NEWS AND NOTES:
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In addition to eliminations from conference tournament games today, NC State will be eliminated with either a loss at home to Pitt or a Notre Dame win over Stanford.
-In a few words, last night was crazy…
-Auburn went on the road to Texas A&M and suffered a rare loss. It’s odd to say that losing on the road to a ranked team is a surprise, but given how good Auburn has been looking it kinda was. Texas A&M came into the game with four straight losses. I’d say they’ve bounced back in a big way. They basically held a lead from tip to buzzer and won 83-72.
-BYU struggled to score early, and turned the ball over a ton, and had a lot of things go wrong, but…won!!! At Iowa State!! They held off the Cyclones 88-85 in overtime. BYU is suddenly looking as good as some of the top teams in the country. They’ve won seven straight, and have road wins at Arizona and at Iowa State in that stretch.
-Texas at Mississippi State was a clown show of errors both at the end of regulation and in overtime, but the end result is all that matters and Texas got a win they desperately needed. They came into the game outside of our bubble, and while this doesn’t lock them in, it was a win on the road against a Mississippi State team that is safely in the top half of the bracket, and that is BIG!
-Georgia, who really needed a road win, got one at South Carolina 73-64. Granted, it was at South Carolina who isn’t going anywhere near the tournament without a ticket, but it was still a win away from home.
-Baylor, who also really needed a road win, got one last night at TCU 61-58. TCU is outside the bubble, but they have played well at home it’s definitely a win that makes Baylor’s resume look a little better.
-West Virginia also picked up a road win as they held off Utah 71-69. Like a lot of teams previously mentioned, their win didn’t come against a team that will make the field, but the road win does make their resume look a little better.
-Indiana battled out at Oregon, but just couldn’t get it done and the Ducks pulled away in the final minute for a 73-64 win. I don’t want to say this was a damaging loss for Indiana because it really wasn’t, but it was a big missed opportunity at a big win for a team that is squarely on the bubble.
-Nebraska and Ohio State went to multiple overtimes before Ohio State finally got the 116-114 win. Both teams really needed this one, and both still have work to do, but the win definitely helps keep Ohio State’s head above the water.
-Arkansas, who was coming off one of the more pathetic showings of the entire season, picked up one of their biggest wins of the season last night as they beat Vanderbilt 90-77 on the road. Vandy has a decent team overall, but on their home court they have been phenomenal. I’m sure the committee knows that and that Arkansas will get a lot of credit for this win.
-San Diego State could have really used a nice road win at UNLV last night to held stabilize their spot in the field, but hey came up short 74-67. The Aztecs seem to be slowly sinking into the quicksand. They need a good finish to the season and to avoid an early loss in the MWC Tournament.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are high in the rankings. We’ve been projecting Michigan as a protected seed for a while and Maryland is perhaps within reach of it. Michigan has won a lot of close games, which has a lot of people questioning how good they actually are, but they’ve beaten a lot of good teams in those close games so they must be good. As for Maryland, this would be a big road win for them if they can pull it off.
-FLORIDA AT ALABAMA (SEC). These are two of the six teams that are solidly in the hunt for a #1 seed and the outcome of tonight’s game will play a big role in determining whether these teams end up there. Alabama is finishing the regular season with games against Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn. Then the SEC Tournament. I mean…wow! They will certainly be battle tested.
-CLEMSON AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). Clemson has been red hot and they should be able to hold serve in this one. Some at Hoops HD are thinking they are on the fringe of getting a protected seed.
-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East). This is a game that Xavier simply has to win. They’re on the bubble, they’re facing a team that’s nowhere near the bubble, and they cannot afford to lose it. Having said that, it may not be an easy game. Butler has battled teams on their home court this year.
-COLORADO AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Texas Tech is almost locked into a protected seed and just needs to hold serve in games like this. They’re at home against a non-tournament caliber team.
-MISSOURI AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). An old Big 12 rivalry!! Oklahoma’s is still good enough to get the Sooners a look despite having played so poorly in conference. They need to win this one to keep themselves in the discussion. Mizzou is solidly in the field, but the one thing they could use more of is true road wins. A win tonight, even though it’s against a bubble team, would make their resume look stronger.
-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Wisky is a likely protected seed and Minnesota will likely struggle just to make the Big Ten Tournament. It’s a road game, but it’s one Wisconsin should roll in.
-MARQUETTE AT UCONN (Big East). Both teams appear to be very safely inside the bubble and are just playing to improve their resume and their seeding. It would be a nice road win for a Marquette team that’s been able to win some big games on the road. It would also be a nice win for a UConn team that has struggled at times throughout the year, but has now won three of their last four.
-TENNESSEE AT OLE MISS (SEC). Tennessee is in the hunt for a #1 seed and this would be another solid win on their resume. It’s a road game against an Ole Miss team that is solidly in the field.
-CALIFORNIA AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Louisville appears to be cruising toward a spot in the top half of the bracket and just needs to hold serve in order to land there.