Happy New Year 2015 to everyone out there from all of us here at HoopsHD!!
To start the New Year off, we get a chance to take a quick peek at one of our favorite non-Division I teams out there, Crowley’s Ridge College from Paragould, Arkansas. This tiny school with a student body of just over 300 traditionally plays one or two games against D1 opponents each season. Today, at 2:00 PM Eastern, they head to Martin, Tennessee to take on the Skyhawks of UT-Martin (free streaming at ovcsports.com).
UT-Martin enters today’s game at 7-5 overall. Like many small and mid-major schools, a majority of the Skyhawks’ games to date have been played on the road. While they have not beaten any top competition yet, 5 of their 7 wins have come away from home. Deville Smith and Twymond Howard are the two key players to keep an eye on for this team, both today and as they head into Ohio Valley Conference play starting next week.
While most teams that are not in Division I (or for that matter not even a member of the NCAA or NAIA) would be expected to be at a significant disadvantage against D1 competition, Crowley’s Ridge once again this season boasts a pair of huge players inside. 7 foot tall Skylor Guess and 6-11 Richard Forshee are a pair of monsters down low, though not much threat offensively. For that, keep an eye on Quinn Cooper and Roy Marshall. The Pioneers are looking to get their first ever win against a D1 opponent today, after coming up short the past couple of seasons as well as in a game earlier this year at New Orleans.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-BYU AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast). BYU is a good team, but they need to win the majority of their road games in league play if they want to end up inside the bubble.
-NORTHERN IOWA AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley). Both these teams are really good. Northern Iowa is in the rankings, and is looking like a first ballot team. Evansville has a good record, but no hugely notable wins yet. Today’s conference opener is one of their biggest games of the year so far as they have a chance to beat a ranked team at home.