Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Monday, Jan 16th

NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS:

-When it comes to people who try and guess the Selection Committee, Jon Teitel is one of the best people on the planet at it!!  For his latest Bracket Projections, which were posted yesterday morning – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-We will be recording this week’s Hoops HD Report tonight.  I will also be posting my own personal bracket projection later today, so be on the lookout for both of those.

-UConn has gone from being ranked 2nd in the nation to now losing four of their last five.  None of those losses looked all that bad individually, but yesterday’s 85-74 loss at home to Saint John’s, who had at best looked like an NIT team, was rather alarming.  UConn travels to Seton Hall next in a game they need to win in order to pull themselves out of the tailspin they’re in.

-Xavier and Marquette gave us another Big East thriller that came down to the final seconds before Xavier held on 80-76 to remain unbeaten in Big East play.  They are looking more and more like a solid protected seed.

-Northwestern fell at Michigan 85-78 .  Michigan can play at a high level at times.  They can also play at a level that makes you think they wouldn’t finish in the top half of the MAC.

-Rutgers held serve a home against Ohio State and Iowa picked up a solid win against Maryland.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Purdue is looking like they can end up with a #1 seed, but they will be tested on the road against a Michigan State team that has been playing really well, but that did have a 7 game win streak snapped in their last game at Illinois.  This would give the Spartans a huge boost if they’re able to win it even though they’re at home.

-WILLIAM & MARY AT CHARLESTON (Colonial).  This should be an easy win for CofC, but Bill & Mary did shock UNC Wilmington on the road in their last game.

-ILLINOIS AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Illinois has now won three straight and this should be another winnable road game for them.

-SYRACUSE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Miami is coming off a tough loss to a really good NC State team on the road that would have been a really big win had they been able to pull it off, but the loss wasn’t that much of a setback.  They should be able to hold serve at home in this one, but Syracuse has won 10 of their last 12 and is quietly starting to play a lot better.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (Conference USA).  FAU’s dream season continues, but this one may be slightly more challenging than it appears.  Western Kentucky is a very talented team that has fallen way short of expectations, but in a situation where they get way up for a game and come together they can play really well.  Getting to play a team at home that’s on the brink of cracking the top 25 may cause them to pull together.