-Wisconsin continues to roll as they picked up another decisive road win at Penn State 98-71. The Badgers didn’t get up to speed right at the start of November, but they are up to speed now. I realize Penn State is not the strongest of teams, but to blow them out on the road like they did is still an impressive statement.
-UNC Wilmington fell on the road 77-70 to William & Mary for their first loss in the CAA. They are still an impressive 17-3 on the year, but with such a weak schedule any loss will be looked at as a setback.
-Portland State is still perfect in Big Sky play after a 65-61 win at Eastern Washington
-OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Michigan is in the hunt for a #1 seed, and perhaps the top overall seed, and Ohio State is trying to fight their way inside the bubble. If they could somehow pull off this upset it’s the kind of win that can slingshot them inside the bubble.
-FGCU @ Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun) – Lipscomb looks to hold serve and stay on top of the ASun standings
-Saint Louis @ Saint Bonaventure (Atlantic 10) – this will be a tough road test for SLU, but it’s one they should be able to win if they really are a top 25 caliber team. The Bonnies just snapped a six game losing streak, but they are still 7-2 at home
-Indiana @ Rutgers (Big Ten) – Indiana needs this road win to keep within arms reach of the bubble
-The Citadel @ East Tennessee State (SoCon) – East Tennessee State should hold serve at home and stay atop the SoCon standings
-Akron @ Ohio U (MAC) – Akron is one of the best teams in the MAC and is just a game behind Miami OH in the conference standings. This is a tough road test, but it’s one they can win
-Utah State @ Colorado State (Mountain West) – Utah State is looking to snap a two game losing streak. While this is a tough road game to win, it’s one they can win and one they sort of need
-Nebraska is still unbeaten after holding off Washngton 76-66. So is Arizona after pulling away from Cincinnati in the second half and winning 77-51.
-Dayton suffered their first conference loss and it came on the road to La Salle 67-64. That is what we in the business call a ‘Bad Loss.’
-Creighton’s heart is still beating after hitting a game-winning shot against Xavier with 0.6 seconds remaining in regulation following a missed free throw. The Bluejays still have a lot of work to do to get back on the right side of the cutline, but this would have been a near fatal loss for them.
-Winthrop hit a 3-pointer as time was expiring to beat Radford 76-75 and stay on top of the Big South standings.
-Murray State suffered their first conference loss as they fell 101-90 at Drake, and this one was a bit of a surprise. It’s never easy to win on the road, but all indications were that Murray would pull this one out.
-IU Indy went on the road and absolutely blew Oakland out 103-85. Oakland was over 200 spots ahead of them in the metrics, so by the standpoint of the metrics this was probably the biggest upset of the whole college basketball season so far. Even more surprising was this was on the heels of a 25-point win at Green Bay – this was a 43-point swing. Also one of the bigger differences this year.
-Kentucky picked up another big win as the held off Texas 85-80. The Wildcats appear to have things turned around and are on a pace that will land them safely inside the bubble.
-Liberty stayed unbeaten in Conference USA after their tough 76-69 road win at Western Kentucky. The Flames are really playing well.
-Tulsa pulled away from Memphis late and dominated down the stretch to win 83-66.
-Virginia Tech picked up a much needed road win at Syracuse as they escaped 76-74.
-USC, who had been playing pretty well, lost 74-68 at home to a Northwestern team that is nowhere near the bubble. This doesn’t knock out the Trojans, but it absolutely knocks them down.
-Grand Canyon held on to win a thriller against a San Diego State team that was really surging and who really could have used this win on the road. The Lopes survived 70-69 to pick up their second really big win in a row and are suddenly in the race to finish first in the MWC.
