seed, and perhaps the top #1 seed, which means getting to play in the Atlanta Region, but regardless of the outcome of the game both teams will still be high in the rankings and in a position to get a #1 seed.

-OKLAHOMA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Oklahoma is right on the bubble and needs a road win like this to help get on the right side of it. Arkansas finally won a conference game earlier this week, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-SMU @ NC State (ACC) – SMU is a modest 14-5, and while they are pretty far outside the bubble they could still reach it if they can blow through their schedule the rest of the way

Pittsburgh @ Syracuse (ACC) – a classic Big East rivalry!! Pitt is right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it

Mississippi State @ South Carolina (SEC) – Mississippi State is being projected close to a protected seed. Having said that, they’ve lost three of their last four and could really use a road win today

-Michigan State @ Rutgers (Big Ten). Michigan State has a winning streak that dates back to before Thanksgiving. This will be a test from a talented Rutgers team that has underperformed, but it’s still one the Spartans should win

-Seton Hall @ Creighton (Big East) – Creighton still has work to do, but they should stay inside the bubble so long as they hold serve in games like this

Illinois State @ Bradley (Missouri Valley) – We say this about every game, but if Bradley can win out they should make the field

Miami OH @ Akron (MAC) – this game won’t impact the bracket, but it is a match-up between two teams that are having big years in the MAC . Both come in unbeaten in MAC play, so it should be a fun one

Boston College @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC will fall outside the bubble if they are unable to hold serve in games like this

New Mexico @ UNLV (Mountain West) – New Mexico is squarely on the bubble and could use this road win. UNLV recently knocked off both San Diego State and Utah State, but then fell to Wyoming at home, so they are a big question-mark every time they take the floor.

Colorado @ Arizona (Big 12). Arizona is 6-1 in Big 12 play and seems to be getting better and better as the season goes on. They should be able to hold serve at home in this one

Oregon @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – Oregon is unbeaten away from home and they should remain that way after today. Havig said that, Minnesota can be tough to beat on their floor. They recently knocked off Michigan and followed that up with a win at Iowa.

-TCU @ UCF (Big 12) – UCF is right on the bubble and must hold serve in this one

Drake @ Missouri State (Missouri Valley) – Drake is right on the bubble and should end up inside of it so long as they can continue to blow through the MVC

-Utah State @ Air Force (Mountain West) – AFA can be very tough to beat. Most teams do it, but most teams don’t do it easily. Utah State does not want to overlook them, and a loss would look really bad on their resume

Clemson @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – Clemson is having a great overall year at 16-4 and should be able to pick up another conference road win in this one

-West Virginia @ Kansas State (Big 12) – WVU is having a fantastic year, but has lost two out of three and is looking to bounce back from a home loss to Arizona State. It’s a road game, but it’s one they should be able to win

Wofford @ Samford (SoCon) – this game doesn’t impact the bracket, but this Samford team is good, fun to watch, and these are two of the better teams in the SoCon

-Saint Mary’s @ Washington State (West Coast) – this will be a tough road test for SMC, but it’s one that they are good enough to win

-LSU @ Alabama (SEC) – Bama is one of the best teams in the country and they should have very little trouble holding serve at home in this one

-Cincinnati @ BYU (Big 12) – both teams are outside the bubble and both have a lot of work to do if they want to reach it

San Diego State @ Nevada (Mountain West) – this is far from the easiest road game, but it’s still one that San Diego State is good enough to win and should win

Hawaii @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine needs to bounce back from their tough loss to UC Riverside on Thursday. I still think they can end up inside the bubble if they win out

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