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NEWS AND NOTES:

-North Carolina, after suffering a loss earlier in the week to Clemson, nearly made it two in a row as they went on the road to face a Miami FL team that was in a complete tailspin. The Tarheels did manage to escape 75-72, and while they may have fallen off the #1 seedline for now, they are still in position to get it.

-Baylor came up with yet another great effort on the road, but fell just short at Kansas 64-61. Baylor’s last four losses have all been by 4pts or less or in overtime, and all have come against really strong teams. Baylor is still in great shape and could still end up as a protected seed, but we are just a few plays away from saying they should be a #1 seed.

-Tennessee decided to just take the night off, I guess. It’s not easy to win at Texas A&M, and the Aggies deserve a lot of credit for how they played, but it was a little surprising to see them just absolutely run Tennessee off the floor pretty much from start to finish. The final score was 85-69, but the margin felt like more than that.

-Jon Teitel has Arizona on his #1 line, and while he is a legit Arizona fan, this projection is not homerism. They had a great week with road wins at Utah and Colorado, which is very hard to do, and they absolutely blasted Colorado 99-79 last night. Those two wins, along with the rest of their resume, has me thinking they should be a #1 seed right now.

-Michigan State continues to be a home court hero! They knocked off a very good Illinois team 88-80 last night, which certainly helps stabilize a very unstable resume. The one thing they still badly need is road wins, though.

-Creighton had been on a brief 2-game losing streak with losses against Butler (at home) and at Providence, but they returned to their winning ways with a win at Xavier on Saturday. Even with their outside shooting off the mark, Ryan Kalkbrenner abused the Xavier frontcourt on both ends of the floor. Xavier is running out of chances for their at-large NCAA hopes.

-Remember a week or so ago when we all thought Wisconsin may sneak up to the #1 line?? Well, they lost at Rutgers yesterday. Badly. They’ve now dropped four straight games, and two straight to teams that are nowhere near making the field.

-Auburn, who had been on a roll, kind of got their noses bloodied at Florida last night with a 81-65 loss. To be fair, Florida is a good team, and it is not easy to win there, but it was still a bit of a surprise to see them run Auburn over like that. (Note from Stalica – while it was a surprise to Griggs, this was actually Florida’s 15th straight win at home against Auburn.)

-Gonzaga had no quad 1 wins prior to yesterday, and had not played like a top 40 team at any point of the season. Well, yesterday, they did play like a good team and got that big quad 1 win that we were all saying they needed as they knocked off Kentucky 89-85. It’s Kentucky’s third straight home loss, and while all those losses came against strong teams, they’ve gone from looking like a solid protected seed to looking like a team that’s in a tailspin. But, the real story is how big of a win this was for the Zags. It puts them from being pretty far outside the bubble to at worst being squarely on it. Kentucky had not lost 3 straight home games since the late 1960s when Adolph Rupp was still coaching.

-Utah State bounced back from having lost two straight and blew out a pretty good Boise State team 80-61 at home.

-New Mexico, who I was praising a few weeks ago as being the best looking team in the Mountain West, has not looked anything like the best team since I made that statement. Last night they lost at home to a very so-so UNLV team 80-77. The Rebels have now swept New Mexico this season. Ouch.

-Clemson continues to rack up wins, and got a very solid road win at Syracuse yesterday 77-68. Most of their remaining games are winnable, and with a real strong finish they may be in the discussion for a protected seed. Some of their wins are fantastic.

-Appalachian State needed a couple of overtimes, but they were able to hold off Toledo 109-104 and keep their at-large hopes barely flickering.

-It was a battle, but Butler held on for a 75-72 win at home against Providence. This is a Butler team that I think should be getting a lot more love than what they’re getting. I’m not saying they belong in the top half of the bracket, but I think they should at least be rather safely inside the bubble at this point.

-The Ivy League has three pretty good teams in it this year, but it’s looking very much like a one bid league. Cornell @ Yale was a great game yesterday, and Yale came back in the second half to win at home 80-78. Had Cornell won this one and won out they may have gotten a serious look had they lost in the Ivy League Tournament.

-Wake Forest continues to string together wins and climb the ACC standings. They held on to beat NC State at home yesterday 83-79. They’ve now won three in a row and are an impressive 8-4 in ACC play. They are about to be tested in a major way with 2 games coming up against Duke in the next couple of weeks.

