Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-The showcase game of the day saw Purdue give a very solid performance from tip to buzzer in the Indy Classic, and knock off top ranked Arizona 92-84. The year isn’t even half way over yet, but as of now Purdue may be putting together one of the strongest resumes I’ve seen in the last 20 years. They have wins over Gonzaga, Tennessee, Marquette, Alabama, and now Arizona. All of those wins came away from home. As for Arizona, they are still a #1 seed caliber team and will turn around and face a really good Alabama team later this week.

-Indiana had a lead against Kansas for over 35 minutes, and they led by as much as 13 in the second half, but just couldn’t hold on. Kansas had to really sweat, but they survived 75-71 after making some big plays in the final couple minutes. It was the by far the best the Hoosiers had looked this year despite them not winning the game.

-Houston was on cruise control against Texas A&M, but then went to sleep as TAMU came all the way back from over 15 down in the second half. Houston held on 70-66 to remain unbeaten, but it came down to the final minute of play.

-After taking the first five weeks of the season off, Michigan State is finally looking like the top ten team we thought they were. In fact yesterday they looked like a Final Four team as they absolutely blew unbeaten and 6th ranked Baylor off the court 88-64. The halftime score was 45-17. The Spartans still have a long way to go to make up for all the ground they’ve lost. They had lost three out of four prior to this, including a really bad looking loss to Nebraska, so maybe this is the game that finally turns their season around.

-Creighton and Alabama was a close and exciting game to watch as you would expect. The Bluejays got it done 85-82 at home, and bounced back from their somewhat embarrassing blowout loss to UNLV earlier in the week. As for Alabama, they fall to 6-4, but they’ve played a rough schedule and most of those losses were competitive games against really good teams, so I’m still a believer in the Tide. They’ll face Arizona later this week.

-Kentucky kept North Carolina at arms length for most of the game in the CBS Sports Classic, but UNC still made some runs and even took the lead late in the second half. The Wildcats made the plays they had to and held on to win 87-83 for what is their biggest win of the year so far.

-Clemson suffered their first loss on the road to Memphis 79-77. Memphis came from behind after trailing 39-32 at halftime and had some big defensive stops in key moments late in the game. While this would have been another big win for Clemson’s resume, the loss is hardly a setback. Memphis is the kind of team that should easily make the NCAA Tournament and be voted in on the first ballot.

-Virginia decided to start the holidays early and just didn’t show up for their game against Northeastern. They were behind for most of the game and barely got the win 56-54. The Hoos just barely avoided a huge landmine of a loss.

-Miami FL also didn’t look all that sharp of a lot of their game against La Salle, and haven’t really looked all that sharp for much of the year. They did hold on to win 84-77 and are a respectable 8-2 on the year, but for a team that was in the Final Four and that returned the bulk of their roster they just haven’t looked as strong as we were expecting this year. At least not so far.

-Indiana State is now 10-1 on the year after knocking off Ball State 83-72 in the Indy Classic. Indiana State should be getting way more attention than what they are. Their record is strong, but they’ve beaten som pretty strong teams along the way and are starting to look like they belong inside the bubble and should be talked about as a legit top 40 caliber team.

-Ohio State is now 9-2 after knocking off UCLA 67-60 in the other CBS Sports Classic game. I keep waiting for the Bruins to snap out of it and start stringing together wins, but it hasn’t happened yet. They are now just 5-4 on the year with no real wins of note.

-Utah State held off San Francisco 54-53 in an absolute rock fight in Salt Lake to improve to 11-1 and remain solidly on track to land inside the bubble. Utah State is another team that the nation needs to be paying more attention to. I know yesterday wasn’t pretty, but they did get the win and they’ve had a great overall season up to this point.

-Arkansas is another team that’s been very hot and cold throughout the year. They got a huge scare yesterday from Lipscomb, but held on to win 69-66. It wouldn’t have been Arkansas’s first home buy game loss this year had they not held on to win.

