Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Nothing normal happened on Saturday.  It was seemingly college basketball’s drunkest day in a very long time.

-Baylor lost at home for the second time in a week, this time to an unranked Oklahoma State team.  The Cowboys pretty much led from tip to buzzer.  Baylor actually had to come from behind to even have a chance of winning the game late, and while they got close, they couldn’t get over the hump.  The #1 ranked team almost never loses at home at any point during the year, especially when it’s a team that’s ranked that high this late in the season when it isn’t just an early season guess as to where teams are in the rankings.  I don’t know if the #1 team has ever lost twice at home in the same week.  But, it happened yesterday.

Other things happened too…

-Northwestern went on the road to Michigan State, and of course picked up the 64-62 win.  Northwestern was actually in control late and nearly blew it.  A (questionable?) foul call with seconds to go put the Spartans on the line with a chance to tie it, but they were unable to sink the freethrows and Northwestern got a huge upset.  That snaps a four game losing streak for Northwestern.

-Arkansas, who had looked pitiful for most of the season, went into LSU yesterday and pulled off a huge upset win.  The Razorbacks still have a lot of work to do, but they also have talent, and if this can be the start of a turnaround for them then they still have time.

-USC also lost for the second time in a week to an unranked team when they fell to Oregon 79-69.  USC’s unbeaten record may have been a bit inflated.  I still think this is a good Trojans team, but don’t feel they are quite protected seed good.  As for Oregon, they have gone from being a huge disappointment to a huge turnaround story after winning at both UCLA and USC this week.

-Texas Tech, who was coming off what was perhaps the single biggest win of the season, followed that up with a loss at Kansas State yesterday.  Sometimes after a really big win a team’s head can go way up into the clouds and it’s kind of hard to get their feet back on the ground, so that may have been a little bit of what happened yesterday, but had you said to anyone int he world that Texas Tech would play at Baylor and at Kansas State and go 1-1 on the week, those are NOT the results you would have thought likely.

-Alabama could have really used a road win at Mississippi State last night, and didn’t get it.  Mississippi State seems like a very NIT-ish kind of team, and it’s the kind of road game that protected seed caliber teams should be expected to be able to win.

-Iowa State held on to beat Texas at home 79-70.  Someone in the Big 12 is going to eventually start to slip.  It’s a mathematical fact that every time you play a game one of the teams has to lose.  But, so far it’s looking like that team won’t be Iowa State.  They nearly won at Kansas earlier this week, and had a nice win against Texas at home yesterday.

-Kentucky blew out Tennessee yesterday 107-79.  It was a home win, but it was still highly impressive given the quality of the opponent and the margin of victory.

-Marquette held on against Seton Hall at home to pick up another big win.  They have strung together several wins over the past week and their resume keeps looking better and better.

-In an Under the Radar game of note, Murray State went into Belmont and totally blew them off the floor.  Belmont didn’t shoot well at all and had a lot of uncharacteristic turnovers, whereas Murray couldn’t miss and basically controlled the whole game from tip to buzzer despite early foul trouble.  Murray State is solidly inside the bubble.  No question about it.  If today were Selection Sunday and Murray were to lose in the OVC Tournament, they’d still get in.

-Florida State still has work to do, but at least they’re starting to do it.  They picked up a road win at Syracuse yesterday 76-71, which was their fourth straight win.  Perhaps they’ve finally woken up and are starting to look a little bit like the team we though they’d be back in November.

-Auburn had to come from behind, but they did manage the road win at Ole Miss.  They are looking more and more like a #1 seed.

-Florida picked up a nice road win at South Carolina, which isn’t a great win, but it is a road win and it does help.

-Texas A&M had to come from behind to beat Missouri on the road, but they got it done 67-64 and add another road win to their bubblish resume, which helps make it look a little better.

-TCU got a big win against Oklahoma 59-58.  It was a home win, and TCU does need to do a little bit more away from home, but it was still a nice win and it gets them to 12-2 on the year.

-Stanford, who is a team we think is squarely on the bubble, lost to a Washington team yesterday that is nowhere near the bubble.  That one is gonna hurt a little bit.

-Wyoming, who is another team we have right on the bubble, picked up a nice win at Utah State yesterday 71-69.  This isn’t an Earth-shattering win, but it’s still a win they’ll get some credit for.  Utah State is not an easy place to play.

-BYU got a big road win against San Francisco 71-69.  Both teams look to be top 40 teams, which means they are safely within the range of making the NCAA Tournament, so it was a really nice road win for the Cougars.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-BUTLER AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  I’d normally say that this is a blah game where we should just expect chalk and for Nova to hold serve, but after yesterday I think anything can happen.

-PENN STATE AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Penn State has won three of their last four and is noticeably better, but winning on the road against a protected seed caliber team like Ohio State is a huge task.

