NEWS AND NOTES
–For our latest and admittedly way too early Bracket Projections – CLICK HERE
–For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, and it’s a good one – CLICK HERE
-So, the always shortened and often over abundance of uninteresting games that is Week 1 is now in the books. We did see some very meaningful results, though, particularly the two games out in Hawai’i where Arizona took down Michigan State in a thriller, and Indiana beat Kansas in overtime. I haven’t been as high on Indiana as many others have, but that game has made a believer out of me. It will also end up being one of the biggest wins on their profile if Kansas goes on to be as good as we think they will. Wins against protected seeds are rarities. Wins against protected seeds away from home are even more rare. Props to the Hoosiers for picking up a huge win right out of the gate.
-Chattanooga is a team we have our eyes on, and believe to be good enough to land inside the bubble if they happen to slip up in their conference tournament. They were blown out at North Carolina on Sunday, but that won’t hurt them too much. They did pick up a notable road win at Tennessee, which is one they kind of needed, so they’re still in good shape.
-Saint Mary’s was at home, but they still looked VERY good in a decisive win against what we think is a very good Nevada team.
-Wagner got off to a fantastic start with a road win at UConn. Chances are it was a fluke, but as of now it’s one of the more impressive wins that anyone has managed this season. Sometimes when you don’t sit at home and eat cupcakes the first week you get rewarded. Sometimes when you do sit at home and eat cupcakes you choke on them.
-An Under the Radar note, both American and Lehigh put up great fights against ranked teams on opening night. Unfortunately neither team managed to win, but American was right in there with Maryland, and Lehigh had a chance to beat Xavier.
-Yale picked up a big road win on Sunday at Washington. At least, it appears to be big at the moment. Some of us at Hoops HD like Washington more than others, so we’ll see if it ends up helping the Bulldogs. Remember, the Ivy now has a conference tournament, so there is now added importance for teams to land inside the bubble, and a win like this will go a long way.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-NEW HAMPSHIRE AT TEMPLE. UNH!! Your team!! Our team!! THE PEOPLE’S TEAM!! They try to improve to 2-0 with what truly would be a statement road win against a Temple team that, while rebuilding, would still be a win of note for an America East team that’s trying to play their way onto the radar.
-VILLANOVA AT PURDUE. This game is part of the Gavitt Tip-Off, and it’s one of the reasons we love the Gavitt Tip-Off! This would be a great resume builder for the winner as it looks like both could end up as protected seeds.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT GONZAGA. This game will take us into the overnight games of the Tip-Off Marathon. It’s also a hugely important game, especially since both are NCAA Tournament hopefuls, and neither have an over abundance of chances at quality wins in conference play. That’s especially true for San Diego State. We will be highlighting all the rest of the games in tomorrow’s post.
-UMASS AT OLE MISS. I wouldn’t be surprised if neither team is in the picture come March, but as of now both are 1-0.
-NORTHEASTERN AT UCONN. This is a buy game, but UConn lost the first one, and they don’t want to drop a second one to a Northeastern team that’s coming off a win.
-BUFFALO AT XAVIER. Both teams come in 1-0, and Xavier barely escaped their opener against Lehigh. If they overlook this Buffalo team they could end up getting beat.
-UNC WILMINGTON AT EASTERN KENTUCKY. I like this UNCW team, and think they’ve got what it takes to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. If that’s true, then this is the kind of road game they need to be expected to win.
-OLD DOMINION AT RICHMOND. This is an old Colonial rivalry between two teams that are no longer in the Colonial. Both come in 1-0.
-VERMONT AT PROVIDENCE. The preseason favorite from the America East travels to a rebuilding Providence team.
-UT ARLINGTON AT MINNESOTA. UT Arlington is our favorite to win the Sun Belt. Don’t be surprised if they take down Minney, and don’t call it an upset if it happens. Both teams 1-0.
-DETROIT AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE. Neither is likely to be in the picture, but for now both are 1-0. When will Detroit finally beat a team higher than Division III?
-SAM HOUSTON AT OHIO. We like both these teams, and feel Ohio could land on the bubble. This is a great UTR game as both come in 1-0.
-GEORGIA STATE AT AUBURN. Georgia State is rebuilding, and Auburn is still rebuilding. Both teams come in 1-0 and could really use some early momentum.
-WAGNER AT UMASS LOWELL. Can Wagner build off of their huge season opening win at UConn?
-COLOMBIA AT SAINT JOSEPH’S. We’re not expecting much out of either team, but both come in 1-0.
-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT OAKLAND. Both teams 1-0. Should be a fun in-state game.
-FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL AT STETSON. Both teams 1-0
-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT TROY. Both teams 1-0
-NJIT AT UTAH STATE. Both teams 1-0
-CHARLOTTE AT ELON. Both teams 1-0
-WYOMING AT MONTANA. I really do like this game. It isn’t likely that either team will be a conference frontrunner, but it’s a chance for them to build some early momentum, especially if Wyoming picks up the road win and improves to 2-0.
BUY GAMES
-Bimghamton @ Saint John’s. Both teams 1-0
-UNC Asheville @ Georgia
-Gardner Webb @ Pittsburgh
-William & Mary @ Louisville. Both teams 1-0
-Mississippi Valley State @ West Virginia
-North Carolina A&T @ East Carolina. Both teams 1-0
-Albany @ Cincinnati. Both teams 1-0. Based on buy game standards this one may be pretty good
-Marist @ Rhode Island
-Southern Illinois @ Arkansas
-American @ Texas A&M. American gave Maryland a scare in their opener
-Louisiana Monroe @ Texas.
-Central Arkansas @ Oklahoma State
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Iowa State
-UTRGV @ Memphis
-Furman @ UAB
-Coppin State @ Valparaiso
-Howard @ Marquette
-Eastern Washington @ Northwestern. Both teams 1-0
-NC Central @ Ohio State
-Seattle @ Colorado. Both teams 1-0
-Jacksonville @ Air Force. Both teams 1-0
-Houston Baptist @ New Mexico