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-There were only two games of note that were played last night; both of them involved the Big East. Xavier outran Georgetown 102-89 and could have been even more had the Musketeers not been sloppy in the 1st half. Our own Jon Teitel was in the house and will have more to say about this game later on.

-Marquette still seems angry about being picked to finish ninth in the conference and ended up getting a double-digit win against a Creighton team that has literally and figuratively flown south for the winter in the absence of Ryan Kalkbrenner. At least the Jays have Butler and DePaul at home before the holiday break mercifully arrives.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-INDIANA AT KANSAS.  Indiana has looked really good this year and is laying the ground work for getting a protected seed.  Kansas has looked even better and appears to be laying the ground work for a #1 seed.  Protected seeds rarely lose at home, even when they’re playing other protected seeds, so this would be one of the more impressive singular wins that any team manages this entire season if Indiana were to somehow pull it off.

-MISSOURI AT UCF.  UCF is a team that’s good enough to land inside the bubble.  Missouri is coming off their first loss of the season and is looking to rebound, but it won’t be easy.  One of the things that both teams could use right now is notable wins on their profile and this game gives both of them that opportunity.

-WAKE FOREST AT RUTGERS.  Both teams have shown the potential to be good, but both also have work to do.  This is a game between two teams who could both land inside the bubble, but who still need some notable wins.

-PROVIDENCE AT SETON HALL (Big East).  It’s the conference opener for both teams, but this game still has a bit of a pivotal feel to it as both teams still have a lot of work to do if they want to get the committee’s attention.

-ALABAMA VS GONZAGA (CM Newton Classic, Birmingham AL).  Alabama is coming off a huge win at Houston, has risen as high as #4 in the rankings, and is starting to show that they can contend for a #1 seed.  Gonzaga has probably fallen short of expectations so far, but they are still a really good team and a win today would almost immediately get their season turned back around and they’d once again be looking like a top ten caliber team.

-HOUSTON AT VIRGINIA.  Both teams are in the top five.  This is the toughest game on Houston’s schedule by far, and they are looking to bounce back after the home loss to Alabama.  If they can beat Virginia on the road, it is clear sign that they are a #1 seed caliber team and good enough to win it all.  It should be a defensive battle, as that’s what both teams are known for.

-INDIANA STATE AT DUQUESNE.  Indiana State is starting to stand out as being one of the best teams in the Missouri Valley, but the margin for error is small if they want to land inside the bubble.  Duquesne is having a much better year than what they normally do and it won’t be easy to win on the road there, but if the Trees want to land inside the bubble then they need to be able to win games that aren’t easy to win.

-DEPAUL AT NORTHWESTERN.  Northwestern is 7-2, has played pretty well and picked up some decent wins, and are showing signs of being a possible tournament team.  They need to hold serve in this one against their in-town rivals.

-NORTH CAROLINA VS OHIO STATE (CBS Sports Classic, New York NY).  North Carolina has gone into a bit of a tailspin, and while they have won their last two they weren’t tested in either of those games like they will be today.  For Ohio State it’s a chance to put another notable win away from home on their resume.

-NORTHWESTERN STATE AT RICE.  Had you told me before the season started we’d be highlighting this game I’d have said you were nuts, but Northwestern State is 8-2 with the big win at TCU, and Rice is a very respectable 7-3 and played really well at Texas in their last game, so both teams are making some noise this year.

-UMASS VS NORTH TEXAS (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Springfield MA).  Both teams are 8-2 and both have a shot at making a run at the bubble, but both need wins in games like this one in order to do it.

-CORNELL AT SYRACUSE.  Cornell is off to a surprising 7-2 start and took Miami FL to the wire on the a short time ago.  Syracuse has struggled some this season, and if Cornell can knock them off we really need to start looking at the Big Red.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT UNLV.  This is a hugely important game between a San Francisco team that has played well, but could still use a really big win like this to really boost the level of their resume, and a UNLV team that’s unbeaten but still looking for a little bit of respect.  Both teams have played well and both have some decent wins, but this would be one of the better wins so far for whichever team is able to pull it off.

