Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For Johon Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a FABULOUS one that feature’s the Mississippi University for Women playing in a MEN’s college basketball game – CLICK HERE

-Davidson fell behind by 21 on the road against Wright State.  Wright State looked absolutely flawless and it appeared that it was going to be a route, but Davidson chipped away in the second half, and with 5 minutes to go got the lead, and it seesawed back and forth for the rest of regulation, then overtime, and then double overtime before Davidson finally got the win.  It was an impressive come from behind win on the road against a pretty good team.

-South Dakota State picked up a big win at Boise State 68-66 in a game that was close all throughout.  South Dakota State maintained a lead for most of the game, but Boise was always within reach.  On Monday night South Dakota State lost in overtime at Akron, so they’re showing early that they’re capable of playing with and beating decent teams on the road.

-Bellarmine went on an early 19-2 run against Louisville and was seemingly in control for the whole game until the last few minutes.  Louisville never got the lead, but they had several chances, including a possession in the final seconds where they could have hit a game winning shot, but couldn’t get it done.  It was a feel-good win for Bellarmine.  They’re in their final year of transitioning to D1, it was their first ever win against a P5 program, and it came against a crosstown foe.  But, to be fair, the real assessment of this game is that Louisville is really bad this year.  They’re perhaps worse than I can ever remember them being.

-FGCU could not follow up their big win at USC with another win at San Diego.  They trailed most of the game and ended up losing 73-79.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT EASTERN KENTUCKY.  This is the Battle OF the Bluegrass!!  This is not to be confused with the Battle FOR the Bluegrass between Louisville and Kentucky (which will probably be more of a massacre this year than a battle).  Western Kentucky is a team we are big on this year.  We feel they’re talented enough to make it to the NCAA Tournament even without winning their conference tournament, but like all teams outside the multi-bid leagues the margin for error is obviously small.  Even though this is the first game of the year, it’s still one they need to win because if they want to land inside the bubble they just don’t have that many strikes.

-TOWSON AT UMASS.  Both teams come in at 1-0, and we really like this Towson team.  This would be a nice true road win for them against a UMass program that’s rebuilding.  It would also be a nice early season win for UMass who needs to win games like this in order to rebuild, so a little something at stake for both teams tonight.

-VERMONT AT SAINT MARY’S.  This is probably the game of the night, which gives you an idea of just how lame tonight is.  Both teams come into this one at 1-0, and while it’s a buy game, Vermont is the preseason favorite to win the America East.  They’re probably overmatched today, but it’s still a good chance to see what they can do in a tough road game.

BUY GAMES:

-Baldwin Wallace (nonD1) @ Kent State – Kent State is 1-0
-Lehigh @ Virginia Tech
-Charleston Southern @ Ohio State – both teams 1-0
-Sacred Heart @ Rutgers – both teams 1-0
-Loyola MD @ Penn State
-Western Carolina @ Maryland
-SW Adventis @ Sam Houston – Sam Houston won at Oklahoma in their opener so we are keeping an early eye on them
-North Dakota State @ Kansas
-Texas Southern @ Texas Tech
-Southern Illinois @ Oklahoma State – both teams 1-0
-Cleveland State @ Cincinnati
-Central Michigan @ Marquette
-Omaha @ Nebraska
-Radford @ Notre Dame
-Bethune Cookman @ Indiana
-North Dakota @ Creighton – both teams 1-0
-Houston Christain @ Texas
-Northern Arizona @ Arizona State
-Nicholls @ Wyoming – Nicholls may make some noise in the Southland, but will probably make very little noise tonight
-Cal Poly @ San Francisco – both teams 1-0
-Georgia Southern @ Santa Clara – Santa Clara 1-0
-Alabama State @ USC – USC looking to bounce back after losing their opener to FGCU

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Lipscomb and South Dakota – CLICK HERE

-Two Big East teams had very close calls last night as Providence had to come from behind to beat Rider 66-65, and Georgetown needed overtime to get by Coppin State 99-89, but both held on to win and avoided damaging losses at home.  Granted , based on how they played, and how Georgetown in particular has been playing for the past several years, chances are there are many damaging losses to come this season.

-One more result of note is how Duquesne absolutely blasted Montana 91-63.  I thought Duquesne was going to be very sucktacular this year, and while I wasn’t expecting Montana to be good, I thought they’d at least be decent.  Duquesne just pounded them.  Maybe the Dukes have a little more than what we thought this year

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-DAVIDSON AT WRIGHT STATE.  Props to Davidson for scheduling a game, especially a game this early in the season, that many teams would be hesitant to play.  It’s a road game against a good UTR team.  Wright State will likely win a lot of games at home this year, and if the committee is paying attention like they say they are (and I think that they are) Davidson will get some credit for winning this.  It’s the season opener for Wright State, and Davidson is looking to move to 2-0 and put a decent road win on their resume.

-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT BOUSE STATE.  South Dakota State had a tough road at Akron in Overtime just two nights ago, and they’ve got another really tough road assignment tonight.  I still think South Dakota State can be a top level UTR team this year, and if they can pick this win up on the road it will really look good on their resume down the stretch.

-BELLARMINE AT LOUISVILLE.  This is a buy game, but for the storyline alone it is worth watching.  Bellarmine may be the best team in Louisville, and they can prove it by picking up this win on the road tonight.  Granted, it’s just a few miles down the road, but it’s on the road nonetheless.

-FGCU @ SAN DIEGO.  Both teams are 1-0, and FGCU is coming off an upset win at USC, which should end up looking really good on their resume.  If they’re able to pick up a second win on the road tonight, the committee should set up and take notice.  If it’s all about the results, then two road wins to start the season, and one of those coming against USC, is about as good of a start as any team can ask for regardless of their conference.

BUY GAMES:

-IUPUI @ Drake
-Kansas City @ LSU
-Monmouth @ Seton Hall – fun little New Jersey match up
-San Diego Christian (nonD1) @ Grand Canyon
-FAMU @ Portland