NEWS AND NOTES:
-TCU had hit the skids and desperately needed a big win. And last night, they got one. They held of Iowa State 62-55. It was close all throughout, but TCU kept making big plays and made enough down the stretch to pull off the upset win, which is their biggest of the season and will likely be a difference maker in them making the field.
-Purdue jumped out to a big lead on Nebraska, but the Huskers fought back to force overtime and appeared to be positioned to win it. Purdue took control in overtime and held on to win after a Nebraska player slipped on the floor on what ended up being their last possession of the game. The Boilers escaped with their best win of the season 80-77.
-Wisconsin had a flimsy profile with just one good win on it coming into yesterday. They now have a profile with two of the best wins that any single team has this season. They went into Illinois and knocked off an Illini team that had been looking like a Final Four team. The 92-90 win is a huge boost for the Badgers.
-Miami FL was another team that was squarely on the bubble and who needed a big win, and also got it. They beat North Carolina 75-66, who was coming off their big and emotional win against Duke. This will give their profile a nice boost even though it was a home win.
-Virginia and BYU both got scares on the road, but both escaped with wins. BYU in particular really needed their win at Baylor.
-Villanova survived a massive scare at home against Marquette, but made some big plays in the final minute to escape 77-74.
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HIGHIGHTED GAMES:
-USC AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a bubblicious game that both of these teams really need. Not only are both fighting for spots inside the bubble, both are fighting each other for a spot inside the bubble, so there should be a huge sense of urgency to this one.
-FLORIDA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Florida looks to be a protected seed and is playing as well as anyone in the SEC right now. They’ll be challenged on the road tonight against a Georgia team that should end up making the field and who can really help solidify their tournament profile if they can pull off the upset tonight. This is also a rivalry game, so it should be a fun one.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC). VA Tech is right on the bubble and this is the kind of game that could make the difference as to whether or not they get in. It’s also a very tough game to win. Clemson is in the rankings, but they’re still being undervalued for how good they are. They’re 13-1 in their last 14 games and have been playing the same ACC teams that Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina are playing, and they should be able to hold serve at home tonight.
-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both teams need to build up their profiles, and Texas A&M needs to pull themselves out of the two game losing streak they’re on. Missouri has some nice wins, but this would be their best win away from home and do a ton to make their resume look better.
-NEW MEXICO AT GRAND CANYON (Mountain West). New Mexico is outisde the bubble after their loss this past weekend, but they are still close enough to it to reach it and a road win like this would go a long way toward them getting back on the right side of the cut line. Grand Canyon probably can’t reach the bubble, but they have been playing better and are a potentially dangerous team, especially when they are at home.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Iowa @ Maryland (Big Ten) – Iowa has been on a roll lately and is going for their 7th straight win and 4th true road win
-VCU @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – VCU will at least be on the bubble if they win out, which they are seemingly good enough to do
-California @ Syracuse (ACC) – Cal is right on the bubble and needs to show they can routinely win games like this. Simple as that.
-Alabama @ Ole Miss (SEC) – Bama will be tested in this one, but it is a game they are likely to win
-Connecticut @ Butler (Big East) – UConn will likely blow through the rest of the regular season
-South Florida @ Wichita State (American) – the American appears to be wide open and these are two of the better teams. This is a tough road test for South Florida
-Providence @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall needs a Herculean finish in order to end up inside the bubble
-Colorado @ Texas Tech (Big 12) – Texas Tech shouldn’t have any trouble in this one
-UAB @ Tulsa (American) – Tulsa is one of the teams in the hunt for 1st place in the American and needs to hold serve tonight
-Michigan @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – it’s never easy to win on the road…except when it is. Michigan should roll in this one
-Tennessee @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Tennessee has not been the best road team, so while this game is not a showcase game, it’s still sort of important because it’s a winnable road game for the Vols, and it’s one they could really use
-Seattle U @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – Santa Clara is right on the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one
-Pepperdine @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC has a solid record, but their profile doesn’t top out that high so it’s important that they keep holding serve in games like this if they want to land inside the bubble
UTR WATCH:
-Chattanooga @ East Tennessee State (SoCon) – ETSU recently suffered a loss but they are still on top of the SoCon standings
-Austin Peay @ Queens (Atlantic Sun) – these are two of the better teams in the ASun with Austin Peay in 1st place and Peay just two games behind with a chance to make up some ground tonight
-Bellarmine @ Central Arkansas (Atlantic Sun) – in one of the bigger UTR stories of the season, Central Arkansas is just one game out of 1st place!
-Troy @ Texas State (Sun Belt) – Troy was in the drivers seat but after two straight conference losses they are in a bit of a tailspin and need this one on the road
-Liberty @ New Mexico State (Conference USA) – Liberty has blown through the league so far and will likely at least be on the bubble if they can win out
