Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

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

-Creighton remains unbeaten and continues to pick up big wins.  They took care of 9th ranked Arkansas yesterday 90-87.  They led for most of the game, but Arkansas came back late and had a chance to steal it, but the Bluejays held on out in Maui.

-In the other big game out in Maui, Arizona ran away from San Diego State in the second half for the 87-70 win in what was one of the more impressive showings and overall wins we’ve seen this season.  It was a decisive win against a ranked team on a neutral floor.  That’s always gonna look good!  Arizona and Creighton will face each other later today (more on that below).

-The other two Maui games were blowouts.  Texas Tech blew out Louisville and Ohio State blitzed Cincinnati.

-Toledo dropped their second straight game to a team that isn’t likely to end up anywhere near the NIT.  It’s hard to say Toledo is a tournament caliber team when they twice in a row fall to sub-level NIT teams  East Carolina got the win 86-75 down in the Gulf Coast Showcase.

-LSU knocked off a pretty good Akron team 73-58 in the Cayman Islands Classic after totally dominating the second half.  The Tigers may have more life in them than what we realized.

-San Francisco improved to 6-0 with a 67-63 win over a Wichita State team that had been playing really well.  The Dons have now gotten our attention!  This was a team that went through tremendous turnover, but seems to once again be really good.

-Southern Miss got a nice win against Winthrop to remain unbeaten, and UAB blew out Georgia in the Sunshine Slam.  Those are two UTR teams that deserve attention as well.  Both are playing REALLY well.

-Louisiana is another Under the Radar team that’s starting to make a name for themselves.  They are 5-0 on the season with some pretty decent wins, and won at SMU in overtime last night 76-72.

-Saint John’s, who not very many here at Hoops HD were big on coming into the year, is still unbeaten and picked up a decent win against Syracuse in overtime yesterday.  Since these are two old and long time rivals that don’t normally play anymore, this was probably more important off paper than it was on paper.  Syracuse probably isn’t a tournament team.  But it’s still very much a feel-good win for the Johnnies!!

-Kansas State needed overtime to get by Nevada down in the Cayman Islands, but ended up picking up the win and remaining unbeaten on the year.  We weren’t all that big on Nevada or K State coming into the season, but both have played well so far and are worth continuing to watch.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-KENT STATE AT CHARLESTON (***SPOTLIGHT GAME***).  Yes, this is the game I am spotlighting!  It is the one I’m looking forward to the most, and in many ways feels it is the most important because of how good both the teams are, but yet how limited each team’s chances are for notable wins in the future.  It is a ridiculously good game between a Kent State team that’s unbeaten and that has looked really good, and a Charleston team whose only loss is at North Carolina, and who just won the Charleston Classic by knocking off some pretty good teams.  Both these teams could end up in the NCAA Tournament, and even inside the bubble, so today’s match-up his HUGE!

-NC STATE VS KANSAS (Battle 4 Atlantis, Nassau Bahamas).  Both teams come into this unbeaten, but Kansas clearly has the higher expectations and has already managed a really big win against Duke.  NC State will be tested for the first time today, and it is a chance to go from zero to a hundred on the national radar.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY VS TULANE (Cayman Islands Classic, George Town Cayman Islands).  Both teams have lost a game in this event, but both still have a very high ceiling and this is one of those games that’s kind of buried from the spotlight now, but that could be a very pivotal game come March when the committee is looking at these resumes because both could potentially end up on the bubble.

-TEXAS TECH VS OHIO STATE (Maui Invitational, Maui HI).  Both these teams won lopsided games yesterday, both look like solid Tournament teams, and this is an early season resume building opportunity.

-DAYTON VS WISCONSIN (Battle 4 Atlantis, Bassau, Bahamas).  This event is important for Dayton In regards to getting early quality wins and making a case that they were an at-large caliber team.  They are without a key player, and that will obviously effect them.  Wisconsin is unbeaten and is a team we think was a little undervalued coming into the season.  Doing well in this event would really help both teams, as would a win today.

-CREIGHTON VS ARIZONA (Maui Invitational, Maui HI).  Arizona looked really impressive against San Diego State yesterday, and Creighton held on to beat Arkansas after holding a lead for much of the game, but then having it come down to the final seconds.  Both teams are looking like potential protected seeds, and this would be a signature win for the resume of whoever ends up pulling this one off.

