NEWS AND NOTES
-Chad’s UTR Game of the Day is a game that’s so bad that it’s so good. CLICK HERE to read about it
Thursday was a busy night, but it was mostly a chalky night. UCLA, Gonzaga, Arizona, Saint Mary’s, and USC all won at home against unranked teams. Purdue had a scare at Ohio State, but the Buckeyes missed a last second shot and Purdue got a pretty nice road win for their profile. UNC Wilmington and Middle Tennessee also picked up conference road wins. Nebraska had to sweat out Iowa at home, but their winning streak continues and they remain unbeaten in Big Ten play. Minnesota probably picked up the biggest win of the night with their road win at Northwestern.
-Monmouth finally picked up a conference win and looked the way an NCAA Tournament team should look by handling a pretty good Iona team, but it’s probably too little too late. At this point they’ll probably need the automatic bid. Dayton also picked up a nice home win against Rhode Island in a game that had a pivotal feel for both teams. Both needed big wins and both have limited opportunities the rest of the way. Last, and probably least, Valparaiso probably ended their hopes for an at-large and will now need the auto bid to get them to the dance. They lost at home to an Oakland team that’s actually pretty good and was particularly impressive last night, but it’s still the kind of home game that a top forty/at-large caliber team needs to avoid losing.
WINTER STORM HELENA SCHEDULE UPDATES
The following games have been postponed as a result of Winter Storm Helena (list will be updated as new information comes along):
– NC State at North Carolina – rescheduled for January 8, 1:00 PM
– Maryland-Eastern Shore at North Carolina Central – rescheduled for January 11, 8:30 PM
– Wofford at Samford – rescheduled for January 8, 4:00 PM
– Savannah State at Norfolk State – rescheduled for January 11, 8:00 PM
– South Carolina State at Hampton – rescheduled for January 25, 7:30 PM
– Alcorn State at Jackson State – rescheduled for January 11, 9:00 PM
– Drexel at William & Mary – no new date set yet
– South Carolina State at Norfolk State (Monday night) – rescheduled for February 15, 8:00 PM
– Gonzaga at Portland (severe storms in Portland) – no new date set yet
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (all times Eastern)
-For the best TV and Streaming guide on the internet, check out Matt Sarzyniak’s site – HERE
-PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE (ACC) – ACC Network/WatchESPN (12:00 PM). Pitt could use some more road wins on their resume, and while Syracuse is coming off a big win against Miami, they’re still in a tailspin and need to string together several wins in order to get it turned around.
-BUTLER AT GEORGETOWN (Big East) – FOX/FOX Sports Go (12:00 PM). Butler is coming off a huge feelgood win against Villanova, but has struggled in true road games. Road wins of any kind would help improve their profile.
-DEPAUL AT SETON HALL (Big East) – CBS Sports Network (12:00 PM). Seton Hall is off to a great start and I think they’re better than what they’re getting credit for. They shouldn’t have too much trouble at home with DePaul today.
-MISSOURI AT GEORGIA (SEC) – SEC Network/WatchESPN (1:00 PM). Georgia has a lot of work to do to play their way into the picture. Beating Missouri won’t help so much as losing to them will hurt.
-MICHIGAN STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten, game at the Palestra) – ESPN/WatchESPN (1:00 PM). Michigan State has been playing much better and can add to their win streak by picking up what would technically be a conference road win, but is practically a neutral site. Penn State reportedly was willing to play at the Palestra because of their Philadelphia ties, and Tom Izzo wanted to coach here as part of his “Bucket List”.
-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve) – ESPNU/WatchESPN (1:00 PM). TCU has an impressive record against an unimpressive schedule. The Hoops HD staff selected them when building our bracket, but I’m personally not sold. Now, if they win this game, then I’ll be sold. I really like West Virginia and don’t expect them to have too much trouble rebounding from their recent loss at Texas Tech.
-VMI AT THE CITADEL (SoCon) – ESPN3/WatchESPN (1:00 PM). This is an Under the Radar game with no NCAA Tournament implications, or postseason implications of any kind, but it is a VERY intense rivalry and always fun to watch. Be sure to tune in and check it out.
-UMASS AT VCU (Atlantic Ten) – NBC Sports Network (1:00 PM). The A10 is down this year and won’t provide teams like VCU with that many opportunities at statement wins, so it’s important that they hold serve in games like this.
