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.  

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.

Seed List: Maryland leads rising group of M’s

Maryland has taken the first month of its season by storm, capped by a home victory against Illinois Friday night to open Big Ten play.  Along the way, the Terrapins have routed Saint Louis and Miami on neutral courts, two teams projected to make the NCAA tournament.  As part of this morning’s Seed List update, the Terrapins also garner the automatic bid from the B10.

Seed List

Two other M’s are also rising quickly: Mississippi State and Marquette.  The Golden Eagles are fresh off a rout out Baylor in Milwaukee.  Marquette’s two losses this season?  A five point defeat at unbeaten Purdue and a three-point loss to aforementioned Mississippi State at the Fort Myers tip-off.

With Arizona’s loss at Utah, Connecticut leaps into the top four and actually jumps Texas for the No. 3 slot based on its most notable wins coming on neutral courts.  Texas has two strong victories, both at home.

Per principles, Clemson claims this morning’s automatic bid for the Atlantic Coast Conference, entering the field.  We would also welcome Indiana State (Missouri Valley), Siena (MAAC) and Middle Tennessee (Conference USA).  Although the Colonial has yet to begin conference play (as of this posting), Charleston would be an at-large team.  The Cougars hold the AQ right now.

QT: UNC falls again, Marquette routs Baylor

While it’s not surprising North Carolina lost to a good Indiana team in Bloomington Wednesday night, it is surprising the Tar Heels have dropped three straight.  Thus far, UNC hasn’t looked anything like a potential No. 1 seed.  The Heels’ schedule gets no easier this weekend with a Sunday trip to Virginia Tech.

How about Marquette?  The Golden Eagles routed Baylor in Milwaukee.  Marquette lost by just five at Purdue and by three to Mississippi State in Fort Myers.  It’s one game, but it helps the early profiles of both MU and MSU.

Speaking of routs, Michigan State was throttled by a Notre Dame squad that was coming off a double-digit loss to St. Bonaventure.  The Irish blew the game open early and never looked back.

A little reminder that life on the road is tough and road wins remain nuggets of gold.

QT: Marquette steals headlines at Villanova

Connecting on 13 of 29 three-point attempts (44.8%), including five from leading scorer Justin Lewis, Marquette completed a late rally to earn a signature road win at Villanova.  Overall, it was the Golden Eagles fifth straight victory – and one that headlines the start of a six-game stretch that could well define where Marquette lands in March.  Credit Shaka’s Smart crew with some toughness, too.  It wasn’t too long ago that MU was staring a four-game losing streak in the face after a double-OT loss at Creighton.

Alabama ended its three-game slide by upending LSU in Tuscaloosa.  With Missouri and Georgia next in line, it’s time for the Crimson Tide to re-group ahead of a date with Baylor in Coleman Coliseum on January 29.