As I mentioned yesterday, Monday was extremely mid-major heavy, and led by Ivy League Chaos & this Kareem Thomas Buzzer Beater!
George Mason beats George Washington by 5 in a fun one. Riley Allenspach with a 18/12 double double!
Other Notable results:
Marquette beats Providence in OT as both teams score > 100!
Albany beats Vermont in a battle at the top of the American East.
Saint Peters improves to 8-1 in the MAAC, beating Iona by 14.
Siena & Quinnipiac improve to 6-3 in the MAAC and continues to lurk just behind the leaders in conference play.
Merrimack keeps pace with Saint Peters, improving to 8-1, beating Marist by 13.
Harvard beats Pennsylvania by 1 at home. Crimson are now 3-1 in Ivy League play.
NJIT improves to 4-1 in the American East, beating Bryant!
VCU beats Saint Josephs to continue to build momentum within the A-10.
Le Moyne takes care of LIU in a huge game for the NEC regular season race!
McNeese continues to be the top of the Southland, with a win over TX A&M CC.
Bethune-Cookman beats ARK Pine Bluff to take control of the SWAC.
Stephen F. Austin – 9-1 in Southland play! Last night, they beat a solid Nicholls squad, to continue leading the conference!
MT State beats Northern Colorado to stay within a game of undefeated Portland State.
Montana beats Northern Arizona to stay within a game of Portland State as well!
Here’s my seed list from yesterday:
Tuesday’s Slate
Minnesota @ Ohio State | 6:30, BTN
Sneaky game here for OSU, who will look to continue building momentum and climb higher in the bracket. Currently one of the last teams in. Minnesota, on the other hand needs to start getting some road wins. This is a fair opportunity over another bubble team. OSU favored by 8.5.
Akron @ Buffalo | 6:30, ESPN+
This Buffalo team really should’ve beaten Miami (OH) over the weekend. Will that be deflating to the squad, or will they use it as ammo to push harder? Akron favored by 7.5.
Indiana @ Michigan | 7:00, Peacock
IU appears to just not have it this year, and they’re quickly falling behind in the bubble race. They’re currently 3-4 in the Big Ten and need a marquee win. I’m not saying Michigan is an easy win, but this is absolutely an opportunity to get it. Michigan, on the other hand has not passed the “eye test” recently, and this is a great opportunity to change that narrative.
UCF @ Iowa State | 7:00, CBSSN
What’s wrong with Iowa State? It’s an honest question at this point as last week they looked horrendous. Now though, they get to head back home and have a chance to setback on track vs. an up and down UCF squad. ISU favored by 13.5. ISU is a 3 seed, UCF a 6.
LSU @ Florida | 7:00, ESPN2
LSU looks like a tournament team this year, however, is just 1-4 right now and fading quick. Florida, on the other hand is rising up just as quickly and suddenly looks like a protected seed in March.
NC State @ Clemson | 7:00, ACCN
Clemson, suddenly projecting as a protected seed, will look to take down the struggling Woflpack. NC State has achieved well below expectations this year and will now ned to start getting some wins after losing to Georgia Tech. Clemson favored by just 3.5.
Saint Louis @ Duquesne | 7:00, ESPN+
This is one of the more challenging games in the A-10. However, it’s still a landmine. SLU needs to win this one, currently projecting as a 7 and favored by 10.5
Miami (OH) @ Kent State | 7:00, ESPN+
And. Here. We. Go. Miami gets ranked (finally) and we immediately get their hardest game of the year on deck. They’re favored by 1.5. IF they win this one, we can start (maybe) having more discussions surrounding tournament appearances.
Seton Hall @ St. John’s | 7:00, FS1
Seton Hall just lost at home to Butler, who suddenly has life in the bubble now. However, it was very damaging to SHU’s resume as they have now suffered a couple of losses they probably shouldn’t have. For SJU, they beat Villanova and they are now pushing back toward a top 5 or so seed. SJU is favored by 9.5 currently.
Florida State @ Miami | 7:00, ESPNU
Yes, I know most of you all are likely just now turning from Miami football to basketball, but this Hurricane team also deserves your support! They’re 15-3 and looking to make a tournament appearance. Florida State is in a rebuilding year, and Miami should win this one, they’re favored by 11.5.
Oklahoma @ South Carolina | 7:00, SECN
OU is lurking behind the bubble picture currently, kind of staying close, this is a game they cannot afford to lose to stay in that picture. SC favored by 1.5.
