Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-Charleston at UNC Wilmington was one of the more important games of the night and it’s unfortunate that a lot of people probably didn’t get to see it.  FloHoops had the rights, it is a pay service, and the general fan just doesn’t subscribe.  Charleston was incredibly impressive in the first half and appeared to be in control.  UNCW made a run in the second half to close the gap, and then got the lead very late in the game with the crowd going nuts.  Charleston was able to make big plays in the final minute despite being on the road and having all the momentum against them, and held on to win 71-69.  UNC Wilmington had a chance to win at the buzzer, but a would be game winning shot was blocked.  A foul as time expired gave Charleston two freethrows where they made the first, then missed the second, and then UNCW had a three-quarters court shot that actually hit the rim, but didn’t go down.  A lot happened in the last second of play!!

-Houston had to sweat a lot more than we expected, but they held on to beat a rather weak South Florida team 83-77 at home.

-Alabama is a #1 seed caliber team.  I am now convinced of that.  Earlier in the year they won at Houston, who’s ranked #1 right now.  Last night, they won at Arkansas, who is a possible/probable protected seeded caliber team.  They’re not perfect.  They do have losses to UConn and Gonzaga, but the collection of good wins that this team has at the top of their profile is as good as what anyone else in the country has done.  They didn’t just win at Arkansas, but won handily 84-69.

-UConn has now lost 3 of their last 4 after starting the season off 14-0.  While that’s aggravating for the Huskies, I’m not sure it’s anything more than that.  All three of those losses were against ranked teams on the road, and all three were competitive games.  Perhaps UConn isn’t the #2 team in the nation, but they’re probably still one of the ten best teams.  They seesawed back and forth with Marquette last night before coming up short 82-76.  Marquette has now won eight of their last nine, is 14-4 overall, and is climbing both the rankings and the seedlist themselves.

-TCU appeared to be handling Texas at Texas last night, and on their way to one of the more impressive road performances we’ve seen all year.  Then the second half started, Texas chipped away, then drew even, then went ahead and held on for a 79-75 win.

-Creighton could have really used a massive road win, and they came real close to getting it at Xavier last night.  The Bluejays held a lead for most of the second half, but Xavier kept it close and finally got control with less than a minute to go and held on (after nearly giving it away in the final seconds) 90-87.

-Missouri was blown out at Texas A&M 82-64.  This doesn’t break Missouri’s back, but it sure as hell stubs their toes.  They have a really good 13-3 overall record, but when they’ve lost games, they have not messed around in doing so.

-Pitt seemed to be in control of Duke for about 25 minutes, but then Duke caught fire and ended up getting a much needed 77-69 win.  Duke still has some holes on their resume that needs patching up, but holding serve against a good Pitt team certainly helps with their stability.

-It’s time to start having questions about Mississippi State.  They lost at Georgia last night 58-50 and that bloated early season record that they racked up against a somewhat weak schedule is not looking all that impressive.

-Baylor had been in a bit of a tailspin, and picking up a road win at West Virginia last night was huge.  None of their losses were bad, but it was a bit of a death by paper cuts situation to where they were starting to pile up.  It’s their first Big 12 win, so it was one that Baylor kind of needed to get momentum shifted back in the right direction.

-Memphis and UCF were two teams that were hovering around the bubble that really needed some big wins, and last night they faced off against each other in a double overtime thriller that was close all throughout.  UCF finally held on for a much needed 107-104 win.  Memphis could have really used this win for their resume as well, especially since it was a road game.

-Indiana no longer looks anything like a top 25 team, and one needs to start wondering if they even look like an NCAA Tournament team.  They were basically blown out at Penn State last night 85-66, and are now just 1-4 in Big Ten play.

-UAB lost at home to Western Kentucky 80-78.  This is their third close loss in a row, but it’s also a second loss in a row to a team that is nowhere near the NIT right now, much less the NCAA Tournament.  UAB still has a high ceiling, but unless they win the Conference USA Tournament I don’t see them making the NCAAs.

-Boise State got a hugely impressive road win at UNLV last night 84-66.  UNLV was a team that we thought was on the bubble, but they’ve now lost 3 of their last 4 and are going in the wrong direction.  Boise State, on the other hand, has our attention after winning that decisively on the road.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MICHIGAN AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Both teams have shown that they can play at a high level, but both have only done so a limited number of times this season.  Both still have work to do, and both could use this win tonight.

-ARIZONA STATE AT OREGON (Pac 12).  Some say they feel that Arizona State’s 13-3 record is a bit of a mirage, and while I agree that it could be a BIT of one, I don’t agree that it is a COMPLETE one.  Like most road games this will be a tough one to win, but it’s a game that they can and should win if they really are a solid tournament caliber team.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT MARSHALL (Sun Belt).  Both teams are good, but both are outside the bubble and seem to be sliding further and further away from being able to reach it.  Nevertheless, this is an important game on paper for that reason, and it should be a fun and exciting game on the court as well.

-GONZAGA AT BYU (West Coast).  Gonzaga has struggled in their last two road games, but won them both.  BYU isn’t in our field right now, but a win tonight would result in them taking a big step forward.  They’re also 7-1 at home, so it won’t be a cakewalk for the Zags at all.

-UTAH AT UCLA (Pac 12).  Utah has some really good notable wins, but they haven’t always been consistently good.  I still think they’re a tournament team, and even though they’re overmatched tonight it’s a chance to really boost the value of their profile if they can pull off a huge upset win against a top ten UCLA team.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Minnesota @ Ohio State (Big Ten) – Ohio State shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve at home
-Colorado @ USC (Pac 12) – The Trojans have had their ups and downs, but as of now the ups seem to be outnumbering the downs, and they should be able to hold serve tonight and stay inside the bubble
-Sam Houston @ Southern Utah (WAC) – Sam Houston is a good team, but their resume can’t handle too many more losses.  If they can blow through the rest of league play the committee should give them a serious look, though
-LMU @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – This SMC team is really good and they should be able to hold serve at home tonight
-Arizona @ Oregon State (Pac 12) – this should be a winnable road game for an Arizona team that’s looking to bounce back from a rather surprising home loss to Washington State

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-Kansas, Tennessee, Kansas State, and Virginia all had to sweat a little bit at home, but all hung on to win conference home games.  Tennessee and Virginia didn’t sweat quite as much, but Vanderbilt did keep it close against the Vols, and  Virginia was in control for most of the second half against North Carolina.  Oklahoma State was in the game the whole way with Kansas State before the Wildcats pulled away in the final couple of minutes, and Kansas actually trailed most of the game against Oklahoma before finally getting control in the last minute of the game.

-Michigan State picked up a huge 69-65 road win at Wisconsin, which puts them back on the map and should move them back up the seedlist.  The Spartans have now won seven in a row, and the win last night was by far the most impressive in that stretch.

-Things just keep getting worse for Kentucky.  Last night they lost at home to South Carolina 71-68.  South Carolina jumped out to a big lead before the first media timeout, and then pretty much held it for the rest of the game.  Kentucky did have three chances to force overtime at the end of regulation, but even if they had done so, and even if they had won, things are not well in Kentucky.  South Carolina’s NET is in the 260s.  Any tournament caliber team should be able to handle them in the same way they’d handle an opponent in a buy game.

-I had started to ignore Florida, but perhaps I should start paying attention again.  They had a nice 67-56 road win at LSU last night and might be starting to turn it around.  Having said that, they still have a ton of work to do to get back within reach of the bubble.

-Dayton has now won seven straight games, and has won each one of them handily, and is finally starting to look like the top 25 caliber team we thought they’d be at the beginning of the year.  They absolutely pasted Fordham last night 82-58 on the road.  The problem is they didn’t do enough out of conference to get the attention of the committee, and the Atlantic Ten is so weak this year that they won’t get the opportunities they need in conference to impress the committee either, so chances are they’ll need to win the Atlantic Ten Tournament to get into the NCAAs.  But they are getting healthy after suffering injuries early on, and are really good.  They may win a game or two in the NCAA Tournament if they’re able to get there.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VERMONT AT UMASS LOWELL (America East).  This is an odd game to highlight because neither team will likely be near the bubble, but it’s still an interesting game because UMass Lowell has the bloated 14-3 record and is having perhaps their best season ever, and Vermont is talented enough to still win the league, and if they can get this one on the road you have to figure they’re going to be running down hill the rest of the way.  Since first the first place team has home court advantage in the conference tournament, this game has some stakes to it.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT GEORGIA (SEC).  This is going to be a tough road game for a Mississippi State team that’s trying to stay inside the bubble.  They’re playing a Georgia team that’s having a decent year and that’s trying to get inside the bubble themselves.

-ALABAMA AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Both teams are in the rankings, and Alabama has some incredible wins this year already.  Both are in the hunt for a protected seed, and if Bama can pick up yet another massive road win like this one you have to start thinking that they’ve got a chance of getting a #1 seed.

-UCONN AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  UConn has lost their last two road games, and they’ll face yet another tough test today against a Marquette team that’s won seven of their last eight with the only loss being a close on at Providence, and who is really looking for a high caliber win to shine up their resume.

-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East).  Creighton appears to be out of whatever slump they were in, but they still have some ground to make up.  Xavier is looking like they’re good enough to get a protected seed, and they seem to be getting better and better, so a road win like this would help Creighton make up that ground.

-CHARLESTON AT UNC WILMINGTON (Colonial).  This is perhaps Charleston’s toughest remaining game, and if they can pick this one up they have a real shot at winning out.  It won’t be easy, though.  UNC Wilmington is 12-3 on the year, has won 11 straight, and will be jacked way up for this one.  You almost have to wonder if UNCW has an outside shot at making a run at the bubble if they can win out or come close to it.

-PITTSBURGH AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke has not played as well as expected and appears to be in a bit of a tailspin.  Pitt, on the other hand, has been a big surprise this year and even though they’re coming off a loss to Clemson they appear to be improving as the year goes on.  If they can get this win at Duke, which isn’t impossible given how both teams have been playing, then it would give their resume another boost and move them up the seedlist even more.

