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NEWS AND NOTES

-Gonzaga was shorthanded and really had to sweat, but they came from behind and hung on to beat San Francisco.  The Zags were without Killian Tillie, who is nursing an ankle injury he sustained earlier in the week.

-Everything else in the top ten was rather chalky, expect in the Big East where Xavier jumped out to a 30-6 lead on the road at Seton Hall and while the Pirates closed it up, X never really looked back and picked up a huge win.  After watching that, you wonder where that level of play was at Xavier before yesterday.  As for Seton Hall, the injury bug hit them again as Quincy McKnight had to leave the game with an injury.  Thankfully it is not a season ending injury, though.

Creighton also picked up a very impressive and very decisive win at Villanova.  This now makes the Bluejays look like a potential protected seed, and moves the Bluejays into third place in the league.

-Stanford needed a notable win against a quality opponent, and they got it yesterday as they were able to knock off Oregon 70-60.  It was a home win, but it still helps their resume out a ton.

-Auburn also got their first really big win of the year as they knocked off Kentucky at home.  The Tigers had a poor shooting night, but dominated the glass and hit their freethrows.  I have been beating up on Auburn for not having any wins against teams that are likely to make the field.  Well, that is no longer the case.

-Wisconsin picked up another big win at home against Michigan State.  Wisky jumped out to a huge first half lead, and although Sparty came back, they weren’t able to come all the way back.  Wisconsin’s record is 13-9, but when you look at how good their wins are and how none of their losses came against bad teams, they still look like a team that’s safely inside the bubble.

-Butler dropped a somewhat surprising one at home yesterday to Providence.  The Friars are playing really well, but it may be too little too late since they struggled early in the season.  Butler is still safely inside the bubble, but they’ve looked less and less like a protected seed these last couple of weeks.

-Colorado picked up a VERY impressive road win at USC.  They just completely blew the Trojans off their own floor, and USC had been looking like a tournament team prior to the game last night.  It was one of the more impressive showings by the Buffs all season long.

-Cincinnati is now 6-1 in their last seven games, and picked up a big one against Houston last night.  They’ve still got a lot of work to do, but they are stepping closer and closer to the bubble.  Houston led for the entire first half, but at about the midway point in the second half a Houston player was issued a flagrant 2 for biting a Cincinnati player.  I do believe that is a first in basketball.  That was sort of the turning point.  The Bearcats came from behind and got the win.

-Tulsa is also playing well after getting off to a slow start this season.  They knocked off Wichita State with a last second buzzer beater yesterday, and are now 7-1 in conference play with some pretty nice wins, and 15-6 over all.  Like Cincinnati, they still have some work to do, but also like Cincinnati they are sprinting toward the bubble.

-Michigan picked up a nice neutral floor win against Rutgers 69-63.  Rutgers tried to rally late, but could not get over the top.  Both of these teams have impressive resumes with one exception.  Road wins.  Michigan has some really nice neutral floor wins, including this one yesterday, but is just 1-5 in true road games.  Rutgers is about the same at 1-6 in true road games.

-Memphis has now won two in a row, although it was at home against UConn and they had to sweat to do it.  I’m still not really all in on Memphis at the moment.

-Cole Anthony returned to North Carolina’s line up yesterday after a long absence…and UNC still lost at home to Boston College.

-Arkansas picked up a really good and very much needed road win at Alabama yesterday.  Alabama is not inside the bubble, but they have been playing like at least a bubble caliber team since conference play started and are not easy to beat at home, so the Razorbacks should get some credit for that win.

-Arizona, who entered the week without any true road wins, now has two, and now looks to be in better shape than they were a couple of days ago.  Winning at Washington State isn’t exactly the selling point of any resume, but it at least checks the box of being a road win.

-BYU beat Saint Mary’s in a thriller yesterday, which is a quality win for the Cougars and helps make them a little more safe.  Saint Mary’s is still inside the bubble, but REALLY could have used this type of road win on their resume.

