News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Saturday, Dec 10th

Posted on December 10, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-The story of the night last night, and what’s shaping up to be one of the stories of the year, Is Grambling.  They went into Vanderbilt, held a lead for most of the game, appeared to be losing it at the end, but battled for a 64-62 win.  Grambling is now 5-3 against D1 competition with wins over Arizona State (ASU’s only loss) and now at Vanderbilt.  I don’t think they’ll end up landing inside the bubble, and we at Hoops HD always seem to measure teams by the that standard, but this program was one of the worst in all of D1 for decades, and to see them turn it around like they have is spectacular!

-Gonzaga won without too much trouble against Washington.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PENN STATE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Penn State looks like they may be able to land inside the bubble.  A road win in a game like this would certainly go a super long way.  Illinois is showing the early signs of being a protected seed.

-OKLAHOMA VS ARKANSAS (Tulsa OK).  Oklahoma is 7-2 with some decent wins, but nothing that would be nearly as good as this one would be if they’re able to pull it off.  As for Arkansas, they have a nice win over Creighton, but this would also be one of their better wins to date if they’re able to pull it off.

-YALE AT KENTUCKY.  this is a buy game, but Yale is a likely Ivy League frontrunner who has looked good so far this season.  Kentucky should win, but they don’t want to overlook them.

-GEORGETOWN AT SYRACUSE. This used to be a rivalry that was event television in the heyday of the original Big East, but only Syracuse has shown any faint signs of life the past season and a half. Still, one never knows what can happen in a rivalry game like this (and Stalica insists on highlighting this for some reason), so here we are.

-LOUISVILLE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  This game is mentioned only because it may be the only conference game that either of these teams is able to win this year.

-NC STATE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  I still think Miami FL is being undervalued and should be ranked in the top 25.  They’re 9-1 and although they don’t have any great wins, they have a smattering of good ones.  NC State is an impressive 8-2 , but this would be their best win of the year up to this point, so something at stake for both teams.

-DRAKE AT RICHMOND.  This isn’t an easy road game for Drake, but it’s one they got to have, and it’s one they could lose if they don’t play up to their ceiling.

-LSU VS WAKE FOREST (Holiday Hoopsgiving, Atlanta GA).  Both teams have good records, and Wake actually has some decent wins.  They’re certainly having better seasons so far than what we were expecting.  This is a chance for each of them to pick up a decent win on a neutral floor and help build their resumes.

-PURDUE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Purdue is unbeaten and not just looking like a potential protected seed, but looking like a potential #1 seed.  It’s not easy to win on the road, but #1 seeds should be able to do it in games like this.

-ALABAMA AT HOUSTON.  Both teams are in the top ten, both have some really good games, and both appear to be protected seed caliber teams.  Despite this being a home game, it may be one of Houston’s better games on the schedule.  They just won’t face as high a caliber of competition once they get into conference play.  Alabama’s only loss on the year is to UConn.  Beating the #1 team on the road…wins just don’t get any better than that.  That’s the kind of win that can distinguish you as a #1 seed.

-DENVER AT UCLA.  Denver is off to an 8-2 start, but the teams they’ve been playing aren’t quite on the level of UCLA.  Still, it’ll be interesting to see what they can do in a game like this.

-SAN DIEGO STATE VS SAINT MARY’S (Jerry Colangelo Classic, Phoenix AZ).  Both teams are good, but you also get the sense that both of them could REALLY use a win like this, especially Saint Mary’s.  But both could stand to build up their resumes, and this game is a chance for whoever gets the win to do it.

-KENT STATE AT CLEVELAND STATE.  Kent State is a really good team who’s resume could turn out to be a very interesting case.  They took both Houston and Gonzaga to the wall, but didn’t get either win.  If they can blow through the rest of their schedule, will the committee take them??  Of course, they need to get this one on the road today, which isn’t the easiest road game to win.

