NEWS AND NOTES:
-Iowa State came into yesterday’s game against Kansas unbeaten, and when it came to losing their first game they did not mess around! Kansas, who had not looked nearly as good as they did last night at any prior point of the season, absolutely blew their doors off 84-63. They defended, they forced turnovers, they hit shots, it was an amazing performance and one the Jayhawks kind of needed.
-Seton Hall had beaten UConn at home four years in a row and nealry did it again last night. They overcame a double digit second half deficit and had a chance to tie on their last possession of the game, but ended up coming up short and after two late freethrows the Huskies escaped 69-64.
-Virginia jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Louisville and Louisville just never caught back up. The Hoos picked up a really nice 79-70 road win.
-Tennesee needed two overtimes to get by Texas A&M in what was probably the most exciting game of the night, but the Vols prevailed 87-82.
-Minnesota hit a game-tying shot against rival Wisconsin with just about 5 seconds to play and appeared to force the game into overtime, but Wisconsin hit a game winning shot at the buzzer to pick up a huge 68-65 road win against their rivals. Wisky has had a hell of a week! They’ve won at Michigan and at Minnesota and suddenly their resume looks amazing!
-Alabama and Florida both picked up solid conference road wins as Alabama knocked off Mississippi State 97-82 and the Gators, who are really playing a lot better now, won at Oklahoma 96-79.
-Baylor got a much needed road win at Oklahoma State 94-79, which is just their first Big 12 win of the year.
-Boise State is a team that would still come up in our Hoops HD shows and email threads. Well, we can now officially call the morgue. They’re dead. They lost to UNLV 89-85 last night to fall to just 1-5 in MWC play. Couple that with their loss to Hawaii Pacific and the only way they go anywhere will be to win the conference tournament.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-IOWA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Iowa’s predictive metrics are good, but the rest of their resume needs a lot of work. They’ve also lost two straight and not looked all that strong in either game. Purdue is still in reach of a #1 seed and should be able to hold serve at home.
-AUBURN AT MISSOURI (SEC). Both teams have a lot of work to do to get their resumes up to being solidly NCAA Tournament worthy, but both are also starting to play better. This game has a pivotal feel to it for both teams as they both look to keep their momentum going.
-KENTUCKY AT LSU (SEC). I have not been impressed with either team and don’t believe either one to be solidly inside the bubble at the moment. Having said that, both can still play their way in and both could really use this win tonight.
-VANDERBILT AT TEXAS (SEC). Texas is coming off a big win at Arkansas, which has breathed life into a season that prior to that had seemed rather lifeless. If they can follow that up with a win tonight against Vandy it would give their resume another much needed boost. Vandy is unbeaten, but they will likely be challenged tonight on the road.
-NORTH CAROLINA AT STANFORD (ACC). This is a hugely important game. A road win would boost the value of UNC’s resume who to date only has one other true road win so far. Stanford has started to play better and can continue to build up their resume. I could see this one going either way. Both are good.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT SMU (ACC). Both teams are likely to land inside the bubble, but both could also stand to build up their resumes. A win tonight would be a decent resume boost for whichever team pulls it off, especially VA Tech since they are on the road.
-TCU AT BYU (Big 12). TCU has lost their last two games, which were against Kansas and Arizona. Their tough stretch continues as they go on the road against a top ten team. BYU has just one loss and should win this one, but TCU can play at a high level, so they better not completely overlook them.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-High Point @ Winthrop (Big South) – these are two of the better teams in the Big South and this is perhaps High Point’s most challenging remaining game
-Ole Miss @ Georgia (SEC) – Ole Miss has had a really tough year despite being really talented. Georgia should be able to hold serve at home
-Tulsa @ Charlotte (American) – Tulsa needs to win out to get a serious look from the committee and that may not even be enough
-Colorado @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – Colorado is on the outside looking in, but this is a winnable road game that will get them to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play
-Saint Peter’s @ Quinnipiac (MAAC) – both teams are 5-1 in MAAC play, so this is a pivotal game for Quinnipiac
-Southern Miss @ Troy (Sun Belt) – both teams have just one loss in SBC play and both have been playing well lately
-UAB @ Tulane (American) – Tulane can improve to 13-4 overall and stay unbeaten in the American
-San Diego State @ Wyoming (Mountain West) – after a disappointing start to the season, San Diego State has really gotten rolling. They’ve won eight of their last nine with the only loss coming against top ranked Arziona. This is a tough road game, though.
-Fordham @ Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) – SLU should win this one easily and improve to 16-1
-UCF @ Kansas State (Big 12) – UCF is a solid 13-2 on the year, but they’re just 1-1 in true road games, so that part of their resume needs some work. A win tonight would help
-Illinois @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – the Illini should cruise and pick up a conference road win in this one
-UCLA @ Penn State (Big Ten) – both teams have shown signs of life throughout the year, but both still have a ton of work to do and both really need to win this one tonight
-Utah @ Texas Tech (Big 12) – Texas Tech is getting stronger as the year goes on and they should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-South Carolina @ Arkansas (SEC) – Arkansas was blown out at Auburn in their last game, but should be able to bounce back tonight
-Nevada @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Nevada has been solid since the start of conference play, but Utah State is really good and they’re at home, so it’s one they should win.
-Pacific @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – Santa Clara is outside the bubble, but they are perhaps close enough to it to reach it. They can’t afford to lose a game like this at home, though
-Arizona State @ Arizona (Big 12) – It’s a rivalry game, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a mismatch. Arizona is the top ranked team in the nation and they are at home. They should roll.
-Michigan @ Washington (Big Ten) – Michigan will look to rebound from a tough loss to Wisconsin in their last game and pick up another true road win
-Duke @ California (ACC) – this is potentially a tough road game for Duke, but it’s one they should win
