NCAAB

• Kent State 81, Eastern Michigan 54
  • Kent State is much better than Eastern Michigan, so this result was no surprise. Regarding this game, I wanted to discuss Emoni Bates. Bates shot 5-17 in this contest for the Eagles, and in totality, has been a bit better this season than he was as a freshman at Memphis. The forward is an outlier in terms of size, lining up at 6’10”, but just 170 pounds. The upside with Bates probably isn’t enormous anymore, but I’d still value him as a late first-round selection in the upcoming NBA Draft.
• Penn 66, Yale 64
  • The advanced metrics love Yale, and I can’t figure out why. The Bulldogs, following this loss, are now tied with Penn in the Ivy League standings, and still have to face Princeton and Cornell in two of their final three games.
• Canisius 81, Rider 78
  • Rider had won eight in a row coming into yesterday, so this slip up was unexpected, especially considering the Broncos shot 55.6 percent from the floor in this tilt. Rider holds an impressive head-to-head win over Iona in New Rochelle, but this is still the Gaels’ league.
• Dayton 65, Loyola Chicago 49
  • The Flyers have suffered some odd defeats in Atlantic 10 play, so it was encouraging to see the team handle a porous Loyola Chicago squad so easily. Dayton has significantly more talent than anybody else in the conference, so it would be a major disappointment if the team lost in Brooklyn next month. DaRon Holmes, who went for 20 points and 10 rebounds last night, has no peer in the league, due to his size and skill.
• Cleveland State 85, Wright State 68
  • Cleveland State is rolling at the right time. With three straight victories over Robert Morris, Youngstown State, and now Wright State, the Vikings have skyrocketed to second in the Horizon League standings. Tristan Enaruna has three seasons of Big 12 experience, and it shows for the Vikings’ best player.
• Detroit Mercy 96, Oakland 74
  • Will he or won’t he? After scoring 30 points yesterday, Antoine Davis is now just 155 points shy of tying the NCAA all-time scoring record. With a minimum of four games remaining, Detroit Mercy’s electric guard certainly has a shot, but he’ll probably need five games, which he’ll get as long as the Titans aren’t upset in the First Round of the Horizon League Tournament.
• New Mexico 96, San Jose State 68
  • New Mexico being an underdog was a bit surprising for this game. Even though he struggled to the tune of 3-10 from the field, having Jaelen House back was a nice boost for the Lobos. House, Morris Udeze, and Jamal Mashburn Jr. form an excellent threesome for the Mountain West contender. If the Lobos win their next two games (at Boise State and versus San Diego State), they should be safe from the bubble.