Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-After beating up on TCU for doing nothing all season other than devouring cupcakes, they went into Kansas and nearly pulled off one of the bigger surprises of the season. The game came down to the final possession, but Kansas held on to win 73-71. That makes me want to FURTHER emphasize how weak TCU’s schedule was. They’re a good team. They’re capable of beating teams that are much better than the ones they played OOC. Yet, because they did play that kind of schedule, their resume is still void of any big wins and they’ve actually put a lot more pressure on themselves to perform during conference play.

-Ole Miss suffered their first loss of the season, and that’s no real surprise because of how weak their schedule has been. Tennessee rolled them over 90-64 and the Vols continue to look like a solid top-15 caliber team.

-Kentucky picked up a big win as they went on the road to Florid and held on 87-85. This was another game that came down to the final minute of play. The Gators had an early lead, then Kentucky appeared to be in control, then the Gators came back. Both teams are good, and both will almost assuredly be dancing come March. As for Kentucky, it was their second road win of the season with the other coming against Louisville, which I’m not sure really counts.

-Marquette and Seton Hall was a game that seesawed back and forth, but Seton Hall held on to pick up yet another big win on their home court. Seton Hall didn’t exactly sprint out of the starting gate, but they didn’t really fall either. Since losing to Rutgers they’ve won five out of six and beaten Missouri, UConn, Providence, and now Marquette in that stretch.

-I really like this North Carolina team and think they’ve looked the best out of the entire ACC. They picked up a very impressive road win yesterday against Clemson 65-55, who I think has looked like the second best team out of the ACC. This may be the best regular season team the Tarheels have had since Huber Davis took over.

-Cincinnati amassed an 11-2 record by going to the pastry cart and loading up on cupcakes, and they even struggled to win a few of those, so it was an utter shock to see them go on the road to BYU and pick up what might be their most impressive win since Mick Cronin left. Their defense was incredible and they totally dominated the second half for a 71-60 win. And just like that, we’ve got to start paying really close attention to the Bearcats.

-Utah State held off Colorado State in a game that was an absolute rock fight. It was close throughout, but Utah State got control late and held on for the 77-72 win. Utah State is now 14-1 on the season and should be getting a lot more national love after knocking off a top 15 team (albeit at home).

-Florida Atlantic has a better record against tournament caliber teams than they do against teams that aren’t likely to make the NIT. Their wins have come against teams like Butler, Texas A&M, and Arizona, and their losses have come to teams like Bryant, Florida Gulf Coast, and now…Charlotte. I don’t really know how to evaluate this team because they are all over the place. The bad news for them is that their league is full of teams like Charlotte, who aren’t likely to be anywhere close to the NIT, and that seems to be FAU’s kryptonite. They actually trailed by 15 at the half and had to come back, but couldn’t come all the way back and lost 70-68.

-James Madison suffered their first loss of the season as they fell 81-71 to Southern Miss. Southern Miss has actually been a little disappointing this year given given what their potential appeared to be in the preseason, but sometimes a team like that that’s in a showcase game can be the most dangerous ones. I still think JMU is in good shape to land inside the bubble, and could even endure another loss or two and still be fine. This game was harder to win on the road than perhaps what it appears on the surface.

-Texas Tech got their first big win of the year as they went into Texas and knocked off the Longhorns 78-67. Texas is still looking for their first big win of the year, and why they are in the top 25 is a mystery to me.

-Providence has now lost two straight and is starting to show some real cracks in the armor. Granted, losing to Seton Hall and on the road at Creighton are not exactly bad losses at all, but injuries may be taking their toll. Creighton, on the other hand, picked up a 69-60 win at home that they really kinda needed and are still very much within reach of the NCAA Tournament.

-Auburn blew out Arkansas 83-51 on Arkansas’s home court. The Razorbacks just don’t look anything like we were expecting given all their talent this year. Auburn, on the other hand, is VERY good and they did something yesterday that I’ve beaten them up quite a bit for in recent years! They won on the road! BIG!!!

-South Carolina’s big season continues as they improved to 13-1 after a 68-62 win over a very good Mississippi State team. People need to start paying attention to the Gamecocks. I’m kind of surprised they’re not getting more national love yet.

-Saint John’s just keeps getting better and better, and they got a nice 81-71 win on the road against Villanova yesterday. These are two teams that look to be going in opposite directions.

