Hoops HD

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NEWS AND NOTES:

-USC vs Iowa was a crazy game. USC jumped all over the Hawkeyes early, then Iowa came back and built a big lead in the second half. With about five minutes to go Iowa had a 14pt lead, but USC battled back and actually got the lead with less than 10 seconds to go. Iowa ended up going to the freethrow line and hitting the game winning freethrows to barely escape 73-72. It was an important game for both teams and perhaps one of Iowa’s biggest wins of the season.

-California needs more road wins on their profile. California was at Florida State, which should have been a winnable road game. California did not win the game. They fell to the Noles 63-61.

-Tennessee has had a great week and they picked up another really big road win last night at Georgia in an 86-85 overtime thriller. Both teams made big defensive plays down the stretch of both regulation and overtime. Tennessee now has back-to-back road wins at Alabama and Georgia and has perhaps done more to improve their profile than any other team in the nation this past week.

-Seton Hall trailed Xavier by 11 at the half and it looked as though the tailspin they had been in would continue, but they absolutely dominated the second half and the final score ended up being an 86-68 blowout win for the Pirates.

-Wisconsin had to come from pretty far behind to beat Minnesota 67-63, but they were able to do it with a dominant second half and avoid what would have been a setback loss to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble.

-Belmont got a scare at Valparaiso, but escaped 78-77 to pick up another road win and keep themselves within reach of the bubble.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VMI AT THE CITADEL (SoCon). It’s our favorite college basketball rivalry!! The Citadel is at home and having a much better season than expected!! This one should be fun! It always is!!

-Colorado @ Iowa State (Big 12) – Iowa State should blow this one and remain solidly within range of a protected seed

-LeMoyne @ Long Island (NEC) – these are two of the better teams in the NEC and it’s a chance for Long Island to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the league

-UMBC @ Vermont (America East) – these two teams are tied atop the AEast standings and this is a pivotal game to determine who will end up in 1st place

-James Madison @ Troy (Sun Belt) – Troy is trying to hold on to first place in the SBC

-Liberty @ Middle Tennessee (Conference USA) – Liberty has been tested on the road and they’ve shown they can win games like this. If they can win out the committee should give them a serious look

-Florida Atlantic @ Memphis (American) – FAU is one of many teams that’s within reach of first place in the American

-UT Martin @ Eastern Illinois (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin is trying to hold on to their one game lead in the OVC

-Washington @ Illinois (Big Ten) – The Illini are suddenly playing as well as anyone in the conference and should be able to hold serve in this one

-Presbyterian @ High Point (Big South) – High Point is in a tie for first place with Winthrop

-UNC Wilmington @ Towson (CAA) – UNCW has just one conference loss, but they will likely be tested on the road tonight

-Montana @ Portland State (Big Sky) – Portland State is unbeaten in Big Sky play and can put even more distance between themselves and Montana with a home win tonight

-Hawaii @ UC Irvine (Big West) – it’s a late game, but it’s worth staying up for. It’s the two best teams in the Big West and a chance to see if Hawaii can win a really tough game on the road

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Nebraska had a lead at Michigan for most of the game, but Michigan stayed in it, got the lead late in the game, and held on to win 75-72. Nebraska had multiple chances at a game-tying 3 which would have sent it to overtime, but couldn’t get it to go down.

-Rutgers led Michigan State all throughout regulation, but in the final seconds Michigan State hit a game-tying 3 and Rutgers failed to convert what would have been a game winning shot in their last possession. Michigan State got control in the overtime and escaped 88-79.

-Purdue knew they were in for a battle when they traveled to Indiana last night, or at least they should have known that. Indiana pretty much held a lead for the entire game and while Purdue made some big plays late in the second half it was not enough to get them over the top. The Boilers suffer another loss 72-67. As for Indiana, this is a huge win both on and off paper that will move their profile forward.

-Virginia needed a couple of overtimes, but escaped Notre Dame 100-97 and avoided what would have been a second straight loss.

-Kentucky fell behind big and early to Vanderbilt, but we’ve seen Kentucky do this before and come back. Last night, Kentucky did not come back. They were blown off the floor 80-55 in what was one of Vandy’s more impressive showings of the season.

