Hoops HD

The panel looks back at a very busy weekend that saw six match-ups between top 25 teams, and some other great games as well.  Kentucky has a history of not being as good before Christmas as they are after Christmas, and they fell to UCLA over the weekend.  It will be interesting to see if they start turning things around.  UCLA, along with Arizona and Arizona State in the Pac 12, are off to incredible starts and it’s shaping up to be a really exciting race in the Pac 12.  Many teams in the ACC continue to struggle, but North Carolina got a big win and some other teams are starting to play well in the top half of the league.  The Big 12 has a lot of good teams, but none appear to be able to catch Kansas.  UConn looks like they’re poised to run away from the Big East, and the Big Ten has topped ranked Purdue, but some surprise teams in both Wisconsin and Northwestern who continue to exceed expectations, along with some other top 25 teams.  The Mountain West has two unbeaten teams in Utah State and New Mexico, and couple of other strong teams in UNLV and San Diego State, and Memphis in the American is starting to make some noise.  They aren’t likely to catch Houston, but they can probably still make the field.  We discuss all that, and more…

And, if you’re looking for the Atlantic Ten, we do not discuss it!  They have been relegated to the Under the Radar Show.

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

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-Purdue actually had to sweat out Davidson, but finally got control late in the game and held on for the 69-61 win.  This should keep them at the top of the polls for now.

-Houston followed up their home loss to Alabama with one of the more impressive singular wins of the season that any team has managed.  They went into Virginia and in a tough defensive struggle had a lead for pretty much the entire game and escaped with a 69-61 win.  Virginia was ranked 2nd in the country and had some really big wins of their own, so for Houston to beat them on their floor is a statement that the Cougars are a legit #1 seed/Final Four caliber team.

-Gonzaga, who hadn’t looked quite as good as what most were expecting coming into yesterday, looked that good yesterday.  They knocked off an Alabama team in Birmingham 100-90 that was fresh off a win against Houston and had risen as high as 4th in the rankings.  It’s more of a boost for Gonzaga than it is a setback for Alabama.

-Tennessee had a lead for much of the game out at Arizona, but the Wildcats got control late and ended up with the 75-70 win.  It was still a good showing for Tennessee and failing to win on the road against a top ten team really isn’t that much of a failure.

-Kansas smashed Indiana 84-62 in a game that the Jayhawks pretty much controlled from tip to buzzer.

-UCLA is having a hell of a week.  After blowing out Maryland at Maryland they knocked off Kentucky 63-53 yesterday in MSG.  Every time Kentucky put together a run to shift momentum their way, UCLA had an answer.  UCLA’s only two losses are close games to highly ranked teams, and they’ve since dominated a couple of highly ranked teams, so I’d say UCLA is about as good as anyone this year.

-Nicholls nearly upset Mississippi State, and actually had a lead for a lot of the game, but the Bulldogs held on for a 68-66 win and remain unbeaten.

-North Carolina, who had been in a bit of a tailspin, got a much needed win yesterday as they held off Ohio State 89-84 in overtime.  It was a game that seesawed back and forth and after Ohio State hit what appeared to be a game winning shot at the end of regulation with 2 secs left.  North Carolina was able to tie it, and then got control in overtime.

-Missouri bounced back from their blowout loss to Kansas with a big win at UCF 68-66.  The game was close all throughout and Mizzou actually won it at the buzzer.  They’ll get more credit for this win than what most might realize because UCF is better than what most probably realize and they won’t lose too many games at home.

-Northwestern absolutely boat-raced DePaul 83-45 and continues to look like a tournament-caliber team.  Beating DePaul at home isn’t anything to get excited about in and of itself, but blowing them out and improving to 8-2 on the year is certainly noteworthy.

-San Francisco was behind UNLV for most of the game, but went on a late run to pull even, then pull ahead, and then stay ahead for a HUGE 75-73 win.  This is the best win of the year for San Francisco, and once again makes a statement that they are a tournament-caliber team.  It’s the first loss of the year for UNLV, and while it’s a setback, it hardly sinks them.  They’ll have a lot of really good chances at good wins once conference play starts.

-Utah fell at BYU 75-66.  They still got a good profile, but it could use some shoring up.  BYU, who we had kind of written off, has now won two straight and may be starting to turn themselves back around again.

-Memphis picked up another nice win as they held off Texas A&M 83-79.  The more I see from Memphis, the more solid I think they are.

-Saint Louis really needed a big win, and they held off Drake yesterday 83-75.  Both these teams have potential, and both had underperformed, so both really needed this one yesterday.  SLU got it, and while Drake still has the pieces to run through their conference, their margin for error is getting smaller and smaller.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-AUBURN AT USC.  USC has been playing better having won eight of their last ten with the only two losses being close games to Tennessee and Wisconsin, but they still don’t have a big time win on their resume yet.  This is a chance for them to really make a much needed statement.  As for Auburn, as good as they’ve looked this is their first true road game, so there is something at stake for them as well.

-NOTRE DAME VS GEORGIA (Holiday Hoopsgiving, Atlanta GA).  Both teams have shown signs of having potential, but both need more notable wins on their profiles.

-IONA AT NEW MEXICO.  On paper, it’s a game between a really good Iona team that needs a strong road win on their resume to get the attention of the committee, and a New Mexico team that comes into this one undefeated.  The obvious added spice is that it’s Rick Pitino vs Richard Pitino.  This one is important and it should be fun!

-COLORADO STATE AT SAINT MARY’S.  SMC has won three straight, and prior to that they nearly knocked off both Houston and San Diego State, so they are playing really well right now and should be able to hold serve in this one at home.  Colorado State is a team we thought had potential coming into the year, but just hasn’t shown it yet.  A win in a game like this could turn their whole season around, though.

OTTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Canisius @ Penn State
-Stanford @ Texas – this looks to be a big mismatch, but Texas’s off the court issues may continue to play a roll
-Western Michigan @ Iowa State
-Long Island @ James Madison
-McNeese @ Southern Miss – Southern Miss still with just one loss on the season
-Oakland @ Boise State
-Southern @ UAB
-Northern Colorado @ Colorado (Front Range) – We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!
-California @ Santa Clara – Santa Clara shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to 11-3
-Buffalo @ West Virginia
-Mississippi Valley State @ TCU
-Alcorn State @ Seattle U
-San Diego @ Arizona State
-Washington State @ Baylor