-AKRON VS NEVADA (Cayman Islands Classic, George Town Cayman Islands).  Both have picked up a smattering of decent wins lately and are beginning to make a case for themselves.  Watching them square off today against each other should be fun, and for a team like Akron that really needs these early season wins it’s actually a rather important opportunity.

-BYU VS USC (Battle 4 Atlantis, Nassau Bahamas).  USC has won three straight since dropping their opener to FGCU, and BYU comes in with just one loss as well.  Neither team really has any big signature wins yet, so this event is an important early opportunity for both of them to get those.

-BUTLER VS TENNESSEE (Battle 4 Atlantis, Nassau Bahamas).  Tennessee has an early loss to Colorado, but doing well in this tournament should more than offset that.  They’ve got a winnable game today against Butler, who is a respectable 3-1, but that hasn’t managed any notable wins yet.  Of course, if Butler wins this one, that suddenly changes.

-LSU VS KANSAS STATE (Cayman Islands Classic, George Town Cayman Islands).  We didn’t expect much out of either team this year, but both are unbeaten and both have won some notable games.  No real signature wins, but a few decent ones.  It’ll be interesting to see what they do against each other today.

-AUBURN VS NORTHWESTERN (Cancun Challenge, Cancun Mexico).  Northwestern is unbeaten, but also largely untested.  That changes today as they face what appears to be a very good Auburn team.  Having said that, up until now Auburn really hasn’t been tested either.

-UTAH VS MISSISSIPPI STATE (Fort Meyers Tip-Off, Fort Meyers FL).  Utah comes in at 4-1 and Mississippi State comes in at 5-0.  Both have played well and shown some potential, but neither team has been super tested yet.

-ARKANSAS VS SAN DIEGO STATE (Maui Invitational, Maui HI).  The fact that this is a third place game does not matter.  It’s a neutral floor game between two top 20 teams, and will look very good on the resume of the team that manages the win.  Because the Mountain West isn’t quite as strong as the SEC and won’t provide as many opportunities at big wins later on this probably means a little more to San Diego State, but no matter the outcome both of these teams look like solid tournament teams.

-PEPPERDINE AT UCLA.  Pepperdine is a decent team that could end up having a big year, but to win at UCLA may be too far over their heads.  This is actually a bit of a get-well game for the Bruins, who have lost two in a row.   Both were good games against highly ranked teams, but it’s still important to bounce back.

-MINNESOTA VS UNLV (SoCal Challenge, Los Angeles CA).  UNLV is unbeaten and actually has a few decent wins, but most of what they’ve done has been at home.  Minnesota has one loss and most aren’t expecting them to stay on the radar, but doing well in this event can change people’s minds.

-SAINT MARY’S VS VANDERBILT (Wooden Legacy, Anaheim CA).  I think this Saint Mary’s team is a top 25 caliber team and am a little surprised they aren’t in the rankings yet.  If they keep stringing together wins they’ll get there soon enough.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Toledo vs Northern Kentucky (Gulf Coast Showcase) – the game we were expecting to see in the championship game is now the 7th place game
-Charlotte @ Detroit Mercy – Charlotte is coming off a good showing in their MTE and has a chance to pick up a true road win today
-Sam Houston vs South Dakota ( Fort Meyers Tip-Off).  Sam Houston is unbeaten with some notable wins already, and this event is a chance for them to keep building their profile
-Valparaiso @ Samford – Samford is unbeaten
-Purdue Fort Wayne vs Southern Miss (Cancun Challenge) – Southern Miss is unbeaten with some nice early wins
-Georgia Tech vs Marquette (Fort Meyers Tip Off) – both teams need to start stringing together wins if they want to avoid falling off the radar
-UMass Lowell @ Brown – UMass Lowell has just one loss on the season, and may be tested on the road tonight
-Louisville vs Cincinnati (Maui Invitational) – 7th place game between two long time rivals that don’t normally play anymore
-Cal State Bakersfield @ UTEP – both teams with just one loss
-Fresno State @ Washington – Washington trying to get to 4-1
-North Alabama @ UC Santa Barbara – both teams with one loss

BUY GAMES:

-McNeese @ Baylor
-North Florida @ Kentucky
-Little Rock @ Indiana
-Saint Francis Brooklyn @ Miami FL
-Evansville @ UCF
-Alabama State @ Duquesne
-Merrimack @ Providence
-Coastal Carolina @ Missouri – Mizzou is still unbeaten
-Paul Quinn (nonD1) @ Saint Louis
-Jackson State @ Michigan
-South Carolina State @ Wake Forest
-Pacific Luthern (nonD1) @ Seattle U

