Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Kentucky, who only had one true road win coming into yesterday, got another massive one yesterday as they knocked off Tennessee in Knoxville 78-73. Kentucky has a fantastic profile, but this is probably their most impressive single win of the year, and certainly the biggest statement of the year. The Vols have now suddenly lost two straight, albeit both games were to really strong teams.

-Kansas trailed for a good portion of the game against UCF and never really got control of it until the final seconds, but they did escape with a 91-87 win. UCF has now lost close games to both Houston and at Kansas. Either one of those wins (much less both of them) would have changed the entire complexion of UCF’s season and their tournament resume. If they can keep playing like that they should pick up the wins they need between now and the end to land safely inside the bubble, but as of now they still have work to do.

-Louisville ran away from Wake Forest for another impressive showing. The final score was 72-59, but for much of the game Louisville had an even more commanding lead than that.

-VCU and Dayton, the two teams from the Atlantic 10 who we were saying needed to win out in order to have any sort of a chance, both lost yesterday. VCU fell to Saint Louis and Dayton was blown off the court by Saint Bonaventure.

-Arizona State escaped with a tough fought, and much needed, road win at Colorado 70-68. That should at least help stabilize their resume for now.

-Baylor, who could have really used the road win at BYU yesterday, fell in overtime 93-89.

-North Carolina is right on the bubble, and a road win at Pitt would have helped them out a ton. Unfortunately, they did not get a road win at Pitt. The Panthers got control of the game in the final minute and picked up a 73-65 win, which helps stabilize their own profile.

-San Diego State got a big scare from San Jose State, but escaped 71-68 and just avoided what would have been a very damaging loss.

-Gonzaga beating Oregon State at home doesn’t move the needle that much, but the Zags absolutely blew them out of the gym in what was perhaps one of their most impressive on-court performances of the year so far. The final score was 98-60.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SAMFORD AT FURMAN (SoCon). This game won’t impact the bracket, but Samford is having another fantastic year and this is a big road test for them against a Furman team that’s looked good in a lot of games, but also failed to win several games that they probably should have.

-AUBURN AT LSU (SEC). It’s another road test for Auburn, but they’ve passed virtually ever test they’ve taken this year and should roll in this one as well.

-HOUSTON AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). Houston just picked up their first really big protected seed level win at Kansas this past weekend, and have a chance to pick up what would probably be their second biggest win of the season if they can win at WVU tonight. It will be a battle, but Houston is as strong as anyone in the country and this is a road game they can win. As for WVU, a win for them would really boost their resume even though they’re at home.

-WISCONSIN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). I think both these teams are good, but also have room to improve. I’ve been critical of Wisky on the shows and in the write-ups lately, but if they can go on the road and win this one, which I think would be their biggest win of the year so far, then I’ll start to come around to them more. Maryland had two big road wins this week at Illinois and Indiana, which really strengthened their resume, and can strengthen it again with a win tonight.

-TCU AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). TCU is 15-4 overall, having a really strong year, and can get to a very impressive 7-2 in Big 12 play if they win this one tonight.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). This is a rivalry game between a Drake team that I still think has a path to landing inside the bubble (albeit a narrow one), and a Northern Iowa team that hasn’t always played up to their potential, but is also potentially very dangerous when they do. This should be a fun one!

-NORTH TEXAS AT WICHITA STATE (American). We say this every game, but if North Texas can run the table, which they are good enough to do, the committee should give them a serious look.

-DEPAUL AT CONNECTICUT (Big East). This should be some low hanging fruit for a UConn team that needs a win. They’ve lost three out of five and they have a really tough stretch of games coming up after this.

-UIC AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley). Bradley needs to win out to get a serious look from the committee, and they’ve got a UIC team that’s red hot right now and that they do not want to overlook.

-XAVIER AT CREIGHTON (Big East). This is a hugely important game for a Xavier team that is suddenly playing a lot better than they had for most of the season, and can perhaps play their way inside the bubble if they keep it up. A win today against a Creighton team that is also playing really well right now would go a very long way. Both teams are trending up and both have something to gain from this one.

-ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). This is going to be a fun one!! Alabama is on pace to earn a #1 seed, and Mississippi State appears to be on pace to earn a protected seed, especially if they can get a win tonight.

-TEXAS AT OLE MISS (SEC). Texas got a big win over the weekend, but on paper this would be a lot bigger considering it’s a true road game against a probable protected seed. It would also get Texas to 4-4 in the SEC, which puts them well on pace for going safely into the field.

