Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

CLICK HERE for all of the In-Season Tournament Brackets and Schedules. It’s laid out in a way that’s probably easier to follow than the write-ups below.

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

-Not too many cataclysmic results yesterday, but there were some really exciting games…

-Saint John’s held off North Texas 53-52 in the Charleston Classic. North Texas is rebuilding somewhat, and this event was a chance for them to make some noise early on. This would have been a nice early season upset for them had they been able to pull it off.

-Vermont out of the America East is off to a 3-0 start with a 73-64 win over what we think is a pretty good Charleston team. They’ll be on the winner’s side of the bracket in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

-Dayton came from behind late to get a 70-67 win over LSU. The Flyers hit a 3pt shot late in the game and then came up with a big defensive stop to secure the win.

-UAB, who we were kind of big on this year, had to sweat out Alcorn State who we were…well…NOT kind of big on this year. They did escape 80-77, but the alarm bells are going off.

-Missouri, who we were kind of big on this year, had to sweat out Minnesota who we were…well…NOT kind of big on this year. Mizzou escaped with a 70-68 win (albeit on the road), but the alarm bells are going off.

-Utah got a nice 77-70 win against Wake Forest. I still think Wake could end up having a big year, but they’re off to a somewhat small start. As for the Utes, they’re now 3-0 and moving on to the winners’ side of the bracket in the Charleston Classic.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VERMONT VS SAINT LOUIS (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Both teams are unbeaten and both picked up notable wins yesterday. Events like this allow for notable wins away from home, which can really help build up a resume. That’s important for both these teams because they won’t have as many chances as the P5 teams do later in the season.

-DAYTON VS SAINT JOHN’S (Charleston Classic). Dayton had to come from behind yesterday to beat LSU, and the Johnnies barely held on to beat North Texas yesterday. Both teams could use this event to build up their early season profile.

-ABILENE CHRISTIAN VS SAN JOSE STATE. (Paradise Jam) – ACU started off with a big win at Oklahoma State, but now has a loss to Prairie View. They need to do well in this event if they want their resume to remain strong.

-GEORGIA VS MIAMI FL (Bahamas Championship). Georgia has looked a lot better than expected, but they are REALLY going to be tested today against.a Miami FL team that I think is good enough to win the ACC. Both teams will be tested plenty this year, but this event is a good way to get out of the blocks early.

-HOUSTON VS UTAH (Charleston Classic). Houston had no trouble with Towson yesterday and while Utah is better than Towson, Houston isn’t likely to have much trouble today either. Still, the Utes are undefeated and beat a pretty good (at least I think) Wake Forest team yesterday. Today is a chance for them to really step into the national spotlight if they can somehow pull off the upset.

-YALE AT COLGATE (Atlantic Slam). For UTR teams, doing well in these early season oftentimes makes the difference as to whether or not they end up inside the bubble come March. Colgate had a chance at a notable road win at Syracuse and sort of blew it, and they need to get over it quickly because they’re up against a Yale team that is also very good (probably better than Syracuse, actually) and who’s also looking to build up their NCAA Tournament resume. It’s a game that flies under the national radar, but it is a HUGELY important early season game.

-KANSAS STATE VS PROVIDENCE (Bahamas Championship). Providence, despite so many offseason changes, is off to a 3-0 start and has a chance to really make a statement today against what I think is a really good K State team (or at least a team that will be come really good). Having said that, K State already has a loss to USC and is looking for their first notable win of the season as well.

-BUTLER AT MICHIGAN STATE (Gavitt Games). I’m watching this one with curiosity, Michigan State is just 1-2 and everyone is down on them, but if they win their next six no one will remember that they were ever just 1-2. Butler has blown through their buy games so far. I know they were buy games, and that this is their first real test, but they blew through them in such a way that they at least have my attention. There is a reason to turn on the TV tonight and check this one out.

