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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.
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. Read more…
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. Read more…
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.
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.
Bracketology: Michigan joins No. 1 seeds
Michigan has earned its place among the No. 1 seeds. The Wolverines enter the weekend with an unblemished record and lead arguably the nation’s deepest conference. If there’s any chink in Big Blue’s resume, it’s the fact the Wolverines have only played two road games and nothing on a neutral court. Then again, it’s not like Michigan hasn’t been dominating its competition.
Gonzaga continues to hold its spot at the No. 1 overall seed, followed by Baylor, Michigan and Villanova. The pandemic has taken a recent toll on Villanova, so we haven’t seen much of the Wildcats lately. We’ll have to see how the Committee eventually handles those types of scenarios. Even though ‘Nova holds a head-to-head win over Texas, one could make the case that both the Longhorns and Iowa have a better overall resumes. Stay tuned.
Enjoy a busy weekend of college hoops.
Quick Takes: Michigan on a roll
Welcome back to Quick Takes! Let’s get started.
Michigan is on quite a roll. The Wolverines thumped Minnesota in Ann Arbor to move to 5-0 in the Big Ten. Looking ahead, the schedule is favorable for Big Blue, too. Michigan only has to play Iowa, Illinois and Rutgers once, all three at home. That’s the type of advantage that could bring a regular season B10 title to Crisler Arena.
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