Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Texas Tech, as good as they are, still doesn’t have a true road win against a team that is inside the bubble. They fell at UCF 88-80 yesterday and while it wasn’t a blowout by any means they were behind for seemingly the entire game. As for UCF, it’s another solid win and it keeps them solidly inside our field.

-I thought BYU could win at Kansas yesterday and it became evident in the first half that that just was not going to happen. BYU did come back in the second half, but it took them way too long to get their motor started and they just couldn’t catch up. Kansas ended up with a 90-82 win.

-Kentucky managed to get a huge 85-77 win at Arkansas, which is one they really needed after losing by a wide margin to Vanderbilt earlier in the week. They also managed at one point to be called for three technical fouls in a 38 second stretch, which has got to be some sort of record. It is probably one of Kentucky’s biggest wins of the year.

-NC State is continuing to roll. It’s not particularly noteworthy that they won at Wake Forest, but they totally dominated the game on the road winning 96-78 and have now won six of their last seven.

-Utah State and San Diego State battled early in the day, but Utah State held on for a big 71-66 win. It would have been a huge resume boost for San Diego State had they pulled it off and would have likely put them safely inside the bubble had they done it. The Aztecs still have a path, but this win yesterday would have been huge.

-Texas A&M won rather decisively at Georgia and are showing they’re as good as anyone else in the SEC. They’re 17-4 on the year, they’ve won 10 of their last 11, they’re 4-2 in true road games, and just beat a really good Georgia team on the road rather handily

-Indiana and UCLA played a double OT thriller in a game where both teams really needed the win. Indiana appeared to have blown it at the end of regulation, but pulled it out in OT 98-97. This probably puts the Hoosiers on the right side of the bubble for now.

-George Mason needed to come from behind at Saint Bonaventure to avoid a loss that would have pretty much ended any hopes of landing inside the bubble, but they picked up a nice road win 77-73.

-Yale, who we thought could make a run at the bubble, lost at home to Harvard 67-65 and were behind for much of the game. We no longer think that Yale can make a run at the bubble.

-Belmont absolutely manhandled Murray State last night. The final score was 103-86, but the game was over just a few minutes into the second half and the final score doesn’t indicate just how dominant Belmont was. The committee needs to be looking at Belmont! They are one of the 40 best teams in the country and they belong inside the bubble.

-Gonzaga held on for an 8-point win at home against Saint Mary’s in the first leg of what has become the WCC’s signature rivalry. We’ll see if this rivalry continues once the Zags move on to the Pac-12 next season.

-And in what is perhaps the most amazing note of all, The Citadel beat UNC Greensboro at home 71-66. With that win they’ve now won for of their last five and are 5-5 in SoCon play. I cannot begin to tell you just how surprising that is.

-I wonder how our colleague John Stalica is feeling after yesterday. Xavier has been having a miserable season and finally had an 18-point comeback and buzzer-beating shot in the same game. Too bad it was wasted against DePaul.

-Butler may have shot themselves between the legs yesterday with a loss at home to Georgetown. With UConn burying Creighton and Seton Hall barely surviving against Marquette, the Big East’s best case scenario is a 4-bid league if The Hall can somehow get hot in February. They are also on the wrong side of the cut line right now.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida suffered a bit of a surprising loss to Auburn earlier in the week and is looking to bounce back against an Alabama team that is solidly in the rankings within reach of a protected seed. It wouldn’t shock me if both teams ended up as protected seeds, so this is a big resume building opportunity.

-ILLINOIS AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). This is a massive match-up between two top ten teams that are very clearly protected seeds. Nebraska is within reach of earning a #1 seed despite them coming off a loss in their last game at Michigan. The two faced each other earlier this year with Nebraska winning on the road. It should be a crazy environment tonight.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Purdue @ Maryland (Big Ten) – Purdue needs to bounce back from their loss to Indiana (not to mention their current 3-game losing streak) and this should be a winnable conference road game for them

-Iowa State @ Kansas State (Big 12) – Iowa State is a solid protected seed and should be able to add another road win to their profile

-Wichita State @ Tulsa (American) – Tulsa is trying to remain atop the American standings and keep whatever at-large bid hopes they still have alive

-TCU @ Colorado (Big 12) – TCU needs to start stringing together wins. This is the kind of game they need to be able to routinely win if they want to show the committee that they belong

-East Tennessee State @ Wofford (SoCon) – these are the two best teams in the SoCon and both are currently tied for 1st place. This should be a fun one to watch.