.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Stetson @ Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun) – Lipscomb is trying to keep pace with Queens in the ASun standings
-FGCU @ Austin Peay (Atlantic Sun) – Austin Peay is also solidly in the conference race and tryin to keep pace with Lipscomb and Queens
-Vermont @ UMass Lowell (America East) – two of the better teams in the conference that are tied atop the standings
-South Florida @ UAB (American) – South Florida looks to be one of the best teams in the American, or at least the most talented
-UNC Wilmington @ William & Mary (CAA) – UNCW has a two game lead in the conference standings, but will be challenged on the road tonight
-Hofstra @ NC A&T (CAA) – Hofstra needs to snap their two game losing streak if they want any hope at all of keeping pace with UNC Wilmington
-Portland State @ Eastern Washington (Big Sky) – Portland State looks to remain unbeaten in Big Sky play
-UC Irvine @ UC Riverside (Big West) – The River Vine Cup!!!! UC Irvine is a good team who cannot afford any more slipups
Tonight’s feature conference is the America East where five teams are separated by just one game. Vermont still looks like the best team in the league, but they are by no means invincible and teams like UMBC are keeping pace with them.
We run through the other 22 leagues and discuss a wild week in the CAA with Charleston and Hofstra both dropping two games and UNC Wilmington jumping into 1st place, a logjam in the American where it looks like six different teams might have a chance to win it, we look at the MAC and discuss whether or not Akron can keep pace with Miami OH, Murray State suffered an upset loss in the Missouri Valley, and we recap a wild night of UTR action. And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
-UCLA, after being trashed by their head coach within the last week for constantly underperforming, did not underperform last night. They got what was their biggest win of the year by far with a 69-67 home win over Purdue, which will help resuscitate their season. Even though it was home win it was still a really good win. (Note from Stalica – the Mick Cronin life cycle is now in full gear)
-Iowa State bounced back from their two straight losses and blew out what is a pretty solid UCF team 87-57. I’d say the Cyclones have waken up from their nap.
-Texas Tech got a decisive road win at Baylor 92-73. It’s safe to say that the teams at the top of the Big 12 are looking REALLY good! As for Baylor, they are far from guaranteed from being included in the field and really need to pull off a signature win or two soon.
-Vanderbilt is NOT looking really good. They’ve now lost three straight games, and they did not mess around losing last night at Arkansas. The Razorbacks blew them off the floor 93-68.
-NC State picked up what is easily their best win of the season, and perhaps the kind of win they needed to turn their season around. After losing to Georgia Tech in their previous game, thy go on the road and beat Clemson in overtime 80-76. The loss will be a bit of a setback for Clemson, but it’s not anything they can’t recover from.
-Georgia got a tough road win at Missouri. The game was close all throughout and came down to the last play, but Georgia survived and picked up a really big 74-72 road win.
-Saint Louis went to Duquesne and barely won 81-77. It was their first game after cracking the top 25 and for a while it looked like it would be their last game as a top 25 team.
-Miami OH, for the second game in a row, overcame a two-possession deficit in the final minute to force overtime and then pulled it out in overtime. They knocked off Kent State on the road 107-101 in what was probably their toughest game of the year so far. Miami jumped out early and led by as much as 15 early in the second half, but Kent State battled back and was in a position to win with less than a minute to go, but Miami pulled it out. Again. (Note from Stalica – this was the first game since 1999 when the Redhawks were a Top 25 team. Wally Szczerbiak ring a bell to anyone?)
-The other Miami did not look so good last night. Miami FL was at home against a very average (at best) Florida State team and ended up losing 65-63. This will set the Canes back. They can still easily land inside the bubble, but they can’t afford too many more setbacks.
-Seton Hall jumped on Saint John’s early and appeared to be in control of the game, but the Johnnies battled back in the second half and held serve for a 65-60 win.
-If Oklahoma was inside your bubble yesterday, then they should not be today. They lost to South Carolina on the road 85-76 and are going very much in the wrong direction.
-TCU snapped their losing streak with a much needed 78-75 win over Oklahoma State. Both these teams still have a lot of work to do, and both will have chances between now and the end, but this was an important game for both teams.
-UT Martin, who appeared to be running away from the OVC, got run over last night. SEMO absolutely blew their doors off. The final score was 66-50, but SEMO led by as much as 30 in the second half.
-Last, and very much least, Utah State, who just last week was in the top 25, will likely not be returning to the top 25 anytime soon. They lost at home to a UNLV team that’s just flat out bad 86-76.