-Saint Louis nearly lost at home to George Washington and was behind for much of the game, but a late 3 gave them a 76-73 win and should keep them in the top 25.

-Miami OH won another thriller, and once again had to come from behind against what appears to be an inferior opponent to do it. They managed to get it done and held on to beat UMass 86-84.

-There was actually free admission to the Arkansas-Oklahoma game in Norman, Oklahoma due to bitterly cold temperatures, but the home crowd could not push the Sooners over the finish line. Arkansas got a road win, but only by 4 points.

-UCF escaped at home against Arizona State after the Knights overcame a late 12-point deficit to beat the Sun Devils. Jordan Burks hit a game-winning three to save UCF from a very damaging loss at home.

-I think we can officially pull the plug on Creighton. The Bluejays were mauled (and I do mean mauled) at Marquette 86-62.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-BUTLER AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Butler is inching closer and closer to the bubble and a strong finish to the season could land them inside of it. A win in a game like this could make the difference. Saint John’s continues to roll and is looking for their seventh straight win tonight.

-USC AT IOWA (Big Ten). Both teams really need this win. Both can land inside the bubble, but both still have a lot of work to do. Iowa doesn’t have any real wins of note on their profile, and even though this is a home game it’s at least something, and USC is a solid 4-2 on the road. As for USC, this would likely be another notable road win if they could get it and it would help make their resume look a little more solid.

-TENNESSEE AT GEORGIA (SEC). I like both teams and I expect both of them to not only make the field but land in the top half of the bracket. Having said that, to date Tennessee has just one true road win (albeit a good one against Alabama in their last game). If the can pick up this one today the value of their resume shoots way up.

-TEXAS AT AUBURN (SEC). Both teams have really kicked it into gear lately and picked up some big wins, but neither team can put it on cruise control at this point because both still have a lot of work to do. There should be a huge sense of urgency for both teams coming into this game.

-HOUSTON AT TCU (Big 12). TCU has won two straight and appears to have the train back on the tracks. The problem is that Houston is the kind of opponent that can absolutely derail your train. The Cougars are looking to rebound from a close road loss at Texas Tech and they aren’t the kind of team to take any conference road game lightly. TCU could really use this to shore up their profile, but even though they’re at home it’s a very tough game to win.

-STANFORD AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Stanford has been plagued with injuries and needs a win in a game like this to show they can still play at a high level. Miami FL is in our field, but their resume is a little flimsy and it’s important they hold serve in games like this one.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Davidson @ George Mason (Atlantic 10 ) – Mason is looking to rebound from a loss to Rhode Island. They should get a look from the committee if they win out, but anything short of that and they’ll likely need the auto bid

-California @ Florida State (ACC) – Cal finally got their first road win of the season over the weekend against rivals Stanford. This should be another challenging, but winnable, road game for them tonight

-Navy @ Boston U (Patriot League) – Navy is looking to stay on top of the Patriot League standings

-Austin Peay @ Eastern Kentucky (Atlantic Sun) – Austin Peay is in a race with Queens for first place, which a year ago would have meant a lot more when the conference tournament was at campus sites

-Xavier @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall is in a complete tailspin with four straight losses and there is a huge sense of urgency to this game tonight. They basically have to win it

-Belmont @ Valparaiso (Missouri Valley) – Belmont should win this game, but Valpo has proven to be a challenging place to win this year. I still think the committee will look at Belmont closely if they can win out

-North Texas @ Tulsa (American) – after a bit of a skid a couple weeks ago, Tulsa has now won four straight and should make it five tonight with a winnable home game. I don’t know if they’ll be inside the bubble or not, but if they win out they should at least get a look

-Florida @ South Carolina (SEC) – the Gators are looking to bounce back from a loss to Auburn over the weekend and this should be a winnable road game for them

-Illinois State @ Murray State (Missouri Valley) – Illinois State is a tough team, but they’ve stumbled a few too many times. Murray State is trying to keep pace with Belmont in the MVC standings

-South Florida @ Tulane (American) – South Florida is one of the more talented teams in the American and would be a dangerous team in the Round of 64 if they can get there.