-Iowa @ Oregon (Big Ten) – this is a conference road game that Iowa needs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Michigan is having a great year and last night it got even better as they knocked off Michigan State on the road 83-71. It is their first true road win against a likely protected seed and now has an even stronger case for a #1 seed, not to mention the bragging rights in the state. They pretty much had a comfortable lead from start to finish, although Michigan State did make a run at them the second half.

-Saint Louis was basically up by 15pts over Dayton before the game eventipped and never looked back on their way to a 102-71 win. It was a home game against a team that’s nowhere near the bubble, but Saint Louis won it so convincingly it was as if they were playing a buy game, so it was an impressive showing.

-Akron looked really impressive in their decisive win over Kent State. The final score was 69-52, but at no point in the game was Akron not in complete control.

-Grand Canyon continues to roll as they had no issues with all at Boise State in their 86-69 win. The Lopes have now won seven of their last nine.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Duke is battling for not just a #1 seed, but the overall #1 seed and VA Tech is squarely on the bubble and trying to play their way onto the right side of the cut line. A win today would certainly help each team.

-TEXAS TECH AT UCF (Big 12). Texas Tech, while very good, does not yet have a true road win against a team that’s inside the bubble. They can fill that hole on their resume today. They are on the road against a team that is inside the bubble, and it’s certainly a game they are good enough to win. For UCF, it’s also a resume building opportunity.

-SAIN DIEGO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). This is a hugely important game. San Diego State has been playing a lot better, but they need to win a game like this if they want to land inside the bubble. Utah State is in a bit of a tailspin, but they are still really good and are at home and will play in front of what should be a bonkers crowd (even at 11 AM Mountain Time). It’s important to both teams and it should be a fun one.

-TEXAS A&M AT GEORGIA (SEC). Texas A&M is actually atop the SEC standings, but this will be one of their bigger challenges of the year and if they can somehow pull it off it will be one of their bigger wins of the year so far. Georgia has lost two straight and needs a big win in a game like this to get things turned back around, so it’s a big deal for both these teams.

-SMU AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Both these teams look like NCAA Tournament teams and Louisville should be in the top half of the bracket. Still, its’ a chance for each of them to pick up a notable win.

-CALIFORNIA AT MIAMI FL (ACC). When it comes to classic ACC rivalries, this one tops them all!! Cal needs a road win, and a road win against a tournament caliber team will help them out even more. Miami FL could still use some notable wins on their profile, so this is a big game for both teams.

-BYU AT KANSAS (Big 12). BYU is a likely protected seed. While they are high in the rankings, and while they have a great record of 17-3, I still think they’re being undervalued. They lost by just 2 to UConn in Boston without a full roster and they nearly beat top ranked Arizona the other night. They could have easily won both those games, and if they had we’d be talking about them as a #1 seed. Kansas is good. It is hard to win at Kansas. But BYU actually is good enough to do it, and if they do then people might realize just how good BYU actually is.

-INDIANA AT UCLA (Big Ten). This feels like a bubblicious game. A few weeks ago I had no faith at all in Indiana, but after their home win against Purdue things may be turning around. UCLA is another team that’s been trending up after being in a bit of a tailspin. They’ve won five of their last six, which also includes a win over Purdue, and have another tough but winnable game today. Both teams could really use this one.

-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Kentucky had won five straight before being embarrassed by Vanderbilt earlier in the week. They’ve got another very tough road game today against an Arkansas team that’s probably as tough to beat on the road as Vanderbilt is. Both teams are likely tournament teams, but both still have room to improve their profiles.

-MURRAY STATE AT BELMONT (Missouri Valley). I highlight this game because I think Belmont should be right on the bubble (although the real committee may not feel that way), and if they can win out through the regular season they should be in the field. These are the two best teams in the MVC and the series actually dates back to when they were oftentimes the two best teams in the OVC. This really could be a game that impacts the bubble.

-AUBURN AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Half-way through January Auburn did not look that good. Now that it’s the end of January, Auburn is looking much better. They’ve won four straight, which includes a win at Florida, and they’ve gone from looking like they don’t belong in the field at all to looking like they will easily make it if they keep this up. Tennessee has also had a hell of a week winning back-to-back road games at Alabama and at Georgia and completely changing the complexion of their profile. Both teams have had their struggles this season, but both are playing better now than they have at any point this season and this should be a great game.

