Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a VERY good one between High Point and UNC Asheville – CLICK HERE

-Clemson managed to double their all-time win total in Chapel Hill last night as they outlasted North Carolina 80-76. North Carolina is a team that we’ve had on the #1 line for the last several weeks, so this is one of the single best wins that any team has managed all season long. Clemson has had some great moments, and they’ve had a few other near misses like a recent 1pt loss at Duke. They don’t always play up to their ceiling, but when they do they’re good enough to play with, and even beat, protected seeds on the road. They’ve shown that to us multiple times this year.

-Houston beat Oklahoma State very easily 79-63 in a game that isn’t noteworthy at all, other than that Kelvin Sampson went into complete Yosemite Sam mode with his team up 20 and got kicked out of the game! I mean…my goodness!! Could you imagine how angry he would have been had they only been up by 15??

-Iowa State opened up a big lead against Texas, but the Longhorns came back and made a game of it. The Cyclones held on to win, and a team that seems to have been kind of quiet this year is suddenly looking more and more like a solid protected seed, and could even end up as high as the #2 or #3 line. Texas is not a top 25 team right now, but to win on their floor is no small thing.

-Ole Miss could have REALLY used the win at South Carolina last night. It would have been massive, and probably moved them up multiple seedlines. They fell way behind, but came back and even tied it, but couldn’t get the win. South Carolina is having an amazing season and there is no reason to thnk they do not deserve a protected seed at this point.

-Dayton always seems to show up for a game and not really take their opponent seroiusly. Then at halftime they realize that they need to get it together, and they do. They fell behind early to Saint Joseph’s and trailed for the entire first half, but then blew it open in the second half and won easily 94-79. When Dayton wants to be good, they are VERY good!

-Nevada, who had been straddling the bubble for the past several weeks, took a big step in the right direction last night with their 77-63 win at Utah State. Utah State was in the rankings and unbeaten at home, so this was a MASSIVE win for the Wolfpack.

-South Florida came from 18 down against Charlotte and ended up with a 72-69 win. It is Amir Abdur-Rahim’s first year with the Bulls after an amazing run with Kennesaw State, and after a bit of a slow start they have now won 14 of their last 15 and are in a tie for 1st place in the American. Their NET is still not top 100, but there are enough things on their resume to where I think the committee will give them a serious look if they keep it up. Also, if they do keep it up, their NET will likely go up.

-Michigan State cannot win on the road. They’ve lost all their road games but one, and last night they fell to Minnesota 59-56. They’ve got four remaining road games left against Penn State, Michigan, Purdue, and Indiana. If they can’t win at least two of those then I don’t think they belong in the tournament.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC). This is the second part of the basketball version of the Iron Bowl. Alabama won the first one and is looking more and more like they could end up as a protected seed. Auburn is coming off their biggest win of the year as they knocked off Ole Miss, but they could give their resume another nice big boost if they’re able to knock off their rivals at home tonight.

-VILLANOVA AT XAVIER (Big East). This game is super-bubbilicous. Both teams have 12-10 records that they need to improve on. Both have a smattering of good wins, but both also have questionable losses. Both can reach the bubble, but need a really strong finish in order to do it, and both really need this win tonight.

-CREIGHTON AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Creighton is still in position to end up as a protected seed, and a road win like this would be huge for them. Providence is squarely on the bubble and just trying to end up in the field, and a win like this over Creighton would be huge for them. So, it’s safe to say that this is a huge game for both teams. The Friars have lost two straight, and were beaten rather badly against Villanova in their last game, so this one feels kind of pivotal.

-NEBRASKA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). We have both teams inside the bubble, but both resumes are a little flimsy and could use some work to help strengthen them up. The one thing Nebraska needs more than anything is road wins, and tonight is a chance to get a big one. Northwestern has some big home wins already, and tonight would certainly add to that, and they’ve still got some work to do in order to be considered a lock, so this is a big one for both teams.

-TEXAS A&M AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a game that TAMU needs to win. A win helps because it’s a road win, but a loss really hurts because it’s against a team that’s nowhere near the field, so it has an extremely pivotal feel to it.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

–Georgetown @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall is right on the bubble, while beating Georgetown at home wouldn’t be a huge win, losing to them would be a huge loss, so the Pirates need to hold serve

–LSU @ Tennessee (SEC) – Tennessee has a real good chance of ending up as a #1 seed and needs to hold serve tonight against LSU

–Wisconsin @ Michigan (Big Ten) – despite this being a road game, it should be a rather routine win for the Badgers, who are looking to bounce back after a tough loss to Purdue

–Pittsburgh @ NC State (ACC) – both teams are outisde the bubble, but both could still potentially reach it if they’re able to finish the season strong

–Valparaiso @ Indiana State (Missouri Valley) – If Indiana State can win out through the regular season, which they are good enough to do, they should be in position to get an at-large bid if they don’t win the MVC Tournament

–Southern Illinois @ Drake (Missouri Valley) – it’s possible that Drake also lands inside the bubble, but they’ll pretty much need to win out in order to get there

–Portland @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga can’t lose for the rest of the season. That’s pretty much their story

–Appalachian State @ Texas State (Sun Belt) – I think App State can be a bubble team if they can win out, which I think they are good enough to do

–Notre Dame @ Duke (ACC) – it’s technically a conference game, but it’s practically a guy game. Duke should roll at home.

