Singelton's Injury a Brutal Blow to the 'Noles Tourney Aspirations

Can the Noles survive his loss?

This isn't how you'd like the bubble picture to gain some clarity.

However, when Florida State's Chris Singelton went down today, so too might have the Noles teetering tourney dreams.  The swingman led FSU in points, rebounds and steals.   With his season-ending injury, an already suspect offense becomes downright decimated.

So too, unfortunatly for Nole fans, might be FSU's chances to sneak into the NCAA Tournament.

Despite Singelton's injury, they were able to hang on to an absolutely vital win, edging Virginia at home 63-56.  At 18-7 (8-3), FSU was edging towards "lock" status as the solid third team from the ACC, and leaving a four team pack including Clemson, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Boston College to jockey for two - possible even only ONE invitation.  However today's season-changing injury muddies the waters a bit.

It will be interesting to see how Florida State plays in their final five regular season games, as well as the ACC Tourney.  Don't forget the huge penalty the Committee levied Purdue last season after Robbie Hummel's injury - dropping them from a likely #2 seed all the way down to a #4.  Well, if Florida State's resume merited a ten or an eleven... by extension  of that logic, are they now in the NIT??

Their final five games are as follows: @Wake, @Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, @NC State.  Win three of five and all is well.  Drop three of five, and lose in the opening round of the ACC Tourney, and it is a likely NIT free-fall for Florida State.

Diamond Head Classic Quiet Christmas Gem

Lost amidst football bowl season, NBA Christmas festvities and NFL playoff pushes is a quiet college basketball gem in Honolulu.  None of the teams in this year's Diamond Head Classic field make your eyes pop out, but with the possible exception of a very down San Diego squad, none will make you quickly avert your eyes from the screen either.

The favorites would have to be Baylor in the top half of the bracket, and Butler and Florida State in the bottom, though don't sleep on Washington State who enters the tournament at 8-1, including a 30-point thrashing of Gonzaga.

I'll take Washington State over Baylor in an upset, and Florida State over Butler in Rd 2.  In the Final, give me the 'Noles in a close game.

Tournament MVP Pick:  Klay Thompson (Washington State)

Moving Up and Moving Out - ACC Edition

Welcome to a new feature on March Maniacs called "Moving Up & Moving Out".  Each week we are going to take a look at the biggest movers in what is emerging as one of the most tumultuous seasons in recent memory.  I still defy any expert or pundit to make sense of the ACC.  I really don't think it is possible at this point.

Last week, in my now destroyed Bracketeering Projection, I argued the Top Three teams in the ACC are Duke, Georgia Tech and Clemson.  I still think that is true, particularly after Maryland's loss to Clemson last night.  I'm not as high on Florida State as some others are, and still project them in the NIT.  I wasn't sold on Virginia, but the way they handed Carolina their backside on the home floor (again) seems to tell us something... though which team it tells us more about it debatable.

The ACC is a mess, and I wouldn't wager a dime on a single conference game the rest of the year my waging-minded friends.  That said, here is a quick status check of the many ACC bubblemates.

Moving Up:

Clemson - notched a big win last night over Maryland to move to 4-4 in conference.  Two of their losses are to 5-2 Duke, so winning the ACC is pretty much out of reach.  However those two losses to the Dukies mean their remaining schedule allows them eight league games without facing their nemesis in Durham.  By the end of the year, Clemson wins 10-11 games in league and makes the tournament wearing white jerseys in Round One.


Florida State - Yes, it was Boston College, but any road win in the ACC is a good win.  It pulled the Seminoles to 4-3 in conference and leaves them squarely in the race.

Virginia - What to make of the Cavs?  I still contend that unless they win 11 games in league they will have a tough time making the tourney because of the brutal non-conference losses they sustained.  One could even argue that Virginia's success damages the league's hopes to earn six or seven bids as it devalues the percieved quality of the teams.  All that said, they went into Chapel Hill and beat the hell out of Roy Williams' and his seemingly never-ending parade of McDonald's All-Americans and moved to 4-2 in league play. 

Moving Out:

Miami (FL) - Yes, they finally got a conference win this weekend.  However of the Hurricanes 16 wins, only SIX of them have come against teams in the RPI Top 200.  Let me repeat that.  TOP 200.  Yuck.