-Saint Mary’s, after taking the first four or five weeks of the season off, has finally started to string together wins and play like the top 15 team we thought they were going to be coming into the year. They still have a long way to go to get all the way back to being in the top 15, but they had a hard fought double overtime win against a UNLV team that just win a big game against Creighton, they’v now won three in a row to get their record out to 6-5, and they’ve beaten Cleveland State, Colorado State, and UNLV in that stretch.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-OREGON VS SYRACUSE (Sioux Falls SD). Syracuse has won four of their last five with the only loss coming to Virginia and they have a decent win over LSU in that stretch. Oregon’s record is 7-2, but neither team has much in the way of quality or notable wins yet, so both could really use this one.

-USC AT AUBURN. USC has been a little disappointing so far this season, but one way to turn things around in a hurry is to go on the road and win a game like this. Having said that, that’s far easier said than done.

-NEBRASKA AT KANSAS STATE. Nebraska is 8-2, but has really just made a living off of home buy games and needs a win like this before the committee really starts to pay attention to them. K State, despite losing a key player a couple weeks back, has continued to win and has knocked off Villanova and LSU in their last two games. They should be able to get this one at home as well.

-SETON HALL AT MISSOURI. Mizzou has been playing reasonably well since their loss to Jackson State a few weeks back and should be able to hold serve today and get to 8-3 on the year.

-WASHINGTON AT SEATTLE U. This is the first true road game for Washington, but it’s only technically a road game. Seattle U is doing the event management, but the game is in Climate Pledge Arena, and it will be at best a neutral crowd, and most likely a pro-Washington crowd. The Huskies are really having a good year and are coming off their huge win against Gonzaga from a week ago. They should be able to pick this one up at home…I mean on the road!!

-NEVADA AT HAWAII. This is a big road test for a Nevada team that’s off to an outstanding 8-1 start and has some decent wins already. Hawaii is 7-1 on the year, but most of their wins have come at home and they haven’t been tested that strongly yet, so it’ll be interesting to see what they can do tonight.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES/BUY GAMES:

-Colgate @ Illinois. Colgate will likely blow through the Patriot League and they could give Illinois a decent game today, but it’s still a mismatch
-Cal State Fullerton @ Boise State – a win for Boise State gets them to 8-3 on the year
-North Texas @ Mississippi State – This should be the kind of game Mississippi State should blow through, but they’ve struggled (and even lost) some of their home buy games and better not overlook North Texas
-Louisana @ McNeese – McNeese just keeps on winning and will likely be favored through the rest of the season. A win today gets them to 10-2
-CSU Pueblo (nonD1) @ Colorado State
-Florida A&M @ Iowa State

-UConn pretty much controlled the entire game against Gonzaga out in Seattle last night. It was yet another really impressive showing for the defending champs.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-ARIZONA VS PURDUE (Indy Classic, Indianapolis IN) (***Spotlight Game***). Well, this game SHOULD have a big spotlight on it, but unless you have Peacock you probably won’t be able to see it. It’s two highly ranked teams that are on an early pace to end up as a #1 seed. Both have the chance to pick up a win today that would go a long way toward landing them on the #1 line. Both are good enough to win it all, and it will be fun to see what they can do against each other today.

-LSU VS TEXAS (Halal Guys Showcase, Houston TX). Texas’s only wins have been home buy games and Louisville (barely), so they haven’t even really begun to build their resume yet. This wouldn’t be a great win by any means, but at least it’s something other than a home buy game or Louisville.

-LA SALLE AT MIAMI FL. I still think the Canes can have a big year, but although they’re 7-2 they’ve struggled in their showcase games. La Salle is hardly a showcase opponent, but they are a respectable 8-2 on the year so Miami does not want to just overlook them.

-GEORGIA TECH VS PENN STATE (New York NY). GA Tech has some decent home wins, but they haven’t done anything away from home. This is a winnable neutral site game against a Penn State team that is, at best, luke warm.

