NEWS AND NOTES:
-Auburn and Alabama both got by their trap games, which really weren’t easy games to win. Auburn took care of Vanderbilt 80-68 on the road, and Alabama won at Texas 103-80. Let the buildup begin!!
-Florida, who I had been critical of for lacking in road wins, picked up another huge road win at Mississippi State last night 81-68. I now think Florida is a #1 seed caliber team. I can’t say that I’ve been thinking that all along, but I am definitely thinking it now.
-Tennessee had a bad shooting night from the outside, largely due to Kentucky’s defense, and while they kept it close until the final couple of minutes Kentucky ended up with a 75-64 win, which completes their season sweep of Tennessee.
-Purdue, who had been as hot as anyone in the country, came up just short on the road at Michigan 75-73. They had a chance to win it late, but the Wolverines survived, and for what it’s worth in the new bloated conference era, they’ve jumped over Purdue in the Big Ten standings.
-Indiana, who we’ve been beating up on pretty hard lately, has actually played some close games against top teams, and last night finally won one as they went into Michigan State and knocked off the Spartans 71-67. Indiana would need a Herculean type of finish to end up making the field, but they played well on the road against a team that had been looking like a protected seed. As for the Spartans, they have come back down to Earth somewhat as they’ve now lost three of their last four.
-Kansas State just keeps winning, and keeps doing it against good teams. They’ve now won six in a row after holding off Arizona 73-70. It was a home win, but Arizona had been as hot as anyone in the country, so it’s still a big win for the Wildcats. K State’s next two games are on the road. If they can win both of those, they’ll most likely start being projected into our brackets.
-Connecticut, who had been struggling somewhat lately, went on the road to Creighton and got what may be their biggest win of the season so far as they held off the Bluejays 70-66. This should move UConn up a seedline or two, and while it’s a bit of a setback for Creighton, they still have a path to a protected seed.
-George Mason needed overtime, but they did get by Saint Louis 76-74 to keep their dreams of landing inside the bubble alive.
-UCLA had their winning streak snapped as they went on the road to Illinois and lost 83-78. The Bruins made a run late, and the game really did come down to the final seconds with the margin not being extended to 5 until some late freethrows, so I still think UCLA has a lot of fight in them and could make quite a bit of noise between now and the end.
-Utah State, San Diego State, Oregon, and Saint Mary’s all got battles in the late tips last night, but also all held on to win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East). The Johnnies are now atop the Big East, they are one of the hottest teams in the country, and while Nova is not the easiest team to beat at home Saint John’s has shown they can win tough games. Nova just got a good win against Xavier, but they still have a lot of work to do to even reach the bubble.
-OLE MISS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). There really aren’t very many easy games in the SEC, much less any easy road games, but this one is perhaps easier than most. Ole Miss has now own three out of four and can continue that stretch of wins tonight.
-LOUISVILLE AT NC STATE (ACC). Louisville is having a great season and shouldn’t have too much trouble going on the road and getting this one. They should easily end up in the top half of the bracket.
-FLORIDA STATE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake is still right on the bubble and needs to hold serve at home against a Florida State team that recently just snapped a four game losing streak and is nowhere near the bubble.
-STANFORD AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). I don’t think Stanford is anywhere close, but they are on our radar and a strong finish may get them there. They’ll need to win this one against a Georgia Tech team that’s managed a few big wins lately.
-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic 10). VCU is on the bubble and I think they’ll need to win out to get any sort of a serious look.
-CHATTANOOGA AT SAMFORD (SoCon). This game doesn’t impact the bracket, but both teams are in a 3-way tie for 1st place in the SoCon.
-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Xavier is a good ways outside the bubble after a stretch where they had been looking pretty good. They pretty much need to win out to have any sort of a chance.
-WASHINGTON AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State continues to hang around the bubble, and even though they did lose to Nebraska their last time out they have been a lot more consistent and if they can hold serve in games like this they should keep themselves in the discussion.
-CALIFORNIA AT DUKE (ACC). This is a conference game, but it may end up looking like a buy game. Duke is still solidly within reach of earning a 1-seed and should hold serve in this one.
-ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). I believe Arizona State has fallen out of the picture, but they’re still not a team that you can just overlook. Having said that, this should be a game where Texas Tech holds serve.
-OKLAHOMA AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a big game for the Sooners who have struggled in SEC play, but are still within reach of making the field and who can really strengthen their case with a win like this. Having said that, games like this are not easy to win. Mizzou is very tough to beat at home and is looking to bounce back from a close loss in their last game.
-DRAKE AT ILLINOIS STATE (Missouri Valley). It’s what we always say about Drake. If they win out then they will likely get selected.
-LSU AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Arkansas is playing much better, and while they didn’t beat Alabama in their last game they have at least looked like an NCAA Tournament team the last several times they have taken the floor. They need all the wins they can get, and this is perhaps one of the more winnable games they have on their schedule.
-WYOMING AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). New Mexico is solidly inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they win their hold-serve-games.