-TEXAS A&M AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC) – CBS (1:30 PM). Both teams have work to do. South Carolina is inside the bubble but can’t exactly skate the rest of the way, and TAMU needs to put together some notable wins (such as this one) to play their way to safety.
-BOSTON COLLEGE AT DUKE (ACC) – ACC RSN/WatchESPN (2:00 PM). BC is better than we thought, but they’re still nowhere close to being good enough to win this game. If they do it would be a huge surprise. It should end up resembling a buy game. This will also be Jeff Capel’s first game this year as Duke’s interim head coach.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC) – ACC Network/WatchESPN (2:00 PM). Both teams are having fantastic years, and Florida State is looking like a protected seed. VA Tech is coming off a blowout loss, but overall they’ve played well this season. It would be another good win for either team on what are already two rather impressive profiles.
-LOUISVILLE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC) – ACC Network/WatchESPN (2:00 PM). Louisville has no conference wins and just one true road win, so even though this appears to be a meaningless game a win does help their profile in two key areas.
-ILLINOIS STATE AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley) – ValleyTV/WatchESPN (2:00 PM). It’s a long shot for Illinois State, but if they can blow through the conference and finish atop the standings along with Wichita State they could end up inside the bubble.
-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East) – CBS Sports Network (2:00 PM). Providence is better than expected, and although they’ve struggled lately they are still unbeaten at home. Creighton has a great profile, but considering how good Providence has been at home this would turn out to be one of their better wins up to this point.
-AIR FORCE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West, Front Range) – Root Sports (2:00 PM). Both teams will need the automatic bid to get in minus something very unforeseen, but we highlight this because love the Front Range!!
-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East) – FS1/Fox Sports GO (2:30 PM). Xavier is probably good enough to play their way up to a protected seed, so they shouldn’t have too much trouble taking care of the Johnnies, who are most likely a sub-NIT team. However, the Johnnies gave Xavier fits in both meetings last year, so an upset wouldn’t completely be far-fetched here.
-CLEMSON AT NOTRE DAME (ACC) – ESPNU/WatchESPN (3:00 PM). Clemson has a decent profile, but a win like this would really boost its quality. Notre Dame is a very good team with only two losses (both to good teams) and who is unbeaten at home. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Irish end up as a protected seed if they keep it up.
-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve) – ESPNews/WatchESPN (3:00 PM). K State is coming off a frustrating loss to rival Kansas that would have boosted their resume through the roof. This is a winable conference home game that should help take away some of the sting.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA) 3:00 PM. Middle Tennessee is good enough to run the table in this league, and if they do they should land inside the bubble. They’re coming off a hard fought road win against a pretty good Rice team.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT CHICAGO STATE (WAC) 3:05 PM. We highlight this because New Mexico State is 14-2 and is good enough to run the table the rest of the way. Even if they do that it still may not be enough to land them inside the bubble without the automatic bid, but it should at least get them some strong consideration.
-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten) – ESPN2/WatchESPN (3:15 PM). Maryland has a solid profile, but could still stand to add some meat to it to go along with the cupcake that’s on there. Michigan is in a bit of a tailspin and should ave a bigger sense of urgency coming in.
-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT LSU (SEC) – SEC Network/WatchESPN (3:30 PM). Both teams would need to finish at or near the top of the standings just to get considered, so both have a lot of work to do.
-ILLINOIS AT INDIANA (Big Ten) – ESPNU/WatchESPN (5:00 PM). We have Illinois squarely on the bubble and they need some big wins to help shore up their profile. Indiana has lost two straight, they’re still looking for their first conference wins, and the natives are getting restless. They need this win as much for their mental health as they do for their profile.
-UTAH AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve) – Pac12 Network (5:00 PM). Utah has a lot of work to do to get inside the bubble, but it isn’t completely out of the question. This is a winnable conference road game for the Utes.
-SOUTH FLORIDA AT SMU (American) – ESPNews/WatchESPN (5:00 PM). This is one of the many games that SMU needs to win in order to hold serve. It’s a home game against a rather weak team.
-TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA (SEC) – ESPN2/WatchESPN (5:15 PM). This is a home game for Florida against a team that isn’t likely to make the tournament. Therefore it is a game they need to win in order to hold serve.