-Minnesota @ Wisconsin (Big Ten) – It’s a rivalry game and it’s one that Wisky cannot afford to lose. They’re at home against a team that is nowhere near the bubble

-Colorado State @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – San Diego State is looking to remain atop the MWC standings and stay within reach of the bubble

-San Francisco @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – it’s a rivalry game, and it’s one that Santa Clara needs to win in order to stay within reach of the bubble

-UCLA @ Oregon (Big Ten) – UCLA appears to have come to life in the last week and has the chance to add another road win to their resume, which still needs some things added to it

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NEWS AND NOTES:

-Arizona had what appeared to be a comfortable 19pt lead at BYU with less than a minute to go and I was thinking it may be one of the most impressive single game performances of the season by any team. With less than 90 seconds to go the lead was 11, but BYU almost managed the comeback of all comebacks and had a chance to win the game on their last possession, but Arizona made a great defensive play and after two late freethrows escaped 86-83. This is Arizona’s second true road win against a team that is likely to earn a protected seed, so I think it’s safe to say their resume is pretty solid.

-Duke totally dominated Louisville in the second half and by the time the game was over it looked like they had played a home buy game. The final score was 83-52. Louisville continues to be less than stellar on the road.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are high in the rankings and as of right now both are within reach of a #1 seed. Nebraska is unbeteaten with a win at Illinois and Michigan has just one loss to Wisconsin. This would be the best win of the season for Nebraska if they’re able to pull it off and despite being at home it would also be one of Michigan’s better wins. It’s two titans clashing in what should be a fun showcase game with potential #1 seed implications.

-ARKANSAS AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). Arkansas has just one true road win and needs some more of those on their profile. Oklahoma has just one SEC win and needs some more of those on their profile. The Sooners are coming off a crazy loss to Missouri so they may have a chip on their shoulders in this one.

-MISSOURI AT ALABAMA (SEC). Missouri is hovering around our bubble, but is playing a lot better now than they were earlier in the season and is trending in the right direction. A win today would slingshot them up the seedlist and give their profile a huge boost. Having said that, winning at Alabama is much easier said than done. The Tide are coming off a home loss to Tennessee and should have a big chip on their shoulders tonight.

-PURDUE AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Indiana is on our board but outside our bubble. A win like this would make a huge difference for them even though they are at home. It’s a road test for Purdue, but we have them projected as a solid protected seed and it’s a road test they should be able to pass. It’s also a huge rivalry game, so it’ means something both on and off paper.

-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky is trending up with five straight wins, all of them hard fought. Vanderbilt has slipped a little bit, but ended a three game losing streak with a blowout win over Mississippi State in their last game. This would be a resume-building win for whichever team can pull it off.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Northwestern State @ Stephen F Austin (Southland) – SFA will stay on top of the SLC standings if they can hold serve in this one

-Michigan State @ Rutgers (Big Ten) – This should be a winnable conference road game for Michigan State

-Virginia @ Notre Dame (ACC) – Virginia is coming off a home loss to North Carolina and needs to rebound. This should be a winnable conference road game for them

-Arizona State @ UCF (Big 12). UCF should be able to hold serve at home in this one against an Arizona State team that has really been struggling

-Toledo @ Akron (MAC) – Miami OH is getting a lot of love in this conference, but Akron is not far behind them. They should be able to hold serve in this one

-Providence @ Connecticut (Big East) – the first matchup was a battle, and UConn has been playing with fire in their last few games, but it’s still one they should get at home

-George Washington @ Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) – SLU is climbing the rankings with just one loss on the season. They should be able to hold serve in this one

-Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – VA Tech is a bubble team that needs to hold serve at home against a GA Tech team that’s nowhere near the bubble

-UMass @ Miami OH (MAC) – Miami should be able to win at home and remain unbeaten

-Creighton @ Marquette (Big East) – If Creighton is going to claw their way back inside the bubble they need to keep stringing together wins. They can/should improve to 7-3 in Big East play with a win tonight

-Grand Canyon @ Nevada (Mountain West) – The Lopes are on a roll and can keep themsevles within reach of 1st place in the MWC with a win tonight

-New Mexico @ UNLV (Mountain West) – this is a dangerous road game for the Lobos given how well UNLV has been playing, but it’s still one they should be able to win