-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT BALL STATE (MAC). Central Michigan will be eliminated from qualifying for the MAC Tournament with a loss at Ball State.
NEWS, NOTES AND LINKS:
-Duke totally dumptrucked Wake Forest 93-60. Duke looked like a team that belongs on the 1-seed line and Wake looked like a team that doesn’t even belong in the field.
-Kansas played one of the better games they’ve played in a while, and was actually right in there with Houston for much of the game, but the Cougars pulled it out at the end and finished with a 65-59 win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-GEORGIA AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Georgia has won two straight and is coming off a big road win at Texas. They are going in the right direction, but they are still right on the bubble and have a lot of work to do. A win tonight, which would be another road win, would certainly help.
-MEMPHIS AT UTSA (American). This should be an easy routine road win for the Tigers. They are cruising toward the top half of the bracket and may already be locked into it.
-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue just snapped a four game losing streak with a nice win over UCLA and has another winnable game against Rutgers tonight. Rutgers could use a win or two down the stretch just to help ensure that they make the Big Ten Tournament, so don’t expect them to just come out and lay down.
-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC). There aren’t many easy games in the SEC, but by SEC standardss this probably qualifies as easy. Kentucky is still a fringe protected seed and will likely end up there if they hold serve.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). North Carolina remains outside the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to get in the right side of it.
-VCU AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic 10). VCU should land inside the bubble if they win out and avoid an early loss in the A10 Tournament. They are on fire right now and looking like the kind of team that can not just get to the Round of 64, but be dangerous once they are there.
-CREIGHTON AT SETON HALL (Big East). Creighton was just blown off the floor by Xavier in their last game and needs to bounce back. They should be able to add another conference road win to profile tonight and stay in the top half of the bracket.
-TEXAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Texas is just 1-6 in their last seven games and appears to be right on the bubble. They need a win tonight, and perhaps more between now and the end, in order to land on the right side of the cutline. Mississippi State has also struggled some lately, but not as much as Texas and their spot in the field is much more secure right now.
-BAYLOR AT TCU (Big 12). Baylor is coming off a win against Oklahoma State, but they still have a lot of work to do and could really use a road win like this to help boost their resume. They are just 2-9 in true road games, which is a big hole on their resume, so this game does have a pivotal feel to it for the Bears.
-AUBURN AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Auburn has been on a role and while it’s never easy to beat a ranked team on the road, Auburn has been doing it all season. A short time ago we felt Texas A&M might be on the brink of a #1 seed, but they’ve currently lost four straight and have another really tough assignment tonight. They’re at home and it should be a high energy game, but those types of atmospheres have not phased Auburn at all this year.
-BYU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). BYU has been on an absolute tear lately. Still, while they’ve won a lot of big games, they haven’t won one quite this big. A road win against a likely protected seed and one that’s coming off a decisive home win against Arizona State would be at another level.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT UTAH (Big 12). West Virginia remains close to the bubble and will really be tested on the road tonight. Utah is nowhere near the field, but they are still tough to beat at home.
-NEW MEXICO AT NEVADA (Mountain West). New Mexico is inside the bubble and is looking to hold serve tonight. While it’s a bit of a test on the road, it’s still one that they should be able to win.
-BOISE STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Boise State is right on the bubble and needs a strong finish in order to get selected. A win tonight wouldn’t be helpful so much as a loss would be very damaging.
-INDIANA AT OREGON (Big Ten). This is one of the bigger games of the night considering what this win would mean for Indiana. They are inside our field, but still close to the bubble, and a win like this would give them another big boost up the seedlist. Oregon has been inconsistent all season, but they have now rattled off five straight wins and will look to keep that streak going tonight.
-NEBRASKA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a very bubblicious game as Nebraska has gone into a tailspin and needs to pull their way out of it, and Ohio State really needs to string together wins to help them land on the right side of the bubble. This game has huge stakes for both teams. They both almost need to win it.
-ARKANSAS AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vandy has gone on a tear lately and played their way almost safely inside the bubble. They’ve also been one of the toughest teams in the country on their home floor, whereas Arkansas has struggled on the road. Arkansas was pitiful in their last game against South Carolina and needs to bounce back and get a win in a game like this in order to have any shot at making the field.
-ARIZONA STATE AT ARIZONA (Big 12). Arizona was blown out by Iowa State in their last game, but they should be able to bounce back from that. This is likely to be much better theater than it will be a game. Arizona is clearly the superior team and given how Arizona State stormed off the court the last time they met I’m sure the Wildcat fans will be ready to welcome them!
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). This is a tricky road game for a San Diego State team that’s trying to remain inside the bubble. In order to do that they need to avoid losses to teams that are not going to make the field.
UTR WATCH:
-AKRON AT TOLEDO (MAC). Akron has pretty much wrapped up 1st place in the MAC. They’ll be tested on the road tonight, but it’s a test they should pass.