Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, Feb 16th

NEWS AND NOTES:

-The Showcase Game of the year (so far) was played yesterday and won by Auburn as they went on the road and knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide 94-85. They had a lead for most of the game, and it was one of the more impressive singular wins that any team has managed this season. I don’t know if Auburn is the best team of all time, and it’s too early to even start making that argument, but they are putting together one of the strongest tournament profiles that I have ever seen. Yesterday was their fourth win away from home against a current top ten team. They were (deservedly so) the committee’s #1 overall seed yesterday.

-Tennessee trailed Vanderbilt by double digits in the second half, but came back to win 81-76. They were #5 overall on the committee’s seed list, so they are still very much within reach of a #1 seed.

-Houston is still looking like one of the more dangerous teams in the country, and they got another massively impressive win as they went into Arizona and got the 62-58 win on the road. Houston could still end up reaching the #1 line depending on how things play out.

-Wisconsin, who I have been dogging all season long, went on the road and got a season defining 94-84 win at Purdue. I am a believer now. With that win it is almost impossible to argue that Wisky is not a protected seed caliber team.

-Michigan State got a really nice win on the road against an inconsistent, but still really strong, Illinois team. They pulled away from the Illini in the second half for a 79-65 win in what was one of their more impressive showings of the year.

-Texas, who is squarely on our bubble, got a big win that they really needed at home against Kentucky 82-78. It was a home win, and Kentucky is just 2-5 in true road games so I don’t think the actual committee will give them quite as much credit as many bracketologists might, but it was still a big win for Texas, and it was definitely one that they needed.

-Kansas is another team that’s good overall, but who’s not so good in true road games. They fell at Utah last night 74-67 and were behind pretty much the entire way. The Jayhawks are now just 3-6 in true road games, and none of those three wins came against teams that are anywhere close to the field. That isn’t bad, but when compared to most of the other protected seeded teams it is a hole in their profile, and it may be why they were toward the bottom of the #4 line on the committee’s seed list yesterday.

-Mississippi State had a huge win yesterday on the road against rival Ole Miss 81-71, which completed the sweep of their rivals and adds another high caliber road win to their resume.

-Missouri, who had not been the best road team themselves, did knock off Georgia yesterday 87-74, which adds another nice win to their resume. Georgia was/is a bubble team, but they are an impressive 13-3 at home, so Mizzou will get some credit for the win.

-And in what has to be one of the bigger shocks of the year….UConn, who was (and still likely is) easily heading toward the top half of the bracket, and Seton Hall, who was in contention for this year’s Centenary Award, squared off in what appeared to just be a go-through-the-motions-game. So of course Seton Hall pulled the upset in overtime. It’s one of the biggest upsets of the season so far. Even after yesterday’s result the two are still 186 spots apart in the NET. Anyway, that’s not a mortal wound for the Huskies, but it is one that will require a few stitches.

-Wake Forest, who is straddling the bubble, got a win they really needed on the road at SMU yesterday. Wake still has a shot, and if they somehow manage to go into Duke and win on the last week of the season then they’ll certainly be in the mix, but aside from that they really can’t lose any.

-Oklahoma….good lord! They had LSU beat and were just going through the motions to put it away…and completely crashed the car right before the finish line. After several mistakes, LSU escaped with an 82-79 road win. For Oklahoma, they’re on the bubble, and they just lost at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble. That’s not good.

-Kansas State, who had been one of the hottest teams in the country, was not quite hot enough to win at BYU yesterday. They fell behind early, and had to play catch-up the whole game, and just never caught up. K State still has a path to the field, but the remaining schedule is tough and the margin for error is super thin.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MEMPHIS AT WICHITA STATE (American). Another road test for the Tigers, but it’s also another conference game where they appear to be under-matched, and should be able to hold serve, and if they do they’ll end up well inside the top half of the bracket.

-MICHIGAN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Michigan was given a 4-seed by the committee yesterday and have also won five straight for a really solid overall profile. Ohio State is still squarely on the bubble, and is a little hard to place given how inconsistent their resume is. Having said that, they are 5-2 in their last seven games and are starting to look a little more consistent. A win today would give their resume a huge and much needed boost.

-BRADLEY AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). If Drake wins out, I do believe they’ll be inside the bubble and in the field regardless of what happens in the conference tournament. Bradley is one of the stronger teams in the league, but they’ve been skidding lately and Drake should be able to beat them at home.

-CREIGHTON AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams are coming off losses and looking to bounce back, but prior to the losses earlier in the week both were two of the hottest teams in the country. Saint John’s was given the last protected seed yesterday, and they have a chance between now and the end to build up their resume even more. Creighton can’t be far off themselves and a road win like this could be the difference in whether or not they end up with a protected seed.

-NEBRASKA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Nebraska is squarely on the bubble so every game has that pivotal and must-win feel to it. This is a chance to pick up a conference road win, which would be their fifth true road win of the year. The Huskers are coming off a loss, but had won four straight prior to that and appear to be moving in the right direction.

-UTAH STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). These are two of the better teams in the MWC. We have both inside the bubble and both will stay there so long as they continue to win at the rates that they have been. This is a resume boosting opportunity for both, and perhaps one of the bigger remaining opportunities to get a big win that either team has between now and the end of the season.

-RUTGERS AT OREGON (Big Ten). Oregon has been digressing lately and needs to hold serve at home against a so-so Rutgers team.