If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.
Top 25 Games
- #1 Ohio State 62, Michigan 53: “Trailing 26-23 at the half thanks to cold shooting and sloppy play, Ohio State used two 2nd half runs to come away with a 62-53 victory tonight in the Schott. The win moves Ohio State to 23-0 overall and 10-0 in conference play.” (Eleven Warriors)
Other Games of Interest
- Tennessee 69, Auburn 55: “We wondered if we’d miss Scotty Hopson. It took about five minutes to figure out how little it mattered against Auburn. Make no mistake, it will matter from here. What was supposed to be a four game vacation against the SEC West has been cut short: turns out Alabama can play, and they’ll come into Knoxville in a little over 40 hours as the league leader at 6-1. If the Vols want to entertain an SEC Championship, it’s a game they have to win. But what that also means is that the once-inconsistent Vols did exactly what good teams are supposed to do against lesser competition: 22 point win over LSU, 17 point win at Ole Miss, 13 point win tonight…and this really wasn’t that close.” (Rocky Top Talk)
Pre-Game Analysis
- Virginia Tech at Boston College: Previewing what is a big game for the Hokies if they expect to make the NCAA Tournament, which apparently won’t be televised, but will be on RTC Live. (Tech Hoops)
News/Analysis
- Texas Longhorns Basketball: The Quest For 16-0: “After successfully navigating the daunting gauntlet of games versus A&M, at OSU, at Kansas, vs Missouri, and at A&M, the University of Texas men’s basketball team now has a reasonable chance to do something special: run the conference table to finish a perfect 16-0 in Big 12 play. It’s only been done one time in league history, in 2001-02, by the Kansas Jayhawks squad anchored by Drew Gooden, Kirk Heinrich, and Nick Collison. That Jayhawks squad wound up losing the in the Big 12 Tournament finals to Oklahoma, but they earned a No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region of the 2002 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Final Four before falling to the title-winning Maryland Terrapins. Fast forward nine years and many are wondering whether Texas, now at 7-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country, has a shot to become the second Big 12 team to get to 16-0. What are the odds that they pull it off? And who presents the toughest challenges along the way?” (Burnt Orange Nation)
- At ACC’s Halfway Point, Terps Sitting Squarely on the Bubble: “In case you hadn’t realized, Maryland’s halfway through their ACC season, which is a perfect time to sit back and analyze both where they are now and where they’re headed in the postseason. Unfortunately, the fact that Maryland just lost by 18 to Duke means now might not have the perfect circumstances, because it lends itself to hyperbolic doomsday statements, but we go with we have. And what we have right now is the definition of “bubble”, a 4-4 ACC team with a few strengths and just as many weaknesses. Unfortunately, their resume reflects that.” (Testudo Times)
- Mizzou Versus the Road: Analyzing the Tigers ability to win on the road over the years. (Rock M Nation)
- Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: Unfamiliar Territory: “Judging from the comments on this blog and at Kentucky fan sites around the Internet, the Wildcats come back from Oxford a team that can no longer be loved. According to disappointed fans, they just aren’t good enough, they aren’t deep enough, they lack heart, or strength, or toughness, or any number of other attributes apparently indispensable to good basketball. There is talk of lowering expectations, talk about looking forward to next year’s #1 recruiting class.” (A Sea of Blue)
- Overview of ACC Basketball: Analyzing the ACC through some of the first few games of conference play. (State Fans Nation)
- Fighting Illini Basketball: Tempo, Talent and Offense: “Between this season and last season, Illini fans have been pulling their hair out. The Illini missed the NCAA tournament last year, after several massive letdowns against bad opponents. This year seems to be heading down a startlingly similar road. Losses to RPI basement dwellers and a difficult schedule ahead have made a one time lock in the Dance now in doubt. The question is, how has this team gotten itself into this bind, both this year and last year, and how were the Illini so successful (at least comparatively) in 2009? How did the 2009 team roll into the Dance with a 5 seed, and seriously challenge a Final Four MSU team for the Big Ten title, while this year’s team is .500 in conference?” (Hail to the Orange)