Last night was one of the best slates we’ve had mid-week all season… atleast on paper! The biggest results from a tournament viewpoint are highlighted below:
Undefeated teams fall: Iowa State gets beat by Kansas at Phog Allen by 21!! ISU to the 2 line, KU to the 4/5 range!
Undefeated teams survived! Miami (OH) is now 17-0 after killing Central Michigan! Nebraska takes care of Oregon to continue their upward climb!
Miami (FL) beats Notre Dame to remain around a 10 seed or so! 15-2 is really solid, and that’s a nice road win!
Wisconsin at the buzzer to beat Minnesota by 3. Blackwell is a hero for the Badgers for now! Wisconsin looks like an 8/9 seed.
Dayton survives a tough test from Duquesne, keeping the Flyer’s hopes of a tournament birth alive. George Mason does the same, beating Loyola!
St. John’s avoids an upset from Marquette, ending up winning by 14!
Villanova continues to strengthen their resume, this time beating Providence at the AMP by 6!
Clemson continues their climb up the projected field, winning by 24 over Boston College!
Michigan State is a WAGON, likely moving to a 3 seed after beating India by 21. IU is out of the field currently.
Virginia goes into Louisville and picks up a Q1A win over an injured Louisville squad. UVA suddenly looks to be moving up the field towards the protected seed range! Louisville, on the other hand is moving down, quickly now closer to a 6/7.
Tennessee uses a crazy last minute comeback to beat Texas A&M after 2OT! UT is a 6/7, while A&M is a 9-11 team right now.
UConn & their Etsy witch finally break the curse, beating Seton Hall in Newark! UConn remains a 1, while SHU stays around the 9/10 area.
Houston dominates WVU. Cougs suddenly appear to have figured it out (again).
Alabama uses a strong 2H to run away from Mississippi State. Alabama → 3 seed.
Florida dominates Oklahoma in Norman. Florida’s jumping up the seed list quick, back on the 4 line!
Baylor dominates Oklahoma State in Stillwater, winning by 15. That’s a huge bubble win & will likely knock OKST out while Baylor jumps closer.
New Mexico wins by 23 at the Pit vs. GCU, moving them up to a 10 seed with other results.
Creighton avoids a critical loss, beating Georgetown in OT. Not a win that moves them in, or really up, but this was important for keeping the Jays hopes alive!
USC & Saint Mary’s both win big in late night action. USC → 9/10. SMC -> 7/8.
Finally, Boise lost to UNLV in OT. I do not see a real path for Boise this point.
Wednesday:
VCU @ Rhode Island | 6:00, CBSSN
Tough trip up north for the Rams, and if they want to make a tournament push, they’re going to need to keep winning these landmine games like this!
Iowa @ Purdue | 6:00, BTN
This is going to be a tough one for Iowa, who is coming off a disappointing first several Big Ten games. Purdue is rolling, and outside of the lone game vs. Iowa State, they’ve looked every bit as good as we expected. Look for Purdue to roll here.
Butler @ Xavier | 6:30, FS1
I’ll be in person for this one! This is a crucial matchup really for both teams, but for different reasons! Butler is struggling in Big East play after a solid NC slate, and is looking to jump back in the tournament picture! For Xavier, their season is about as expected, with them well out of tournament discussions, however, they have steadily shown progress this year, and will look to continue that progress vs. rival Butler!
High Point @ Winthrop | 6:30, ESPN+
Huge matchup in the Big South! This one will have championship intensity, and likely championship implications!
Ole Miss @ Georgia | 7:00, ESPNU
If Ole Miss wants any chance at making the NCAA tournament, they need to win this game. However, Georgia is a really solid squad, especially at home. I’d expect this one to be a high scoring game, and I expect UGA to take care of Ole Miss!
Colorado @ Cincinnati | 7:00, Peacock
Colorado has to win this one to avoid the bad loss on their tournament resume. for UC: Are fas actually going to wear bags on their heads? How bad will things get in Clifton?
Saint Peters @ Quinnipiac | 7:00, ESPN+
Massive matchup in the MAAC as both teams are 5-1 in conference play and fighting for first place!
Furman @ Sanford | 7:00, ESPN+
Massive matchup in relation to the SoCon standings. Both of these teams are looking to get the 1 seed come March and make it to the dance!
Auburn @ Missouri
Missouri is a 1.5 point favorite in Columbia tonight, but the biggest question is if Auburn has figured It out after their beatdown of Arkansas this weekend! Missouri would jump into the field with a win here, while Auburn is solidly a single digit seed right now!
Kentucky @ LSU | 7:00, SECN
Tigers vs. Wildcats. Which cat has more fight?! This should be a good one and I’m very curious to see how UK responds now that Lowe is out for the year officially. LSU is currently in a really good position for a tournament birth, but this win would be a great advantage down the stretch. UK is currently out and this Q1 win would put them back in.