-NIAGARA AT IONA (MAAC).  Like we seemingly say every week, if Iona can hold serve throughout conference play then they should end up inside the bubble.

-IOWA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  This one should be fun.  It’s a conference rivalry between two teams that appear to be NCAA Tournament caliber teams and who can build up their resumes with a win today.

-GEORGETOWN AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  The Johnnies appear to be on the outside looking in right now, but they will definitely have their opportunities between now and the end of the year to get to where they need to be.

-LOUISIANA TECH AT SOUTHERN MISS (Conference USA).  This LA Tech team is someone we’ve mentioned on the Under the Radar podcast a lot.  I know the path to landing inside the bubble is long and narrow, but there may actually be one if they can continue to blow through CUSA.

-Friday night was a rather chalky night.  Monmouth fell at Saint Peter’s, which pretty much ends any faint hopes they had for getting an at-large come March.  Davidson also got a big scare at Richmond in a game that was close all throughout, but they escaped with an 87-84 win.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Northwestern is outside the bubble and Michigan State is within reach of a #1 seed if they can keep winning at the clip they have been.

-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier is coming off a loss to Villanova, but they are still having a really big year and will remain in good shape if they can hold serve at home.  Creighton has a solid profile, but they can make it look a lot better if they can pick up a road win in a game like this.

-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  Texas Tech is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the nation having knocked off Kansas and Baylor.  This should be a winnable road game for the Red Raiders, which will allow them to continue to build on what is already a solid resume.

-SETON HALL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  We have both teams in our field right now, but both also have room to improve and a win today for either team would add another quality win to their resume.

-KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Kentucky’s resume is lacking when it comes to big wins, so this is a big opportunity for them.  It’s also a nice opportunity for Tennessee to pick up a high quality road win.

-FLORIDA AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Florida’s resume is a little flimsy, and although they don’t appear to be in any danger of missing the tournament, this is a winnable road game that could help shore things up for the Gators.

-NC STATE AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke still has a very good shot at a #1 seed, but in order to get it they obviously need to be able to hold serve in games like this.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT KANSAS (Big 12).  West Virginia looks to be a solid tournament caliber team, but winning at Kansas is probably swinging way over their heads.  The Jayhawks are likely to land on one of the top two lines if they keep winning at the clip they have been.

-ARKANSAS AT LSU (SEC).  LSU is having an outstanding year with just one loss on the season.  They’re continuing to climb the rankings and should be able to hold serve at home in this one.

-TEXAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  Texas’s resume still needs some work, and a road win in a game like this will make it look a lot better.  Iowa State is coming off a game where they nearly upset Kansas on the road, and while it wasn’t a setback it certainly would have been a season defining win had they picked it up.  They’ve got a chance to bounce back from that with a good win at home today.

-FORDHAM AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten).  Fordham is having a much better year than what we’re used to seeing, but being able to win this one is probably beyond them.  SLU is outside the bubble, but if they can continue to string together wins they can absolutely get on the committee’s radar.

-FLORIDA STATE AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  The Noles still have a ton of work to do, but they’ve won three out of their last four, and if they can build on that by getting this one on the road they may finally be on the track that we thought they would be back at the start of the season.

-TEXAS A&M AT MISSOURI (SEC).  We are starting to like this TAMU tea, and they have a winnable road game today that can get them to 15-2 overall.

-BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Boise State is another team that’s right on our bubble.  This is a winnable road game for them that they need to pick up.

-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  Santa Clara isn’t easy to beat at home, but Gonzaga is almost impossible to beat anywhere.  The Zags are on pace to end up as a #1 seed and they should be able to pick up another road win today.

-MEMPHIS AT EAST CAROLINA (American).  Memphis is flipping further and further away from the bubble. If they lose a game like this one against an ECU team that’s having a pretty decent year at 10-5 then it will be hard to think of them as a team that even has a realistic shot at making the tournament based on how they’ve been playing.

-OKLAHOMA AT TCU (Big 12).  I think these are both potential tournament teams, but both could use some notable wins to help shore up their resumes, which makes this an important game today.

-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Virginia has won three out of four and is starting to play better, but as of right now I still think they are on the wrong side of the bubble.  At least the Hoos look to be moving in the right direction, though.  Wake Forest is squarely on the bubble, so both teams could really use this one.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Baylor is coming off their first loss in forever, but I expect they’ll bounce back at home today in a big way.

-MURRAY STATE AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  You DO NOT want to miss this game!!  Both are NCAA Tournament caliber teams, and both have legit shots at ending up inside the bubble and making the field.  Both have a very small margin for error, though, which is what makes this game today so important for both of them.

-ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Alabama is coming off a loss to Auburn, but they’re still in pretty good shape overall.   A road win in a game like this would be a great way to bounce back, and pretty much any SEC road win looks good on an NCAA Tournament resume.

