NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS:
-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – CLICK HERE
For John Stalica’s UTR Game(s) of the Day – CLICK HERE
-Alabama held McNeese at arms length for pretty much the entire game, and while McNeese did play well, they didn’t quite play well enough to beat the #2 ranked team on the road. But to be fair there are very few teams in the country that are capable of playing that well. The Tide picked up a nice 72-64 win.
-Austin Peay remains unbeaten after holding off Chattanooga 67-61 last night, and they are definitely worth keepin an eye on. Remember that one of their three wins came at Butler.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Big 5). Both teams come into this one having lost home buy games in their previous game, so it goes without saying that both are off to a slow start. Both could use this win for what it means on paper, but they also need the momentum that comes from winning a rivalry game to build up some much needed momentum.
-MICHIGAN STATE VS KANSAS (Champions Classic – Atlanta, GA). Both teams come in unbeaten, and Kansas is coming off a really nice win against North Carolina in their last game, so they have been tested, but this is still their first big game away from home. Michigan State blew through their buy games, but this will be our first chance to really learn something about them.
-DREXEL AT TEMPLE (Big 5). Both teams come in 2-0, but neither have really been tested yet. It’s a rivalry game and it appears to be the toughest opponent either team has faced yet, so we should learn a little something about them today.
-FLORIDA ATLANTIC @ UCF. Both teams are off to really good starts and after just one week it looks like they are set to outperform their preseason expectations by a ton. UCF managed a big win against Texas A&M and FAU absolutely blew Indiana State off the floor. This is an early season match-up between two teams that appear to be better than what most people thought they’d be.
-NORTH FLORIDA AT GEORGIA. North Florida already has two wins in road buy games against South Carolina and Georgia Tech, and has a shot at picking up a 3rd tonight. This is another game that North Florida can win, especially if Georgia isn’t ready for them. The Dawgs barely got by Tennessee Tech in their opener. I know UNF is an under the radar team, but they’re starting to build up a really good looking resume.
-DUKE VS KENTUCKY (Legends Classic – Atlanta, GA). The expectations and enthusiasm has been high around this Kentucky program, but this is their first real test under new Head Coach Mark Pope and we are all seeing how they handle it. To be fair, it is also Duke’s first real test. It’s two talented teams that are still getting used to playing with each other, and we should learn quite a bit about both of them tonight.
-AKRON AT SAINT MARY’S. This is likely a mismatch, but Akron is a strong enough UTR team to potentially make this one interesting. SMC has won both their games so far, but this may be their toughest test to date.
BUY GAMES (and others worth mentioning):
-Hampton @ Providence – Providence can get to 3-0
-Cornell @ La Salle – both teams are 2-0 and La Salle has shown some promise early on
-Norfolk State @ William & Mary – Norfolk just beat James Madison and can get to 4-0 with a win in this one
-Mount Olive (nonD1) @ East Carolina – ECU can get to 3-0
-Lehigh @ Columbia – Columbia has the big win against Villanova and can stay unbeaten with a win
-NC Central @ High Point – High Point can get to 3-0
-NC A&T @ George Wahsington – GW can get to 3-0
-Tarlton State @ Florida State
-Saint Francis U @ Penn State
-UIC @ Northwestern – Northwestern looking to bounce back from a close loss at Dayton
-Colgate @ Syracuse
-Eastern Kentucky @ Clemson – both teams 2-0
-SELA @ Mississippi State
-Sam Houston @ Baylor
-South Alabama @ Ole Miss
-Ohio U @ Illinois State – both are fairly decent UTR teams
-Chicago State @ Texas
-Texas State @ TCU – both teams unbeaten
-Jackson State @ Xavier
-Denver @ Colorado State (Front Range) – We at Hoops HD LOVE the Front Range!!!
-Corban College (nonD1) @ Boise State
-TAMUCC @ New Mexico
-South Dakota @ Iowa – both teams unbeaten
-Queens @ Utah – both teams unbeaten
-Northern Arizona @ Stanford – both teams unbeaten
-Western Oregon (nonD1) @ Oregon State
-Portland @ Oregon