Under The Radar Game of the Day – Monday, November 14th

Posted on November 14, 2022 by John Stalica

IUPUI (0-2) at Chicago State – 9:00 PM ET

Normally, it would be a slam-dunk to highlight the annual Battle of the Boulevard between Belmont and Lipscomb, especially since this will be their only meeting this season. However, we also have the possibility of a 1-2 Centenary matchup with IUPUI traveling to Chicago State tonight. Ever since the 2010-11 season when Centenary began the process of transitioning down from Division I play, the Hoops HD panel has given the Centenary Award to the worst team in Division 1. Chicago State has won that award twice; IUPUI was right behind Delaware State for that honor last season.

With Chicago State now as a Division 1 independent this season, the bulk of their regular season games, much less home games, will take place in November and December before the bulk of conference games takes place in January and February.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – Sunday, Nov 13th

Posted on November 13, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-Georgetown is 2-0 on the season after beating Green Bay.  Beating Green Bay would normally not be noteworthy, but Georgetown won a buy game in the same manner that a good team would.  It was 92-58.  They haven’t done anything that even remotely resembles what a good team does in years!

-Congrats to Stonehill for their 82-77 win at Army!  It is their first win against a D1 program as a D1 program!

-Wright State bounced back from blowing a 21 point lead at home against Davidson with a last second 73-72 win at Louisville.  I know Louisville isn’t all that good, but I think Wright State may be able to make quite a bit of noise in the Horizon League this year.

-Wagner followed up their big season opening win at Temple with a loss to La Salle yesterday.  Chad Sherwood summed this up the best!!  La Salle > Wagner > Temple > Villanova > La Salle > Wagner > Temple > Villanova

-Georgia Tech vs Georgia State never disappoints!  I know it will never resonate nationally, but it’s ALWAYS a fun game!  It once again came down to the final seconds with Georgia Tech getting the 59-57 win on the road and (for now) is still unbeaten.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-COLORADO AT TENNESSEE (Nashville, TN).  Colorado lost on the road to Grambling the other night, so one might conclude that they’re not quite ready for a Tennessee team that looks to be a top ten caliber team.

-ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF AT MISSISSIPPI STATE.  It’s a buy game, and all logic should tell you that It’s a big mismatch, but after nearly upsetting TCU and hanging really tough with Oklahoma, Pine Bluff should not be overlooked by Mississippi State, who’s trying to get to 3-0.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT OAKLAND.  It’s fun to see Oklahoma State going on the road to play on the Black Top!!  They had a somewhat surprising loss last week against Southern Illinois, and are looking to bounce back.  This wouldn’t be a high caliber win, but any win on the road looks good on the resume.

-ARIZONA STATE AT TEXAS SOUTHERN.  Arizona State trying to remain unbeaten, and goes as part of the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series.

-MONTANA STATE AT LONG BEACH STATE.  Long Beach State was blasted at UCLA the other night, but I still think they’re one of the best teams in the Big West.  Montana State lost their season opener and is still looking for their first win, but I still think they are the best team in the Big Sky, so a good match-up between two really good UTR teams in this one.

-NORTH TEXAS AT SAINT MARY’S.  Both teams are unbeaten, Saint Mary’s isn’t in the Top 25 but it wouldn’t shock me to see them there before the season is over (and perhaps pretty soon) and North Texas is one of the better UTR teams with a chance to land on the bubble, or even inside of it.  In order to do that, this is the kind of game that they’re going to need to be able to win.  Should be a good one tonight!

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Eastern Kentucky @ Cincinnati – buy game
-NC A&T @ Iowa State – buy game
-VMI @ Davidson – buy game
-Southern Illinois @ Southern Indiana – Southern Illinois trying to remain unbeaten and pick up their second road win
-SELA @ Wyoming – buy game
-Towson @ Penn – Towson tying to remain unbeaten and pick up their second road win
-Youngstown State @ Notre Dame – both teams unbeaten.  Notre Dame really struggled their last time out
-Louisiana @ East Tennessee State – both teams unbeaten
-NJIT @ San Diego – buy game.  San Diego trying to get to 3-0
-Portland State @ Seattle – Seattle can get to 3-0
-Lindenwood @ Missouri – buy game
-William & Mary @ Virginia Tech – buy game
-Yale vs Mississippi Valley State – (Rainbow Classic) – Yale trying to stay unbeaten
-Eastern Washington @ Hawaii – (Rainbow Classic) – Hawaii trying to remain unbeaten.

