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NEWS AND NOTES:
-The most shocking result of the night, and one of the more shocking results of the season, was Portland’s 87-80 upset win over Gonzaga. Portland basically had a lead for the entire game and the Zags just slept through their alarm and then never bothered to get out of bed. The two teams were separated by over 200 spots in the NET, which is a much bigger difference than any of the times a 16 seed has upset a 1 seed, so it was no small thing. Granted, the stakes were nowhere near the same as a 1 vs 16 game, but as far as how improbable it was it was about on that scale.
-Michigan State trailed Minnesota for the entire game and while they made a run at them in the final minute of the game, they still fell 76-73 in a loss that was somewhat shocking, but not nearly as shocking as Portland over Gonzaga. That’s now two straight losses for Michigan State.
-BYU lost their third straight game (and now four of their last five) as they couldn’t get it done on the road at Oklahoma State and fell 99-92. The other three losses in that stretch were against solid protected seeds, but this one was a bit of a shock despite being on the road.
-Clemson got a huge battle from Stanford, but managed to escape with a 66-64 win and another road win for their profile.
-George Mason fell at home to Duquesne 71-65 and it now appears that their only path to the NCAA Tournament will be to win the A10 Tournament.
Texas A&M and Alabama seesawed back and forth in a thriller. Texas A&M had a shot at the buzzer to force OT, but it didn’t go down and Alabama escaped with a big 100-97 win.
-Utah State, who has had their share of slip-ups throughout the year, did not slip up last night. They blew out New Mexico 86-66 in what was probably their most impressive single game showing of the year. New Mexico is a good team that is hard to beat on the road and Utah State just basically blew them out.
-Iowa has now won five straight after their 84-74 win at Washington, and three of those wins came on the road. I have been converted. I am now a believer in the Hawkeyes.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Penn State @ Michigan (Big Ten) – Michigan is cruising and is coming off a stretch of really difficult games. They should be able to take a breath tonight and cruise at home over Penn State
-West Virginia @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – West Virginia has strung together some wins and is starting to climb the Big 12 standings
-Ohio State @ Maryland (Big Ten) – if Ohio State is going to finish up inside the bubble they need to start stringing together wins and they can’t afford a loss in a game like this
UTR WATCH:
-Vermont @ Maine (America East) – Vermont is in a 3-way tie for 1st place and can’t afford to slip up on the road
-Merrimack @ Mount Saint Mary’s (Metro Atlantic) – Merrimack can hold on to 1st place in the MAAC
-Long Island @ Newhaven (Northeast Conference) – Long Island is in sole possession of 1st place in the NEC
-William & Mary @ UNC Wilmington (CAA) – There are a lot of good teams in the CAA, but for now UNCW is alone in 1st place and has another winnable home game tonight
-Denver @ North Dakota State (Summit League) – North Dakota State should be able to remain unbeaten and atop the standings in the Summit League
-Southern Indiana @ UT Martin (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin is starting to distance themselves from the rest of the OVC and should be able to hold serve tonight
-Cal State Bakersfield @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine is in a race with Hawaii and UC Santa Barbara for 1st place in the Big West. They’ve been playing well and should be able to hold serve at home
-Tarlton State @ California Baptist (WAC) – Cal Baptist is in a 3-way tie for 1st place
