THE 1-3-1 MIDWEEK REVIEW

1 Thought From the Games Earlier this Week

Michigan State is the class of the Big Ten this year. In the past 2 weeks, the Spartans have knocked off Michigan and Wisconsin in the Breslin Center, and most impressively, went down to Columbus and manhandled the Buckeyes. This Michigan State team is capable of earning a 1-seed by tournament time; another final four run would only add to Tom Izzo’s fabled legacy.

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3 Games to Watch this Weekend

i. St. Mary’s @ Murray State (Saturday @ 6 pm EST)
I’ve been looking forward to Bracketbusters since they announced the match-ups; this particular match-up stands out from the rest. I’d be lying if I said I’m not at least a little bit disappointed that Murray State isn’t coming into this game undefeated. Nonetheless, this game allows both teams to get another signature win on their resume before the committee laboriously struggles trying to figure out the appropriate seed for both teams. It will be interesting to see how St. Mary’s handles playing without leading-scorer Matthew Dellavedova if he isn’t able to go on Saturday.

ii. Ohio State @ Michigan (Saturday @ 9 pm EST)
Michigan hasn’t won a regular season Big Ten title in over 25 years; this game offers them an opportunity to truly compete for one this year. This rivalry has been dominated by the Buckeyes recently, but this is the best team Michigan has fielded in quite some time. Ohio State is trying to play there way back into a 1-seed and Michigan is trying to play their way up to a 3-seed; both teams have a lot to gain from this game.

iii. UNLV @ New Mexico (Saturday @ 1pm EST)
Fresh off their win at San Diego State, New Mexico looks to complete an improbable sweep of the other two power teams in the Mountain West. UNLV ran roughshod over New Mexico earlier this season when the two teams played in Vegas. However, playing in The Pit is a different story, and this is a different New Mexico team. A win here and New Mexico will have the inside track to winning the regular season Mountain West title.

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1 Bold Prediction for the Weekend

Arkansas earns their way back into the thick of the at-large bubble discussion with a victory over Florida in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks are 0-8 playing outside of Bud Walton Arena. Lucky for them, this game is in Fayetteville, where they are 17-1 this season. Florida may have ended their mini-slump with a win in Tuscaloosa earlier this week, but I still see an overrated team when I watch them play.