Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

It didn’t look like it would be that eventful of an evening, but….

-Wisconsin jumped all over Michigan State in the first couple minutes of the game.  Michigan State jumped back, tied it up, then got the lead, then got a bigger lead, and pretty much held it the rest of the way for a hugely impressive and important 86-74 road win.

-Illinois and Maryland was close for a while, but then it was blown open.  That wouldn’t be surprising if it wasn’t Maryland that blew it open.  The Terps stunned an Illini team that seemed to be heading toward a protected seed 81-65. Yes, the Illini were without Kofi Cockburn for this one, but that is a bad sign if he’s not able to play for an extended period of time.

-Just yesterday I had said that I thought Ohio U could land inside the bubble if they dominated the MAC the rest of the way.  I also said I felt they were good enough to win out.  So naturally Toledo blew their doors off 87-69.  Ohio U did cut a big lead down to just 6, but Toledo got control of the game again and blew it open down the stretch. While not an at-large worthy team yet, are the Rockets now the team to beat in the MAC?

-An Under the Radar note…Wagner needed overtime to get by Long Island, but they managed to hold on 92-85, stay unbeaten in the NEC, and improve to 11-2 on the year.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SYRACUSE AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke is still within reach of a #1 seed and should be able to hold serve at home in this one.

-VILLANOVA AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Nova is looking to rebound from a loss to Marquette, and this appears to be a winnable game against a struggling Georgetown team even though they’re on the road.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  WVU looks to be solidly in the field, but they have dropped some games recently.  Unfortunately for them they have another tough assignment today against a suddenly red hot Texas Tech team that’s looking like they’ll end up as a protected seed if they keep winning at the clip they have been.

-SETON HALL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Seton Hall is in good shape and while winning at Saint John’s isn’t easy, it’s doable for a team that looks like they can land in the top half of the bracket.

-RUTGER AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Both teams have work to do just to get onto the board, but both appear to have the potential and the opportunities to get there.  A win today would certainly help.

-KENTUCKY AT AUBURN (SEC).  Kentucky appears to be hitting their stride, but as good as they’ve been playing winning a road game against a team that looks like they could end up as a #1 seed is a very tall order.  Still, it’s a good litmus test for the Wildcats.

-VANDERBILT AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Florida is straddling the bubble, so it goes without saying that they need to avoid losing home games to teams that are way outside the bubble.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Texas’s resume is flimsy at best.  They will have chances to shore it up, but they need to start stringing together some notable wins.

-FLORIDA STATE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  This is a bubblicious game between two teams that have had their ups and downs this season, but seem to be playing really well now.  It’s a rivalry game between two teams that could really use the win.

-DAVIDSON AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten).  Davidson is in good shape and will stay that way so long as they avoid any setbacks.  Although Fordham is much better this year than what we are used to seeing, losing to them would still qualify as a setback.

-COLORADO STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West) (Front Range).  We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!!  Colorado State continues to be the flagship team for both the Mountain West and the Front Range this year, and will remain in good shape so long as they’re able to pick up this win.

-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Baylor is still within range of a #1 seed, but in their last three games they have struggled.  Oklahoma is hovering around the bubble and could really shore themselves up if they’re able to win this one.  Its’ much easier said than done, though.

-MISSOURI STATE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago is in great shape and should land in the top half of the bracket so long as they continue to run through the Missouri Valley.

-KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  This looks to be a mismatch, but it’s also a rivalry, and it’s never easy to win a rivalry game on the road.  I think Kansas can still end up as a #1 seed, and while K State isn’t in our field right now, they have shown signs of being a tournament caliber team and will have the opportunities to get there if they can string together some wins.

-TCU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  TCU is a fringe bubble team, and Iowa State is a fringe protected seed.  TCU certainly needs it more, but it would be a nice win for Iowa State as well.

-UAB AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA).  UAB is on the bubble.  The problem is that they don’t appear to have enough opportunities to land squarely inside of it short of winning out, but LA Tech is another team that’s having a great year, is among the best in CUSA, and this would qualify as a good road win for UAB if they can pull it off.

-VIRGINIA AT NC STATE (ACC).  If Virginia is going to get it together, then now is the time to start.