NEWS AND NOTES:

For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – CLICK HERE

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

-Creighton is ranked in the top ten, and they knocked off Texas Tech yesterday 76-65 out in Maui without having to sweat all that much.  They’ve certainly looked like the best team in the Big East.  In fact, doing well in The Maui may be crucial to them building their resume because as for now there doesn’t look to be as many top 25 teams in the Big East as we’re usually used to seeing.  Creighton has another HUGE game later on today (more on that below).

-San Diego State and Arizona also advanced in the Maui without too much trouble and will face each other today in a really exciting game.  This is one of those games where you look at the two teams and wish they’d play each other more often.  It should be a fun one tonight.

-In Under the Radar news (which many people probably missed) Toledo, who is a team we believe to be good enough to land inside the bubble and make the field without the auto-bid, did NOT look like it yesterday!  They fell to Kansas City 83-71.  This game may not look or seem all that important to the general/casual fan.  It’s in a bit of a dumpy venue in front of a sparse crowd at the beach, and it’s an early season tournament.  But if a team like Toledo wants to make the NCAA Tournament, games like this are HUGELY important!  This one really hurt, and seeing as how they’re not in a conference that gives them multiple chances at big wins later on, losses like this can be hard to offset.

-Akron picked up a REALLY nice win against a talented Western Kentucky team, and basically blew them off the floor 72-53.  Akron is another MAC team that I bet the committee already has their eyes on.  For now, at least.

-I thought we’d see Wyoming in the top 25 this year, but now I’m wondering if we’ll even see them in the NIT.  They are without their star player, and that will definitely be considered when looking at their losses, but the key word is “considered.”  These losses won’t be “dismissed.”  And honestly, if you can’t beat Boston College even without your best player, that just doesn’t look good.  The Cowboys fell to BC 59-48 yesterday.

-Mississippi State is unbeaten after surviving against Marquette 58-55.  If you like good shooting, this was not the game for you, but at the end of the day, on paper, it’s a win for Mississippi State.  I’m not ready to declare them top 40ish good yet, but I’m definitely watching them now.

-Saint John’s is out to a bit of a quiet 5-0 start and knocked off a Temple team that’s been hot and cold this year, but has overall still at least been decent.  The Johnnies have Syracuse tonight.

-Last but not least, UNLV.  I know none of their wins have been true road wins, but they have won them all, and not all of them were home buy games against bad UTR teams.  Dayton and Southern Illinois are decent teams.  UNLV is also one of the few Mountain West teams outside of San Diego State that’s at least done SOMETHING this season.  Having said that, when they finally play their first true road game on Dec 3rd, they need to win it in order to start to be taken seriously.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-CREIGHTON VS ARKANSAS (Maui Invitational, Maui HI).  (***SPOTLIGHT GAME***).  This is the third top ten match up in the last five days!!  College basketball is great all season long!  It just is!  It’s also the biggest game that either team has played this season in regards to what winning it would mean to their resume.  Both teams are potential protected seeds (obviously), and something teams must do to get protected seeds is beat other teams who are potential protected seeds.  So, it should be fun tonight!!

-TOLEDO VS EAST CAROLINA (Gulf Coast Showcase, Estero FL).  As mentioned early, it may seem silly that a game between two teams like this being played in a dumpy venue in a November tournament would be a highlighted game, but this is actually a very important game for a Toledo team that is really good, but has a very small margin for error to make a case to the committee that they belong inside the bubble.  Their loss to Kansas City yesterday was a huge strike against them and they just don’t have that many more.  They need to take care of an East Carolina team that is coming into this with a modest 3-1 record.

-LSU VS AKRON (Cayman Islands Classic), George Town Cayman Islands.  Akr0n picked up a nice win against Western Kentucky yesterday, and has a chance to get another one against a (currently) unbeaten LSU team today.  How do you get inside the bubble if you’re a good Under the Radar team?  You win games like this.

-SAN FRANCISCO VS WICHITA STATE (Hall of Fame Classic, Kansas City MO).  It was sort of easy to wright off Wichita State after they lost to Alcorn State, but they haven’t lost since then and actually picked up two decent wins against Richmond and Grand Canyon.  San Francisco comes in undefeated, and this is actually a good test for both teams.  Even though it’s still early, this game has a pivotal feel to it because the winner should at least have quite a bit of momentum built up.