.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-TEXAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Both of these teams are trending up, and both of them need to keep trending up, which is what makes this game so important. Both need to shore up their profiles and both need wins in games like this in order to do it. There should be a sense of urgency for both these teams tonight.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Both of these teams are hovering around the bubble, both have a lot of work to do, and both could really use this win today. VA Tech is probably in better shape than Syracuse, and since this is a road game for them a win would really help the out. (We can neither confirm nor deny that Syracuse needs a waiver after a loss at Boston College this weekend just to be postseason eligible)
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT GRAND CANYON (Mountain West). After a bit of a slow start to the season, Grand Canyon has won six of their last eight, which includes a big win over Utah State in their last game. The crowd should be off the hook for this one tonight. San Diego State also got off to a slow start, but they’ve now won seven in a row and that includes a win against New Mexico in their last game. This would be yet another big win for them, and perhaps enough to move them solidly inside our bubble.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Dayton @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – Dayton should be able to remain perfect in conference play
-Radford @ Winthrop (Big South) – both teams have just one conference loss and both are trying to keep pace with High Point
-Maryland @ Illinois (Big Ten) – this should be a game where the Illini can hold serve. Maryland has had a tough and underwhelming year so far
-Notre Dame @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC needs to rebound from a rough week last week where they lost back to back road games
-Murray State @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – Murray State can get to 17-3 overall and I think they have a shot at making a run at the bubble if they can keep winning
-Tulane @ Florida Atlantic (American) – the American race is wide open and both these teams are squarely in it
-Georgetown @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is solidly inside our bubble and will remain there so long as they’re able to keep holding serve
-Xavier @ Creighton (Big East) – Creighton needs to start stringing together wins to have any shot at making the field. Xavier will be in a bad mood after a 40-point loss at home to the Bluejays. Or they’ll be rusty after a week’s layoff.
-Troy @ Old Dominion (Sun Belt) – Troy may be establishing themselves as the best team in the SBC. This should be another winnable road game for them
-North Alabama @ Queens (Atlantic Sun) – Queens should be able to remain unbeaten in ASun play
-Liberty @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – Liberty is a perfect 7-0 in CUSA play and a solid 15-3 on the year, but this will likely be a tough road test for them against a talented WKU team
-Memphis @ Tulsa (American) – Tulsa has won their last two games, both of which were on the road, and needs to win this one to keep pace in the American standings
-Cincinnati @ Arizona (Big 12) – Arizona should sleepwalk through this one, but Cincinnati did knock off Iowa State in their last game. If they can somehow pull this upset the Bearcats will absolutely have our attention. (Note from Stalica – UC’s 3 losses in conference play are by a combined 10 points, so I would not suggest Arizona hit the snooze button tonight.)
-Washington @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – The Huskers should be able to remain unbeaten and stay within reach of a #1 seed
-Pepperdine @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – it’s a conference game, but it may end up looking very much like a buy game
-Fresno State @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – Fresno State is better this season, but they’re likely still no match for the Lobos on the road
-Mississippi State @ Texas A&M (SEC) – TAMU has been playing really well lately, they’re coming off a big win at Texas, and should be able to hold serve in this one at home
-Oregon State @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC is coming off a loss to Santa Clara, which isn’t that much of a setback, but it’s still one they need to bounce back from. A loss today would certainly blow a hole in their profile
-Northwestern @ USC (Big Ten) – USC is inside the bubble, but barely. They can’t afford to lose a home game to a team like Northwestern that is nowhere near the bubble
-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Indiana fans are happier than most fanbases ever get to be this morning, but it’s for a different sport. As far as their basketball team, they are outside the bubble and need a win like this to slingshot them put the seedlist. It’s much easier said than done, though. Michigan is as tough as anyone in the country.
-UCF AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). This is a tough stretch for UCF as they follow up their game against Kansas with a road game against Iowa State. Iowa State is a bit of wounded animal after two straight losses and should be super-focused on getting things turned around at home tonight.