-PENN STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Iowa is inside the bubble, but I wouldn’t exactly consider them safe.  They certainly need to hold serve at home against teams that are nowhere close to the bubble.

-DEPAUL AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  I really like this Creighton resume and certainly look for them to end up in the top half of the bracket.  They should be able to hold serve at home in this one.

-EAST CAROLINA AT HOUSTON (American).  Seemingly no matter how many setbacks Houston suffers they just keep winning.  They have another winnable home game today.

-LSU AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Both teams are very safely inside the bubble, but both resumes have room to improve, and a win today would help out either team.

-MISSOURI AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Bama shouldn’t have any trouble today against a Mizzou team that has struggled all year long.

-USC AT UTAH (Pac 12).  This should be some low hanging fruit for a USC team that had a nice win against Colorado their last time out.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast).  San Francisco is coming off a loss at Gonzaga, but that’s hardly a setback.  Losing today would be a setback, though.

-NEW MEXICO AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  Wyoming continues to be squarely on our bubble, so every game has a sense of urgency to it.  They need to hold serve at home against teams that are nowhere near the bubble.

-UT MARTIN AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  I think Murray State is good enough to run the table in this league, and if they do they won’t need to win the conference tournament in order to make the field.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Both of these teams have a ton of work to do, so both could really use this win tonight.  Wake is closer to the bubble (and perhaps on it) than UNC is, but both really need this win.

-TEXAS A&M AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  This is another bubblicious match-up between two teams who could really use this win.

-UCLA AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  UCLA appears to be on track to get a protected seed, but they could be tested on the road today.  Colorado isn’t a tournament team, but winning in their building is hardly ever a guarantee.

-PORTLAND AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU should have no issues in this one.  It’s a virtual buy game.

-BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  This game is simply a hugely important game between two good teams.  Both have a chance to make the NCAAs, but neither appear to be heading towards a lock, so both could really use this win tonight.

-SAINT MARY’S AT LMU (West Coast).  SMC shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up this one on the road.

-ARIZONA STATE AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Stanford got blasted the other night against Arizona, and is still outside the bubble, but it is within reach.  Having said that, they can’t afford to lose this one at home.

-NORTHERN COLORADO AT EASTERN WASHINGTON (Big Sky). The NoCoEWU Cup will finally be played in front of a full crowd for the first time in two seasons! Oh, and there are regular season championship implications for this game as well.

NEWS AND NOTES:

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-Indiana continues to improve both on paper and on the court.  They had a big win against rival Purdue last night 68-65.  The game was close all throughout, the the Hoosiers led for most of the way.  It was a home win, but it still looks really good on their resume.

-UCLA had to sweat a lot more than expected at Utah, but still held on for a 63-58 win.

-San Francisco had a fantastic start to their game at Gonzaga, but as expected the Zags got control at the second half and cruised to a 78-62 win.  It doesn’t set San Francisco back at all, though.  No one is going to get dinged for not winning at Gonzaga.

-USC needed a big win, and got one yesterday at Colorado.  Colorado isn’t a team that is inside the bubble, but it is still a really tough place to win.

-SMU picked up a decent road win at Memphis last night.  They are still outside the bubble, but appear to be within reach of it.

-Belmont is probably outside the bubble now, and it’s going to be very tough for them to get back inside of it.  They fell at Morehead State last night 83-74 in a game that probably wasn’t even as close as the score indicated.

-New Mexico State lost badly at Sam Houston 71-46.  This is a surprising result for a team that we thought was among the top Under the Radar teams, and had a chance of being solidly in the discussion for an at-large bid at the end of the year.

-Boise State picked up another decent win at Utah State 62-59 to keep them well within reach of the bubble.  Their margin for error is small, but they do have a path to making the field.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-TOLEDO AT OHIO U (MAC).  These are the top two teams in the MAC.  I think Ohio U can get inside the bubble if they can win out, and I think they’re good enough to do it.

-ILLINOIS AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  This is a winnable road game for an Illinois team that’s got a good resume and looks like they will continue to build on it.