-XAVIER AT CINCINNATI.  Both teams are 6-3, but both could use some good wins on their resume.  Xavier does have the home win against West Virginia, and showed they could play against Duke, Gonzaga, and Indiana even though they lost all three, but they actually do need some wins, and this one being on the road would help their resume.  Oh yeah, and this is a rivalry game too!

-GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  North Carolina has lost four straight.  This is a winnable game at home.  They need to win it.  That’s really all there is to it.

-UNLV VS WASHINGTON STATE.  UNLV is unbeaten with some decent wins, and today they have another game that they should win so long as they don’t overlook Wazzu.

-AUBURN AT MEMPHIS.  Memphis is talented, and they do have a nice win against Ole Miss at home, but I’m still not completely sold on them being a tournament caliber team.  That being said, if they can win this one, I probably will be!  Auburn is unbeaten and really good, so it would be a huge win for Memphis even though they’re at home.

-KANSAS AT MISSOURI.  THE BORDER WAR!!!!  This rivalry resumed last year, and it was such a blowout that you even wondered if it was worth it.  This year Mizzou is unbeaten, and they’re at home, and this may be the biggest home game that they’ve had since the last time they played Kansas on their campus.  I’m expecting a bonkers atmosphere.  As for Kansas, it’s their first true road game, so it would be a big win on paper as well as being a win over a rival.

-UAB AT WEST VIRGINIA.  This is a hugely important game for UAB.  They are perhaps good enough to land inside the bubble and not need to win the conference tournament to make the NCAAs.  If they can win today, it would be HUGE for their tournament resume.  It’s easier said than done, though.  This is a very tough WVU team that’s also trying to put together a good tournament resume.

-NEVADA AT OREGON.  Oregon is just 4-5 and has been rather disappointing this year.  They need to string together some wins in order to get things turned around, and they’ll likely be challenged again tonight.  Nevada is 8-2, has looked pretty good, and can win their third road game tonight if they’re able to pull this off.

-ARIZONA VS INDIANA (Las Vegas Clash, Las Vegas NV).  Indiana has looked good this year, but this is by far their biggest test of the year.  Arizona won the Maui Invitational and beat some pretty good teams while doing it, so they are certainly battle tested.  Both teams are potential protected seeds, so this is just a good resume building opportunity for each of them.

-BOISE STATE AT SAINT LOUIS.  SLU is coming off a blowout loss at Iona, and this game has a sense of urgency to it.  If SLU doesn’t win it, you get the sense that they’re slipping further and further away from the bubble even though it’s only December.  If Boise State wins it, it’s a solid road win (their first of the season) and they improve to 8-2 on the year, and suddenly more eyeballs from the committee are going to be on them.

-CREIGHTON vs BYU (Las Vegas).  It’s normally tough to win at BYU, but they are really down this year.  A tournament caliber team, and certainly a team that’s good enough to get a protected seed, should be good enough to win this one on the road. (Note from Stalica: This one is actually in Vegas, so BYU would actually get a little more credit for this win should they upset the Jays. That said, Creighton is going to be going into this game in a bad mood after getting outhustled and outfought at home against archrival Nebraska back on Sunday.)

-TCU AT SMU.  The basketball version of the Iron Skillet!!  TCU is clearly the superior team, and should roll in this one even though they’re on the road.