UAB @ Tulane | 7:00, ESPN+
American action with tournament implications all over the place! Both team are fighting for the AQ, with Tulane appearing in several projections right now. I currently have Tulane on the 13 line as the AQ. UAB is favored by 2.5 coming into this.
Missouri State @ Western Kentucky & Middle Tennessee @ LA Tech | 7:30, ESPN+
CUSA action always delivers, and these matchups are a battle towards the top of the conference! WKU is favored by 6.5 at home while Middle Tennessee is favored by 4.5.
San Diego State @ Wyoming | 8:00, CBSSN
Suddenly, SDSU looks very good, jumping out to a 5-0 start in MWC play! The Aztecs are still looking to stack good wins, and this is a great opportunity up in Laramie! SDSU is favored by 1.5.
Fordham @ SLU | 8:00, ESPN+
Another night, another landmine for Saint Louis. They’re favored by 19.5.
UCF @ Kansas State | 8:00, Peacock
The Wildcats are actually favored by 2.5 here, and I fully expect this one to be very close. UCF is in a really good spot right ow, but heading into the Octagon of doom is never easy. KSU is currently pretty far out of the projected field.
South Dakota State @ North Dakota State | 8:00, Summit League Network
BATTLE FOR THE DAKOTAS!! NDSU comes in as a 5.5 point home favorite and that feels about right. Expect this to be a fun back and forth affair.
Illinois @ Northwestern | 8:00, BTN
Illinois faces a bit of a landmine here. They shouldn’t be looking past their in-state rivals, because this is a solid Wildcat squad who can pull off the upset, especially with the scoring they have from Martinelli. Illini favored by 8.5.
UCLA @ Penn State | 8:30, FS1
UCLA is back from out west and will now play a solid squad at State College. Look for the Nittany Lions to keep this close. UCLA is barely in the bracket for me right now but a loss here would push them out. UCLA favored by 4.5.
Vanderbilt @ Texas | 9:00, ESPN2
The undefeated Commodores head to Austin to take on the Fighting Sean Millers who are fresh off a win over Alabama. A win for Texas here would have them in, or very close to the field, and a win here for Vandy lines them up very close to the 1 line.
UNC @ Stanford | 9:00, ACCN
This is a really tough road trip for the Tar Heels. First, Stanford is actually really solid, second, this is out west and going out there is just an odd travel schedule and makes for some tough games for the east coast teams!
Utah @ Texas Tech | 9:00, Peacock
Home game for the Red Raiders, this is nothing more than a landmine that could really hurt TTU but the win won’t help them at all.
South Carolina @ Arkansas | 9:00, SECN
Arkansas should roll here at home, ad expect Cal to have this team primed and ready here! Arkansas is favored by 10.5; South Carolina isn’t a pushover at all though.
Virginia Tech @ SMU | 9:00, ESPNU
One of the biggest games of the night in Dallas! These teams both should come out ready to fight, and both are looking to strengthen their tournament resumes. For Tech, this would be the best win of the year! SMU favored by 6.5, which feels high, but there’s a reason I don’t gamble.
Nevada @ Utah State | 10:00, CBSSN
Utah State appears to eb the best team in the MWC. This is their chance to really cement that with a win over a solid Nevada team. However, Nevada won’t be easy to putdown. Utah State is favored by 12.5 coming into this. USU also projects as a 7/8 seed currently.
Pacific @ Santa Clara | 10:00, ESPN+
If Santa Clara actually has any chance at climbing into the tournament picture, they cannot lose to anyone not named Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s.
Arizona State @ Arizona | 10:30, FS1
The fighting Bobby Hurley’s just aren’t talented enough to be fighting with Arizona, however, this is a rivalry matchup, so all preconceived notions go out the window. Arizona currently has one of the best resumes in the country, and will look to get to 17-0 here!
Michigan @ Washington | 10:30, BTN
How will Michigan respond after getting beat at home against Wisconsin? Unfortunately, the Big Ten means you have chaotic travel out west as your reward! The Wolverines are favored by 12.5 and will look to rebound and Start a new streak!
Duke @ California | 11:00, ACCN
How will Duke do against a feisty Cal team and a 11:00 ET tipoff?! As I said for UNC and Michigan, things get weird when you travel like this. Duke is favored by 11.5 and will look to move to 16-1 and close in on a 1 seed.
TCU @ BYU | 11:00, ESPN2
TCU is going to need to beat one of these top Big 12 teams this year. BYU on the road isn’t necessarily the best opportunity to do so, but it is “an” opportunity, look for BYU to roll here and they’re favored by 10.5. If TCU wins, they’re in the tournament as of now.
Yesterday’s Content:
New segment to these articles where I’m trying to add in links to what I’ve posted each day for ease of access!
Louisville/UVA Game Thread:
Undefeated teams & each teams next 5 games:
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