Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-So TCU…..

The Horned Frogs did something yesterday that might happen once a year, but perhaps not even that often.  They not only won a road game against one of the top two ranked teams, they absolutely blew their doors off!!  They had an injury to a key player and it looked like Kansas had momentum going into the half despite being down double digits, but TCU STILL blew Kansas to the moon!!  I do need to point out that Kansas did have a similar result a year ago to Kentucky where they got blown off their own floor, and as I recall Kansas still ended up having a pretty decent season, so it’s not game over by any means, and perhaps it isn’t even a reason to be overly discouraged if you’re a Kansas fan.  But…WOW!!!!!!!

-Missouri, who looks to be an NCAA Tournament caliber team, was all jacked up yesterday to host Alabama.  And….they got absolutely killed 85-64.  It was an impressive road win and margin of victory for the Tide, who in my opinion look like the best overall team right now.

-UCLA’s winning streak came to an end as they fell at Arizona 58-52, but Arizona is a team that’s likely to end up as a protected seed so this loss won’t hurt UCLA all that much.  Had they won it, then we’d probably be looking at them as a potential #1 seed, but a loss is hardly a setback.

-Oklahoma State got a big 61-59 win against an Iowa State team that had been playing well and that appeared to be heading toward a protected seed.  This gives the Cowboys a much needed boost.  Even thought hey were at home it’s still a big win for them.  They’re not quite inside the bubble, but they took a step toward it with this win yesterday.

-Miami FL came up just short at Duke when they fell 68-66.  A win for the Canes could have helped strengthen their case for a protected seed because while Duke isn’t in that range, they’re still very tough to beat on their floor.  In fact, they’re still unbeaten on their floor.

-Marquette picked up a VERY impressive 74-53 win at Seton Hall yesterday.  It may not sound overly impressive on the surface, but Seton Hall had been playing very well in recent weeks, and Marquette hadn’t beaten anyone that was as good as them on the road so far this season.  Well, they won yesterday, and they didn’t mess around while doing it.  Considering they’ve won 7 of their last 8, and the only loss was a close road loss at Xavier, Marquette might be playing as well as anyone in the Big East right now.

-Both Xavier and Providence won at home yesterday, but were not particularly dominant in doing so. The Musketeers begin their stiff road tests this week with trips to UConn and Creighton coming up this week; they will be the team to beat if they pick off 1 or 2 of these games.

-Baylor really had to sweat, but they picked up a 62-60 road win against a pretty solid Oklahoma team, which keeps them within range of earning a protected seed.

-Ohio State had been going in the complete wrong direction, and Iowa had really been playing well these past few weeks.  So of course the Buckeyes beat the Hawkeyes rather handily yesterday 93-77.  It was a win that Ohio State DESPERATELY needed because they really were sinking into the quicksand.

-Pittsburgh, who had been playing very well and appeared to be looking like a tournament caliber team, really stubbed their toes yesterday by losing 71-64 at home to a Florida State team that is…well…BAD!

-North Carolina really needed a big win, and they got it against rival NC State 80-69.  NC State’s Terquavion Smith was injured during the game after a foul that occurred under the basket and had to be taken off on a stretcher, so we certainly wish him the best.  It was a scary scene to say the least.   Reports are that he is okay.

-Saint Mary’s won at home against Santa Clara.  That may seem like a ‘Dog Wags Tail’ type of announcement, but I really liked how Santa Clara had been playing and to see Saint Mary’s absolutely blow them off the court 77-58 was impressive.  Gonzaga is high in the rankings, and given their resume they should be, but over the past couple of weeks we’ve seen Gonzaga have to sweat out their conference games, and Saint Mary’s has been blowing through them.  It is probably time to start paying a lot more attention to the Gaels!

-Arizona State is squarely on the bubble, and yesterday they showed us why.  They lost 77-69 at home to a USC team that’s actually outside the bubble.  Teams on the bubble need to win home games against other bubble teams.

