NEWS AND NOTES:
-Stalica may have been on to something when he was nervous about the Xavier-Georgetown game. The Hoyas led for 36 minutes of the game and it looked like Ed Cooley’s team was going to walk out of the Cintas Center with a back-breaking upset against Xavier. But Dailyn Swain and the Musketeers had different ideas in mind – he had a go-ahead dunk with 30 seconds left to give Xavier the lead for good.
-The last time Indiana won at Wisconsin, it was 1998 and Bob Knight was still the Hoosiers’ coach. They still have not won in Madison since 1998.
-Colorado State has played with fire since getting into Mountain West play and last night was no different; UNLV had a 9-point lead in the 2nd half before the Rams came back and took the lead for good at the 3-minute mark in the 2nd half. UNLV is going to be a major spoiler in this conference and could potentially cost the conference a bid or two (to Joby’s ultimate delight).
-Terrence Shannon Jr. has been granted a temporary restraining order by a federal judge to rejoin Illinois after being suspended indefinitely. Potentially, his next game back in an Illinois uniform would be tomorrow at home against Rutgers.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS (Big 12). Texas is a team that we have outside of our bubble, whereas Baylor is someone we have as a strong protected seed. The game is at Texas, but it would still be a huge and much needed win for the Longhorns if they’re able to pull it off.
-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Saint John’s was just blown out by Seton Hall, but they’ve still been playing a lot better and still look to be a solid tournament team. Marquette is a team with some really big wins already and is someone who we think is a solid protected seed and this would be another nice road win for them if they’re able to pull it off.
-CREIGHTON AT SETON HALL (Big East). Seton Hall is one of the hottest teams in the Big East right now. They’re 8-1 in their last nine games with some really nice wins in that stretch. Creighton is a team that we have solidly in the field and who could use a really big road win like this one to help push them back toward being a protected seed.
-OKLAHOMA AT CINCINNATI (Big 12). Cincinnati has been playing really well in recent weeks, especially at home. Oklahoma is still solidly in the rankings, and we had them pretty high up in our seedlist on Thursday, but I’m personally not quite as sold on them as everyone else because they have yet to win a true road game. Having said that, my opinion of them will completely change if they’re able to somehow pull this one out today.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). Boise State keeps playing better and better and will play their way inside the bubble if they keep it up. This is a huge game at home for them today against a San Diego State team that’s solidly in the field and looking to build up their own resume with what would be a really big road win if they’re able to pull it off.
-SOUTH CAROLINA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). We have South Carolina hovering around our bubble and a road win in a game like this would certainly help them out. Arkansas has had a disappointing year, but they did just pick up a win over a pretty good Texas A&M team (which snapped a three game losing streak). They are talented and they have the capability of turning things around.
-THE CITADEL AT VMI (SoCon). Neither team has won a conference game yet, but this is still one of my favorite rivalries in all of college basketball, which is why I always highlight it. The fact that neither team has won in conference actually makes it a little more interesting.
-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten). Purdue is one of the top teams in the nation, but they’ve struggled on the road in conference play (albeit not in their most recent road game). Iowa is outside the bubble, but is also starting to play a lot better and a win today could really boost their resume.
-UCF AT HOUSTON (Big 12). I think UCF is getting pretty close to the bubble and a win today may actually put them inside of it. Having said that, winning at Houston isn’t exactly something that’s just routinely done. Houston is in the mix for a 1-seed and should be able to hold serve at home.
-ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee is still in the mix of teams that could end up on the 1-line, but they’d have to really blow through the rest of the season in order to make that happen. They should win at home today, but this Alabama team is better than what a lot of people are giving them credit for. This would be their best win of the season to date if they’re able to pull it off, and I bet people will then start to really pay attention to them.
-IOWA STATE AT TCU (Big 12). Both teams are in the rankings and both have been playing well lately, but both still have quite a bit of room to improve their resumes. This would be a nice resume-enhancing win for whichever team pulls it off, especially for Iowa State since they are the road team and only have one true road win on the season so far.
-NORTHWESTERN AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). We have both teams in our field, but neither one of them are exactly virtual locks. Both have played well, both have nice wins, but both still need to do some more between now and the end.
-CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). While both of these teams are still pretty far apart, Clemson appears to be falling backward whereas Florida State, who’s 11-6 and 5-1 in ACC play with some pretty decent wins, appears to be building themselves up. Clemson needs the win to pull themselves out of their tailspin and stabilize their resume, and FSU needs the win to keep progressing toward playing their way into the discussion to make the field.
-TEXAS A&M AT LSU (SEC). LSU has been playing well in recent weeks and is starting to get our attention. TAMU has some good wins, but still has more work to do. A road win today would certainly help.
-NEW MEXICO AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). What New Mexico did last week was super impressive, but in order to really solidify their resume they need to beat someone…anyone…away from home. It’s not easy to win at AFA. They’re not an easy team to scout or play against. If they can get this one, even though it’s against a team that’s nowhere near the NIT, I still think it makes their resume look a ton better.
-GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). I really like how this Georgia team has been playing. They’ve won 11 of their last 12 with the only loss being a battle against Tennessee, and they’re coming off a really nice win on the road against South Carolina. Having said that, I think Kentucky is a solid top ten team, and winning on their court may be too tall of an order. If they are able to pull it off, though, it would almost assuredly land them inside our bubble.
