While the college basketball world was focused on a top ten battle in West Lafayette, Indiana, between Purdue and Michigan, there was still some great basketball being played in the Big 12 on Tuesday night.
When the best conference in the country has games, you stop what you are doing and watch. And this late in February, there are plenty of games that mean a lot, even if they aren’t top 25 battles.
A perfect example of that took place in Orlando when UCF hosted TCU. If you want to talk about two teams that were headed in different directions, then look no further. Coming into Tuesday, the Knights were .500 in Big 12 play and lost three straight. Once a lock to get into the tournament, they were starting to get closer and closer to the bubble.
Meanwhile, TCU was dead in the water a couple of weeks ago. Nobody gave them a chance, but after stacking up wins against Kansas State, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State, the Horned Frogs were all of a sudden considered a bubble team.
Joe Lunardi had UCF listed as a ten seed before the game, which is not something to feel safe about. But after their 82-71 win over TCU, the Knights are still flirting with a double-digit seed.
The good news is that UCF will have another chance at an easy win when they head west to Salt Lake City to face Utah. They should be a heavy favorite in that game, but they have had some road issues.
As for TCU, their margin for error is shrinking with each loss. While it was great to win three straight, they are now back under .500 in Big 12 play and will likely be pushed out of the field of 68.
Now they face another team in a similar position to them this weekend when they host West Virginia. There aren’t many bubble spots left for the Big 12, and it seems to be a three-horse race between UCF, TCU, and West Virginia.
We still have a few games left, and everything is still up in the air. Every game matters for these three teams, and one loss or win could change everything. Buckle up because Tuesday was just an appetizer for what is ahead.
