Hoops HD

Hoops HD Bracket Rundown (March 6th)

Posted on March 6, 2024 by David Griggs

PROGRAM NOTE: This was recorded Thursday, March 6th at 9:30pm, est, and the seedlist was built before the show was recorded. None of the games that were played that day were considered in this bracket.

A full Hoops HD panel have all submitted their own individual seedlists. They were then cross country scored by Chad to form a master seedlist, and it is revealed to the panel Selection Sunday style team by team and line by line. They discuss, assess, and debate each team as they are revealed. See who the #1 seeds are, who the rest of the protected seeds are, who is on the bubble, and who just missed it.

Below is the final bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

Posted in Bracket Rundown, Bracketology, Podcasts, Videocasts | Comments Off

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Mar 6th

Posted on March 6, 2024 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Let me begin by saying the best games of the night last night were all the conference tournament games. Even though they were early round games and involved teams that aren’t expected to do much of anything, they were all playing to keep their seasons alive, and the action was incredible!! CLICK HERE for our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK where we recap all of last night’s action and preview all of tonight’s.

-Purdue got a big 77-71 win at Illinois, which demonstrates why they are a #1 seed and why they are a team that can win it all. As good as their season has been, yesterday was actually their first true road win against another protected seed, so their resume is somehow now even better.

-Alabama was blown off the floor by a Florida team who was probably exercising a lot of frustration after losing such a close game on the road to the Tide earlier this season, and who was also coming off another close road loss at South Carolina. The Gators didn’t have all their pistons firing right out of the gate, but they are all firing now and this is looking like a team that can make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

-We’ve been saying this for a while. UNLV does not have an NCAA Tournament caliber profile and likely won’t be selected for an at-large because of how long it took them to get up to speed, but on the court they are definitely an NCAA Tournament caliber team and have been for the last several weeks. Last night, they showed it again as they knocked off San Diego State 62-58. The Runnin’ Rebels are now 10-1 in their last 11 games, and have wins at New Mexico, vs Colorado State, and vs San Diego State in that stretch. This will be a very dangerous team in the MWC Tournament that might end up winning the auto-bid!

-Syracuse had been playing better and had a big opportunity at Clemson last night to pull themselves really close to the bubble, but they came up short 90-75. Clemson seemed refocused after a rather inexplicable loss at Notre Dame over the weekend.

-Oklahoma needed overtime, but they got the 74-71 win (albeit barely) against Cincinnati and perhaps kept themselves inside the bubble with that win. I still think the Sooners have some more work to do, though.

-Texas Tech has not been that strong on the road this year, but they looked really good last night at Oklahoma State. Even though the Pokes are nowhere near the field, I still think it strengthen’s Texas Tech’s profile because it gives them a 4h true road win.

-This is my assessment of Wake Forest. All year long they’ve been a decent team, but not quite an NCAA Tournament team. Like a lot of decent teams that aren’t NCAA Tournament teams (UCF, Cincinnati, Butler, etc) they’ve had one or two really big moment. And… that pretty much ends my assessment. The home win against Duke was great, but it wasn’t so great that it puts them all the way inside the bubble. They need to do more than just that, and they haven’t. In fact they’re 0-3 since then. They’ve lost 5 of their last 7, and the last three of those were to teams that are nowhere near the field. WAKE IS NOT A TOURNAMENT TEAM!!! THEY NEVER WERE!!!

-Nevada IS a tournament team with a lot of good wins, and they got another one last night on the road against a Boise State team who had been looking as good as anyone in the conference. I’m starting to really believe in this Wolfpack team.

-North Carolina, Auburn, Kansas, South Florida, Dayton, Providence, and Saint John’s all held serve against weaker opponents.

SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (Click Here to see the whole board)

SOUTHLAND:
–Incarnate Word: out with a loss or a Houston Christian win or a New Orleans win
–Houston Christian: out with a loss or if New Orleans and Texas A&M-Commerce both win
–New Orleans: out with a loss and a win by either Houston Christian or Incarnate Word

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL (Big East). It seems like this is a constant storyline in the Big East, but this is yet another bubblicious game where the outcome could determine whether each of these teams makes or misses the NCAA Tournament. Nova has been playing better lately, and Seton Hall has some good wins on their resume and should be able to make it if they can pick up another big win. The stakes are VERY high in this one.

-HOUSTON AT UCF (Big 12). Houston has all but locked up a #1 seed, and while this isn’t the easiest game to win on the road, it’s one that they are certainly capable of winning.