-Washington State picked up another big win yesterday as they knocked off Oregon on the road 62-56. That’s two straight road wins for Wazzu, and they are looking more and more like a tournament team as we get closer and closer to March.

-Utah, who we’ve had in our Tournament Projections for most of the season, is looking more and more flimsy as the season goes on. Last night they lost at home to Arizona State 85-77. It’s never good to lose at home to teams that are nowhere near making the field.

-Virginia continues to string together wins, and they got another one on the road yesterday as they held off Florida State 80-76. That’s NINE straight wins for the Hoos, and four in a row on the road, including a win at Clemson in that stretch. I mean…LOOK OUT!!

-Mississippi State FINALLY got their first road win of the season as they blew Missouri off the floor 75-51. I think they need more than just this one, but it was a much needed win and a great step forward for the Bulldogs.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT WICHITA STATE (American). FAU has been very schizophrenic this year. They’ve shown a definite ability to play up to their competition, but have also shown an ability to play down to it. They’re coming off a road loss to UAB and are looking to bounce back. It should be a routine win despite the fact that it’s on the road, but with FAU you just never know.

-SETON HALL AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Seton Hall is squarely on the bubble despite some big wins, and needs some more wins like this to strengthen up their resume. Villanova is on the outside looking in and needs a strong finish just to get into the picture.

-PENN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Northwestern is inside the bubble and should stay there so long as they can hold serve in games like this the rest of the way. Still, Penn State has been a bit of a spoiler in the league and not a team Northwestern can afford to overlook.

-TULANE AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis is now outside our bubble, and will need a strong finish just to get back to a place to where they can be considered.

-MINNESOTA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Minnesota still has a ton of work to do, but they have won three straight and have some big opportunities coming up, including this game today, which is a winnable road game. They can land inside the bubble if they can finish strong. But frankly, if you’re an Iowa fan, we’ll forgive you if you’re busy watching Caitlin Clark potentially break the all-time NCAA scoring mark instead.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Dayton’s chances at getting a protected seed took a body blow at VCU last night. Despite holding VCU scoreless for the final 6 minutes, the Flyers were unable to come out victorious in this rock fight that VCU won 49-47.

-Nevada has had a great week in the Mountain West – first they won at Utah State on Tuesday night to vault back into the NCAA Tournament picture. They might have vaulted above the cut line (for now) with their win at home against San Diego State last night. Colorado State also held serve in what amounted to a buy game home win against San Jose State.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-WISCONSIN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Wisky is still a solid protected seed, and they should win this game, but they are in a bit of a tailspin that they need to pull themselves out of. Winning at Rutgers is not the easiest thing in the world to do, even when Rutgers isn’t all that good. This would be four straight losses for the Badgers, and two straight against teams that are nowhere near the field, if they can’t take care of business today.

-ALABAMA AT LSU (SEC). Bama kind of got their noses bloodied against Auburn earlier in the week, but this is a much more winnable road game for the Tide and they should be able to bounce back.

-CLEMSON AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Clemson is coming off a massive road win against North Carolina and has been playing really well. But, they have been inconsistent at times this year, and while Syracuse is not the toughest place to win, it’s not the easiest either. Can Clemson come down from the UNC win, refocus, and pick up yet another road win in conference?

-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East). Creighton could be in for a battle today. It was certainly a battle the first time these two met. They’ve lost two straight, both were very close games, and need to bounce back tonight if they want to get back on pace to end up as a protected seed. Xavier is just trying to get inside the bubble, and needs a strong finish to the season in order to do it. A win today would go a long way for them. (Note from Stalica – the Puppet’s favorite uniforms will be on display as Xavier will be wearing the Runningman throwbacks. Former stars Trevon Blueitt and JP Macura will be inducted into Xavier’s Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend)

-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). I think what Michigan State needs more than anything right now is road wins, which they can’t get today, but a win over an Illinois team that’s very close to getting a protected seed certainly wouldn’t hurt them.

-TCU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). We have both teams way inside our field, and both are moving up our seedlist. Iowa State is looking like a solid protected seed, and TCU is looking like they may be able to end up there if they can keep pulling off big wins. And, a road win at Iowa State would absolutely qualify as a big win.

