QT: Maui and Mississippi State

Creighton and San Diego State posted key wins at the Maui Invitational on Monday.  The Bluejays passed their first test of the season against Texas Tech.  The Aztecs took down Ohio State, adding the Buckeyes to an early victory list that includes BYU and Stanford.  Today: Creighton squares off against Arkansas; SDSU gets Arizona.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech is now in an unenviable spot.  By losing to Creighton, the Red Raiders face Louisville and the winner of Cincinnati-Ohio State on Wednesday.  If it’s UC, TTU could end up facing two team with losing records.

Mississippi State, the final at-large team selection in Monday’s (way too early) bracket projection, edged Marquette to move to 5-0 on the season.  MSU’s other notable win came against Akron in Philadelphia; the Zips throttled Western Kentucky Monday in Grand Cayman.  The Bulldogs could well be 10-0 before their schedule picks up.

Quick Takes: St. Bonaventure, Cincinnati, Washington State absorb upsets

In the not-such-a-good-look department, St. Bonaventure and Cincinnati dropped home decisions to Northern Iowa and Monmouth.  Coming into Saturday, UNI was winless against Division 1 competition, including losses to Nicholls and Vermont.  Monmouth was 4-1, but UC owned a surprising rout of Illinois and a competitive loss to Arkansas.  Let downs?  Possibly.  We won’t know how the losses actually impact either team for a while, but it’s safe to say neither was ideal.

We also need to mention Washington State.  After a 5-0 start, the Cougars fell to Eastern Washington.  Maybe the Eagles will win the Big Sky again, maybe not.  Regardless, it’s a loss WSU may look back on if the Cougars end up around the cutline.

Quick Takes: NC State throttles Duke, ugly nights for UC, ‘Bama

Opportunity knocked in Raleigh on Wednesday, and NC State seized the moment by throttling Duke.  The victory helps offset an untimely loss to Boston College on Sunday and keeps the Wolfpack squarely in the at-large conversation with Florida State due in town on Saturday.  Adding a win over the Seminoles would further enhance NCSU’s profile heading into the season’s final two weeks.

If there’s a pause, the BC game serves as a perfect backdrop.  The Wolfpack have proven to be enigmatic, having also been swept by Georgia Tech (and losing to UNC).  As for Duke, the Blue Devils head home to face Virginia Tech.

Bracketology: Valentine hearts for Cincinnati, NC State

As the bubble ebbs and flows, we present Valentine hearts to Cincinnati and North Carolina State, both of whom sit squarely along the cutline.  The good news – at least for today – is that both are projected as First Four participants in Dayton.

Bracketology

Elsewhere, the No. 1 seeds remain entrenched.  Gonzaga and San Diego State will be heavy favorites in most, if not all, of their remaining games.  Baylor can absorb a loss (or two) and still be in prime position.  Kansas, once again, has a dominant record against Quadrant 1 teams.  Are all four locks?  No, but as Selection Sunday approaches, their footholds get stronger.

Quick Takes: USU stumbles at UNLV

Winning conference road games is never easy, regardless of the opponent.  So it’s certainly not shocking to learn that Utah State stumbled at UNLV.  The bigger question is how the Aggies navigate their Mountain West Conference journey moving forward.

USU’s non-conference profile includes neutral-court wins over LSU and Florida and losses to Saint Mary’s and BYU.  As it stands this morning, San Diego State and perhaps New Mexico (coming off a loss at San Jose State – gulp) are the best opportunities for Quad 1 and/or 2 wins moving forward – making Saturday’s home date with SDSU an important marker on the Aggies’ Team Sheet.