-TENNESSEE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Tennessee is within reach of a #1 seed and they have some really big road wins already. This would certainly be another one if they’re able to pull it off. South Carolina has had an amazing season and been one of the bigger surprises in all of college hoops. They can actually pull even with Tennessee atop the conference standings if they can get the win and have a strong case that they deserve a protected seed. The crowd should be absolutely nuts for this one and it should be a great one!

-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). This is a winnable late season conference road win opportunity for TCU. who has a strong resume overall but who has also lost three of three of their last four and could use a good bounce-back game.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Both teams look to be safely inside the bubble, but both teams’ resumes have room to improve and tonight is an opportunity for that to happen. For Northwestern it would be a really nice road win, and for Michigan State it would end a three game losing streak and help pull themselves out of the tailspin they appear to be in.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT RICHMOND (Atlantic 10). Richmond is the 1st place team in the A10 and is squarely on our bubble. They need to hold serve and avoid an early loss in the A10 Tournament in order to end up in the field.

-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East). Butler may still have a path to getting an at-large bid, but barely. The path is certainly steep and narrow and they’d pretty much need to win out to do it.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT NORTH TEXAS (American). This will likely be a bit of a road test for FAU, but it’s one they should win. They are inside our bubble right now and will remain there so long as they hold serve.

-MCNEESE AT NEW ORLEANS (Southland). McNeese should at least be on the bubble if they win out through the regular season.

-CONNECTICUT AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Both teams are solid protected seeds, and UConn is likely a #1 seed whether they are able to win this game or not. If UConn were to pull it off it would virtually lock up a #1 seed. As good as a lot of their wins have been this would probably be the best of the season up to this point.

-BYU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). BYU hasn’t been the best road team this year, but they are coming off a recent road win at Kansas and still have a really good profile that they could make even better if they’re somehow able to pull this off. Iowa State is looking like they’ll end up as a protected seed and land somewhere between the 2 and 3 lines.

-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky has turned into a fast-paced offensive scoring machine that is a lot of fun to watch. They shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve against Vanderbilt tonight.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Mississippi State has not been strong on the road this year, but outside of that their resume looks pretty good. TAMU is outside the bubble, but they have had a lot of big wins and if Mississippi State can win this then they would deserve a lot of credit for it and I think it would really strengthen their resume.

-FRESNO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). New Mexico has been sliding backward and can’t afford to slip up at home tonight and lose another game to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Survival Board | Comments Off

Hoops HD Video Notebook: Day 2

Posted on March 6, 2024 by David Griggs

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!! We are here to make your jobs easier!!

It was a wild night in the Atlantic Sun with three games that came down to the wire and a couple of big upsets as Lipscomb and Eastern Kentucky have both been knocked out. It was also a wild night in the Sun Belt with both opening round games being hard fought. We also take a look at opening round action in the Patriot League, and preview all the games coming up tomorrow.

Check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

Also, don’t miss our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 32 conference tourney

Check out our new HOOPS HD TEAM SHEETS AND DEFCON RATINGS for all 362 D1 teams

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS

Audio only:

NORTHEAST QUARTERFINALS:

BIG SOUTH OPENING ROUND:

OHIO VALLEY OPENING ROUND:

Posted in Championship Week Video Notebook, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

All-Access at the CAA Tournament: HoopsHD interviews Charleston Cougarette Kylee Poole

Posted on March 5, 2024 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament tips off this week in Washington, DC, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of articles in the week ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with an interview of Charleston Cougarette Kylee Poole.

You are from Knoxville, TN: what made you choose Charleston? I was looking at a couple of different schools including the Boston Conservatory North…but it was too cold for me! I knew that I would have more freedom here rather than spending my entire time studying dance so it was the environment that led me here.

You are a double major in dance & communication: how did you choose those subjects? Originally, I wanted to go into dance therapy so I was a dance & psychology major, but I later fell in love with communication and got interested in sports broadcasting after watching so many basketball games.

You are in the honors college: how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work on the dance team? It makes it “easier to be busier”. Our coaches do homework checks and look at our grades to make sure that we are doing all right in class, and if we are not then we cannot attend practice. I like to stay busy so if it requires getting up early to get my homework done then I will do that.

You are a junior: what is the post-graduation plan? I will dance for as long as my body lets me. I am looking at a cruise ship contract or maybe a Disney show or an NFL dance team. I am also interested in theater so perhaps a traveling company. After all that I will probably try to go the sports broadcasting route.

