Andy Katz
College basketball analyst and writer
Road wins are brutally tough in the conference, regardless of league or level. And each should be savored.
That’s why it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Oklahoma State mightn’t hold a double-digit lead at Kansas or that UConn suffered their first loss at Xavier. When Kansas and Xavier are playing well – and it’s always at home for KU and more often than not for the Musketeers at home – it will be rare for them to lose.
So far, a handful of road wins might end up being the best of the season. As we look to 2023 and into the heart of the conference season, those road wins might also stand out in March as a reason to separate teams in decisions for draft picks and seedings.
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Here are the top 11 so far, in consultation with KPI (Kevin Pauga’s metrics site), although I’ve rearranged the order a bit:
1. Alabama 71, Houston 65, December 10: It remains Houston’s only loss this season – at home, on the road or neutral. The Cougars will be in position to be a No. 1 seed. It’s the win that might ultimately push Alabama to a top-two seed in March. Houston is the American’s favorite. Alabama is an SEC favorite.
2.Houston 69, Virginia 61, December 17: The Cougars followed up the home loss to Alabama with a road win a week later at Virginia — the Cavaliers’ first loss of the season. Virginia has only one other defeat, in Miami, which occurred a few days later. The Cougars held Virginia to 61 points and proved they were arguably one of the most resilient teams.
3. Indiana 81, Xavier 79, November 18 : The Hoosiers were full for that road win at Cintas, and it’s clearly Indiana’s best win this season. The Hoosiers have since lost to Arizona in Las Vegas and Kansas as well as Rutgers. But this victory will be the one that stands out in March. Xavier is coming off UConn at home and the Musketeers’ other two losses have been in Portland once morest Duke and Gonzaga. Chances are Xavier won’t lose at home once more. Indiana may not get as good a road win in the Big Ten unless it can knock out Purdue, Michigan State or Illinois.
4. Penn State 74, Illinois 59, December 10: The Nittany Lions pointed out that they are in the thick of the NCAA Tournament bid race with this real road win in the Big Ten. The win came following Penn State was coming off a double OT loss to Clemson and at home to Michigan State. Illinois has been inconsistent but not so much at home. It was the Illini’s only loss in Champaign so far.
5. Kansas 95, Missouri 67, December 10: Nobody thought it would be one of the most important real road wins of the pre-season. But here we are with the Tigers a one-loss team following beating Illinois in St. Louis and toasting Kentucky at home. Kansas was already a preseason Final Four and Big 12 favorite. But that real non-conference road win will last all season.
6. Wake Forest 78, Wisconsin 75, November 29 : The Demon Deacons are going to hang around in the NCAA Tournament bubble all season in large part because of this win and a home Duke W. Wisconsin hasn’t lost at home to anyone else so far. Wake Forest has yet to come close in its other real road games. They will get a lot of benefit from this one.
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7. Alabama 78, Mississippi State 67, December 28: The Tide proved it might win anywhere, but it was a big result for an SEC contender. The Bulldogs have just two losses and that was the first in Starkville. SEC teams will struggle to get Ws in Mississippi State this season.
8. state of michigan 67, Penn State 58, December 7: The Spartans played one of the toughest schedules in the country — Gonzaga at San Diego, Kentucky at Indianapolis, Alabama at Portland — but one of the best wins was this one in a real road situation at State College. Road wins will be key in the quest to win the Big Ten.
9. San Diego State 76, UNLV 67, December 31: The Aztecs desperately needed this one. They had lost two games in Maui and one game on neutral ground to Saint Mary’s, but getting a strong start in Mountain West once morest another road contender will go a long way to helping San Diego State in the league and drafts/ seeding.
dix. New Mexico 69, Sainte Marie 65, November 30 : The Lobos are one of the two remaining undefeated teams. That road win early in the season was a real indicator of how good the Lobos are this season. The Gaels are going to win a multitude of games and might only lose one game at home (Gonzaga). Saint Mary’s lost at home to Colorado State, which was a little upsetting. Still, the true road win for the Lobos will carry a lot of weight.
11. Marquette 68, Villanova 66, December 31: The Wildcats are a possible bubble team. They have work. But holding court at Villanova will likely be their best selling point. Marquette brought them to Philadelphia last weekend to continue building their resumes. Expect this victory to grow in importance.
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Andy Katz is a longtime college basketball writer, analyst, and broadcaster. He can be seen on the Big Ten Network, as well as March Madness and NCAA.com, and he hosts the “March Madness 365” podcast. Katz worked at ESPN for nearly two decades and, before that, at newspapers for nine years.
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