Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For the latest Hoops HD Staff Bracket, which was put together this week by Chad Sherwood – CLICK HERE

-Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak where they were blown out in both games by getting a really nice 77-76 road win at Ohio State. Every year we see schizophrenic teams, and Ohio State is a team with a profile that fits that category this year. They have a blowout win against a team like Kentucky away from home, and last night they lost at home to an Indiana team that appeared to be on the bubble at best.

-UCLA also ended their losing streak with a blowout home win against Iowa. The final score was 94-70, but the lead was much bigger than that until late in the game.

-Ever since beating UConn and showing signs of possible tournament life, Villanova has now gone backwards after losing at St. John’s (forgivable) and Xavier (less forgivable). They barely eked out a win at home against Providence last night.

-Which is more than we can say for Georgetown. The Hoyas took a huge step backward after DePaul snapped a 39-game losing streak in conference play last night with a 73-68 win. AND on the road in Washington. This was also the first road win for the Blue Demons in two seasons.

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SPOTLIGHT GAME:

-VMI AT THE CITADEL (SoCon). This is legit one of my favorite rivalries in all of college basketball!! Neither team is all that good, and when these two meet it is oftentimes for second-to-last place in the SoCon, but WOW do they get after it!! There is something special and somewhat romantic about a game that doesn’t mean hardly anything on paper between two teams that aren’t ever nationally significant, but that come out and go at it with such intensity the way these teams do. It’s worth watching!! It really is!! (Note from Stalica – out of respect for Griggs, this is now our UTR Game of the Day.)

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-ALABAMA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Both teams are ranked in the top ten and both are within reach of a #1 seed. Having said that, the SEC is so strong both are also at risk of not finishing in the top 4 and byeing into the SEC quarterfinals. Alabama has an unbelievable resume, but they are coming off a somewhat surprising home loss to Ole Miss (who is also very good) and this will not be an easy game for them to bounce back in.

-HOUSTON AT UCF (Big 12). Houston continues to string together wins as their schedule gets tougher and tougher. UCF is a team that is good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, and a win today would go a long way even though it’s a home game.

-CLEMSON AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). It feels like both of these teams will be able to make the Tournament, but both still have work to do and a win today would be big for whoever pulls it off. Clemson has won five out of six, including a road game in their last game, but none of the wins were super strong. Pitt is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Florida State and will be looking to rebound.

-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC). This will be another tough road test for an Auburn team that’s passed virtually all of their tough road tests. Georgia is having a good year, but this would be a huge win on their resume even though it’s a home game. They should be jacked way up for this one.

-ARIZONA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Arizona has really started to play well and is definitely trending up. This is another tough, but winnable, road game against a Texas Tech team that’s looked good at times, but needs to look good a few more times in order to land inside the bubble.

-PURDUE AT OREGON (Big Ten). Both teams are ranked in the top 20 and both teams have some really good wins on their resume. Oregon got battles from Ohio State and Penn State on the road in their last two games, but managed to win both of them. As good as Purdue has been this year, this would probably be their best win of the season so far up to this point.

-WISCONSIN AT USC (Big Ten). Going all the way out to USC and winning on the road is not an easy task for Wisky, but it is one that they are certainly up for. They’ve now won six straight, but this would just be their second true road win of the season.

-TENNESSEE AT VANDERBILT (SEC). It’s a rivalry game, and Vandy is having a good year, but it still appears to be a bit of a mismatch as Tennessee is looking like they are among the few teams that are good enough to win it all. The Vols have also shown that they can play and win in tough road environments.

-IOWA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). Iowa State is one of the two best teams in the country and is coming off a rather decisive win against Kansas. This will be a very tough road game, and it’s one that could give West Virginia’s profile a huge boost, but Iowa State is capable of winning tough games.

-OLE MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). It’s a big rivalry game between two ranked teams. Ole Miss just picked up a massive on the road against Alabama, so as intense as this atmosphere will be for this one they’ve shown they can win on the road against really good teams. Mississippi State has lost two straight and will be looking to bounce back from a blowout loss at Auburn.

-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Arkansas is in real trouble. They’re 0-4 in SEC play and haven’t looked all that good this season other than perhaps in their win against Michigan. Mizzou, on the other hand, is coming off an amazing road win at Florida and is suddenly looking like a top 25 team. They have a ton of momentum built up and their fans should be up for this one.

