News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Tuesday, Jan 3rd

Posted on January 3, 2023 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – CLICK HERE

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

-For Jon Teitel’s All Conference Midseason Awards – CLICK HERE for Pt.1  and CLICK HERE for Pt.2

-The biggest news on the court last night was Rutgers’s huge upset win on the road against top ranked Purdue.  It’s one of the better singular wins that any team has managed this season, and it suddenly makes their resume look tons better than what it did before yesterday.  Rutgers had played really well against some really good teams, but came up just short.  Yesterday they played really well against the #1 ranked team, and got the win, so I’m glad for them that they finally picked one up.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Both teams are well within reach of the inside of the bubble, but both still have some work to do in order to actually reach it.  The Johnnies have lost three straight and need a win like this in order to bounce back.  Marquette has actually won five out of their last six with the only loss being a double overtime thriller against Providence and is coming off  really nice win at Villanova, so for them to pick up another road win would really have them on a good path.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Mississippi State has lost two straight games since building up a big 11-0 record against what was mostly a pastry cart.  They do have a couple of good wins, but they still have a lot of work to do.  Tennessee has lifted some pretty heavy weight and appears to be on pace toward a protected seed.  But to stay on that pace they need to be able to hold serve in games like this.

-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State appears to be outside the bubble right now and needs to string together some wins just to get back in the picture.  This is a winnable conference home game and they need to take care of business.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT KENT STATE (MAC).  I still think there will be room for Kent State inside the bubble if they can blow through the MAC.  I know that’s easier said than done, but I do think they’re good en0ugh to do it.

-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky doesn’t have any notable wins yet, and a win today may actually be their best of the season so far, but they don’t have any damaging losses either and are talented enough to where they should safely reach the field so long as they hold serve.  LSU has built up a big record, but mostly done so by going to the bakery and ordering cupcakes.  They will certainly be tested tonight, though, and they are coming off a really nice win against Arkansas, so we can’t just brush off this LSU team.

-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Both teams have to make up some ground, and both could really use this one tonight.  Creighton just hasn’t looked good at all since their 6-0 start and needs to get things turned around.  This is a winnable home game for them and they need to take advantage.

-KANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Kansas survived a battle at home against Oklahoma State, and like every conference road game they play they’re going to be in for another battle tonight.  Texas Tech can really help out their resume with a win tonight even though they are at home.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12).  K State has just one loss on the season, but they didn’t amass that record by playing in games that will test them as much as this one will.  Texas is 12-1, ranked really high, has some high caliber wins, and has been really good at home this year.

-OLE MISS AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Alabama has some of the best wins of any team in the country, and depending on how well they do between now and the end I don’t think a #1 seed is out of the question.  They do need to hold serve in games like this, which I expect they’ll be able to.

-VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Pitt has won nine of their last ten and, as crazy as this is to say, they’re playing really well with some decent wins on their resume.  If they can get this one tonight, they’ll REALLY get the attention of the committee.  Virginia is one of the teams that appears to be contending for a #1 seed, and for teams like that road wins in games like this come with the territory, but Pitt has reason to be optimistic.

-MINNESOTA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisconsin is up to 14th in the rankings, and they are well deserving of it and in contention for a protected seed.  They should be able to hold serve in the basketball version of Paul Bunyan’s Axe tonight

-UTAH STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West).  I really like this Utah State team and feel they can land inside the bubble.  Air Force can be a tricky team to play against, especially on the road, but it’s still a winnable conference road game that they can add to their resume.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  I think this is a good Boise State team, but I also realize they still have a ton of work to do if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament and can’t afford to drop games like this at home.

-NEW MEXICO AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  New Mexico is the last unbeaten and this should be another winnable road game for them.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, January 3rd

Posted on January 3, 2023 by John Stalica

Ball State (9-4, 0-0) at Toledo (9-4, 0-0) – 7:00 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day kicks off MAC play in the Glass City between Ball State and the hometown Toledo Rockets. Ball State comes into tonight’s game on a five-game winning streak; their last game was a 70-63 win against Chicago State. Payton Sparks averages 13.5 points a game and 8 rebounds a game for the Cardinals.

Toledo started off the season with a 93-85 neutral-court victory against UAB and was looking like one of the better UTR teams going into the season. Expectations were tempered after back-to-back losses against Kansas City and East Carolina in the Gulf Coast Showcase, but they did rebound with a 12-point win at Vermont during nonconference play. Both RayJ Dennis and JT Shumate are tied for 4th place in the MAC with a 19.1 PPG average.

