NEWS AND NOTES:
-Miami OH ran away from Toledo on the road. It was never really even a game. The Redhawks remain unbeaten on the season after what is perhaps their most impressive showing to date.
-USC got a much needed road win against a so-so Minnesota team, but needed overtime to do it. They barely escaped 70-69.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NEBRASKA AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana has won four straight, is 3-1 in Big Ten play, and is unbeaten at home. Nebraska is unbeaten for the entire season, but this will be a very tough challenge going on the road to face a team that’s playing well and who should be way up for this one.
-TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA (SEC). This is a very tough road test for the Vols who are still looking for their first true road win of the season. Florida has won five of their last six, is coming off a big win against Georgia, and is starting to play a lot better, so it won’t be an easy road game.
-VCU AT GEORGE MASON. George Mason has a bloated record against a weak schedule. While VCU is good, they still feel like more of an NIT team than an NCAA Tournament team, so this is one that GMU can’t afford to lose.
-HOUSTON AT BAYLOR (Big 12). It’s a tough road test for Houston, but we’ve seen that Houston is certainly capable of passing this type of test. A win for Baylor would give their resume a boost even though they’re at home. (Stat of the Day from Jon Teitel: Kelvin Sampson is 25-1 as a head coach against Baylor; the Bears’ only win came in the 2021 Final Four)
-SMU AT DUKE (ACC). SMU is coming off a loss at Clemson and they’ll face an even tougher opponent on the road today as they take on Duke. Duke is coming off a very impressive win against Louisville and is in the hunt for a #1 seed.
-SAINT JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both teams have a lot of work to do and both could really use this win. Both can still make the NCAA Tournament, but they’ll need to finish a lot stronger than how they started and there should be a sense of urgency coming into this one.
-STANFORD AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Stanford’s last two games have been huge wins against Lousiville and then on the road at Virginia Tech. I’m now a believer in the Cardinal! I don’t know if I’m such a believer that I think they can win at Virginia, but the Hoos better not overlook them.
-OKLAHOMA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both have shown signs of being able to play really well, but both still have a ton of work to do and both could really use this win today. It has a bubblicious type of feel to it.
-ARIZONA AT TCU (Big 12). TCU is coming off what had to be a maddening loss at Kansas where they appeared to be in complete control with less than 90 seconds to play. They need to bounce back and focus on another big game today. They’re hosting the top ranked team at home. Arizona’s resume is already phenomenal and this is their chance to add another very good win to it.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Oklahoma State has an impressive 13-2 record, but none of their wins are anything close to the caliber that this one would be if they’re somehow able to pull off the upset. Iowa State is one of the best teams in the Big 12 and is in the hunt for a #1 seed.
-CALIFORNIA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Both teams feel like bubble teams right now, and both could really use a win in this game to help get them on the right side of it. Both are also coming off losses, so there should be a big sense of urgency to this one.
-ARKANSAS AT AUBURN (SEC). It’s been a frustrating year for Auburn and they are coming off what is perhaps the most frustrating of all their losses. But they’re still positioned to make a run at making the field and they’ve got another tough game at home today. Arkansas is just 1-1 in true road games, so this is a win that would polish up their resume some.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Boston College @ Louisville (ACC) – this should be a virtual buy game
-Georgia Tech @ Miami FL (ACC) – Miami is having a solid year and should be able to hold serve at home
-NC State @ Florida State (ACC) – NC State has fallen way short of expectations so far and needs to start stringing together wins just to get themselves into the tournament discusison
-Kansas @ West Virginia – Kansas is coming off a big come from behind win against TCU. This is a road game they should be able to pick up
-DePaul @ Connecticut (Big East) – UConn should be able to hold serve at home
-Wisconsin @ Michigan (Big Ten). Michigan got a scare in their last game but held on to beat Penn State. Wisky has struggled all season long and appears to be overmatched in this one. They need some big wins just to get back inside the bubble
-LSU @ Vanderbilt (SEC). LSU has lost two straight and they’re still looking for their first win. Vanderbilt is unbeaten on the season and has been very tough to beat at home, so they should be able to hold serve in this one.
