Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

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-Xavier had been on an absolute rampage and hadn’t lost since November 27th, but they went into DePaul last night and it was one of those games that was close all throughout and you kept waiting for Xavier to get control of it, but they just never did.  After missing several close looks on their last few possessions, they lost 73-72 in a somewhat surprising upset even though Xavier was the road team.  This isn’t that much of a setback, and Xavier is still very much on pace to earn a protected seed, but it is at least a bit of a setback for a team that was so red hot.

-TCU fell way behind at West Virginia last night, then came back and it looked like they were going to pull off a big come from behind win on the road, but West Virginia regained control and ended up with the 74-65 win, which was their first Big 12 win of the season.  The Mountaineers still have a lot of work to do, but this was a big first step.

-In just a few weeks UConn has gone from looking like a #1 seed to looking like a team that won’t get out of the Round of 64.  They’ve now lost five of their last six, and their last two losses were to teams that look like NIT teams at best.  They appeared to be in control at Seton Hall last night, but floundered down the stretch after having a 14pt lead at the half, and ended up losing (again) 67-66.

-Marquette continues to play really well and beat a very good Providence team at home yesterday 83-75 to get some revenge from an overtime loss earlier in the year.  Both teams are playing at a high level, both are in the rankings, and both are looking very much like first ballot teams that could even end up as protected seeds if they keep it up.

-Arkansas continues to slide.  They fell 79-76 at Missouri last night and are now just 1-5 in SEC play.  Losing at Missouri in and of itself isn’t bad, but it’s the overall string of losses that is really starting to hurt the Razorbacks and move them down the seedlist.  They need to start stringing together wins if they want to even stay inside the bubble.  As for Missouri, their resume was a little flimsy as well, so this was a really nice home win for them.

-Last, and least, Ohio State is in real trouble.  They fell on the road to Nebraska last night 63-60, which really hurts because Nebraska doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the NIT, much less the NCAA.  Ohio State is now just 10-8 on the year with five straight losses, and two of those are coming to teams that are just smell really bad.  The committee is not going to be impressed by a resume like that.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-RUTGERS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Rutgers has won eight of their last night, is now in the rankings, and continues to climb the seedlist.  A win tonight should give them yet another big win on their resume.  It won’t be easy, though.  Michigan State nearly upset Purdue in their last home game and while they’ve lost two straight they had won seven in a row before that.  They are also trying to position themselves to where they are safely inside the bubble.

-MICHIGAN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Maryland is probably inside the bubble right now, but they can’t just put it on cruise control just yet.  They need to hold serve in games like this, which is never a given because one never knows what Michigan is going to do.  The Wolverines are outside the bubble, but have shown the ability to play at a high level this year and if they can just start consistently doing that they have the opportunities they need to build up their resume.

-INDIANA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Indiana has had issues with injuries, and that will be taken into consideration if they can get back to full strength by the time of the tournament, but right now they need some wins.  They did snap a three game losing streak in their last game against Wisconsin, but now they go on the road for a tough one against Illinois (who could also use some wins to boost their resume) and are just 1-4 in true road games so far, so a win today for the Hoosiers could really pivot them in the right direction.

-USC AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona has lost two of their last three, and neither loss was to a team that’s likely to make the field.  They’re still in excellent shape and will in all likelihood end up as a protected seed, but they are in a bit of a midseason funk right now.  USC is hovering around the bubble and a road win in a game like this would certainly help land them on the right side of it.

-UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Arizona State is hovering around the bubble and this is the kind of win that could really help them out even though they’re at home.  UCLA is a protected seed that is now up to 5th in the rankings and has a real shot at ending up as a #1 seed if everything lands right.  They’re 4-0 on the road this year, but this would actually be one of their better road wins.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Purdue @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – should be a winnable road game for a Purdue team that is on pace for a #1 seed
-Charleston @ Monmouth (Colonial) – This is almost like a road buy game.  Charleston should win easily
-Wichita State @ Memphis (American) – Memphis is outside the bubble right now, but also within reach of it.  They need to hold serve in games like this
-Florida Atlantic @ UTSA (Conference USA) – FAU shouldn’t have too much trouble tonight despite being on the road
-Rice @ North Texas (Conference USA) – the margin for error for North Texas is basically zero, but they are good enough to win out and if they do they should at least get a serious look from the committee
-LMU @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga should cruise in this one
-Washington State @ Utah (Pac 12) – it is important that Utah hold serve in this in order to stay within reach of the bubble
-Saint Mary’s @ Pepperdine (West Coast) – this is a road game that SMC should be expected to win
-BYU @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – I like how Santa Clara is playing, but think they need to do just a little more between now and the end in order to land inside the bubble

