HIGHLIGHTED MATCH-UPS
-AKRON AT DAYTON. Akron is off to a 9-2 start, but their schedule has been very weak. This is by far their toughest assignment of the year so far, and its a game where they need to win if they want to put themselves in the discussion for an at-large bid. Dayton is currently 11-1 with some pretty impressive wins, and is into the projections as a #2 seed. This should be another opponent that will help their RPI because Akron is good and will win a lot of games. Its just that the Zips arent going to get any serious at-large consideration unless they can win a game like this.
-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley). Drake is 10-1, but is going to be tested more in conference play than they were out of conference. Southern Illinois has been somewhat of a disappointment and will pretty much need to dominate the MVC if they want to make the dance.
-GEORGE MASON AT GEORGIA STATE (Colonial). George Mason is off to an 8-3 start and can stay unbeaten in conference play with a win in this one. Georgia State has just three wins this season and it isnt too likely that theyll pick up their fourth.
-CREIGHTON AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley). Creighton is 8-2, but they lost their conference opener. Given how weak their OOC schedule was they really need to do well in the conference standings if they want to secure a bid. They really need to win this game to avoid starting off 0-2.
-INDIANA AT IOWA (Big Ten). Indianas schedule has been weak their last few games, but the difficulty level is picking up considerably. Iowa isnt a great team, but theyre better than the teams Indiana has been playing and it will be tough for the Hoosiers to win on the road.
-VCU AT JAMES MADISON (Colonial). This is a big conference game for two teams that are off to 8-3 starts, but still have a lot of work to do if they want to impress the selection committee. Both of these teams appear to be contenders and both will have a shot at an at-large bid if they can dominate the league, but both also have small margins of error, which makes this a huge game.
-HOUSTON AT MASSACHUSETTS. Houston has a great record, but theyve played a terrible schedule. UMass has some big wins and appears to be improving as the season continues. This is the kind of road win that could really improve Houstons credentials. From an RPI standpoint, a win in this game would also give Houston a big boost since UMass has such a good record. Its a game where a win for either team would really look good on their resume, which is something that both teams need to build up.
-WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Wisconsin just picked up a huge win against Texas on the road. Michigan has really struggled, but its never easy to win in this league on the road, so Wisconsin will need to play well if they want to open league play with a win.
-KENT STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA. Kent State is off to a very good 10-2 start, but North Carolina has looked incredible. Theyve played some pretty good teams at home in Valparaiso and UC Santa Barbara, and managed to blow both out. Kent State could be next on the chopping block. A loss wont hurt Kent State and they can still get an at-large, but an upset win would do wonders for them.
-RUTGERS AT SOUTH FLORIDA (Big East). South Florida has won nine of their last ten, and should be able to win their conference opener tonight. With Big East play starting theyll have the opportunities to improve their resume. Theyve been playing very well, but its hard to say for sure how good they really are right now.
-SAINT JOHNS AT SYRACUSE (Big East). Syracuse is off to a 10-3 start, but things will get more complicated with conference play getting underway. They should be able to take care of business at home against Saint Johns, though.
-NEW MEXICO AT UTEP. Both teams have just two losses, but neither have any really impressive wins yet, which is what makes this game so important. The winner will get a nice RPI boost, and have one of their better wins of the season to put on their resume up to this point.
BUY GAMES
-TEXAS A&M CORPUS CHRISTI AT AUBURN. Auburn can get to 9-3 with a win, but still hasnt been tested yet.
-SAN JOSE STATE AT BOISE STATE. Boise State is off to a respectable 8-3 start and looks like theyre one of the better teams in the WAC.
-LONGWOOD AT BOSTON COLLEGE. BC shouldnt have any trouble getting to 10-2 on the year.
-HIGH POINT AT FLORIDA. The Gators can get to 13-2 with a win, but they havent done any heavy lifting yet and will need to prove themselves in the SEC.
-PENN AT MIAMI, FL. A win for the Hurricanes will get them to 12-1.
-ALABAMA A&M AT MISSISSIPPI. This is a huge mismatch and Ole Miss shouldnt have any trouble remaining undefeated.
-LAFAYETTE AT PITTSBURGH. Pitt is injured, but they should be able to win this game even though theyre a little short handed.
-FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON AT RHODE ISLAND. Rhode Island should be able to get to 13-1 on the year without too much trouble.
-TCU AT TEXAS. TCU is a modest 7-4, but they dont stand too much of a chance on the road against Texas.
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