-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten).  I haven’t given up on the Bonnies yet, but I’m close.  They need to put together a long string of wins just to get back into the conversation.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  This is a big time resume building opportunity for both these teams.  Both look to be solid protected seeds, and Wisconsin appears to have a path to a #1 seed.

NEWS AND NOTES:

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-If you didn’t believe in Marquette before last night, then you should believe in them now.  They’ve strung together several impressive wins, and perhaps the most impressive was last night’s road win at Villanova.  Marquette’s resume continues to improve and they continue to climb our seedlist.  On the flip side, Nova isn’t quite as impressive as we thought they were at the beginning of the season.  They are still really good, but it’s just that they are probably more Sweet Sixteen good than they are Final Four good right now.

-Kentucky got a big road win at Texas A&M.  The Aggies were 14-2 coming into last night, and were really jacked for the game.  They also needed a signature win to help build up their resume, so this was a good team playing at home, and Kentucky beat them 64-58, which really makes UK’s resume look a little bit better.

-Alabama picked up a big 70-67 win against LSU that helps them out.  They had hit a bit of a skid and whenever you beat a ranked team in.

-Xavier really had to sweat at DePaul and was behind for most of the game, but a missed shot at the buzzer by DePaul gave X the 68-67 win, which adds another road win to their resume.

-TCU was/is a fringe bubble team that could have really used a road win at Oklahoma State last night, but they came up just short 57-56.  In other big news from yesterday, Oklahoma State Assistant Coach Barry Hinson had THIS to say about butter!!!

-Iowa had been on a bit of a roll having won six of their last seven, but couldn’t get it done at Rutgers last night as they fell 48-46.  This will DEFINITELY knock the Hawkeyes down my personal seedlist!!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-GEORGETOWN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Providence is continuing to string together wins and build up their resume (which is already impressive).  They have another winnable home game tonight.

-INDIANA AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Indiana finally picked up a true road game in their last game, but tonight is a much taller order.  They seem to be squarely on the bubble right now, but a win tonight could catapult them inside of it.  Purdue looks to be a solid protected seed that still has an outside shot at the #1 line.  Oh yeah, and on top of all of that, this is a really big rivalry game.

-SAINT LOUIS AT UMASS (Atlantic Ten).  SLU is outside the bubble, but they may be close enough to it to reach it.  It goes without saying that they need this one on the road today.

-SMU AT MEMPHIS (American).  SMU is also outside the bubble, and if they want any hopes of reaching it then this is the kind of game that they’re going to have to be able to win.

-BELMONT AT MOREHEAD STATE (Ohio Valley).  Belmont is coming off a home loss to Murray State, but they should still be okay for being in a position to get an at-large so long as they don’t lose to anyone else.  They may get a bit of a challenge tonight seeing as how Morehead State is unbeaten at home.

-USC AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  USC is in a bit of a tailspin, and while they aren’t in any danger of missing the field, they are looking less and less like a protected seed.  Winning at Colorado isn’t easy, so this game has a bit of a pivotal feel to it.  If the Trojans can pull it off they add a nice win to their resume.  If they can’t then their tailspin continues.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT SAM HOUSTON (WAC).  We haven’t had New Mexico State on our board all year, but they are 15-2 and it looks like they may be good enough to win out.  If they do that, then I can’t imagine that the committee would not give them a serious look.

-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  Murray looks to be inside the bubble and will likely stay there so long as they hold serve.

-UCONN AT BUTLER (Big East).  This is a winnable road game for a UConn team that already has a really impressive resume.

-BOISE STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Boise State is squarely on our bubble, and they’ve got a bit of a road test tonight against a Utah State team that isn’t on our board, but that is still tough to beat at home.

-SAN DIEGO AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU shouldn’t have any trouble holding serve in this one.  It’s a virtual buy game.

-SANTA CLARA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s is in our field, but they’re in the bottom half and can hardly skate the rest of the way.  This is a winnable road game against a decent Santa Clara team, and SMC needs to take care of business.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  San Francisco is having a good year and if they keep going like they have been they should be able to make the field.  Winning at Gonzaga is a very tall order, though.  But, sometimes when people take a shot at the moon, they hit it!