-Penn State @ Purdue (Big Ten). Penn State gave Michigan a scare in their last game. They’ve got another seemingly impossible task today going on the road against Purdue.
-Georgia @ South Carolina (SEC) – this is a game where the Bulldogs should be able to pick up their second true road win of the season. However, the Gamecocks are coming off of a surprising win at LSU. Dawgs beware.
-High Point @ Charleston Southern (Big South) – a fun UTR matchup in the Big South. High Point is the better team, but they may have their hands full in this one
-Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ACC) – This should be a winnable road game for the Orange, and it’s one they kinda need.
-Yale @ Princeton (Ivy League) – Yale should hold serve in this one. Yale really should be able to win out
-Buffalo @ Ohio U (MAC) – a tough road game for Buffalo who is looking to stay perfect in MAC play and get to 14-2 overall on the year
-Villanova @ Marquette (Big East) – Nova needs to rebound from a somewhat surprising loss earlier in the week, and they should be able to do that against a struggling Marquette team
-South Florida @ Tulsa (American) – simply put, I don’t think Tulsa can afford to lose another game
-Kansas State @ Arizona State (Big 12) – I’m still not sold at all on Kansas State, but I know several at Hoops HD still have their eyes on them. They are still looking for their first conference win, and what would be their second road win
-New Mexico @ Air Force (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to hold serve in this one
-Liberty @ Sam Houston (Conference USA) – it’s a challenging road game, but it’s one Liberty should be able to win and remain unbeaten in CUSA
-Saint Louis @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – this should be a layup road win for SLU.
-UIC @ Illinois State (Missouri Valley) – Illinois State should be able to hold serve at home
-Washington State @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC should be able to hold serve at home
-SELA @ McNeese (Southland) – if McNeese can win out they should get a serious look from the committee, but anything short of that and they’ll need the auto-bid
-Wake Forest @ North Carolina (ACC) – it’s a rivalry game and Wake has really pushed some good teams to the limit this year, but it’s still one that UNC should win at home
-Belmont @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – blowing through this conference the rest of the way is probably too hard for Belmont to do, but they do have a really good team and will be a dangerous opponent in the round of 64 if they can get into the field
-Seton Hall @ Georgetown (Big East) – Seton Hall’s astonishingly good season continues. They have what should be a winnable game today, which would get them to 14-2 overall on the season
-Clemson @ Notre Dame (ACC) – Clemson is having a fantastic year, but this will not be an easy road game. ND is just 10-5 on the year, but they’ve lost in some real battles and they are a very solid 7-1 at home
-UNC Wilmington @ Stony Brook (CAA) – UNCW is looking to remain unbeaten in conference play
-Missouri @ Ole Miss (SEC) – Mizzou has managed back to back wins against Florida and at Kentucky and is starting to play a lot better. To get another one on the road would give their profile another boost
-Texas Tech @ Colorado (Big 12) – winning this on the road could be a challenge, but Texas Tech has shown that they are capable of winning games that are challenging to win
-Texas @ Alabama (SEC) – Alabama should hold serve in this one; Texas is coming off of a loss at Tennessee that saw 3 starters benched for almost the entire second half. More Sean Miller Theater today?
-Maryland @ UCLA (Big Ten) – UCLA needs to start stringing together wins. What they don’t need is to drop games at home against teams that are nowhere near the bubble
-UC San Diego @ UC Riverside (Big West) – UCSD has had a tough start to conference play and they’re running out of strikes. Tonight is another tough road game
-Mississippi State @ Kentucky (SEC) – Kentucky is still looking for their first conference win and Mississippi State is looking to improve to 3-0 in SEC play
-Utah State @ Boise State (Mountain West) – this will be a tough road test for Utah State, but it’s one they should be able to win if htey are a top 25 caliber team, which is what I believe them to be
-BYU @ Utah (Big 12). It’s one of the most bitter rivalries in all of college sports! It’s also a huge mismatch. You never want to discount the role that the rivalry plays in a game like this, but even with this being on the road it’s one that BYU should win.
-UC Irvine @ Hawaii (Big West) – this is a tough road test for the Eaters who are looking to remain unbeaten in Big West play