-UAB VS GEORGIA (Sunshine Slam, Daytona Beach FL).  UAB has a very high ceiling this year, but they’ve yet to pick up any real notable wins.  Georgia is 4-1, but also without any notable wins.  Georgia does not appear to be a tournament team.  Probably not even close.  If UAB IS a tournament team, they need to routinely beat non-tournament teams on neutral floors.

-CINCINNATI VS OHIO STATE (Maui Invitational, Maui HI).  It’s an in-state rivalry five timezones away!!  Although these two did recently play in a two game series, they have not played many times over the years.  As for this particular match-up, Ohio State looks like a possible tournament caliber team that needs to win neutral floor games against non-tournament caliber teams, and Cincinnati looks like…well…a team that needs to improve just to make it to the NIT.

-AUBURN VS BRADLEY (Cancun Challenge, Cancun Mexico).  Auburn clearly looks to be the superior team and should be able to hold serve in games like this if they want to end up as a protected seed.  Bradley has just one loss, and could really make a splash on the national scene today, but chances are…they won’t.

-SYRACUSE VS SAINT JOHN’S (Empire Classic, Brooklyn NY).  This is a great game in a great setting between two old Big East rivals and two regionally based teams!  Saint John’s is unbeaten and may be a dark horse in the Big East that’s perhaps becoming less and less of a dark horse.  Syracuse has some work to do in order to build up their resume, and they already have a pretty foul smelling loss to Colgate, but if they can win a game like this it goes a long way toward turning things around.  At the very least it gives them some much needed momentum.

-NEVADA VS KANSAS STATE (Cayman Islands Classic).  We weren’t expecting much out of either one of these teams, but they both come into this unbeaten, and Nevada knocked off what we think is a pretty good Tulane team to get here.  K State hasn’t played anyone that’s particularly good yet, but they’ve at least looked good in the games that they’ve played.  So…interesting one tonight!

-ARIZONA VS SAN DIEGO STATE (Maui Invitational).  San Diego State looked really impressive against Ohio State last night, and showed that they are deserving of their top 20 ranking.  Tonight, they have a chance to REALLY show they are deserving of it!  Arizona is also unbeaten and also ranked in the top 20.  It’s a huge early season resume building opportunity.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Illinois State vs Western Kentucky (Cayman Islands Classic) – WKU did not look good yesterday and needs to bounce back today to avoid falling too far from the bubble
-Northern Illinois vs Sam Houston (Fort Meyers Tip-Off) – Sam Houston is unbeaten with some notable wins already
-Texas Tech vs Louisville (Maui Invitational) – Texas Tech has not looked good in their last few games.  Louisville has looked infinitely worse
-Southern Miss vs Winthrop (Cancun Challenge) – Southern Miss is unbeaten with a couple of decent wins
-Kansas City vs Indiana State (Gulf Coast Showcase) – Indiana State is 4-0
-Tulane vs Rhode Island (Cayman Islands Classic) – Tulane needs to rebound from their first loss of the season, which quite frankly was a game they should have been good enough to win
-Vermont @ Yale – as hard as this is to believe, Yale is unbeaten on the year
-Drexel vs FGCU (Gulf Coast Showcase) – Neither team will likely end up on the bubble, but they’ve both shown some sparks of life early on
-Louisiana @ SMU – Louisiana is 4-0, but this is their first true road game
-Liberty vs Northwestern (Cancun Challenge) – semi interesting game here between an unbeaten Northwestern team and a Liberty team that we think will be the ASun frontrunners
-Oral Roberts @ Utah State – keeping an eye on this unbeaten Utah State team.  Oral Roberts will do well in the Summit League, but winning on the road against Utah State is a very tall order
-Richmond vs Temple (Empire Classic) – both teams have potential this year, but both need to start stringing together wins soon

BUY GAMES:

-Bowling Green @ Notre Dame
-Coppin State @ Towson – (I know this technically is not a buy game, but practically it is)
-UC San Diego @ George Washington – GW can get to 4-1
-Stonehill @ Fordham – Fordham can get to 5-1
-Rider @ Rutgers
-Grambling @ Arizona State – If Grambling wins this we may not stop laughing for a week