Under The Radar Game of the Day – Friday, February 3rd

Posted on February 3, 2023 by John Stalica

Kent State (18-4, 8-1) at Akron (16-6, 8-1) – 9:00 PM ET (ESPNU)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day features a rematch of last year’s MAC Championship Game between the Akron Zips and the Kent State Golden Flashes. Akron took the deciding game in the Wagon Wheel rivalry last year and a subsequent trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Akron has won 13 of their last 15 games; their only stumbles in that period were losses at Bradley and at Ball State. Enrique Freeman averages a double-double (15.1 PPG, 10.7 RPG) for the Zips.

Kent State had been cruising since a tough stretch of losses against Charleston, Houston and Gonzaga; the Golden Flashes had won 10 games in a row before a surprising 86-76 loss at Northern Illinois. Since the loss, Kent State has defeated Buffalo and Central Michigan at home. In the 81-69 victory against CMU, 6 different players for Kent State scored in double figures.

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Hoops HD Bracket Rundown – Thursday, Feb 2nd

Posted on February 2, 2023 by David Griggs

NOTE:  This broadcast was recorded at 10pm, est on Thursday, February 2nd, and the seedlist was created prior to 8pm, est.  No games that were played that day, particularly Florida Atlantic’s loss to UAB and Charleston’s loss to Drexel, were considered when creating this bracket.

The Hoops HD Staff have each created their own personal seedlists.  Those were cross country ranked to create a master seedlist, which was then put into a bracket by Chad.  On this show, we reveal that bracket team by team, and then line by line in a Selection Sunday type format.  The panel is seeing the bracket for the first time as it is revealed, and they debate, discuss, and assess each team as they are revealed.

Below is a final copy of the bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

And below is an audio only version of the show, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!!

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Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Feb 2nd

Posted on February 2, 2023 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast, where we run through all the conferences that normally get just one bid – CLICK HERE

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

-Tennessee followed up their highly impressive win against Texas with a bit of a head-scratching loss at Florida last night 67-54.  The Gators have won six of their last eight and are looking noticeably better than they did early on, but it was still a little shocking to see them kind of run a way in the last few minutes against a Tennessee team that many of us were thinking could end up on the #1 line.

-Whenever Xavier and Providence play, the game is awesome.  It should be no surprise that it went into overtime last night, and that Providence missed what would have been a game winning shot at the buzzer.  Xavier gets the big 85-83 win, and they did it without Zach Freemantle who is out for several weeks with an injury.

-Pittsburgh and North Carolina were both very bubblicious teams last night.  Both really needed the win, and Pittsburgh got it 65-64 after North Carolina failed to get up a shot at the buzzer (that was blocked anyway).  Pitt has now won on the road at UNC, they have 6 overall road wins to UNC’s 2, they have a better record in the ACC, Pitt has 4 quad 1 wins and another really good win against Miami FL whereas North Carolina has a win over Ohio State.  Essentially Pitt has COMPLETELY outperformed UNC, yet people will probably still be forecasting as being a head of Pitt.  What can I say?  People are stupid!

-Oklahoma State got a big road win against Oklahoma to take a big step toward the bubble.  They still have work to do, but they can still get there.  Oklahoma just blew out Alabama over the weekend, but at no point last night did it look like they were going to win the game.

-Utah State opened up a big halftime lead over New Mexico and held on to win 84-73.  Utah State’s profile is very bland, sot his win will certainly help them even though it was at home.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT UAB (Conference USA).  UAB was a team we had very high expectations for this year, but while they’ve been good, it’s FAU that has reached the levels we thought UAB might reach.  Having said that, UAB is coming off what is perhaps their best performance of the season, and they’re at home against a top 25 team with a ton of momentum built up.  This will be a harder test for FAU than what most people realize.

-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  This game is VERY bubblicious.  Wisconsin is in a complete tailspin having lost six of their last seven and needs any sort of a win to pull them out of it.  Ohio State is even worse with losses in seven of their last eight.  They need to string together some wins just to reach the bubble.

-OREGON AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Oregon won the first meeting between these two rather handily, but winning that handily on the road is an entirely different deal.  Arizona is good enough to win out, and if they do they’ll be very much in the hunt for a #1 seed.  Oregon has won four of their last five and is playing a lot better, but they need to continue to put together a long string of wins just to reach the bubble.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Michigan @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – Northwestern is coming off a loss, but they’re still having a good year and should be able to hold serve at home.
-Southern Miss @ Troy (Sun Belt) – I don’t think Southern Miss will make it all the way inside the bubble, but they could at least get very close if they win out.  A win today gets them to 20-4 on the season, and would make them (I believe) just the third team to reach 20 wins this year
-Charleston @ Drexel (Colonial) – Charleston is looking to bounce back from just their second loss of the season.  If they win out they should be inside the bubble
-Stanford @ Utah (Pac 12) – Utah needs to really finish strong in order to make the field
-Houston @ Wichita State (American) – This should be an easy road win for Houston…if they decide to show up
-Washington @ UCLA (Pac 12) – UCLA has lost two straight, but has what should be a very winnable game at home tonight.
-Santa Clara @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – The Zags should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-San Francisco @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – The Gaels should be able to hold serve in this one
-Washington State @ USC (Pac 12) – USC has been playing a lot better, but they need to keep stringing together wins and avoid home losses to teams that are nowhere near the field

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Under The Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, February 2nd

Posted on February 2, 2023 by John Stalica

Towson (16-7, 8-2) at Hofstra (15-8, 8-2) – 7:00 PM ET (FloHoops)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day goes up to Long Island for a matchup of two teams tied for 2nd place in the Colonial Athletic Association; the Towson Tigers travel up I-95 and the Long Island Expressway to meet the Hofstra Pride. Hofstra scored one of the biggest wins last week when they went on the road and beat Charleston 85-81 to temporarily end the Cougars’ run in the Top 25. It just wasn’t one night either – Hofstra has still won 7 out of their last 8 games. Aaron Estrada averages 21.3 points a game and 5.4 rebounds a game for the Pride.

Towson started the season 8-1 and looked like they themselves might be a possible at-large NCAA team until hitting a 5-game rough patch in December that included losses against Clemson and Charleston. Since that stretch, the Tigers have won 6 straight games (and 8 of their last 9). Nicolas Timberlake averages 15.9 points a game for Towson.

And since this is Groundhog Day, it is decreed that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we will get six weeks of the Puppet Bunker starting in March. And if he does not see how shadow, then we will get six weeks of the Puppet Bunker starting in March.

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Under the Radar – Feb 1st

Posted on February 1, 2023 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the MEAC, and one of the great stories in college hoops this year is Maryland Eastern Shore, who for a decade was one of the worst teams in all of D1, but who this year is within reach of first place.  We discuss them and how we expected Norfolk State to run through the conference, but who now finds themselves a game out of 1st place.

From there we run through the other 22 UTR conferences and talk about how Colgate and Oral Roberts are getting close to clinching first place in their standings, how tight leagues like the Ivy, Ohio Valley, Sun Belt, WAC, Southland, and Missouri Valley are.  We take a look at Fordham, who is on the brink of winning 20+ games for just the fourth time in their entire history and how they are just a game out of first place in the Atlantic Ten.  College of Charleston suffered a loss to Hofstra and fell out of the rankings, which means they are back on the show.  We take a long look at them and discuss their chances of getting a bid if they lose in the conference tournament.  We discuss all that, and much more!  And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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Aden is Enough: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Aden Holloway

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 3 championship teams since 1979 have not featured such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn/2021 Baylor). The rosters for this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game were announced in January after selecting the 24 best players in the nation from a list of several hundred nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact in the fall, just ask Coach Nate Oats how he likes having 2022 honoree Brandon Miller at Alabama! Kentucky seems to be the big winner so far as Coach John Calipari will have a quartet of 2023 honorees joining him in Lexington next season. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Aden Holloway about being named a McDonald’s All-American and looking to the heavens.

You were born/raised in North Carolina: how did you end up at Prolific Prep? Coming from “La Lu” (high school basketball powerhouse La Lumiere) I just wanted to challenge myself with a bigger role and give myself a chance to prepare for college.

You have known your backcourt teammate Trey Green since you were both in kindergarten: why do you 2 work so well together on the same team? Our friendship/bond off the court helps us on the court. It is bigger than basketball: we are like brothers and have a lot of confidence in each other so it is easy to play with him.

Your team won 21 games in a row to start the season before a 3-PT loss to Dream City Christian in the “Crush in the Valley Showcase” (in which you scored 32 PTS): how impressed were you by Alejandro Aviles (who scored 24 PTS)? I was very impressed by his game. He made a lot of tough shots that not many high school guys are willing to take: he has great touch.

Your school has several alumni who will probably make the NCAA tourney this year (Adem Bona at UCLA/MJ Rice at Kansas/Coleman Hawkins at Illinois): how does your coach (Ryan Bernardi) and his staff prepare the guys to succeed in college? He pushes us very hard in practice and emphasizes every last detail. He prepares us every single day.

You received offers from several great schools including Miami/Tennessee but signed with Auburn back in August: what was the biggest factor in your decision, and how far do you think the Tigers will go this March? The biggest factor is that it was the best fit for me. My relationship with Coach Bruce Pearl was the most genuine/honest of anyone.

Can you give me an idea of how Coach Pearl’s plan for you was the most thorough (how much playing time you will get/how you fit into his team philosophy/how to prepare for a pro career/other)? It was just the best opportunity that presented itself. Auburn has had smaller guards who have thrived there and he is giving me the chance to be great.

You weigh 165 pounds: do you feel comfortable playing at that weight in college or do you feel that you need to get a little stronger/heavier? I definitely need to get a little stronger and more physical. I do not want to gain too much weight but enough to hold my own against bigger defenders when I drive into the lane and get bumped…but I still need to keep my quickness.

Last week you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was definitely a blessing and dream come true.

How excited were you to see that 1 of your former teammates at La Lumiere (Jeremy Fears) was also named to the McDonald’s team? I was proud of him: he was my roommate for a year so we have a different kind of bond than just being teammates. He is like my brother and I am happy for him.

I heard that you are really into “stargazing”: is that due to the beauty of the night sky/wondering what else is out there in the universe/other? It is a little of both! I like nature because it is so beautiful and I am always trying to chase a nice view.

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