NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Charlotte and Liberty – CLICK HERE
-The featured game of the day between New Mexico and Saint Mary’s wasn’t exactly a nail-biter. I don’t want to say it was a blowout, but at no point did it feel like the Gaels were not in control, and they went on to get the 72-58 win and show that they are deserving of their ranking, and that if anything it should perhaps be a little higher.
-The BEST game of the night once again involved James Madison. They followed up their road win at Michigan State with another tough road game against Kent State, and if you don’t think Kent State is tough to beat when they’re at home, just look at their home records over the years. This game was insane. Both teams took turns blowing 5pt leads in the final 30 seconds of regulation, and then in overtime. JMU actually trailed by 5pts with less than FIVE SECONDS TO PLAY, but hit a three, forced a turnover, and then tied the game to force the first OT. JMU ended up with a 113-108 win, and for them to start the season with two tough road games and win both of them, they have the two most impressive wins out of any team in the country right now. The committee has noticed them. BELIEVE me! They watch even more games than we do, and this is a team that is absolutely on their radar already. Hopefully they’re on the voters’ radars as well, and we see them in next week’s top 25. They’ve certainly earned it. In fact they’ve done more to earn in than anyone else out there.
-If you follow Under the Radar basketball, and if you read this site that means you probably do, there were some CRAZY games last night!
-The game and team that surprised me the most was Portland State’s win at UC Santa Barbara. The Gouchos were the preseason favorites to win the Big West, and have been virtually unbeatable at home for…oh…the last decade (or so it seems). Prior to yesterday, had you told me that Portland State was going to finish in the top half of the Big Sky, I would have said that was a huge accomplishment. They went into UCSB, and REALLY looked good and got a surprising (at least to me) 82-76 win. No offense to the Vikings, but I just wasn’t expecting it. They’re now 2-0, with both wins on the road (the other being Air Force) in environments that are really kind of tough to go into and win. Major shout out to them! Their next game is agains a nonD1, and then they go on the road again to CA Baptist.
-Pepperdine’s road losing streak is now approaching 30ish, but it looked like they were going to snap it last night. They lead by double digits for most of the game at UC Davis, but Davis came all the way back and hit a shot at the buzzer after a crazy sequence in the last few seconds to escape with the 79-78 win and improve to 2-0.
-Elon appeared to be steamrolling East Tennessee State and was in complete command on their home court, but ETSU came back, made a game of it, and had a chance to win in the final couple of minutes. But Elon picked up the 79-76 win, which is their first of the season. The Phoenix weren’t a team we were all that excited about, but they looked pretty good in their opener against Wake Forest for about 30 minutes or so, and then for about 30 minutes looked really good last night. If they can figure out how to play the last ten minutes, they’ll be in good shape!
-Georgia Tech needed to come from behind on their own home floor to beat Howard, but held on to win 88-85. I know Georgia Tech is not a UTR team, but they might as well be.
-Utah Valley at Sam Houston was another great game that went into overtime. We like both these teams. They both had great seasons last year, but both also had to replace some key pieces on their roster. Utah Valley got the overtime win on the road, which was big for them.
-Stephen F Austin and Middle Tennessee, who was one of our dark horses out of Conference USA this year, was another exciting overtime game. Middle Tennessee held on to win it 67-62, but despite the loss I was still impressed with how well SFA played on the road against a pretty good team.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CHARLESTON VS DUQUESNE (Veterans Classic, Annapolis MD). Both of these teams had to really sweat out their openers, especially Duquesne who barely beat Cleveland State, but both got it done. These are two teams we both have pretty high expectations for, so it will be fun watching them go at it on a neutral floor today. Even though it’s just the first week of the season, this would likely be a solid and important win for whoever pulls it off.
-PENN AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Big 5 Classic). Our expectations coming into the season really weren’t that high for either team, but Joe’s did manage to win their opener, and this will actually be the third game for a Penn team that comes in 2-0.
-ARIZONA AT DUKE. This is the first really big showcase game of the season. Arizona is ranked 12th and Duke is ranked 2nd. Both look to be good enough to end up as protected seeds, and early season wins like this are what put teams on a path to end up as a 1 seed, especially for Arizona. If they can somehow manage to knock off Duke in a true road game it will likely turn out to be one of the better singular wins that any team manages all season long.
-UCF AT MIAMI FL. This isn’t a buy game, but it could end up looking like one. The Canes will be heavily favored, but both teams are coming in 1-0 and it’s at least a chance for UCF to really make a splash on the national stage if they can pull off the upset on the road.
