NEWS AND NOTES:
-Yesterday’s New Mexico State vs New Mexico game was postponed due to yet another senseless campus shooting death. Our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies are with those victims.
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-JON TEITEL IS AT THE MAIN EVENT!!! For his coverage – CLICK HERE
-The most surprising result of the day was Maryland’s blowout win over Saint Louis. Not much was expected of Maryland, and while they came in without a loss, they hadn’t really played anybody either. Well, now they have, and they looked DAMN good doing it!
-Miami FL also picked up a really nice win against Providence in that same event, which means they will face Maryland today in the championship game (more on that below).
-Seattle is a team to watch for. They improved to 4-0 yesterday and picked up their second road win 0f the season as they pulled away from what looks to be an at least decent Portland team 80-68.
-UC Irvine, who had won big at Oregon earlier this year, suffered their first loss of the season as they fell to Pepperdine 64-55. The Eaters did not shoot the ball well (much of that is credit to Pepperdine’s defense), and Pepperdine now has us starting to glance their way as they are now 4-0 on the season.
-Hofstra had a big opportunity to get a really nice win at Saint Mary’s yesterday. Well, they fell 76-48 and at no point were they really in the game. I still think Hofstra will have a big year, but yesterday was certainly a struggle for them.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-KENTUCKY AT GONZAGA (***SPOTLIGHT GAME***). This game is not on Gonzaga’s campus, but it is in Spokane and is both technically and practically a home game (at least presumably) since Gonzaga is likely handling the event management. Both teams are ranked super high, but both have already suffered a loss. Kentucky fell in overtime to Michigan State (a team that also nearly beat Gonzaga), and the Zags lost pretty handily to Texas last week. Still, both teams are likely protected seeds and both could still end up as high as the #1 line. To get on the #1 line, this is the kind of game they need to be able to win though. But more than anything else, it is just a really good early season showcase game.
-JAMES MADISON AT NORTH CAROLINA. I really like the way this James Madison team has looked so far, whereas North Carolina has kind of played with their food in most of their games this season. I’m not going to go so far as to predict an upset, but this game has some intrigue to it and UNC does not want to overlook them.
-UMASS VS CHARLOTTE (Myrtle Beach Invitational, Conway SC). UMass has gone on a nice little run in this tournament and can cap it off by winning it today if they can get by Charlotte. Charlotte comes in unbeaten and did get by a good Boise State game in their first game of this event, but other than that none of their wins really pop out so picking this one up would be nice for them.
-MIAMI FL VS MARYLAND (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Uncasville CT). Both teams looked really impressive yesterday, particularly Maryland who absolutely blew out Saint Louis. It’s hard to not sit up and take notice of that. Miami FL got here by beating Providence, and both have another shot at what should be a resume building win this afternoon.
-ILLINOIS VS VIRGINIA (Main Event, Las Vegas NV). Both teams picked up really nice wins to get here as Illinois had a big second half to beat UCLA, and Virginia ran away from Baylor. Neither team has a loss, and both teams already have a big win, and both are moving up the rankings, so it’s a big resume boosting opportunity for both of them.
-VIRGINIA TECH AT CHARLESTON (Charleston Classic, Charleston SC). Charleston has looked really good this season. Their only loss on the year was a game at North Carolina where they were very competitive, and they’ve gone on a nice looking run in this tournament to get to the final. Virginia Tech has picked up some decent wins as well, and a Charleston team that has played well and could end up having a big year would get them some credit with the committee. I’m really looking forward to this one today.
-PROVIDENCE VS SAINT LOUIS (Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off, Uncasville CT). Saint Louis had looked good in their first few games this season, but they looked terrible yesterday. Providence didn’t exactly set the world on fire either. The fact that this is a third place game means absolutely nothing. It’s still a neutral floor game and a chance for each team to add a quality win to their resumes.
-DEPAUL VS OKLAHOMA STATE (Bahamas Championship, Nassau Bahamas). Oklahoma State has been slow out of the gate this season and is just 2-2 on the year. DePaul is a modest 3-1 with a win over Minnesota, but they need to bounce back after losing to Santa Clara the other day.
-VCU AT MEMPHIS. Both teams have the potential to be good, and Memphis already has a win at Vanderbilt, but both still need to build up their resumes and today is a chance to add at least a notable win to their profiles.
-UCLA VS BAYLOR (Main Event, Las Vegas NV). Both these teams are top ten teams and both are potential protected seeds. This is also technically the third place game as both teams are coming off losses in this event, but that doesn’t matter as far as the committee is concerned. This is a very big early season showcase game and an opportunity to pick up a likely Quad 1 win.
-DRAKE VS WYOMING (Paradise Jam, Saint Thomas Virgin Islands). The storyline of this game should be that it’s two teams that are top 25 caliber, and that it’s a great early season match-up for both of them. That could still turn out to be true, but neither team has looked anything like a top 25 team this year. Drake is unbeaten, but they’ve had to sweat out several weak opponents, and Wyoming has a loss to SELA and nearly lost to Howard in their last game. I still think both teams can really get rolling before the end of the year, and that this will still be considered a really important game, but for now both teams really need to pick things up.
-PENN STATE VS COLORADO STATE (Charleston Classic, Charleston SC). An intriguing match-up between two teams that are off to fairly decent starts and who could both end up having big years.
-SANTA CLARA VS UCF (Bahamas Championship). This is an intriguing match-up between two teams that are off to good starts and who have already picked up a few notable wins. A win today will keep the early season momentum going for whoever pulls it off.
-COLORADO VS BOISE STATE (Myrtle Beach Invitational, Conway SC). It’s early, but this game still has a pivotal feel to it. Colorado has been very schizophrenic this year and picking up a win against Boise State in a game like this could help stabilize things. Boise State just needs notable wins on their resume, and picking up a neutral floor win like this would certainly qualify.
-HOUSTON AT OREGON . This is one of Houston’s bigger tests of the entire year. At least it appears that way. Oregon did fall all over themselves in an early season loss to UC Irvine, but may be bouncing back. Houston is, quite simply, looking like the best team in the country and may not just win, but win big.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Furman Vs South Carolina (Charleston Classic, Charleston SC) – After two losses, Furman can still pick up at least one win for their resume today
-Old Dominion vs Davidson (Charleston Classic, Charleston SC) – This would be a notable OOC win
-Wake Forest vs LMU (Jamaica Classic). Wake trying to get to 5-0
-Texas Southern @ Samford – Samford is unbeaten
-Prairie View @ UT Martin – Prairie View is unbeaten
-Wagner @ Seton Hall – Wagner already has one nice win against Temple, and Seton Hall’s only loss was to Iowa
-Texas A&M vs Loyola Chicago (Myrtle Beach Invitational) – having lost two games, TAMU does not want to make it three losses in this event
-Indiana vs Miami OH (Hoosier Tip-Off Classic, Indianapolis IN) – Indiana looking to remain unbeaten
BUY GAMES:
-Delaware State @ UConn
-Milwuakee @ Iowa State
-Ohio U @ Michigan
-Mississippi Valley State @ Missouri
-Tarleton @ Boston College