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The Hoops HD Report – Jan 2nd

Posted on January 2, 2023 by David Griggs

Conference play is underway in all of the major conferences and we look back at what was a busy week over the Holidays.  We begin by talking about Rutgers’ huge upset win at Purdue, and how it will likely end up being one of the bigger singular wins that any team manages this season considering it was on the road against a potential #1 seed.  Xavier also picked up a huge win against UConn, and Houston had a close call at home against UCF, so the teams at the top of the polls were tested.  We talk about that, how Pitt and LSU have bloated records, but still need some big wins to prove themselves, how strong the Big 12 is from top to bottom, and much more!  And, at the end we also discuss Charleston, who finally cracked the Top 25 this week.

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

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Hoops HD Staff Bracket – Monday, January 2nd

Posted on January 2, 2023 by John Stalica

After our holiday break, we resume our Staff Bracket projections this week. This is not to be confused with the brackets that our committee-guessing expert Jon Teitel posts; he is simply guessing what the Selection Committee would likely pick at this stage. With John Stalica’s turn this week, this is how he sees fit at this checkpoint of the season.

COMMENTS FROM JOHN:

– With UConn losing this weekend, we now have a clear-cut #1 overall seed with Purdue taking control. Kansas and Arizona continue to impress and UConn still has the edge over Houston for the final #1 spot for now.

– Both New Mexico and Xavier tied for #22 in the AP Poll last week and both teams have been rising fast in the seed list. The Musketeers have an opportunity to rise up a little faster given the level of competition in the Big East versus what the Mountain West offers for the Lobos.

– If not for their win at home against Yale, Kentucky would be 0-4 against the top two tiers in the NET. Notice they are not in the bracket right now.

– I think that Charleston and Florida Atlantic deserve to be above the First Four right now, but teams like North Texas and UAB also have a chance to crash the party as at-larges if things break right for them in C-USA. Southern Miss is not above the First Four but I do have them as a #12 seed at this point.

– Creighton is a team that will likely get healthy and get in the field later on in the season, but right now the resume isn’t there. Villanova may not get to that point and will really be behind the 8-ball should they not kick into gear soon.

First Four Out: Creighton, Utah State, Northwestern, NC State

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:  Stalica mentioned this in his write-up, but to the question of “Where’s Kentucky?” the answer should be “Right next to Oklahoma State.”  I do think Kentucky will be there in the end, but right now despite multiple chances, they just don’t have enough wins against the top 100, much less tournament caliber wins, to be selected.  I applaud John for the omission!!

-Sam Houston is in his field, but on the #12 line.  I’m starting to think that I’m the only person that I’m the only person that respects the hell out of their resume.  The wins at Oklahoma and Utah have got to be worth something.  Granted Stalica only has both of those teams in the First Four, so…

 

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Hanging with the Hoyas: Part 4

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. You can find Parts 1-3 at:

https://hoopshd.com/2022/11/12/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-1-2
https://hoopshd.com/2022/12/03/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-2-3
https://hoopshd.com/2022/12/17/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-3-3

See below for his photo essay about the Hoyas’ game last night against Butler.

I am starting off the new year with the pregame meal of the year: make-your-own steak sandwiches for dinner with chocolate chip cookies and mini-churros in caramel sauce for dessert! Let’s tip it off:

Our coaching matchup features 2 guys with very different resumes. Standing on the left is Coach Patrick Ewing, who has lost 23 conference games in a row entering tonight; sitting on the right is Coach Thad Matta, who has the 4th-best winning percentage among active D-1 coaches (minimum 10 seasons):

Tonight marks Matta’s 1st game vs. the Hoyas since he beat them 67-60 in the 2007 Final 4 in Atlanta as coach at Ohio State. His current director of basketball operations (Greg Oden) scored 13 PTS that night and along with Ewing gives us 2 former NBA 1st overall picks (1985 and 2007) in the arena:

Just when you think Georgetown’s problems could not get any worse, it turns out that JR G Jay Heath is out for the foreseeable future due to a left hand injury:

Butler G Eric Hunter finished his 4-year career at Purdue last spring by going out on top with a 29-win season and a trip to the Sweet 16 before losing to St. Peter’s. It must be weird for him to see his former team sitting on top of the college basketball world this season with a 13-0 record so far, but it did not seem to bother him as he made a bunch of layups and a corner 3 in the 1st half:

Another transfer who looked great in the 1st 20 minutes was Manny Bates, who only played 1 minute for NC State last season after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in the very 1st minute of his season-opener vs. Bucknell, but was unstoppable in the paint with fadeaway jumper after dunk after turnaround baby hook:

SO G Jayden Taylor only had 3-17 3PM during the month of December and lost his spot in the starting lineup, but made a trio of threes off the bench in the 1st half: more on him later. Georgetown G Brandon Murray was coming off a career-high 29-PT performance at DePaul last Thursday and continued his hot streak with a 3 from the top of key and several successful drives to the hoop to keep his team in it for a while:

Butler led 38-30 at halftime, which is a bigger deal than you might think because the Bulldogs are 8-0 this year when leading at halftime. Taylor duplicated his hot start with 3 more shots from behind the arc in the 2nd half, finishing with a career-high 24 PTS and not a single turnover in just 21 minutes of action:

Georgetown was ice-cold from the field and finished with just 28.8 FG% as Butler pulled away to win 80-51, giving the Hoyas their 24th loss in a row to tie DePaul for the longest conference losing streak in Big East history. In the postgame press conference I asked Taylor how he was able to have the game of his life. He said that his success was due to the energy of the team becoming contagious, as their goal entering the game was just to win:

I knew that other media members would ask Ewing about the losing streak so I decided to inquire about whether Primo Spears might be hitting the proverbial wall due to playing almost 38 minutes/game (3rd-most in the nation). He confirmed that while Primo is banged up a bit his motor is just fine. His PG tries hard to be a facilitator (he only attempted 5 shots tonight), but Ewing feels he needs to give Primo some more scoring opportunities:

That is a wrap for now but check back later this week as Georgetown hosts Villanova on Wednesday.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Monday, Jan 2

Posted on January 2, 2023 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-A big thanks to John Stalica for helping out with the daily write-ups the last two days!  I was out celebrating, and one thing led to another, and…well…let’s just say that I don’t think local law enforcement has been very fair to puppets!!!

-We will be recording our Hoops HD Report tonight as we are now back on our normal schedule.  John Stalica will also have his first Staff Bracket of the New Year later today!

-Providence won handily at DePaul to stay unbeaten in Big East play and improve to 12-3 on the year.  The voters have got to start noticing this team.  They lost a ton from last year’s team and many dismissed them in the preseason, and it seems as though they actually haven’t notice that once again Providence is damn good!

-Washington State isn’t likely to make the tournament, but they are good enough to be considered a snake-pit when playing at home.  They nearly beat UCLA just a few nights ago, and beat a really good USC team last night.  Their only other home loss was in overtime to Utah, so they can play with, and even beat, good teams at home.

-Drake lost another game that they should have won, this time at Missouri State, 52-49.  I’m very close to saying that one of Drake’s win better be that last Missouri Valley Conference Tournament game, because they are out of strikes and can’t get inside the bubble.  They basically need to win out to not need the auto-bid.

-Michigan looked like a directional Michigan school against Central Michigan earlier in the week, but looked like a Final Four team yesterday against a Maryland team who had been playing well, but I guess spent too much time partying on New Years Eve.  I believe it was 23-4 at one point, and the game was never really close as Michigan blew them away.

-Memphis, who had been playing well, had a tough road game against a Tulane team that has somewhat underperformed but is still having a good year…and lost 96-89.  This loss doesn’t sink think by any means, but it was one of those road games that, while not easy to win, that a tournament caliber team needs to be able to win.

-Iowa’ suckiness improved a little bit yesterday, but they still didn’t get the win at Penn State as they fell 83-79.  Penn State is looking more and more like a solid tournament caliber team, whereas Iowa just needs to beat ANYBODY to pull themselves out of the tailspin they are in.

-Ohio State went into Northwestern and got an impressive and decisive 73-57 road win.  Northwestern had been looking like a fringe bubble team, but they looked like utter crap yesterday.  The 73-57 score isn’t a close margin, but it’s a much closer margin than how close the game actually was.  Ohio State just dominated.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  I’ve beens saying for weeks that Rutgers looks like an NCAA Tournament team, but that their resume needs some boosting.  Well, tonight is a chance for them to boost it through the roof!!  The problem is that while they look like Tournament team, they don’t look like a Final Four team, which is what Purdue has looked like, so to win there on the road might be a little bit out of their reach.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  After a ho-hum start, Oklahoma State looked fantastic in their last game at Kansas, but could not pick up the win.  Still, they FINALLY looked like the caliber of team that we were expecting coming into the year, they’ve got a winnable game at home tonight, and if they can start stringing together wins they can play their way in.  WVU is in the rankings, but could use a few notable wins away from home of their own to polish up their resume too.

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