-Georgia is now 11-3 on the year after their 75-68 win over Missouri on the road. It’s time to sit up and take some notice of the Bulldogs.

-Virginia continues to struggle big time, and at this point doesn’t look anything like an NCAA Tournament team. They lost handily on the road, again, to an NC State team that’s good, but not so good that they should be beating tournament caliber teams 76-60.

-George Mason is now 13-2 after their win over Saint Louis. They are one of a couple teams from the Atlantic 10 that may be positioning themselves to make a run at the bubble.

-Miami FL, after looking really good earlier in the week against Clemson, went on the road against a so-so Wake Forest team and lost 86-82 in overtime. It’s a bit of a setback for a Miami team that just seems to be flying under everyone’s radar, but the Canes are still good and can still be very dangerous come March.

-Colorado suffered their second straight loss as they fell 76-73 to Arizona State. The blowout loss to Arizona earlier in the week wasn’t all that damagin, but losing to an Arizona State team that’s looking like an NIT caliber team at the moment is actually a little more damaging.

-Ohio State could not hold on to beat Indiana and is now 12-3 on the season after losing 71-65 to the Hoosiers on the road. I’m still not a believer in the Hoosiers, but this was a nice win (albeit at home) for them.

-Texas A&M, a team that we were really big on from the start of the year up through the Holidays, lost rather badly at home 68-53 to an LSU team that we haven’t been big on at all at any point. It definitely raises some question marks about Uncle Buzz and TAMU.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-UMASS AT DAYTON (Atlantic 10). Both teams have good records, but Dayton’s team and profile appear to be better. If anyone is good enough from the A10 to make a run at landing solidly inside the bubble, it’s the Flyers, but they need to hold serve in games like this.

-INDIANA STATE AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley). This could be a tough road test against a Northern Iowa team that’s talented, but that’s sort of fallen short of expectations this year. Indiana State is unbeaten in league play, 12-2 overall, has a strong resume, and can land inside the bubble if they can keep winning at the clip they have been.

-DRAKE AT BELMONT (Missouri Valley). Drake still has a chance of landing inside the bubble, but their margin for error is small and they basically can’t afford to lose any games like this one.

-SMU AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis just keeps looking better and better. They appear to be heading toward the top half of the bracket and should be able to hold serve at home against a decent (but not great) SMU team.

-MARYLAND AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Minnesota comes in at 11-3, which is the kind of record that gets your attention, but they’re still a little low on the kinds of wins that get your attention. Still, a win today keeps them on a good path.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). This is probably the best game of the day. Both teams look like tournament caliber teams, but both also have room to improve and need to build up their resumes, so it’s a good opportunity at home. Northwestern has the big win against Purdue at home, but is also looking to bounce back from their blowout loss at Illinois. Michigan State has now won five straight after a bit of a sluggish start and is starting to look more and more like the team we thought they’d be in the preseason.

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

OBSERVATION: Miami FL and San Diego State were both Final Four teams last year. This year each have only two losses through the first week of January. Currently, neither team is ranked. Has that EVER happened before?? A Final Four team with just two losses not ranked?? Much less to TWO teams??

-Last night UConn had to come from behind in the second half to win at Butler, but did get it done. Illinois had a late surge against Purdue to make the score respectable, but at no point did it feel like the Boilers were not in complete control.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MARQUETTE AT SETON HALL (Big East). Seton Hall has come to life with some big wins in the last couple of weeks and their resume is starting to look better and better. They can add to it again if they can somehow knock off a really good Marquette team that’s looking like they could get a protected seed and who could pick up a nice road win themselves.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT CLEMSON (ACC). I really like how both of these teams have been playing. I think they’ve looked like the two best teams in the ACC so far, and both have a very good chance of ending up as a protected seed. Since it is a road game this would probably be UNC’s biggest win of the season to date.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Both teams have looked impressive so far, and while both have a smattering of decent wins both still have a lot of work to do if they really want to build up their resumes. Mississippi State has only played one true road game and it was a loss, and South Carolina’s last four games have been home buy games.

-KENTUCKY AT FLORIDA (SEC). Kentucky seems to keep getting better as the season progresses, but they’ll really be tested on the road today against a Florida team that’s really good and probably not getting the respect they should be. That will almost assuredly change if the Gators can pull this one off at home.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East). Both teams have been playing reasonably well, but both also have room to improve. Nova barely survived against Xavier earlier in the week and the Johnnies knocked off a pretty good Butler team. It’s a big road test for Saint John’s, but they have played really well in their last few games.

