NEWS AND NOTES:
-UCLA, after being trashed by their head coach within the last week for constantly underperforming, did not underperform last night. They got what was their biggest win of the year by far with a 69-67 home win over Purdue, which will help resuscitate their season. Even though it was home win it was still a really good win. (Note from Stalica – the Mick Cronin life cycle is now in full gear)
-Iowa State bounced back from their two straight losses and blew out what is a pretty solid UCF team 87-57. I’d say the Cyclones have waken up from their nap.
-Texas Tech got a decisive road win at Baylor 92-73. It’s safe to say that the teams at the top of the Big 12 are looking REALLY good! As for Baylor, they are far from guaranteed from being included in the field and really need to pull off a signature win or two soon.
-Vanderbilt is NOT looking really good. They’ve now lost three straight games, and they did not mess around losing last night at Arkansas. The Razorbacks blew them off the floor 93-68.
-NC State picked up what is easily their best win of the season, and perhaps the kind of win they needed to turn their season around. After losing to Georgia Tech in their previous game, thy go on the road and beat Clemson in overtime 80-76. The loss will be a bit of a setback for Clemson, but it’s not anything they can’t recover from.
-Georgia got a tough road win at Missouri. The game was close all throughout and came down to the last play, but Georgia survived and picked up a really big 74-72 road win.
-Saint Louis went to Duquesne and barely won 81-77. It was their first game after cracking the top 25 and for a while it looked like it would be their last game as a top 25 team.
-Miami OH, for the second game in a row, overcame a two-possession deficit in the final minute to force overtime and then pulled it out in overtime. They knocked off Kent State on the road 107-101 in what was probably their toughest game of the year so far. Miami jumped out early and led by as much as 15 early in the second half, but Kent State battled back and was in a position to win with less than a minute to go, but Miami pulled it out. Again. (Note from Stalica – this was the first game since 1999 when the Redhawks were a Top 25 team. Wally Szczerbiak ring a bell to anyone?)
-The other Miami did not look so good last night. Miami FL was at home against a very average (at best) Florida State team and ended up losing 65-63. This will set the Canes back. They can still easily land inside the bubble, but they can’t afford too many more setbacks.
-Seton Hall jumped on Saint John’s early and appeared to be in control of the game, but the Johnnies battled back in the second half and held serve for a 65-60 win.
-If Oklahoma was inside your bubble yesterday, then they should not be today. They lost to South Carolina on the road 85-76 and are going very much in the wrong direction.
-TCU snapped their losing streak with a much needed 78-75 win over Oklahoma State. Both these teams still have a lot of work to do, and both will have chances between now and the end, but this was an important game for both teams.
-UT Martin, who appeared to be running away from the OVC, got run over last night. SEMO absolutely blew their doors off. The final score was 66-50, but SEMO led by as much as 30 in the second half.
-Last, and very much least, Utah State, who just last week was in the top 25, will likely not be returning to the top 25 anytime soon. They lost at home to a UNLV team that’s just flat out bad 86-76.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-TEXAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Both of these teams are trending up, and both of them need to keep trending up, which is what makes this game so important. Both need to shore up their profiles and both need wins in games like this in order to do it. There should be a sense of urgency for both these teams tonight.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Both of these teams are hovering around the bubble, both have a lot of work to do, and both could really use this win today. VA Tech is probably in better shape than Syracuse, and since this is a road game for them a win would really help the out. (We can neither confirm nor deny that Syracuse needs a waiver after a loss at Boston College this weekend just to be postseason eligible)
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT GRAND CANYON (Mountain West). After a bit of a slow start to the season, Grand Canyon has won six of their last eight, which includes a big win over Utah State in their last game. The crowd should be off the hook for this one tonight. San Diego State also got off to a slow start, but they’ve now won seven in a row and that includes a win against New Mexico in their last game. This would be yet another big win for them, and perhaps enough to move them solidly inside our bubble.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Dayton @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – Dayton should be able to remain perfect in conference play
-Radford @ Winthrop (Big South) – both teams have just one conference loss and both are trying to keep pace with High Point
-Maryland @ Illinois (Big Ten) – this should be a game where the Illini can hold serve. Maryland has had a tough and underwhelming year so far
-Notre Dame @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC needs to rebound from a rough week last week where they lost back to back road games
-Murray State @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – Murray State can get to 17-3 overall and I think they have a shot at making a run at the bubble if they can keep winning
-Tulane @ Florida Atlantic (American) – the American race is wide open and both these teams are squarely in it
-Georgetown @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is solidly inside our bubble and will remain there so long as they’re able to keep holding serve
-Xavier @ Creighton (Big East) – Creighton needs to start stringing together wins to have any shot at making the field. Xavier will be in a bad mood after a 40-point loss at home to the Bluejays. Or they’ll be rusty after a week’s layoff.
-Troy @ Old Dominion (Sun Belt) – Troy may be establishing themselves as the best team in the SBC. This should be another winnable road game for them
-North Alabama @ Queens (Atlantic Sun) – Queens should be able to remain unbeaten in ASun play
-Liberty @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – Liberty is a perfect 7-0 in CUSA play and a solid 15-3 on the year, but this will likely be a tough road test for them against a talented WKU team
-Memphis @ Tulsa (American) – Tulsa has won their last two games, both of which were on the road, and needs to win this one to keep pace in the American standings
-Cincinnati @ Arizona (Big 12) – Arizona should sleepwalk through this one, but Cincinnati did knock off Iowa State in their last game. If they can somehow pull this upset the Bearcats will absolutely have our attention. (Note from Stalica – UC’s 3 losses in conference play are by a combined 10 points, so I would not suggest Arizona hit the snooze button tonight.)
-Washington @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – The Huskers should be able to remain unbeaten and stay within reach of a #1 seed
-Pepperdine @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – it’s a conference game, but it may end up looking very much like a buy game
-Fresno State @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – Fresno State is better this season, but they’re likely still no match for the Lobos on the road
-Mississippi State @ Texas A&M (SEC) – TAMU has been playing really well lately, they’re coming off a big win at Texas, and should be able to hold serve in this one at home
-Oregon State @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC is coming off a loss to Santa Clara, which isn’t that much of a setback, but it’s still one they need to bounce back from. A loss today would certainly blow a hole in their profile
-Northwestern @ USC (Big Ten) – USC is inside the bubble, but barely. They can’t afford to lose a home game to a team like Northwestern that is nowhere near the bubble