-UTAH STATE VS LMU (Jack Jones Hoopfest, Las Vegas NV).  Utah State is unbeaten on the year with some pretty good wins.  Picking this one up against a fairly decent LMU team that’s won six out of seven with some notable wins in that stretch.  This appears to be a game between two teams that are on their way and who are looking to continue to build up their resumes.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Tulane vs Buffalo (Holiday Hoopsgiving) – Tulane is off to only a modest start and needs to start stringing together wins
-UC Irvine @ South Dakota – two pretty good UTR teams.  UC Irvine needs wins like this if they want any chance at landing inside the bubble
-Lamar @ Southern Miss – a win for Southern Miss gets them to 9-1
-Seattle U @ North Dakota – a win for Seattle gets them to 7-1 on the season, and gives them their third true road win
-UL Monroe @ Northwestern State – a bit of an in-state rivalry.   Northwestern State’s resume (at least for now) is solid and a win gets them to 8-2.
-San Jose State @ Santa Clara – it’s a winnable home game for Santa Clara, which would get them to 8-2 on the year
-Butler @ Califorinia – this is a winnable road game for Butler, which would get them to 8-3 on the year and give them their first true road win
-Villanova vs Boston College (Newark NJ) – It’s a winnable road game for Nova, which would even their record at 5-5 on the year
-Grand Canyon @ North Texas – North Texas has sort of been overlooked this year, but they’re worth keeping an eye on.  A win gets them to 8-2 and they could be dangerous in CUSA. (UTR Game of the Day)
-Marshall @ Robert Morris – Marshall can pick up their 3rd road win and improve to 9-1 on the year
-UC Santa Barbara @ Pepperdine.  Both teams are good enough to make some noise in conference, but both could use some good OOC wins as well

BUY GAMES:

-Long Island @ UConn
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Texas
-Albany @ Providence
-Valparaiso @ Ole Miss
-Sacred Heart @ Pittsburgh
-UTSA @ New Mexico – New Mexico looking to stay unbeaten on the year
-Brown @ Michigan State
-Saint Francis Brooklyn @ UMass Lowell – not a buy game but might as well be
-UMES @ Duke
-New Hampshire @ Saint John’s
-Wright State @ Western Kentucky
-Loyola Chicago @ Clemson
-Samford @ Louisiana – a win for Louisiana gets them to 8-1

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Saturday, Dec 10th

In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Jim Baechtold about his father

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for Today’s UTR GAME OF THE DAY, as well as today’s NEWS, NOTES, AND HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

Ja Morant was the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 draft, but he is not the only former OVC player to be selected that high. Jim Baechtold was a 3-time All-OVC player at Eastern Kentucky before being taken 2nd overall by Baltimore in 1952. He spent several years in the NBA, then returned to his alma mater in 1957 as an assistant to Paul McBrayer before taking over as head coach in 1962. Jim passed away in 2011 but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jim’s son (also named Jim) about his fantastic father. Today is the 95th anniversary of Jim’s birth on December 9, 1927, so we take this time to remember his life/legacy.

Your dad was a 3-time All-OVC performer at Eastern Kentucky: how was he able to remain so consistent throughout his college career? I think 1 of the main reasons my father was able to maintain his consistency was his level of maturity. When he graduated from Moon Township High School (the same school that John Calipari attended!) he was only 6’ tall/180 pounds. Per the advice of his coach he enlisted in the Army for 2 years and was stationed in Japan during the post-WWII occupation from 1946-1948. Based upon dad’s athletic abilities he received detached service and literally spent most of his service playing basketball/football for the Army. During those 2 years he grew another 4-5” and bulked up to 220 pounds. He received a full football/basketball scholarship to Alabama but when he was traveling to college he stopped to visit friends at Eastern Kentucky. He ended up playing in a scrimmage against their varsity and was immediately offered a full scholarship from Coach Paul McBrayer. That essentially made him a 21-year old freshman who (along with several other veterans) were men playing against boys. In his freshman year he came off the bench against Western Kentucky and then started every game for the rest of his career. I would attribute his consistency to his work ethic…and his 37” vertical leap! Additionally, my father was 1 of the first true jump shooters. He also led his team in rebounding/scoring. Dad gave 110% in every game and was very quick, which earned him the nickname “Big Cat”. As a senior he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Western Kentucky.

He was also a 2-time All-American: did he realize at the time how prolific a player he was? That is a tough question to answer. Dad was quiet/fierce but I do know that he had complete confidence in his abilities. The Rochester Royals held a training camp on campus and he held his own against their pros. I think he knew that he could compete at the pro level and the Rochester coach/players spread the word out about his abilities.

