QT: Tough days for ASU, Pittsburgh, UCF

It been a tough few days for Arizona State.  With a golden chance to enhance their resume, the Sun Devils lost back-to-back home games against UCLA (Thursday) and USC (Saturday).  Those results leave ASU’s resume replete of a signature win.  Its best are arguably Michigan, at Oregon and at Colorado; none of which are currently projected to make the NCAA tournament.  Further, ASU won’t get another bite at the proverbial NCAA-level apple until its final three games, all on the road: Arizona, UCLA, USC.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh opened a three-game home stand with a loss to Florida State, which could well end up in the Quad 4 column.  The next two homies suddenly feel more significant: Wake Forest and Miami.

Then there is Central Florida (UCF).  The Golden Knights’ absorbed a ding at South Florida.  They get Houston at home this week with a chance to erase the stench of back-to-back losses to Tulane and aforementioned USF.  The opportunity for an at-large bid could well hang in the balance.  

Additional Quick Takes:

• Kentucky rallied past Texas AM to make it three straight.  Overall, a needed week for the Wildcats who handled their business at home.  Next up: a trip to pesky Vanderbilt before next Saturday’s clash with Kansas.
• Ohio State ended its five-game slide with a rather resounding victory over Iowa in Columbus.  In the middle of a bruising road-heavy slate, the Buckeyes next two are at Illinois and at Indiana.  There’s always tomorrow in the Big Ten.
• Oklahoma State edged Iowa State to protect its home court.  OSU hasn’t been as successful away from Stillwater (1-4 in true road games); two of their next three (at Texas, at Oklahoma) are roadies.  They get struggling Ole Miss in-between.
• West Virginia is the perfect example of a good team that is stuck in a juggernaut of a conference.  The Mountaineers have lost 6 of 7 Big 12 games since the end of 2022.  While conference record isn’t officially a Selection Committee stat, league results are still relevant.  WVU enters the week at 1-6 in the B12.  Opportunity will keep knocking, though.
• USC might end up being the Pac-12’s third best team.  Metrics are mixed, but other than an early November misstep to Florida Gulf Coast, the Trojans have only lost to one non-tournament team (at Washington State).  Given the current state of the Pac-12, USC’s season may still come down to beating UCLA or Arizona.  The first of those (UCLA) arrives next Thursday.
• North Carolina won for the fifth time in six games, beating rival NC State in Chapel Hill on Saturday.  UNC has been perfect at home, but is just 1-4 on the road.  Three of the Heels’ next four are away from the Dean Dome: Syracuse, Duke, Wake Forest.
• Quietly, Marquette is compiling a protected-seed resume.  The Golden Eagles have lost three times since November: Wisconsin (overtime), at Providence (two overtimes) and at Xavier (by four points).  With a favorable remaining schedule, the Big East race is far from over.  Regardless, Shaka Smart and Company are looking like a team you don’t want to see in your bracket this March.

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