Hoops HD

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

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (or lack thereof):

-There are very few games today due to postponments and rescheduling because of the Winter Storm Rocco. You can get all the updates on schedule changes on ROCCO MILLER”s X FEED

-USC AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Both teams are inside the bubble right now and both appear to be starting to play better, but both still have some work to do and this is a chance for each team to give their resume a bit of a boost.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American) – these are two of the teams in the race for the American. While neither is likely to land inside the bubble, both are potentially dangerous opponents in the Round of 64.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Connecticut was pushed to the limit (again), but escaped with a win (again). Villanova stayed with UConn the entire time and forced the game into overtime, but UConn pulled away in the extra period for the 75-67 win. UConn has not lost since top ranked Arizona beat them on November 19th, but their last five games have either been overtime wins or wins by 5pts or less.

-Illinois got a massive road win as they went to Purdue and pulled off an 88-82 victory that will boost what was already a very solid profile. To say they are now clearly a protected seed is sort of stating the obvious. There were also a lot of standout performances from freshmen across the country, but Keaton Wagler topped them all with an astounding 46 points (including 9 3-pointers).

-Texas Tech avenged their 4pt loss at Houston earlier this season with a 4pt win over Houston at home yesterday. It was a high scoring first half despite both teams being fantastic defensively, and Texas Tech held on for a 90-86 win. I’d say these teams are pretty much totally even in terms of how good they are. Even in a losing effort, Houston freshman Kingston Flemings had 42 points for the Coogs.

-North Carolina, who had been less than stellar on the road this year, picked up a huge road win yesterday at Virginia 85-80. The Hoos had been looking like a protected seed, so this was a big time win for the Tar Heels, and one that they kind of needed to help secure them in the top half of the bracket.

-Auburn, who needed a big win in the worst way, got what was easily their biggest win of the season as they knocked off Florida in Gainesville 76-67. This was perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the day given how well Florida had been playing and now much Auburn had been struggling. Auburn had not won in the Swamp since 1996.

-Tennessee, who hadn’t won a game on the road all year, got a big one yesterday as they knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa 89-83. Much was made of Alabama’s addition of Charles Bediako to the team. It didn’t help the Tide yesterday (and may have inspired the Vols instead).

-Nebraska trailed Minnesota at the half, but was not trailing at the end of the game. They totally dominated down the stretch and the 76-57 win makes it look as if the game was a blowout. The Huskers may well be a #1 seed now and could cement it further should they win at Michigan in a couple of days.

-Gonzaga got a huge battle from San Francisco in the Kennel, but escaped with a 68-66 win. Gonzaga led by as much as 14 in the second half, but San Francisco battled back and had a shot in the final seconds to win the game, but the 3pointer did not go down.

-Texas, who is having a very hot and cold season, was hot yesterday. They blew a pretty good Georgia team off the floor 87-67 and are now making a strong case that they belong inside the bubble.

-BYU won the second leg of the Holy War 91-78 yesterday. Freshman AJ Dybantsa had 43 points in the Cougars’ win; this shattered the school record for points by a freshman that had previously held by Danny Ainge.

-Rick Pitino picked up his 900th career win, and it came against his son as Saint John’s overcame a 16-point 2nd half deficit to beat Xavier on the road 88-83. Xavier has battled in a lot of their losses, but come up just a few points short. Their last three losses have been by 5pts or less.

-George Mason, whose record was much better than their schedule, suffered a major setback yesterday as they fell on the road to Rhode Island 74-65. The thing about George Mason is that their schedule is just too weak for them to afford really any losses.

-Every year I say I’m not going to get tricked into thinking Dayton is good. Every year there is a point to where I think Dayton actually is good, and every year they prove once again that they are not. And this year it has happened again. I was really starting to like them, but they followed up a loss to La Salle earlier in the week with an 81-74 loss to Saint Joseph’s yesterday and I’m pretty much done with them.

-Missouri hit a 3pt shot at the buzzer against Oklahoma to force overtime, and then hit a 3pt shot at the end of OT for the win. Mizzou escaped 88-87 and avoids a home loss to a team outside the bubble, which would have set them back.

-Murray State, who I thought had a chance at making a run at the bubble, really hurt themselves yesterday as they lost at Northern Iowa 81-76. Northern Iowa is good, and it’s not easy to win there, but like I always say…landing inside the bubble requires teams to win games that are hard to win.

-TCU played themselves closer to the bubble (and maybe in for some bracketologists) after getting a road win at Baylor yesterday. Baylor suddenly finds itself 1-6 in conference play, although they could potentially play spoiler to a number of teams as we approach February.

-Seton Hall = OUCH!!! The 87-80 loss at DePaul is going to leave a mark! This is Seton Hall’s fourth straight loss and they are now in a major tailspin. What looked like a top 25 caliber team at one point is now looking like they may fall all the way outside the bubble. Don’t look now, but DePaul has now won four straight conference games at home and could actually get to .500 in the Big East if they win their next game at Georgetown.

-California got a really big road win at Stanford 78-66, which is both a win over a rival and a win that will really help their case for making the NCAA Tournament. Prior to yesterday I would have said I thought Stanford was the better team. Now, with injuries hitting Stanford and with the result of this game, it looks as though Cal might be the ACC’s team to watch in the Bay Area.

Some Under the Radar notes…

-Queens fell to West Georgia 74-66 for their first loss in ASun play

-Merrimack beat Saint Peter’s 67-59 to draw even in the conference standings

-Troy actually won a game in regulation! They knocked off Georgia Southern on the road 83-78 to improve to 8-1 in Sun Belt play

-Portland State is still perfect in Big Sky play after a tough 69-66 road win at Idaho.

-Cal Baptist, who dropped their first three WAC games, has now won five straight and pulled even with Utah Valley in the WAC standings with their 78-71 win yesterday.