NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-For our latest Bracket Projections – CLICK HERE
-We will be recording our Hoops HD Report Podcast tonight. Be on the lookout for it
-We are entering one of the busiest and meaningful weeks of the college basketball season. With so many exempt tournaments, there are more chances for teams to pick up notable wins away from home this week than virtually any other week of the regular season. That is especially important to good teams that are in weaker conferences and won’t have the shots at notable wins later on.
-We really liked Old Dominion coming into this season and knew this was a big week for them in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. So far, they’ve completely blown by losing rather handily to Purdue and again to Saint Joseph’s. Their margin for error is now razor thin.
-Valparaiso played well at Oregon, but not well enough to win. The loss doesn’t hurt them in the sense that it’s not a bad loss at all, but it was the kind of win that could have made the difference between them landing inside the bubble or missing the field entirely if they don’t win the conference tournament. In other words, a win in a game like this would have really widened their margin for error.
-Miami FL is not only the surprise team of the year, they have more wins against good teams in convincing fashion than any other team in the nation so far.
-For these exempt tournaments, it’s important to remember that the losers brackets, or third place games, are no less important than if the two teams were meeting on any neutral floor for any reason. As far as the committee is concerned, there are no fifth, third, or first place games. Just games.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT GRAND CANYON. The Team of the People looks to stay unbeaten!! #LopesWaiver
SAINT JOHN’S VS VANDERBILT (Maui Invitational). Both teams come in unbeaten, although Vandy clearly looks like the stronger team. I didn’t think Saint John’s would win four games all season after seeing them in their exhibition games, but they’re off to a 3-0 start.
-DUQUESNE VS PEPPERDINE (Gulf Coast Showcase). I don’t expect this to last, but Duquesne can improve to 4-0 with a win.
-BELMONT VS SOUTH ALABAMA (FanDuel Legends Classic). Belmont had some chances to pick up some big wins, but came up short. They did win at Marquette, but it’s hard to say how much that will help them. They need to avoid a bad loss today because it could kill them.
-OHIO VS FLORIDA STATE (Paradise Jam). Both teams are off to a reasonable start and can pick up another notable win today. A win like this could really help out a team like Ohio.
-WAKE FOREST VS INDIANA (Maui Invitational). We feel Wake may be a dark horse this year, but they’ve really got their work cut out for them today.
-NJIT AT PROVIDENCE. NJIT has just one loss and although they are likely overmatched, they’re better than most opponents teams play in buy games. Still, Providence is unbeaten and will likely stay that way.
-INDIANA STATE VS HOFSTRA (Paradise Jam). Both teams have shown that they could have pretty good seasons, so this may end up being a notable win in the eyes of the committee for whoever pulls it off.
-LSU VS MARQUETTE (Legends Classic). LSU is off to a good start. Marquette, not so much. Still, a win in a game like this could really turn things around.
-MISSOURI VS KANSAS STATE (Hall of Fame Classic). Both of these teams appear to be horrible. I only mention this game because it should be MISSOURI VS KANSAS!!!
-MERCER AT DAVIDSON. Both teams are unbeaten. Davidson could be a tournament team, but they haven’t been tested yet, and likely won’t be tonight either despite the fact that Mercer hasn’t lost.
-CHATTANOOGA AT IOWA STATE. This is a buy game, but Chattanooga already has two big road wins. If they pull this one off, they probably deserve to be ranked in the Top 25.
-WEBER STATE VS CENTRAL MICHIGAN (Gulf Coast Showcase). Central Michigan has a weak schedule and simply cannot lose games like this.
-UT ARLINGTON AT MEMPHIS. This is a buy game, but UT Arlington just knocked off Ohio State, so we’ll highlight it.
-KANSAS VS CHIMANADE (nondiv1) (Maui Invitational). Kansas has no big wins yet, but could certainly pick up a few in this tournament.
-NC STATE VS ARIZONA STATE (Legends Classic). Both these teams have a lot of work to do, and winning this game would be a great start.
-TULSA VS SOUTH CAROLINA (Paradise Jam). Both these teams are unbeaten and out of the gate quickly and can add another early notable win to their profile.
-NORTHWESTERN VS NORTH CAROLINA (Hall of Fame Classic). UNC is trying to rebound from their loss at Northern Iowa. Northwestern is unbeaten, but they haven’t had a test like this year.
-UNLV VS UCLA (Maui Invitaitonal). Both teams have work to do and this tournament is a great opportunity for them.
BUY GAMES
-Bethune Cookman @ West Virginia
-Eastern Michigan @ Michigan State
-Savannah State @ Baylor
-Chicago State @ Illinois
-Northern Kentucky @ Xavier
-Concordia (nondiv1) @ Boise State
-Sam Houston State @ California