In 1952 he was drafted 2nd overall by Baltimore (1 spot ahead of Dick Groat): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? Dad never felt the need to be validated by anyone. I believe he viewed his draft status as a lifelong dream to play in the NBA and eventually have the opportunity to fulfill that dream by playing in Madison Square Garden.

In 1955 and 1956 he finished in the top-10 in the league in FT%: what was his secret for FT shooting, and do you feel that he was 1 of the best FT shooters in the league? Practice/consistency were his keys for good FT shooting: he shot at least 200/day. I do think that he was 1 of the better shooters in the league…but Bill Sharman of the Celtics shot close to 90%. Dad was always frustrated by the modern players who were unable to make a high % of their FTs.

In the early 1960s he served as head coach at his alma mater: why did he decide to take the job, and how did he like it? He came back to serve as an assistant under Coach McBrayer because he always wanted to coach and had a great deal of respect for McBrayer. Dad took over the head coaching job in the middle of the season after McBrayer unexpectedly resigned. He loved coaching but experienced a great deal of frustration that his team was often overlooked. For example, Kentucky refused to play them when Dad was a player/coach. Recruiting was also an issue: Dad recruited Dan Issel and came very close to signing Dave Cowens before ultimately losing out on him to Hugh Durham at Florida State. Dad also recruited the 1st African-American guys to play at the school.

In 1965 he won the conference title: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? The conference title was definitely a highlight. Dad was also proud of the fact that he was the only Eastern Kentucky coach to have a winning career record against Western Kentucky. He also beat Louisville in the very 1st game at Alumni Coliseum.

He was also named OVC COY that year: what made him such a great coach, and what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? Dad was a great coach because he had the ability to adapt during a game and make the necessary adjustments to “turn the tide” in a game. He appreciated the honor of that award but was much prouder of his team: he was not much into individual accolades.

In the 1965 NCAA tourney Eddie Bodkin scored 21 PTS in a 47-PT loss to DePaul: was it as bad as it sounds? That game haunted my father to his dying day. The team came out flat and nothing went right. Bodkin was among my Dad’s favorite players and became a lifelong friend of our family.

After retiring from the sideline he spent several years as a professor in the Parks and Recreation Department: why did he decide to become a professor, and how did he enjoy it? Dad became a professor for several reasons. First, he wanted to raise a family and spend more time with my mother: they were married for almost 57 years! Second, Dad saw the “handwriting on the wall” about what it would take to recruit the best/most talented players. He was unwilling to sell his soul or commit violations to land the top recruits who began requesting “incentives” to sign.

Your dad passed away in 2011: when people look back on his career, how do you want him to be remembered the most? I would like my father to be remembered as a humble/fierce competitor who used his abilities to the fullest. He was a pioneer of the modern jump shot. As a matter of fact, Marv Albert was the president of his fan club at the Knicks! Both Marv (in his book) and David Stern made comments stating their admiration for his jump shot. I want my Dad to be remembered as an underrated player/coach who never gave up, a dedicated father/husband, and a man who was adored by the players he coached.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Jim Baechtold about his father

Under The Radar Game of the Day – Friday, December 9th (and other News, Notes, and Games)

Posted on December 9, 2022 by John Stalica

Miami-Middletown at Taylor University – 6:00 PM ET (Live Stream)

Records need not apply for our UTR Game of the Night – this is the 25th annual Silent Night game hosted by Taylor University (located in Upland, Indiana). It’s almost a mix of Halloween, Christmas and a sense of relief that final exams are done; students come dressed in a variety of costumes. But once the game tips off, everyone remains silent until Taylor scores their 10th point. At this time, wild cheers erupt and teams rush the floor (prearranged by both teams and game management). There has even been a successful marriage proposal one year.