-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Texas A&M has lost two straight, but those were against Alabama and Kentucky, which are clearly not easy games to win. But, they do need to bounce back and hold serve in the winnable games they do play because most SEC games are very hard to win. LSU is respectable, but TAMU should beat them at home.

-OREGON STATE AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). After Oregon State’s big win against Gonzaga last night they are probably within reach of the bubble, and they certainly have the opportunities at the wins they need between now and the end to get inside of it. Tonight’s game is a big one. The Dons are not easy to beat on the road!

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Creighton @ UConn (Big East)- UConn is looking like a protected seed and Creighton is trying to play their way into the field. A win today would really help the Bluejays

-Georgia Tech @ Florida State (ACC)- Florida State is coming off a nice win against Pitt, which was their 5th win in 7 games, and they have another winnable game today

–Virginia at Louisville (ACC) – Louisville is hot right now with seven straight wins and they should be able to extend that today

-George Washington @ George Mason (Atlantic 10) – the chances of either team landing inside the bubble are slim, but if one or both of them can tear through their schedule and run away from the rest of the conference they may have a chance

-Kansas State @ Kansas (Big 12) – The Jayhawks should bounce back from their big loss at Iowa State and roll at home in this one

-Xavier @ Marquette (Big East) – Xavier needs a win like this (and probably then some) to get themselves back inside the bubble. Marquette looks like a sure fire protected seed who may even flirt with the #1 line if they can keep blowing through the Big East

-Arizona State @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – Both teams have shown signs of strength, but both are really struggling now with just one conference win for each of them. They both really need a win today

-SMU @ Miami FL (ACC) – this should be a rather easy road win for SMU

-Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – Wake has really come to life lately and they can add another road win to their resume and improve to 6-1 in ACC play

–Saint Bonaventure @ Duquesne (Atlantic 10) – the Bonnies are not inside the bubble, but they can perhaps get there if they can blow through the rest of their schedule. Anything short of that and they’ll need the auto bid

-Stanford @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC is another team that’s really come to life lately having won six out of their last seven and they should be able to hold serve today

-Texas @ Florida (SEC) – A win like this for Texas could completely turn their season around and boost their profile through the roof, but it’s easier said than done. Florida is one of the best teams in the country and won’t be easy to beat at home

-Bradley @ Murray State (Missouri Valley) – A win for Bradley gets them to 16-3 on the year and keeps the bubble within reach

-Colorado State @ Wyoming (Mountain West, Front Range) – WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THE FRONT RANGE!!!!

-South Carolina @ Oklahoma (SEC) – neither team has an SEC win yet, and both need one today. Oklahoma was unbeaten out of conference and is winless in conference so far

-Drake @ Indiana State – Drake can get to a very impressive 16-2 on the year and pick up another road win, which should keep them within reach of the bubble

-Duke @ Boston College (ACC) – should be some low hanging road fruit for Duke

-UNLV @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – UNLV just knocked off a really good Utah State team, so San Diego State doesn’t want to overlook them, but they should be able to hold serve and get this one done at home

-Saint John’s @ Seton Hall (Big East) – the Johnnies are really on a roll and they should be able to pick up another conference road win tonight

-UC San Diego @ UC Riverside (Big West) – UCSD did lose to UC Irvine recently, but I still think they are good enough to get inside the bubble. Having said that, road games like this are not easy to win

-Santa Clara @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga is coming off an overtime loss to Oregon State and needs to bounce back. They can still get a protected seed, but their margin for error is razor thin

-BYU @ Utah (Big 12) – not all that important on paper, but it is a fierce rivalry and it’s good to have it back as a conference game again!

-Cal Poly @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine is inside of our bubble and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve

-Saint Mary’s @ Pepperdine (West Coast) – SMC should be a first ballot NCAA Tournament team and should be able to hold serve tonight

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-We knew Gonzaga would be tested last night, but we also felt that if they really are a top 15 caliber team they should be able to beat Oregon State on the road. Instead they fell in overtime 97-89. Oregon State is a good team and is not easy to beat at home, but it’s still a setback for the Zags and an indication that they aren’t quite in the same class as Auburn, and Tennessee, and Iowa State, and the top half of the SEC, and those types of teams.

-Michigan, who had been red hot, also suffered an overtime loss as they fell to Minnesota 84-81, which ends a five game winning streak for them.

-Memphis, who we had been praising all year and felt was good enough to run the table in the American, lost at Temple last night 88-81. Because the rest of Memphis’s schedule is so weak they may be out of strikes in terms of getting a protected seed. They’re still very safely inside the bubble, but another loss could knock them out of the top four lines.