-TEXAS A&M AT OHIO STATE. We really like this TAMU team and think they’ll end up being one of the better teams in the SEC, but any road game like this is a big test. We aren’t quite as sure about Ohio State yet, but we should learn something about them tonight. Both teams easily won their openers in buy games and this is the first real test for each of them.
-PRINCETON AT HOFSTRA. This is a pretty solid UTR match-up. Princeton had a really nice win in their opener against a Rutgers team that we are expecting to be pretty good, and while Hofstra is tasked with replacing their best player from a year ago, they easily won against a nonD1 opponent and we still think they have quite a bit of potential this season. If Princeton can get the win on their floor it’s another early season win that they should get a lot of credit for.
-MARYLAND VS DAVIDSON (Asheville Championship). We all seem to like this Maryland team a lot more than Davidson coming into the year, but both teams are 1-0 and it’s a chance for Davidson to pick up a very notable neutral floor win and make a statement early.
-ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT NC STATE. This is a buy game, but we’re highlighting it because Abilene Christian’s season opening win at Oklahoma State was a big one, and they can REALLY make some noise if they can pull off another road upset. NC State didn’t exactly roll over The Citadel in their opener either. They held on to win 72-59, but it wasn’t a cakewalk. ACU looks to be A LOT better than The Citadel, so they best not overlook them.
-MARSHALL AT RADFORD. Marshall won their opener against Queens without too much trouble, but they’ll probably be tested tonight against a Radford team who hung with North Carolina for much of the game earlier this week. Beating them on the road is hardly an automatic/easy win.
-WAKE FOREST AT GEORGIA. We aren’t all that big on this Georgia team, but they did hang with Oregon for at least a little while in their opener, and while we really do like this Wake Forest team, we still think they’ll be tested in this one simply because it’s a true road game. It’s a winnable road game for Wake, but it’s not necessarily an easy road game.
-BELMONT AT FURMAN. This is a UTR game between two teams who won their openers, but that we’re still learning a lot about about both of them. That’s what makes this worth watching.
-FLORIDA VS VIRGINIA (Hall of Fame Series, Charlotte NC). This is the first real test for both of these teams. Virginia is seemingly always good, but this is probably our first chance to really learn something about them. We think Florida will be a bit of a dark horse this year, and I guess this is a chance for us to learn something about them as well. On paper, it’s an opportunity for a notable neutral floor win.
-SOUTHERN MISS AT AKRON (MAC – SBC Challenge). This is an OUTSTANDING game! James Madison has made the most noise out of the Sun Belt, and deservedly so with their two overtime road wins at both Michigan State and Kent State. Southern Miss was actually my preseason pick to win the Sun Belt, and Akron was my pick to win the MAC. While winning at South Dakota State isn’t quite as impressive as winning at Michigan State, it was still an outstanding road win against a really good team for Akron in their opener. I like both these teams! A LOT! It wouldn’t shock me if both were in the NCAA Tournament, so a win for either of them would look great on their resume, and I am really looking forward to this one tonight!
-DAYTON AT NORTHWESTERN. Dayton is the most cursed program in all of college basketball. It’s almost beyond belief. Northwestern isn’t getting a whole lot of preseason love, but they’re still a team that I think will be really good this year, and this was a matchup I’d been looking for since I had seen it was scheduled. Dayton losing such a key player to injury just prior to the start of the season takes something away from it because it seems to lower the Flyers’ potential this year, but it’s still an excellent early season game for both teams and a chance to start building up their resumes.
-TENNESSEE AT WISCONSIN. I REALLY like this Tennessee team this year, and once again think they are Final Four good. I don’t think Wisconsin is as good in a vacuum, but this game is not being played in a vacuum. It’s being played at the Koal Center, which is one of the hardest places in the country to win. This is a showcase game between two likely NCAA Tournament teams, and one very highly ranked team in Tennessee! Good stuff!!
-YALE AT GONZAGA. So, I’ve heard a bunch of people already trying to identify “This Year’s Florida Atlantic.” Personally, I think Florida Atlantic will be this year’s Florida Atlantic, but I get what they’re saying. What Under the Radar team will become nationally relevant?? Well, I think Yale has a chance of being that team. Coming into the season I liked them more than James Madison, but that was before JMU went off and won at Michigan State. To state the obvious, this is NOT an easy game to win. It’s on the other side of the country in one of the toughest arenas in the country and against one of the better teams in the country, but it is an extremely huge opportunity for the Bulldogs (of Yale) to make a sudden splash on the national scene.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT BYU (Mountain West). The old MWC rivals reunite!!! San Diego State is the national runner up, and they are understandably high in the rankings. The thing is, BYU is really good too! I don’t think the voters have noticed them yet, but they likely will after tonight. This is going to be a jacked up atmosphere and as good as I think San Diego State is, they’re playing agains BYU, and the crowd, and the Marriott Center which historically has been very friendly to the Cougars. If the Aztecs do pull this off it will likely end up being one of their better wins of the entire season. And, to be fair, they are no stranger to hostile environments.
