Cincinnati hasn’t found the Fertitta Center any more welcoming than any other Big 12 visitors. The Bearcats are used to coming to Houston, as the teams used to be American Athletic Conference rivals, but that only means that the Cougars have won nine of 10 from Cincinnati and six straight in Houston. Cincinnati hasn’t won in the Space City since 2017, the final year before Houston built the Fertitta Center.
The Boilers know they’ll be a top seed again. But they need the intimidation factor, and they need to make a statement to make that happen. Showing the Ohio State game was a fluke would make a strong statement that Purdue intends to be a force in March.
St. John’s hasn’t beaten any of the Big East’s best. And that’s why this is their last chance. The Red Storm’s final three games before the Big East tournament are Butler, DePaul and Georgetown. Beating the Bulldogs won’t move the needle, and the Blue Demons and Hoyas are pure land mines.
The AP Top 25 saw its top two seeds lose this week. Purdue dropped to third overall after their loss to Ohio State, and UConn will face their wrath come Monday when the new rankings are out.
Houston will be playing their first game at Foster Pavilion, which has proved advantageous for Baylor this season. Both teams have crushed opponents at home this season; home-court advantage could be pivotal for this Big 12 matchup.
Unlike a lot of teams, Washington State has held its own on the road. Since dropping their first two league games, the Cougars are 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in Pac-12 play away from Pullman. The one loss wasn’t great considering it came at California, but it was in overtime. The Cougars have also depended on their defense as of late, holding four straight opponents to 65 points or less.Â
Florida Atlantic went 4-1 in those games, which more than offset its pratfalls against Florida Gulf Coast and Bryant. And that has the Owls on the right side of the bubble and the Mustangs needing to run the table to have a chance. SMU at least has an opportunity to get a Quad 1 win here (and potentially another one at South Florida on Sunday), but most people aren’t thinking about them as a bubble squad.Â
The basketball version of the Egg Bowl held a little more juice before Ole Miss dropped three of its past four games. The Rebels are still holding hope of sneaking into the NCAA tournament, but they’re running out of chances.Â
But the Hoosiers have won seven of the past eight meetings with Nebraska. And that’s why Indiana is still giving points; the books don’t buy that the balance of power has completely swung. And that makes this a true opportunity for Nebraska: tournament teams don’t lose this type of game.