DePaul @ Butler | 7:30, TruTV
Can’t-lose for the Bulldogs who suddenly are very close to jumping into the bracket. Depaul is not a loss a tournament team should take. Butler favored by 7.5.
Oklahoma State @ TCU | 8:00, ESPN+
BUBBLE BATTLE!! This is a massive game on the bubble. TCU really hurt themselves by losing to Utah, and OKST is struggling in the hyper-competitive Big 12. Which team will prevail? TCU is favored by 8.5, which feels like a lot. OKST is currently 8th out, while TCU is 10+ out.
Rutgers @ Iowa | 8:30, BTN
Iowa finally got some momentum back. They are up to a projected 8 seed and looking solid. Rutgers is the definition of a landmine and could cause chaos if you’re not prepared. Look for Iow ate run this one and they’re favored by 19.5.
UT Martin @ Southeast Missouri State | 8:30, EPSN+
UT Martin continues to impress, now up to 7-1 in the OVC and projecting out as a tournament team right now. Can they keep it up? SEMO is favored by 2.5 here.
Michigan State @ Oregon | 9:00, FS1
I want to stress: these trips out west are ridiculously tricky. Playing against a desperate Oregon team makes it even more difficult. They might be healthy now as well, making it even more difficult. However, Michigan State has been damn good this year and hasn’t shown signs of a letup. MSU is favored by 10.5 in Eugene.
Texas Tech @ Baylor | 9:00, Peacock
Texas Tech is going into Waco favored by 1.5, which is something I really never thought I’d say. However, here we are! Tech looks to be steadily improving and is coming off a huge win over BYU. Baylor is desperate and Scott Drew will have this team ready. However, I think Tech wins. Tech is currently a 3/4 seed.
Vanderbilt @ Arkansas | 9:00, ESPN
This might just be the game of the night. Both teams are coming off of losses and both are 3-2 in the SEC. These two, with Florida appear to be 1-2 in the SEC this year. Bud Walton will be ROCKING. Arkansas is a 6 right now, but a win here would jump them at least 5 spots overall, moving them to the top of the 5. Vanderbilt is a 3 currently and would push to a 2 with a road win here.
Georgia @ Missouri | 9:00, SECN
Going into Columbia is hell, no other way to put it. Georgia is coming off a huge win and appears to be a single digit seed. Missouri, on the other hand is currently my final team in the bracket. A win here would jump them up to the 10 line. UGA is a 7, and a road Q1 win could see them pushing to the 6 area.
Utah @ Kansas State | 9:00, CBSSN
Elimination alert for KSU here.
SMU @ Wake Forest | 9:00, ACCN
Season defining opportunity for Wake forest here. SMU is currently projecting as an 8/9 seed and looks really good. Wake hasn’t been able to get enough wins to be close to the bracket right now. All of that would change if they can beat SMU at home here, and Wake would have life!
Auburn @ Ole Miss | 9:00, ESPNU
This isn’t an easy place to play, and Chris Beard is a hell of a coach. Ole Miss is close to creeping back into the bubble picture, but need to keep getting key wins. This would qualify as one of those important wins. Auburn is sliding a bit and didn’t pass the “eye test” last week in games vs. Missouri and South Carolina. Auburn favored by 2.5 here and they come in as a projected 10. Ole Miss is 10+ spots out.
Purdue @ UCLA | 10:00, Peacock
“I cannot trade guys” – Mick Cronin when asked how he can fix the team after losing to OSU on Saturday. I cannot stand that quote, and I’m sure that the guys in the locker room didn’t take it well either. I’m very curious to see the response from the Bruins on Tuesday night. For Purdue, aside from the one loss to ISU, it’s been all business and they are 7-0 in the Big Ten. They’re favored by 5.5 and I expect them to cover.
Kansas @ Colorado | 11:00, ESPN
First: I hope Bill Self is OK and that this was just a dehydration issue or something simple. Second: KU seems to have fixed whatever issues they were having, and appear to be healthy on the court. They’re favored by 5.5 here and come in as a projected 5 seed.
UNLV @ Utah State | 11:00, FS1
The Aggies are coming off a bit of a surprising loss to GCU on Saturday. It’s hard to win in Phoenix and especially hard to win vs. new teams in the conference. I think USU bounces back well here and wins big. Favored by 16.5 and projecting as a 7.
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