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NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a great one between Ball State and Buffalo – CLICK HERE

-Northwestern is back to their old selves of not being any good.  They were creamed by Penn State last night.  Both teams have barely looked like NIT teams so far, and as of now it’s hard to say if Northwestern has even looked that good.

-Oregon dropped a pivotal game on the road to rival Oregon State.  It was a feelgood win for the Beavers, and a crushing loss both on and off paper for the Ducks.

-For teams under the radar, Northern Kentucky got their first true road win in a hostile environment at Oakland. The Norse are currently the team to beat in the Horizon, but look for these two teams to be at the top of the league come March.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Xavier has looked pretty sharp all year, and has some pretty decent road wins on their resume as well.  As for Providence, they need to play catch up just to get themselves on the committee’s radar.  A win today would certainly go a long way.

-LOUISVILLE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Clemson is red hot and is coming off a road win against BC, whereas Louisville is in a tailspin and will need to string together several wins just to get themselves into the category of being a tournament team.

-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  I like this Michigan team, and although Illinois has looked good at times, they’re still looking for their first B1G win (not including the Bragging Rights game against Missouri) and I don’t think it will come today.

-PITTSBURGH AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  VA Tech got absolutely rocked by rival UVA earlier in the week, and needs to string together some wins just to solidify that they are a tournament team.

-ALABAMA AT GEORGIA (SEC).  This is a fun game just two days before the two meet for the national title in football.  Both have fielded good basketball teams as well and appear to be hovering around the bubble right now, and whenever that’s the case it’s a big game for both teams

-CREIGHTON AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Creighton is off to a pretty good start in league play and has a chance to pick up a winnable (but not easy) road game today.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Both teams have looked like they could end up as protected seeds, so this would be a high caliber win for whoever pulls it off.  I’ve been more impressed with the Hoos than with the Heels, and they’re at home.  Having said that, if the Tar Heels were to pick up a win it would make a resume that’s already pretty good a whole lot better.

-FLORIDA AT MISSOURI (SEC).  Both teams have looked really good at times, and not so good at other times.  Both also still have work to do and could really use this one.

-ARIZONA AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  Arizona just picked up a really nice road win against Utah and is one of the hotter teams in all of college hoops right now.  Colorado hasn’t been that strong, but they’re coming off a hugely surprising upset against Arizona State and will have a lot of momentum and confidence coming into this game.

-DEPAUL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Saint John’s is beaten up a little bit, but they need wins.  They certainly can’t afford to drop what is perhaps the most winnable game in all of Big East play.  A home game against DePaul.

-TEXAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  This rivarly has heated up in recent years, and this year it’s an important game for both teams.  Both have played well, but both need more good wins on their resumes than what they currently have (more so for Baylor at the moment).

-BUFFALO AT BALL STATE (MAC).  These look to be the two best teams in the MAC right now, and this is their only meeting during the regular season.

-NEVADA AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West).  Nevada looks to be the best teams in the MWC and should safely make the field.  They just need to hold serve in games like this.

-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  TAMU is in a sudden tailspin due to part of their roster being suspended.  A win today against LSU would really help things get turned around, but it’s still much easier said than done.  LSU isn’t great, but they are very much improved.

-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Purdue continues to look like a solid protected seed and should be able to breeze through this at home and sustain that status.

-SETON HALL AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler has gotten better as the year has gone on, and as Villanova found out they are very tough to beat at home.  They’re coming off a road loss to Xavier, but that’s hardly damaging.  Seton Hall could still end up as a protected seed, and a win today would certainly help them achieve that.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT CHICAGO STATE (WAC).  New Mexico State looks to be the best team in the WAC and may be the best overall UTR team.

-NOTRE DAME AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  Both teams are hanging around the bubble right now, and both could really use this win.

-DUQUESNE AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten).  Duquesne can improve to 3-0 in Atlantic Ten play, and I think they’re good enough to where they can at least finish toward the top of the league.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is coming off one of the biggest surprise wins of the season, and a team that started off without receiving a single vote in the top 25 is now looking like they could end up on the #2 or #3 line.  They can improve to 14-1 on the year and stay perfect in conference play with a win today.

-WAKE FOREST AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC).  Right now it looks like both are on the outside looking in and if either wants any chance at all to be in the tournament picture then they need to win games like this.

-WASHINGTON AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Washington has had a pretty good year so far.  A bit inconsistent, but the NCAA Tourney is certainly an attainable goal for them.  Picking up a win against rival Wazzu would help both on and off paper.

-IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  Both teams have played well this year at times, but both have a lot of work to do and both are still looking for their first conference win.  This game has a pivotal feel to it for both teams.

