NEWS AND NOTES:
-Duke v Michigan was close all throughout the game, which was what we were all expecting, and Duke managed to hold on and win 68-63. Both teams have been projected as #1 seeds and both are still likely #1 seeds, but Duke probably jumps over Michigan in the seedlist and is perhaps now the overall #1 seed. The game was in Washington DC and our own Jon Teitel was there.
-Arizona may also have a claim to the overall #1 seed, and while I don’t know what the real committee would do, Arizona is who my overall #1 would be. They won at Houston 73-66. Houston was also within range of a #1 seed, and Arizona beat them in a true road game. Arizona now has true road wins against both UConn and Houston and I think has the best overall profile. Speaking of UConn…
-UConn bounced back from their upset loss against Creighton with a really solid 73-63 road win at Villanova. UConn is still within reach of the 1-line despite the recent loss.
-The biggest upset of the day, and perhaps one of the most surprising results of the year, was Cincinnati’s 84-68 win at Kansas. It was close for the entire game, and then with about five minutes to go Cincinnati just ran away from them. The Bearcats have been playing with much more of a purpose these last few weeks, and while it may be too little too late they still have a small chance of getting inside the bubble. Had they played like this all year we’d be talking about them as a first ballot team.
-BYU, who had been in a tailspin since getting hit with injuries, picked up a big win last night at home against Iowa State 79-69. It’s a huge win for the Cougars even though they were at home because they played really well against a really good team and now appear to have some of their momentum back.
-UCLA, who seems to always win a big game after Mick Cronin does something or says something publicly, got their biggest win of the year as they held off Illinois in Overtime 95-94. The Bruins fell behind early but battled back, had a chance to win in regulation that came up short, and after Illinois hit what appeared to be a game winning basket they drove the length of the court for a game winning (and perhaps season saving ) layup as time expired. It was a HUGE win for UCLA
-Virginia won a tight one at home against Miami FL 86-83. Miami is inside the bubble and has been playing really well. This is a win that would have really boosted their profile had they pulled it off.
-Tennessee, who was having a really good year but didn’t have a really good true road win yet, has one now! They knocked off Vanderbilt 69-65 on the road after nearly knocking off Kentucky at Rupp Arena recently. The Vols are very solid and have now shown they can beat top 25 teams in a true road game.
-Clemson, who a short time ago was looking like a protected seed, now can’t seem to beat anyone at home, on the road, or anywhere else. The Tigers have now lost four straight after falling at home to a Florida State team that’s nowhere near the bubble 70-65.
-Georgia, who had been in a tailspin of their own, but a big win against Texas at home 91-80. It’s a decent win on paper, but more importantly Georgia now seems to have things turned back around after a big week that featured a win at Kentucky a few days ago.
-USC, who was on the fringe of the bubble, did something bubble teams should never do and that’s lose at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble. They fell to an Oregon team that’s just flat out really bad 71-70 yesterday.
-Liberty, who I thought would have a shot at landing inside the bubble if they were able to win out, no longer has that shot. They were blown out at home by Western Kentucky yesterday 94-73. This follows a game where the Flames needed overtime to beat FIU earlier in the week.
-Kentucky finished off a rough week with a second straight loss as they fell to Auburn 75-74 in what was a close and hard fought game. Auburn really needed the win as they had lost five straight coming into this one. Kentucky has now lost three straight and is in a skid of their own.
-Utah State, who had been rolling through the Mountain West, fell at Nevada yesterday 80-77. We knew this would be a tough game, but it was still one that we felt Utah State was good enough to win. It won’t knock them outside the bubble, but it will perhaps keep them out of the top half of the bracket (for now).
-Last, and perhaps least, Mississippi Valley State picked up their first D1 win of the season as they stole an in-bounds pass from Texas Southern in the final seconds and laid it in for the 72-71 win!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State is coming off a big win against Wisconsin and is right on the fringe of the bubble. A win like this could be enough to move them inside the bubble for now, but it won’t be easy. Michigan State is a likely protected seed who is a really strong 13-2 at home and who is looking to hold serve themselves.
-IOWA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Both teams are hovering around the middle of the bracket and both are safely inside the bubble. This is just a resume-building opportunity for both teams. Wisconsin already has some big wins on their profile, so Iowa could probably use this one a little more.
-Iona @ Merrimack (Metron Atlantic) – Merrimack has already clinched 1st place
-Wright State @ Robert Morris (Horizon League) – it has been a wild season in the HL, but Wright State can clinch 1st place outright with a win today