-KANSAS AT INDIANA. It’s the first true road game of the year for Kansas, but it still feels like this game is a huge mistmatch in their favor. The Hoosiers are unbeaten at home, but they’ve had to sweat out some buy games against weaker teams and haven’t really looked all that good lately. Kansas is ranked 2nd in the nation and looks like a Final Four contender and Indiana does not even look like an NIT team.

-BALL STATE AT INDIANA STATE. These are two under the radar teams. Indiana State has had a really good year, is off to a 9-1 start, and has been a bit of a surprise. There is obviously a long way left to go, but right now they’re playing like a team that could land inside the bubble. Ball State is also a very impressive 8-2 and can really boost the quality of their resume if they’re able to pull this one off on the road. It’s a game that isn’t likely to get a lot of attention, but it’s actually one of the more intriguing games of the day.

-BAYLOR VS MICHIGAN STATE (Detroit MI). It should be a very much pro-Spartans crowd, but so far Michigan State just hasn’t played up to their expectations. In fact, they’ve fallen about a thousand miles short of them. Instead of looking like a protected seed they’ve barely looked like an NIT team. Having said. that, this may be the kind of game that can jumpstart their season and get them turned arond. Baylor is off to a 9-0 start and has managed some decent wins, but they may be tested in this one today more than what most are expecting.

-SANTA CLARA VS WASHINGTON STATE (Jerry Colangelo Classic, Phoenix AZ). Wazzu is a respectable 8-1 on the year, but their only real test was against Mississippi State and they lost that game. Santa Clara is at least a respectable team, so it’s a chance for them to get a win that counts for a little more than a home buy win.

-TEMPLE AT VCU. A win for Temple can get them to a respectable 7-3 on the year and give them their 3rd true road win. The next two games are a chance for us to learn something about the Owls.

-TEXAS A&M AT HOUSTON (Halal Guys Showcase, Houston TX). This should be a fun one. Houston is again looking like a Final Four contender, and TAMU is a team that’s off to a decent start, but who we think has more potential than what they’ve shown. If they can somehow win this one the value of their resume will skyrocket.

-CLEMSON AT MEMPHIS. Clemson is off to an unbelievable 9-0 start and already has some big wins on their resume. Today is another big test for the Tigers as they go on the road to face the…well…Tigers. Memphis already has some notable wins against Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas A&M, and has a chance to pick up another big win today. In short, these are two good teams that have already started to build good resumes, and whoever wins today can add to that.

-OHIO STATE AT UCLA (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta GA). I still think UCLA has a good team and can end up having a big year, but to date they really don’t have any notable wins on their resume, and could therefore really use this one today. Ohio State seemed to be cruising along, but had a really surprising loss to Penn State their last time out and will be looking to rebound from that.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC VS SAINT BONAVENTURE (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Springfield MA). The Bonnies are out to a 7-2 start, but don’t have any statement wins. That being said, a win today would CERTAINLY qualify as a statement win. FAU is a top 15 team that still has a good chance of ending up as a protected seed.

-SAN FRANCISCO VS UTAH STATE (Salt Lake City UT). Utah State is off to a very good 10-1 start with some decent wins on their resume, and this looks like another winnable game against a decent, but not great, San Francisco team.

-VERMONT AT VIRGINIA TECH. This is a buy game, but it also has a fair amount of intrigue. Vermont is a very respectable 8-3 and a team that could easily bloat out their record and run away from the America East. This is a chance for them to pick up a big time signature win. Virginia Tech is quietly off to a 7-3 start and I think is good enough to make some noise in the ACC and land inside the bubble, but they’ll get a bigger test today than what they may be expecting.

-NORTH CAROLINA VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic, Atlanta GA). Both teams have shown moments of looking really good this year, but both teams have also had their down moments as well, especially Kentucky who lost to UNC Wilmington earlier in the year. North Carolina has a big win against Tennessee, but this would probably be their best win away from home to date. It would be the biggest win of the season for Kentucky to date as well.