-Northwestern has been out of action due to health issues with the team and has had two key games postponed.  They have not yet been cancelled, but they also have not yet been rescheduled.  We hope that those can be made up because as fans of the sport, we want to see them! (Update from Stalica – Northwestern has rescheduled their game at Iowa on Tuesday, January 31; no word on the Wisconsin game yet.)

-One noteworthy UTR game from yesterday – after a pair of free throws from Cal Poly against UC-Davis yesterday at the 4:49 mark, the Mustangs led UC-Davis 63-50. However, the Aggies would close the game on a 15-0 run and topped it off with a layup by Ty Johnson with 8 seconds remaining to escape with a 65-63 victory.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-BUTLER AT UCONN (Big East).  UConn is in a tailspin, but they are still have a strong resume due to all their big early season wins and will be okay so long as they can pull themselves out of it.  Having said that, if they drop this one at home, then they will be in even more trouble.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  I’ve been very critical of Indiana for…well…most of the season, but they’ve really impressed me in their last two games, and as well as Michigan State has been playing this is still yet another game they can win, especially at home.  This would be a nice win for whichever team pulls this off.

-MARYLAND AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Maryland is NCAA Tournament level good, and Purdue is #1 seed level good.  And they’re at home.  So…

-MEMPHIS AT CINCINNATI (American).  Memphis is solidly on our bubble, and Jon Teitel actually has them as one of the last teams in right now.  They can get there, but their margin for error is small and they need this one on the road today. (There will also be 70s uniforms from both teams as this will be the last matchup in Cincy between these two teams before UC goes to the Big 12)

-TEMPLE AT HOUSTON (American).  This should be more low hanging fruit for the Cougars.

NEWS, NOTES, AND HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

New Mexico won an overtime thriller against a really good Boise State team 81-79.  I think both teams are good enough to end up inside the bubble.  For New Mexico it adds another notable win to their resume.  For Boise State, it was a missed opportunity to pick up a huge road win, but was hardly a setback.

-MIAMI FL AT DUKE (ACC).  Miami is a really strong team that is flirting with a protected seed, and Duke is solidly inside the bubble but has room to improve.  I think whichever team pulls off this win will be nudged forward a little bit, and it should be a good game.

-TCU AT KANSAS (Big 12).  The Big Twelve gives us multiple games each week between teams that are within reach of a protected seed.  Kansas, despite the loss at Kansas State, is still probably on pace to get a #1 seed and should be able to rebound today even though TCU is really good.  A win on the road at Kansas would is a tall order, and a failure to do so will not set TCU back at all.  If they were to pull it off, though, it would shoot them WAAY up the seedlist and the rankings!

-THE CITADEL AT VMI (SoCon).  We are highlighting this simply because of how much fun this game usually is!!  Check it out!!  It’s a very unique and very great rivalry!

-NAVY AT ARMY (Patriot League).  If we’re going to highlight Citadel @ VMI, then we might as well highlight this one as well for the same reason!

-UCLA AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  This is perhaps one of the better games of the day.  UCLA has been on a rampage for most of the season, but this would by far be their highest caliber win if they are able to pull this off.  Arizona had been in a bit of a funk (at least by protected seed standards), but they looked like their old selves last night against USC and should be jacked way up for this one!

-VIRGINIA AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Virginia is a solid protected seed, but they will be tested on the road today by a Wake team that is squarely on the bubble and who could really use this win.  Wake is unbeaten at home, and even though it would be a home win it would still give their resume a much needed boost.  This one should be fun.  It’ll probably be better than what most are expecting.

-IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  Iowa State has been playing fantastic and is looking more and more like a protected seed as the season goes on.  Oklahoma State is outside the bubble, but they can get within reach of it in a hurry if they can just string together some wins given how strong this conference is.  They should have some momentum built up after their big win in Bedlam earlier this week.