-AUBURN AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Legends Classic). I really like this Auburn team and don’t think they’ll have too much trouble with the Bonnies tonight. Still, Saint Bona got a somewhat notable win over Oklahoma State to get here, and they’ve got a chance to pick up a really good win tonight.

-HARVARD AT UMASS. Oh yes!! WE ARE HIGHLIGHTING THIS!!! Both teams are unbeaten!! Now UMass isn’t likely to end up anywhere near the top of the Atlnatic 10, but for now they are unbeaten!! Actually, watch out for Harvard in the Ivy League! They may be better than expected and I’m actually expecting them to get this win tonight, which would get them to 4-0 with two of those wins coming on the road.

-FLORIDA STATE AT FLORIDA. This is a rivalry game that is almost always fun, and this particular year it’s between two teams that we at Hoops HD are kinds still trying to figure out. We should learn something about both of them tonight, and whoever pulls it off gets both bragging rights and a nice win on their resume.

-MARYLAND AT VILLANOVA (Gavitt Tipoff Games). Both these teams should have a sense of urgency coming into this one. Nova is coming off a surprising loss to Penn, and Maryland is just 1-2 after losing back to back games to Davidson and UAB. Both teams will have a lot of chances at big wins later, but both have also gotten out of the gate slowly and could really use this win tonight.

-GRAND CANYON VS SAN FRANCISCO (Arizona Tip-Off). GCU comes in without a loss and while they should be able to remain unbeaten against a San Francisco program that’s rebuilding, the Dons did play really well at Boise State. They lost the game, but they were far more competitive than what we were expecting, so they’re worth keeping an eye on.

-WICHITA STATE VS LIBERTY (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Liberty is once again looking like one of those very dangerous Under the Radar teams that can make a run at the bubble, and perhaps even crack the rankings by the end of the season. We weren’t expecting much at all out of Wichita State this year, but they come into this one at 4-0. This will be their biggest test of the year so far, though.

-SAINT MARY’S VS SAN DIEGO STATE (Las Vegas NV). Neither of these teams is currently in the rankings after they both sustained an early loss, but I think by the end of the year both will be in the top 25 and both will land in the top half of the NCAA Tournament bracket. This is a great and fun early season match-up, and a chance to pick up what should turn out to be one of the better wins of the season for whichever team ends up pulling it off.

-UNLV AT PEPPERDINE. A lot of people are big on the Rebels this year. This is a road game, but if they’re as good as everyone says they should be then it’s a road game that they should be able to win.

-DEPAUL VS SOUTH CAROLINA (Arizona Tip-Off). Not the most exciting game, but South Carolina is undefeated and should be able to stay that way after tonight.

-WASHINGTON VS XAVIER (Continental Tire Main Event). Xavier is rebuilding after a Sweet Sixteen season a year ago, but I thought they played pretty well in their game against Purdue. Washington’s expectations aren’t high, but an early season win in a game like this could change that.

