NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Kansas, Tennessee, Kansas State, and Virginia all had to sweat a little bit at home, but all hung on to win conference home games. Tennessee and Virginia didn’t sweat quite as much, but Vanderbilt did keep it close against the Vols, and Virginia was in control for most of the second half against North Carolina. Oklahoma State was in the game the whole way with Kansas State before the Wildcats pulled away in the final couple of minutes, and Kansas actually trailed most of the game against Oklahoma before finally getting control in the last minute of the game.
-Michigan State picked up a huge 69-65 road win at Wisconsin, which puts them back on the map and should move them back up the seedlist. The Spartans have now won seven in a row, and the win last night was by far the most impressive in that stretch.
-Things just keep getting worse for Kentucky. Last night they lost at home to South Carolina 71-68. South Carolina jumped out to a big lead before the first media timeout, and then pretty much held it for the rest of the game. Kentucky did have three chances to force overtime at the end of regulation, but even if they had done so, and even if they had won, things are not well in Kentucky. South Carolina’s NET is in the 260s. Any tournament caliber team should be able to handle them in the same way they’d handle an opponent in a buy game.
-I had started to ignore Florida, but perhaps I should start paying attention again. They had a nice 67-56 road win at LSU last night and might be starting to turn it around. Having said that, they still have a ton of work to do to get back within reach of the bubble.
-Dayton has now won seven straight games, and has won each one of them handily, and is finally starting to look like the top 25 caliber team we thought they’d be at the beginning of the year. They absolutely pasted Fordham last night 82-58 on the road. The problem is they didn’t do enough out of conference to get the attention of the committee, and the Atlantic Ten is so weak this year that they won’t get the opportunities they need in conference to impress the committee either, so chances are they’ll need to win the Atlantic Ten Tournament to get into the NCAAs. But they are getting healthy after suffering injuries early on, and are really good. They may win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to get there.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VERMONT AT UMASS LOWELL (America East). This is an odd game to highlight because neither team will likely be near the bubble, but it’s still an interesting game because UMass Lowell has the bloated 14-3 record and is having perhaps their best season ever, and Vermont is talented enough to still win the league, and if they can get this one on the road you have to figure they’re going to be running down hill the rest of the way. Since first the first place team has home court advantage in the conference tournament, this game has some stakes to it.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT GEORGIA (SEC). This is going to be a tough road game for a Mississippi State team that’s trying to stay inside the bubble. They’re playing a Georgia team that’s having a decent year and that’s trying to get inside the bubble themselves.
-ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Both teams are in the rankings, and Alabama has some incredible wins this year already. Both are in the hunt for a protected seed, and if Bama can pick up yet another massive road win like this one you have to start thinking that they’ve got a chance of getting a #1 seed.
-UCONN AT MARQUETTE (Big East). UConn has lost their last two road games, and they’ll face yet another tough test today against a Marquette team that’s won seven of their last eight with the only loss being a close on at Providence, and who is really looking for a high caliber win to shine up their resume.
-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East). Creighton appears to be out of whatever slump they were in, but they still have some ground to make up. Xavier is looking like they’re good enough to get a protected seed, and they seem to be getting better and better, so a road win like this would help Creighton make up that ground.
-CHARLESTON AT UNC WILMINGTON (Colonial). This is perhaps Charleston’s toughest remaining game, and if they can pick this one up they have a real shot at winning out. It won’t be easy, though. UNC Wilmington is 12-3 on the year, has won 11 straight, and will be jacked way up for this one. You almost have to wonder if UNCW has an outside shot at making a run at the bubble if they can win out or come close to it.
-PITTSBURGH AT DUKE (ACC). Duke has not played as well as expected and appears to be in a bit of a tailspin. Pitt, on the other hand, has been a big surprise this year and even though they’re coming off a loss to Clemson they appear to be improving as the year goes on. If they can get this win at Duke, which isn’t impossible given how both teams have been playing, then it would give their resume another boost and move them up the seedlist even more.
-BAYLOR AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). Both teams are solidly inside our bubble (for now), but both have also been struggling some and could use a win in a game like this to give them some stability.
-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American). Neither team is solidly inside the bubble right now, but both are good enough to get there. I like this Memphis team some, and this UCF team some more. If UCF can blow through the rest of their schedule they should get the attention of the committee, but they need to win this game in order to do it.
-INDIANA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Indiana has a really nice win at Xavier, but other than that their resume is very bland. A win like this would certainly give them some stability. Penn State is within reach of the bubble as well, and a win like this could help them get a step closer.
-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). TAMU has won four in a row, but they really weren’t tested in any of those games. Mizzou is good, but if TAMU wants to make a statement that they belong in the tournament then they need to win home games like this one.
-TCU AT TEXAS (Big 12). Both teams are in the rankings, both have a legit shot at ending up as protected seeds, and if TCU can some how get this win on the road, that will especially be true for them. This one should be fun!
-RUTGERS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Both teams are looking like tournament teams, and both appear to be getting better as the season goes along, and whenever two teams like that end up playing each other it’s usually a lot of fun. It’s another chance for both teams to improve their resumes even more.
-BOISE STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). Both teams have good records, both are within reach of the bubble, and both could really use this win in order to help get them there.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Boston College @ Miami FL (ACC) – The Canes are having a fantastic year and should be able to hold serve in this one
-Virginia Tech @ Syracuse (ACC) – This should be a winnable road game for VA Tech
-Florida Atlantic @ FIU (Conference USA) – FAU is a team that has been inside our bubble for a while, and they should stay there so long as they take care of business in games like this
-South Florida @ Houston (American) – Houston will probably make this look like a buy game
-Louisiana Tech @ North Texas (Conference USA) – North Texas is 13-3 and should have a chance to make a run at the bubble if they keep winning at the clip they have been
-Louisville @ Clemson (ACC) – this should resemble a buy game for Clemson
-Florida State @ Wake Forest (ACC) – this should resemble a buy game for Wake
-Western Kentucky @ UAB (Conference USA) – UAB may be out of strikes, but if they can win out until the conference tournament the committee should still give them a serious look
-Utah Valley @ Cal Baptist (WAC) – not many have noticed Utah Valley yet, but if they can keep stringing together wins I think they’ll get the committee’s attention
-UC Santa Barbara @ Cal State Bakersfield (Gig West) – A win for UCSB will get them to a very impressive and very notable 13-2 on the year
