This could get very, very fun.
We mentioned UCLA yesterday. We said they were falling into our orbit. They’re here. They’re in the midst of it. It took them three overtimes to beat Pepperdine yesterday.
Now, Pepperdine’s not bad. They’ve got experience. They’ve got continuity. They’ve got Colbey Ross.
Still, we were told UCLA was going to be good this year. And good teams shouldn’t have that much trouble with Pepperdine, nor should they get wrecked by San Diego State, which implies, in total, that UCLA is not a good team.
We love it.
To be fair, Pepperdine’s also in the NIT picture, and we shouldn’t neglect our potentially-beloved Waves. But the story here is that UCLA is in our world, and we are thrilled to have them here.
Other notes for today:
- Western Kentucky nearly made a big splash yesterday, and Saint Mary’s told us they’re not dead yet. VCU and Memphis gave us a potential NIT second-round preview. Utah State bounced back, putting UNI in a tough squeeze. We’re sorry to see you go, Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic. But what a joy its been.
- San Francisco! Big day for the Dons, who now find themselves such a popular NIT sleeper pick that they’re no longer a sleeper. 33% on two-point attempts. And they won. Against Virginia.
- Today, we’ve got a big top-bubble showdown between LSU and SLU, plus a bottom-bubble showdown between Tulsa and TCU, and finally a trying-to-get-in-the-picture game between URI and USF.
- Elsewhere, NIT at-large bid contenders in action include Arkansas (against North Texas), South Carolina (against Liberty), and not really Notre Dame because they’re going to struggle to win enough games to look palatable but kind of Notre Dame because Mike Brey’s a charmer (against Michigan State).