-SAINT MARY’S AT GONZAGA (West Coast). This is one of the best rivalries in college basketball. Gonzaga is a protected seed, they appear to be the better team, and they are at home. Saint Mary’s looks like a solid tournament team and has a chance to really boost the value of their resume if they can somehow pull the upset, but that won’t be easy. This one is always fun and it should be again tonight.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Cincinnati @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston should be able to hold serve in this one. They could still end up seeded on the 1-line. They are that good. And yet this could be the game where UC finally breaks their jinx against Houston.

-Pittsburgh @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson should be able to hold serve in this one

-Marquette @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall did what they had to against Xavier and today needs to hold serve again. They can’t afford to lose at home to teams that are nowhere near the bubble

-Georgetown @ Butler (Big East) – If Butler is going to make a run at the bubble then they need to start stringing together wins

-Virginia @ Boston College (ACC) – UVA shouldn’t have any trouble at all picking up this conference road win

-North Carolina @ Georgia Tech (ACC) – It’s never easy to win on the road, but UNC is good enough to where they should win this one on the road

-Ohio State @ Wisconsin (Big Ten) – Wisky is somewhat safely inside the bubble and this is the kind of game they need to avoid losing to stay somewhat safe

-Long Island @ Central Connecticut (NEC) – this is perhaps Long Island’s toughest conference game and if they can win it they should be running down hill toward a first place finish

-East Tennessee State @ Wofford (SoCon) – both these teams are tied atop the conference standings and today’s game will play an important roll toward determining the first place finisher

-High Point @ Longwood (Big South) – High Point is trying to remain atop the Big South standings and stay ahead of Winthrop

-Northern Illinois @ Miami OH (MAC) – it’s the same storyline we always now have with Miami. Can they remain unbeaten and stay in the rankings?

-Mississppi State @ Missouri (SEC) – Missouri needs to hold serve at home and avoid a home loss to a team that’s nowhere near making the field

-Baylor @ West Virginia (Big 12) – West Virginia has won five of their last seven and is starting to climb the Big 12 standings. This should be another winnable game today

-NJIT @ Vermont (America East) – Vermont should be able to put some distance between themselves and everyone else

-Appalachian State @ Troy (Sun Belt) – Troy needs to bounce back from their loss to James Madison to stay atop the SBC standings

-Austin Peay @ West Georgia (Atlantic Sun) – Peay can hold on to first place with a win

-UT Martin @ Western Illinois (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the win and holding on to first place

-Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt (SEC) – Ole Miss has been playing better, but this is still one that Vandy should win and remain solidly in the range of a protected seed

-North Dakota State @ South Dakota (Summit League) – North Dakota State is in sole possession of first place and can put some distance between themselves and Saint Thomas with a win today

–Montana State @ Portland State (Big Sky) – While Portland State is no longer undefeated in the Big Sky, they have little time to lick their wounds as Montana State visits Rip City to potentially claim first place for themselves.

-SELA @ Stephen F Austin (Southland) – SFA is a game up on McNeese in the Southland standings and needs to hold serve

-George Mason @ Saint Bonaventure (Atlantic 10) – Mason is good, but their schedule is not. If they win out to the A10 semifinals they will likely get a serious look from the committee, but anything short of that and they’ll probably need the auto-bid

-Rutgers @ USC (Big Ten) – USC doesn’t get many easy conference games so they need to hold serve in this one

-Connecticut @ Creighton (Big East) – Winning at Creighton can be tough to do, but UConn should be able to pick this one up, which would be their 7th true road win of the year, which is amazing

-South Florida @ Temple (American) – South Florida is perhaps the team in the American with the highest ceiling, but they will face a bit of a challenge from a Temple team that may be tough to beat on the road

-Santa Clara @ LMU (West Coast) – Santa Clara has a path to the bubble but they need to keep winning in order to get there

-New Mexico @ San Jose State (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to pick this one up and add another conference road win to their profile

AND A FEW RIVALRIES

–LSU at South Carolina (SEC) – Oh wait, this is not the women’s game where both teams are usually in the Top 10 (and sometimes Top 5). Combine this with a winter storm and the crowd will literally just be family and friends.

-Arizona @ Arizona State (Big 12) – I know it’s a rivalry game and I know Arizona is on the road, but Arizona is also soooo much better than Arizona State and they shouldn’t sweat them too much.

