South Florida (19-8) (NET: 52)
2-2 (Q1), 4-3 (Q2), 7-3 (Q3), 6-0 (Q4)
Based on recent results, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Bryan Hodgson getting South Florida back on track right away in his first season as head coach. The Bulls are right there in the American race and have had some standout moments already this season, with a trip to the NCAA Tournament definitely a distinct possibility.
Back in early December, this team picked up a 13-point win over a really talented Utah State squad and that win has aged marvelously. The other Quad 1 win was at Tulsa early in league play. They’ve actually swept the Golden Hurricane, with the home win being Quad 2, while picking up the other Quad 2 wins on the road against solid teams in this league.
The Bulls sit atop the American standings and hope to win their way into the Big Dance. However, their three conference losses have been their Quad 3 defeats, notably losing by just a single point against Wichita State and Temple back in January. There aren’t any resume anchors outside of those efforts but they absolutely could’ve won those games.
From here on out it’s all about South Florida keeping their head up. Two of their last three regular season games are Quad 4 and clearly must-wins. The other is a rematch at Memphis, a team they beat by 21 just a week ago. If the Bulls win out and fall in the American Tournament, there’s certainly a chance they sneak in, though Hodgson would much rather they take care of their business.
Stanford (17-11) (NET: 75)
4-5 (Q1), 2-3 (Q2), 5-3 (Q3), 6-0 (Q4)
It’s a work in progress for Kyle Smith since joining Stanford and helping this program adjust to life in the ACC. The Cardinal didn’t do too poorly last year but now find themselves in a tougher ACC and still needing to get some work to done to find themselves in the Big Dance.
Stanford has those four Quad 1 wins that is rare for teams in this position with a NET in the 70’s. Their November win over Saint Louis has aged incredibly, while also grabbing close wins over Louisville, Virginia Tech (on the road), and North Carolina in the first half of January.
Unfortunately, everything that’s happened since then has been problematic for a team that was 14-4 after knocking off the Tar Heels on January 14th. Stanford was boatraced by Duke and has dropped seven of their last nine but at least didn’t add to their Quad 3 losses during this stretch. Those tough showings all came before New Year’s and they really wish they hadn’t played poorly, especially against Notre Dame.
Stanford has lost their last seven games against Quad 1 or 2 teams and has to reverse that trend to stay alive for a Tourney bid. They get a pair of Quad 1 chances left on their schedule, hosting SMU before heading to NC State to finish off the season and really need to make an impression, especially with how their metrics currently stand.