-BYU AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). We actually had BYU in as a protected seed on our last bracket show, and while I personally don’t agree with that, my mind may be changed if they’re able to win this one on the road. Texas Tech could really use this win as well. They’re in the rankings, but their resume is still a little light when it comes to big wins.
-UCONN AT VILLANOVA (Big East). UConn is up to the top of the polls, and deservedly so. This won’t be an easy road game, but it’s still one they can definitely win. Having said that, Villanova looks to be a solid tournament team that could end up in the top half of the bracket, and who could give their resume a really nice boost if they’re able to pull off the upset at home.
-OLE MISS AT AUBURN (SEC). I’m impressed with what Ole Miss has done this year, and anyone who doesn’t think Chris Beard can coach is nuts, but I still think they’re being a little bit overvalued. Having said that, if they can win this one on the road, I will shut up and be all in on them. I really like this Auburn team, I actually think they’re good enough to be a protected seed by the end of the year, and think they’ll take care of business in this one.
-GRAND CANYON AT SEATTLE U (WAC). The Lopes are getting closer and closer to cracking the top 25, and while I think they’re still about a week or two away, it COULD happen this week! Having said that, this is probably one of their tougher road games. It’s a game they should win, but it’s not going to be a cakewalk. GCU should be in the rankings by the end of the year, and should be in the NCAA Tournament on the first ballot.
-SAINT MARY’S AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). We have Saint Mary’s right on the bubble right now, and a win today is something they kind of need on their profile. San Francisco has been playing really well, but they need to keep stringing together wins if they want to be in the mix for a bid come March.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
–Miami FL @ Syracuse (ACC) – both teams are outside the bubble and Miami in particular is in a bit of a tailspin. They both need to start stringing together wins to get back on the right side of it
–Virginia Tech @ NC State – VA Tech has some decent wins overall and NC State is 5-1 in ACC play, but both still have work to do if they want to make the field
–Louisville @ Wake Forest (ACC) – Wake is perhaps heading in the right direction, but they still have a long way to go. They need to hold serve at home in this one
–Penn State @ Ohio State (Big Ten) – We have Ohio State outside the bubble right now, and they’ll fall even further back if they can’t hold serve at home in this one
–George Washington @ UMass (Atlantic 10) – I don’t know if GW will make it all the way to the bubble or not, but they’re having a good year and a win gets them to 15-3 on the season
–Rhode Island @ Dayton (Atlantic 10) – if Dayton continues to blow through the league they could at least be in the discussion for a protected seed
–Western Carolina @ Furman (Socon) – WCU did suffer a home loss earlier in the week, but a win still gets them to 16-3 on the season
–Princeton @ Columbia (Ivy League) – It’s a road game, but it should be a winnable conference road game for Princeton and move them to 15-1 on the year while remaining unbeaten in the Ivy
–North Carolina @ Boston College (ACC) – UNC is on our 1-line, and while it’s not easy to win on the road this is the kind of game that 1-seeds are expected to be able to win
–Vanderbilt @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Mississippi State is on our bubble and they need to hold serve in this one
–Kansas @ West Virginia (Big 12) – This should be a winnable road game for a Kansas team that’s struggled at times, but has pulled it out most of the time and is still fighting for a spot on the 1-line
–UCLA @ Arizona (Pac 12) – this is a big rivalry game, but this particular edition of it happens to be a mismatch. Arizona should roll at home
–Fresno State @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State is safely in our field and headed toward going in on the first ballot if they can keep holding serve
–DePaul @ Butler (Big East) – Butler has had some close losses and would be in much better shape had they pulled out a few of them. A loss today would really sink them, though
–Washington State @ California (Pac 12) – Wazzu is outside the bubble, but they’ve been playing better and they may be able to reach it if they can keep stringing together wins
–Virginia @ Georgia Tech (ACC) – Virginia needs to string together lots of wins, including lots of road wins, just to get themselves into the discussion
–Evansville @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – Drake is looking like the new MVC frontrunner and a win today gets them to 16-3 on the year
–Mercer @ Samford (SoCon) – Samford can get to an amazing 17-2 on the season with a win today
–McNeese @ Incarnate Word (Southland) – McNeese continues to roll along and has a shot at landing inside the bubble if they blow through the entire Southland
–Oregon State @ Colorado (Pac 12) – Colorado is just outside our bubble and needs to hold serve today in order to hold their spot
–Oklahoma State @ Kansas State (Big 12). K State is a very respectable 13-4 on the year, but is still squarely on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it. They need to hold serve in this one
–Nevada @ Wyoming (Mountain West) – It’s not easy to go on the road and win at Wyoming, but it’s the kind of game that a tournament caliber team like Nevada should be able to win
–Pittsburgh @ Duke (ACC) – Pitt has done some decent things this year, but Duke is playing really well and should get this one on their home court
–Florida @ Missouri (SEC) – Every time it looks like Florida is about to break through, they lose. They’ve now lost three out of four and really can’t afford to lose this one
–Gonzaga @ San Diego (West Coast) – Gonzaga basically needs to win out in order for me to feel they are safely in