-UCLA VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic, New York NY).  UCLA just blew Maryland to the moon on the road earlier this week, and is looking as good as any team in the country right now.  Kentucky hasn’t hit their stride yet, but this is usually about the time of year where that starts to happen.  This is a showcase game between two likely protected seeds who are each looking for a really big win.

-UTAH AT BYU.  This is perhaps the most bitter rivalry in the country.  Utah is off to a really good start and on paper this would be a really nice road win for them, but this game probably means more off the court than it does on paper.

-TEXAS A&M AT MEMPHIS.  Memphis has played really well this season and nearly knocked off Alabama in their last game.  Texas A&M has struggled this year, but they still have a lot of talent and a win in a game like this would completely turn things around for them.  You get the sense that both teams kind of want/need this one so they can make a statement.

-DRAKE AT SAINT LOUIS.  Both teams had high expectations coming into the year, and while both teams have played fair, neither have played as well as expected.  Both still have the potential to blow through their leagues and and inside the bubble.  This game is between two teams who need to play better, and that gives this a bit of a pivotal feel.

-TENNESSEE AT ARIZONA.  Both teams are in the top ten, both have looked really good and earned those rankings, and both have some big wins already.  This is another showcase game between two possible protected seeds who are looking to add a big time win to their resume.  That would especially be true for Tennessee since they are the road team.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Saint John’s vs Florida State (Orange Bowl Classic) – The Johnnies have just one loss on the year and they need to hold serve in this one against the Noles.
-Sam Houston @ Texas State – Sam Houston can get to 9-2 on the year and pick up their 4th true road game. Their metrics are still really good
-Toledo @ Marshall – two really good UTR teams, so this one should be fun (also the UTR Game of the Day)
-Tulane vs George Mason (Legends of Basketball Showcase) – Tulane needs to start stringing together wins if they want to get back on the committee’s radar
-Bradley @ Arkansas (Game in Little Rock AR) – Bradley is decent, but Arkansas is a likely protected seed
-Grambling @ Virginia Tech – this is a buy game, but as well as Grambling has played this year it’s at least worth paying attention to and seeing how they play today
-Villanova at Saint Joseph’s (Big Five) – it’s probably the signature rivalry in the Big Five, but it’s also a huge mismatch and Nova is still a ways from the Bubble
-Temple @ Ole Miss – Ole Miss needs to hold serve in games like this if they want to keep the bubble within reach
-Davidson @ Purdue – Purdue is the top ranked team and will almost assuredly stay that way so long as they hold serve in this one
-UConn @ Butler (Big East) – it’s never easy to win on the road, and Butler is at least a decent team, but UConn has looked as good as anyone in the country so far this year and this is a winnable conference road game for them
-Nebraska vs Kansas State (Wildcat Classic, Kansas City MO) – K State has just one loss and should be able to hold serve in this one
-Richmond vs Clemson (Greenville SC) – Clemsons should be able to hold serve in this one and get to 9-3
-Portland @ Oregon – Oregon needs to start stringing together wins if they want to get their season turned back around
-Oklahoma State @ Wichita State – I had high expectations for Oklahoma State this year and so far they haven’t lived up.  A road win today would help, but they really need to put together a string of wins
-UC Santa Barbara @ Portland State – a win for UCSB gets them to 8-2 on the year and gives them their 2nd true road win
-Vanderbilt @ NC State – NC State is perhaps within arms length of the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this

BUY GAMES:

-Saint Francis U @ Miami FL
-Northern Iowa @ Towson – Towson can’t afford too many more losses
-North Florida @ Pittsburgh
-Nicholls @ Mississippi State
-Central Arkansas @ Oklahoma
-Alabama A&M @ Illinois
-Lipscomb @ Michigan
-Jackson State @ Texas Tech
-Winthrop @ LSU
-SEMO @ Iowa
-Idaho State @ Washington