NEWS AND NOTES:
-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast – CLICK HERE
-We had been ragging on Kansas for not being able to hold onto leads that seemed nearly impossible to blow. Well, they held on last night and won convincingly over Iowa State 69-52.
-When you’re on the bubble, it’s important to not lose games at home to teams that are nowhere near the bubble. Pittsburgh may be in a lot of trouble. Virginia beat them handily 73-57.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams are high in the rankings, and Saint John’s is about to begin what is probably the toughest stretch of their schedule. In one sense it will be harder to win their remaining games, but in another sense they’ll have a chance to really build up their profile. Marquette is coming off a home loss to UConn and this would be a huge bounce back win for them if they can beat the Johnnies on the road.
-VANDERBILT AT FLORIDA (SEC). Many think Florida is a great team, and they are, but I also personally think that at the moment the top of their resume is a little flimsy and that they need to hold serve in a game like this. Vandy is just inside the bubble and could really use a win like this on the road to give their resume a huge boost.
-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten). Purdue should be able to pick up yet another conference road win and keep themselves solidly in the protected seed range.
-KENTUCKY AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss should have a sense of urgency coming into his one. They’ve lost four out of their last five, and while they’ve got a couple of winnable games in front of them, a home win against Kentucky would go a long way in terms of stabilization. Kentucky is coming off a home loss to Arkansas and looking to bounce back with another big road win.
-LA SALLE AT VCU (Atlantic 10). If VCU wants any shot at all at getting a look from the committee they need to win out.
-DRAKE AT MURRAY STATE (Missouri Valley). This will be a bit of a road test for Drake, but a win gets them to 21-2 and one step closer toward landing inside the bubble.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT HOUSTON (Big 12). This is a hold-serve game for Houston. They shouldn’t have too much trouble bouncing back from their loss over the weekend and taking care of Oklahoma State.
-UTAH STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming can be a very tough team to go on the road and beat. But, Utah State is a tough team themselves and if they really are a team that should be placed in the top half of the bracket then this is the kind of game they should be able to win.
-GEORGETOWN AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has been playing better, but they are still just outside our bubble and need to fight their way in between now and the end of the season.
-OKLAHOMA AT AUBURN (SEC). Oklahoma has been able to string together some conference wins recently, and if they somehow were to get this one at Auburn it would define their entire season, but it’s a very tall order. Auburn is locked into our field, they seem to be bulldozing their way to a #1 seed, and they should be able to hold serve at home.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Both teams are coming off really big wins. Baylor came from behind after being down big against Kansas to win, and Texas Tech got a win at Houston despite having a key player and their head coach ejected at the start of the game.
-INDIANA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisconsin is solidly in the field and may be on the verge of a protected seed. They should be able to hold serve against an NIT-ish Indiana team.
-GEORGIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC). Clemson keeps winning games, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble winning this one.
-USC AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). USC was a team that seemed to have no pulse, but they’ve suddenly strung together some wins and are inching their way closer and closer to the bubble. This is a winnable road game for them, which would be another nice win for their resume.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT UCLA (Big Ten). This is a big one tonight. Michigan State just had a long winning streak snapped and will be looking to bounce back, but it won’t be easy. UCLA has had their ups and downs, but they’re currently on a winning streak and at the moment appear to be way up. This is a chance for both teams to pick up a big win.
-KANSAS STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). K State has won three straight, including a blowout road win at Iowa State in their last game. They still have a long way to go, but their remaining games will give them the opportunity to make a case for themselves. They’ll need this one tonight against an Arizona State team that’s looking to bounce back from a home loss to rival Arizona.
-ARIZONA AT BYU (Big 12). This is a big road test for an Arizona team. BYU has looked really strong lately and it’s one of the toughest venues in the countries for road teams to win. BYU is now right on our bubble and a win like this could make a difference as to whether or not they end up making it.