NEWS, AND NOTES:

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-Purdue survivied a scare at Michigan State in a game that was close all throughout (and that the final minute seemed like it took an hour to play), and held on to pick up yet another impressive road win 64-63.

-Miami FL survived a scare from Syracuse, but escaped with an 82-78 win after trailing most of the game.  Syracuse has been playing better, but to get all the way back into a position to where they are on the bubble they’ll need to keep stringing together wins.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-HOUSTON AT TULANE (American).  It’s a showcase game for Tulane, they’re going to be way up for this one, and they have been playing well lately.  But at the end of the day Houston is a #1 seeded caliber team and Tulane looks more like an NIT team than an NCAA Tournament team.  But, a win tonight would be HUGE for them, so it should be fun.

-KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  When it comes to game atmospheres this one tonight may be among the best we’ll see all season.  K State is having a monster year, it looks like they’ll be a protected seed, and they’re hosting their big rivals who many feel should be the #1 overall seed right now.  Kansas certainly has a shot at becoming the #1 overall seed and a win tonight would be a huge step toward that.  This one is going to be tons of fun!!

-TENNESSEE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Tennessee is fighting to end up as a protected seed, and Mississippi State is fighting just to get into the field.  Tennessee is still ranked in the top ten and is looking to bounce back from a somewhat surprising home loss to Kentucky, and Mississippi State has lost five of their last six and are trying to snap out of that tailspin.

-NC STATE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC).  NC State has been playing really well and can continue to secure a spot inside the bubble.  This should be a winnable road game for them.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  UNC appears to be safely inside the bubble for now and just needs to hold serve in games like this where they’re playing teams at home that are nowhere near the bubble.

-CREIGHTON AT BUTLER (Big East).  Creighton is just 10-8 on the year and still doesn’t have a true road win this season.  This is perhaps the most winnable road game they have remaining and if they can’t take care of business tonight then they are in legitimate danger of missing the field entirely.

-KENT STATE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (MAC).  I still think there is a place for Kent State inside the bubble if they can either win out or come close to winning out.

-TEXAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  It’s yet another Big 12 matchup between two teams that are high in the rankings and competing for protected seeds.  That seems to be the storyline for nearly every Big 12 game this year.  Iowa State is coming off a close loss at Kansas, and Texas is also on a complete tear where they’ve strong together a lot of wins against a lot of good teams.

-ALABAMA AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Alabama has proven they can win tough games, and they should be able to get this one on the road tonight, but Vandy isn’t a cakewalk when they’re at home, and they just beat a fairly decent Arkansas team their last time out.

-PENN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Penn State is hovering around the bubble, and winning a road game like this against a very good Wisconsin team is a very good way to get inside the bubble.  Wisky has lost three in a row and needs this win tonight to help get things turned around.

-CLEMSON AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Wake is just a bubble team, but this might be Clemson’s toughest game of the year so far considering it’s on the road, and that Wake is unbeaten at home, and that they also really need this win to help them land on the right side of the bubble.  On paper this means quite a bit to both teams.

-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Baylor is one of the many teams in the Big 12 that’s fighting for a protected seed, and Texas Tech is still simply looking for their first win in conference play.

-GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  With the win at Tennessee, Kentucky seems to have pulled themselves out of the tailspin and has things turned around, but they need to keep stringing together wins in order for their stability to be…well…stable.  Georgia is fighting for a spot inside the bubble and a road win like this would be huge for them.

-UNLV AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Both teams are on the outside looking in, but both could still reach the bubble if they can string together some wins.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  New Mexico’s win at San Diego State changed the entire complexion of their season, and they now look like a team that is solidly inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they hold serve in games like this.

-NEVADA AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  I think Boise is inside the bubble and is good enough to remain there.  Nevada is fighting for a spot in the field and a win in a game like this would be huge for them.