-UT ARLINGTON AT TEXAS STATE (Sun Belt) – Time Warner/Spectrum Sports Texas (5:30 PM). UT Arlington is looking for their seventh true road win. I really like this team and think that if they run the table or come close to it they will make the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the conference tournament.
-OLE MISS AT AUBURN (SEC) – SEC Network/WatchESPN (6:00 PM). Both of these teams have a ton of work to do, and need to show up to every game with a sense of urgency.
-OREGON AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve) – Pac12 Network (7:00 PM). Oregon is playing much better, but they still only have one true road win on their profile. Losing at Wazzu and still only having one road win would be a rather noticeable wart on their profile, at least for the time being.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve) – ESPNews/WatchESPN (7:00 PM). I like this Oklahoma State profile, but they need a little more meat on their profile. Picking up this win is probably a long shot, but if they were to somehow do it their profile would certainly have that “Wow” element that it’s now missing. Baylor, on the other hand, will likely move up to #1 in the rankings if they pull off a win in this one. Not bad for a team that began the season unranked.
-UNC WILMINGTON AT DELAWARE (Colonial Athletic) 7:00 PM. I think UNCW is good enough to land inside the bubble, but they have to blow through this conference in order to do it.
-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS (Big Twelve) – ESPN2/WatchESPN (7:15 PM). Texas Tech is coming off a huge win against West Virginia, but they still haven’t played on the road much. A win in this game would really send their resume into orbit. Winning at Kansas is a much taller order than winning against anyone at home. They don’t lose at home that often. In fact their last home loss was January 5th, 2014. They haven’t lost at home since.
-MARQUETTE AT VILLANOVA (Big East) – FS1/Fox Sports GO (7:30 PM). Marquette looks like a bubble team. Villanova, despite coming off a loss, looks like they could still be the overall #1 team. One is trying to hold serve and the other is trying to get a season defining win.
-NC STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC) – ESPN/WatchESPN (8:00 PM). This is a big rivalry game. NC State has a good record, but doesn’t really have a good win yet. They don’t appear to be as good, but if they somehow win this they’ll have the attention of everyone.
-ARKANSAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC) – SEC Network/WatchESPN (8:30 PM). I’m personally not sold on Arkansas yet, but the rest of the Hoops HD staff seems to like them. I don’t think any of us are expecting them to win today, but if they do somehow pull it out my opinion of them will certainly flip. Kentucky could run the table in the SEC, and if they do they’ll likely end up on the #1 line.
-PACIFIC AT BYU (West Coast) – BYU TV (9:00 PM). BYU has an outside shot at best at landing in the field, but they do have a chance. They certainly can’t afford to lose a game like this.
-CINCINNATI AT HOUSTON (American) – ESPNU/WatchESPN (9:00 PM). Houston has a good record, but their profile is way more cupcake than meat. This is a big game for them at home because if they want any chance at all to make the tournament they need to take advantage of the few chances they have at statement wins. For Cincinnati, who appears to be safely inside the bubble, this would not be a bad road win for their profile either.
-TEXAS AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve) – ESPN2/WatchESPN (9:15 PM). Texas really can’t seem to get it together. Iowa State has struggled, but they appear to be turning things around. They should be able to hold serve and win this one at home.
-COLORAD AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve) – Pac12 Network (9:30 PM). Colorado was a team that we liked coming into the year, but we don’t like them so much anymore. Arizona has had their issues with injuries, but has still managed to play their way to a 14-2 record and should be able to pick up this conference win at home.
-GONZAGA AT PORTLAND (West Coast) – Root Sports NW/ESPN3/WatchESPN (10:00 PM). I wouldn’t be surprised if Gonzaga runs the table and finishes the season undefeated. Portland has been decent at home, but they haven’t played anyone like this.
-SAINT MARY’S AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast) – CSN Bay Area (11:00 PM). Saint Mary’s has a chance at ending up as a protected seed. USF isn’t likely to make the tournament, but they are one of the better teams in this league and aren’t the easiest team to beat at home.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West) – ESPNU/WatchESPN (11:00 PM). Boise State is one of the two teams that has even an outside chance of playing their way inside the bubble, and they’ll pretty much need to run the table in order to do it….
-NEVADA AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West) – ESPN2/WatchESPN (11:15 PM). Nevada is the other team. New Mexico is unbeaten at home, so this would be a nice win for the Nevada profile if they’re able to pick it up.