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News, Notes and Highlighted Games for Wed, 2/14

News, Notes and Highlighted Games for Wed, 2/14
Feb 14, 2007, 08:35 am
NEWS AND NOTES

-Bad weather has once again hit the Midwest. Thankfully my satellite reception is coming in as strong as ever. However, it did result in the postponement of at least one game. Indiana and Purdue will do battle tomorrow night instead of tonight.

-The other night Louisville pulled off a big time road win against Pittsburgh, which appeared to be the most impressive road win of any team all season long. They held that distinction for a little over 24 hours. Last night’s Virginia Tech win at North Carolina is more impressive. It’s the second time Virginia Tech has beaten the Tarheels, and this will really boost the value of their resume. It will also knock North Carolina back a bit. They’re still a very solid pod system team who has a very good chance of winning it all, but this could affect them ending up with a #1 seed. They still have a lot of opportunities to continue to make their case, though.


HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-UTAH AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Utah has won their last two games, and Air Force, though they’re having an incredible season, has lost two of their last four. Still, they’re just a game out of first place in the conference standings and are looking to possibly still get into the pod system. They need to take care of business today, though.

-DUKE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). Duke has lost four straight and is in danger of making it five straight losses. I still say they aren’t in too much danger of missing the tournament just yet, but they aren’t looking at the type of seed they usually get, and they do need to snap out of this funk. Winning at Boston College won’t be easy. The Eagles have won five out of six and have some big wins in that stretch.

-KANSAS AT COLORADO (Big Twelve). Kansas looks like a solid #2 seed right now and should be able to take care of business on the road against Colorado. That keeps them in the Big Twelve title race and sustains their current resume.

-MARQUETTE AT DE PAUL (Big East). Marquette’s winning streak came to an end in a big way their last time out. They were blown out by Georgetown. They’re still in the race for the pod system, but the race for Chicago is getting pretty tight. That is most likely where Kansas would end up as well if they can’t get into New Orleans, so it’s important that Marquette keep winning.

-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Alabama really needs a big time road win in order to make their case for an NCAA bid much stronger. A win against Florida would certainly qualify, but it won’t be easy. Florida appears to be steamrolling toward a #1 seed and a win today would mean yet another decent win on their resume.

-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). This is a big rivalry, so even though this looks like a mismatch it could still turn out to be a good game. Wisconsin is still very much in the hunt for a #1 seed, but Ohio State is right on their heels. The two will meet later this year, but the Badgers need to take care of business in their other games in the meantime.

-LSU AT MISSISSIPPI (SEC). This may be hard to believe, but Ole Miss is getting closer and closer to the bubble and could play their way into it if they keep it up. The nice thing about playing in the SEC is that it offers multiple chances to rack up quality wins. A win for the Rebels today, at worst, keeps them in a tie for first place in the West. They need to be able to keep winning, though. LSU is just 3-7 in the league, but they did snap a six game losing streak in their last game by beating Arkansas.

-ARKANSAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Arkansas is in the tournament mix, but as of now their case is somewhat weak. They need to string together some wins in order to revamp their resume. This is the kind of game that they need to be winning.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT NEVADA (WAC). A win for Nevada puts them at an amazing 22-2 on the season. San Jose State is among the worst in the WAC, so the Pack should have little trouble taking care of business. Nevada is in a situation where losses will be more harmful than wins are helpful, so they just need to keep taking care of business the rest of the way in order to maintain a solid seed.

-MARYLAND AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (ACC). Maryland got an emotional win against Duke over the weekend, but they still appear to be pretty close to the bubble. NC State has surprised some teams this year, so Maryland needs to be on upset alert. They need to make their resume more solid as well, and therefore they need to be winning in games such as this.

-OHIO STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Big mismatch in this game, despite the fact that Penn State is playing at home. Ohio State should be able to roll in this one and stay in the race for a #1 seed.

-SYRACUSE AT SOUTH FLORIDA (Big East). Syracuse has been struggling mightily lately. Their wins have been against lower caliber teams, and they haven’t exactly been decisive. They don’t have all that strong of a resume when compared to other tournament caliber teams, and really need to kick it into gear between now and the end of the season. As for South Florida, they are one game out of twelfth place, so they’re playing for a spot in the Big East Tournament.

-MEMPHIS AT TULSA (Conference USA). Memphis continues to steamroll through C-USA. Tulsa has played some pretty good basketball this season, and they should be really riled up for this game tonight, but winning it isn’t going to be easy. Memphis still appears to be in the hunt for the pod system, but a loss in a game like this could change all that.

-VCU AT UNC WILMINGTON (Colonial Athletic). VCU is still in the hunt for the regular season conference title, which will go a long way in deciding whether or not they’ll receive an at-large. They pretty much need to win out, though. They certainly need to take care of business in this game.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vanderbilt had looked incredible until their blowout loss to Tennessee over the weekend. They need to put it out of their minds and get back to work. South Carolina is the kind of team they are expected to beat at home if they’re a solid NCAA Tournament team. They’ll be hosting Florida in a big game this weekend and don’t want to be caught looking ahead.

-CINCINNATI AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Villanova had been struggling in conference, but has won their last three games and shouldn’t have two much trouble making it four in a row against a low caliber Cincinnati team. They need to win in order to avoid putting a bad loss on their resume.

-CLEMSON AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Clemson had lost five out of six and appeared to be in a slump, but they had an impressive win against Florida State their last time out, and should be able to build on that against a very beatable Wake Forest team. Despite the fact that this game is on the road, Clemson is still expected to win it and a loss could do some damage to their resume.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT WASHINGTON (Pac Ten). The first time these two met, Wazzu won in an absolute blowout. Tonight the game is at Washington, though, and the Huskies have been playing excellent basketball on their home court. They’re also inching their way back toward the bubble and a win in this game over a very quality Washington State team will be a huge step toward getting back into the mix. This is also an intense rivalry, which adds another twist to this match-up.

-DREXEL AT WILLIAM & MARY (Colonial Athletic). Drexel needs to win out in order to lock up a bid, and that would include winning their Bracket Buster game against Creighton. They certainly can’t afford to stumble tonight.

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