Virginia Tech - And of you are team that loses to the aforementioned 'Canes, your stock has to drop a bit.  Coming right on the heels of a good win in Charlottesville, it has to be a particularly deflating loss.  It looks like yet another NIT stop for Seth Greenburg and the Hokies.

North Carolina - What to say about the Tarheels?  This week they fall to 2-4 in league after getting decimated at home by Virginia.  It is one thing to struggle on the road; most conferences do.  It is quite another to be hammered at home in back to back games by Wake Forest and Virginia.  I had the Tarheels as a #7 seed in my first bracket projection.  It has nothing to do with the "name on the jersey", in fact I would argue the Tarheels were slightly undervalued for the exact same reason and heightened scruitiny.

It is getting real hard to argue on Carolina's behalf at this point.  Will they make the tourney?  It seems hard to imagine they can't get that awesome collection of talent steadied, but it seems equally abysmal watching their last two home games.  This week they have two road games; at VA Tech and at Maryland.  They really need to win both to be on decent footing before the following week's visit from the Dukies.

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Weekend Review - ACC Jan 10th

The salvo Georgia Tech fired across Duke's bow Saturday has to resonate leaguewide.  The message?  The ACC is more wide open than it has been in a decade.  Duke loses their road opener and North Carolina has looked incredibly vulnerable in the young season.  I wrote several weeks ago that #3 through #11 this league was as jumbled as any.  Perhaps it should be ammended to #1-#12; i.e. top to bottom.

Clemson handled their homecourt with ease, downing Boston College 72-56.  The win was a nice bounce back for the Tigers after their opening loss in Cameron.  The game of the day was Miami defeating Wake Forest 77-76 at home.  Both teams look like NCAA Tournament teams to me, though there is still a long way to go in a brutal conference slate.  Miami, unranked as of yesterday, is off to a 15-1 start.  Might it be view the Canes as legitimate conference title challengers?

The ACC has long played some of their finer confernce games on Sunday night.  While most people were watching the NFL, Maryland got a huge win, 77-68 over Florida State.  It seems the Terps are annually on the bubble and the non-conference performance leads you to believe it might be more of the same in 2010.  Conference wins will be huge, and it is important to win at home if you want to dance in March.

Carolina pulled away late and got a got win over a better than advertised Virginia Tech ballclub, 78-64.  And speaking of bubble, Seth Greenburg's Hokies are annual staddlers as well.  With Miami and FSU up next, they can ill-afford a 0-3 conference start and will need to knock off one of them.

Lastly, hats off to Virginia.  The Cavs were largely picked last in the preseason but won their opener 70-62 over NC State, on the road no less.  Let's not get hasty booking tourney plans, but it seems that all 12 teams will be capable of winning, and losing, on any night.

Team Up:  Virginia, Maryland, Miami
Team Down:  Boston College, NC State

Week ahead highlights:  Maryland @ Wake (Tues), UNC @ Clemson (Wed), GA Tech @ UNC & VA Tech @ FSU (Sat), Wake @ Duke (Sun)

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A Little Thanksgiving Spice

The Old Spice Classic kicks off tomorrow at noon in Orlando, Florida in what has become one of the premier "pre-season" tourneys. This year's field may not have the top flight headliner, but it does have a field full of teams with March aspirations.

The top of the class is probably Michigan which returns do-everything star Manny Harris and three starters to John Beilein's squad. Harris and Ohio State's Evan Turner will be one of the best head to head match-ups come March, and isn't nearly as one-sided as some might make it out to be. Harris is that good. Behind him, Michigan has to be the favorite.

Manny Harris is a close second-best player in the Big Ten

But the road won't be easy, starting in the Noon tip-off against always pesky Creighton. The Jays opened with a loss to fellow mid-major darling Dayton but have aspirations of begining a new NCAA Tourney streak this year. An "upset" win over Michigan would be a nice feather in their cap.

The second game features the undervalued Xavier Musketeers against the rebuilding Marquette Warriors. Gone is the backcourt trio that led Marquette for a Top Ten ranking before Dominc James' injury. Lazarus Haywood returns to try and steady the ship. X has been good in the early going, with Jordan Crawford fitting in nicely to an experienced Musketeers squad that will look to him to carry much of the scoring load from the perimeter. They will get their first true test in the 2PM tip.

