Quick Takes: Duke looks like a No. 1 Seed

It’s been one of those weeks in college hoops.  Previously unbeaten and highly-ranked Saint Mary’s lost at home to UT-Arlington last night. We also watched San Diego State lose at Grand Canyon – which leaves us wondering if the Mountain West will again be a one-bid league.  And then there was Valparaiso, which had the unfortunate task of visiting Kentucky the game after they lost to UCLA.  Talk about bad timing.  But the single biggest takeaway from the week might be the improved health (and availability) of Duke’s roster.  While beating Florida at Madison Square Garden, the Blue Devils gave us a glimpse into why we all thought they would be the No. 1 overall seed come March. 

Here are a few other Quick Takes from the week …

• Iowa State (at Iowa) and Xavier (at Colorado) reminded us why winning true road games is so difficult.  That said, those games make teams and college basketball better; try not to overly dwell on road losses to quality opponents.
• Ditto for Butler at Indiana State.
• Double-Dittos for Creighton, which impressed by beating in-state rival Nebraska on the Huskers’ home court.  Again, that true road win thing.
• Since losing to Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State has won seven (7) straight, including victories over Ole Miss (road) and Vanderbilt (home).
• Temple is a hard team to figure out.  The Owls lost to George Washington- which means they have lost to GW and New Hampshire at home – and beaten Florida State and West Virginia on neutral courts.  If that type of roller-coaster continues, it might not end well for the Owls.
• What’s going on with Syracuse?  The Orange gave up a game to struggling Connecticut at the Garden. Which means their best win is at home to Monmouth.  And it’s not like ‘Cuse has looked good in losses to South Carolina or Wisconsin.  Hmm.
• I wasn’t sold on TCU‘s start.  Nothing about their loss at SMU changed my mind.
• VCU needs a quick U-Turn.  The Rams dropped a surprising home game to rebuilding Georgia Tech after losing by double-digits to Illinois in Miami.  Tomorrow, VCU has a tricky trip to Old Dominion.

More thoughts ahead on another busy Saturday.