Stock Up, Stock Down - Updating the VERY Fluid Bubble Picture

Selection Sunday is barely three weeks away and the scramble for position is starting to heat up.  Here's a quick recap of who helped their cause in the last five days and who is beginning to teeter.

STOCK UP:

Kansas State - The Wildcats saved their season Monday night with a convincing win over #1 Kansas.  Kudos to Jimmy Dykes of ESPN, who before the game said that if State had any chance of pulling the upset, senior Jacob Pullen needed to have a "Jimmer Fredette game." 

Pullen did just that, scoring a career-high 37 points.  The win resurects the Wildcats tourney life...for now.  Those two losses to Colorado are still a tough hurdle to overcome, particualrly if the Buffaloes can finish strong.

Boston College - I'm still not sold on the Eagles tourney worthiness, but their 76-72 win over Maryland moves them into much better position in the down ACC.

North Carolina - The Tarheels are still a Top 4 seed in the Maniac's book.  Their road win at Clemson all but assured them second place in the ACC, and put the final nail in Clemson's already weak NCAA chances.

Colorado State - Don't look now, but the Rams are one of the nation's most surprising at-large contenders.  I am not sure if the MWC can pull four bids, so it is imperative they keep pace with UNLV these last three weeks.  Saturday's win over New Mexico was enormous for CSU, and the final nail in Coach Alford's New Mexico Lobos' coffin.

The Rams still control their own destiny.  The host UNLV, and travel to BYU and San Diego State in three of their final five games.  Take two of those three and avoid any slip-ups and the Rams are in.  Easier said than done, but if you would have told and CSU fans the previous scenario back in November, I assure you they'd have taken it with a huge grin.

Temple - The Owls went on the road and hammered Dayton.  The Owls are all but a lock at this point, and have a shot at creeping as high as a #5 or #6 if they finish strong (which they seem to do every year).

Florida - We wrote about the Florida v. Tennessee game at length, so no need to rehash the ugliness.  But for Billy D, the Gators are nearing lock status.  With a stong finish they could creep as high as a #4, however with a tailspin they could slide all the way down to the #9-#10 range.

Memphis - Back to back wins over Southern Miss and UAB (Sat & Wed) all but clinch the Tigers as a tourney team in the Maniac's book.

St. John's - Lavin and the Johnnies got a huge win, 59-57 at Cincinnati Sunday.  ESPN has them as a #7 currently.  The followed up the win with a 80-68 win over Marquette - a huge win made even bigger by how much it damaged their fellow Big East bubble denizen's chances  We still have them holding in the #9 range - but definitely a tourney team barring a late collapse. 

Cincinnati - Yes, they lost in the aforementioned game, but the Wednesday pasting of Louisville moves the Bearcats into really good position to capture a well-deserved tenth bid for the Big East.


Virginia Tech - The Hokies are making a late surge towards finally ending up on the right side of the bubble.  Sunday's 102-74 win over Georgia Tech was an impressive offensive display.  Tuesday's pasting of Maryland moves them even closer, and they are beginning to separate them from the ACC bubble pack. 

Butler - The Bulldogs are making a furious rush to get back in the at-large discussion.  They've now won five straight, including wins over Wisc-Milwaukee, Wright State and Cleveland State to climb back to 11-5 in the Horizon League.


STOCK DOWN:

Duquesne - The Dukes tourney hopes took a devestating blow with Saturday's home loss to Xavier.  It isn't so much that the loss is bad more than it was the Dukes one great chance to earn a validating win that slipped through their fingers.  Despite their 11-2 A10 record, they still have only one Top 50 win to their resume (and eight losses).

Southern Miss & UAB - Both fell victim to conference bully Memphis this week; their respective tournament hopes might have fallen victim with the losses.  Neither is dead, but both have a huge road ahead of them, particularly Southern Miss who is nearing "must win the conference tourney" status.

Northern Iowa - Their at-large hopes gasped their last breath Saturday in their 18-point home loss to Wichita State.  The Shockers are looking good for March; the Panther will need to pull a shocker if they hope to Dance again this year.