The evening features a matchup of two squads trying to rebound from dissapointment in 2008-2009 when Alabama meets Baylor. Both figure to be in the lower half of their respective leagues. This game might give a nice glimpse into the relative depths of the SEC and Big 12 respectively. Neither have played a top-tier team yet in 09 (though that didn't stop the Tide from dropping a game to Cornell...)

The nightcap features a Florida State squad fresh off a humiliating shellacking by in-state rival Florida, against the Iona Gaels. A week ago, Florida State figured to be the favorite (or co-favorite along with Michigan). Now? The 'Noles might be grateful for a relatively soft draw.
Maniac's Picks: Michigan, Xavier, Florida State and Baylor. Give me the Noles and the Muskies in what should have been a rematch of last year's NCAA Rd 2 (except for Bo Ryan's Badgers! Intentionally forced reference for the benefit of my Nole-fan readers!)

Yes. I honestly like the Musketeers cutting down the nets in Orlando, but admit Michigan has the most overall talent in the field.

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Previewing the East Region

Best First Round Game: UCLA v VCU. VCU is the upset pick de juor with Eric Maynor and the Rams history of befalling traditional giants (See: Duke, also in an 6-11 game). However the viewing public seems to have forgot the track record of the Bruins. UCLA has been to three straight Final Fours and despite some heavy losses from last year, still has Darrin Collison at point and Josh Shipp on the wing. More than half the people in the massive ESPN pool have VCU pulling the upset, but I tend to think Vegas is a little smarter. They have the Bruins as a 7.5 point favorite - one of the largest spreads for any game not involving a #1-#4 seed.

Forget the "upset" potential, just sit down to watch two of the countries best little point guards go head to head.

Best Player: If you have a soft spot in your heart for memories of Grant Hill gliding gracefully for four years at Duke, wait until you get a load of Gerald Henderson. He struggled through the first month of the season, but since January he has been the best player in the nation. His silky shooting touch and defensive tenacity get overshadowed by jaw-dropping athleticism. His emergence as a true superstar gives Duke a legitimate chance to win it all.

Most important player(s): Let's get to the point. More specifically, the point guards. It is a commonly cited axom that guard play wins in the NCAA's. There are four teams that will go precisely as far as their guards take them. For Villanova, Scottie Reynolds makes the engine go. Likewise for Texas's AJ Abrahams. Duke's revolving door at the point finally settled on freshman Elliot Williams. How he and senior Greg Paulus handle their split duties will determine much of the Dukies fate. The same for another freshman, Xavier PG Terrell Holloway. Holloway has big "little" shoes to fill as he tried to replicate the Elite Eight run spearheaded last year by Drew Lavender.

Worst Seeding: Hands down, easily the WORST seeding job of the entire tourney was Tennessee at a 9. The Maniac had them at a #5 winning the SEC Tourney, and a #6 after their loss. This is a team that finished 10-6 in an albiet down SEC, but still a far superior conference to the ones played in by Butler, Utah State, and Siena. They killed themselves out of conference with a spectacular schedule, and finished the season with good momentum. Their reward?? A ludicrous #9 seed and a date with Oklahoma State. Win that, and Pitt looms in round two.

Toughest Break: Florida State did more than enough to earn a Top 4 seed, but by falling to a #5 they a toss-up first round game rather than a should win #4v#13. They match up with Wisconsin, a tam famous for frustratingly slow, controlled tempo basketball. The Seminoles are far better team, but this is a terrible matchup for them.

Possible 2nd Round Gem: Should Florida State survive the Badgers, Xavier v. Florida State will be an extremely high level 2nd round game. The one I am salivating over is Tennessee getting a shot at Pitt. It is a good matchup for the Vols, as they enjoy the sloppy and physical scrambling game. They are every bit as athletic as Pitt, if not more so, and can likely put pressure on their guards and cause some problems.

Easiest to Root For: If Gonzaga has become "America's Team" then the Dukies have become College Basketball's Yankees. For some reason the clean-cut Blue Devils inspire more ire than any other school. That said, it would be easy to root Binghamton today. Tony Cornheiser's alma matter makes their first ever tourney appearance with a chance to slay the hated Goliath. It ain't happening, but easy to root for I suppose. Don't forget, Duke needed divine intervention to hold off #15 Belmont in last year's opener...