-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Ohio State is on life support and could really use a win so they can snap their five game losing streak.  Iowa had been on life support, but has bounced back.  They’ve not got a solid tournament profile and look like a solid tournament team on the court.  A road win in a game like this would add another piece to it.

-TEXAS A&M AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  TAMU is unbeaten in SEC play, but they are also untested in SEC play.  They will be tested today against a Kentucky team that appeared to be in free fall, but who has seemingly found themselves in the last week and is now playing at a noticeably higher level.

-MARQUETTE AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Marquette is having a great year, but this would be their biggest road win of the year to date, so it’s a bigger game than what it may look like at first glance.  It’s also perhaps a harder game than what it looks like at first glance.  Seton Hall is outside the bubble, but they’ve won four straight, two of those were on the road, and one was against UConn.  They are suddenly playing really well and can make up quite a bit of ground rather quickly if they keep stringing together wins.

-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Baylor is a team that I think is being a little undervalued.  They did lose three straight games, but two were games that came down to the final seconds against highly ranked teams, and they have followed up that stretch by winning three straight games.  This won’t be an easy road game, but it’s a game they’re certainly capable of winning against an Oklahoma team that appears to be sliding down the seedlist.

-NORTH TEXAS AT UAB (Conference USA).  North Texas may be out of strikes.  If they lose this game, there will be no “may be” about it.  Their only way win will likely be the auto-bid.

-COLORADO STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West, Front Range).  We at Hoops HD LOVE the Front Range!!!!!

-NC STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  North Carolina has no wins of any real substance other than perhaps a home win against Charleston.  Despite this being a home game, it would arguably be their best win of the year if they pull it off.  NC State has won seven of their last eight and picked up some nice road wins in that stretch.  They’ll be challenged again today, and this is a rivalry game which adds a little more to it.  In short, it’s a rivalry game between two teams that could really use this win on their resume.

-ALABAMA AT MISSOURI (SEC).  We all agree that Alabama is a #1 seed right now, and I feel that they should be the top #1 seed, but others feel that they need to do a little more.  Well, winning at Missouri would fall under the category of “a little more.”  Missouri could really use a win like this as well.  They are inside the bubble, but not so far inside of it that they are incapable of slipping off out of it.  A win today over a team that’s as good as Bama would be huge even if it is a home game.

-TEXAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  Texas keeps racking up wins and keeps looking like a protected seed.  West Virginia is probably a legit top 40 team.  The problem is that so many teams in the Big 12 are legit top 20 teams and racking up any sort of wins is tough.  They need this one, even though they are at home.  If they can’t get to 7 conference wins I don’t think they have much of a shot at beings elected.

-SANTA CLARA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  I think Saint Mary’s is not just safely in the field, but safely in the top half of the bracket.  I also like how this Santa Clara team has been playing.  If they can win a game like this, they’d be making a serious case for themselves.  This one should be fun!!