-LSU AT FLORIDA (SEC). LSU is squarely on our bubble and Florida is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the nation and perhaps playing better than anyone else in the SEC.
-MIAMI OH AT KENT STATE (MAC). Miami has finally cracked the rankings and remains unbeaten on the year. This might be the toughest game they’ve played all season. I think Akron is the best team that Miami has played, but they didn’t play Akron in a true road game. This will be a real test for the Red Hawks tonight.
-SETON HALL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Seton Hall has lost two straight and while a home loss to UConn is not a setback, losing at home to Butler was. They have another very tough road test tonight against a Saint John’s team that is playing better than they have at any point of the season and beginning to climb the seedlist.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big 12). TCU is in a tailspin and it’s getting pretty desperate. They need a win to pull themselves out of it. Oklahoma State has a solid overall record, but is just 2-3 in conference and a road win like this would be stabilizing for them as well.
-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big 12). It’s a road test for a Texas Tech team that’s starting to play better and better as the season goes on. It’s also an opportunity for Baylor to strengthen their resume with a big win. Both teams could really use this one tonight.
-VANDERBILT AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Vandy has lost two straight and faces another really tough test tonight against an Arkansas team that’s far from perfect, but that’s very tough to beat on the raod.
-GEORGIA AT MISSOURI (SEC). Georgia sits solidly in the top 25, but this will be a very tough road test tonight against a Missouri team that’s starting to play better (despite a recent loss to LSU over the weekend) and that’s a perfect 11-0 at home.
-AUBURN AT OLE MISS (SEC). This is a super bubblicious game between two teams that really need it. Auburn needs to build up their profile and one of the ways they need to do that is to win games on the road. Auburn’s next true road win will be their first. Ole Miss has had a rough year, but they have won their last three, two of which were on the road, and this can be another big step toward getting things turned around if they can win tonight.
-PURDUE AT UCLA (Big Ten). Purdue is still good enough to land on the #1 line come March and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to do it. UCLA can still land inside the bubble, but they need some big wins in order to do it. A win tonight would be huge for the Bruins.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Minnesota @ Ohio State (Big Ten) – Ohio State is outside the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one
-Akron @ Buffalo (MAC) – these are two of the better teams in the MAC and Buffalo will look to bounce back from a tough OT loss at Miami OH
-NC State @ Clemson (ACC) – right now Clemson is looking like they may be good enough to play their way up to a protected seed and NC State is looking like they may be headed to the NIT
-Saint Louis @ Duquesne (Atlantic 10) – SLU has cracked the rankings and needs to keep holding serve in games like this
-Florida State @ Miami FL (ACC) – Miami is having a great season and should be able to hold serve against their rivals in this one
-Oklahoma @ South Carolina (SEC) – this should be a winnable road game for the Sooners
-Rutgers @ Iowa (Big Ten) – Iowa needs to hold serve. They have a string of winnable games until the latter part of the season and they pretty much need to hold serve in all of them
-UT Martin @ SEMO (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin looks to hold their spot at the top of the standings
-Michigan State @ Oregon (Big Ten) – this should be a winnable conference road game for the Spartans and improve them to 3-1 overall in true road games
-SMU @ Wake Forest (ACC) – this is a road test and a chance to pick up a solid road win for an SMU team that’s good but that could also stand to build themselves up a little more.
-Kansas @ Colorado (Big 12) – it’s never easy to win on the road, but this is one that a team as strong as Kansas should be able to win
Chad is joined by David Griggs, Jon Teitel, and Rocco Miller as we recap another busy week in college basketball and take a look at the big week that’s coming up. Kentucky came from behind to win two big games on the road and seem to be turning things around. Texas also had a big week with a couple of big wins, but lost to their rivals Texas A&M on Saturday who is also playing really well. In the Big 12 we may see as many as six teams end up as protected seeds and Arizona remains unbeaten on the season. St John’s is playing a lot better in the Big East, San Diego State is coming on strong, and Miami OH has cracked the AP Top 25. We discuss all that, and more!
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