Maniac's Sweet Sixteen Picks:

Xavier over Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen (Bruce Pearl's Vols stunning Pitt in Rd 2)
Duke over UCLA (UCLA getting over Nova)

Duke beating X for the second time in 6 years to advance to the Final Four

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Anonymous "Signature"

The phrase de' jour this season in college hoops is "signature win." Everyone needs to have their "signature win." Providence got theirs this week beating Pitt. Cincinnati lacks one, and it will likely be their bubble popping lest they win tonight against West Virginia. Maryland got theirs this weekend taking down Carolina in overtime; ditto for BC's bookend wins over Duke and the aforementioned Heels.

But at what point does the "signature" begin to fade?? Last night ESPN threw up a graphic of the "signature wins" for the ACC's bottom six teams. FOUR of them read "Wake Forest."

Leading me to question....

Just a thought. I don't hate Wake, just think they have gotten more mileage out of the timing of when they won more than any team in the nation. Their resume, is quite comparable to a lot of teams ranked 15-25, only they didn't lose out of conference (nor did they beat anyone other than BYU). So what exactly does a "signature win" entail??

Anyhow, several teams will be seeking their "signature wins" this week as we franticly race towards Selection Sunday:

Thursday:

West Virginia @ Cincinnati - Cincy needs a win over Huggs to stay alive
Minnesota @ Illinois - Gophers in danger of sliding onto..and off the bubble
Memphis @ UAB (9pm) - Darth Vaden needs to strike back in a major way to keep the Blazers slim at-large hopes alive
USC @ Cal - Last gasp for USC as well tonight at Cal

Saturday:

Clemson @ Florida State (2pm) - big game for both seeding-wise
Notre Dame @ UConn (2pm) - Do or die for the Irish...again.
Illinois St @ Creighton (2pm) - Great game; Jays can not afford any losses before MVC title game to snag an at-large bid
Arizona @ Washington - Win for 'Cats takes them from "bubble" to "lock" status
Duke @ VA Tech - Hokies got big win at Clemson, a win over Duke might put them in the Dance
LSU @ Kentucky (4pm) - Kentucky is in danger of playing themselves out of the tourney
Utah @ BYU - One would think both teams are safely in, but the winner removes all doubt
Utah St @ Nevada - The Aggies are 25-3, and still not quite a lock, they can ill-afford to give away another L and be safely in.

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Bubblin' on Tuesday

Here's a quick guide to tonight's biggest bubble-impacting contests.

Penn State @ Ohio State:

Who'da thunk it? The Buckeyes looked to be tourney locks a month ago, and no one thought Penn State would even be in the mix before the season started. Most pundits have OSU just in and PSU just out. Think tonight swings the pendulum a little?!?
Maniac's Pick: Penn State +6.5

Pitt @ Providence:

Call it the Friars' last stand. For weeks we all tried to find reasons to convince the public the Friars' had earned their dance ticket. Well, most of us are just about out of ways to justify them getting in. 8th in the Big East or not, they just haven't done enough to merit inclusion in the Big Dance.

So tonight they get their chance.
Maniac's Pick: Pitt -9

Florida St @ Boston College:

BC has been great against the Golliath's...yet average against the rest of the conference. Their perch on the bubble is precarious at best, but another resume win tonight over the Seminoles should cement their tourney status.

FSU meanwhile is the opposite; they have done what they were supposed to in conference but not gotten that big marquee win. BC doesn't fit that bill either, but the Noles can ill-afford a loss as they chase a Top-4 seed.
Maniac's Pick: FSU +2.5

Florida @ LSU:

I know you have heard me say it before, but seriously, what is with the media hard-on for LSU?!? I can;t recall a team fattening up on more bums and raising in the polls as steadily as the Tigers over the past four weeks. Once again, let me remind you in their non-conference games they did not beat a single team in the RPI Top 100.

Staggering. Meanwhile, the Gators remain my frustrating sleeper team that needs to wake up. I think Billy D and Calathes get it done tonight, and I think the committee will punish LSU for the scheduling transgressions and give them no better than an #8 seed...
Maniac's Pick: Florida +4.5


Two other bubble games, but no picks:

Texas A&M and Nebraska play in a virtual elimination game tonight. Both still have work to do with a win, but a loss seals their fate.

BYU and San Diego State hook up in a great MWC matchup, BYU is "in" while San Diego St is "out" in most projections (including ours) but their resumes are much more similar than most people realize. Tonight's tilt gainst Steve Fischer's squad in San Diego is quietly one of the more impactful games in the country.

