UCF Stumbles Against Southern Miss

Southern Miss 86, #22 Central Florida 69
Central Florida got off to a strong start in this game but struggled in the second half. Marcus Jordan only shot 2-for-8 in the second half, and the UCF defense allowed 50 points. Southern Miss is a good team, and they were at home in this game, but this was still a surprisingly large thumping by them against UCF. And now the questions begin for Central Florida, which started the season 14-0 with wins over Florida, USF and the University of Miami. They've now lost consecutive games on the road to Houston and Southern Miss to fall to 14-2. They should take care of East Carolina and Rice at home next week, but then they head on the road for a huge game at Memphis. Conference USA is the strongest it's been since the Big East raided them almost six years ago, but that doesn't guarantee multiple Tournament bids. UCF is best positioned for an at-large bid in the conference, but they can't afford too many more losses. Southern Miss, meanwhile, moves to 14-3 with wins over California and USF to go with this win, and no particularly bad losses (Ole Miss, Marshall and Colorado State). They are tied for the C-USA lead with a 3-1 record, and if they can beat Memphis at home on Wednesday night they might actually start getting some at-large buzz.

Iowa State 72, Baylor 57
This was the best Iowa State has played all season. They shot a tremendous 14-for-25 behind the arc, and did a pretty good job of neutralizing Baylor's size and athleticism in the paint, holding them to a 32% offensive rebounding percentage (they were averaging 39% coming in). They also only committed 11 fouls the entire game, taking away a big advantage for Baylor (a FTA/FGA ratio of 0.45 for the season). This performance came at a great time, because Iowa State couldn't afford another loss. They entered this game 0-2 in the Big 12 and have road games at Oklahoma State and Missouri up next. Despite their soft resume they are actually rated in the Top 40 by both the Sagarin PREDICTOR and Pomeroy, so they should be taken seriously as a dangerous team the rest of the season. As for Baylor, you have to wonder if they were thinking ahead to their Monday night home game against Kansas. They're a good team, but they haven't beaten a good team all season. They're actually 0-4 against the RPI Top 100 right now, and their RPI is a remarkably putrid 99th. But that said, I do expect them to eventually pick up some good wins and to get to the Tournament. They certainly aren't looking like a Big 12 contender, although would anybody really be that shocked if they knock off Kansas on Monday? The Jayhawks have had a lot of close wins lately, and they're overdue for a loss.

Miami (Fl) 72, Boston College 71
Boston College may have lost more than just this game as their star (Reggie Jackson) rolled his ankle on the last play of the game and reportedly had to leave the arena on crutches. It may not be too serious of an injury, and he might not miss any time at all, but it's something to keep an eye on. Boston College is a feisty team because they don't make mistakes and don't beat themselves, but Reggie Jackson is the only player who can carry them on his back to Tournament-quality victories. This loss also cost BC a chance to move to 4-0 in the ACC. Their schedule has been soft, so they needed to take advantage. They next play Virginia on Wednesday, but then go on the road for Florida State and Duke. They can't afford to finish worse than 9-7 in the ACC if they're going to go Dancing. Miami entered this game 0-2 in ACC play, and already with a loss to Rutgers and only one quality win (West Virginia). They have an RPI of 28th, but they're not as good as that. This win should push their Sagarin ELO_CHESS up close to 50th, although their PREDICTOR and Pomeroy ratings will likely stay around 55th or so. They're going to have to beat a team like Duke or North Carolina or Maryland to get a quality victory to build their important computer numbers. Nobody really cares about the RPI anymore. Their next game is Wednesday night against Florida State.