UNLV - The Reb's missed a golden opportunity Saturday, losing 63-57 at home to San Diego State.  UNLV needs to finish strong to earn a third bid for the MWC (and hold off Colorado State).

Georgia - The Bulldogs Wednesday night loss to Vandy was a damaging one.  Georgia falls to 6-5 in the SEC and just 17-8 overall.  It's fair to say they MUST win one of their next two games; at Tennessee and at Florida to stay in the tourney picture.

Games to Watch - Saturday December 11th

For those of you who have the college football "in-between blues," that odd period where teams dangle in limbo for two to five weeks waiting for their bowl games...all of which mean absolutely NOTHING save for one, saddle up for a fantastic day of college hoops that will bring it from noon until well after midnight.


Here's a quick overview of a few games worth catching or at least DVR'ing.

12:00 PM:  UNLV @ Louisville - Both teams are off to flying starts, undefeated and already possessing a few quality wins.  Tomorrow is a great opportunity to find out if Louisville's fast start is an indication they can compete in the loaded Big East and also an opportunity for the left half of the country to get a chance to see a very good UNLV team play.  UNLV has had the Cards number, beating them in each of the past two seasons (Louisville teams that were better, at least on paper, than this year's squad.)

This might actually be the best game of the day, a great way to kick of some hoops watching before lunchtime.  For the UNLV kids, it will be like playing a game at 9AM with the time change.  That's tough to do, and I think they'll come out a little flat and jet lagged.  Give me the Cards laying 3.5

2:30 PM:  Wisconsin @ Marquette - This game has quietly become one of the better rivalry games in the country over the past few seasons.  Both teams have a strong similarity in that it seems every season they are picked somewhere near the middle of the pack in their respective conferences, and sure enough, every year they exceed expectations and head to the Tournament. 

This year looks to be playing out exactly the same way.  Both teams enter at 7-2, with their losses coming against ranked foes and in close games.  Both have a few quality wins under their belt but can desperatly use another one before tackling conference play in the two toughest conferences in the nation.

Marquette will have the valuable home crowd advantage but I have a feeling Wisconsin has a touch more discipline and a little more cohesion and poise at this early juncture in the season.  Gimme the Badgers +1.

3:15 PM:  Tennessee @ Pitt - The Vols have been one of the season's pleasant surprises.  Tomorrow will be one of Pearl's last games on the sidelines before his oddly-arranged SEC-only eight game suspension takes effect.  Both teams are athletic and very physically tough.  I like Pitt at home in a really good ball game but nine points is a lot to lay considering this will likely be a game in the fifties or sixties.  I'll take the Vols and the +9.

4:00 PM:  Kansas State @ Loyola (IL) -  Odd line of the day.  not sure how K-State is laying only 8.5.  Gimme the Wildcats in a 20+ point romp.

4:00 PM:  Dayton @ Old Dominion -  The Flyers are reeling, despite their 7-2 record.  However, this is a talented and experienced club that should turn the corner soon.  Old Dominion continues their aggressive schedule with yet another hopeful tourney team.  I think the Monarchs win at home, but I'll take the Flyers +10.5

4:30 PM:  Washington @ Texas A&M - Texas A&M can land a clear blow for the Big 12 versus the Pac 10 with a win today at home.  Texas A&M is off to a good start at 8-1, however their only win of note came over Temple.  Washington has been carrying the banner as the only ranked team in the Pac 10, but it's hard to put A&M any better than sixth in the loaded Big 12.  I'm not sure if Washington feels any pressure to prop up their sagging conference, but a loss today is actually pretty damaging to league's overall profile.  I'll take Washington on the road, minus one and a half.

5:15 PM:  Indiana @ Kentucky - One of my favorite rivalries takes place today, and though much of the shine has faded over the past decade with neither school managing to be good at coinciding times, it still means a ton to their respective fan bases.  Indiana is in year three of the Tom Crean Era, and call me a hater, but it doesn't seem any real progress has been made.  Meanwhile in the Bluegrass it took Calipari all of half a day to bring the 'Cats from "NIT" to "Final Four" caliber. 

There's still a pretty big hill to climb in Bloomington, and I don't think today will be a step in that direction.  Give me Big Blue laying the thirteen points.

