NEWS AND NOTES:
-Arizona now has two major wins on their profile and the season isn’t even two full weeks old. They knocked off UCLA in an exciting 69-65 game that was close all throughout. It was UCLA’s first real test, and while they didn’t win it, and while it can take some time for the bad taste of a hard fought loss to a rival to wash out of your mouth, I think the Bruins are going to be fine. If anything I feel they’re better about how good they can be this year than I did before the game.
-Michigan, for the second game in a row, struggled to beat a team that I would have expected them to beat easily. They hung on to win at TCU 67-63. It was a road win, but it came down to the final seconds against a TCU team that has struggled this year. Michigan has not looked anything like the 6th best team despite still being unbeaten.
-I was expecting High Point to win at UAB and then sail through the rest of their schedule. They did not win at UAB. In fact, UAB pulled away late and the final score wasn’t even close. The 91-74 win for the Blazers makes me think UAB is better than I thought after they lost to Alabama State, and while High Point is good, they’re not quite as good as I thought prior to yesterday. This was a game High Point sort of needed because there aren’t really any other notable games remaining on their schedule. They could blow through the rest of the season and still not have any top 100 wins.
-UCF pulled away from Texas A&M in the second half to win 86-74. TAMU is off to a very rough start with two double digit home losses to Oklahoma State (who blew them out) and now UCF last night.
-One of the most exciting games of the night was Northwestern’s 81-79 win at DePaul. Northwestern is now 4-0 with a true road win on their resume. I don’t think they’ll be anywhere close to the bubble come March, but for now they’re off to a good start.
-Georgia got a battle from rival Georgia Tech at home, but finally pulled away in the final couple of minutes for the 92-87 win.
-Saint Mary’s absolutely destroyed North Texas 80-49. It was over about five minutes in. I had praised UNT for how well they had played against Oregon State prior to the boneheaded ending to that game, but they were absolutely dump-trucked last night.
-Last, but not least, Utah Tech knocked off Mississippi Valley State in a double overtime thriiller out in the Rainbow Classic. It was exciting! It was intense! But it was also NOT ON TV!!!!!!!!! WHY WASN’T THIS GAME STREAMED???!!!!!
(Bonus Note from Stalica)
-If we’re highlighting the Duke-West Virginia women’s game in the Greenbrier Classic from yesterday, either a) something good happened; b) something bad happened; c) something incredible happened. All of the above were correct – West Virginia upset #15 Duke 57-49 despite only having 5 players available for the second half. That would be because of a fight between the teams at halftime; most of the WVU players were ejected for leaving the bench to participate in said fight.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-BYU VS UCONN (Boston, MA) (***SPOTLIGHT GAME***). We learned on Friday that BYU will likely be without a key player due to an off the court incident. Everyone reading this knows what that is and who that is, so I’ll just leave it at that. That aside (and I know it’s a lot to set aside) it is a fantastic early season match-up between two top ten teams that are likely protected seeds and a chance for each to pick up a high caliber win that will undoubtedly boost the resume of whoever pulls this off. BYU did get a challenge from Villanova on opening night, which was a bit of a surprise, and UConn really hasn’t been tested at all yet, so it’s clearly the biggest gaem either team has played so far.
-CLEMSON AT GEORGETOWN. Both are unbeaten and Georgetown already has a big road win on their resume at Maryland, so they have proven they can play. Clemson has won three buy games and this is their first real test. Both are potential tournament teams, so this is a chance for an early season notable win. The energy around this game is more than what we’ve seen from Georgetown fans in a while. Are the Hoyas back??
-MARYLAND AT MARQUETTE. Even though it’s early there seems to be a sense of urgency to this game. Maryland lost at home to Georgetown and Marquette was beaten handily by Indiana. Both teams have potential, but neither has passed a real test yet.
-BUTLER AT SMU. I’m not yet sold on either team, but both are unbeaten and while they’ve only played buy games, they’ve both looked decent. SMU beat a fairly sold Murray State team the other night and Butler has blown out their opponents. We’ll learn something about both of them today.
-YOUNGSTOWNS TATE AT SAINT BONAVENTURE. I’m very excited about this one. In the young season, both teams have already managed statement wins. Youngstown went to Grand Canyon and won on the road, and Saint Bonaventure managed a good win against Bradley in the Field of 68 game. Both are unbeaten and it’s a chance to continue the early season momentum. If Youngstown wins this one, everyone will have to acknowledge that they’ve got a damn good early season resume!
