Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Missouri looked like a top 20 team in the first half against Mississippi State, and looked like a sub-200 team in the second half.  A lot of credit to the Bulldogs for blowing them out of the arena by outscoring them by 27 in the second half and handing Mizzou just their second loss of the season.

-Rutgers couldn’t get their motor started at all against Michigan State and was blown off the floor as well.  Sparty looked as good as they had all year, especially in the second half, as they picked up the 68-45 win.

-Clemson added another notable win to their already pretty noteworthy profile as they held off NC State 74-70 in overtime.  They trailed for most of the game, but stayed in it, made big plays when they had to, and got the win.

-Alabama followed up their big win against Tennessee with another really impressive win against Florida.  The Tide kept the Gators at arms length for pretty much the entire game and then pulled away at the end for the 86-71 win.

-Winthrop got a huge scare from Charleston Southern on the road, but got the 78-76 win and remain unbeaten.

-In case you’re wondering, Dayton is not as good as they were a year ago.  They lost to a rather pitiful Fordham team 55-54 yesterday and aren’t even looking like an NIT team at the moment.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TULSA AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  Tulsa is beginning to make some noise, especially after their big win against Houston.  If they can pick up this conference road win and improve to 7-3 then they will definitely have our attention.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  The Bonnies had a rather big setback after their loss to Rhode Island.  A home loss to a winless Saint Joe’s team would be more than just a setback.  It would be like losing a buy game.

-PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  If Pitt can pick up this win on the road I’ll start to become a believer.  They did fall to Louisville in their last game, but Louisville is tough and it was their first loss since the season opener.  Syracuse is a solid 6-1, but their schedule hasn’t been the strongest and this would arguably be their best win of the year so far if they pull it off.

-RHODE ISLAND AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  I’m still a believer in Richmond, but they need to hold serve against non-tournament caliber teams for pretty much the rest of the year in order to land inside the bubble.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  VA Tech still has an amazing profile and has the chance to add another really big win to it tonight.  Louisville is 7-1 and is looking to add some good wins to their resume themselves.

-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Arkansas has a bloated record, but they amassed it largely through buy games.  Tonight will be a real test against a Tennessee team that looks like they’re good enough to be a protected seed, but who is also coming off a loss to Alabama.

-VCU AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten).  This should be a winnable road game for a VCU team that right now feels like a bubble team.  They need to hold serve against teams that are outside the bubble.

-WICHITA STATE AT HOUSTON (American).  Virtually nothing was expected from Wichita State this year given the off the court drama just before the season started, but they’re 6-2, have looked pretty good, and have the chance to make a major statement tonight.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier got blown out by Seton Hall in their last game and is looking to bounce back against a decent, but not great, Saint John’s team.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Both teams are highly ranked and both seem to have a realistic path to a protected seed.  Minney hasn’t done much away from home, though, so a win tonight would add something big to their resume.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke hasn’t done anything impressive yet, so it’s important that they hold serve tonight.

-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Oklahoma barely lost to Texas Tech just before Christmas and picked up a big win against West Virginia the other night.  This is a test of an entirely different level, though.  If they can beat Baylor on the road then they’ll belong high in the rankings.

-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  UVA shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight, staying in the rankings, and staying in good shape as far as their resume goes.

-TEXAS A&M AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  I still think this South Carolina team can have a big year, but they haven’t played many games and haven’t shown all that much in the few games they have played.  They need to take care of business tonight to keep the bubble within reach.

-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Creighton is ranked in the top ten and looking like they could easily end up with a protected seed.  Seton Hall has been a little up and down this year, but right now they’re way up with wins in seven of their last eight games and an impressive blowout win at Xavier their last time out.

-AIR FORCE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  Boise State is 8-1 on the year and looks like a solid tournament team.  They should be able to hold serve tonight.

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NEWS AND NOTES

-West Virginia had to come from behind to get the win against Oklahoma State.  It appeared as though the Cowboys had the game under control, but WVU finished strong and got the W.  It was a statement that they can win big road games without Oscar Tshiebwe, which is important.

-Drake blew out Southern Illinois for the second day in a row.  It’s looking like Drake is the team to beat in the MVC.  They still haven’t lost a game, and when you look down their schedule pretty much all their remaining games appear to be winnable.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DAYTON AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton’s margin for error is razor thin.  Having said that, they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up their first road win today against a really bad Fordham team.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech’s resume still needs a bit of work to become a protected seed, but I definitely think they’re good enough to get there and shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight.

-NC STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  A really intriguing game between two teams with good records and that have shown us quite a bit.  This would be one of the better wins of the season so far for whoever ends up pulling this off.

-FLORIDA AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Both teams are likely tournament teams, and both also have the opportunity to improve their resumes with a win tonight.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Both of these teams have the potential to end up safely inside the bubble, but both still have a lot of work to do and could really use this win tonight.

-MISSOURI AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Mizzou continues to look very impressive this year and can pick up their third true road win of the season with a win tonight.

-RUTGERS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Rutgers is coming off a close loss to Iowa, which is frustrating, but also encouraging.  Michigan State has struggled this season and could really use a high quality win like this one.  It’s wild to say that playing Rutgers is such a great opportunity for Michigan State, but that is where we are.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American).  Both teams are on the outside looking in, and both have a lot of work to do.  Winning tonight would be a good start.

-KANSAS AT TCU (Big 12).  Kansas is a solid candidate for a #1 seed and TCU is trying to put together the kind of resume that will land them inside the bubble.  A win for either team certainly helps those causes.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Houston bounced back from their loss to Tulsa with a big road win over SMU, who appears to be the second strongest team in the American.  After last night I’m inclined to think that Houston is still a clear protected seed caliber team that just an off night against Tulsa.

-Michigan absolutely pasted Northwestern last night 85-66, which raises the question…how good actually is Northwestern??  Are they a legit top 25 team, or did they just have one incredible week?

-Minnesota blasted Ohio State 77-60.  At home Minney looks like a Final Four team.  But, they’ve only played one road game and lost it so if they want to get into the discussion for a protected seed they need to keep winning once they start playing more road games.

-Drake remains unbeaten after blowing Southern Illinois off the floor.  SIU had been having an impressive season coming into that game, so it was a bit of a statement win for Drake.  The two square off again tonight.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-STANFORD AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12).  Stanford is off to a bit of a slower start than we thought they’d be off to and they need to pick it up between now and the end in order to land on the right side of the bubble.

-WINTHROP AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (Big South).  I believe there is room for Winthrop inside the bubble if they can continue to blow through Big South play.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley).  Drake won the first meeting last night rather decisively.  They look to remain unbeaten and to make a case that they belong inside the bubble.

-MARYLAND AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Both of these teams have work to do, so tonight’s game is big for both of them.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  WVU is looking to bounce back from an earlier loss to Oklahoma, but it wont’ be easy.  This Oklahoma State team has been playing really well and is coming off a big win against Texas Tech.  If they get a waiver from the NCAA they will be safely in the field if they continue to hold serve.

-COLORADO STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  This game was insane when these two met just a few days ago with Colorado State coming back from 24 down to get the win and get time scalp for their resume.  Both look like tournament teams, but with limited opportunities at committee-impressing-wins the rest of the way tonight’s game is a big deal.