6:00 PM:  Arizona @ BYU - Sean Miller's Cats seem to be on the right track to erasing the memory of last year's rare tourney absence.  It had been nearly thirty years since the Cats were left out, and I'm sure Miller would like to put another thirty years distance in the rear view mirror.  A win today in Provo would go a long way.  I think they'll get it.  Gimme Arizona +2.5

7:00 PM:  Virginia Commonwealth @ Richmond - The sneaky gem in today's bursting schedule is this top-tier matchup between the CAA and the A-10.  Both schools have designs on playing in March, however neither league is notorious for collecting armloads of at-large bids.  Both schools could really use the chip today's win would provide. 

VCU's two losses are quality; Tennessee and to lesser extent, South Florida.  They also boast quality wins over UCLA and Wake Forest.  Richmond's losses are a little less solid; Old Dominion and Iona, however their wins are better; particularly the win over Purdue.

This should be a really good game, likely close, so I'll take VCU +8

8:30 PM:  Gonzaga @ Notre Dame -  The Zags are really struggling, and at 4-4 can ill-afford many more losses if they plan to continue their decade-long NCAA Tournament streak.  Notre Dame was one of the season's early surprises until Kentucky took some of their shine Wednesday night.  The line on this one is huge at 10.5, a number I think reflects a lack of confidence in Gonzaga rather than a ton of faith in the Irish.  I'm not so sure that either is warranted.  Give me Gonzaga and the points, and don't be surprised if they clip them straight up.

Maniac's Picks: Louisville -3.5, Wisconsin +1, Tennessee +9, Kansas State -8.5, Dayton +10.5, Washington -1.5, Kentucky -13, Arizona +2.5, VCU +8, Gonzaga -10.5

Middling Majors

It hurts me greatly  to write it, and it saddens me to think it, but it must be said.

The "year of the mid-major" is dead.  It has been a long time since the college hoops landscape was as devoid of legitimate Final Four contenders outside the BCS leagues as it appears this season.  Even the "don't call us MID" major crowd has taken seismic steps backwards.

The Butler Bulldogs played Hickory Huskers for the nation Hoosier's dreams to within a soft bounce of a national championship last April.  Six scant months later the Bulldogs are closer to needing to win the Horizon league to make the tourney than they are to playing in any Final Fours.  They opened the season getting pummeled by a less-than-great Louisville squad.  Pitino might coach them up satisfactorily in this season of insane parity, but my earliest instincts tell me the Cards are headed for the NIT.   Today, Butler lost at home.  To MVC bottom tier Evansville.  Prior to heading to Hinkle, the Purple Aces suffered consecutive double-digit losses to Indiana and Middle Tennessee State.  Ouch.

The road doesn't get easier for Butler anytime soon.  Before seeking refuge in Horizon league play, Brad Stevens' Bulldogs still have to travel to Duke and Xavier.  At this point, even home games with Stanford and Utah seem less than automatic.

Speaking of Xavier, the Muskies entered the season joining Michigan State as the only schools in the country who have made the past three Sweet Sixteens.  Early indications are the Muskies won't be making it four. The season began with a dramatic comeback win over Western Michigan and an overtime tussle with the Mastadons of IPFW.  Xavier finished the Cancun Classic with two wins (over Iowa and Seton Hall, two bottom tier BCS'ers) before getting handled with relative ease by Old Dominion.

Granted ODU has the talent to return the the tourney for the second straight year, but the lopsided loss was just another example of how much early entries (Derrick Brown and Jordan Crawford) have finally caught up with their program.  With the possible exception of Gonzaga, no other mid-major is faced with the common legitimate possibility of losing players early to the professional ranks.  For Xavier, the defection of Crawford left a gaping offensive void they have yet to figure out how to replenish.  Junior point guard Tu Holloway has played as well as any lead guard in the country other than Kemba Walker, but someone else is going to have to help shoulder the load if the Muskies have any chance of being a solid tourney team.

If Butler's schedule is daunting, then Xavier's is murderous.  In addition to hosting Butler, the Muskies play Wofford, Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Florida and Cincinnati before taking on a solid A-10 schedule featuring Temple, Dayton, Richmond and Rhode Island.