-BAYLOR AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  Both teams are solidly inside our bubble (for now), but both have also been struggling some and could use a win in a game like this to give them some stability.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American).  Neither team is solidly inside the bubble right now, but both are good enough to get there.  I like this Memphis team some, and this UCF team some more.  If UCF can blow through the rest of their schedule they should get the attention of the committee, but they need to win this game in order to do it.

-INDIANA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Indiana has a really nice win at Xavier, but other than that their resume is very bland.  A win like this would certainly give them some stability.  Penn State is within reach of the bubble as well, and a win like this could help them get a step closer.

-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  TAMU has won four in a row, but they really weren’t tested in any of those games.  Mizzou is good, but if TAMU wants to make a statement that they belong in the tournament then they need to win home games like this one.

-TCU AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Both teams are in the rankings, both have a legit shot at ending up as protected seeds, and if TCU can some how get this win on the road, that will especially be true for them.  This one should be fun!

-RUTGERS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Both teams are looking like tournament teams, and both appear to be getting better as the season goes along, and whenever two teams like that end up playing each other it’s usually a lot of fun.  It’s another chance for both teams to improve their resumes even more.

-BOISE STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  Both teams have good records, both are within reach of the bubble, and both could really use this win in order to help get them there.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Boston College @ Miami FL (ACC) – The Canes are having a fantastic year and should be able to hold serve in this one
-Virginia Tech @ Syracuse (ACC) – This should be a winnable road game for VA Tech
-Florida Atlantic @ FIU (Conference USA) – FAU is a team that has been inside our bubble for a while, and they should stay there so long as they take care of business in games like this
-South Florida @ Houston (American) – Houston will probably make this look like a buy game
-Louisiana Tech @ North Texas (Conference USA) – North Texas is 13-3 and should have a chance to make a run at the bubble if they keep winning at the clip they have been
-Louisville @ Clemson (ACC) – this should resemble a buy game for Clemson
-Florida State @ Wake Forest (ACC) – this should resemble a buy game for Wake
-Western Kentucky @ UAB (Conference USA) – UAB may be out of strikes, but if they can win out until the conference tournament the committee should still give them a serious look
-Utah Valley @ Cal Baptist (WAC) – not many have noticed Utah Valley yet, but if they can keep stringing together wins I think they’ll get the committee’s attention
-UC Santa Barbara @ Cal State Bakersfield (Gig West) – A win for UCSB will get them to a very impressive and very notable 13-2 on the year

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

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

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  K State had one of the best weeks of the season that anyone will ever have after beating two ranked teams on the road.  They’re playing at a really high level all of a sudden and should be able to hold serve at home against an Oklahoma State team that really needs some big wins if they want to make the field.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Michigan State has won six straight and is coming off a feelgood win over rival Michigan, but no game in that stretch was as tough to win as this one will be.  Wisconsin is in the rankings and although they’re coming off a loss at Illinois they’re extremely difficult to beat at home.

-TEXAS TECH AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  Iowa State has won five in a row, and shot up the rankings after winning two games on the road last week.  They should be able to take care of business against a Texas Tech team that’s good, but that’s also struggling and really needs a big win.  They’ve lost three straight, but all were close losses to really good teams.  A win on the road in a game like this would quickly turn things around for them.

-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Oklahoma is a team that appears to be inside the bubble, and Kansas is a team that appears to be within reach of the #1 line.  The Jayhawks should hold serve at home.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  North Carolina is still looking for their first true road win of the year, and based on how these two teams have been playing it doesn’t appear very likely it will happen tonight.  Virginia is highly ranked and solidly in the hunt for a protected seed.

-AIR FORCE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West) (Front Range).  WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THE FRONT RANGE!!!!!

-NEVADA AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is into the rankings, on pace to land solidly in the top half of the bracket, and appears to be the best team in the Mountain West.  Nevada is looking for some statement wins that would get the attention of the selection committee, and a win tonight would certainly do the trick.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Butler @ Saint John’s (Big East) – The Johnnies are starting to slide off the bubble and can’t afford to lose at home to a Butler team that’s nowhere near it
-South Carolina @ Kentucky (SEC) – Kentucky doesn’t have much in the way of big wins, so failing to hold serve in a game like this would be highly damaging
-Florida @ LSU (SEC) – LSU is good enough to land inside the bubble, but they need to hold serve in games like this in order to do it
-Toledo @ Kent State (MAC) – I say this before every game, but I think there is room for Kent State inside the bubble if they can blow through the conference
-Vanderbilt @ Tennessee (SEC) – Tennessee appears to be a solid protected seed caliber team
-Auburn @ Ole Miss (SEC) – This should be a winnable road game for the Tigers.  It’s the kind of road game that a tournament caliber team should be able to win
-Villanova @ DePaul (Big East) – Nova looked like they were getting better, but at just 8-8 they need to start stringing together wins if they want any sort of a chance of making the field
-Illinois @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Nebraska isn’t the easiest team in the world to beat, especially at home, but it’s still a road game that Illinois should be expected to win
-Wyoming @ Utah State (Mountain West) – Utah State shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve in this one