Tuesday, January 05, 2010

"Mid-Majors" Tough At Home, Too

Two Big 6 teams fully expecting to compete for decent NCAA seeding took L's last night in tough "mid-major" venues. UNC famously fell at College of Charleston and SEC West contender Mississippi State was taken out by WKU.

Last Night's GOI
--Pitt 74, at Cincinnati 71. Panthers collect the sweet, sweet nectar of a conference road win.
--at College of Charleston 82, North Carolina 79 (OT). BIG win for the Cougars.
--at WKU 55, Mississippi State 52. After a shaky start, the Hilltoppers are 6-1 in their last 7 (lost at Louisville) including wins over Vanderbilt and Mississippi State. Keep an eye on their AL profile in the coming weeks if they can navigate two tough roadies this week at South Alabam and Denver.

Tonight's GOI
--Rhode Island at Akron. Everyone is learning about the Rams, but the Zips are 9-1 in their last 10 (lost at Texas A&M). Tough test for the AL hopeful Rams.
--Minnesota at Purdue. Boilers are a definite favorite, but Gophers could stamp themselves as a Big Ten title contender with a road win like this.
--New Mexico at San Diego State. Lobos certainly look NCAA-worthy, but the Aztecs have been decent, too. They can ID themselves as a potential AL with a win here.