-NC State @ Wake Forest (ACC) – NC State has won five of their last six and is finally playing at the level we thought they would be prior to the start of the season. They still have work to do and this would be a nice road win over a rival

-Texas @ Oklahoma (SEC) – it’s weird to not be highlighting this game, but the storyline is that while it’s a rivalry neither team is solidly in the field and both still have a lot of work to do (although Texas has been playing better)

-Harvard @ Yale (Ivy League) – Yale should cruise through this one. It’s a rivalry game, but Yale is better and they are at home

–Eastern Washington at Northern Colorado (Big Sky) – The NoCoEWU Cup! Can Northern Colorado finally start gaining some traction in the Big Sky and potentially be a spoiler for Starch Madness?

–Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (Conference USA) – 100 Miles Of Hate is what this rivalry is known as; MTSU will look to rebound after a drubbling against conference leader Liberty.

–Dartmouth at Brown (Ivy League) – The Brown Mouth Cup actually does have some Ivy League Tournament implications; if you’re a fan of Keggy the Keg/Dartmouth.

–Colorado State at Wyoming (Mountain West/Front Range) – We at Hoops HD love the Front Range and the Border War Rivalry within the Front Range!

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Wofford, who was expected to be the doormat of the SoCon this year largely due to what they went through off the court prior to the start of the season, could very well be the best team in the SoCon. They blew away Chattanooga 81-55 last night to improve to 7-2 in SoCon play and have now won eight of their last ten and pulled even with East Tennessee State at the top of the standings.

-That would be because ETSU had a surprising home loss to Western Carolina. Even more shocking is that gives the Catamounts a season sweep of the Bucs.

-I can’t decide which team’s collapse is more surprising and…well…more complete (I guess). It’s either Northern Colorado or Hofstra. Hofstra lost their fifth straight game last night as they fell at home to Charleston 66-64. A couple of weeks ago I would have told you I thought they were good enough to run away from the CAA and make a run at the bubble. I would have said the same about Northern Colorado prior to conference play starting.

-Troy, who is a bit schizophrenic, appeared to have pulled it together and to be establishing themselves as the best team in the Sun Belt. So of course they lost at home last night to James Madison 73-64.

-We thought Liberty would be tested on the road last night at Middle Tennessee, but they really weren’t. Liberty won rather easily 81-65, is clearly the best team in CUSA, and may be the best overall Under the Radar team.

-Saint Thomas suffered a surprising home loss to North Dakota last night 81-80 and we now suddenly have a logjam at the top of the Summit League standings. This game snapped what was the nation’s longest home court winning streak, so a really nice win for North Dakota.

-Last but not least, UC Irvine needed overtime to get by Hawaii, but they pulled away in the extra frame for a big 87-76 win. This puts the Eaters atop the Big West standings as the two teams split the regular season series. This would have been a massive, perhaps seedline-jumping level win for Hawaii had they been able to pull it off. Still, if Hawaii does end up winning the automatic bid they will be a very dangerous team in the Round of 64.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-KENT STATE AT AKRON (MAC). This is one of the great rivalries in all of college basketball and not just one of the better UTR rivlaries. Kent State is having a good year and Akron may be the best team in the conference despite the fact that Miami OH is the team that’s in the rankings and getting all the attention. I love this rivalry and can’t wait for it tonight.

-MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). It’s a rivalry game between two protected seeds and it will always be a battle when these two get together. As good as Michigan is, they don’t have a win as good as this one would be on their resume yet. This would be a true road win against a top ten team. Not to mention what this game means off paper.

-DAYTON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic 10). Dayton was my preseason pick (again) to win the A10. I picked them to win (again) because I am an IDIOT!! Of course they’ve fallen apart and of course they are in a tailspin. Saint Louis, on the other hand, is in the rankings and on a path to landing in the top half of the bracket. They could be challenged today at home, though, because on the occasions when Dayton does pull it together they are a tough team to beat. Especially tough when the Arch Baron Cup is at stake!

-Providence @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova has been playing well, is easily in the top half of the bracket right now, and should be able to hold serve tonight. They can’t completely overlook the Friars; they’ve been competitive in both games against UConn and did manage to beat St. John’s at MSG.

-Dartmouth @ Yale (Ivy League) – Yale is the best team in the conference, they are good enough to win out, and if they do they are going to be right on the bubble

–Mount Saint Mary’s @ Saint Peters (MAAC) – SPC is trying to remain atop the MAAC standings

-Boise State @ Grand Canyon (Mountain West) – I don’t know if Grand Canyon can get themselves all the way inside the bubble because it took them a little too long to get rolling, but they are definitely rolling now! They should be able to hold serve in this one and pick up yet another win.