-PROVIDENCE AT BUTLER (Big East). This one is hugely important to both teams. I think Butler should be safely inside the bubble right now, but I also feel they still have some work to do between now and the end in order to stay there. Providence continues to play tough and has pulled off enough big wins to be squarely in the picture. A road win like this would be huge for them.

-CORNELL AT YALE (Ivy League). This is for first place in the Ivy League, and if one of these teams is able to run the table, especailly if it’s Cornell, they should at least get a look from the committee if they fail to win the conference tournament. (UTR Game of the Day)

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT RICE (American). I’m putting this up with the highlighted games because I don’t think everyone is aware of what South Florida is doing. South Florida is your current 1st place team in the American. They are a game ahead of FAU, and three games ahead of Memphis. They are 14-1 in their last 15 games, they should get this one on the road, and they have a chance to play their way onto the bubble.

-AUBURN AT FLORIDA (SEC). This is a big resume boosting opportunity for both teams. Auburn’s two biggest wins of the year have come in their last two games, and seeing as how this is a road win against a probable tournament team it would be one of their three biggest wins of the year if they’re able to pull it off. The Gators could use this win to help them climb the seedlist as well.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT MIAMI FL (ACC). North Carolina is coming off a bit of a surprising loss at home to Clemson, and it’s never easy when you have to bounce back on the road. Having said that, despite having incredibly high preseason expectations, Miami has shown us absolutely nothing this year and seems to be falling apart. Perhaps a win today could kickstart things for them and swing some momentum back their way, but they’ve shown virtually no indications of being capable of doing it.

-HOUSTON AT CINCINNATI (Big 12). We’ve got Houston back up on our #1 line, but this will be a tough road test for the Cougars. It’s definitely one they can win, but Cincinnati has shown they can play tough and beat really good teams themselves. Cincinnati is inside the bubble, but their resume will be tons more stable if they’re somehow able to pull this one off today.

-GONZAGA AT KENTUCKY. Kentucky has struggled a little bit. They’re still very easily in the field, but they aren’t a lock for a protected seed like we thought they were going to be a few years ago. Having said that, Gonzaga will almost assuredly miss the tournament altogether if they don’t win today and then fail to win the WCC Tournament. They haven’t shot the ball as well as what they normally do, and it’s just been a tough year for the Zags.

-UCF AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). UCF is outside our bubble, and we haven’t spent a whole lot of time discussing them this year, but they do have a couple of really big wins and will have the opportunity to reach the bubble. Texas Tech has been playing well lately and should hold serve at home, but if UCF can pull this off, then we may see them in some of our brackets next week.

-NC STATE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Both teams are outside the bubble, but Wake is in a position to where they can reach the bubble if they can finish strong between now and the end. They need to hold serve today.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT OREGON (Pac 12). Wazzu keeps inching up our seedlist. They keep winning, and with each win they seem to get a little bit further inside the bubble. Oregon is also outside the bubble, but this would still be a really big win for Wazzu because it’s on the road.

-BAYLOR AT KANSAS (Big 12). Both teams are looking like probable protected seeds, and both could give their resumes a huge boost today, especially Baylor since they are on the road. The Bears have just two road wins, so as good as their resume is, a win today would make it tons stronger. It would also give them a two game lead over the Jayhawks in the conference standings.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Saint John’s has hit a bit of a skid. They did win their last game against DePaul, but prior to that they had lost five out of six. It doesn’t get any easier today on the road against a Marquette team that has been looking like a top ten caliber team. And as our colleague Matt Zuchowski points out. Marquette rarely loses on National Marquette Day.

-AKRON AT JAMES MADISON. Both of these teams are top level UTR teams, and both are outside the bubble with only a slim shot of getting in, but both still have at least a chance, especially Akron since they are the road team. If they can win this, and then win out in MAC play, I think the committee will give them a very strong look.

-DRAKE AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley). Drake is right on the bubble, and this is the kind of win that could make the difference as to wether or not they end up on the right side of it.

-VIRGINIA AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). Virginia has been on a roll, and picking up another road win would allow them to continue to climb the seedlist. Florida State appeared to be turning things around, but they’ve now lost three out of their last four, including a loss at Louisville which is like losing multiple games all at once. Still, beating them on the road would be a nice win for the Hoos.