BUY GAMES AND OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-North Texas vs LSU (Charleston Classic) – a chance for North Texas to get a notable win, and a chance for LSU to try and bounce back
-Norfolk State vs Fordham (Paradise Jam)
-Charleston vs Wyoming (Myrtle Beach Invitational) – both teams are looking to rebound after a loss yesterday
-Weber State vs Gardner Webb (Atlantic Slam) – Weber State can stay unbeaten and pick up yet another win away from home
-Presbyterian vs Maine (Jacksonville FL) – Presby has been one of the surprise teams of the season and is looking to remain unbeaten
-Purdue Fort Wayne @ Northern Arizona (Arizona Tip-Off) – PFW looking to stay unbeaten
-Notre Dame vs Oklahoma State (Legends Classic) – You know what?? Forget it…
-Hampton vs Kent State (Paradise Jam) – a lot of people are suddenly big on Kent State. It’s important they do well in this event
-Bucknell @ Duke
-Coastal Carolina vs Furman (Myrtle Beach Invitational)
-Stonehill @ Kentucky
-Radford @ James Madison – Radford hasn’t looked all that bad this year, but they’re likely overmatched tonight
-UT Martin @ Eastern Kentucky – EKU can get to 3-0
-Morehead State @ Penn State – Penn State looking to remain unbeaten
-Davidson @ East Tennessee State – a bit of an odd road game for Davidson, but a fairly decent on to play. A win gets them to 3-1 on the season and puts a true road win on their resume
-Sacramento State @ Tulane – Tulane is unbeaten
-Robert Morris @ Wisconsin – Wisky needs to even their record at 2-2
-Rider @ Duquesne – a bounce-back game for the Dukes
-Charleston Southern @ NC State – NC State is unbeaten
-Towson vs Wake Forest (Charleston Classic) – Wake is now just 1-2 and could really use a win
-Long Beach State @ Michigan – Michigan is a lot better than I expected (so far) and should cruise tonight
-Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh – Pitt trying to remain unbeaten
-TAMU Commerce @ Saint Joseph’s – Joes is unbeaten
-Oral Roberts @ Texas A&M – TAMU trying to get to 4-0
-UNC Greensboro @ Arkansas – UNCG could make some noise in the SoCon this season, but they’re likely way overmatched tonight by a super-talented Arkansas team
-UC Riverside @ North Carolina
-Mercer @ Alabama
-Valparaiso @ Illinois
-Arkansas State @ Iowa – Iowa’s only loss was at Creighton, and they didn’t play badly in that game
-UTRGV @ Oklahoma – Sooners unbeaten
-Alabama State @ Memphis
-Mississippi Valley State @ TCU
-Austin Peay @ UTEP – UTEP can get to 4-0
-Sam Houston @ Ole Miss – Sam Hosuton will be pretty good once they get into league play, and Ole Miss is unbeaten
-Tennessee State @ Oregon – I was legit impressed with Tennessee State the other night against LMU. It was a buy game, and Oregon is a much stronger team, but the Ducks better not overlook them
-Eastern Washington @ Stanford
-Kansas City @ Colorado State
-Portland State @ CA Baptist – both teams are unbeaten, and watch out for Portland State! They are MUCH better than expected!
-Belmont @ Arizona

NEWS AND NOTES:

For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast, where we review a very busy first week of the season and look ahead to a lot of big games this week – CLICK HERE

-Princeton got a 70-67 win at Duquesne in what was the game of the night both on paper, and perhaps on the court. Princeton led throughout, but Duquesne was never out of it and actually had a chance to win all the way down to the final seconds. Almost no one is on the Duquesne bandwagon yet, and everyone is referencing this loss as evidence that they aren’t actually that good. While you would expect a top 40ish team to be able to win a game like this at home, Princeton also won at Rutgers and no one is slamming Rutgers as being hot garbage just yet. I’m not giving up on Duquesne! If anything, this game has made me more in on Princeton.

Other than that, while there were some decent games to watch, the night was pretty chalky.

-For the brackets to all the In Season Tournaments, which have already gotten underway – CLICK HERE

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-CHARLESTON VS VERMONT (Myrtle Beach Invitational). These are two top level UTR programs that are expected to have big years. This event is a chance for them to pick up some notable wins for their resume, which they’re going to need if they’re wanting to make a run at the bubble.

-SAINT JOHN’S VS NORTH TEXAS (Charleston Classic). I don’t think either of these teams will end up being tournament teams, but North Texas is off to a 2-0 start with a win over a pretty good Northern Iowa team, so this event is a chance to really make their resume look good early.

-SAINT LOUIS AT WYOMING (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Both teams come in without a loss. It’s a unique match-up in a unique setting and a chance for both of them to build up decent wins away from home!

-DAYTON VS LSU (Charleston Classic). We liked this Dayton team coming into the year, but they’ve already had to go through some setbacks. LSU is also off to a sluggish start. A strong showing in this event would get both teams out of the blocks early, though.

-WICHITA STATE AT COASTAL CAROLINA (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Our expectations for both these teams coming into the year were…well…low, but to date neither team has a loss and Wichita State in particular has looked better than expected.