-STANFORD AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  Stanford is playing really well, they are squarely on our bubble, and they are coming off a nice road win against Washington State.  Picking up another road win today would help strengthen their case even more.

-COLORADO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West).  Colorado State is still looking like they’ll end up in the top half of the bracket, and this is yet another winnable road game for them.  San Jose State has a long way to go before they can be considered good, but they seem to be getting noticeably better, especially at home, so Colorado State doesn’t want to just overlook them.

-UCF AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  UCF is outside the bubble, but they have a good team that is capable of stringing together some wins and getting themselves into the picture.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley).  Loyola Chicago looks to be the dominant team in this conference, but while they’ve continued to win their last two games have been struggles.  They should get this one, but they can’t just overlook the Sycamores.

-UTAH AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona is on an absolute roll, they actually have an argument for a #1 seed, and they should be able to hold serve at home in this one.

-HOUSTON AT TULSA (American).  Houston has had some setbacks, but it hasn’t effected their play on the court.  They’ve continued to string together wins and they have another winnable road game today.

-GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  At this point in time I don’t think UNC’s profile is all that strong.  They need to be able to hold serve in home games against non-tournament caliber teams if they don’t want it to get any weaker.

-AUBURN AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Auburn is looking like one of the best teams in the country, and they actually got a #1 seed in our last staff bracket.  They should be able to pick this one up on the road.

-WYOMING AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Wyoming is squarely on our bubble and they’ve got a tough test on the road tonight.  It is not easy to win at Utah State, and if the Cowboys can pull it off it will be another nice win on their resume.

-COLORADO AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Colorado still has a lot of work to do, but they are at least within reach of the bubble and can get there if they can string together some wins.

-OREGON STATE AT UCLA (Pac 12).  This should be an easy road win for a UCLA team that’s good enough to end up on the #1 line.

-OREGON AT USC (Pac 12).  Oregon had been rather disappointing this season, but they picked up a huge win at UCLA earlier this week, and if they can follow that up with a win at USC then we can probably safely declare them as the most improved team in college basketball over the course of one week this season.

-BYU AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast).  I’m really looking forward to this one!  Both appear to be NCAA Tournament caliber teams, and this is a chance for both of them to add a quality win to their resumes.

NEWS AND NOTES:

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-Gonzaga blew out BYU at home.  They continue to look like one of the top five teams in the nation and that they can sleepwalk through the rest of their regular season schedule.

-Oregon had been having an utterly disappointing year given the talent and potential they seemed to have, but they got a huge win yesterday at UCLA 84-81, and it was a win where they really battled and really played well.  Perhaps this is when they begin to turn it around.

-Wisconsin continues to build to an already impressive resume.  They basically controlled Ohio State from tip to buzzer last night and got another notable win on their resume.  They look like they could have a shot at a #1 seed if they keep it up.

-Seton Hall fell at DePaul 96-92 in a game that was a bit of a shocker.  Not that it’s easy to win at DePaul, but it’s the kind of game that you would expect a top 25 team to be able to win most of the time.

-Stanford is staring to build up a rather impressive resume.  They had a nice 62-57 win at Wazzu yesterday to improve to 10-4 overall and 3-1 in Pac 12 play.  They are looking more and more like a tournament team.

-Indiana is still winless in true road games, and that will be a big black eye on their resume.  The had a lead against Iowa for much of the game last night, but couldn’t hold on.  Iowa ended up winning 83-74.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  This is a winnable conference home game for Purdue where they should be able to hold serve.

-MONMOUTH AT SAINT PETER’S (MAAC).  Monmouth is outside the bubble, but if they are able to blow through this league then they should at least get to a point to where they are at least on the board.

-MANHATTAN AT IONA (MAAC).  This is one of the most exciting UTR rivalries, and it should be a fun one tonight.  If Iona can continue to blow through the regular season and not slip up, which basically means winning out, they should be in the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the conference tournament.

-VCU AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  Both teams have quite a bit of work to do just to get onto the bubble, but both are also talented and are capable of finishing strong.  Having said that, both really kind of need this one tonight if they want to have any sort of a chance.

-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  These two teams seem to be going in different directions.  Illinois has been playing really well lately, and Michigan continues to disappoint.  The Wolverines can make up a lot of ground rather quickly if they can somehow pull the shocker tonight, though.

-DAVIDSON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they’re still capable of beating good teams when they play up to their potential.  Davidson (for now) is safely inside the bubble, and perhaps even in the top half of the bracket.  This game does have a bit of a pivotal feel to it.  A loss wouldn’t cripple them, but it would set them back a bit, whereas a true conference road win against a solid Richmond team probably helps elevate them a bit.