Saturday did not disappoint! As a result of that, I’m going to provide some bracket insights for these key matchups from Saturday. These games are in chronological order and if you’re curious, all quad breakdowns and everything is via bracketologists.com – an invaluable source of information!

Virginia picks ups really solid Q2 win in Raleigh today against a reeling Wolfpack squad. I am very curious to see if this is the beginning of the end for Will Wade’s squad this year. NC State – bubble, currently one of the last 4 in. Virginia – clearly a single digit seed at this time and rolling towards a tournament appearance currently! Sam Lewis with 23 points. Is the Jacari injury going to create more scoring for the Hoos?

Alabama got a huge Q1 win over Kentucky today in Tuscaloosa. Alabama is a 3 seed currently and UK is now struggling and appears to be heading towards a rough year. Alabama was led by Aden Holloway with 26 & UK was led by Oweh with 22.

Clemson picks up a good road W over a reeling Pittsburgh squad. Pitt is currently in a lot of trouble and appears to be headed towards missing the bracket altogether. Clemson was led by Jestin Porter with 21 points.

Wake Forest gets a Q2 win over Virginia Tech at home. This matchup, while not a huge win is one that really sets the tone for things in Winston-Salem this year. Forbes has to keep winning these games. Nate Calmese led the Deacs with 25!

Providence is the team of the early window, upsetting St. John’s at MSG! This is a Q1 win and one that could hep to shape the entire season for the Friars! Vaaks led PC with 16, but SJU was led by Zuby with a monster double double with 33/15.

VCU handles Duquesne and avoids a terrible loss.

Georgia, despite their best efforts, beat Auburn in OT! The Bulldogs did give up a 5 point lead with seconds left and almost gave the game away, but they were able to hold on. Both teams remain tournament teams, however, Auburn is shaky at best right now. UGA continues to impress this year and moves toward the 6/7 line. Wilkinson with 31 to lead all scorers!

Texas Tech dominates Oklahoma State winning 102-80! This was more about avoiding a Q3 loss than anything. For the Cowboys, they have a great record, but it’s extremely empty at this time and is going to cause issues down the road. Toppin led all scorers with 23.

BYU goes into Manhattan (Kansas) and beats Kansas State behind a solid performance from Dybantsa (24 points)! Cougs are a 3 seed for me currently. Kansas State is really going to struggle to make it.

Vanderbilt gets a road win over a weak South Carolina team. Vandy remains a 2/3 seed right now. Tyler Tanner led all scorers with 19.

UCF continues the trend of randomly upsetting Kansas in Orlando, this time winning by 6! UCF was a 9/10 for most coming into the day and will now move toward that 7 line. Kansas drops to a 5/6. Kugel with 19 for UCF and Peters on with 26 for KU!

Houston, despite struggling was able to beat Cincinnati in Cincy this afternoon. Flemings led the Cougs to victory with 19 points. Houston remains relatively underwhelming on the year, but really solid overall. For Cincinnati… where do we go from here? Houston → 3 seed.

TCU beats Baylor in an in-state rivalry in Fort Worth, winning 69-63. This propels TCU into the bubble discussion, and likely torpedoes Baylor from their spot on the 9/10 range to squarely on the bubble. Micah Robinson led a balanced attack for the Frogs with 13.

Dayton survives a scare from Loyola, keeping their tournament hopes breathing.

SMU beats UNC in Dallas. Boopie Miller with 27 to lead all scorers! The Mustangs have quietly built a very impressive resume and look to be a tournament team to-date. For UNC, they’re in a fine spot, but this game did expose them to some weaknesses they’ll need to clean up. SMU → single digit seed. UNC → 4/5 seed.

Arkansas picks up a Q1 win over Tennessee in another impressive performance. If you’re not bought into this year’s Arkansas squad, it’s time to buy in! Darius Acuff with a 29 point performance to lead all scorers! Arkansas moves toward the 4 line, while Tennessee hangs on around the 5/6 line.

Oklahoma takes care of a Q3 opportunity when they hosted Ole Miss. Xzavier Brown led the Sooners with 23. OU remains on the bubble!

