QT: Rutgers protects the RAC; Some bad Ls

Rutgers held Indiana to 48 points, had guard Paul Mulcahy return from injury, and protected its home court on Saturday, beating IU for the sixth straight time.  Another reminder that Rutgers is a tough out at the RAC and road victories are hard to find.  From a resume perspective, it was the Scarlett Knights’ best victory of the season – by far.  Early losses include Temple and Miami.  Next up: a trip to Ohio State, the team’s lone remaining true road game before a visit to West Lafayette on January 2.

Three days after a rather surprising home loss to Wake Forest, Wisconsin upended Marquette on its own home floor Saturday.  Close games (and overtimes) seem to be an early mantra for the Badgers.  College basketball is nothing if not unpredictable.  In a three-day span – on the same floor – Marquette rolled Baylor and lost to its rival from Madison.  

Additional Quick Takes:

• A few teams absorbed what could be labeled “bad” (and surprising) losses on Saturday: Nevada (at Loyola-Marymount), Colorado State (Northern Colorado), Davidson (at Delaware), BYU (South Dakota)
• Texas AM is floundering.  The Aggies lost by double-digit at home to Boise State on Saturday.  They have also lost games to Murray State and Colorado.  AM’s best win: DePaul.  Time to get things figured out or it’s going to be a long season.
• Cam Whitmore made his debut for Villanova and the Wildcats knocked off Oklahoma.  We’ll see where this leads for both teams.
• In its last three games, Notre Dame has managed an interesting trifecta: losses to St. Bonaventure and Syracuse – and an 18-point home victory over Michigan State.
• Charleston moved to 8-1 (lone loss is at UNC).  The Cougars could well be 12-1 heading into an early Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) showdown at Towson on New Year’s Eve.

Quick Takes: Wisconsin completes huge rally

Down more than 20 points in the first half and by a 42-25 margin at halftime, Wisconsin completed a monumental rally to beat Indiana at the Kohl Center.  The Badgers outscored the Hoosiers 39-17 in the final 20 minutes.  Energizing victory for the hosts.  A challenging loss for the guests.  To date, Indiana’s resume presents us with a two-point victory over St. John’s, along with losses to Syracuse and Wisconsin.  The Hoosiers get Notre Dame at the Crossroads Classic. The rest of their slate is a tray of Holiday treats until a visit to Penn State on January 2.  Overall, it’s been a rather mundane start for the Hoosiers – at least in terms of results.

Quick Takes: Purdue dominates FSU, makes case for No. 1

Purdue dominated Florida State at Mackey Arena on Tuesday.  The Boilermakers are going to be a tough out – every night.  With loud, raucous fans in the stands, good luck beating them at home.  Regardless, with Duke’s loss at Ohio State, Purdue will be the No. 1 overall seed when the bracket updates again on Saturday – assuming the Boilermakers beat Iowa at home on Friday night.

The only thing we haven’t seen Purdue accomplish – a true road victory.  The Boilers first such test is December 9 at Rutgers.  While that one shouldn’t be troublesome on paper, home court advantage is back.  Road wins will matter, again.

Quick Takes: Indiana edges St. Johns, Maryland falls to George Mason

Indiana edged St. John’s in Bloomington.  Solid victory for IU.  Nothing-to-worry-about loss for St. John’s.  The Red Storm’s rally fell two points short.  That’s the Quick Take version of Wednesday’s result.

Still trying to figure out Maryland, and the Terrapins home loss to George Mason further clouds the issue.  Foremost, credit the Patriots, who moved to 4-0 on the season after knocking down 12 of 24 three-point attempts.  We’ll have to keep an eye on GMU in the Atlantic 10.

Other Quick Takes …

• Michigan State routed Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.  No surprise.  The Bulldogs face tough sledding unless they can improve offensively. BU made just 28 percent of its field goals.  Poor shot selection lends itself to poor results.
• Florida State survived Tulane.  It’s been a rather ho-hum start for the Seminoles.
• NC State lost to Oklahoma State.  The Cowboys are, sadly, no longer in the NCAA picture.  Missed chance for the Pack.
• At the top of the Seed List, UCLA, Texas and Baylor cruised.
• Connecticut routed another opponent.  The Huskies’ first test arrives next Wednesday against Auburn at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

The Myrtle Beach Invitational and Charleston Classic get underway today.  Daytime basketball, folks! Enjoy.

Bracket Bits: Gonzaga wraps up the West; Wednesday’s Bubble games

With its win over Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference final, Gonzaga should be expecting another No. 1 Seed in the West Region on Sunday.  The Zags enter the 2020 NCAA tournament at 31-2.  While the Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule wasn’t as robust as usual (overall), metrics love the Zags and the Committee had them as a projected top seed during their reveal in February.  Between then and now, the Zags only loss was at BYU.

Five additional teams joined The Field: Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Yale (Ivy), North Dakota State (Summit), Robert Morris (NEC), Hofstra (Colonial).