-RHODE ISLAND AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten).  Rhody looks to be a very solid tournament team and should be able to skate into the top half of the bracket if they hold serve throughout A10 play.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Mississippi State had a bloated record, but I was attributing that mostly to their schedule.  Their win against Arkansas the other night was really big, and if they can follow that up with a road win against their rival then there is a lot to take seriously there.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT NORTHWESTERN STATE (Southland).  SFA may have an outside shot at making the field if they win out and lose in the conference championship, but it is a very very very small chance.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Conference USA).  Middle had to sweat out FIU the other night.  They have a very slim margin for error if they want to land inside the bubble.  It may be so small that there isn’t really any margin at all.

-INDIANA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Minney has a good record, but they’re in a situation where losing at home to non-tournament teams would not be good.

-ARKANSAS AT AUBURN (SEC).  This is one of the more exciting games of the day.  Both teams have been surprises, and as good as both have looked neither has really gotten credit for being as good as they probably are.  They’ll both have a chance to pick up a big win today.

-OLD DOMINION AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA).  If ODU can win out, which is much easier said than done, then they will have the attention of the committee.

-UCLA AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  UCLA fell at Stanford in an overtime thriller the other night and could use a nice bounce back win today.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT MARSHALL (Conference USA).  Western KY has the kinds of OOC wins they need to land inside the bubble, but they need to blow through CUSA where they won’t really be getting any further opportunities to impress the committee.

-OKLAHOMA AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  These are perhaps the two best teams in the Big 12, and both are so good that they will likely contend for #1 seeds.  This is the kind of game that #1 seeds need to be able to win, so it should be a fun one.

-DUKE AT NC STATE (ACC).  Duke is off to a solid 13-1 start and faces an NC State team that is inconsistent, but that should be way up for this one.

-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Nova is coming off a loss to Butler, but I still think they are the best team in the country and still have the #1 line very much within their grasp.  Marquette is hovering around the bubble.  Of course if they could somehow win this then they’ll be so far inside it that they won’t have to worry nearly as much.

-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten).  The Bonnies are coming off a loss to Dayton, and although it didn’t cripple them by any means, they really can’t afford too many more losses to what appear to be sub-tournament teams.  They need to rebound with a win tonight.

-COASTAL CAROLINA AT LOUISIANA (Sun Belt).  If Louisiana can run the table, and that’s a very big ‘if,’ then they may not need the auto bid this March.

-BOISE STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  I really like this Boise State team and think they can challenge Nevada for first place in the Mountain West.  Wyoming hasn’t turned out to be quite as good as I thought, but they’re still very tough to beat at home.

-KENTUCKY AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee was one of the surprise teams this season, but they’ve kind of hit a skid and are still looking for their first conference win.  They host a Kentucky team tonight that seems to be improving as the season goes along and who also just picked up a nice road win at LSU.

-KANSAS AT TCU (Big 12).  TCU is ranked, and they’re at home, and they’re hosting Kansas.  This is perhaps the biggest showcase game in TCU’s entire history.  Well, may be a stretch, but in all seriousness it’s easily the biggest one that I can recall.  Kansas has struggled, but still has a really good chance to turn things around and end up as a protected seed.  TCU, for that matter, could also end up seeded that high.

-GONZAGA AT LMU (West Coast).  The Zags really haven’t been challenged in league play yet, and probably won’t be tonight either.

-BYU AT PACIFIC (West Coast).  BYU needs to avoid losing to anyone that isn’t Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s, and pick up a couple of wins against Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s if they want to make the field.

-UTAH STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  UNLV has a lot of work to do.  The last thing they need to do is to drop a game at home to a team that isn’t likely to finish anywhere near the NIT, much less the NCAAs.

-SAN DIEGO AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Last, but certainly not least!!  This is one of the better match ups of the day.  Both teams have solid records, but both desperately need quality wins and must take advantage of the few chances they have left.  That certainly means being able to win this game today.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a really good one between Missouri State and Northern Iowa that would have been highlighted had he not picked it – CLICK HERE

-Florida State got a big home win against North Carolina in a game that came down to the wire, and if you like poor freethrow shooting, then you need to go back and watch the end of this game!  The loss isn’t that bad for UNC, but they still don’t have that true road win against a team that’s likely to finish in the top half of the bracket, which is something that we normally see out of all the protected seeds.  Having said that, they’ll have plenty more opportunities.

-Marquette also went overtime to get a tough win on the road against a Providence team that is starting to look more NITish than they are an NCAA team. Noteworthy here is that Markus Howard went off for 52 points – this ties a Big East record that goes back even to the original Big East days.

-Miami FL went into Georgia Tech.  And lost.  That’s not good.  It won’t cripple the Canes by any means, especially if they can beat rival Florida State this weekend, but it’s a game that they should have won if they really are a protected seed caliber team.

-Kentucky picked up a nice road win at LSU in a close one that went back and forth.  As young as Kentucky is, they played well against a decent team in a hostile environment, which is a big step forward more so off paper than on.  They’ve been playing really well since the loss to UCLA.