If 2006 was the mid-major high water mark, with at large bids flooding in from the Missouri Valley, C-USA, Colonial and others, 2010 might the drought.  Despite a clearly level landscape outside of 8-10 teams this year, very few of the mid-majors have been able to stack those early season chips that are so vital come selection Sunday.

Here's a quick breakdown of some of the hopefuls and their early season returns through Thanksgiving.

Conference USA

Memphis - Perhaps the only lock on the list. Right now the Tigers are 5-0 with wins over Miami and LSU.  They still get cracks at Tennessee, Georgetown and Kansas this year to notch another "good win" to add to their profile.  After last year's rare anomaly the Tigers are once again clearly the class of the league.
Tourney Outlook:  Near Lock


Southern Miss - The Golden Eagles are as good as they have been in a long time, starting 3-0 with wins over South Florida and South Alabama.  The problem might be their strength of schedule.  With only games at Mississippi and Cal to boost their profile they better get at least one of two versus Memphis in addition to avoiding more than one or two bad losses

Tourney Outlook:  Possible

UCF - Don't look now, but the Knights are off to a 5-0 start after beating instate foe South Florida last week.  With games against Florida, Miami, and UMass the Knights get several shots at some good wins.  Same as above with Southern Miss, only even more important, the Knights really need to get one against Memphis to get a second galnce.

At-large Outlook:  Highly Unlikely

Others to Watch:  UAB, Houston, UTEP, Tulsa

Metro Atlantic:

Siena - The Saints have been March darlings the past few seasons.  To recapture the magic they will likely need to win their league tourney this year.  At 2-3, with losses to Vermont (ouch), Butler and Minnesota, the Saints already fanned on their best chances at capturing a profile win.

At-large Outlook: Highly Unlikely

Others to Watch:  None


Colonial:

VCU - Shaka Smart's team is in decent position to earn an at-large bid if they can handle their business inside league play.  At 4-1 with wins over Wake Forest and UCLA and a competitive loss to Tennessee their early profile is solid.  They have interesting separation games with Wofford and UAB on their schedule before entering league play.  This is a good ball club who should win 21-23 games, and earn a bid.
At-Large Outlook:  Good

Old Dominion - The Monarchs won their tournament over in Cancun, albeit over a field that sounded better than it is.  The wins over Clemson and Xavier should prove valuable chips, and the narrow home-loss to Georgetown might actually help more than it hurts.  They get three more good chances; Richmond, Dayton and Missouri will add some strength to the Monarchs' schedule.  Grab two of those three and it's hard not to see ODU going back to the Dance.
At-Large Outlook:  Good

Others to Watch:  George Mason, James Madison,

MAC:  Long gone are the conferences glory days, Miami (OH) and Kent State crashing the Sweet 16 and the MAC meriting the occassional at-large bid.  Their aren't many challengers this year either, though Kent State at 6-1 with games upcoming Florida, USF, James Madison and UAB they could play their way into the discussion if they can take all four (especially the Florida game).
At-Large Outlook:  Doubtful

Others to Watch:  None

Missouri Valley:  Remember in 2006 when the MVC sent four teams to the dance?  Yeah, so does the Valley.  They remember it with a wistful smile and a distant gaze... those days seem pretty far away.  Granted Northern Iowa captured the nation's fancy after their stunning upset over Kansas, but with perennial dancer Creighton slumping and Wichita State being left on the the chopping block it was yet another one-bid year for the MVC.

Prospects look a little brighter this year, but no one is a clear lock.

