NEWS AND NOTES
-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-For Jon Teitel’s coverage of the 2k Classic – CLICK HERE
-The shocker from yesterday was Indiana losing at Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne wasn’t one of those really good Under the Radar teams like Chattanooga, or Valpo, or Arkansas State, or someone like that. At least they didn’t appear to be. They were blown to bits out at Illinois State, and weren’t able to beat an Arkansas team that certainly isn’t as good as Indiana appears to be. But, they pulled off a huge upset in an overtime thriller yesterday, which is the first really big upset of the season! As for the Hoosiers, in the grand scheme of things it will barely qualify as even being a setback. They’re playing a tough schedule and already have a neutral floor win against Kansas. Had they not beaten Kansas and won this game, I don’t think their profile would look as good as it does now with the Kansas win and the Fort Wayne loss. They will need some true road wins, but they’ll have other chances. For Fort Wayne, it’s hard to say how much this win will end up meaning in regards to making either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT. It’s a fantastic feelgood moment in time, but in order to make it count as far as making the postseason is concerned, they need a very strong showing the rest of the way. As far as the game itself, it sure was fun to watch!
-Texas continues to struggle. We think Colorado is a good team and there certainly isn’t a high level of shame in losing to them, but Texas was totally outplayed. Then again, we’ve seen this before. Not so much from Texas, but from Shaka Smart. November just isn’t his month. Even the great teams he had at VCU struggled in November, so don’t be surprised if the Horns really pick it up here in another week or two.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES
-WICHITA STATE VS LSU (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both teams are unbeaten, but both have only played buy games up to this point. This tournament is the first real test for both teams.
-VCU VS BAYLOR (Battle 4 Atlantis). Baylor has a big win over Oregon already and could really pick up some big wins and begin to build their profile if they do well in this tournament.
-OREGON VS UCONN (Maui Invitational – 5th Place). Both teams were high in the rankings when the season started. Both could still end up having big seasons, but UConn had to sweat out Chaminade in their last game, and hasn’t really looked good at any point. Oregon struggled against a Tennessee team that many of us were expecting them to beat handily. Both teams kind of need this just to get their seasons on the right track.
-MICHIGAN AT SOUTH CAROLINA. Both teams come in unbeaten, and Michigan has played some good teams and looked really good against them. This is their first true road game, so picking up a win will further improve their profile. South Carolina also needs to cash in on an opportunity like this game, especially with upcoming games like Syracuse, Seton Hall and Memphis coming away from home in the next few weeks.
UTAH STATE VS TEXAS TECH (Cancun Challenge – 3rd Place). Both are coming off their first losses of the season and looking to pick up some momentum by adding some notable neutral floor wins to their profile.
-MICHIGAN STATE VS SAINT JOHN’S (Battle 4 Atlantis). Michigan State has played a killer schedule, but up until now they haven’t done anything except win home buy games. None of their losses are going to hurt them, but eventually they need to win some games away form home and win some games that aren’t buy games. This tournament is yet another opportunity for them to get their season on the right track.
-UMBC AT NAVY. No big wins yet, but after being one of the worst D-1 teams for the last several years, UMBC has a chance to start off 5-0.
-GEORGETOWN VS OKLAHOMA STATE (Maui Invitational – 3rd Place). Both teams are coming off losses to highly ranked opponents, but Georgetown already has a big win in this tournament and to pick up another notable neutral floor win will definitely have their season back on the right track. Oklahoma State had a lot of questionmarks coming into this season as well, and to pick up a second notable win will be a great start for them.
-HOUSTON VS VERMONT (Gulf Coast Showcase – Championship). It’s early, and perhaps these two won’t be on the radar all season long, but it is one of the better teams in the America East taking on an unbeaten Houston team that’s really starting to get their program turned around.
-MISSOURI STATE AT DEPAUL. Missouri State is off to a 3-0 start and is looking to add a road win to their profile against what is currently (emphasis on “current”) a respectable 2-1 DePaul team.
-PURDUE VS AUBURN (Cancun Challenge – Championship). This is one of the more important games of the day as far as shaping the early part of the season. Auburn is unbeaten, and if they can knock off Purdue tonight they become something they haven’t been for a very long time. Nationally relevant. Purdue is high in the rankings, but already has a home loss to Villanova and doesn’t have any huge wins of note yet. Losing this doesn’t hurt them in the long run, or won’t be a season breaker, but it will be an early setback.
-LOUISVILLE VS OLD DOMINION (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both teams come in unbeaten. Louisville is highly ranked but has only played home buy games. This tournament is a chance for them to put some notable wins on their profile.
-WISCONSIN VS NORTH CAROLINA (Maui Invitational – Championship). This is a great early season game between two highly ranked teams. Wisconsin has already been tested, but this is the Tar Heels’ biggest test up to this point. Both teams look like they can end up as protected seeds, so this is a huge opportunity for both teams to put a neutral floor win against a protected seed on their profile. (Historical footnote – the last two times North Carolina won the Maui Invitational, they would go on to win the national title. – John S.)
-VALPARAISO VS BYU (Men Who Speak Up Main Event at the MGM Grand – Championship). Both teams are good, but both have limited shots at statement wins, which actually makes this a very important game for both teams.
-OAKLAND VS NEVADA (Great Alaska Shootout). Oakland comes into this unbeaten and has a chance to take on Nevada on a neutral floor. We feel Nevada is one of the better teams in the Mountain West, so it’s a good early season neutral floor game for both teams.
BUY GAMES
-Cleveland State @ Kentucky
-UMES @ Colorado State
-The Citadel @ Arizona State
-Jackson State @ Ohio State
-North Texas @ Rutgers
-William & Mary @ Duke
-Samford @ Cincinnati
-Charleston @ Villanova
-Coastal Carolina @ Wake Forest