-UNLV VS SAINT MARY’S (Jerry Colangelo Classic, Phoenix AZ). Both teams had high expectations coming into the year, and both then got off to disappointing starts, but both have picked up big wins in the last week and may be back on track. That being said, both teams should have a sense of urgency coming into this game because while both have improved, both still have a lot of work to do.

-DAYTON VS CINCINNATI (Cincinnati OH). This game is downtown and not on Cincinnati’s campus so the crowd will be somewhat split. Both teams have good records, but neither team really has any good wins, although Dayton has managed some decent ones and is a team that has our attention. If they can pick this one up, they’ll grab our attention even more.

-ALABAMA AT CREIGHTON. This is a big road test for an Alabama team that’s really good, but hasn’t played a true road game yet and hasn’t really gotten the attention of the voters yet for whatever reason. They do have a decent win against Oregon, and while they don’t have any other actual big wins. They did play Purdue really tough just last week and also battled with Clemson, so they’ve shown they can play, though. Creighton is high in the rankings, but is coming off a game where they were beaten handily by a UNLV team that’s been underwhelming so far, so they’ll be looking to bounce back from that. As of now, Creighton’s resume is kind of flimsy. Their best win was probably at Nebraska.

-NC STATE VS TENNESSEE (Hall of Fame Series, San Antonio TX) – Tennessee is clearly the superior team and should be able to pick this one up, but NC State is 7-2, and a win today would slingshot them into the spotlight and onto the committee’s radar.

-ARIZONA AT TCU. TCU is 7-1, but has nothing at all on their resume in terms of substance wins. This would actually be their biggest win of the season if they’re able to pull it off.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES/BUY GAMES:

-Long Island @ Rutgers
-Sacred Heart @ Providence
-James Madison @ Hampton – JMU should be able to pick up their 4th road win of the year and remain unbeaten
-Southern @ Tulane
-South Carolina State @ Pittsburgh
-UNC Wilmington @ Georgia State – GA State is winless on the season, so UNCW should be able to improve to 8-2 and pick up their 4th true road win
-Fordham @ Saint John’s – A win for the Johnnies gets them to a respectable 7-3, but they still have work to do
-Evansville @ Bellarmine – a win for Evansville gets them to 8-2 and gives them their third road win
-Utah Valley @ Utah (Bee Hive). Utah is coming off a big win against BYU and can get to 8-2 overall with a win today
-Delaware vs Rhode Island (Holiday Hoops Fest, Elmont NY) – Delaware is 7-3 overall and already has some good wins away from home on their resume
-Western Carolina @ USC Upstate – WCU can improve to 8-2 overall and pick up their 4th true road win
-Air Force vs UT Arlington – AFA can get to a very respectable 8-3 with a win in this one today
-Northwestern @ DePaul – Northwestern should cruise in this one, although they are coming off a shocking home loss to Chicago State
-High Point @ Georgia – this is a winnable game for a very good High Point team. UGA better watch out
-Northeastern @ Virginia
-Lipscomb vs Arkansas (North Little Rock AR). Arkansas is off to a slow 6-4 start and doesn’t want to fall asleep again today
-Charleston Southern @ South Carolina – a win for the Gamecocks gets them to 9-1
-Loyola MD @ George Mason – GMU has no really big signature wins, but a win today gets them to 8-2 overall
-West Virginia vs UMass (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, Springfield MA) – UMass can get to 6-2 with a win
-UNC Greensboro @ Marshall – UNCG can get to 9-1 on the year and pick up their second road win
-Southern Illinois vs Wichita State – this is an old MVC rivalry. Both teams are off to respectable starts, but both still have a lot of work to do if they want to land inside the bubble
-Iona vs Saint Joseph’s (Holiday Hoops Fest, Emont NY) – a win for Joe’s gets them to 9-2 on the year
-Bethune Cookman @ Purdue Fort Wayne – PFW can get to 10-1 with a win
-California vs Ole Miss (Hall of Fame Series, San Antonio TX) – Ole Miss shouldn’t have any trouble getting to 10-0
-Vanderbilt vs Texas Tech (Coast to Coast Challenge, Fort Worth TX) – Texas Tech can get to 8-2 with a win
-Winthrop @ Xavier – Winthrop is a good team out of the Big South, and Xavier has lost two home buy games already
-Louisiana Tech @ Saint Louis – this is a winnable road game for LA Tech that would get them to 10-2 on the year
-Green Bay @ Oklahoma – a win for the Sooners keeps them unbeaten
-Georgia State @ BYU
-Grand Canyon vs Portland (Jerry Colangelo Classic) – a win for GCU gets them to 9-1 on the year
-South Dakota @ UC Irvine – these are actually two really good UTR teams, and I think the Eaters have an outside shot of landing inside the bubble, so this game is worth watching