-SAINT MARY’S AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast). I really like this Saint Mary’s team and they are about to begin a rough stretch in their schedule. If they can get this one on the road and continue to pick up some wins against the better teams in the conference after this we may be thinking about them as a protected seed.

-UNLV AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). UNLV beat Utah State just two weeks ago, but has lost two games since then and beating them on the road is a much tougher ordeal. Utah State should land in the top half of the bracket, and is a very good team that has a chance to win out.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-Iowa State appeared to have Arizona beat last night in a game that was close throughout, but Arizona forced overtime after hitting a beyond-half-court shot at the buzzer, and then pulled away in OT for a 86-75 win. It’s a big time win for Arizona who was a little sluggish OOC, but is definitely firing on all cylinders now.

-Duke cut it close and had to come from behind, but managed to beat NC State and actually pull ahead down the stretch 74-64.

-UCLA is continuing to roll as they picked up another nice road win, this time over rival USC 82-76. Whatever was a wrong a few weeks ago seems to have definitely been fixed.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SAINT JOHN’S AT GEORGETOWN. The Johnnies are 17-3 on the season and have another winnable road game tonight against a Georgetown team that’s much improved, but not improved to the point of being a team that Saint John’s can’t beat. The Hoyas are actually in a bit of a tailspin having lost five of their last six games.

-KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Both teams are high in the rankings and should be getting protected seeds, but both are also looking to bounce back from losses. Kentucky has lost two straight and could really use this win seeing as how they only have one true road win on the season. Tennessee lost a defensive battle at Auburn, which was their second loss in three games, but they are still having a solid season and are within reach of a 1 seed.

-WAKE FOREST AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Wake is on the fringe of a bubble and a road win like this against a red hot Louisville team could make the difference of whether or not they make it into the field. They are coming off a loss at home to Duke, but they had won six in a row prior to that and had been playin really well.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Georgia has lost four straight and this is almost a must win for them. It’s actually one of their easier remaining games and if they drop this one they could be in real trouble.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Minnesota has been playing much better, but they still have a long way to go. A win at Michigan State would be big, and actually put the NCAA Tournament within reach, but it won’t be easy. Michgian State’s winning streak dates back to the Maui Invitational before Thanksgiving and they’ve been as impressive as anyone in the country.

-UCF AT KANSAS (Big 12). Kansas has lost two out of their last four, including a double overtime thriller against Houston that they really could have won, but they are still in good shape. UCF also recently lost a close game to Houston and is hovering around the bubble. A road win like this would be massive and shoot them way up the seedlist, but it’s also sort of like shooting at the moon. Winning at Kansas is not easy.

-VCU AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic 10). No one in the Atlantic 10 is inside the bubble right now, but VCU appears to be the best team and could perhaps reach the bubble if they blow through the rest of their schedule.

-DAYTON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic 10). Dayton hit a skid a few weeks ago, but appears to have come out of it. They pretty much need to win out in order to get inside the bubble, but they may be good enough to do it, and 2ith the games they won OOC they should be positioned for a bid. This is pretty much a must-win road game for them. In fact it’s must-win games the rest of the way for them.

-MARQUETTE AT BUTLER (Big East). Marquette is on fire and is the top team in the Big East. This should be a winnable road game for them.

-OKLAHOMA AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). TAMU is coming off a loss to Texas where they had a lead for the entire game, but lost at the end and is looking to bounce back. Oklahoma strugged at the start of conference, play, but has won their last two and this would be a really big one if they’re able to pull this one off.

-BAYLOR AT BYU (Big 12). This is a big road game for Baylor, who is inside the bubble but definitely has room to boost up their resume. BYU is not inside the bubble, but they are tough to beat at home and a win in this game would look good for Baylor.

-ARIZONA STATE AT COLORADO (Big 12). Arizona State is right on the bubble, so every game seems to have a pivotal feel to it. This one won’t be easy, but a conference road win would be a solid addition to their resume.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). This is a very bubblicious type of game between two teams who both need wins between now and the end of the season. It’s possible that both will end up in The Dance, but it’s also possible that both will fall outside the bubble and miss it.

-OREGON STATE AT GONZAGA (West Coast). Oregon State won the first meeting between these two and the Zags are looking to bounce back. Oregon State is having a decent year, and a win like this could REALLY give their resume some pop and get the attention of the committee.