This is a video of Silent Night from last season; it was put on hiatus due to Covid protocols in 2020-21 before making its triumphant return last season.

 

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES:

-The game of the night last night was Rutgers at Ohio State.  It was close from tip to buzzer, Rutgers had a lead for a lot of the game, and was up 3 with less than 10 seconds to go.  They fouled with about 5 secs to go rather than give Ohio State a chance to tie with a 3-pointer.  Ohio State made both freethrows, then fouled Rutgers who made one-of-two, then fired up a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer….and hit it!  The Buckeyes escaped with a thrilling 67-66 win.  For Rutgers, it’s the second game where they played amazingly well on the road against a really good team, but just couldn’t get the win.  Having said that, I’m sold.  Aside from fouling with too much time to play (or fouling at all) Rutgers looked like a top 25 team last night, they looked like a top 25 team earlier this week against Indiana, and they looked like a top 25 team on the road at Miami FL.  I think Rutgers is a top 25 team and will be in the rankings before the end of the year.

-Iowa jumped out to an 18-0 lead on rival Iowa State, and the game never really got any closer than that.  The Hawkeyes rolled over their rivals 75-56

-UMass Lowell was in control for pretty much the entire game at UMass, but the Minutemen made a run late and cut it to 1.  Lowell was able to hold on for an 85-80 win, which is their fifth road win of the season and gets them to 10-1 overall.  That is impressive!!

-Marshall was in control for pretty much the entire game at Duquesne, and picked up another nice road win of their own.  Duquesne had just one loss on the season and was unbeaten at home, so this win will really help their NET.

-GRAMBLING AT VANDERBILT.  Grambling is off to their best start in…well…it’s been so long I can’t even remember.  It’ll be fun to see what they can do tonight.

-WASHINGTON AT GONZAGA.  This is a rivalry game, and it is not a friendly rivalry!!  Washington has looked good this year, but lost their only road game, and this is a TOUGH road game.  Gonzaga is 6-3, which isn’t quite as good as what they’re used to, but they have played an absolutely killer schedule.

Posted in CBB, Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Under the Radar | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Thursday, Dec, 8th

Posted on December 8, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

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

-It was a busy night last night, but for the most part it was a chalky one as well.  Purdue, UConn (at Florida), Tennessee, Indiana, Saint John’s, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Drake, Providence, Seton Hall, Arizona State (at SMU), Saint Mary’s, UNLV, San Francisco, and USC all won games that they were expected to win.

-Michigan State had a really nice 67-58 win at Penn State.  Michigan State is now 6-4 on the year, but they’ve played an absolutely brutal schedule and their overall resume looks really good.  Winning at Penn State isn’t easy, but it still wasn’t anywhere close to some of the tough games Michigan State has already played.

-Florida Atlantic absolutely blew FGCU out of the gym last night 85-83.  FGCU had made some noise with their season opening win at USC, but has essentially just held serve since then.  FAU, on the other hand, is now 7-1 on the year with three true road wins, including one at Florida, so they are starting to make quite a bit of noise.  CUSA is going to be interesting this year.

-The game of the night, and perhaps the craziest game of the year, was Cornell at Miami FL.  The halftime score was 66-52 Miami, and the Canes actually built up a 21pt lead in the second half, but the pace of the game stayed uptempo, and Cornell started to come back, and actually had a shot at the buzzer to win the game, but it was blocked.  Still, it was a VERY impressive showing, and it was a style of play that we rarely see out of the Ivy League, which will make that conference a lot more fun to watch this year.

-Texas Tech got a surprising challenge from Nicholls, but held on to win 78-71.

-Virginia Tech received no challenge whatsoever from Dayton.  They blew the Flyers off the court 77-49.  Dayton was in the preseason top 25, but has been impacted by injuries, but even with those injuries they still seem to be underperforming.