What is the biggest difference between a traditional dance style like ballet and a more modern style like the Cougarettes? We have 3 different kinds of style: jazz, hip-hop, and pom. The biggest difference from a classical style is strength/precision. We wear ankle/wrist weights to practice that allows us to “snap” our movement, but the classical style is more flowing, which can also be fun. When there are 25 of you and you can all hit your mark at the same time (like the Rockettes) then it is a strong performance.

You run your squad’s social media account: what kind of work does that involve? I have been doing it for a year and really love it. I get all the important dates from my coaches and plan out when to send notifications about clinics/events to the community. I make a lot of graphics and attend outside events even if I am not dancing at it to take photos/videos and then make a quick post. I also do recruitment, which involves meeting with future dancers and their parents about the audition process and what it is like to be on the team.

1 of your hobbies is photography: any advice for a blogger who wants to take some good photos during a basketball game?! Get a nice camera if you can: I mostly use my phone but am also learning how to use a Nikon. You do not need to have the best seat in the house: I try to get in the aisle so that there are not fans directly in front of me. You want to take shots of the action rather than the “in-between” so it helps if you know what teams will do at certain points during the game.

You have been on the team for 3 years, which means you got to experience last year’s legendary 31-win season: did you get to dance during the CAA title game win over UNCW and/or the NCAA tourney loss to San Diego State? We sent our 6 upperclassmen last year, so I did not get to attend. I did get to cheer at the Charleston Classic last season where we beat Virginia Tech/Colorado State back-to-back: it was a big deal to bring that title home. We also appeared at several screening parties on campus for our student section. I am very excited to get to go to the CAA tourney this year.

What has been the best part of this season: beating Liberty in Florida, the Senior Night win over Hofstra last Saturday, other? I really loved the Senior Night win over Hofstra. It was special both for the basketball team’s seniors and for ours. We competed in January for a dance title and Hofstra is 1 of our biggest competitors. The crowd was on their feet the entire night and it was a great game.

The Cougars are the #1 seed in the CAA tourney: any predictions? I predict that we will do well. Pat Kelsey is a great coach/inspiration and once the boys get on a roll then nothing will stop them. I have been looking at some bracket predictions and if we end up playing my hometown Volunteers in the Sweet 16 then it would be incredible!

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged Charleston, Kylee Poole | Comments Off

Hoops HD Daily Rundown, Tuesday, Mar 5th

Posted on March 5, 2024 by David Griggs

NEWS, NOTES, AND LINKS:

-For our latest (and last of the regular season) HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast, which has our nightly CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK at the end – CLICK HERE

-I want to sincerely congratulate Grambling for clinching at least a share of 1st place in the SWAC last night with their 69-60 win at Bethune Cookman. This is a program that has certainly seen some lows, but they have an amazing campus culture and a rich athletic history, and it has been a joy as a fan of the sport to watch them become competitive within the SWAC, and now they will be finishing as the 1st place team! Well done Tigers!!

-Other than that it was kind of a chalky night. Eastern Washington got a huge scare from a Sacramento State team I think we were all expecting them to blow out, but they got the 91-88 win on the road and end the regular season on a 4-game winning streak.

-Duke had no trouble at NC State, and Texas hung with Baylor early, but the Bears came back in the second half and got another Big 12 win.

SURVIVAL BOARD WATCH (click here to see the whole board):

-BALL STATE AT KENT STATE (MAC). Ball State is eliminated if they lose tonight

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PURDUE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Purdue has an amazing resume for the season, and even if they lose today they are probably still on the #1 line for now. Having said that, one thing that is missing from Purdue’s profile is a true road win against a solid protected seed. They did get the win earlier against Wisconsin, but the Badgers have digressed since then. So, this would still be a big win for Purdue if they can pull it off. Illinois looks like a protected seed, their fans should be jacked way up for this one, and it would be another nice win on their resume if they can manage to get this one.

-NOTRE DAME AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Notre Dame has surprised some people lately, but those surprises have come at home against teams that aren’t quite as good as the Tarheels. UNC should roll in this one and stay in the 1-2 seed range.

-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Alabama is looking to (yellow) hammer down a protected seed, and a road win in a game like this could all but lock it up. It won’t be easy (which is obviously why it would be such a good win for Alabama). The Gators are coming off a loss at South Carolina, but they have been a noticeably improved team over the last three weeks, are really starting to hit their stride, and can improve their NCAA Tournament seed quite a bit between now and the end.