Creighton:  We'll find out soon.  The three-point loss to Iowa State might up being worse than they thought and their four wins are pretty pedestrian.  They need to sweep their upcoming contests with Northwestern, Nebraska, BYU and St. Joseph's to merit any consideration.
At-Large Outlook:  Murky

Wichita State:  Their 3-point loss to UConn might wind up being more valuable than some of their wins when the selection committee starts weighing resumes.  They get shots at Tulsa, LSU and a tough trip to San Diego State to prove their mettle.  Their schedule won't do them a ton of favors, but winning those aforementioned games will at least get them in the discussion paired with a good conference record.
At-Large Outlook:  Decent

Others to Watch:  Northern Iowa, Missouri State

Mountain West:  This is easily the best non-BCS conference in the country.  One could make a pretty compelling argument that the MWC is stronger than the Pac-10 this season.  San Diego State is a near lock for the tourney, and I'd be very surprised if UNLV and BYU don't dance as well. New Mexico's eyebrow-raising 25 point loss to Cal (who subsequently lost to Notre Dame in a game they scored FIVE points in a half) drops them from the "likely" pile and into "others to watch"

At-Large Outlooks:  SDSU - near lock;  UNLV - very solid;  BYU - very good
Others to Watch:  Utah, New Mexico

Atlantic-10:  The mid-major darling de jour might take a small step back this year.  Xavier shows real signs of offensive struggles.  Combined with a daunting schedule and the Muskies might be sweating Selection Sunday for the first time in five years.  Dayton and Temple have the talent to make it out of the first week of the tourney, but haven't put it on full display quite yet.  Richmond and Rhode Island look to build on last season's progress while St. Joes and UMass look to restore former glory.

All in all, this is a good, competitive league that should get at least 3 bids in March, however who those three bids go to will be quite a scramble.  We'll do a complete A-10 Breakdown in a separate article.


This is shaping up early as a year in which a TON of bids will be up for the taking.  Doing a quick rundown of the Big 6 conferences, I count only thirteen LOCKS, with most of leagues being a complete mess from second or third all the way down to ninth or tenth.  That means there are some bids for the grabbing.

It remains to be seen if the little guys hands will be quicker than the giants.

Worth a Second Look

We chronicled the litany of fantastic games on slate last night, and ran out of room before even tackling the late block. Here's a quick rundown on some of last night's interesting and impactful results.

There is real trouble brewing in Berkley. Cal's MSG losses to Ohio State and Syracuse were unimpressive, yet still understandable. Both of those teams are among the best in the country. ast night's 86-78 loss to New Mexico is cause for concern. New Mexico is 7-0 and a solid MWC team, but the Pac-10 has really struggled in the early going and this is yet another ding to the reputation and Cal's post-season resume. Could we be looking at this year's Notre Dame??

Gonzaga is tough. They trailed most of the way against in-state rival Washington State (6-0), but Matt Boldin and Co. fought back for the 74-69 win. First year coach Kevin Bone's Cougars almost did what his Portland State team did last year; knock off the Zags IN the Kennel.

Speaking of Portland State, what an enormous win for the Vikings last night, clipping newly ranked in-state rival Portland. Portland's coach said he wanted to see how they responded to the newly earned attention and acclaim... Um, might want to close your eyes for this one. They got dropped by the 2-4 Vikings by 18 points.

Lastly, the two best games of the night that nearly no one saw - Duquesne closed down the "Igloo" in memorable; if not gut-wrenching, fashion. The Dukes had the ball in a tie game with 9 seconds to go, and fumbled the ball out of bounds unguarded. They held on to force overtime...then a second one...but Pitt finally prevailed by nine in double OT. The Maniac wonders why they got so scared to attack the hoop once overtime arrived...it is a game they should have won.

The other, another double OT thriller with UNLV clipping Arizona 74-72. UNLV is a likely tourney team, and Arizona could have really used the win, especially with their brutal schedule continuing to churn on. The Cats are only 4-3, but anyone who has seen them play has to be impresses with the jobs Nic Wise and new coach Sean Miller are doing in Tuscon.

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Twenty Five Years and Runnin'

The Running Rebels take their newly earned national ranking on the road tonight to face Sean Miller's Arizona Wildcats. Much has been made of the inevitable demise of the nation's longest NCAA Tourney appearance streak... but hold on just a second.

The Wildcats are only 3-2, but looked potentially impressive in close losses to Vanderbilt and Wisconsin out in Maui. The Wildcats have a few more opportunities after tonight to pick up a few resume building wins with contests against Oklahoma, NC State and BYU yet to come. Factor in a winnable PAC 10 devoid of the six or seven Goliaths usually looming, and Arizona has legit hopes of keeping their absolutely remarkable streak alive.

