-Saint John’s winning streak was finally snapped as they fell at Villanova yesterday 73-71. All four of the Johnnies’ losses this season have been by 3pts or less, and while Nova is nowhere near the bubble the loss won’t hurt them that badly.
A few teams had close calls last night
-Texas Tech had all kinds of trouble with Arizona State, but held on to win in overtime 111-106 sidestepping what wouldn’t have been a huge landmine, but it’s still a loss that would have set them back.
-Ole Miss also struggled last night against an inferior South Carolina team, but did manage the road win 72-68.
-New Mexico really struggled with Wyoming and avoided a loss that would have knocked them pretty far down the seedlist, but held on to win at home 71-67
-Wake Forest, who was squarely on the bubble and could not afford a home loss to a team that was nowhere near the field, lost last night to Florida State, who was nowhere near the field. Not only did they lose, but they lost stupidly. They threw up a halfcourt shot with 12 seocnds to go, and then waited to foul FSU after failing to make the shot and not getting the rebound. The final was 72-70.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MARYLAND AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Maryland continues to string together wins, boost their metrics, and climb the seedlist. They’ve got another tough one tonight against a Nebraska team that has been playing really well lately, and who is right on the bubble, and who needs this one themselves.
-MEMPHIS AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). Memphis is good enough to win out, and if they do they should be very close to a protected seed.
-UC SANTA BARBARA AT UC IRVINE (Big West). UC Irvine is coming off a rare loss, but if they can win out, which they are good enough to do, they will still be right on the bubble and I think they can still get in. They’re still one of the best defensive teams in the country.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast). This is a hugely important game. Gonzaga is trying to improve their profile and climb the seedlist, whereas San Francisco is squarely on the bubble and a win like this would likely put them inside of it.
UC-Santa Barbara (16-8, 8-5) at UC-Irvine (20-4, 10-2) – 11:00 PM ET (ESPNU)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day is one of the highlights of the UTR Calendar – this will be the first leg of the Gauch Eater Cup where the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos travel south to take on the UC-Irvine Anteaters. Irvine is coming off of a tough 18-point loss at home against UC-San Diego that knocked the Anteaters down into a first-place tie for the Big West conference lead. It was also a serious blow for their at-large NCAA Tournament hopes, but they will still be one of the favorites to win the Big West Tournament coming up in March. Bent Leuchten averages 16 points a game and 9.1 rebounds a game for the Anteaters.
UC-Santa Barbara got off to a rough start in conference play with losses against UC-San Diego and UC-Davis back in December, but since have gone a very respectable 8-3 in conference play. They are one game back of Northridge and UC-Riverside for 3rd place in the conference. Deuce Turner had 23 points off the bench to lead the Gauchos to a 76-72 win over Hawai’i in their previous game on Saturday.
Tonight’s feature conference is the MAC, and we discuss how Akron has the longest winning streak in all of D1 and is unbeaten in conference play. They have some tough games remaining, including their second game against rival Kent State, but they’re good enough to run the table, make the NCAA Tournament, and potentially be a very dangerous opponent in the Round of 64.
After that, we run through the other 21 UTR conferences. Maine is still just one game behind Bryant as the two battle it out for home court advantage. UC San Diego got a very impressive win at UC Irvine, but both teams have incredible profiles and both look like they belong inside the bubble. Drake continues to run through the Missouri Valley and could also end up inside the bubble. Chattanooga is suddenly in 1st place in the SoCon, the Sun Belt is still a tight race, Jacksonville State now has a two game lead in Conference USA, and several conferences are into the final stretch. We discuss all that, and more! 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…
Robert Morris (18-8, 10-5) at Cleveland State (18-7, 12-2) – 7:00 PM ET (ESPN+)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to Cleveland as the hometown Cleveland State Vikings host the Robert Morris Colonials in a matchup of Horizon League heavyweights. For the first time since Dennis Gates was the Vikings’ head coach, Cleveland State finds themselves back at the top of the league standings. Although Northern Kentucky did snap a 13-game winning streak last week, CSU has a 1.5 game lead over Purdue-Fort Wayne and a 2.5 game lead over both RMU and Youngstown State. Tevin Smith averages 14.3 points a game for the Vikings.
Morris Robert, err, Robert Morris is having their best season since joining the Horizon League earlier this decade. The Colonials have won eight of their last nine games to work their way up to a 3rd-place tie in the Horizon and an inside track to potentially making the semifinals in Indianapolis for the first time since leaving the NEC. In their last outing, Alvaro Folguerias scored 35 points for RMU in their 81-76 win at Northern Kentucky.