-Utah Valley beat BYU for the second year in a row.  Yesterday they actually blew it open late for the 75-60 win.  Not to take anything away from Utah Valley, but at just 5-5 and with some really underwhelming showings, BYU doesn’t look to be anywhere close to an NIT team this year, much less an NCAA Tournament team.

-Pittsburgh, who had been playing well, went into Vanderbilt last night with a chance at what looked to be another winnable road game, but came up just short 75-74.  Pitt is still very much improved and has some decent wins on their resume, and while this one would have been nice, they will still get plenty of chances between now and the end.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-RUTGERS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Rutgers is coming off a nice win against Indiana, but this is probably a bigger test and a tougher game since it is on the road.  It is just their second true road game of the year, and they played well at Miami earlier this season.  Ohio State is in the rankings with some decent wins and while it’s early they’re showing all the signs of being a solid tournament team.

-UMASS LOWELL AT UMASS.  This one is going to be fun!!  UMass Lowell is off to a 9-4 start and has already won four home games, but this is by far their toughest test of the year so far.  UMass is a very respectable 7-1 and plays with quite a bit of intensity.  There should be a buzz around this game as it’s a regional match-up between two teams that haven’t been good recently, but appear to be good this year.

-MARSHALL AT DUQUESNE.  Marshall has won seven straight since losing their season opener and has looked really good in that stretch.  Duquesne is also out to a very surprising 7-1 start with the only loss being at Kentucky.  Neither team has been super tested yet, but they’ll test each other tonight.

-IOWA STATE AT IOWA.  I’m REALLY looking forward to this one!!  Both teams have looked like Tournament teams early on, and this is a SUPER heated rivalry.  It’s a resume building opportunity that is mixed in with a ton of bragging rights!

-MICHIGAN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Michigan has somewhat underperformed so far this year and they’ll be tested again tonight.  They need to be able to win games like this if they want to demonstrate that they are a solid tournament team.

-COLORADO STATE AT COLORADO (Front Range).  Both teams have shown signs of solid play this year, but both have also been inconsistent all season long.  This is also a big rivalry game, and both teams kind of need this on their resume at the moment to try and sustain some stability.

Jacksonville State @ Utah – buy game

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Thursday, Dec, 8th

Under The Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, December 8th

Posted on December 8, 2022 by John Stalica

For last night’s UTR Podcast – CLICK HERE

St. Thomas (7-3) at Montana State (4-5) – 9:00 PM ET (ESPN+)

Tonight has a very small number of games going on, but we do have a good game between St. Thomas and Montana State that is part of a challenge series between the Big Sky and the Summit League. The Big Sky is currently leading 4-1; they can clinch the series win tonight should the Bobcats of Montana State win tonight. MSU broke a 3-game losing streak with an 86-83 win in the closing seconds at Southern Utah; Raequan Battle capped a 29-point effort with a steal and a 3-point play to put the Bobcats up for good with under 4 seconds remaining in the game.

The Tommies of St. Thomas are currently in their second transitional year in Division 1; they are 5-3 against D1 competition so far this season. They’ve won their two most recent games against D1 competition, but they lost 95-66 at Utah in their last game against D1 competition. Prior to that game, they had a 3-game winning streak against Troy, Merrimack and Milwaukee.

Posted in CBB on TV, Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Under The Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, December 8th

Under the Radar – Dec 7th

Posted on December 7, 2022 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the WAC, where we start off discussing the unfortunate events surrounding New Mexico State and the impact it is having on them on the court.  We also discuss Sam Houston and how they started off ranked really high in the NET after beating Utah and Oklahoma on the road.

After that we run through the other 21 Under the Radar conferences and discuss the great start UMass Lowell is off to and their big upcoming game against UMass, Kent State’s near upsets of both Houston and Gonzaga and what their at-large chances could may end up being, the strength of the top of the Colonial with teams like Charleston and Towson, Cornell and Yale being off to good starts in the Ivy League, and some really good teams out of the Sun Belt with James Madison and Southern Miss.  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…

Posted in Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | 1 Comment