-HOUSTON VS TOWSON (Charleston Classic). Towson appears to be hugely overmatched in this one. I think they’ll have a pretty decent year once they get into CAA play, and could win a couple of games in this event, but this Houston team just has a stupid amount of talent and should roll today, and perhaps roll through the whole tournament.

-OKLAHOMA STATE VS SAINT BONAVENTURE (Legends Classic, Brooklyn NY). This is a very liberal use of the words “legends” and “classic.” Both teams might have some potential, but neither is expected to do much this season, and both have already dropped losses in home buy games.

-FURMAN VS LIBERTY (Myrtle Beach Invitational). Both teams come into this unbeaten and both have high expectations for the season. This is the kind of UTR match-up that you like to see. It’s not only a chance for a single quality win, but a chance to get on the winners’ side of the bracket and have more opportunities at quality wins throughout the event. As early as it is in the season, you get the sense that this is a stakes game with a pivotal feel to it.

-MISSOURI AT MINNESOTA. Mizzou has suffered a loss to Memphis already, but that’s hardly a bad loss. This is a game they should win despite the fact that it’s a road game.

-AUBURN VS NOTRE DAME (Legends Classic, Brooklyn NY). Auburn clearly looks like the superior team here and should win without too much trouble. Both teams have suffered a loss, but ND’s was at home to Western Carolina and Auburn’s was a hard fought neutral floor game against Baylor.

-UMASS LOWELL AT ARIZONA STATE. This is a buy game, but Arizona State better not overlook UMass Lowell. They come into this at 3-0 with wins at both Dartmouth and Georgia Tech, and are suddenly looking like the frontrunners in the America East. Arizona State didn’t exactly bury Texas Southern in their last game, and they could be in for a long season.

-UTAH VS WAKE FOREST (Charleston Classic). I still really like this Wake Forest team, but must admit that they havent’t exactly shown out this season yet, and are coming into this game after a loss at Georgia, who isn’t exactly expected to be good. Still, this event is a chance for them to get things turned around quickly. They should beat Utah today, but Utah did blow through both of their buy games so far, and this event is a chance for them to get some notable wins as well.

BUY GAMES AND OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Presbyterian @ North Florida – Presby is unbeaten and looking for their second road win
-Wright State @ Indiana
-Texas Southern @ Virginia
-TAMUCC @ Texas Tech
-Chicago State @ Southern Illinois – Salukis can get to 3-0
-UT Arlington @ New Mexico – UTA is 2-0, but this is their first road game

NEWS AND NOTES:

-We will be recording and posting our Under the Radar Video Podcast sometime tonight. Be sure and watch or listen because there is MUCH to discuss!!! Speaking of Under the Radar…

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

-The showcase game of the night lived up to the billing. Kentucky v Kansas was a well played, high level, back and forth game where one team would appear to have control, then the other, and it just seesawed for the entire 40 minutes. Kansas got the win, but I feel a lot better about Kentucky than I did before the game. Kentucky, even in their really good years, doesn’t seem to start firing on all cylinders until the Christmas Break, but they looked really good last night against the top ranked team in the nation.

-Marquette is ranked 4th and showed they were worthy of that ranking last night as they went into Illinois and got a 71-64 road win against a really good team in a place that’s really tough to win. Marquette is a solid top ten caliber team that has a chance to go to the Final Four. They’re that good!

-Creighton, another really good team out of the Big East, didn’t have too much trouble with Iowa in their 92-84 win. Iowa actually played pretty well, and I think they might be better than what I was expecting, but beating Creighton at Creighton was just too tall of an order.

-For the second year in a row, UC Irvine has won a big road game early in the season. The Eaters went into USC last night and picked up the 70-60 win, and were pretty much in control of the whole game. This is a USC team that was in the rankings and had already managed a rather impressive win against Kansas State, and a UC Irvine team that was pretty good last year, but who lost their top two scorers. Well, I guess they’ve replaced those top two scorers and are pretty good again! I thought UC Irvine would be a team that did decently well in the Big West, but that wasn’t anything special beyond that. This was a GREAT win for them!

