Tonight’s featured conference is the Metro Atlantic, and the featured team in that featured conference is Marist, who is having a very unique type of season. They are currently 16-3 on the year, but every single game they’ve played currently lands in tier 4, so while they could win as many as 28 games they would likely still need the auto-bid to make the NCAA Tournament. Quinnipiac is also having a good year and is right behind them in the standings.
After that, we run through the other 21 UTR conferences. Maine is having their best season in recent memory and still has a chance at finishing 1st in the America East. Drake is still on pace to land inside the bubble, but they’ve got a tough stretch between now and the end of the season in the Missouri Valley. UC Irvine and UC San Diego are the two best teams in the Big West, they play each other this weekend, and the winner of that game may have a shot at an at-large. 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…
-UCLA got a big win over Michigan State 63-61 and is once again looking like a team that can go far in the NCAA Tournament. They hit a bit of a skid for a few weeks back in early January, but have come out of it now. Michigan State, who hadn’t lost prior to Thanksgiving, has now lost two straight, but is still in really good shape.
-Saint John’s has begun a tough stretch of their schedule, but they started things off with a 70-64 win over a really good Marquette team and are making a very strong case that they deserve a protected seed.
-Ole Miss led Kentucky by as much as 25 (I think) and while the Wildcats pulled it together late to make the final score look a little more respectable, it was still an impressive and decisive 73-59 win for the Rebels. Kentucky is a bit strange in the sense that they’ve managed to win many of the hardest game on their schedule, and while winning at Ole Miss, or beating Arkansas at home, or winning at Georgia isn’t easy to do, it’s not as difficult to do as winning at Tennessee or beating Duke on a neutral floor.
-Arizona continues to look like a protected seed and their resume keeps improving. They got a very good 85-74 win on the road at BYU. BYU had been playing really well, and is very tough to beat at home, so this one was a big one.
-Utah State got a scare at Wyoming, but managed to escape 71-67. It’s not so much that this was a big win as it is that it was a hard game to win and a loss would have really hurt.
-Georgia Tech is suddenly having quite a week! They upset Louisville at home, and then went on the road and pulled off a triple OT upset win at Clemson 89-86! When did the Yellow Jackets suddenly come to life?
-USC, who had been on a bit of a streak, could not get the win at Northwestern. They trailed for most of the game, but made a run late and actually had a chance to win in the final seconds, but fell just short 77-75.
-Kansas State has now won four straight to even their record out at 11-11. They got a nice (and close) 71-70 road win after some bad freethrow shooting by Arizona State down the stretch. K State still has a ton of work to do, but in their last four games they’ve beaten West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and won on the road at Iowa State and at Arizona State. It took this team a while to get up to speed, but they are rolling right now! They’ve got a big one at home against Kansas this Saturday.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-OREGON AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams have some great wins at the top of their resume, but both have also had days where you thought they would hold serve and didn’t. I still think both are good enough to end up with a protected seed. Oregon is looking to bounce back from a loss to Nebraska, which is one of those games you’d have expected them to win, and Michigan has won three of their last four, but was playing with fire in all three wins barely beating Northwestern, Penn State, and Rutgers.
-DUKE AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Duke, despite being on the road, should blow through this one.
-MISSOURI AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Missouri has racked up several key wins and continues to climb the seedlist. They could have a case for moving up well into the protected seed range if they can go on the road and beat Tennessee. Right now Tennessee is still landing on our 1-line, and one would expect them to pick this one up at home.
-CINCINNATI AT UCF (Big 12). UCF is right on the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one in order to land on the right side of it.
-LOUISVILLE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). Louisville is coming off a surprise loss at Georgia Tech, but should be able to bounce back from that and win this one on the road. The Cardinals are still looking really solid overall.
-GEORGE MASON AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic 10). George Mason has now won seven in a row, and if they can continue to blow through the A10 the committee may give them a serious look. That would mean winning on the road tonight against a fairly solid GW team that’s 10-1 at home overall.