-Clemson was in a close game….AND WON IT!!!!!!  Clemson’s reign of unluckiest team on Earth may be over.  They built up a big lead at Boston College, and BC came back and nearly pulled the upset, but Clemson was able to hold on.  They remain unbeaten in ACC play and have just one loss on the year.

-Wake Forest, who is 7-2 since their atrocious 1-4 start, got a really nice win at home against Syracuse last night.  Danny Manning may not get this team to the NCAA Tournament, but no one in the country has improved over the course of the season as Wake Forest has.  They were AWFUL, and now they are playing at a level where they can win some games in league play and be a dangerous opponent for anyone who overlooks them.

-Saint Bonaventure fell behind to Dayton and then never caught up.  Dayton has really struggled this year, but they really seemed to put it together last night.  They may be turning the corner.  I don’t think they’re an NCAA team, but they could be dangerous in the A10 the rest of the way.

-UConn……nevermind.

-Memphis……nevermind.

-Now for what is probably a non-NCAA Tourney note, Duquesne with a nice win over George Washington!!  Let me put this into the proper context.  Duquesne is probably not an NCAA Tournament team, but they are perhaps a postseason team and maybe an NIT team, which is a huge improvement considering that they have been awful for the last three decades with the exception of the one NIT berth (I think).  It will be fun to see how much noise they make in the A10 the rest of the way. (Note from John S – Duquesne went to the NIT in 2009 and also has 3 CBI appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2016. Last NCAA Tournament bid was in 1977.)

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-HOUSTON AT WICHITA STATE (American).  I’m really looking forward to this one.  Houston is looking like a fringe tournament team that will perhaps be a solid tournament team by the end of the year.  I think they’re swinging over their heads tonight, but if they were to somehow pull it off they would improve to 13-2 with wins over both Arkansas and Wichita.  That’s a hell of a resume!

-OHIO STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Ohio State is unbeaten in Big Ten play and can add another conference road win to their profile.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (Conference USA).  If Middle Tennessee runs the table, which is much easier said than done, then I think they’ll be inside the bubble.

-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State is ranked #1 and is shooting for the #1 line, and Maryland is trying to solidify themselves as a no-brainer for The Tournament.  Winning on the road against the top ranked team would help with that endeavor.

-OLD DOMINION AT RICE (Conference USA).  At 10-3, ODU is having a big year, but they will have to go nearly perfect in league play to end up on the bubble.

-APPALACHIAN STATE AT LOUISIANA (Sun Belt).  Louisiana has just three losses on the year and if they dominate the SBC they could end up in the discussion.

-ARIZONA STATE AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  Arizona State is coming off a loss to rival Arizona and is still looking for their first conference win, but all and all they are in good shape and should be able to pick this one up tonight. They best not sleep on the Buffs, though.

-ARIZONA AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  Arizona has not lost a game since the Battle 4 Atlantis and have beaten two top ten teams since then.  Utah is off to a very good start at 10-3 and has won their first two league games.  They’re at home tonight in what should be an electric atmosphere.  This one should be fun!

-CINCINNATI AT TEMPLE (American).  Temple was looking pretty solid for a while, but they’ve looked awful for the last couple of weeks.  Still, this won’t be the easiest road game in the world for Cincinnati to win.

-SMU AT TULANE (American).  I like what we’ve seen out of both of these teams, but both still have a lot of work to do, especially Tulane.  Even if Tulane doesn’t end up anywhere near the bubble, they’re still obviously a program that is much improved and are definitely headed in the right direction.

-PACIFIC AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  This game, like many games on SMC’s schedule, takes on the mere importance of a buy game.  If they win it means nothing, and if they lose they are sunk.

-UCLA AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  UCLA has had a rather tumultuous season, but they are still in good shape with a 2-0 start in league play that followed a win against Kentucky.  If they can pick up two on the road here they’ll be solidly in the field (for now).

-USC AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  USC is going in the completely wrong direction and could really use a conference road win right about now.

-GONZAGA AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast).  A conference game with buy game importance for the Zags.

-BYU AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast).  A conference game with buy game importance for BYU.

OTHER NOTES

– Be on the lookout later tonight for our first Bracket Rundown show later tonight – our on-air staff will build a seed list during tonight’s podcasts. During the Bracket Rundown podcast, we will go from the top to the First Four.

– We will have our Under The Radar podcast airing tonight as well where we build the remainder of our seed list as well as review the 20 UTR conferences that we normally do on a weekly basis.

– We will also be keeping tabs on Winter Storm Grayson (really, Weather Channel?) along with any cancellations or postponements that take place as a result. It’s only expected to bring postponements to schools in the Northeast for tonight, but there may be a chain reaction for teams travelling to the Northeast for games this weekend as well.