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Happy Birthday! HoopsHD interviews former UC Riverside star Sam Cash

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Sam Cash was money for UC Riverside back in the 1970s. He was a 2-time CCAA POY, an All-American in 1971, and the Southern California College Division POY in 1972. He graduated as the school’s record holder for most REB in a game/season and was drafted by both the ABA/NBA in 1972. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Sam about being a great rebounder and having an athletic family. Today is Sam’s 72nd birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

Why did you decide to attend UC Riverside? It was pretty close to home, which was the main reason, plus a couple of guys I wanted to play with went there. The coach was also influential in my decision.

You were a 2-time conference POY/1971 All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It was a privilege for sure. It showed that all of my hard work/determination paid off…and that I had good teammates!

You graduated with a school-record 14.9 career RPG: what is the secret to being a great rebounder? A lot of it is about timing but I also feel that I had a gift. Some people are scorers, some are passers, but I had good jumping ability and the technique of screening people out and seeing where the ball would come off of the rim.

In the summer of 1972 you were selected by Cleveland in the 5th round of the NBA draft and by the Floridians in the ABA draft: why did you decide to join the ABA, and do you have any regrets? I have no regrets. Cleveland did not try that hard to sign me: they did not even invite me to camp. They were a new franchise at the time and had a bit of turmoil.

After the Floridians folded the Memphis Pros picked you in the dispersal draft: what was your reaction when you heard the Floridians folded, and how did you feel about getting drafted by Memphis? I knew Memphis coach Bob Bass because he had recruited me back when he was at Texas Tech so I was pretty excited to go there.

In 1973 you played 7 games for the Memphis Tams: what is your favorite memory from your time in the ABA? The preseason had a lot of memorable moments. I was in the starting lineup until I got hurt right before the start of the regular season. We were owned by Charlie Finley, who put a lot of pressure on our coach to win right away.

You and your siblings have had many athletic kids (football/basketball players at Notre Dame, a volleyball player at UC Irvine, a soccer player at Oklahoma State, etc.): who is the best athlete in the family, and does the younger generation credit at least some of their success to genetics? The best athlete was probably my dad. He came from the East Texas area and genetically it all came down from him. My daughter was a really good volleyball player and most of our family loves to play sports.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like to be remembered as a guy who loved to play: not for fame or fortune but because I loved the sport. I was an unselfish team player who would sacrifice myself for the good of the team, which was very important to me. I was a hardworking player who was not more important than the team.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day – Sunday, November 13th

Posted on November 13, 2022 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s 1st installment of Hanging With The Hoyas – CLICK HERE

Louisiana (2-0) vs. East Tennessee State (2-0) – 4:30 PM ET (ESPNU)

Today’s UTR Game of the Day takes place in Asheville, North Carolina – this is the championship game of the Asheville Championship. In their tournament opener, Louisiana defeated Harvard 75-61 thanks to a double-double from Terence Lewis (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Jordan Brown (19 points, 9 rebounds). The Rajun’ Cajuns have also been picked to win the Sun Belt conference this season.

East Tennessee State also won comfortably in their opener 77-64 against Elon. They got balanced scoring from their starters (Jalen Haynes leading the way with 17 points) and even got 25 points off the bench. Elon did get within 7 points at the 10-minute mark, but never got closer for the remainder of the contest.

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Hanging with the Hoyas: Part 1

Posted on November 12, 2022 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. He was out of town for the season opener earlier this week but now that he is back in DC he has prepared this photo essay about the Hoyas’ matchup earlier today against Green Bay.