-TULSA AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis has a solid profile and a solid team. They’ll be safely in the field if they win out, and may be considered for a protected seed.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT TCU (Big 12). West Virginia has lost a key player for the season, which will change how the committee evaluates them. They need to show they can win games and play at a certain level without him, and going on the road and picking this one up would be a big statement that they still can.
-ILLINOIS AT RUTGERS (Big Ten). Illinois has been hot and cold throughout the season, and Rutgers is a very tough place to go and win. Illinois is just 3-4 in their last seven games and this could be a win that could help stabilize them a little bit.
-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Creighton continues to string together wins and is arguably one of the hottest teams in the country from a major conference. They’ll be challenged tonight, but it’s one they should be able to pick up.
-SMU AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). SMU is outside the bubble, and I for one don’t see them getting inside of it, but at 17-5 overall they may get a look if they can finish the season strong and not drop any games like this one.
-ARKANSAS AT TEXAS (SEC). This one should be fun. It’s an old SWC rivalry and it means quite a bit on paper. Arkansas just got the big win at Kentucky in what was easily their biggest win and best performance of the season. If they can follow that up with a win at Texas you have to think that they have a realistic path to the NCAA Tournament. Texas is inside our bubble, but has room for improvement and getting a win in this one tonight should at least help keep them stable. This game has a bit of a pivotal feel for both teams.
-LSU AT GEORGIA (SEC). Georgia is a good team, but they’ve now lost five out of six in what is a very tough SEC. They need to collect what little low hanging fruit their is in this conference and pick up this win tonight.
-NEBRASKA AT WASHINGTON (Big Ten). The Huskers have now won two straight after a six game losing streak and are right back on our bubble. This isn’t the easiest game to go on the road and win, but it’s something that a tournament caliber team should be able to do.
-WAKE FOREST AT STANFORD (ACC). This game feels bubblicious. Neither team is in our field, but both are on our board and could make the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to finish strong. That would mean winning this one tonight.
Drake (20-2, 10-2) at Murray State (11-12, 5-7) – 7:00 PM ET (ESPN2)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to Murray, Kentucky for a rematch between the Drake Bulldogs and the Murray State Racers. In the first meeting, the Racers handed Drake their only home loss by a 66-59 score; this was the back end of a 2-game losing streak for Drake at the beginning of Jannuary. The Bulldogs have since won eight straight games and are now a game ahead of Bradley for the lead in the Missouri Valley. Bennett Stirtz had 30 points in Drake’s win over Southern Illinois last Saturday.
Murray State is currently in a 3-way tie for eighth place in the Valley, but they are only two games behind a potential first-round bye in the Arch Madness Tournament coming up in early March. That’s the good news – the bad news is that the Racers have lost three straight games and five of their last six, so getting a sweep of Drake on paper would appear to be quite a tall order.
-We had been ragging on Kansas for not being able to hold onto leads that seemed nearly impossible to blow. Well, they held on last night and won convincingly over Iowa State 69-52.
-When you’re on the bubble, it’s important to not lose games at home to teams that are nowhere near the bubble. Pittsburgh may be in a lot of trouble. Virginia beat them handily 73-57.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Both teams are high in the rankings, and Saint John’s is about to begin what is probably the toughest stretch of their schedule. In one sense it will be harder to win their remaining games, but in another sense they’ll have a chance to really build up their profile. Marquette is coming off a home loss to UConn and this would be a huge bounce back win for them if they can beat the Johnnies on the road.
-VANDERBILT AT FLORIDA (SEC). Many think Florida is a great team, and they are, but I also personally think that at the moment the top of their resume is a little flimsy and that they need to hold serve in a game like this. Vandy is just inside the bubble and could really use a win like this on the road to give their resume a huge boost.
-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten). Purdue should be able to pick up yet another conference road win and keep themselves solidly in the protected seed range.
