Hoops HD

CLICK HERE to view our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK where we recap all of the conference tournament action from yesterday and preview all of tonight’s games  

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine – CLICK HERE

-Kentucky had what appeared to be a comfortable lead all throughout the first half at home against Tennessee, but the Vols kept the game within arms length, then came back to make it close, then got the lead, and then got control late and pulled off the huge upset.  It still isn’t enough to get Tennessee all the way into the bubble, but it does give them some momentum as we wind the season down and head into the conference tournament.  Kentucky should still end up as a protected seed so long as they finish strong.

-Rutgers coasted against Maryland and even led by as much as 20 in the game.  Their problem is that they have so few wins away from home.  The season finale at Purdue is huge for them because they need that road win.

-Purdue picked up a very impressive win against Iowa, and now it suddenly looks like they have a manageable path to the NCAA Tournament if they can beat previously mentioned Rutgers in their last game and then add another win or two in the conference tournament.

-Michigan State has now won two straight road games against ranked teams, and is suddenly looking very dangerous.  They fell behind huge to Penn State, but dominated the second half and ended up picking up the 79-71 win.

-Mississippi State went into South Carolina needing to win….and did not win.  They are now outside the bubble with a lot of work to do and are running out of time to do it.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Both of these teams have been playing well lately, and both appear to be inside the bubble as of right now.  Whoever wins tonight will obviously be even safer.

-TEXAS A&M AT AUBURN (SEC).  Auburn still has a good chance of ending up as a protected seed so long as they win out and pick up one or two more in the SEC Tournament.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight.

-FLORIDA AT GEORGIA (SEC).  Florida appears to be relatively safely inside the bubble barring a collapse the rest of the way.  This should be a winnable road game for the Gators.

-LSU AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  LSU is inside the bubble and will likely remain there.  Arkansas appears to be on the outside looking in and will need a strong finish just to make the field.  A win tonight would be nice for LSU, and is pretty much required for the Razorbacks.

-MINNESOTA AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Indiana should be able to make the field if they hold serve the rest of the way.  That would include beating a Minnesota team tonight that has some big wins, but has also been really bad away from home.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament.  If they lose their two remaining games and then drop their first conference tournament game they may be sweating a little bit, but only a little bit.  Still, it would be in their best interest to hold serve and pick this one up against the Johnnies tonight.

-TCU AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Kansas is currently being projected as the #1 overall seed and will likely remain that way so long as they keep holding serve.

-VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Both of these teams are likely protected seeds, so this is a showcase game between two teams that are playing to try to end up on the #2 line.

-DAYTON AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton has been dominant this season, but this will perhaps be their toughest road game and it’s a good late season test to see how they play against a good team in a hostile environment.  Rhody is outside the bubble and really needs a win like this in order to make a strong case for themselves.

-FLORIDA STATE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Florida State still has a shot at a first place finish and will get at least a share of it if they win out.  They’re also likely to end up as a protected seed so long as they hold serve.  Notre Dame’s NCAA hopes are still barely flickering.  They need to win tonight in order to have any sort of a chance.

-VIRGINIA AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Virginia has won six in a row, and as crazy as this sounds actually has a chance at finishing in first place in the ACC if everything falls right.  They’re a virtual lock for the tournament and can pick up another winnable road game tonight.

-NORTHWESTERN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisconsin survived a close on this past weekend and has now won six in a row and is looking very dangerous as we head into March.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble extending that out to seven wins tonight.

HAPPY MARCH MADNESS EVERYBODY!!!  Championship Week officially begins tonight!!  CLICK HERE for this weeks Hoops HD Report as well as the first installment of our Championship Week Video Notebook

NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Stephen F Austin and Abilene Christian – CLICK HERE

-For Jon Teitel’s Conference Tournament Previews (Part 1) – CLICK HERE

-Follow all the conference tournament action – CLICK HERE

-Follow the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD – CLICK HERE

-Regular season play ends tonight in the America East and Sun Belt.  Keep an eye on the Conference Tournaments tab for those brackets!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  This is a very bubblicious game.  Neither team appears to be inside the bubble right now, but both teams have a path if they can finish strong.  This game is hugely pivotal for both teams in that regard.  South Carolina has now lost three out of four and is pretty much out of strikes.

-MARYLAND AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  In order to feel safe, I think Rutgers needs to win at Purdue this weekend.  The biggest problem they have is a lack of road wins, and even though beating Maryland at home would be big, it doesn’t address the biggest hole in their resume.  Still, a win would really help.  The Terps still have a shot to land up on the #2 line, and a road win against a Rutgers team with only one home loss would really help their case, so there is something on the line for them as well.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Penn State has been slipping, but they are still locked into the tournament and could still end up as a protected seed.  Michigan State is coming off what is easily their biggest win of the year, and picked a good time of the season to start playing at their best.  Both teams are on the protected seed bubble, so to speak, and this is a game that could really help their resume in terms of seeding.

-CINCINNATI AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  Cincinnati continues to cling to the outside of the bubble.  They’ll need to avoid losses to teams that aren’t in the field, and pick up at least one more big win in the conference tournament to have any sort of real shot of getting in.

-DAVIDSON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  The Spiders are squarely on the bubble and can’t afford to stub their toes in a game like this.

-MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Marquette is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament and has a chance at another winnable road game and conference win tonight.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT ABILENE CHRISTIAN (Southland).  SFA will get a look from the committee if they win out.  Tonight will actually be one of their tougher conference road games.  ACU has won seven straight and has been strong at home this year, so SFA better be on upset alert.

-TENNESSEE AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky has already wrapped up the SEC and I think should be close to wrapping up a protected seed.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble at home against a decent but not great Tennessee team tonight.

-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Iowa appears to be heading toward the top half of the bracket.  Purdue is outside the bubble, but given the strength of their schedule, the quality of their wins, and the games they have remaining, a strong finish plus a strong showing in the Big Ten Tourney could still get them into the field.

-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Both of these teams are on the bubble, and both really need this win.  And it’s a rivalry game.  So…it’s hugely important.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  West Virginia is in a tailspin and desperately needs to pull themselves out of it.  This is a winnable road game that can end their losing streak, but at the same time it can cause further damage to an already damaged resume if they aren’t able to get this win.