Miami (OH) moves to 15-0 on an impressive night from Brant Byers. I will add that Miami can likely lose 2 times and get in the tournament as an at-large. This was critical.

Duke continues a concerning trend, beating Florida State by 4. FSU has looked better as the year has gone on, but a team rated as highly as Duke shouldn’t let this one be close. Isiah Evans 28 led the way! Duke → 2 seed

Arizona remains atop the country, dominating Utah on the road. Tobe Awaka led the Cats with 18.

Utah State – 18 point home victory, maintaining that 7-9 range. Collins led the Aggies with 23.

Mississippi State beats Texas in OT in Austin. Hubbard and Swain dueled, but Swain’s fouls held him back. Hubbard finished with 38. Texas had a disaster of a day with their resume looking really rough right now. MSST is off the bubble at this time.

Iowa wins the battle of transfer pg’s with UCLA tonight in Iowa City. Q2 win for the Hawkeyes, and UCLA appears the be a bit lost right now. Stirtz with 27 for Iowa. Dent with 25 for UCLA. Iowa → 6 seed. UCLA → 10/11.

Purdue pulls away from Wisconsin, winning by 16. Congrats to Braden Smith for becoming the all-time leader in the Big Ten Assist record books! That’s a massive milestone and awesome he was able to hit it! Purdue remains a 2 seed, Wisconsin is out.

New Mexico keeps their bubble hopes alive, beating Wyoming at home.

Missouri finally gets a marquee win, taking down Florida in a tough battle in Columbia. For UF, this is Q3 (for now). The Tigers are now firmly on the bubble, while UF moves toward a 7 seed.

San Diego State and Boise State required 3 OT’s in what was one of the best games of this season! In a really interesting twist, the first half was 50-29 SDSU and the 2nd was 50-29 Boise. Think that might be the first time I’ve seen that!

Sunday Preview:

Game of the Day: Creighton @ Seton Hall | Noon, Peacock

This is a monumental matchup for both of these squads. Seton Hall is reeling a bit and Creighton is rolling! Feels like the kind of game that really helps shape the bubble picture moving forward! SHU favored by 2.5 here. SHU would fall towards the 10 line with a loss. Creighton is still a bit out even with a win here.

Richmond @ Fordham | Noon, USA Network

This will be a fun A-10 matchup with both teams looking for their first conference win of the year!

UAB @ USF | 1:00, ESPNU

The American is absolutely wide-open. Both of these teams feel like they have something to say about the conference. If they want to make people believe, this is a good starting point.

Marquette @ UConn | 2:00, NBC

UConn by TKO here.

Iona @ Marist | 2:00, ESPN+

The MAAC continues to shin this year, and this game is no exception. It should be a good one!

Robert Morris @ Oakland | 3:00, ESPN+

This is a matchup I expect Oakland to win, but they’re favored by 4.5 here and RMU is a challenging team to play.

New Mexico State @ Missouri State | 3:00, ESPN+

This CUSA battle will not disappoint. Missouri State looks to extend to 3-0, while NMSU looks for their 2nd win in conference play. NMSU favored by 1.5.

Tulsa @ Northern Texas | 4:00, ESPN+

If we are talking about Tulsa in the at-large picture later this year, they win this game. This is one of the tougher Q4 games you’ll see. Tulsa favored by 4.5.

Bradley @ Murray State | 5:00, ESPN2

Critical matchup in the OVC, and one everyone should be tuned into! Murray is one of the hottest teams in the country with 8 wins in a row. Murray favored by 5.5

Seattle U @ Saint Mary’s | 8:00, ESPN+

Again, Seattle is better than they might appear, and should’ve beaten Gonzaga earlier this week. Now, they get Saint Mary’s, can they pull the upset? SMC favored by 10.5

Washington @ Indiana | 8:00, BTN

Indiana is favored by 7.5, but we haven’t really seen a healthy Washington this year. This one will be interesting, and both teams could really use this one.

Sunday, per usual is a bit slower, but still provides a solid punch! I’ll have a bracket out Monday AM!