NEWS AND NOTES:
-In the feature game of the night between the two top ranked teams, Gonzaga opened up a big early lead, and held that lead for the entire game. It felt like there was perhaps a five minute span at the beginning where Gonzaga was not up by 20, and that was it.
-Wisconsin had an amazing first half against Houston in the Maui Invitational, and led by 20 at the break. Houston had an amazing comeback in the second half, but could not come all the way back. Wisky held on for a 65-63 win, and it’s a big one for the Badgers.
-Cincinnati was not a team we were all that excited about at all coming into the season. But, that was before they blew out Illinois on Monday, and nearly beat Arkansas on Tuesday. The lead seesawed back and forth and was probably the most exciting game of the evening. Arkansas held on to win 73-67, and they definitely showed that they are worthy of their ranking, but Cincinnati showed on back to back nights that they can play with (and even beat) top 25 teams.
-Saint Mary’s is perhaps another surprise team this year. They remain unbeaten, and have knocked off Notre Dame and Oregon in the last two days to add two really good wins to their resume.
-Buffalo is a team we were big on, and the Cancun Challenge was a chance for them to pick up a few decent (at least) wins away from home. They couldn’t get it done against Stephen F Austin yesterday, and that loss is a setback. SFA, to be fair, looked pretty good! They are a team that we’re starting to watch for our Under the Radar show.
-George Mason has now lost three straight after their big win at Maryland, and in yesterday’s loss to a pretty bad Nevada team, they did not mess around! 88-69 was the final. The good that beating Maryland did for Mason’s resume has now been pretty much cancelled out by the three losses since then.
-Virginia put Providence to sleep and won 58-40. This was a Providence team that had looked good coming into this one and a Virginia team that had…well…not. I’d say UVA is back in step now.
-Washington knocked off a pretty good South Dakota State team 87-76 yesterday in the Crossover Classic. Now, if you don’t follow Under the Radar, that may not impress you, but South Dakota State is good, and Washington was a team we had virtually no expectations for. They’re off to a much better start than expected and are worth paying attention to.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-LOYOLA CHICAGO VS MICHIGAN STATE (Battle 4 Atlantis). Loyola Chicago is a team that we feel can land inside the bubble, but in order to do that they need multiple wins, and this event, and today’s game in particular, is a chance for them to do that. This is a hugely important opportunity for them.
-HOUSTON VS OREGON (Maui Invitational). Oregon has dropped two games now to West Coast Conference teams, and were beaten handily in both of them. Still, they’re in good shape and should have a good year. Houston fell behind big to Wisconsin, and although they battled back they couldn’t battle all the way back. This is a good game between two quality opponents on a neutral floor and would be a resume boost for whoever pulls it off.
-UCONN VS AUBURN (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both teams are ranked, both have looked good this season, and both can pick up some big resume building wins today and throughout the rest of the event.
-DENVER AT AIR FORCE (Front Range). WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THE FRONT RANGE!!! Air Force can actually get to 5-1 with a win.
-VCU VS SYRACUSE (Battle 4 Atlantis). It’s a big early season game between two teams that have potential, but that have also had setbacks early in the year. VCU with injuries, and Syracuse with a loss to Colgate
-WISCONSIN VS SAINT MARY’S (Maui Invitational). This is perhaps the match-up many were expecting to see today, but just not on the side of the bracket we are seeing it on! Both teams had big wins yesterday with Wisconsin jumping out ahead of Houston and holding on to win, and Saint Mary’s knocking off Oregon for their second big win in a row.
-SETON HALL VS CALIFONRIA (Fort Meyers Tip-Off). Seton Hall is coming off a close loss to Ohio State, but they’re still positioned to have a big season and shouldn’t have too much trouble with a Cal team that will likely struggle this year.
-XAVIER VS IOWA STATE (NIT Preseason Tip-Off). Xavier has looked good this season, and this event is a chance for them to pick up some notable wins away from home. We weren’t expecting much out of Iowa State at all, but they are 4-0. They also haven’t been tested like they will be tonight, though.