-TULANE AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). South Florida is squarely on the bubble and they need to win out in order to stay there.

-SYRACUSE AT CLEMSON (ACC). Syracuse is getting closer and closer to the bubble, and if they can get a road win in a game like this it may be enough to move them to the right side of it. Clemson is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Notre Dame and will be looking to bounce back tonight at home. They are pretty much a lock for the NCAA Tournament and are just playing for seeding at this point.

-TEXAS TECH AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). Texas Tech is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament and is just playing to help out their seeding. A win in this game would help even though Oklahoma State is nowhere near the field. It would give the Red Raiders another road win.

-CINCINNATI AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Oklahoma will skate into the NCAA Tournament so long as they are able to hold serve the rest of the way. Cincinnati is outside the bubble so the Sooners need this one at home.

-AUBURN AT MISSOURI (SEC). Auburn is within reach of a protected seed and should get there so long as they hold serve. That would mean winning on the road against a very weak Mizzou team tonight.

-KANSAS STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12). There is some debate over where Kansas should be on the seedlist, but pretty much everyone agrees that they are a protected seed. They’re at home in a rivalry game, and while they lost the first meeting between these two, they weren’t at home for that game. K State would probably need to win out until the Big 12 Championship Game to get any sort of a look from the committee.

-DAYTON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten). Dayton is safely inside the bubble and most are projecting them into the top half of the bracket. They should stay in that range so long as they can hold serve. They are coming off a loss, so they do need to bounce back tonight. Another thing about this game is that it is the Arch Baron Cup!! It is the most intense rivalry in all of sports!!!

-GEORGIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Wake is squarely on the bubble and needs to hold serve tonight in order to stay there. A loss at home to a team that’s nowhere near the fiedl may bury their postseason hopes.

-FLORIDA STATE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt is another team that is right on the bubble, and perhaps just outside of it. Either way, they cannot afford a home loss to a team that’s nowhere near the field.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT DEPAUL (Big East). Saint John’s is clinging onto the bubble for dear life, and simply cannot afford a loss on the road to a team that is as weak as DePaul.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). UNLV has been playing like an NCAA Tournament team for the last month or so. They don’t have an NCAA Tournament profile, and likely won’t be selected if they don’t win the auto-bid, but right now, on the court, they are an NCAA Tournament caliber team. This will NOT be an easy road game for San Diego State.

-NEVADA AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). These are two virtual locks for the NCAA Tournament and both appear to be heading for the top half of the bracket. They are both playing for seeding, as well as trying to position themselves for the conference tournament, so it’s a chance for each of the m to pick up another notable win.

-AIR FORCE AT WYOMING (Mountain West, Front Range). We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!!! This game has MAJOR 10th place implications in the Mountain West standings!! It will be a war!!!

-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Providence is squarely on the bubble so every game has a pivotal feel to it. A loss in a game like this could doom their season.

-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT AKRON (MAC). Akron can clinch at least a share of 1st place with a win in this one.

-VERMONT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE (America East). Vermont has already clinched 1st place in the AEast.

Posted in Bracketology, Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Survival Board | Tagged grambling | Comments Off

The Hoops HD Report (and Championship Week Video Notebook: Day 1) – Mar 4th

Posted on March 4, 2024 by David Griggs

It is our final Hoops HD Report of the regular season!! But don’t worry! We are not going anywhere! We will be posting our Hoops HD Championship Week Video Notebooks every night until Selection Sunday.

A full Hoops HD panel goes back and looks at a busy week of college hoops. We start off by taking a look at Jon Teitel’s Latest Bracket and ask him about Dayton’s and Kentucky’s seedings. Tennessee had a huge week with two big wins, and we discuss their chances of getting a #1 seed. The rest of the SEC is very strong with teams like Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina all within reach of a protected seed. Houston remains the top ranked team, and they had two big wins this week as well. Wake Forest had a very rough week with two straight losses, and we debate whether or not they belong in the field right now. The Big East is bubble central with Providence, Seton Hall, and Saint John’s all fighting for a spot, and there are also three teams that are solid protected seeds in UConn, Marquette, and Creighton. We discuss all that, and more!!

We’d also like to welcome all the Selection Committee Members for the Championship Week Video Notebook!!

Check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

Also, don’t miss our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 32 conference tourney

Check out our new HOOPS HD TEAM SHEETS AND DEFCON RATINGS for all 362 D1 teams

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS