Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Tuesday, Jan 23rd

Posted on January 23, 2024 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

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

-Last night was pretty quiet with North Carolina blowing it open in the second half against Wake Forest, and Kansas holding off Cincinnati at home. The biggest game of the night was how McNeese escaped at TAMUCC. They missed several freethrows late in the game, including one that could have tied the game with just seconds to go, but they got the offensive rebound and put it back in just before the buzzer to secure the 62-61 win and keep their winning streak alive.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Kentucky is a solid protected seed that may actually be good enough to make a run at the 1-line. They’ll be challenged today by a South Carolina team that’s having a good year, and that appears to be inside the bubble, and who will be jacked way up for this one.

-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12). It’s the hoops version of the Red River Rivalry!! Oklahoma picked up a big time road win this past weekend at Cincinnati, which I think did a ton for their resume. Texas also has a win at Cincinnati, but their resume is still a little flimsy overall. A road win in a game like this could turn that around in a hurry.

-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). I think Wisconsin is a solid protected seed who is playing as well as anyone in the Big Ten minus a recent loss to Penn State. Like most road games this will be a challenge, but it is one that they can certainly win. Minnesota is outside the bubble and a win like this could go a long way toward helping them out.

-FLORIDA STATE AT SYRACUSE (ACC). I think both teams are currently 0n the outside looking in, but both can still reach the bubble if they can start stringing together wins. Florida State had been playing a lot better, but is coming off a loss to Clemson and needs to bounce back.

-OHIO STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). This game feels kind of bubblicious to me. Nebraska is inside of the bubble, but still has work to do if they want to remain there, and Ohio State is on the outside and needs some big wins. This has a bit of a pivotal feel to it for both teams.

-XAVIER AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Creighton is coming off a big time triple OT win at Seton Hall, which is one of their bigger wins of the year. They’re back home and should be able to hold serve in this one, but Xavier has been playing a little better and is trying to claw their way onto the bubble. A win like this could go a very long way. Having said that, a win like this is not easy to get.

HOUSTON AT BYU. Houston has been hovering between the 1-line and 2-line for the whole season. This is a big road test and on paper it would probably be their biggest win to date if they’re able to pull it off. BYU is ranked in the top 25 and has a shot at ending up as a protected seed themselves, but they’ll need a few more wins like this on their profile to make it happen.

-TCU AT OKLHAOMA STATE (Big 12). This is a winnable road game for the Horned Frogs that they kind of need. Another road win would boost up their resume some, and while it’s not an easy game to win, it is perhaps one of the more winnable road games they have remaining.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

–Dayton @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – Dayton has won 12 straight and continues to climb the rankings. This should be a routine road win for the Flyers
–Butler @ Georgetown (Big East) – Butler is outside the bubble and needs to string together some wins. This is a winnable road game that they can’t afford to lose
–Duke @ Louisville (ACC) – Duke is coming off a shocking loss at home to Pitt, but should be able to bounce back from that and pick up a conference road win tonight
–West Virginia at UCF (Big 12) – Both teams have managed some pretty big wins recently, and UCF has started to make a case for themselves. They need to keep it up and hold serve tonight
-Ohio U @ Akron (MAC) – a win for Akron gets them to 15-4, and if they can blow through the MAC they may get a long hard look from the committee
–Michgian @ Purdue (Big Ten) – the Boilers are on just about everyone’s 1-line and are within reach of the top overall seed. They should hold serve at home in this one
–Boston College @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – VA Tech is on the outside looking in and needs to hold serve in games like this one
–Missouri @ Texas A&M (SEC) – the Aggies need to hold serve at home in this one
–Boise State @ Fresno State (Mountain West) – I believe Boise State has played their way inside the bubble and they need to hold serve tonight and get this one on the road

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, January 23rd

Posted on January 23, 2024 by John Stalica

Ohio (9-9, 3-3) at Akron (14-4, 6-0) – 7:00 PM ET (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to the Rubber Capital of the World where the hometown Akron Zips host the Ohio Bobcats. Akron continued their run of perfection on Friday in conference play with a 77-71 victory at Kent State; most of the game did feature Akron with a comfortable lead before Kent State made the final score a little more respectable. We also learned yesterday that Akron will travel to James Madison on February 10th for the second leg of the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.

OU stumbled out of the gates in conference play with a 1-3 mark; their only win was against Northern Illinois at the time. The Bobcats have rebounded with back-to-back home wins against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan. Aidan Hadaway led the Bobcats with 20 points in the win against EMU.

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The Hoops HD Report – Jan 22nd

Posted on January 22, 2024 by David Griggs

Chad and the panel run through a crazy week for the Big East where seemingly every game came down to the last possession. Creighton got a big win at Seton Hall in triple overtime, Marquette held on to beat Saint John’s in a thriller, and UConn barely escaped Villanova. We look at the Big Ten and ACC and question how many teams from each league have looked like legit Tournament caliber teams so far, and it wasn’t as many as we were expecting coming into the year. The Big 12, on the other hand, is looking as strong as ever, but we look at some of the teams that played weak OOC schedules and discuss how we feel they’ve actually put more pressure on themselves to perform well in the league. In the Mountain West, it now looks as many as six teams have legit shots at making the NCAA Tournament and New Mexico has suddenly come on very strong. We discuss all that, and more!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Selection Monday!! Staff Bracket (from David Dorman) – Jan 22nd

Posted on January 22, 2024 by David Griggs

This week, it is David Dorman’s turn to build the bracket. Below is his bracket, and below that are his comments…

COMMENTS FROM DAVID DORMAN:

-This week’s bracket was filled with tough decisions on almost every line.

-Our UTR Conferences have some very tight and exciting conference races for the top seed in the conference tournament as we hit the end of January.

-Last few teams to make my bracket were:

Northwestern
Gonzaga
Nebraska
Indiana State

-I have been pushing for a two bid Missouri Valley since November but this is my first bracket of 2024 that actually had two teams from “The Valley” as Drake and Indiana State made it in this week.

-Neither the Sycamore’s or Bulldogs (both 7-1 in the conference) can afford more than a few more losses in the Valley before Arch Madness if they want to get an at-large bid. This will be a tough feat considering the conference is solid in the middle and Valley road trips are always tricky.

Moving on UP:

-Utah jumped a few seed lines with a big win over Oregon on Sunday in Salt Lake City. 

-Dayton keeps on winning and those around them keep losing so the Flyers are a safe protected seed in my eyes as of today.

This is my first bracket of this season with Wake Forest in the field. A huge road test tonight in Chapel Hill would make me feel really good about putting them in this week’s bracket.

Free Falling:

-Duke had a protected seed in my bracket last week but no more. A rough home loss to Pitt knocked them down a few seed lines.

-Nebraska was safely in my field just a few weeks back. Since then they have lost 3 of their last 5 including road losses to Iowa and Rutgers. A few big weeks are coming up for Fred Hoiberg’s squad with opportunities looming against Wisconsin, Illinois and Northwestern after they play Ohio State and Maryland this week. 

-Oregon is 5-2 in PAC play but just dropped two games on the tough Mountain road swing at Utah and Colorado. The Ducks are right on the cutline and can not afford to lose to Arizona State this week at home.

Thoughts on the at large pool either just making or just missing my bracket: 

-The resumes of my last 10 teams in my bracket look very similar to my first 12 teams out of my bracket. One big win or one tough loss is the difference between a bid and the NIT as we sit today. These teams can’t afford home losses and really strengthen their resume with road wins.

-When it gets to the cutline in my brackets I have always looked for a win on a resume that very few (or zero) other teams have. An example of this is Northwestern staying in my bracket currently because they have wins over Purdue and Dayton. Very few teams have beaten Purdue or Dayton this year so that gives Northwestern a slight edge over other at large candidates. 

Some enormous games for the bracket this week, just to list a few…

Monday:

Wake Forest @ UNC
Cincinnati @ Kansas

Tuesday

Kentucky @ South Carolina
Texas @ Oklahoma

Wednesday

Auburn @ Alabama
Villanova @ St. John’s
Illinois @ Northwestern
Kansas St @ Iowa State

Thursday

Vermont @ UMass-Lowell
Drexel @ Towson
Merrimack @ Wagner
Oakland @ Green Bay
ASU @ Oregon
San Francisco @ Gonzaga

Enjoy the games,

David Dorman 

CHAD’S COMMENTS

  • When I started reviewing Dorman’s bracket, I was shocked at how much I agreed with him. His first 4 seed lines were very close to what I would have done. His 5 line even looked pretty good . . . until I got to the Utes. Utah has one win against a team solidly in the field, and that was a home win against a BYU team that has not shown any serious ability to win road games. They also have 2 losses (Stanford and Arizona State) against teams that are nowhere near the bubble right now. While I would have them in the field, it would be at lest 3 seed lines lower than this.
  • I respect that Dorman wanted to get two MVC teams in the field, though I am not certain both Indiana State and Drake belong quite yet. However, having Drake on the 7 line is WAY too high. I do not believe this team is at-large worthy at all right now. They have one win away from home against a tournament caliber team, and that was neutral court to a Nevada team that is sinking like a stone (and Dorman actually did not even give a bid to). Add in *THREE* Tier 3 losses to non-tournament teams, and the Bulldogs still have a lot of work to do to even get onto the 11 line, let alone sniff a 7 seed.
  • St Mary’s on the 9 line is a stretch for me as well. I would have them in (as the auto-bid winner), but am not yet certain the Gaels dance without that auto bid. They may be playing great ball right now, but you cannot just overlook home losses to Weber State and Missouri State.
  • Colorado also boggles my mind on the 9 line. This team has no wins against any team solidly in the field, and only one win against a bubble team (home over Oregon). On the other hand, there are 3 losses to teams nowhere near the bubble (Florida State, Arizona State and Cal). I would have them out.
  • I think Dorman’s West Coast bias is showing on the 10 line. Seton Hall and Villanova both have profiles way better than everyone on his next 3 or 4 seed lines up. There teams are 6 or 7 seeds with the quality wins they have, not bubbles teams on the 10 line.
  • I don’t understand why everyone is suddenly in love with Wake Forest’s profile. The Deacons have no wins against the field and their only wins over bubble teams all came at home (Virginia, Va Tech and Miami). They also have 4 losses against teams not in the field and maybe not even on the bubble (NC State, Georgia, Florida State, LSU). I need to see way more out of this team before I can be serious about them. In fact, I would prefer Virginia Tech over Wake — at least the Hokies have solid wins (Iowa State, Boise State and Clemson, the top two of which were away from home).
  • I get that Gonzaga is in this field and in a lot of people’s fields, but I see nothing on their profile other than their name that leads me to believe they are at-large worthy. Their best win is over Syracuse. And they have a pair of losses to teams not under consideration at all (Washington and Santa Clara). I prefer teams that have shown they can beat someone good, such as Virginia Tech, Texas (off their win over Baylor) or even Cincinnati. I could even make a case for UCF with their wins over Kansas and Texas before I have any interest in teams like the Zags and Wake that have failed to prove they have any shot at winning a game over anyone above the 15 line.
  • Again, I did love Dorman’s top 4 seed lines — after that, he and I are clearly on different pages. The good news is that there is a lot of season left for all of this to be sorted out, starting with the games he listed above!
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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, January 22nd (and other News, Notes, and Games)

Posted on January 22, 2024 by John Stalica

McNeese (16-2, 5-0) at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (11-7, 4-1) – 7:00 PM ET (ESPNU)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Corpus Christi, Texas for what could be one of the few roadblocks standing in the way of a potential perfect mark for McNeese in the Southland Conference regular season. As of the time this article was written, McNeese is still not a Top 25 team so they are eligible (at the moment) for UTR consideration.

The Cowboys come into tonight’s game on an 11-game winning streak; their most recent outing was an 80-66 victory at Incarnate Word in which Mike Saunders Jr. led the team with 20 points. The Islanders also come into tonight on a hot streak of their own; they have won 8 of their last 10 games. Over the weekend, they beat Nicholls 69-59 at home.

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES (From the Puppet):

-Memphis has now lost two straight games to teams that are nowhere near the NCAA Tournament. They fell at Tulane last night 81-79. This Tulane team has made big time strides forward in recent years, but they’re still not quite in the mix to make the NCAA Tournament. Many were thinking of Memphis as a protected seed, but given how many close calls they’ve had, and now the back-to-back losses, I think we are all rethinking that now.

-Florida Atlantic needed overtime, but held off a very weak UTSA team 112-103. I think it’s safe to say that Memphis and FAU don’t play up to their ceilings all of the time.

-WAKE FOREST AT NORTH CAORLINA (ACC). It’s a rivalry game, but it’s a bit of a mismatch. Wake is just trying to fight their way onto the bubble, and UNC is a team that’s positioned to earn a #1 seed.

-CINCINNATI AT KANSAS (Big 12). Cincinnati is right on the bubble, and Kansas is still in the mix for a 1-seed despite a surprising loss at West Virginia their last time out. It’s probably too tall of an order for Cincinnati, but a win like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in.

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Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, Jan 21st

Posted on January 21, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for Jon Teitel’s latest BRACKET PROJECTIONS. He is as good as anyone on the planet at forecasting what the Selection Committee is going to do.

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

There is a lot to unpack from yesterday.

-UConn was tested on the road at Villanova just like we knew they would be, but held on to win 66-65. This should enable them to hold on to the #1 ranking and it also adds another notable road win to an already very impressive profile. For Nova, a win would have been a huge boost to their resume, but a loss is hardly a setback. I still think this Nova team could be dangerous this March and think they will keep improving as the year goes along.

-Purdue did something we hadn’t been seeing them do very often, and that’s win a conference road game rather handily. They knocked off an Iowa team that had been playing pretty well 84-70.

-Kansas did something we’ve seen them do several times, and that’s struggle against a team that we were expecting them to bury. Only yesterday at West Virginia, they didn’t manage to escape. West Virginia held on for the 91-85 upset, which may knock the Jayhawks off the 1-line.

-Pittsburgh went into Cameron Indoor and knocked off Duke 80-76 in what was probably the biggest surprise of the day. Pitt had shown no signs at all of being capable of such a thing, and Duke had been absolutely rolling coming into this one. In fact they had just blown Pitt out at Pitt less than two weeks ago.

-Texas got a big win against Baylor 75-73. It was a win that the Longhorns really needed, but it was still a home win. What Texas also needs is a few more wins away from home.

-Arizona had to come from behind to beat UCLA. Arizona was at home, Arizona is a top ten team, UCLA is…well..NOT a top ten team, and Arizona was getting blown off the floor in the first half. They did manage to come back, get control (albeit very late in the game), and escape with a 77-71 win, though.

-Auburn continues to look like a top ten caliber team. They blew out Ole Miss yesterday 82-59, and Ole Miss is good!

-I had been beating up on Oklahoma for not doing anything on the road all season. Yesterday, the Sooners did something on the road! They won at a pretty good Cincinnati team 69-65, which I think is one of the bigger wins of the entire season for the Sooners.

-Marquette escaped with a big road win at Saint John’s 73-72. They appeared to be in control of the game, but the Johnnies made a late run and nearly stole it from Marquette. It was one of many insanely exciting Big East games yesterday.

-I loved how Seton Hall had been playing and had been beating the drum that not only should be in the field, but that they should be way up the seedlist!! Yesterday, they had several chances to win at home against Creighton, but after three overtimes of a game that went back and forth the entire time, Creighton escaped 97-94. It was a really nice, and certainly a hard fought, road win for the Bluejays that I think boosts their resume a little bit.

-Iowa State was running TCU off the floor and had an 18pt lead at the half. Then, they almost blew it. TCU came all the way back and almost escaped, but Iowa State held on for a 73-72 road win, which really gives their resume a nice boost.

-BYU was also winning big at Texas Tech. Like Iowa State, they blew their lead. Unlike Iowa State, they were unable to hold on. Texas Tech came from 17pts down in the second half for the 85-78 win.

-Boise State just keeps winning, and I now think the Broncos have played their way inside the bubble. They knocked off San Diego State 67-66 yesterday, and while it was a home win, it was still a big win for the Broncos.

-South Carolina really needed a road win, and they got one at Arkansas yesterday 77-64. The Gamecocks are now an impressive 15-3 on the season, and yesterday was one of their best overall wins.

-Nebraska, after blowing a lead at Rutgers earlier in the week, managed to beat Northwestern 75-69 at home yesterday. Both teams appear to be in that 7-to-10 seed range of the NCAA Tournament right now.

-Clemson, who had been in a bit of a tailspin, went on the road and beat Florida State 78-67. This was a win that Clemson desperately needed because they had been struggling, it was on the road, and it was against an FSU team that had been playing fairly well in recent weeks.

-New Mexico won at Air Force 85-66. It was just their second road win of the season, and it was a decisive one in a place that can be tricky to win at. I’m starting to become more and more of a believer in the Lobos.

-Nevada, who was a red hot team from the Mountain West, suffered a road loss at Wyoming yesterday. I think this is a bit of a setback for the Wolfpack. They’ve now lost three straight games, and are just 2-3 in conference play. Their game against Colorado State later this week now seems to have a huge sense of urgency to it.

-Saint Mary’s got a nice and decisive 77-60 win at San Francisco. The Dons had been playing pretty well, so while it’s not the kind of win that jumps to the top of Quad 1, it’s still a big statement win for the Gaels, who have looked like the best team out of the WCC this year so far.

-Grand Canyon, who had been on an absolute rampage and seemed to be close to getting into the rankings, will not be getting into the rankings. They lost on the road to Seattle U 86-79. The game seesawed back and forth all the way through, but then the Lopes just couldn’t score in the final minute and Seattle U got control. I still think the Lopes can land inside the bubble, but this may have perhaps been their last strike.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MICHIGAN STATE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Michigan State’s place in the bubble right now isn’t exactly guaranteed. They should be there in the end, but they don’t have a true road win yet. Maryland has looked more like an NIT team than an NCAA Tournament team, but it would still be a hugely important win for Michigan State if they’re able to pull it off.

-MEMPHIS AT TULANE (American). Memphis will be tested on the road in this one, but it’s still the kind of road game they should be able to win. The loss at South Florida was a setback, but it didn’t set them so far back that they’re out of reach of a protected seed.

-RUTGERS AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Rutgers is coming off a nice home win against Nebraska, but winning on the road at Illinois is probably way too tall of an order. The Illini can now be back at full strength and should hold serve at home.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT UTSA (American). This should be a routine win for FAU despite it being a road game, but one never knows what to expect out of FAU this year.

-OREGON AT UTAH (Pac 12). Both teams are within reach of the tournament, but both still have work to do and both could really use this win today to help build up their resume. Oregon had been playing well, but was absolutely blasted by Colorado in their last game. Today’s isn’t likely to be any easier.

-INDIANA STATE AT MURRAY STATE (Missouri Valley). Indiana State can still reach the bubble if they can blow through the rest of their schedule, but anything short of that and they’ll need the auto-bid.

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