NEWS AND NOTES
-Just a few weeks ago Tennessee was beaten handily at Kentucky. Yesterday they returned the favor by blowing out Kentucky at home. If these two teams meet in the SEC Tournament on a neutral floor, then we may actually see a decent game! I think this puts the Vols back on the path for a #1 seed, but they pretty much need to win out.
-It wasn’t easy, but North Carolina survived at Clemson 81-79. This keeps UNC high up on the seed list, and Clemson squarely on the bubble. There was also a scary moment just prior to halftime where UNC head coach Roy Williams had to take a knee because of what was described as vertigo; he did not return to the game. He should be back on the bench for UNC’s next game at Boston College.
-Michigan State lost to Indiana for the second time this year. Michigan State has the ceiling of a #1 seed when you look at their resume, but with multiple losses to teams that may not even make the field then it makes it seem unlikely that they’re going to get one. Indiana has a very interesting resume. Their wins are fantastic. It’s just that they have so many losses on top of that.
-UCF, who had been a bubble team, may not be anymore after picking up a HUGELY important win at Houston. That completely changes the complexion of their resume. Funny how picking up a road win against a protected seed can do that!
-Utah State also picked up a big win over Nevada, which will likely put them on the right side of the fence. It was a home win, but it’s still a huge quality win, and Utah State has enough decent wins on their resume to get the committee to take them. There were also postgame fireworks from Nevada that resulted in broken glass in a fire extinguisher case (which, miraculously did not result in injury) and allegations of a Utah State coach shouting obscenities to Nevada coaches and/or players as they left the court. They had to leave through Utah State’s hallway to their locker room due to students and fans rushing the court postgame.
-Purdue didn’t just beat Ohio State. They clobbered them! Purdue may be the best team in the Big Ten right now. The Buckeyes did not have Kaleb Wesson in the lineup due to a suspension from the coaching staff, although it is not believed that he will be out indefinitely. If he does not return for whatever reason, yesterday’s performance was a major red flag for Ohio State.
-Kansas trailed for much of the game at Oklahoma State, but ended up getting the win, which was huge because coming into that game Kansas had won just two true road games on the season.
-Iowa was without coach Fran McCaffery yesterday, and judging by how they played it was as if no one else on the team bothered showing up either. They ended up losing handily at home to a sub-par Rutgers team.
-Ole Miss suffered a road loss at Arkansas. A win would have helped give them some stability, but the loss isn’t crippling. Ole Miss still looks to be in the 7-10 seed range.
-Florida did not do themselves any favors with a home loss to Georgia yesterday. It was the Dawgs’ second win in conference play all year, and it now adds a Quad 3 loss to the Gators’ profile. It doesn’t necessarily imperil them like Washington’s loss at Cal did – they still have games at home against LSU and on the road at Kentucky. Unlike the Huskies, their conference tournament also gives them more chances to improve their resume as well.
-One never knows what Texas is going to do. Yesterday, they blew out a very good Iowa State team. There are quite a few things on Texas’s resume that are flimsy, but I do think that they will ultimately end up making the field. Either a win at Texas Tech or even at home against a TCU team that is subpar on the road might solidify a bid for the Longhorns.
-Auburn picked up one of their biggest wins of the year with a home win over Mississippi State. This is one that I think the Tigers really needed. They finish their regular season with a trip to Alabama and a home game against Tennessee – one or two more wins here may at least vault Auburn up to first-ballot status.
-Seton Hall is in a more perilous position after losing a double-overtime game on the road at Georgetown. Not only do the Pirates need a win at home against either Villanova or Marquette this week to at least stay above the bubble, they might need at least one win just to avoid having to play a first-round game in the Big East Tournament next week.
-And what about Georgetown now? The Hoyas are now tied for third place in the Big East with Xavier and St. John’s (although they would be the #4 seed at the moment) after their Senior Day victory against the Hall. They finish their regular season with road trips to DePaul and Marquette. They would certainly be in the thick of the discussion if they could win at Marquette.
-Butler is now on life support after losing big at Villanova yesterday. They would be seeded ninth in the Big East tournament if the season ended today. They are only one game above .500 and have their final two games at home against a white-hot Xavier team and on the road at Providence. They must win those two games to have any at-large hopes, and they need to have a good Big East tournament run as well.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-SAINT JOHN’S AT DEPAUL (Big East). The Johnnies are relatively safe, but they’d really be helping themselves out if they avoid a loss to a non-tournament team like DePaul.
-NOTRE DAME AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Louisville is in a bit of a tailspin (having lost five out of six games after a win at Virginia Tech to start the month). This is a winnable game against a non tournament team that they need to win for their mental health as much as anything else.
-TULANE AT TEMPLE (American). If Temple is going to land inside the bubble then they absolutely have to hold serve in games like this. A loss would probably mean that they need the auto-bid in order to make it.
-CREIGHTON AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Marquette is on pace to get a protected seed and just needs to hold serve in games like this in order to stay on that pace.
-MICHIGAN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Both teams are obviously safely in, and Maryland will almost assuredly get a protected seed. Maryland is looking to bounce back from a rather surprising loss to Penn State. A home win over a team like Michigan would certainly qualify as a bounce back.
-WASHINGTON AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve). Washington is coming off a loss to Cal which crushes their resume, but they should still make the field as long as they can win out until the conference tournament.
-ARIZONA STATE AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Arizona State is a schizophrenic bubble team. A road win in a game like this would certainly help them. At this point it has a ‘must-win’ feel to it for the Sun Devils.