-KENTUCKY AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss should have a sense of urgency coming into his one. They’ve lost four out of their last five, and while they’ve got a couple of winnable games in front of them, a home win against Kentucky would go a long way in terms of stabilization. Kentucky is coming off a home loss to Arkansas and looking to bounce back with another big road win.
-LA SALLE AT VCU (Atlantic 10). If VCU wants any shot at all at getting a look from the committee they need to win out.
-DRAKE AT MURRAY STATE (Missouri Valley). This will be a bit of a road test for Drake, but a win gets them to 21-2 and one step closer toward landing inside the bubble.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT HOUSTON (Big 12). This is a hold-serve game for Houston. They shouldn’t have too much trouble bouncing back from their loss over the weekend and taking care of Oklahoma State.
-UTAH STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West). Wyoming can be a very tough team to go on the road and beat. But, Utah State is a tough team themselves and if they really are a team that should be placed in the top half of the bracket then this is the kind of game they should be able to win.
-GEORGETOWN AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has been playing better, but they are still just outside our bubble and need to fight their way in between now and the end of the season.
-OKLAHOMA AT AUBURN (SEC). Oklahoma has been able to string together some conference wins recently, and if they somehow were to get this one at Auburn it would define their entire season, but it’s a very tall order. Auburn is locked into our field, they seem to be bulldozing their way to a #1 seed, and they should be able to hold serve at home.
-BAYLOR AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Both teams are coming off really big wins. Baylor came from behind after being down big against Kansas to win, and Texas Tech got a win at Houston despite having a key player and their head coach ejected at the start of the game.
-INDIANA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisconsin is solidly in the field and may be on the verge of a protected seed. They should be able to hold serve against an NIT-ish Indiana team.
-GEORGIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC). Clemson keeps winning games, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble winning this one.
-USC AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). USC was a team that seemed to have no pulse, but they’ve suddenly strung together some wins and are inching their way closer and closer to the bubble. This is a winnable road game for them, which would be another nice win for their resume.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT UCLA (Big Ten). This is a big one tonight. Michigan State just had a long winning streak snapped and will be looking to bounce back, but it won’t be easy. UCLA has had their ups and downs, but they’re currently on a winning streak and at the moment appear to be way up. This is a chance for both teams to pick up a big win.
-KANSAS STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). K State has won three straight, including a blowout road win at Iowa State in their last game. They still have a long way to go, but their remaining games will give them the opportunity to make a case for themselves. They’ll need this one tonight against an Arizona State team that’s looking to bounce back from a home loss to rival Arizona.
-ARIZONA AT BYU (Big 12). This is a big road test for an Arizona team. BYU has looked really strong lately and it’s one of the toughest venues in the countries for road teams to win. BYU is now right on our bubble and a win like this could make a difference as to whether or not they end up making it.
It was a crazy weekend with 11 top 25 teams losing, including some incredible upsets and surprising results with Kansas State blowing out Iowa State, Texas Tech getting a big win at Houston despite a key player and their head coach getting ejected in the first four minutes, Arkansas getting a win at Kentucky in John Calipari’s first game back, Louisville falling at Georgia Tech, and much more. Chad and the panel run through all of the major conferences, recap a busy week, and look ahead to all of the upcoming actions.
And for all the radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
Jackson State (6-15, 6-2) at Southern (13-8, 8-0) – 7:30 PM ET (Jaguar Sports Network)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day goes to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for a matchup in the SWAC between the Southern Jaguars and the Jackson State Tigers. Southern comes in to tonight on an 8-game winning streak to take sole possession of first place in the conference. Two days ago, Southern beat Alcorn State 74-69 and were led by a double-double from Damairee Jones (12 points, 11 rebounds).
Jackson State won their first four games in conference play before going on a 2-2 split in their last four games. Their only losses in conference play came against Texas Southern on the road and Florida A&M at home; their best win came against Bethune-Cookman at home. DeShaun Ruffin had 20 points in JSU’s win on Saturday against Grambling – their first game in the Louisiana road trip in conference play.
