NEWS AND NOTES:
-Michigan is having a great year and last night it got even better as they knocked off Michigan State on the road 83-71. It is their first true road win against a likely protected seed and now has an even stronger case for a #1 seed, not to mention the bragging rights in the state. They pretty much had a comfortable lead from start to finish, although Michigan State did make a run at them the second half.
-Saint Louis was basically up by 15pts over Dayton before the game eventipped and never looked back on their way to a 102-71 win. It was a home game against a team that’s nowhere near the bubble, but Saint Louis won it so convincingly it was as if they were playing a buy game, so it was an impressive showing.
-Akron looked really impressive in their decisive win over Kent State. The final score was 69-52, but at no point in the game was Akron not in complete control.
-Grand Canyon continues to roll as they had no issues with all at Boise State in their 86-69 win. The Lopes have now won seven of their last nine.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-DUKE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Duke is battling for not just a #1 seed, but the overall #1 seed and VA Tech is squarely on the bubble and trying to play their way onto the right side of the cut line. A win today would certainly help each team.
-TEXAS TECH AT UCF (Big 12). Texas Tech, while very good, does not yet have a true road win against a team that’s inside the bubble. They can fill that hole on their resume today. They are on the road against a team that is inside the bubble, and it’s certainly a game they are good enough to win. For UCF, it’s also a resume building opportunity.
-SAIN DIEGO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). This is a hugely important game. San Diego State has been playing a lot better, but they need to win a game like this if they want to land inside the bubble. Utah State is in a bit of a tailspin, but they are still really good and are at home and will play in front of what should be a bonkers crowd (even at 11 AM Mountain Time). It’s important to both teams and it should be a fun one.
-TEXAS A&M AT GEORGIA (SEC). Texas A&M is actually atop the SEC standings, but this will be one of their bigger challenges of the year and if they can somehow pull it off it will be one of their bigger wins of the year so far. Georgia has lost two straight and needs a big win in a game like this to get things turned back around, so it’s a big deal for both these teams.
-SMU AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Both these teams look like NCAA Tournament teams and Louisville should be in the top half of the bracket. Still, its’ a chance for each of them to pick up a notable win.
-CALIFORNIA AT MIAMI FL (ACC). When it comes to classic ACC rivalries, this one tops them all!! Cal needs a road win, and a road win against a tournament caliber team will help them out even more. Miami FL could still use some notable wins on their profile, so this is a big game for both teams.
-BYU AT KANSAS (Big 12). BYU is a likely protected seed. While they are high in the rankings, and while they have a great record of 17-3, I still think they’re being undervalued. They lost by just 2 to UConn in Boston without a full roster and they nearly beat top ranked Arizona the other night. They could have easily won both those games, and if they had we’d be talking about them as a #1 seed. Kansas is good. It is hard to win at Kansas. But BYU actually is good enough to do it, and if they do then people might realize just how good BYU actually is.
-INDIANA AT UCLA (Big Ten). This feels like a bubblicious game. A few weeks ago I had no faith at all in Indiana, but after their home win against Purdue things may be turning around. UCLA is another team that’s been trending up after being in a bit of a tailspin. They’ve won five of their last six, which also includes a win over Purdue, and have another tough but winnable game today. Both teams could really use this one.
-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Kentucky had won five straight before being embarrassed by Vanderbilt earlier in the week. They’ve got another very tough road game today against an Arkansas team that’s probably as tough to beat on the road as Vanderbilt is. Both teams are likely tournament teams, but both still have room to improve their profiles.
-MURRAY STATE AT BELMONT (Missouri Valley). I highlight this game because I think Belmont should be right on the bubble (although the real committee may not feel that way), and if they can win out through the regular season they should be in the field. These are the two best teams in the MVC and the series actually dates back to when they were oftentimes the two best teams in the OVC. This really could be a game that impacts the bubble.
-AUBURN AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Half-way through January Auburn did not look that good. Now that it’s the end of January, Auburn is looking much better. They’ve won four straight, which includes a win at Florida, and they’ve gone from looking like they don’t belong in the field at all to looking like they will easily make it if they keep this up. Tennessee has also had a hell of a week winning back-to-back road games at Alabama and at Georgia and completely changing the complexion of their profile. Both teams have had their struggles this season, but both are playing better now than they have at any point this season and this should be a great game.
-SAINT MARY’S AT GONZAGA (West Coast). This is one of the best rivalries in college basketball. Gonzaga is a protected seed, they appear to be the better team, and they are at home. Saint Mary’s looks like a solid tournament team and has a chance to really boost the value of their resume if they can somehow pull the upset, but that won’t be easy. This one is always fun and it should be again tonight.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Cincinnati @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston should be able to hold serve in this one. They could still end up seeded on the 1-line. They are that good. And yet this could be the game where UC finally breaks their jinx against Houston.