-Auburn and Alabama both got by their trap games, which really weren’t easy games to win. Auburn took care of Vanderbilt 80-68 on the road, and Alabama won at Texas 103-80. Let the buildup begin!!
-Florida, who I had been critical of for lacking in road wins, picked up another huge road win at Mississippi State last night 81-68. I now think Florida is a #1 seed caliber team. I can’t say that I’ve been thinking that all along, but I am definitely thinking it now.
-Tennessee had a bad shooting night from the outside, largely due to Kentucky’s defense, and while they kept it close until the final couple of minutes Kentucky ended up with a 75-64 win, which completes their season sweep of Tennessee.
-Purdue, who had been as hot as anyone in the country, came up just short on the road at Michigan 75-73. They had a chance to win it late, but the Wolverines survived, and for what it’s worth in the new bloated conference era, they’ve jumped over Purdue in the Big Ten standings.
-Indiana, who we’ve been beating up on pretty hard lately, has actually played some close games against top teams, and last night finally won one as they went into Michigan State and knocked off the Spartans 71-67. Indiana would need a Herculean type of finish to end up making the field, but they played well on the road against a team that had been looking like a protected seed. As for the Spartans, they have come back down to Earth somewhat as they’ve now lost three of their last four.
-Kansas State just keeps winning, and keeps doing it against good teams. They’ve now won six in a row after holding off Arizona 73-70. It was a home win, but Arizona had been as hot as anyone in the country, so it’s still a big win for the Wildcats. K State’s next two games are on the road. If they can win both of those, they’ll most likely start being projected into our brackets.
-Connecticut, who had been struggling somewhat lately, went on the road to Creighton and got what may be their biggest win of the season so far as they held off the Bluejays 70-66. This should move UConn up a seedline or two, and while it’s a bit of a setback for Creighton, they still have a path to a protected seed.
-George Mason needed overtime, but they did get by Saint Louis 76-74 to keep their dreams of landing inside the bubble alive.
-UCLA had their winning streak snapped as they went on the road to Illinois and lost 83-78. The Bruins made a run late, and the game really did come down to the final seconds with the margin not being extended to 5 until some late freethrows, so I still think UCLA has a lot of fight in them and could make quite a bit of noise between now and the end.
-Utah State, San Diego State, Oregon, and Saint Mary’s all got battles in the late tips last night, but also all held on to win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East). The Johnnies are now atop the Big East, they are one of the hottest teams in the country, and while Nova is not the easiest team to beat at home Saint John’s has shown they can win tough games. Nova just got a good win against Xavier, but they still have a lot of work to do to even reach the bubble.
-OLE MISS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). There really aren’t very many easy games in the SEC, much less any easy road games, but this one is perhaps easier than most. Ole Miss has now own three out of four and can continue that stretch of wins tonight.
-LOUISVILLE AT NC STATE (ACC). Louisville is having a great season and shouldn’t have too much trouble going on the road and getting this one. They should easily end up in the top half of the bracket.
-FLORIDA STATE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake is still right on the bubble and needs to hold serve at home against a Florida State team that recently just snapped a four game losing streak and is nowhere near the bubble.
-STANFORD AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). I don’t think Stanford is anywhere close, but they are on our radar and a strong finish may get them there. They’ll need to win this one against a Georgia Tech team that’s managed a few big wins lately.
-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic 10). VCU is on the bubble and I think they’ll need to win out to get any sort of a serious look.
-CHATTANOOGA AT SAMFORD (SoCon). This game doesn’t impact the bracket, but both teams are in a 3-way tie for 1st place in the SoCon.
-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Xavier is a good ways outside the bubble after a stretch where they had been looking pretty good. They pretty much need to win out to have any sort of a chance.
-WASHINGTON AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Ohio State continues to hang around the bubble, and even though they did lose to Nebraska their last time out they have been a lot more consistent and if they can hold serve in games like this they should keep themselves in the discussion.
-CALIFORNIA AT DUKE (ACC). This is a conference game, but it may end up looking like a buy game. Duke is still solidly within reach of earning a 1-seed and should hold serve in this one.
-ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). I believe Arizona State has fallen out of the picture, but they’re still not a team that you can just overlook. Having said that, this should be a game where Texas Tech holds serve.
-OKLAHOMA AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a big game for the Sooners who have struggled in SEC play, but are still within reach of making the field and who can really strengthen their case with a win like this. Having said that, games like this are not easy to win. Mizzou is very tough to beat at home and is looking to bounce back from a close loss in their last game.
-DRAKE AT ILLINOIS STATE (Missouri Valley). It’s what we always say about Drake. If they win out then they will likely get selected.
-LSU AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Arkansas is playing much better, and while they didn’t beat Alabama in their last game they have at least looked like an NCAA Tournament team the last several times they have taken the floor. They need all the wins they can get, and this is perhaps one of the more winnable games they have on their schedule.
