Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Iowa continues to struggle to make a case that they are a protected seed.  After leading for most of the game at Indiana it slipped away in the final few minutes and the Hoosiers picked up a hugely important 67-65 win.

-After struggling against a rather weak Valpo team on Saturday but pulling out the win, Drake was basically run off the court yesterday.  Valpo won 74-57 in what was a really unimpressive showing for the Bulldogs.  I still think they are inside the bubble, but due to playing a weak overall schedule (through no real fault of their own) their margin for error is somewhat small.

-Loyola Chicago is right behind them. They managed to hold off Evansville and remain in the hunt for an at-large bid.

-Boise State lost again to Nevada.  It was a disaster of a weekend for the Broncos and it has certainly set them back.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SMU AT EAST CAROLINA (American).  I’ve almost given up on SMU, but not quite yet.  This should be an easy road win, but having said that ECU did manage to beat Houston last week, so…

-OREGON STATE AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  Colorado is slipping a little bit, but they are still inside the bubble.  They need to hold serve today.  A win doesn’t help so much as a loss would be another setback.

-MIAMI FL AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  North Carolina is playing better than they have all season and as a result their resume is getting better.  They should be able to hold serve today.

-NEBRASKA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  We sound like a broken record when saying this, but Minnesota is amazingly good at home and awful on the road.  They should win, but it won’t really help them much.

-OHIO STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Ohio State has cracked our #1 line, and will stay up there if they can pick this one up on the road.  It won’t be easy, though.  Maryland has been playing better and their resume has been getting better, and this is a chance for them to give it another nudge.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Kansas is in a bit of a tailspin whereas Oklahoma State has been playing really well.  They’ve been playing well all season, really.  A win would look good on either team’s resume, so it should be another fun one.

-GONZAGA AT BYU (West Coast).  It is perhaps Gonzaga’s most difficult remaining game, and I still don’t expect them to have too much trouble winning it.  BYU is safely inside the bubble and a loss won’t change that.  A win will jump them up a few seed lines, though!

-SAN JOSE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is still in relatively good shape despite a few setbacks, and will remain that way so long as they continue to hold serve.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-Oklahoma State knocked off Texas in an overtime thriller.  It is perhaps the biggest win of the year for the Sooners and establishes that (if they get their waiver) they deserve serious consideration as a protected seed.  Texas had been in the hunt for a #1 seed for a while, but that’s probably not in the cards anymore minus maybe them running the table.

-Missouri looked great for the first 30 or so minutes of their game yesterday and Alabama looked like they were asleep.  The Tide finally kicked it into gear and fought back to make it close, but couldn’t quite get over the top as Mizzou picked up a huge 68-65 win.

-Kentucky played great for the first 30 or so minutes of their game against Tennessee, but then went ice cold down the stretch as Tennessee got the lead, and then got complete control of the game before winning 82-71.

-Illinois played one of their best games of the season as they pretty much controlled Wisconsin In a 75-60 win.  This was a big time win for Illinois.

-Creighton held on to beat Marquette, but barely.  Creighton still has a solid resume, but they don’t seem to be quite as good in their last two games as they had been all season long prior to that.

-Virginia Tech needed overtime to get past Miami, and it wasn’t without controversy, but the Hokies did hold on and will remain in contention for a protected seed.

-Kansas continues to struggle.  Losing to West Virginia isn’t bad at all in and of itself, but Kansas simply doesn’t look like a protected seed caliber team right now.  On the flip side, it was a win that will look good on WVU’s profle.

-USC got ahead and stayed ahead of rival UCLA.  The 66-48 win puts the Trojans at 15-3 on the year and should put them into the rankings.

-Drake trailed for much of the game, but ended up pulling out an 80-77 win over a rather weak Valpo team to remain unbeaten and in the rankings.

-Seton Hall desperately needed a notable win, and got it yesterday at UConn.  UConn was asleep for the first fen minutes or so and just couldn’t catch back up.

-Toledo, who had looked like an NCAA Tournament caliber team for most of the year, did not look like one yesterday.  Ball State played a great second half and knocked off the Rockets 81-67.

-Saint Louis and Saint Bonaventure both desperately needed games and wins.  They both got to play yesterday, but SlU got the 70-59 win.  They’ll need a strong finish in order to be inside the bubble come Selection Sunday.

-Saint John’s continues to string together wins, and continues to get closer to the bubble.  They have been playing great these past few weeks, and knocked off Providence 92-81 yesterday.

-Clemson seems to be back to their old selves as they put together a decisive 78-61 win over Syracuse.

-Duke v North Carolina gave us another exciting chapter.  It was a different storyline with both teams needing the win to help get them inside the bubble, but the game itself was intense and close as UNC pulled off the 91-87 win.

-Colorado had a nice bounce back win in a thriller against Arizona as pulled it out 82-79.  This should help stabilize their resume a little bit.

-New Mexico State FINALLY gets a D1 win after being clobbered by COVID protocol all season long!  They knocked off CA Baptist 97-70.  Now, they need to get their first win against a non-transitional team!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-IOWA AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Iowa still seems to lack the number of big wins they’ll need to be a protected seed despite their high ranking.  They’ve got another big test today against an Indiana team who could use a few more wins to shore up their resume.

-DRAKE AT VALPARAISO (Missouri Valley).  Drake pulled it out yesterday, but barely.  They look to stay unbeaten and remain in the rankings today.

-EVANSVILLE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  Evansville is much improved this season and appears to be moving in the right direction as a program, but Loyola Chicago is very close to cracking the rankings and could play their way inside the bubble if they keep winning like they have been.

-GEORGETOWN AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  This year it seems as though these two teams are light years apart.  Villanova is fighting for a #1 seed, and Georgetown seems like a long shot for a bye in the Big East Tournament.

-BOISE STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  Nevada pulled out the win the other night, which didn’t completely crush Boise State but it did set them back.  They should still be safely inside the bubble if they can hold serve and take care of business this afternoon.

-CALIFORNIA AT STANFORD.  Stanford is right on the bubble.  They took care of business against their rivals last night and need to do the same again tonight.