-USC AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Right now we have Arizona State inside the bubble, and they need to win this game in order to stay there.  We also have USC outside the bubble, and they need to win this game in order to get there.  With Arizona State and UCLA coming up, this is a HUGELY important stretch for USC and their Tournament chances.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Georgetown @ Xavier (Big East) – Georgetown is looking for their first conference win and Xavier is looking to hold serve
-Charleston @ Northeastern (Colonial) – Charleston should be able to hold serve and pick up yet another conference road win
-Ole Miss @ Arkansas (SEC) – Arkansas is in a tailspin and needs to take advantage of what should be a very winnable home game to help pull themselves out of it
-UCF @ South Florida (American) – UCF is outside of our bubble, but they do have a path to landing inside of it.  They need to hold serve in games like this, though, even though it’s a road game
-Vanderbilt @ Georgia (SEC) – Georgia may be in a position to make a run at the bubble, but they need to hold serve in games like this
-Texas Tech @ Kansas State (Big 12) – K State should be able to hold serve in this one without too much trouble
-DePaul @ Providence (Big East) – DePaul is coming off a big home win against Xavier, but winning on the road at Providence is an entirely different level of hard.  Providence is still within reach of a protected seed
-Nebraska @ Penn State (Big Ten) – Penn State is squarely on our bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to keep from being knocked outside of it
-Florida State @ Pittsburgh (ACC) – Pitt is inside our bubble and we believe they’ll be able to stay there so long as they keep holding serve
-Auburn @ South Carolina (SEC) – Auburn has won 4 straight and can pick up their 4th road win of the season today
-Tennessee @ LSU (SEC) – Tennessee had the setback against Kentucky, but they’re coming off a nice road win at Mississippi State and have another winnable road win today, which should keep them solidly around the 2/3 lines
-Virginia Tech @ Clemson (ACC) – Clemson is coming off a loss, but they’ve held serve in the ACC and looked impressive enough to where it looks like they’ll make the field.  I expect that they’ll hold serve again at home today
-San Jose State @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State has a lot of wins, but nothing else about their resume really jumps out at you yet.  They need to hold serve in this one and keep stringing together wins, though.  They do have a chance to get in
-Washington @ Utah (Pac 12) – We’ve got Utah on the outside looking in, but we have them close enough to where they can get in if they play well down the stretch
-Florida @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Mississippi State is just 1-6 in their last seven games and needs to pull themselves out of the tailspin that they’re in
-Florida Atlantic @ UTEP (Conference USA) – FAU is really playing well, and has a long string of wins going, and should be able to continue that today even though UTEP can be tough to beat on the road
-Gonzaga @ Pacific (West Coast) – Gonzaga should be able to bounce back from their somewhat (but only somewhat) surprising loss to LMU earlier this week
-San Diego State @ Air Force (Mountain West) – this could be a tricky road game for San Diego State, but it’s still a game they should win
-Cal State Bakersfield @ UC Santa Barbara (Big West) – If UCSB can win out, which won’t be easy but it’s something they’re good enough to do, then I think they’ll end up getting a serious look from the committee

-For the latest HOOPS HD BRACKET RUNDOWN Video Podcast, where we build a seedlist line by line and discuss/debate each team as we go – CLICK HERE

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

-Gonzaga had been playing with fire for weeks and had several games come down to the final minute, and even the final seconds, but always found a way to win.  Last night, they didn’t find a way to win.  LMU was ahead for most of the second half, but with less than a minute to go Gonzaga tied it, and even had the ball in the final seconds of the game with a chance to win it.  We had seen this so many times that it actually was a bit of a surprise when they came up empty, and LMU picked up a HUGE win for their program at the Kennel 68-67.

-UCLA got a nice road win at Arizona State, which is a win they should get a lot of credit for considering that Arizona State has some big wins, has played well at home, and hovering around the bubble.  Now, if they can win at Arizona on Saturday, then that would REALLY be big!

-Michigan State pulled away from Rutgers and picked up yet another notable win.  They seem to be doing it a piece at a time, but they are climbing the seedlist and building up a pretty good resume.

-Indiana, who had looked very pedestrian when playing on the road, picked up a VERY impressive 80-65 win at Illinois yesterday, which is probably as impressive as any win they’ve managed this season outside of their big win at Xavier earlier in the year.

-BALL STATE AT KENT STATE (MAC).  Kent State has yet to lose in conference play and if they can continue to dominate the conference I think the committee is going to give them one hell of a look.  They need to keep winning, though.

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  The Johnnies are outside the bubble, but they do have some notable wins and would be able to reach it if they can start stringing a few more together.  They need to hold serve in this one tonight.

-VCU AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  If any team from the A10 has any chance at all of landing inside the bubble, it’s probably VCU, and they pretty much need to win out to do it.

-BOISE STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Both teams are inside our bubble right now, and both are looking to grow the value of their resumes, so tonight’s game is a big opportunity for both teams.