-Arizona State got the win at Washington and remains within reach of making the field.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-ILLINOIS AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Both teams are in the top half of the bracket, and Illinois is actually in first place in the conference.  It’s an opportunity for a quality win for both teams.

-GEORGETOWN AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Both teams are outside the bubble and need to string together some wins to get back on the committee’s radar.

-XAVIER AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Seton Hall’s team and resume just seem to be getting better and better and better.  They are looking like they could end up as high as the #2 line and even contend for a #1 seed.  They should be able to hold serve at home today against a Xavier team that’s looking very NIT-ish.

-CREIGHTON AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Creighton is in the top half of our bracket, and Nova is a protected seed.  If Nova holds serve then it really won’t knock Creighton down all that much.

-OLE MISS AT LSU (SEC).  LSU is red hot right now with nine straight wins and shouldn’t have too much trouble getting their tenth today.  After this, they’ve got three of their next four on the road, so the tests will be getting a little tougher.

-INDIANA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  We have both teams in our field, but both certainly have room to improve and this is an opportunity for them to do just that.  It will look good on the winning team’s resume.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Michigan State is looking like a solid protected seed, but any road win helps make the resume look just a little bit better.  Wisky is inside the bubble, but they are still slipping a little bit.  A win like this would be a huge stabilizer if they can pull it off.

-UCONN AT MEMPHIS (American).  Memphis has played their way outside the bubble and desperately needs to hold serve in this one to avoid falling further back.

-LOUISVILLE AT NC STATE (ACC).  These two teams are going in different directions.  NC State is clinging to the bubble after losing two straight games to NIT-ish teams, and Louisville is looking more and more like a top ten team.  A win like this for NC State would be huge, and could make the difference of whether or not they end up making the field.

-KANSAS STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  West Virginia is coming off a loss to Texas Tech, so this should be a nice bounce back game for them at home.

-PROVIDENCE AT BUTLER (Big East).  Providence played like a sub-NIT team in November and December, but has been pretty tough since conference play started.  Butler still looks like a protected seed and they should be able to get this one at home, but they don’t want to just overlook the Friars.

-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12).  We have Texas outside the bubble, but in the discussion and moving up.  They need to hold serve at home today.

-TENNESSEE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  It took Mississippi State a while to get going, but they are certainly going now.  They are just outside our bubble, but have a path to the NCAA Tournament, which means needing to hold serve at home against other bubble teams.

-DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  I like this DePaul team, but unless they can win seven of their last ten conference games I don’t think they’ll make the NCAAs.  Beating Marquette on the road, who just got a nice road win at Xavier, won’t be easy.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley).  Northern Iowa is squarely on our bubble, and with no opportunities to play tournament caliber teams the rest of the way they pretty much need to win out in order to stay there.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  BEDLAM!!!!!!!  Some editions of Bedlam are better than others.  Today’s edition is a really bad Okie State team playing against an Oklahoma team that is squarely on the bubble and looking to hold serve.

-TCU AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Baylor easily looks like one of the two best teams, and in our opinion easily has the best resume.  That probably won’t change even if they lose today, but they should be able to hold serve against an NIT-ish TCU team.

-GONZAGA AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast).  Gonzaga may be without Killian Tillie, and San Francisco should be jacked way up for this one, but it’s still a game that the Zags should be able win and remain on pace for a #1 seed.

-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS (Big 12).  This game has a Round of 32, #8 v #1 seed type of feel to it.  If Kansas wins and holds serve they remain on a direct path to the #1 line.  If Texas Tech wins then they will be catapulted up into the top half of the bracket.

-FLORIDA STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  Florida State looks like a protected seed that we’ve been putting on the #2 line, and Virginia Tech is squarely on the bubble after struggling over the last couple of weeks.  This would be a huge resume building win for the Hokies if they’re able to pull it off.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  These are two of the better teams in the SoCon, and both have a shot at ending up on the bubble if they can win out, but the margin for error is so small (especially after ETSU’s lost to Mercer earlier in the week) that anything short of that will likely mean needing the automatic bid.

-FORDHAM AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  It’s a conference game, but it could end up very much resembling a buy game.