-MEMPHIS AT MISSOURI. A really good game between two teams that aren’t in the rankings, but two that could easily play their way into them, especially Memphis. This would be a really nice early season road win for the Tigers (of Memphis) if they can pull this off.
-CLEMSON VS UAB (Asheville Championship). UAB dropped their opener against Bradley, which was a bit of a surprise, but..well..it’s early. Doing well in this event is a great way for them to bounce back. Clemson is a team that I think can make quite a bit of noise in the ACC this year, and this event is a great opportunity for them to collect some notable wins away from home and start to build their resume. So, there is something at stake for both these teams.
-VIRGINIA TECH VS SOUTH CAROLINA (Hall of Fame Series, Charlotte NC). I’m really not all that excited about either team, but both won their openers and I guess we’ll see what they can do against each other tonight.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES AND BUY GAMES
-Charlotte vs Liberty (Charlotte) – both teams 1-0, and we really like this Liberty team (also the UTR Game of the Day)
-Kennesaw State @ Florida State – season opener for a Florida State team that’s looking to bounce back from a year ago. Kennesaw won their opener and is in a rebuild year after being so good last year
-Le Moyne @ Villanova
-Youngstown State @ Michigan – Michigan can get to 2-0
-Jacksonville @ Xavier – both teams 1-0
-Morehead State @ Purdue – Purdue can get to 2-0
-TAMU Commerce @ Kentucky – Kentucky can get to 2-0
-Boston U @ Rutgers – Rutgers looking to bounce back from the opening loss against Princeton
-Chattanooga @ Louisville – both teams 1-0
-Boston College @ The Citadel – a rare type of road game for BC, but a win can get them to 2-0 and put a road win on their resume
-Troy @ Oregon State – Oregon State can get to 2-0
-Austin Peay @ George Mason – both teams 1-0
-Detroit Mercy @ Cincinnati – Cincinnati can get to 2-0
-Samford @ VCU – both teams lost their openers, but we still think Samford is a team to watch this year
-Monmouth @ West Virginia – WVU 1-0
-Binghamton @ Pittsburgh – Pitt 1-0
-Lehigh @ Penn State – Penn State 1-0
-UTSA @ Minnesota – both teams 1-0
-Manhattan @ Kansas – both teams 1-0
-Gardner Webb @ Arkansas – both teams 1-0
-Indiana State @ Alabama – both teams 1-0, and Indiana State is a team that we think can make some noise in the Missouri Valley this year, but they’re probably overmatched tonight
-Oakland @ Illinois – Illinois 1-0
-Alabama State @ Iowa – Iowa 1-0
-UTRGV @ South Dakota – both teams 1-0
-Bellarmine @ Kansas State – K State 1-0
-Grambling @ Colorado – both teams 1-0
-Eastern Washington @ Ole Miss – EWU didn’t look all that good in their opener, but I still think they’ll make quite a bit of noise in the Big Sky. Quite frankly Ole Miss didn’t look all that good either
-Nicholls @ LSU – LSU 1-0
-Mississippi Valley State @ Oklahoma – Oklahoma is 1-0
-SELA @ Auburn – Auburn lost their opener against Baylor, but still looked really good and should have a big year
-Queens @ Southern Illinois – a winnable game for the Salukis to get them to 2-0
-Harvard @ Rice – both teams 1-0
-Rider @ Marquette – both teams 1-0
-Temple vs Navy (Veterans Classic) – I’m not expecting much out of either team, but a win for Temple will get them to 2-0 for now
-SEMO @ Butler – Butler can get to 2-0
-Delaware State @ Texas – Texas 1-0
-Montana @ Oregon – both teams 1-0
-IUPUI @ Valpo – I don’t think either team is any good, but they are both 1-0
-Sacramento State @ Stanford – Stanford is 1-0
-Wright State @ Colorado State – Wright State is one of the better teams in the Horizon League, and Colorado State won their opener
-UC Riverside @ Utah – both teams 1-0
-Prairie View A&M @ Washigton State – both teams 1-0
-Lafayette @ UCLA – UCLA is 1-0
-Pacific @ California – Cal is 1-0