A win tonight would be "fab" for Fisher

Two week stretch run really gets rolling tonight...enjoy

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Big Wins and Damaging Losses

Everything in the final few weeks is under a much closer magnifying glass. There are a few teams who might wish they could have shuffled yesterday's losses into the November mulligan pile.

Bad Losses:

• Miami (FL) all but sealed their NIT fate last night, falling to Florida State 80-67. The Canes join Notre Dame and Georgetown as one of the most disapointing teams in 2009.

• Illinois was starting to gather some momentum as a possible top-4 seed. Last night that came to a clanking halt. Let me emphasize "clank." As in 33 points. Yup, just 33 points. Granted Penn State netted only 38 in what has to be one of the lousier "decent" games of the season.

• Providence wasn't supposed to win at Louisville, but posting another double-digit loss against a formidable foe gives some ammo to the case for leaving out the Friars. One of their only saving graces might be the fact that Georgetown and Notre Dame seemingly refuse to make a late season charge, and the Big East is GOING to get eight teams in...

• Butler dropped another game last night, this time a three point loss to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Butler peaked in the Top 10, but is looking more like a 10 seed if they don't get it together quickly.

• Someone should volunteer to play defense down in Knoxville. Most people still have the Vols comfortably in the tourney, but they sure are begging the committee to reconsider. Last night they got drubbed 81-65 by Ole Miss to fall to 7-4 in conference. They are 7-7 over their last 14 games overall. The Vols are still in decent shape, but with games still remaining against Florida, Kentucky and South Carolina they can still play themselves out of the tourney.

• Speaking of South Carolina, losing to Mississippi State is not the way to play yourself onto the good side of the bubble. The Gamecocks still have some work to do over the next three weeks.

• Ohio State is the same story; things were looking good until last night's surprising loss to Northwestern. With a few tips and breaks here and there, we wouldn't be talking about Ohio State's bad loss, but perhaps the Wildcats big win. Alas, that was a game the Buckeyes needed to stay in the Big Ten race.

• Perhaps the worst loss of the night was Virginia Tech. The Hokies find themselves in the bubble muddle in the middle of the deep ACC along with Florida State, BC, Miami and Maryland. That made losing to in-state rival Virginia particularly damning for VA Tech.

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Making Sense of the ACC

To say it has been a tumultuous week in the ACC might be a bit of an understatement. Going into tonight, Eight teams have five or less losses. UNC leads the pack with only two. The other seven? Separated by just one game.

Most pundits say there are four locks and five battling for three, maybe four spots.

Let me give you a couple of resumes for comparison, you tell me the lock and the bubble team.

The first team is 6-4 in ACC play. Their non-conference highlights include wins over BYU and Baylor. The other 11 are not in the top 100 RPI.

The second team is also 6-4 in ACC play. Their non conference resume includes wins over Cincinnati, Florida, and Cal. They lost to Northwestern and Pitt.

The two teams? Wake Forest and Florida State. Granted, Wake has beaten Duke, Carolina and the aforementioned Seminoles, but still is an example of the proven formula for tourney births in major conferences: Stay home in December, play one or two real games to "get ready" for conference play and win nine or ten in league play.

If the Noles finish in a similar tie in conference play, lets hope a few quality losses don't diminish a strong body of work when the committee sits down to pick dancers.

The Maniac's ACC Shake Down:

UNC (#1 seed)
Duke (#2)
Wake (#4)
Clemson (#4)
FSU (#5)
Va Tech (#8)
BC (#9)
Maryland (#12 - barely)
Miami - NIT
NC State - NIT
Georgia Tech - OUT
UVA - OUT

Big games this week:

Clemson @ Maryland (tonight) - Maryland is clinging on the very definition of the bubble. Clemson is playing for a high seed and an outside shot at an ACC title (ok, very outside). The Terps and Gary Williams may very well be playing for their lives tonight.

Florida State @ VA Tech (Sat.) - Two teams vying for inclusion in the "ACC Elite" club that seems to always be listed as four deep this year. The winner slides into their company, the loser remains in the bubble mix with BC, Maryland and Miami (longshot bubble inclusion).

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Gut Punch

The Maniac warned you a month ago that the 'Heels would have a tough game in Tally (he also told you UNC would run the table. Oooooops.)