-Northwestern, who really needed something to go right for them, managed to beat a pretty solid Maryland team at home last night, and for once they won a game on a last second shot! The Wildcats got it done against the Terps 76-74.

-Nebraska dropped one at home to Rutgers 85-82 in a loss that wasn’t too terrible, but was the kind of game they needed to hold serve in if they wanted to show that they should be safely inside the bubble.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

PROVIDENCE AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Nova has lost their last two games and is once again on the outside with a ways to go to get back inside the bubble. They need to hold serve and win this one at home.

-INDIANA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Indiana has been blown out in two consecutive games and has all the signs of heading in the wrong direction and missing the NCAA Tournament. Ohio State has lost three out of their last four, but all three were close games against tough opponents. This is a winnable game for the Buckeyes, and one they sort of need to win.

-IOWA AT UCLA (Big Ten). UCLA’s losing streak is now at four and this feels like a game they really need to win. Iowa has not won a true road game all season, so it’s a big game for them as well. Both teams have reasons for needing this one.

-BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). New Mexico had been rolling, but then suffered a big setback with a loss to San Jose State that will leave a mark on their resume. They need to bounce back at home against Boise State tonight. This game has a really bubblicious feel to it.

NEWS AND NOTES:

–For the latest Under the Radar Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-Iowa State ran away from Kansas last night 74-57. The game was closer than that for most of it, but Iowa State was in control the whole time and then blew it open down the stretch. The Cyclones are now 15-1 on the year with the only loss being to Auburn, by 2, on a last second tip-in, in a game where they led by as much as 18. This is a team that can win it all.

-The surprise of the evening was Utah State, who was looking as good as anyone and who had just picked up a big win against Boise State, who was on the road to face a so-so UNLV team and ended up losing 65-62. It’s just the second loss of the season for Utah State, and they are still in very good shape, but it is a setback for a team that looked as though they could end up as a protected seed.

-Tennessee ran away from Georgia in the second half for a 74-56 win and is once again looking like a solid top five team.

-Wake Forest keeps stringing together wins despite struggling from the outside. They beat Stanford 80-67 yesterday and have improved to 13-4.

-Dayton is an absolute train wreck. They’ve gone from looking like a team that could end up with a protected seed to now losing four out of five. None of those losses came to solid tournament teams, and most of them were by decisive margins. Dayton went on a late run against George Mason to make the final score look respectable at 67-59, but they trailed by as much as 19 in the final few minutes. Dayton is perhaps the biggest collapse in college basketball this year after such an impressive start to the season.

-Pittsburgh, who was/is having a solid year, fell on the road to Florida State 82-70 in a game that was a bit of a surprise. Florida State is nowhere near the bubble, but they don’t have any really bad losses on their resume either. There may still be time for them to pull it together and make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

-Texas held off rival Oklahoma on the road 77-73. Oklahoma had a comeback in the second half, but couldn’t come all the way back. The Sooners are now 0-4 in SEC play and are suddenly in a huge tailspin.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MEMPHIS AT TEMPLE (American). Memphis is good enough to blow through the rest of their schedule, and if they do they should be lined up for a protected seed.

-MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Michigan is a perfect 5-0 in Big Ten play and this should be another winnable road game for them, which would be six straight for the Wolverines and their 4th true road win this season.

-MARYLAND AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Northwestern is just 1-4 in Big Ten play and is currently outside the bubble, but considering how they lost a couple of those games they’re only a few plays away (literally) from having a much more solid profile and they are far from the easiest team to beat on the road. Maryland is a solid 13-4, but they’re still looking for their first true road win, so there is something at stake for them tonight.

-RUTGERS AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). Nebraska is hovering around the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one.

-UTEP AT LIBERTY (Conference USA). Liberty can still land inside the bubble, but they basically need to win out to do it. UTEP is one of the better teams in the league, but they still should be able to hold serve at home.

-CAL STATE FULLERTON AT UC IRVINE (Big West). UC Irvine should be inside the bubble right now, and will remain there so long as they can keep blowing through the Big West (which is easier said than done).

-GONZAGA AT OREGON STATE (West Coast). This will be a bit of a road test for the Zags against a decent (but not great) Oregon State team that’s played well at home and that should be up for this one. Having said that, it’s far from the first big test for Gonzaga this season.