-Providence knocked off Wisconsin at home 72-59, which is a good win for a Providence team that has gone through so many changes from a year ago. They’re now 3-0 on the season and have a notable win to go with that record.

-Temple wasn’t a team we were expecting much out of this year, but they did win at Drexel last night, and are now 3-0 with two road wins on their resume. So, the Owls have our attention. For now.

-And the craziest game of the night had to be Colgate at Syracuse. I don’t know which part of this game was crazier. That Colgate came out and totally dominated, or that after building up a 24pt lead over Syracuse on the road, the Orange managed to come all the way back and somehow pull out a 79-75 win. Colgate has a lot of happy days ahead. They should dominate the Patriot League and get back into the NCAA Tournament. But this one is going to sting. Winning at Syracuse would not have been just a notable win, but a feel good win against a brand-name regional opponent. And to lose the game after being up by 24 points! OUCH!! This one may take a little while for the Raiders to walk off.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PRINCETON AT DUQUESNE. This is a fantastic game that I hope gets the attention it deserves. Princeton started things off with a win against Rutgers, and then won at Hofstra. Neither of those things are easy to do. Duquesne is one of the better teams in the Atlantic 10 and is coming in at 3-0 with a decisive win against a really good Charleston team under their belt. I’m probably more excited about this game tonight than I am any other tonight. Both teams could win their league. Both teams could be inside the bubble. I know that neither team really has a big brand name, so a lot of people will probably miss this one, but this is a REALLY good game, and I think it will ultimately end up being a really important game.

-RICHMOND AT BOSTON COLLEGE. Both teams are unbeaten. Granted, both are very untested, but for the present moment, these two have each played games, won them all, and are facing each other tonight. I like both coaches. I’d like to see both programs do well. I don’t think it’ll happen this year, but for now it’s a battle of unbeatens!!

-RADFORD AT VCU. Radford hung tough with North Carolina for much of the game on opening night, and then beat a fairly decent Marshall team right after that. VCU started things off with a loss at home to McNeese, and while they did rebound with a win against Samford, they need to string together some early wins if they want to show they can be an Atlantic 10 frontrunner.

-CORNELL AT GEORGE MASON. Both teams are unbeaten. I wasn’t that big on either one of them coming into the season. I do think Cornell is a fun team to watch, but don’t think they’re quite good enough to keep pace with Princeton and Yale, and George Mason probably can’t keep pace with the likes of Dayton and Duquesne. But, both are coming in undefeated, so why not highlight it for now?

-GEORGETOWN AT RUTGERS (Gavitt Games Tipoff). Georgetown is very much in a rebuild mode and will likely be overmatched on the road by a Rutgers team that we still think can be a solid tournament team despite an early loss to Princeton.

BUY GAMES AND OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Campbell @ Virginia Tech
-Albany @ Seton Hall
-Denver @ Nicholls – Nicholls is coming off the win at LSU and is looking to get to 2-1
-Delaware @ Delaware State – Delaware can get to 4-0 and pick up their second road win of the season
-Canisius @ Cleveland State – I don’t think either team will be in the picture come March, but Canisius hung tough with Syracuse and won at Saint Bonaventure, and Cleveland State hung tough with Duquesne, so…
-Utah Valley @ Charlotte – Utah Valley can pick up their 3rd win of third win of the season, as well as their second road win
-USC Upstate @ East Carolina – East Carolina can get to 3-0
-Central Michigan @ South Florida – South Florida can get to 2-0
-Merrimack @ Ohio State
-Stony Brook @ Nebraska
-Rice @ Texas
-SELA @ BYU
-Tennessee State @ Portland – both teams unbeaten
-Northern Arizona @ Seattle U – Seattle off to a 2-0 start
-Long Island @ UCLA
-Pacific @ Nevada – Pacific did win a Cal, but Nevada is a lot better