-TENNESSEE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Tennessee is within reach of a #1 seed. This is not an easy road game to win, but Tennessee has shown us they can win games that aren’t easy to win on the road. TAMU could really use this one as well. They have some really good wins on their resume, but a win like this could really strengthen it and give them a lot more security.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MISSOURI (SEC). Mississippi State has yet to win a road game. They have some good wins on their resume, but no true road wins. None at all. If that does not change, they will not be selected, nor should they be. Missouri is not a big opponent, but this is still a hugely important game because Mississippi State absolutely needs some road wins.

-ARIZONA AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Arizona has had some stumbles on the road, but sweeping the Utah/Colorado road trip isn’t easy. They had a big triple OT win at Utah the other night, and if they can get this win tonight then they deserve a ton of credit for it, and will remain well on pace to end up as a protected seed.

-KANSAS STATE AT BYU (Big 12). K State got a big win against Kansas earlier in the week, but they still have a lot of work to do. Having said that, getting a win at BYU would qualify as “doing a lot of work.” It may not get them all the way inside the bubble, but it would get them a lot closer than where they currently are. I think BYU has slid down the seedlist somewhat, but they’re still very safely in and should be able to hold serve in this one.

-BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). These are two of the better teams in the Mountain West and perhaps the best two teams. It’s a resume building opportunity for both teams, especially for Boise State since they are on the road, and it should be a fun one.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

–Connecticut at Georgetown (Big East) – if there is any such thing as a home buy game on the road, this is it

-Vanderbilt @ South Carolina (SEC) – South Carolina has been playing lights out lately, and this should be an easy conference home win

–Toledo @ Appalachian State – the hopes of landing inside the bubble are now very faint, but they aren’t entirely non-existent for App State. They do need to win out to have any sort of a chance, though

–Samford @ VMI (SoCon) – If Samford wins out, which they are good enough to do, they should be inside the bubble. I don’t know if they WILL be, but they SHOULD be

–Boston College @ Duke (ACC) – BC actually does have a pulse this year, but Duke should be able to hold serve without any problems at home today

–Indiana State @ Missouri State (Missouri Valley) – Indiana State is good enough to win out, and if they do they should be in the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens in the MVC Tournament

–West Virginia @ Texas (Big 12) – I continue to value Texas a lot more than the rest of my Hoops HD colleagues, but we all agree they are safely inside the bubble and expect that they’ll hold serve at home in this one

–TAMUCC @ McNeese (Southland) – McNeese’s chances for an at-large are probably shot, but they should get some sort of a look if they’re able to win out

–UCLA @ California (Pac 12) – UCLA is still a million miles from the bubble, but this would be their 5th straight win if they can pull it off. A Cal win would put the Golden Bears above .500 in the Pac-12 for the first time in quite a while.

–Princeton @ Penn (Ivy League) – Princeton’s at-large hopes may have been dashed. Any chance of them getting any look at all will require them to win out

–Michigan @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Nebraska needs road wins more than anything else, but they also need to hold serve at home against teams that are nowhere near the bubble

–Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (Big 12) – BEDLAM!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy this series this year, because it will probably be the last time that we see it for a while. As far as what it means on paper, Oklahoma needs to hold serve at home against a team that’s nowhere near the NIT

-Indiana @ Purdue (Big Ten) – I know it’s a rivalry game, but this particular edition of it is rather pathetic. Purdue is our overall #1 seed and they should roll at home in this one

–UNLV @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico is inside our bubble and they’ve been very strong at home this year. They should be able to hold serve in this one

–Arizona State @ Utah (Pac 12) – Utah is coming off a very tough triple overtime loss to Arizona that could have really helped their profle. They should be able to bounce back from that tonight

–Southern Utah @ Grand Canyon (WAC) – GCU is good enough to win out, and if they do they should be inside the bubble

–UC Irvine @ UC Riverside (Big West) – UC Irvine probably can’t get inside the bubble, but they are really good and may at least get a look if they’re able to win out

–Saint Mary’s @ Portland (West Coast) – I really like how SMC has been playing and they can end up in the top half of the bracket if they keep it up

–Winthrop @ Longwood (Big South) – We at Hoops HD love the Winwood Cup!