-WASHINGTON VS NEVADA (Crossover Classic). We had no expectations whatsoever for Washington this season, but they actually haven’t looked all that bad. They’re 4-2 with wins against George Mason and South Dakota State in the last two days, both of whom are good teams.
-BAYLOR VS ARIZONA STATE (Battle 4 Atlantis). Arizona State isn’t expected to do much this season and is likely way overmatched in this game…and perhaps this entire event.
-OHIO STATE VS FLORIDA (Fort Meyers Tip-Off). Ohio State has just one loss at Xavier, and I guess that knocked them out of the rankings. They won’t be unranked for long, though, as their resume is already starting to look impressive and they can add to it again tonight. Florida already has a nice win of their own against Florida State, so both of these teams have already past some big early tests.
-STEPHEN F AUSTIN VS SAINT LOUIS (Cancun Challenge). SFA knocked off a pretty good Buffalo team last night, and while we were quick to write off Saint Louis due to their injuries they are coming into this one at 5-1, so this is perhaps a sneaky good game.
-MEMPHIS VS VIRGINIA TECH (NIT Preseason Tip-Off). Both teams are good, both are unbeaten, and both have the chance to add a nice early quality win to their resume tonight.
-GEORGE MASON VS SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (Crossover Classic). George Mason hasn’t done much of anything since they won at Maryland. This event was a chance for them to really build on that. This was also something South Dakota State needed to do well in if they wanted to make a case they belonged inside the bubble, but they’ve had some setbacks as well. This game is a chance for the winning team to leave here with at least a little bit more quality on their resume.
-TEXAS A&M VS NOTRE DAME (Maui Invitational). Notre Dame has played well in this event, but all they’ve got to show for it now is a D2 win over Chaminade, which does nothing for them. This is the chance for them to leave with at least one decent win on their resume, and it’s a chance for Texas A&M to leave with one more.
-SANTA CLARA VS FRESNO STATE (SoCal Challenge). It’s a late tip, but it’s worth staying up for! Both teams are unbeaten, both have looked kinda good, and both are trying to build their resumes
BUY GAMES AND OTHER GAMES WORTH MENTIONING:
-Vermont vs Appalachian State (Gulf Coast Showcase) – two pretty decent UTR teams
-Washington College (nonD1) @ Navy
-James Madison vs Murray State (Naples Invitational) – both teams have just one loss, and JMU needs to land inside the bubble to make the NCAAs
-Middle Tennessee vs Mercer (Cancun Challenge) – a win for Middle Tennessee gets them to a nice 5-1 start
-Western Illinois @ Eastern Michigan – WIU has been one of the surprise UTR teams this year, and can get to 5-1 with a win
-Nicholls vs Utah Valley ( SoCal Challenge) – Nicholls has a notable win already, Utah Valley can get to 5-1
-Toledo vs Coastal Carolina (Nassau Championship) – Toledo can get to 5-1
-George Washington vs Missouri State (Naples Invitational) – I still think Missouri State can end up having a big year, but they’ve struggled early
-Buffalo vs Illinois State (Cancun Challenge) – Buffalo is another UTR team that we think can have a monster year, but that’s also off to a bit of a sluggish start
-Tarleton @ Michigan
-UMass Lowell @ UMass – UMass Lowell can get to 5-1 with their third road win
-Boston U vs Florida State (Jacksonville Classic)
-Princeton at Monmouth – Princeton has looked good early on, and Monmouth has just one loss, so this is at least worth keeping an eye on
-Oakland vs Delaware (Gulf Coast Showcase) – Oakland is actually putting together a decent resume with a win over Oklahoma State and the only two losses coming to West Virginia and Alabama
-New Mexico Highlands (nonD1) @ New Mexico State
-East Tennessee State vs Kent State (Naples Invitational
-Houston Baptist @ Oklahoma
-Sam Houston @ SMU
-CA Baptist @ Texas – CA Baptist is unbeaten
-Texas Southern @ BYU
-Butler vs Chaminade (Maui Invitational)
-Vanderbilt at Pittsburgh – Vandy can get to 4-1 and pick up their first road win
-Jacksonville @ Minnesota
-Pepperdine vs TCU (SoCal Challenge)