-OKLAHOMA VS NEBRASKA (Sioux Falls SD). Big Red vs Big Red!!! Hello?? Anybody?? Oklahoma was beaten soundly by Gonzaga, but they still have the potential to have a good year, and I think Nebraska may be able to surprise some people as well. I know there isn’t much of a spotlight on this game and it just doesn’t feel right that they’re playing it at the Sanford Pentagon (nothing against that place, but Big Red vs Big Red should be a campus game), but this game could prove to be more important than what anyone realizes right now. It’s a neutral floor game between two potential tournament teams that could both end up near the bubble, and the outcome of this game could be a deciding factor as to whether or not these teams get in.
-NEVADA AT SANTA CLARA. I like both of these teams this year and am starting to think that Santa Clara may be a tournament caliber team. If they are then they need to show they can beat good teams at home, which is why this game feels so important even though it’s early. Both teams are 3-0, Santa Clara had the blowout win at Xavier a few nights ago, whereas Nevada has really had to sweat to win their last two games. If the Wolfpack don’t play better tonight they may get run over.
-GRAND CANYON AT SAINT LOUIS. If either team is going to make a run at the bubble, then this is the kind of game they both need to be able to win. It’s pretty much as simple as that.
-NEW MEXICO AT NEW MEXICO STATE. It’s the Rio Grande Rivalry!!! This is not the biggest rivalry in the country. Far from it. But, in terms of just how bitter it is, few are more bitter. If you know the history, you know it has gotten out of hand at times. It should be exciting this year as both teams come in with perfect records, but neither has been tested and New Mexico State hasn’t even played a D1 game yet. So, on top of everything else, it’s the first time we really get to learn anything about either team.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Ohio U @ Louisville – I think Ohio U can make some noise in the MAC this year, but they’re probably overmatched today
-Marshall @ Virginia – both teams are unbeaten and Marshall has already won two games away from home, but this is by far their toughest test so far
-Vermont @ Northeastern – Vermont is looking for their second road win and trying to stay unbeaten
-Penn State vs La Salle – Penn State is 3-0 and trying to pick up their second win away from home, although neither game will get them all that much credit. The other was at New Haven
-Stony Brook @ Yale – both teams are unbeaten and Yale is really good this year
-Saint Thomas @ SEMO – this is highlighted because these are two solid UTR teams. The Tommies are favored to win the Summit League and SEMO nearly knocked off Missouri the other night and looks to be one of the better teams in the OVC
-Sacred Heart @ Queens – another really good UTR matchup
-Syracuse @ Drexel – an odd road trip for Syracuse, but an effective way to pick up wins away from home
-UTEP @ Utah State – first road game for UTEP. Utah State should hold serve
-Montana State @ Boise State – Montana State is off to a bit of a slow start, but should still be one of the better teams in the Big Sky. Boise State’s resume is still reeling from the loss to Hawaii Pacific and their margin for error is much smaller now.
-Idaho @ UC San Diego – Idaho has a win at Wazzu, and UCSD is trying to stay unbeaten
-William & Mary @ Saint John’s – W&M will be fun to watch this year, but they are likely way too overmatched today
-Bowling Green @ Davidson – not sure what to make of either team yet, but both come in 3-0
-Old Dominion @ George Washington – GW is unbeaten and I think they’re good enough to make a run at the bubble. I think Old Dominion can make some noise in the Sun Belt, so this game does have some appeal to it
-James Madison @ Long Island – two solid UTR programs, both of whom are among the favorites to win their conferences. JMU is looking to bounce back from a tough loss at Longwood and could be in for another tough game tonight
-Duquesne @ Villanova – Duquesne comes in 3-0 and Nova has exceeded expectations. Their only loss was a hard fought game against BYU
-Portland @ Wyoming – I’m not big on either team, but both are 3-0 coming in, so I could be wrong
-Bradley @ San Francisco – Bradley is a good team despite being just 1-2, but this is probably their biggest test so far. San Francisco is a team that I think will land inside the bubble come March and they should be able to hold serve at home in this one.
BUY GAMES/CRAP GAMES:
-RIT (nonD1) @ Buffalo – Buffalo is unbeaten
-South Alabama vs Coppin State (Showdown in Saint Pete) – Coppin State trying to stay unbeaten
-Kansas City @ Texas
-Princeton @ Kansas
-New Hampshire @ George Mason
-Miami OH @ Air Force – it’s a road game, but Miami should win as if it were a home buy game
-Boston College @ Temple – Temple can get to 3-0
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Vanderbilt
-SELA @ Mississippi State
-Bethune Cookman @ Dayton – Dayton better not overlook them
-Belmont @ Oral Roberts – Belmont can get to 3-0 and pick up their first road win
-Northern Colorado @ Pepperdine – NOCO can get to 3-0 and pick up their first road win
-Sam Houston @ Utah
-Utah Valley @ Fresno State – this is a game UVU can win