-RUTGERS VS MICHIGAN (Game at MSG).  Both of these teams really need road wins.  Unfortunately this is not a road game for either one of them, but I suppose it does a little more for whoever wins it than winning a regular home game would.

-OREGON AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Oregon looks like they are cruising to a protected seed, but a win today still really helps them out because it’s a true road win against a team that’s in the discussion.  When I say in the discussion, that’s what Stanford is.  They could use a win like this to help get them solidly inside the bubble.

-KENTUCKY AT AUBURN (SEC).  So, we are entering the stretch to where Auburn’s resume and ranking should even out.  If they really are a top 20 team, they can string together some wins during this upcoming stretch which starts today.  If they’re only 18-2 because they’ve played a schedule full of empty calories then the losses will stack up and the ranking will drop.  As for Kentucky, it’s a chance to add another good road in to their resume and get them closer to locking up a protected seed.

-HOUSTON AT CINCINNATI (American).  Houston has been playing well lately and is getting further and further inside the bubble.  Cincinnati has won five of their last six.  They still have a lot of work to do, but their next two games are against ranked teams so if they can win both of them they will likely end up in the discussion.

-WICHITA STATE AT TULSA (American).  Tulsa has won five in a row, and although they still have a lot of ground to cover to get on the committee’s radar, a win against a Wichita State team that looks to be solidly inside the bubble will be another big step forward.  As for Wichita, this is the kind of road win they should get some credit for if they’re able to pull it off given how well Tulsa has been playing.

-ARKANSAS AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Arkansas has taken a few steps back, but this would be a really big road win which would certainly stabilize things for them.  Alabama has been playing pretty well and still has a chance at playing their way inside the bubble, but they’ve got a long way to go.

-SAINT LOUIS AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten).  SLU needs a strong finish to the season in order to be in the conversation to make the field.  A loss in a game like this could pretty much kill their chances.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT SAM HOUSTON STATE (Southland).  This is probably SFA’s toughest remaining game, and it is against their biggest rival.  If they win out then the committee will likely consider them for a bid if they lose in the conference tournament.

-PENN STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  This is a winnable road win for Penn State, so they need to take advantage of it because road wins in this league are hard to come by.

-CORNELL AT YALE (Ivy League).  I like this Yale team and think the committee will give them a look if they win out.

-DUKE AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  Syracuse had a five game losing streak snapped when they lost at Clemson in the final seconds earlier this week.  Still, they’ve been playing better and have gotten themselves within reach of the bubble.  A win tonight could get them on the right side of the bubble.  Duke is still fighting for a spot on the #1 line, so every game to them is a big game.

-TULANE AT SMU (American).  SMU has a very small margin for error, but a strong finish could get them on the bubble, and perhaps even inside of it.  They need to hold serve in this one.

-ARIZONA AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12).  Arizona got a big road win on Thursday and has the chance to add another much needed road win to their profile tonight, and shut all the people up who are always talking about how they don’t have a road win.  It may not be as easy at it appears.  Wazzu has been able to beat some good teams at home this year.

-FLORIDA AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  The Gators are falling closer and closer to our bubble and cannot afford a slip up on the road to a really bad Vandy team.

-PURDUE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Purdue has been very schizophrenic this year, but still has a path to the NCAA Tournament.  This is perhaps their most winnable road game, so they need to be sure and take care of business.

-UTAH STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  These are probably the two best teams in the MWC, so if anyone is going to take down San Diego State it will probably be Utah State.  San Diego State won the first matchup on the road without too much trouble, but Utah State has been playing a little better recently.

-SAINT MARY’S AT BYU (Mountain West).  This is a hugely important game between what looks to be two tournament caliber teams who have limited remaining chances at quality wins, which makes this game very important.

-COLORADO AT USC (Pac 12).  Colorado is in the top half of our bracket, and USC is hovering around the bubble, but has been playing really well lately.  This is a resume building opportunity for both of these teams.

-ARIZONA STATE AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  Arizona State is outside the bubble and coming off a loss to Wazzu, so this is a bit of a desperation game for them.