-ARIZONA AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Stanford has been playing better, but they still have work to do if they want to get to where their resume puts them safely in the field.  Having said that, beating Arizona would qualify as “doing a lot of work.”  Arizona has a shot at a #1 seed, but they pretty much need to blow through the Pac 12 in order to get it.

-UCLA AT UTAH (Pac 12).  Road games are rarely easy, but this one is certainly manageable.  The Bruins look to be a solid protect ed seed and Utah has a lot of work to do just to get to the NIT.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Baylor got a battle from West Virginia, but held on to win and snap their two game losing streak 77-68.  Like any Big 12 road win, it looks good on their resume.

-Florida State and Duke seemed to seesaw back and forth, but FSU ended up picking up a much needed overtime win 79-78 in a game that came down to the last possession.  It was the 13th straight overtime win for Florida State, and more importantly for this year it was a much needed quality win on their resume.

-Kansas got all they wanted from Oklahoma, but pulled out a 67-64 win on the road.

-Wisconsin got a battle from Northwestern, but was able to hold serve 82-76 and add yet another road win to their resume.

-Texas Tech was in complete control agains Iowa State throughout the second half, and the 72-60 final score isn’t indicative of just how much the Red Raiders dominated.  They are suddenly one of the hottest teams in college hoops.  Well, minus the loss at Kansas State.  Speaking of K State…

-Texas needed to hold serve at home against K State, and failed to do so.  When you look at Texas on paper, they seem rather unspectacular to me, and when they fail to win at home against a team that does not appear to be solidly in the tournament field, that is a sign for alarm.

-Dayton blew out Saint Bonaventure, and are suddenly looking as good as anyone else in the Atlantic Ten on the court.  They probably won’t have the resume to make the NCAA Tournament without the auto-bid, but if they do win the auto  bid than their opponent in the Round of 64 better watch out.

-Iona needed overtime at Monmuth, but ended up getting a hugely important 86-85 win.  This game had such a pivotal feel to it for the Gaels.  A win meant beating a good team on the road, whereas a loss would have meant dropping another game to a team that does not appear to be inside the bubble.

-Davidson really had to sweat, but they came from behind and picked up a nice road win at VCU.

-Last, and certainly least, earlier in the week I had discussed how I didn’t think North Carolina was any good.  Last night they did absolutely nothing to change my mind.  They were completely blown out of the building by Miami FL 85-57.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT FLORIDA (SEC).  This is a very bubblicious game that both teams need.

-LSU AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Both teams are safely in the field (for now) and both could end up being protected seeds, but as good as they are both resumes have room to improve and this would end up being a big win for whoever pulls it off.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Creighton looked to be on a roll, but they’ve lost their last two and are looking to bounce back.  This is a winnable home game, so it’s a chance for them to do that.

-WAKE FOREST AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC).  Wake is straddling the bubble right now, and although a win at Georgia Tech wouldn’t be Earth-shattering, it would at least be a road win.

-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Marquette looks to be on a roll, but with that being said winning a road game at Villanova would require a Herculean type of effort.  A loss won’t set them back at all, but a win would really elevate their resume.

-TCU AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  Oklahoma State has won some big games this year, and are still playing with a lot of pride despite not being eligible for the postseason.  TCU is hovering around the bubble and could really use a quality road win like this one.

-KENTUCKY AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  This game has something at stake for both teams.  TAMU has a bloated record, but needs some more notable wins on their resume.  Kentucky also needs some notable wins away from home to strengthen their profile.  This one should be a fun one tonight!

-IOWA AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Iowa has put together a string of wins, and if they can keep that going with another conference road win then their resume will be bumped up another notch.

-GEORGIA AT AUBURN (SEC).  Auburn is looking more and more like a team that will end up on the #1 line.  They should be able to hold serve at home tonight.

-XAVIER AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Xavier is having a really good year, but like a lot of teams the aren’t quite as good on the road as they are at home.  This is a winnable (albeit not easy) road game and a chance to add another road win to their resume.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  Wyoming is hovering around the bubble, so it’s important that they hold serve in games like this.

-NEW MEXICO AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West).  Colorado State continues to remain safely inside the bubble, and will stay there so long as they continue to hold serve.