QT: Providence keeps climbing, Illinois fading

Once again, Ed Cooley has his Providence Friars in the thick of the NCAA tournament chase.  The Friars put a stamp of approval on that notion Wednesday by taking down Connecticut.  Providence was more aggressive throughout, holding a 29-10 points advantage at the free throw line.  The Friars are now 5-0 in the Big East after their eighth straight win.

We can’t say the same for Illinois.  The discombobulated Illini have lost four of their past five games against potential tournament teams, all by double digits.  The current iteration of Illinois basketball resembles nothing close to the iteration that rallied to upend Texas in New York on December 6.  Turnovers and poor shooting continue to wreck havoc in Champaign.  Example: Illinois took 28 three-pointers in Wednesday’s loss at Northwestern, making eight (28 percent) to coincide with 15 turnovers.  Now 0-3 in the Big Ten, the Illini need to reverse course quickly.

QT: Iowa, Michigan and Kentucky slip again

It hasn’t exactly been a riveting holiday season for Iowa, Michigan or Kentucky.  Fresh off a shocking pre-Christmas home loss to Eastern Illinois, Iowa absorbed a lopsided drubbing at Nebraska on Thursday.  The Hawkeye team that routed Iowa State in early December is currently MIA.

Michigan lost for the fourth time in six games by dropping a home decision to Central Michigan (a Quad 4 loss), leaving the Wolverines in near desperation mode entering January. With a morning NET rating above 100 and only a victory over Pittsburgh as a pre-2023 accomplishment, there’s a lot of work to do in Ann Arbor.

Big Blue Nation is aghast these days.  Kentucky’s best win of the season remains aforementioned Michigan after losing a double-digit outcome at Missouri.  UK returns home to face Louisville on New Year’s Eve.  If the Wildcats somehow manage to lose to this year’s Cardinals, all you-know-what may literally break loose in the Commonwealth.

SL: Memphis, Rutgers keep climbing

Fresh off a busy Saturday in college hoops, Memphis and Rutgers earn the best resume-building awards for performances on the road against Houston and Wisconsin.  As a result, both the Tigers and Scarlet Knights are back within clear sight of the bracket.  We should also mention USC.  The Trojans knocked off UCLA last night to earn their best resume asset of the season.

Seed List

Michigan couldn’t sustain its momentum after upsetting Purdue on Thursday – falling to rival Ohio State in Ann Arbor.  Next up: road trips to Iowa and Wisconsin.  Michigan is 3-6 away from home.

Kansas State presents an interesting case because they own five Quadrant 1 victories and have a somewhat similar resume to Oklahoma.  Other than one more victory, Oklahoma fared better in the non-conference portion of its season.  Both the Wildcats and Sooners need a good close in February.

Quick Takes: Pac 12 looks like a 3-team race

This morning, the Pac-12 conference looks like a three-team race: UCLA, Arizona and USC.  Those three may also be the only teams that represent the league in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.  UCLA and Arizona appear to be title contenders.  USC remains a wait-and-see.  While unbeaten, the Trojans best victory is San Diego State.

As for the rest of the league … it’s hard to see another NCAA contender.  That could change, of course, but teams like Colorado, Washington State, Utah or someone else has work to do.

Bracketology: Gonzaga, Baylor against the Field

We are a month away from Selection Sunday, and as we sit today, it’s Gonzaga and Baylor against the Field of 68.  The Zags and Bears remain perfect and are about as locked-in as the top two overall seeds as two teams can be.  This morning, Michigan and Ohio State continue to occupy the other two slots along the top line.  It will be interesting to see how the Selection Committee handles a team like the Wolverines, who have just one blemish and lead the Big Ten, but who haven’t played for two weeks.  The Committee’s initial Top 16 seeds are revealed today.

Bracketology
Seed List

Elsewhere, many eyes will be on the Missouri Valley as Drake and Loyola-Chicago lock horns for a back-to-back set this weekend in Des Moines.  In a weird way, it would help the MVC if the teams split those games.  The bubble is as fluid as ever; we’ll start taking a closer look there after what figures to be a critical weekend for many teams.