-Pittsburgh @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson should be able to hold serve in this one
-Marquette @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall did what they had to against Xavier and today needs to hold serve again. They can’t afford to lose at home to teams that are nowhere near the bubble
-Georgetown @ Butler (Big East) – If Butler is going to make a run at the bubble then they need to start stringing together wins
-Virginia @ Boston College (ACC) – UVA shouldn’t have any trouble at all picking up this conference road win
-North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (ACC) – It’s never easy to win on the road, but UNC is good enough to where they should win this one on the road
-Ohio State @ Wisconsin (Big Ten) – Wisky is somewhat safely inside the bubble and this is the kind of game they need to avoid losing to stay somewhat safe
-Long Island @ Central Connecticut (NEC) – this is perhaps Long Island’s toughest conference game and if they can win it they should be running down hill toward a first place finish
-East Tennessee State @ Wofford (SoCon) – both these teams are tied atop the conference standings and today’s game will play an important roll toward determining the first place finisher
-High Point @ Longwood (Big South) – High Point is trying to remain atop the Big South standings and stay ahead of Winthrop
-Northern Illinois @ Miami OH (MAC) – it’s the same storyline we always now have with Miami. Can they remain unbeaten and stay in the rankings?
-Mississppi State @ Missouri (SEC) – Missouri needs to hold serve at home and avoid a home loss to a team that’s nowhere near making the field
-Baylor @ West Virginia (Big 12) – West Virginia has won five of their last seven and is starting to climb the Big 12 standings. This should be another winnable game today
-NJIT @ Vermont (America East) – Vermont should be able to put some distance between themselves and everyone else
-Appalachian State @ Troy (Sun Belt) – Troy needs to bounce back from their loss to James Madison to stay atop the SBC standings
-Austin Peay @ West Georgia (Atlantic Sun) – Peay can hold on to first place with a win
-UT Martin @ Western Illinois (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the win and holding on to first place
-Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt (SEC) – Ole Miss has been playing better, but this is still one that Vandy should win and remain solidly in the range of a protected seed
-North Dakota State @ South Dakota (Summit League) – North Dakota State is in sole possession of first place and can put some distance between themselves and Saint Thomas with a win today
–Montana State @ Portland State (Big Sky) – While Portland State is no longer undefeated in the Big Sky, they have little time to lick their wounds as Montana State visits Rip City to potentially claim first place for themselves.
-SELA @ Stephen F Austin (Southland) – SFA is a game up on McNeese in the Southland standings and needs to hold serve
-George Mason @ Saint Bonaventure (Atlantic 10) – Mason is good, but their schedule is not. If they win out to the A10 semifinals they will likely get a serious look from the committee, but anything short of that and they’ll probably need the auto-bid
-Rutgers @ USC (Big Ten) – USC doesn’t get many easy conference games so they need to hold serve in this one
-Connecticut @ Creighton (Big East) – Winning at Creighton can be tough to do, but UConn should be able to pick this one up, which would be their 7th true road win of the year, which is amazing
-South Florida @ Temple (American) – South Florida is perhaps the team in the American with the highest ceiling, but they will face a bit of a challenge from a Temple team that may be tough to beat on the road
-Santa Clara @ LMU (West Coast) – Santa Clara has a path to the bubble but they need to keep winning in order to get there
-New Mexico @ San Jose State (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to pick this one up and add another conference road win to their profile
AND A FEW RIVALRIES
–LSU at South Carolina (SEC) – Oh wait, this is not the women’s game where both teams are usually in the Top 10 (and sometimes Top 5). Combine this with a winter storm and the crowd will literally just be family and friends.
-Arizona @ Arizona State (Big 12) – I know it’s a rivalry game and I know Arizona is on the road, but Arizona is also soooo much better than Arizona State and they shouldn’t sweat them too much.
-NC State @ Wake Forest (ACC) – NC State has won five of their last six and is finally playing at the level we thought they would be prior to the start of the season. They still have work to do and this would be a nice road win over a rival
-Texas @ Oklahoma (SEC) – it’s weird to not be highlighting this game, but the storyline is that while it’s a rivalry neither team is solidly in the field and both still have a lot of work to do (although Texas has been playing better)
-Harvard @ Yale (Ivy League) – Yale should cruise through this one. It’s a rivalry game, but Yale is better and they are at home
–Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado (Big Sky) – The NoCoEWU Cup! Can Northern Colorado finally start gaining some traction in the Big Sky and potentially be a spoiler for Starch Madness?
–Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (Conference USA) – 100 Miles Of Hate is what this rivalry is known as; MTSU will look to rebound after a drubbling against conference leader Liberty.
–Dartmouth at Brown (Ivy League) – The Brown Mouth Cup actually does have some Ivy League Tournament implications; if you’re a fan of Keggy the Keg/Dartmouth.
–Colorado State at Wyoming (Mountain West/Front Range) – We at Hoops HD love the Front Range and the Border War Rivalry within the Front Range!