–Georgia @ Mississippi State (SEC) – most have Mississippi State inside the bubble, but I still think that until they win a few road games they shouldn’t be considered. Either way, they need to avoid a loss at home tonight

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

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

-Not a whole lot of action last night. Virginia did pick up an impressive and decisive home win over Miami FL 60-38. By the second half it looked like the Canes, and their coaches, had just basically quit. UVA is suddenly looking better and better and better and could be a real force by the time the tournament starts.

-Kansas State knocked off rival Kansas in overtime 75-70. It was a big win for the Wildcats that they really needed and it ended a four game losing streak, but they still have a lot of work to do. As for Kansas, it would have been a nice road win for their resume, but I don’t think the loss sets them back THAT much. The #1 line is perhaps getting further and further out of reach, though.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-OLE MISS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). South Carolina is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the country and are starting to look like they could get a protected seed. They’re at home against an Ole Miss team that we have hovering around the bubble, but who could greatly improve their resume with a road win today.

-DEPAUL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Saint John’s has lost five of their last six and needs to hold serve at home tonight in what amounts to a home buy game.

-CLEMSON AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). Clemson’s resume is solid overall, but they’re just 4-6 in the ACC, and have a real risk of dropping to 4-7 today. North Carolina is one of the best teams in the country, they rarely lose at home, and Clemson almost never wins in Chapel Hill. Having said that, Clemson’s schedule was largely front-loaded and they should be able to start stringing together wins after tonight. It would be a MASSIVE win if they did pull it off tonight, but it’s easier said than done.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT HOUSTON (Big 12). Houston is coming off the rough loss to Kansas, but shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve at home tonight.

-WAKE FOREST AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Wake Forest could still reach the bubble, but they need to start stringing together wins. GA Tech can be a tough place to win, but that’s just it. Wake needs to start winning games that are tough to win.

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT AKRON (MAC). Akron basically needs to win out in order to get any sort of a look from the committee.

-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12). Iowa State is coming off a crazy loss to Baylor that they would have won had a last second buzzer-beater actually beaten the buzzer. They’ve got another tough road test tonight against a Texas team that is playing really well right now and moving up the seedlist. This should be another good one.

-DAYTON AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic 10). Dayton is on a roll, but they may be tested big time on the road tonight. Saint Joe’s probably can’t reach the bubble, but there have been times where they’ve looked like an NCAA Tournament caliber team and they should be jacked way up for this one.

-BYU AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). Both teams appear to be solid tournament teams, but both resumes certainly have room to improve. This would be a really good road win for BYU, and Oklahoma could use a few more big wins of their own to help give their profile more stability.

-BUTLER AT CONNECTICUT (Big East). Butler has been playing really well, and I personally think they should be safely inside the bubble right now. Having said that, beating UConn at UConn is probably way above their heads. UConn has shown they are one of the two best teams in the country and they should be able to hold serve at home tonight.

-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky has now lost three of their last four, and they’ve got to take advantage of some low hanging fruit on the road to help them bounce back. They’re the road team, but it’s still a game they should win.

-NEW MEXICO AT WYOMING (Mountain West). I really like this New Mexico team and I think they are deserving of being back in the rankings. Having said that, this is not the easiest road trip in the world, and something New Mexico needs to strengthen their resume is more road wins.

-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Both teams are in the rankings, both have multiple big wins this season, and both have a chance to get another big resume-boosting win tonight. It should be a fun one.

-NEVADA AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). Utah State is probably easily in the top half the bracket, and if they finish strong they may even make a case for a protected seed. Nevada is squarely on the bubble, but an assured way to get on the right side of it would be to pick up a win like this.

-BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). Boise State has been playing fantastic recently, and recently picked up a huge win at New Mexico. They’ve got another really tough road test tonight against a Colorado State that appears to be solidly in the field, but who could still improve their resume with a win, and who is a very good 9-1 at home this season.

-CHARLOTTE AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). Neither team appears to be anywhere close to the bubble, but both are tied with Florida Atlantic for 1st place in the American, so this game is kind of interesting.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Michigan State’s resume is a little flimsy, especially when it comes to winning on the road. They have just one true road win on the season and could really use this one tonight.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Air Force can be a tough place to play, but San Diego State should be able to pick up the conference road win.

-SAINT MARY’S AT PACIFIC (West Coast). This is the equivalent of a buy game on the road for SMC.