-TCU AT KANSAS (Big 12). TCU has built up a really good record against a really bad schedule. If they can somehow win at Kansas, then none of us can say that they’ve only beaten weak teams. Kansas looks like a potential #1 seed (again) and should be able to hold serve at home in this one.

-PROVIDENCE AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Providence is coming off a tough home loss to Seton Hall and it won’t be easy on the road against a Creighton team that has been good, but not quite as good as what they may have been expecting. In short, this is a game between two teams that have done well, but can still do better.

-AUBURN AT ARKANSAS (SEC). I like this Auburn team and although they’re in the rankings I think they’re going to end up ranked higher by the end of the year. Arkansas is talented, but has underperformed up to this point. This would be big both on paper and for their overall confidence to knock off Auburn at home.

-VIRGINIA AT NC STATE (ACC). Both teams have good records, but both have shown some serious flaws and both still have a lot of work to do between now and the end. This is a game where both teams should be coming in with a bit of a sense of urgency.

-NEBRASKA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Nebraska has our attention as a potential tournament caliber team. Now, if they can go to Wisconsin and win, we’ll start thinking of them as more than just a potential tournament team, but a LIKELY tournament team. Having said that, it’s much easier said than done. Wisconsin is probably being a little undervalued given how well they’ve played this year, and they are exceptionally tough to beat at home.

-MIAMI FL AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). Miami FL is coming off a very impressive win against Clemson where they played out of their minds in the second half. They were in the Final Four a year ago, they’re 11-2 this year, yet they somehow still seem to be off of everyone’s radar. This is a winnable road game against a Wake team that’s got a pretty good record, but doesn’t have any really big wins yet (other than perhaps Florida).

-OLE MISS AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Ole Miss comes in unbeaten, but this is by far their biggest test of the year. They’ve struggled to win in some of their home buy games. Well, this anything but a home buy game. Tennessee is a likely/nearly assured protected seed. If Ole Miss can win this one then they will be richly deserving of a high ranking and a lot of praise.

-IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). We discussed this on the last Hoops HD Report, but while both these teams have good records, neither has looked all that impressive or been all that tested yet. It’s a big opportunity for both teams and it will be interesting to see what they end up doing against each other.

-UCF AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12). Both teams have good records, but both have also had a limited number of tests and both still have a lot of work to do. It will be interesting to see what they can do against each other tonight.

-UTAH AT ARIZONA (Pac 12). Arizona’s last two games have been utterly stunning. They were beaten rather badly by Stanford, and they followed that up with a 47 win against Colorado the other night. Both results were jaw dropping on complete opposite ends. Utah is a good team, but they don’t have anything anywhere close to a win of this caliber on their resume. They’re also coming off a road loss to Arizona State, so chances are Arizona will be able to hold serve.

-TEXAS TECH AT TEXAS (Big 12). Both teams have good records, but I feel that neither has been all that impressive this season and that both still have a lot of work to do. This is a good opportunity for both of them to get what would probably be the best win of the season up to this point.

-OHIO STATE AT INDIANA (Big Ten). I believe Ohio State has looked like a solid NCAA Tournament team and Indiana has looked like an NIT team (if that). It’s never easy to win on the road, but it’s still the kind of road game the Buckeyes should be able to win.

-COLORADO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West). This one should be an absolute battle. Colorado State has some big wins already and is pretty high in the rankings. Utah State has a very impressive 13-1 record and has a handful of decent wins of their own, but this would by far be their biggest of the season. It would also get them onto the national stage, so it’s as much of a spotlight opportunity as it is a resume-building opportunity.

-CINCINNATI AT BYU (Big 12). Cincinnati comes in at 11-2, but they amassed that record against a pretty weak schedule. They have nothing close to a quality win yet, and need to win some games like this in order to actually put themselves onto the radar. BYU is up to 12th in the rankings, and while I don’t think they’re quite THAT good, they are still VERY good.

