NEWS AND NOTES:
-Seton Hall keeps winning. Last night they went on the road and took care of Providence 72-67 to win their Big East opener and improve to 11-1 on the year. I should be used to it by now, but I’m not. They’re probably the biggest surprise in all of college hoops.
-Tulsa v Western Kentucky was close all throughout with Tulsa coming from behind in the second half. There were several lead changes in the final minute before Tulsa hit an amazingly executed 3pt play to win the game right at the buzzer 82-81. This was a big road win for the Golden Hurricane and it came against a really good team that isn’t likely to lose too many at home, so it should age well on their resume.
-Belmont absolutely crushed UC Irvine on the Eaters’ own floor 84-58. Belmont is damn good!!
-UC San Diego, who we had been praising all season long, did absolutely nothing praiseworthy last night. They were upset at home by crosstown rival San Diego 82-80. I was thinking UCSD may be good enough to land inside the bubble, but this loss really hurts them.
-Seattle U got a big win over what looks to be a pretty good Washington team 70-66. I guess this means Seattle U is really good as well! They improve to 10-2 on the year and now have a nice win to go along with that record.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SAINT JOHN’S VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta GA) – Kentucky has struggled all season long, but they did pick up a win against Indiana which could help jumpstart their momentum. Saint John’s hasn’t been quite as good as we expected yet, but the key word there is ‘Yet.’ They will likely start to pick up momentum over the winter break.
-COLORADO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). These are two of the better teams in the Mountain West. Both have solid records, both have the potential to make the NCAA Tournament, but both also have limited chances at quality wins. This is actually a really exciting and high stakes conference opener that could determine who ultimately ends up winning it.
-OHIO STATE VS NORTH CAROLINA (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta GA). Ohio State has looked pretty good. A win today would be their biggest statement win of the year and it would say to the committee that they need to start paying attention to them. But winning today won’t be easy. UNC is a very solid 10-1 on the year with the only loss being to Michigan State.
-HOUSTON VS ARKANSAS (Newark NJ). It’s odd that these two old SWC rivals are meeting in New Jersey of all places. Both teams are good, both are potential/likely protected seeds, and both could really use this win to help build up their resume. As good as Houston is, they haven’t managed any wins of this caliber yet so this is a big opportunity for them. The same holds true for Arkansas. They have some notable wins, but none as good yet as this one would be.
-AUBURN VS PURDUE (Indy Classic, Indianapolis IN). Purdue is very solidly in the hunt for a #1 seed. Auburn, while they aren’t quite as good as they were a year ago, is still a strong opponent. If Auburn were to somehow pull this upset it would slingshot their resume into the spotlight.
-DUKE VS TEXAS TECH (New York, NY). This game is at MSG. Duke has looked like one of the top teams in the country, and while Texas Tech hasn’t quite gotten there yet they were my preseason pick to win it all and I still think they can improve as the year goes on. A win today would be a HUGE statement for the Red Raiders, but that’s much easier said than done.
-STANFORD VS COLORADO (Phoenix AZ). Not much was expected from either team coming into the year, but both have solid records, both have looked good for most of the season, and both have gone seemingly completely unnoticed by the media. Both could really use this win today as a resume booster, but it could also help get whoever wins into the spotlight a little more.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Oakland vs Michigan State (Detroit MI) – it is the Ugly Sweater Game!! Oakland looks like the best team in the Horizon League, and they’ve played a brutal OOC schedule, but they are likely way overmatched in this one
-Liberty @ Dayton – We had high expectations for Liberty coming into the season, but they haven’t shown them yet. Dayton has looked solid and while Liberty is good, this is one where Dayton needs to hold serve at home
-Buffalo @ Western Michigan (MAC) – it’s the conference opener for a Buffalo team that’s had a surprisingly good season so far
-Elon @ Virginia Tech – Elon is coming off a really nice win against Richmond and appears to have a good team. VA Tech should be able to hold serve at home, but they better not overlook them
-Miami OH @ Ball State (MAC) – Miami OH is looking to remain unbeaten and pick up a road win as they begin conference play
-Kent State @ UMass (MAC) – it’s weird seeing UMass in the MAC. They’ve had a really good season so far and are hosting a pretty good Kent State team today at home. If nothing else this should be a fun game.
Marshall @ Troy (Sun Belt) – these are two of the better teams in the Sun Belt and Troy is perhaps the most entertaining team in the past decade or so
-Grand Canyon @ Wyoming – Wyoming is having a really good year, but their schedule so far has been weak so they need to hold serve
-Northwestern vs Butler (Indy Classic, Indianapolis IN) – Not much was expected from either team, but both have shown signs of life this season and this will be a good win for whoever manages to pull it off
-Maryland @ Virginia – Maryland has had a rough year and Virginia should be able to hold serve at home in this one.
-Xavier @ Georgetown (Big East) – Georgetown has had a pretty solid season so far and should be able to hold serve at home. Xavier has been up and down this year. They were way down in their last game, which was a blowout loss to Creighton
-San Jose State @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to hold serve at home
-Boise State @ Nevada (Mountain West) – this is a tough road game for a Boise State team that has played pretty well since losing their season opener and who needs to keep that up
-San Diego State vs Arizona (Phoenix AZ) – San Diego State got off to a rough start this year and many have started to write them off. They have won three straight and while they are likely way overmatched in this one, this is a chance (albeit a long shot) to get the spotlight back on themselves. Arizona is the #1 team in the nation and they’ve certainly earned it
BUY GAMES:
-Montana @ Louisville
-Chicago State @ Indiana
-LeMoyne @ Saint Bonaventure
-Denver @ Northern Colorado (Front Range) – a win for NOCO gets them to 10-2
-Northeastern @ Syracuse
-Loyola Chicago vs Santa Clara – Game in Santa Cruz CA
-The Citadel @ Richmond
-Bucknell @ Iowa
