Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, February 9th

NEWS AND NOTES:

-I’m fully prepared to hear all about how I said Florida was being overvalued from the rest of Hoops HD. Yesterday they pulled off the single most impressive win of the season. They beat the best team in the country on their floor. A win cannot possibly get any bigger than that. And, while it wasn’t a blowout, the Gators really didn’t even have to sweat at any point in the second half. It was just an unbelievably impressive showing for the Gators 90-81 win.

-Duke went in to Clemson and came up short. I still think Duke is the better team, but Clemson’s fans were jacked up and once Clemson got the lead in the second half they rode that momentum to one of their biggest wins of the year as they held off the 2nd ranked Blue Devils 77-71.

-Alabama was blowing Arkansas off the floor, but the Razorbacks had a huge run in the second half and nearly came all the way back to win it, but fell just short 85-81. This really was a good win for the Crimson Tide considering how well Arkansas had been playing lately and that it was on the road.

-Oregon’s losing streak has grown to five games. While none of those losses were overly damaging in and of themselves, all five added together certainly are. Michigan State held off the Ducks 86-74 to snap a two game losing streak of their own.

-Texas A&M and Missouri put on a show!! It was one of the more exciting and well played games of the day as the two went back and forth. Both teams are within reach of a protected seed, and it ended with TAMU getting one of their biggest wins of the year as they beat Mizzou on the road 67-64 in a game that came down to the final seconds.

-Marquette, who was riding really high, is still riding relatively high but not quite as high as they were before losing three straight. They fell on the road 77-67 to a Creighton team that is among the hottest in the nation and who should be shooting up the seedlist themselves.

-Arizona continues to look like one of the best teams in the country. They didn’t look that way prior to conference play, but since Big 12 play started they just keep winning and winning and doing so against really good teams. They knocked off Texas Tech 82-73 last night and continue to boost their metrics and climb the seedlist.

-Kansas State has now won five straight, and not just that but beat some pretty good teams in that stretch. They held off rivals Kansas 81-73 yesterday on their home court. Kansas, while good, has struggled in true road games this season, but it’s still a huge win for the Wildcats.

-Mississippi State needed a big win yesterday and got it at Georgia 76-75. They were in a stretch where they had lost five out of seven and really needed a win like this. Georgia has now dropped six of their last eight and may be in real trouble. Their schedule isn’t getting any easier with four straight top 15 teams coming up.

-Vanderbilt picked up an 86-78 home win over Texas that they really needed. Both of these teams were hovering around the bubble and could have really used this one. Things aren’t getting easier for Texas as their next two are against Alabama and Kentucky.

-UCF, who can’t seem to beat teams that are actually inside the bubble, fell short again yesterday. Baylor got the big 91-76 win and breathed easy all throughout. UCF is running out of chances as they are now just 13-10 on the year.

-Pittsburgh may be all but done. They fell on the road to North Carolina yesterday 67-66. The way it’s looking I don’t expect either one of these teams to land inside the bubble.

-BYU, who appeared to be playing their way onto the bubble prior to yesterday, did not appear to be doing that yesterday. Cincinnati blew the Cougars off the court 84-66.

-Last, but not least, in what was perhaps one of the bigger surprises of the day, UC San Diego blew UC Irvine out of their own gym. We knew UCSD was good, but we didn’t think they’d be good enough to just run UC Irvine over on their own floor. UCSD now has road wins at Utah State and at UC Irvine. Those two teams are a combined 17-3 at home, and UC San Diego accounts for two of those three losses. They BETTER be on the committee’s radar!! Are you guys reading this??

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-RUTGERS AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Maryland is coming off a close loss to Ohio State, but overall their profile has really gotten better. They should be able to hold serve against Rutgers at home today.

-XAVIER AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Xavier is right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it. If they win, it’s a big win on the road against a not great but still solid Villanova team. If they lose, then it means another loss on their profile to a team that’s currently not inside the bubble.

-TEMPLE AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis’s only conference loss from earlier in the year as to Temple. They can get some revenge for that, bounce back, and keep themselves on pace for a potential protected seed.

-OHIO STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). This is another super bubblicious game. Both teams appear to be squarely on it, and it feels like a hugely pivotal game for both of them. Both have some good wins, but both still have a lot of work to do.