Happy New Year’s Eve to all!

As we welcome in a new year, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all who I’ve interacted with throughout the year. I do greatly appreciate you all! I have big plans for 2026, and I hope it brings you health and prosperity!

Tuesday’s Results:

Vermont and Princeton started us off with an OT thriller and Princeton won.

Wyoming survived a scare from Air Force

Toledo survives Western Michigan after trailing by 9 at home to get their first win in MAC play!

North Carolina takes care of business vs. Florida State. Wilson (22/16) and Veesaar (12/12) with double doubles each!

Miami survives a scare from Pitt after trailing by 10 at half.

Miami (OH) dominate Bowling Green to get to 14-0

Duquesne and Davidson played a 2 OT thriller with Duquesne coming out on top in front of Davidson legend Steph Curry!

Seton Hall survives a scare from Marquette to get to 2-1 in the Big East!

Nebraska started slow, but pulled away to win big in the 2nd.

Louisville dominates Cal on the road in a game that was never close.

Tennessee State gets a huge road W over Tennessee Tech.

Nevada beats Colorado state by 13 in a game they controlled.

Creighton continues to get hot, this time beating Butler at home. This result is a massive one along the bubble!

Santa Clara bears Portland by7

Oregon State handles business at home beating San Francisco!

LMU beat Pacific at home

Boise State continues to get closer to the bubble, beating UNM at home!

METHODOLOGY

Each game is assigned a Power Rating (1–5):

5️⃣ Must-Watch
National-impact game; typically Q1 vs. Q1

4️⃣ High-Level Matchup
Strong game with postseason or résumé relevance.

3️⃣ Notable/Competitive
High quality mid-major matchup and/or decent high-major game

2️⃣ Worth Monitoring
Intrigue, rivalry angle, or stylistic fun; Typically the solid mid-major matchups will go here.

1️⃣ Minimal Impact
Not a major bracket game, but includes a fun storyline or a mid/low major game of interest

Wednesday’s games:

4️⃣ Wake Forest @ NC State | Noon, ESPN2

This is somewhat surprisingly a massive bubble battle for both teams. The Wolfpack have been relatively disappointing this year, while Wake has looked good at times. However, Wake needs a big Q1 win. This would qualify as such! Expect a ton of points with the O/U set at 160.5.

3️⃣ Tulane @ East Carolina | Noon, ESPNU

Tulane is favored here, but ECU has been known to pull off some home upsets over the years. The AAC as a whole really wants Tulane to win here to strengthen the top of the conference rather than destroying themselves.

1️⃣ Boston University @ Navy | 1:00, ESPN+

Both teams will open Patriot league play today, this should be an absolute rock fight. Navy is towards the top of the league this year, but Boston is tested and will be ready!

5️⃣ Virginia @ Virginia Tech | 2:00, ACCN

Rivalry matchup? Check. Key tournament implications? Double check! The battle for the Lover state has massive implications this year, with both teams sitting at 11 wins so far. However, Virginia is more tested than VT, and I lean toward them because of that. However, it’s a rivalry matchup, so anything is possible here!

3️⃣ St. Bonaventure @ VCU | 2:00, ESPN+

This is a really intriguing A-10 matchup that has lost some of its luster with the start from these teams, however, this one will be fun. Both teams need this to have any real hope at an at-large.

1️⃣ Radford @ USC Upstate | 2:00, ESPN+

This should be a really entertaining Big South opener for both teams here, while there aren’t tournament implications per se, this will be fun.

4️⃣ Clemson @ Syracuse | 2:00, ESPN2

Huge ACC matchup loading! Cuse has contended with top teams this year, but has also dropped games they shouldn’t have. Clemson has looked like the protocol Tiger squad to-date, flying under the radar but having a solid year. This one has relatively significant at-large impacts for both!

3️⃣ Charleston @ Elon | 2:00, FLOSports

This is a huge matchup early in the CAA year. Elon has really impressed me this year, and Charleston seems to be finally finding their footing now. This one could play a role in seeding come March!

2️⃣ Georgia Tech @ Duke | 4:00 The CW Network

Expect Duke to dominate here against a team at the bottom of the conference.

3️⃣ George Washington @ Richmond | 4:00, ESPN+

This is the game of the day in the A-10, with the winner moving closer to that top tier of the conference! Expect this to be a close battle!

4️⃣ North Texas @ Memphis | 4:00, ESPN2

Memphis appears vulnerable this year… Can UNT take advantage? Will Memphis take over and handle business? I’ll be watching to see how. Memphis comes out of the gates!

3️⃣ Wichita State @ UAB | 4:00, ESPNU

Yet another huge matchup in the AAC! This one will help show us who is going to be competing along side Tulsa and others at the top of the conference!

3️⃣ UConn @ Xavier | 5:00, Peacock

Muskies vs. Huskies! This will be a game I expect UConn to win easily, but Xavier is notorious for being difficult to beat at home, especially vs. UConn on NYE.

3️⃣ DePaul @ Villanova | 6:00, FS1

Just how good is Villanova? We’re not entirely sure yet, but they should handle this one easily!

4️⃣ St. John’s @ Georgetown | 8:00, FS1

This should help us learn about both of these teams. I honestly do not know what to expect from either, as they have both been up and down to start the year. Both could also really use this one to help their tournament prospects!

Have a great New Year’s Eve, and if you’re driving tonight, please stay sober! If you’re drinking tonight, PAY FOR AN UBER or FIND A DD!