Nic Wise and the 'Cats look to pick up a resume win tonight.

UNLV picked up a big resume win, taking down Louisville for the second straight year and gets another big chance tonight. With the Mountain West seemingly a little less powerful this year, every early win helps bolster the Runnin' Reb's case.

This is another game off the national radar, but one with far-reaching tourney shaping impact.

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The Dirty Forty

OK - Let's start with an explanation of this column, which will be a running feature through the last week of the regular season and conference tournaments.

The theory behind it is that there are essentially 40 spots available for the NCAA tournament. There are 34 at-large bids, and 6 BCS conferences, which in all probability will feature a conference tournament champion who would have earned an at-large bid anyway (I know, not always, look at Georgia last year... but also look at the last 20 years - back off dude.)

The reason for this article, I think many of our readers will find it interesting how LITTLE room there is for all the teams that are conventionally thought of as "in." By my calculation, there are 29 LOCKS, with another 4 or 5 pretty close to that category. That leaves only 5 or 6 bids truly in play this week.

Running through this list, based on your instinct and what you hear on TV and broadcasts, say out loud (unless you are at work, then just think your answer dumbass, and get some damn work done and dig our economy out of the toilet...) whether the following teams are IN or OUT.

Florida.
Providence.
Penn State.
Michigan.
Maryland.
Arizona.
St Mary's.
Boston College.
UNLV.
Utah State.
Minnesota.
Virginia Tech.
West Virginia.
Dayton.
Oklahoma State.
Texas.
Wisconsin.
Siena.
Davidson.
Texas A&M.
New Mexico.
Rhode Island.
Kentucky.

Well, if you said YES more than 10 times, there is NOWHERE to put them; unless you and Jim Boeheim want to expand the field.

And for the record, the Maniac did include Syracuse in the 29 LOCKS...

OK, onto Tha' FORTY:

Locks (in alphabetical conference order):
North Carolina, Duke, Wake, Clemson, Florida State,
XAVIER, UConn, Pitt, LVille, Marquette, 'Nova, Syracuse,
Michigan St, Purdue, Illinois,
Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri,
MEMPHIS, BUTLER, CREIGHTON,
Washington, Ucla, Arizona St, Cal,
Lsu, Tennessee, Byu, Utah

That makes 29. Those in ALL CAPS are likely or possible 1-bid conferences; losing their tournament SHRINKS the 40 by one slot. So if, say, Butler were to lose, it becomes "39." You get the point... And YES, Creighton is a lock. NO, Siena and Utah State are not.

Very Likely (in order of solidity in field):
West Virginia, Texas, Penn State, UNLV, Dayton

And then there were SIX: (random order, but try to choose five from this list!!)
Providence, Boston College, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Ohio State, Minnesota, Michigan, Rhode Island, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Northwestern, Arizona, Siena, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Auburn, St. Mary's, Davidson, Utah State, New Mexico, San Diego State.

If you are counting, that was pick six out of 23. It is not as easy as Vitale and Hubert Davis make it seem (by last count, both have 417 teams in this year's field).

I'll give you the Maniac Six tomorrow evening, with justification for each, please feel free to fire your arguments (and YOUR SIX) my way, or leave them as comments at the bottom of the entry. Just to get you started, St. Mary's and Arizona are on my list.

THE WHY'S:
For the five "almost ins" - Texas and West Virginia are pretty much no-brainers, but need to not have anything too too crazy happen like Oklahoma State or Providence go on a huge run in their respective conference tourneys and zip past them, or have a slew of disastrous small conference upsets. Both those two are pretty much locks. Which would make 31 now...

Penn State closes with Iowa; assuming they win that they will be 22-9 (11-7) and a solid 4th in the Big Ten. That gets you a dance card.

UNLV and Dayton have good records, play in undervalued leagues, but most importantly have marquee wins. Dayton has wins over Marquette, Xavier and an Auburn win that looks better every day. They close with a tricky game hosting Duquesne, and would feel much safer with that win secured and a win or two in the conference tourney, (especially with Rhode Island surging), but for now they are safely in the #8-#10 seed range.

