Now that it is February-Direct the longest month of the year-must college basketball fans resist the desire to press the fast flushing button and go straight to March.
Similarly, there are several basketball programs with big names college that have to resist the desire to look ahead to march madness-or they can only miss.
This suffering should go by the name February Fafo and Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel and all other broadcasters that work six nights a week can be happy to make this their own.
Let’s start by examining two of the sport’s blue blood for all the time: Indiana and North Carolina. Since Bob Knight appeared in Bloomington in 1971, there have only been three NCAA tournaments when neither Hoosiers nor take Heels adorned the field: 1974, 2010 and 2020. This can easily be the fourth.
Hubert Davis’ North Carolina Squad (13-9, 6-4) comes into today’s road game on Duke with just one victory over a very likely NCAA tournament-and it was a 2-point victory over UCLA on December 21 at Madison Square Garden.
The fifth year guard RJ Davis, a unanimous first team All-American last year, is not a candidate to repeat as his point average has dipped from 21.2 points per match to 17.6 and his 3-point team has gone from 39.8 percent to 30.3.
As of Saturday morning, ESPN -Bracquetologist Joe Lunardi took Heels on his last four in the list, but Hoops HQ’s Brad Wachtel did not. But when it comes to Indiana, these experts are united: for the Big Ten Favorites season is on the wrong side of the bubble.
Hoosiers (14-8, 5-6) looked as if they understood the assignment Friday night at No. 10 Purdue. Indiana, like it, has all the year to build a 4-point half-time lead, handled a Purdue knockout attempt during the first four minutes of the second half and came back for more. Hoosiers led by sex with 5:30 to play and with one with 30 seconds left, but still discontinued to lose 81-76.
Now they are 1-5 over their last six matches-with Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Ucla and Purdue next on the schedule. Still lots of chances to build a tournament resume. But more likely they will get Mike Woodson to shoot.
Here is a surprising team that cannot afford to slip up this month: Gonzaga. Doesn’t this sound strange considering that Zags has not missed the tournament since 1998 and they are currently floating around the top 10 in the net and Kenpom? These two predictive measurement values indicate that they would earn 3-seated consideration if the NCAA tournament began today.
Lunardi and Wachtel, however, have both moved Bulldogs (16-6) to an 8-seed because they have not beaten any likely NCAA tournament teams since November 18-and they have had lots of chances because Mark Fech uploaded a non-conference schedule. But after early victories over Baylor and San Diego State, they have lost to West Virginia, Kentucky, Uconn and Ucla. Nothing wrong with it, necessarily, but they have also dropped against Santa Clara and shared with Oregon State.
A couple of more blue blood that needs to watch out in February? Kansas (15-5) and Michigan State (18-2). As you can say with their records, both teams have mainly dressed NCAA tournaments, which will be the 35th straight for the Jayhawks and 27th row for Tom Izzo and the Spartans.
Jayhawks was ranked as No. 1 in Preseason Associated Press Poll, but their pieces do not seem to click. Kansas was upset at home by a West Virginia team that played without two starters, and then doubled on it by wasting a 6-point lead with 18 seconds left against Houston last week.
Then there are the Spartans, which can be the good story of the season. In Tom Izzo’s 30th year at the helm, he has put together a 10-man rotation that allows him to match with all types of assortment. None of the ten play fewer than 15 minutes per match, and no one plays more than 26.
Although I shot only 28.9 percent on 3-score this season, which is ranked 348 by 364 div. In Teams, Michigan State rides on a 13-match winning line in Saturday night’s game at USC. A spartan win means that Izzo, which turned 70 Thursday, binds Bob Knight for the most large ten victories in league history (353).
So what is the problem with the Spartans? Their Big Ten schedule is extremely backloaded.
They have not played Purdue. Or Maryland. Or ucla. Or Oregon. Or Wisconsin. Illinois is the only first division Big Ten team they have met-and Michigan State Eekked out a 2-point home victory when Stellar Illini Beginner point guard Kasparas Jakucion played less than nine minutes due to Foul problems.
“I think the road will be tougher,” Izzo told reporters after Tuesday’s victory over Minnesota. “I told you it’s back. I think everyone has now checked the schedule and realized that I think that everyone except one of our next 11 matches, if you win (it) would be a quad 1 victory. That type tells a lot, and yet I do not want to reduce what we have done either because we have done some incredible things. “
