NEWS AND NOTES:
-I say that Duke and North Carolina do not always deliver, but the ALMOST always deliver, and they delivered yesterday! Duke took control early against a really good UNC team on the road, and every time the Tarheels made a run at them and the crowd got into it the Blue Devils had an answer. Every time, that is, except for the last time. UNC ended the game on a 9-0 run, which included a game winning 3pt shot with less than a second to go. The fans stormed the court thinking the game was over, and after they cleared the floor for the last 0.4 they stormed the court again after a massive 71-68 win. Lots of things in college sports don’t feel the same due to NIL, the heightened number of transfers, and conference realignment killing off a lot of traditional rivalries and series, but this rivalry has thankfully survived it all! At least so far.
-Michigan State held on to beat Illinois in Overtime 85-82 in another thrilling game. Illinois hit two freethrows to force OT at the end of regulation, and almost overcame a 6pt deficit in the final seconds over OT after making a 3, stealing the inbounds pass, and getting another 3 up at the buzzer, but it didn’t go down. It was a massive win for Michigan State against an Illinois team that had been playing as well as anyone in the country.
-Houston got a battle from BYU, but got another big road win as they held on 77-66. Houston is just a great defensive team and a great rebounding team. BYU has now lost five of their last six. They’re still in good shape overall, but they are in a bit of a tailspin.
-Vanderbilt was getting absolutely blown out at home by Oklahoma, but cut a 21pt second half lead down to just 1, but couldn’t complete the comeback and fell 92-91.
-Florida absolutely mauled Texas A&M on the road 86-67 (and don’t be deceived by the final score, the game was much less competitive than the score would suggest). TAMU just could not hit any shots and the Gators picked up another impressive road win. TAMU has now dropped two straight after blowing through a schedule that is largely backloaded. It will be much more challenging between now and the end.
-Miami OH appeared to be facing a tough challenge yesterday, but they had no problems handling Marshall on the road and picking up the 90-74 win. It was one of their more impressive showings of the year. The Redhawks are still undefeated.
-Kentucky once again overcame a double-digit-deficit and came back to win 84-81, this time against a really good Tennessee team. The Vols are a good team, but they haven’t been the best road team and a win yesterday would have really boosted up their resume. Now Kentucky has a sweep over the Vols in their back pocket.
-Indiana had a lead for most of the game against Wisconsin, but the Badgers came back and forced OT. Indiana held on for a really big 78-77 win, which certainly helps their tournament profile. Wisconsin may also be looking closer to a one-trick pony.
-Alabama knocked off Auburn on the road 96-92 in a rivalry game that had a pivotal feel to it for both teams. Auburn still has work to do to safely make the field and Alabama needs wins like this in order to end up as a protected seed. (And if you’re keeping score, the Tide are 3-1 since the return of a pro player who shall go unnamed.)
-Seton Hall kind of blew it at Creighton. They appeared to be in control, but fell apart at the very end and Creighton won 69-68. This pretty much torpedoes Seton Hall’s chances at earning an at-large as the Pirates have now lost six of their last eight.
-And if Butler wasn’t already dead, a loss at Marquette pretty much sealed their fate.
-Utah State got a battle at Wyoming, but managed to escape 85-83 with another road win. It wasn’t their most impressive win of the season, but it was a win on the road against a team that can be hard to beat.
-New Mexico, who was right on the bubble, did something that no bubble team should do and that’s lose at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble. Boise State went into The Pit and knocked off the Lobos 91-90. Boise State has been good at times, but they’re still the kind of team a tournament caliber team needs to beat at home. And worse yet, Boise State now has a sweep of the Lobos which makes their at-large case nearly impossible to make.
-Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara both had to sweat out games against San Francisco and Washington State but ultimately did win their games to remain in the at-large hunt.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). It’s a rivalry game between two teams that are standing in very different places. Michigan is trying to play their way into a #1 seed and Ohio State needs to string together several big wins just to make the field at all. Winning this one on the road could be a challenge, but Michigan has been challenged many times this year and come up big almost every time.
-TEXAS TECH AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). Texas Tech is solidly in the field and likely a solid protected seed, but they have just two true road wins and could use a few more. This should be a winnable road game for them. West Virginia can still reach the bubble, but they’ll need to win a few games like this in order to do it.
-Tulsa @ South Florida (American) – these are two of the better teams in the American and it’s perhaps Tulsa’s toughest remaining game. If they have any hopes at all of getting inside the bubble they need this one
-USC @ Penn State (Big Ten) – this is a winnable road game for a USC team that’s hovering around the bubble.
-UCF @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – UCF is inside the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to remain safely there. They’ve had a good year, but a few more road wins certainly wouldn’t hurt. Also keep in mind that the Knights barely survived at home against UC in their first meeting.
-Northwestern @ Iowa (Big Ten) – Iowa is on a rampage right now and should be able to hold serve at home in this one. Northwestern is on what you would call the opposite of a rampage.
UTR WATCH:
-Liberty got a bigger scare from Missouri State than many of us were expecting, but they held on to win 79-76 at home and remain unbeaten in the conference.
-Central Arkansas continues to be a big story in the Atlantic Sun. They beat Lipscomb on the road 86-78, which is one of their toughest conference games to win, and are now just a game behind Austin Peay.
-Portland State got a huge scare at Sacramento State in an emotionally charged game, but held on to win 74-73.
-UC Irvine fell at UC Santa Barbara in the Gauch Eater Cup in a game that was also emotionally charged with several technical fouls and a few ejections. The 84-79 loss for UC Irvine now puts Hawaii in first place in the Big West after their 72-67 win over UC San Diego.
-Yesterday was a great day for the Sun Belt as they went 10-3 against the MAC to win the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge 14-12. Troy over Akron also killed whatever at-large NCAA hopes the Zips may have been harboring.