-Marquette really had to sweat out Saint Thomas, and basically just went to sleep in the second half,b ut was able to hold on to win 84-79. Tulane also needed two overtimes to get by Furman 117-110, but other than that it was a slow night. As for tonight’s action…

-CONNECTICUT VS GONZAGA (Seattle WA). A showcase game between two top ten teams and two teams that have a really good chance at ending up as protected seeds. Both have already been tested, and both have managed some big wins. UConn’s only loss was a close game at Kansas, whereas Gonzaga’s profile isn’t quite as strong and this would likely be their biggest win of the year up to this point if they’re able to pull it off.

-Saginaw Valley State (nonD1) @ Butler
-Northern Colorado @ Colorado (Front Range)
-New Mexico @ New Mexico State – New Mexico is 9-1, but is still looking for their first true road win
-Portland State @ San Diego – Portland State is off to a great start and can improve to 9-2 overall and pick up their 4th true road win, but the Toreros are unbeaten at home so it won’t be easy

-It has been a very slow week so far. There was so little activity the last two days that we really didn’t even bother with a write-up. Today, we at least have a smattering of games that are worth paying attention to. We will also be recording Under the Radar tonight so be on the lookout for that.

-APPALACHIAN STATE AT QUEENS. James Madison has made most of the noise out of the Sun Belt, but Appalachian State looks to be just as good. One of the things App State has yet to do is win a true road game, and Queens is not an easy place to go and win despite the fact that they are a transitional program. In fact Queens has yet to lose at home, and Appalachian State has yet to win on the road, so this would be a nice win for them if they can pull it off.

-CREIGHTON VS UNLV (Jack Jones Classic, Henderson, NV). It may perhaps be a somewhat pro-UNLV crowd with the game being in Nevada, but it’s still one that Creighton should be able to win without having to sweat too much.

-WEBER STATE AT NEVADA. Both teams have shown they can play at a high level at times, and Nevada is starting to build at least a fairly decent profile at 7-1 overall, but six of those wins have come at home and Weber State has struggled with consistency so far. This would be a good win for either team, but whoever pulls it off will still have work to do.

-UTAH STATE AT SANTA CLARA. I really like what this Utah State team has been able to do so far, but this could be a bit of a tough road test for them. They’re 9-1 on the year, but just one of those wins was in a true road game, and Santa Clara isn’t the easiest place to go. This would definitely help Utah State’s resume if they’re able to pull it off.

-Bryn Athyn (nonD1) @ Princeton
-Florida International @ Florida Atlantic – it’s a rivalry game, but it’s also a huge mismatch
-Murray State @ Mississippi State – Mississippi State is a good team but their resume can’t afford another home buy-game loss
-Chicago State @ Northwestern – perhaps a more compelling game than DePaul vs. Northwestern?
-Tennessee State @ Liberty – Liberty is a good team, but they may be running out of strikes if they want any shot at landing inside the bubble
-UNC Asheville @ Auburn – a likely Big South frontrunner against an Auburn team that I think is better than what they’ve gotten credit for
-Southern Miss @ McNeese – a pretty solid UTR match-up
-Denver @ BYU (Front Range v BeeHive Challange)
-Seattle U @ San Francisco