Tough might be an understatement. Check the highlight below:



The Answer -- "STOP THE BALL. STOP THE BALL. STOP THE BALL."

The Question -- "What is every basketball player past seventh grade taught to do in a scramble/break situation. "

Tough loss for the Noles, but more proof this team is one of the 65 best in America.

Tuesday's Picks

The Maniac Pick's Em - Tuesday, January 13th

The SEC may have no ranked teams, but tonight's Kentucky v. Tennessee game is a big one. Rivalry aside, both teams have a lot at stake in the matter. For Kentucky, their spot in the Big Dance is far from sure at this point. Only a ferocious late season run kept their 17 year streak in tact. A road win over conference big boy Tennessee would go a long way to making Selection Sunday joyous rather than anxious.

Maniac's Pick: Kentucky +6.5

This scene last year catapulted the "Cats to the tourney

Poor Indiana gets yet another chance to broadcast their misery natiowide when they visit a hungry Buckeye team that cannot afford to many more Big Ten missteps. Does ESPN not have the option of NFL-esue "flex scheduling"? This is like the seventh IU game already this season...

That said, the number is a big one, and Ohio State is not an offensive juggernaut. They win, but I like the Hoosier Pride keeping in under the number
Maniac's Pick: Indiana +17

Florida State looked like brutal defense socking it out with Blue Devils Saturday. Unfortunatly their offense looked "brutal" as well, and not in a good way. The broadcast team made it sound lik FSU is a sure-fire NCAA team this year. I am not sure how they figure that in a conference wheer they are AT BEST fifth. It is an interesting muddle in the middle; NC State, Maryland, Miami, Boston College, Florida State and Virginia Tech all seem to be fairly even to me. If FSU wants to make good on ESPN's words, they need a big road win tonight. I think they'll get it.
Maniac's Pick: FSU +4.5

TCU travels to BYU is a sneaky-good game tonight. Vegas has the Horned Frogs getting 15. Take the points and enjoy the evening. Let's call this the LOCK of the day.

Maniac's Pick: TCU +15 (LOCK)

Maniac's Picks

Six of his last seven, the Maniac looks to continue his sage soothsaying today...

Indiana @ Wake Forest -23
Penn St @ Georgia Tech - 7
Miami (OH) +5.5 @ Temple
Auburn +14 @ Xavier

LOCKS OF DAY:

Florida St -2 @ Northwestern
North Carolina -10 @ Michigan St. (Ford Field)


I love Xavier, but substantial injuries (Derrick Brown, Holloway) will keep this game closer than expected. X wins, but not by 14.

UNC is the biggest lock of the season. This team dismantled Notre Dame last week, and had time to rest and get healthier. Michigan St. was the most overrated team in the nation (along with UCLA) in preseason polls. UNC will continue rolling, the Maniac says by 20+.

Ditto for FSU. Yes, it has been a while since they have gone to the big dance - but that is because of what they do in FEBRUARY. Their Decembers have always been nice. Northwestern is in the midst of a tourney drought as well... like an infinite one. Not sure HOW FSU is only laying 2.

Seriously, What's Not to Love about the Noles??

3 Intersting Starts

Three teams that are on the Maniac's Radar...not ready to slot them in Bracketeering, but they have made interesting blips.

Florida State (7-0)

Seven wins, including victories over Cal and Cincinnati make for a solid start. A closer look at some of the scores makes them an intersting team to track. 2 Point win over Jacksonville, 4 points over LaSalle, by two over STETSON. Then by 11 over Cincy and a 3-point margin over Cal. It seems no matter the quality of the opponent, FSU beats 'em close... Let's see if they can keeo it up against Wake, Miami and Duke (UNC intentionally ommited.)


Jacksonville St. (4-1)

Agreed, they are not a Top 25 team, but if you want a team to keep on your radar as a possible 14 or 15 seeded roll-of-the-dice, consider the Gamecocks. They opened with a 13 point loss to the "Gamecocks"; meaning the one's you HAVE heard of at USC. They rebounded with wins over Georgia St, UMass, and a 28 point drubbing of VMI... who beat Kentucky...who beat West Virginia and Kansas St on back-to-back nights.... I'm just saying....

Dayton (6-0)

A perfect 6-0 start with wins over Auburn and then #15 Marquette. The Flyers hope to avoid a repeat of last year's injury plagued second half swoon.