UNLV has the BYU and Utah wins. but most importantly a win over Arizona and a road win over possible #1 seed Louisville in their hip pocket. That said the Rebels would be wise not to lose to San Diego State Saturday night...

That's 34. Let's say just THREE small-conference upsets or miracle runs happen. You then have THREE spots for the above 22 bubble mates.

Gotta love March!

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Guide to the Best Hoops Day of the Year!

...excluding the tourney of course.

Saturday is a smorgasbord of big-time games. I am sure most hoop fans are well aware that UConn travels out to Seattle to tackle Gonzaga and that Duke and Xavier will meet in the Meadowlands. However, there are a dozen of more games on Saturday worth catching.

Miami (OH) @ West Virginia - WVU has played some decent foes already, and lost to them. Kentucky held them to 43 points and Steph Curry rallied to beat them in th last two minutes in the Garden. Miami (OH) has three losses. To UCLA, Pitt & Xavier. Suffice it to say they will not be intimidated by the Moutaineers.

Duke vs. Xavier (Meadowlands, NJ) - A really intersting and fantastic game. For a complete breakdown, click here.

Michigan St @ Texas - Michigan State has been dissapointing early, failing their only true test of the season miserably (losses to Maryland and UNC by 18 & 35 respectivly). Texas slepwalked through closer-than-expected wins over hapless instate foes Texas Southern, and Texas St. A win in this game keeps Texas on pace with Oklahoma on the One Line come selection Sunday. A win for Michigan St. rights the ship heading into Big Ten play.

Louisville @ Minnesota - Minnesota is unbeaten so far. Conisder them 0-0 going into this one. Lousiville brings Tubby's Gophers their first true test. With a win, the should be ranked for Christmas. A loss? In the eyes of most true college hoops fans, they are 0-1.

Temple @ Kansas - Kansas already has one loss to A-10 foe UMass. Temple will look to add a second.

Arizona @ UNLV - The Wildcats are fresh off their upset win over Gonzaga. UNLV has flown under the radar for the past few years, but Lon Kreuger seems to always have a tough squad come March. Arizona entered the season in turmoil; coaching upheaval, Brandon Jennings in Europe, BUT don't overlook the talent on this squad. This game seems like a perfect 7-10 NCAA tourney game to me.

Davidson @ Purdue (Indianapolis, IN) - Is Purdue the Final Four contender people thought entering the season, or are they the team that was emasculated by Duke on their home floor? Davidson is in year two of dragon-slaying. They have been so good in that role that they won't be big underdogs in this one.

Providence @ Boston College - Two middle of the pack teams from major conferences collide in a game that means a ton to each schools slim post season chances.

LSU @ Texas A&M - LSU takes a break from their brutal SWAC confernce schedule to play a fellow BCS school. A&M has already beaten Arizona, but it is really tough to project what they will be facing when LSU plays it's first real game of the year.

BYU @ Arizona St. - GREAT game under the radar. Both of these team feature NBA first-rounders in James Harden and Lee Cummard. Both teams need a solid resume building win to play in the 4-6 saeed range. BUY enters 10-0, Arizona St with just the one defeat to Baylor (though the needed overtime to beat IUPUI by one in their last contest).

Syracuse @ Memphis - For a team that lives off it's non-conference success to validate its lackluster conference strength, Memphis has missed a few golden opportunities this year, but gets another one when the Orange come to town. They have already lost tough games to Xavier and Georgetown. This is likely their last chance to beat a ranked foe this season. Without that win, even if the run the C-USA table, it is hard to see them any better than a #4 come March.

Florida @ UCF - On paper, a total mismatch, but this game means a LOT more to UCF than it does the Gators. The Gators appear to be a little better on paper than in practice, and expect UCF to give their absolute best in this one. This is my longshot upset special of the day.

Iowa @ Drake - Drake is coming off the best (and first decent) season in three decades. Tonight the get a shot to show in-state giant Iowa that they are still here to play.

VCU @ Oklahoma - This is exactly the kind of preparation Oklahoma needs for the Big Dance. VCU is tough, scrappy, experienced and not afraid of Oklahoma. Oklahoma SHOULD win, but the question is, will they bring their A game against a smaller-name opponent?