-OREGON AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12). Oregon picked up a big win against their rivals Washington earlier in the week, and while they’ll be tested again tonight it’s the kind of road game they Ducks are capable of winning. Their resume is starting to look better and better.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Pittsburgh @ Louisville (ACC) – Pitt has an outside shot at landing inside the bubble, but they need to start stringing together wins
-Rutgers @ Iowa (Big Ten) – both teams have work to do
-Georgia @ Missouri (SEC) – Georgia has a pretty good record, but hasn’t really been tested yet. Missouri has been a little disappointing and it would really be a setback if they lost this one today
-Samford @ The Citadel (SoCon) – Samford can get to 13-2 with a win
-Wright State @ Purdue Fort Wayne (Horizon League) – PFW can get to 14-2 with a win
-West Virginia @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston should roll and remain unbeaten
-Tulane @ North Texas (American) – they’ve got a ton of work to do, but this is a winnable road game for Tulane which would get them to 11-3 on the year
-Saint Louis @ George Mason (Atlantic 10) – a win for George Mason gets them to an impressive 13-2, but the margin for error is still small
-Harvard @ Princeton (Ivy League) – Princeton is good enough to dominate this league and land inside the bubble
-McNeese @ TAMU Commerce (Southland) – McNeese will likely win out. In fact they will likely completely blow out every team they play all throughout Southland play
-Baylor @ Oklahoma State (Big 12) – it’s never easy to win games like this on the road, but teams as good as Baylor should be able to win games that aren’t easy to win
-James Madison @ Southern Miss (Sun Belt) – this is another potentially tough road test for JMU, but they are certainly good enough to win it and to remain unbeaten
-Alabama @ Vanderbilt (SEC) – Alabama has fallen off a lot of people’s radars, but they’re still a good team that’s played a really tough schedule. They should be able to get this one on the road today
-Florida Atlantic @ Charlotte (American) – This should be a very manageable road game for FAU
-Boston College @ Georgia Tech (ACC) – both teams have work to do, but both have done enough to where they have a path (albeit a steep one) to land inside the bubble
-UNLV @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – San Diego State should hold serve at home and improve to 13-2
-Virginia Tech @ Florida State (ACC) – VA Tech has a lot of work to do, and these are the kinds of games they simply cannot lose if they want to reach the bubble
-Wofford @ Western Carolina (SoCon) – a win for WCU gets them to an amazing 13-2
-Duke @ Notre Dame (ACC) – Duke should win this one, but Notre Dame has suddenly become tough to beat at home
-Oregon State @ Washington (Pac 12) – after three straight tough losses, Washington needs to start stringing together wins to have any sort of a chance
-Liberty @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – both teams have good records and have shown to be fairly decent UTR teams. It should be an entertaining match-up
-Nevada @ Fresno State (Mountain West) – this is a seriously good Nevada team, and a road win today gets them to 14-1 on the year
-Colorado @ Arizona State (Pac 12) – the Buffs need to bounce back from their blowout loss at Arizona earlier this week
-LSU @ Texas A&M (SEC) – TAMU should be able to hold serve at home
-San Diego @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – the Zags pretty much need to win out to land inside the bubble
-Grand Canyon @ Utah Tech (WAC) – a win for GCU gets them to an amazing 14-1 on the year
-Wyoming @ New Mexico (Mountain West) – New Mexico should be able to hold serve and get to 13-2 on the year

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

-Arizona clobbered Colorado 97-50. Whatever was wrong with them against Stanford has been fixed!! WOW!!

-As expected, James Madison got a battle at the Cajun Dome against Louisiana, and it was a highly intense game, but they held on to win 68-61 in a game that came down to the final 30 seconds or so.

-For the third straight game, Washington played really well against a really good team, and for the third straight game….they lost. This time at home to Oregon 76-74. The Ducks improve to 11-3 on the year, are still perfect in Pac 12 play, and now have another nice road win on their resume.

-Minnesota picked up a road win at Michigan 73-71 to improve to 11-3 on the season. Michigan certainly has their issues, but it’s time to start paying some attention to this Minnesota team.

-Utah fell on the road to Arizona State 82-70. It isn’t an overly-crippling loss by any means, but it is the kind of game that you would expect a top 40ish/NCAA Tournament caliber team to be able to win.

-CONNECTICUT AT BUTLER (Big East). Butler has reasonably well in their last two games, but they’ve lost both of them and they have another hugely tall order tonight against a UConn team that is in the hunt for a #1 seed.

-ILLINOIS AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Both teams are ranked in the top ten, but with Illinois suddenly being without their most key player and Purdue being at home, it could end up looking rather lopsided by the time it’s over.