February 11, 2015

Close call for undefeated Kentucky last night, as they beat LSU by just two points. Their next few games should be a cakewalk, but the Wildcats will need to watch out for Arkansas and then a road game at Georgia after that. They then close out the regular season at home against Florida, who gave them some trouble when they played last week. I would still put my money on at least one loss before the end of the big dance, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them break the single season victory record of 38, currently held by 2008 Memphis and 2012 Kentucky.

This evening's games with implications for the Gophers are:
-Penn State @ Ohio State: A Penn State victory would benefit the Gophers as the Nittany Lions are on the schedule twice, compared to just one matchup against the Buckeyes.
-Pittsburgh @ Louisville
-Stony Brook @ UMBC
-DePaul @ Saint John's
-Georgia @ Texas A&M
-Miami (FL) @ Wake Forest
-The Indiana @ Maryland game will be a wash as Minnesota plays both teams once.

Of the six games, the Gophers would be fortunate to have three go their way. Four would be a stretch. It's unlikely that Penn State will put up a fight against Ohio State, and UMBC has little chance against Stony Brook. Wake Forest is a likely loss, and Georgia will be a tough game. Louisville and Saint John's swill both be heavily favored in their games.

1's: Kentucky, Virginia, Duke, Wisconsin
2's: Kansas, Villanova, Arizona, Gonzaga
3's: Louisville, Maryland, Notre Dame, North Carolina
4's: Baylor, Utah, Butler, Oklahoma
5's: Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Indiana, VCU,
6's: Arkansas, West Virginia, Wichita State, Ohio State
7's: SMU, Oklahoma State, Georgetown, Iowa
8's: Colorado State, Texas, Providence, Cincinnati
9's: Dayton, Temple, San Diego State, Illinois
10's: Georgia, Ole Miss,Temple, Saint John's
11's: Stanford, LSU, Xavier, Wofford
12's: Oregon, Tulsa, George Washington, Michigan State, Old Dominion, Green Bay
13's: Stephen F. Austin, Murray State, Harvard, Buffalo
14's: Eastern Washington, Iona, William & Mary, Long Beach State
15's: Georgia State, High Point, North Carolina Central, South Dakota State
16's: Stony Brook, Florida Gulf Coast, American, New Mexico State, Saint Francis (PA), Texas Southern

FFO: Miami (FL), Boise State, USLA, Wyoming
NFO: Seton Hall, North Carolina State, Rhode Island, Massachusetts