I finally made it to my 1st game of the season this morning. I missed the Hoyas’ OT win over Coppin State on Election Night, but this is actually my 2nd trip to Capital 1 Arena in the past 40 hours, as I was sitting WAY up high on Thursday night to see the Wizards beat the Mavericks:

My 1st pregame meal of the year was a good 1: Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich bites/sausage biscuit/fruit! An 11AM tip-off + an unseasonably warm and sunny November day in DC + 2 teams who combined to lose 50 games last season = plenty of good seats available. It was very good to see Ryan Mutombo, who subbed in late in the 1st half and appeared to be focused on the game despite the fact that his father Dikembe is still recovering from treatment for a brain tumor:

Let’s tip it off:

Georgetown coach Patrick Ewing has not won consecutive games since a 3-game winning streak from December 8-15, and with a starting lineup of 5 transfers and no Dante Harris in uniform due to “personal reasons” the level of optimism was mediocre at best:

SO F Clarence Cummings allowed the Phoenix to hang around for 20 minutes and ended up with a team-high 14 PTS (causing Georgetown athletic director Lee Reed to scream at his defense from his front row seat to, “Get a hand up!”):

SR C Qudus Wahab fouled out of his 1st game on Tuesday in only 15 minutes but had much better self-control on the defensive end today. He also dominated the paint on offense with a series of put-backs/baby hooks/fadeaway jumpers in the lane to give the Hoyas a 31-29 halftime lead:

SO PG Zae Blake was back in hometown of DC and tried to keep Green Bay in the game with a trio of threes in the 2nd half, but it would be far from enough:

Wahab kept getting the ball low in the past in the 2nd stanza and finished with 18 PTS/8-12 FG and only committed 1 foul during the whole game. After carrying the team in the 1st half he finally got some help in the 2nd half from several different players. SO PG Primo Spears made a pair of runners in the lane and a ton of jumpers en route to his 2nd-straight game with 20+ PTS:

His starting backcourt mate Brandon Murray was just as good whether he was taking shots from behind the arc (3-4 3PM) or finding a teammate for a basket (7 AST):

In addition to the starters, Georgetown was able to destroy Green Bay in the 2nd half (outscoring them 61-29) thanks to some strong bench performances from JR G Wayne Bristol Jr. (who made all 3 of his 3-PT shots) and SO G Jordan Riley (11 PTS/6 REB) as the Hoyas won 92-58. In the postgame press conference I asked Green Bay coach Will Ryan (son of Bo) whether Blake had some extra motivation while playing back in his hometown in front of family/friends. He said that Blake’s ticket list was pretty big! He called Blake a “gamer/hooper” who can do things off of the bounce, and that as his PG improves his decision-making he has a chance to be very good in conference play.

I wanted to know what Coach Ewing thought has been the biggest difference on offense this year (92+ PPG in back-to-back games) vs. last year (92+ PPG just once in 31 games). He confirmed that this year’s mantra is to “purge” last year. He is happy that his guys are playing their butts off and getting the ball inside to the “big fella” (Wahab). He singled out Murray for praise as well because he can score at all 3 levels and makes all the right plays/passes.

I followed up with Murray about how he seems to succeed whether he is scoring (6-9 3PM this season) or passing (7.5 APG). He stated that he is just seeing the court really well and making the right reads, which is why he was award the championship belt in the locker room.

That is a wrap for now, check back next month as the competition increases a few notches when South Carolina visits DC on December 3rd.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day – Saturday, November 12th

Posted on November 12, 2022 by John Stalica

For today’s News, Notes and Highlighted Games from David Griggs – CLICK HERE

New Mexico State (1-0) at UTEP (0-1) – 9:00 PM ET (C-USA TV)

While some of the Hoops HD staff hate the Back Range, we are a fan of rivalries, whether real or imagined, and the Battle for I-10 does have a long history behind it. The Silver Spade Trophy and the Mayor’s Cup are at stake, and both teams have Final Four history. UTEP (who was known as Texas Western at their apex) won the 1966 NCAA Championship against Kentucky, and New Mexico State has a trip to the 1970 Final Four under their belts. As recently as 1992, both programs advanced to the Sweet 16 as well.

Tonight will be the Aggies’ first D1 opponent – they defeated New Mexico Highlands in their opener. UTEP on the other hand is coming off of a 72-57 loss at #12 Texas. Both teams will have revamped rosters from last season – New Mexico State only has two returning players from last season and UTEP has four. Tonight could also be the first home sellout for UTEP in 6 years; 9000 tickets have already been sold and less than a thousand remain.

 

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