NEWS AND NOTES:
-Saint John’s keeps winning. They are into the backloaded part of a backloaded schedule, and now that they’ve beaten teams like Marquette and UConn, they are making a strong case that they should be a protected seed and are perhaps the best team in the Big East. They knocked off UConn 68-62 last night on the road.
-Purdue had no trouble with USC and cruised 90-72.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-TENNESSEE AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). Tennessee is coming off a big win against Missouri and can get another nice road win today. Oklahoma is right on the bubble and could really use (and perhaps almost needs) a win like this to help get hem on the right side of it. They’re coming off a blowout loss to Auburn and have another tall order today.
-OREGON AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Neither of these teams are in any real trouble, but both could really use this win today. Michigan State, after stringing together a ridiculous winning streak, has now lost two straight and could use a nice home win to bounce back. Oregon has now lost four in a row and has fallen to 5-7 in Big Ten play. They need to get things turned around and a road win today would be huge.
-TEXAS AT VANDERBILT (SEC). This game feels very bubbly as both teams need more wins on their resume in order to feel like they’re safely inside the field. Texas is coming off a home loss to Arkansas, and this would be one of their better true road wins on the season if they can pull it off. Vandy is a bit of a home court hero. Having said that, they need to keep winning games at home to maintain their position.
-THE CITDAEL AT VMI (SoCon). One of my favorite rivalries!!
-MARQUETTE AT CREIGHTON (Big East). This is a huge one. Creighton is arguably one of the hottest teams in the country. The more they win, the more they can boost their metrics and climb the seedlist, and they have another chance to do that today. Marquette still has a very wide path to a protected seed, but they have lost two in a row. If they were to get this win, they’d get a ton of credit for it because of how well Creighton has been playing and how tough they are at home, so it is a big opportunity for both teams.
-KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). This may not seem like a huge game, but K State has suddenly won four in a row and has looked really good. They still have what seems like an impossibly long way to go to reach teh bubble, but the more they win, the more you’ll have to start paying attention to them. Kansas is clearly within range of a protected seed, but they aren’t the best team in true road games, so this would help make their resume look a little better if they can get the win. And, it’s also a rivalry game, so bragging rights are at stake as well.
-UCF AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Both teams really need this win, especially UCF, who is squarely on the bubble. Every game seems to have a pivotal feel for them. A road win against a team like Baylor that is inside the bubble would be a huge and much needed boost to their profile. Baylor is inside the bubble, but not so far inside that they are totally secure, so this is a big game for the Bears as well.
-TEXAS A&M AT MISSOURI (SEC). An old Big 12 matchup that has been rebirthed in the SEC. Both teams are in the top 15, both have a path to earn a protected seed, Texas A&M in particular has an amazing profile and if they can get this win on the road it would make it look even better. This is basically a showcase game where two teams are battling for protected seeds.
-FLORIDA AT AUBURN (SEC). I’m not quite the believer in Florida that many others at Hoops HD (and around the country) are. But I do have to admit, if Florida finds a way to win this one I’ll be the first to admit that I have been completely wrong about them. Hell, if they are even reasonably competitive in this game I’ll admit that. Auburn looks to have the best team in the country, they’re at home, and they have what appears to be a straight path to the overall #1 seed come March.
-PITTSBURGH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Both teams are outside the bubble. Both need nearly perfect finishes in order to be inside of it by the end of the season, so that means to have any real chance both teams pretty much need this one today.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT GEORGIA (SEC). Georgia has lost five out of seven and you get the sense that the are hanging on for dear life and could really use a win today. Mississippi State is still in good shape, but they’ve also lost five of their last seven after a strong start to the year and could use a big road win like this to turn things around.
-DUKE AT CLEMSON (ACC). This should be a great one! This is probably Duke’s toughest remaining game, and if they win this then chances are they’ll end up with a #1 seed. It won’t be easy, though. Duke is the better team, but Clemson will be very tough to beat at home and is looking for a big time win of their own. They did just drop a triple OT game to Georgia Tech, but they’ll still be way up for this one and it should be a great atmosphere.
-ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). I’m very excited for this one. Alabama is on pace to get a #1 seed, and with two games remaining against Auburn even has a chance at the overall #1 seed, but they go on the road to face an Arkansas team that in the past week has looked much better than they have at any point in the year and picked up two huge wins. A win today would be yet another huge win, and almost certainly land them inside the bubble when we do our next Bracket Rundown.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). This is a really tough road game for a San Diego State team that’s, for now, safely inside the bubble, but still has room to build up their resume. Colorado State is 9-2 at home and they should be up for this one.
-UC SAN DIEGO AT UC IRVINE (Big West). Both of these teams still have a chance to land inside the bubble and make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament, but chances that whoever loses this game won’t be in that position. UC San Diego won the first meeting, but is still a game behind UCI in the standings. This one should be a fun defensive battle. I’m glad it’s on national TV and not behind a paywall. It’s one everyone should watch!
-SAINT MARY’S AT OREGON STATE (West Coast). SMC is coming off a tough close loss at San Francsico, but they need to bounce back and be ready to face Oregon State tonight. The Beavers are nowhere near the field, but they are capable of playing very well at home, and it is a game that SMC should get some credit for if they’re able to win it.
-TEXAS TECH AT ARIZONA (Big 12). What a way to end the day! Both teams are ranked in the top 20, and both are among the hottest teams in the nation. Arizona has just one loss since Dec 14th, and Texas Tech has now won seven straight. Both teams have multiple big wins in that stretch, so to see them face off against each other is a great storyline. It’s two really good teams that come into this one red hot.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-TCU @ Iowa State (Big 12) – Iowa State has hit a bit of a slump, but they should be able to bounce back at home today against a so-so TCU team
-South Carolina @ Kentucky (SEC) – Kentucky has dropped a few they probably could have won, but this is some rare low hanging fruit and they should be able to take care of business at home
-Wisconsin @ Iowa (Big Ten) – Iowa is dealing with injuries and this is a winnable road game for Wisky, which is something they can use on their profile.
-Michigan @ Indiana (Big Ten) – this will be a bit of a tough road test for Michigan, but it’s one they should be able to pass. The Wolverines don’t always play up to their ceiling, but when they do they are a very good team
-Miami FL @ Louisville (ACC) – Miami FL is a candidate for the Stallings Award, whereas Louisville, despite a recent setback loss, is still probably easily on pace to land in the top half of the bracket
-Yale @ Cornell (Ivy League) – this game does not impact the bracket, but it’s probably Yale’s most difficult remaining game. If they win it, they will have a two game lead in the standings, they should be on cruise control for a 1st place finish, and would be a very tough team to face in the Round of 64
-Houston @ Colorado (Big 12) – Colorado has shown signs of being tough to beat at home this year. Having said that, Houston should roll through this one and add another conference road win to their profile
-Rhode Island @ George Mason (Atlantic 10) – George Mason is outside the bubble, but they should at least get a look from the committee if they’re able to win out or come close to it
-New Mexico @ Air Force (Mountain West) – AFA can be tough to play against, but New Mexico should be able to pick this one up on the road
-Penn State @ UCLA (Big Ten) – UCLA can build on their winning streak and continue to boost their metrics and climb the seedlist
-Samford @ East Tennessee State (SoCon) – this game doesn’t impact the bracket, but it is perhaps one of Samford’s toughest remaining games
-Utah @ West Virginia (Big 12) – it is very important that West Virginia is able to hold serve in this one
-Wake Forest @ California (ACC) – Wake is outside the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to stay within reach of it
-Illinois @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – the Illini have been inconsistent this year, but this is one they should be able to get on the road
-BYU @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – BYU is trying to play their way onto the bubble and these are the kinds of road games that they need to win in order to get there
-Indiana State @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – It’s always the same story with Drake. If they can win out then they should be inside the bubble
-UNC Asheville @ High Point (Big South) – a very pivotal game between two of the top teams in the Big South
-Gonzaga @ Pacific (West Coast) – the Zags should be able to blow through this one
-Ole Miss @ LSU (SEC) – Ole Miss has lost four of their last six, but is coming off a nice win against Kentucky and has another winnable road game tonight
-San Francisco @ LMU (West Coast) – San Fran just won a big game against Saint Mary’s, is 19-6 overall, and still has faint hopes of landing inside the bubble and getting selected