-WYOMING AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). New Mexico is solidly inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they win their hold-serve-games.
-It was a pretty chalky night. Clemson blew North Carolina into the sun, and Houston had no trouble with Baylor.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-AUBURN AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vandy has shown they can beat some of the best teams in the country when they’re at home, including Kentucky and Tennessee, so Auburn will not want to be looking ahead to Saturday. This game is still one Vanderbilt could really use because they’re hovering around the bubble.
-FLORIDA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). The Gators are coming off the biggest win of the season that any team has managed, and they’ have another really tough road test tonight. They are within reach of a #1 seed, and if they can somehow get this one on the road it really strengthens their case. Mississippi State had been in a bit of a tailspin, but they bounced back with a big win over the weekend against Georgia. If they can follow that up tonight they’ll be in really good shape.
-TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY (SEC). This one is big. Kentucky is fighting to stay within range of a protected seed and Tennessee is fighting to get onto the 1-line. Kentucky won the first meeting between these two in Knoxville, but Tennessee has shown they can go on the road and win big games themselves, so it should be a good one.
-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Purdue is one of the hotter teams in the country. They don’t seem to be getting the same attention as some of the SEC teams, but they are proving to be about as good and could even be within reach of the 1 line. They need wins like this in order to get there, though. While Michigan has stubbed their toes in some games you would have expected them to win, they still have an amazing profile and are playing really well at the moment with four straight wins.
-IOWA STATE AT UCF (Big 12). UCF showed signs of being good at times, and they’re good enough to where you never want to take for granted that you’re going to beat them, but they’re still outside the bubble and it does not appear that they will be reaching it. Iowa State had been struggling (at least by their standards), but they snapped a three game losing streak with a blowout win against TCU and should be focused tonight.
-BYU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). This is a game that both of these teams really need. BYU is on the bubble and could use a highly notable road win to help them land on the right side of it. West Virginia is dealing with injuries and needs to show that they can still win games while not at full strength. In short, both teams could really use this one.
-ARIZONA AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). This game is just a fascinating matchup. Arizona is one of the hottest teams in the country and is now on pace to earn a protected seed. Kansas State may be even hotter having won five straight against really strong competition, but yet after being 7-11 at one point they need to string together more wins just to make the field at all. A win tonight would be huge for the Wildcats and could go a long way toward them actually making the NCAA Tournament. (NOTE: we guarantee that the winning team will be called the Wildcats!)
-GEORGE MASON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic 10). George Mason is outside the bubble, but if they can win out until the conference tournament they are going to get a serious look and may even end up getting selected.
-UCLA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois has been inconsistent lately, but overall they still have a strong profile and will still be very tough to beat at home. UCLA has been red hot with seven straight wins, and if they can get this one they may be within reach of a protected seed by the end of the year.
-DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Marquette has lost three straight and has skidded off the road a little bit, but they shouldn’t have too much trouble getting this one tonight.
-GEORGIA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). TAMU is looking as good as anyone in the country right now, whereas it feels like Georgia is holding on to the bubble with all their might and continuing to lose their grip. A win for Georgia on the road in a game like this could change all that, but it’s far easier said than done.
-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Michigan State bounced back from two straight losses with a win against Oregon over the weekend, and should be able to hold serve in this one today.
-COLORADO AT KANSAS (Big 12). Kansas is still well within range of a protected seed, and this really amounts to a hold-serve-game for them at home.
-CONNECTICUT AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton is one of the hottest teams in the country, they have cracked the rankings, and they continue to climb our seedlist. UConn is safely in the field, but this would be a huge resume-builder for them if they could somehow pull this one off on the road.
-PITTSBURGH AT SMU (ACC). SMU is outside the bubble and can’t afford to drop games like this if they want to end up inside of it on Selection Sunday.
-COLORADO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). Colorado State has been playing well lately, but they still have a ways to go before we start considering them to be a possible tournament team. Having said that, a win at Utah State would be quite a big step forward.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State has had to sweat out quite a few of their last games, and while they should clobber San Jose State, they better not overlook them, especially since it’s a road game.
-NORTHWESTERN AT OREGON (Big Ten). Oregon has completely skidded off the road, and this is a big game for them. It’s not so much that it will look good on their profile so much as it is a “Get-Right-Game” (footnote Rocco Miller).
-SANTA CLARA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). I really like this Saint Mary’s team, and despite coming off a loss I think they are on pace to at least land in the top half of the bracket and be a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara is outside the bubble, but they are close enough to it to where if they get a win in a game like this, we need to at least start paying attention to them.
