Hoops HD

Conference Tourney Previews, Part 2 of 3

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD keeps celebrating the greatest time of the year with Part 2 of our 3-part preview of every single conference tourney in the nation. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with his predictions for 4 conference tourneys getting underway this week/weekend. Tweet us if you have any comments, check back later next week for his picks on the remaining 16 conference tourneys, and if you missed his picks last weekend about 11 other conference tourneys you can find them at:
https://hoopshd.com/2025/03/02/conference-tourney-previews-part-1-of-3

America East tourney predicted champ: Vermont (#2 seed)
Dates: March 8-15
Location: Campus sites
2024 tourney champ: Vermont (#1 seed)
Fun fact: Vermont has won 5 of past 7 tourneys
Seeding: 7 of past 9 champs were #1-seed
The Catamounts have owned this tourney since before COVID but struggled out of the non-conference gate with 3-game losing streaks in both November & December. I was leaning towards choosing Bryant, but Vermont has gotten hot at the right time with a 9-game winning streak (including a 4-PT win over the Bulldogs last month) to finish the regular season. Coach John Becker has made the title game in 7 of the past 8 years that this tourney has been played so nobody will be able to out-coach him in March. Since the higher seed will host each tourney game in which they play, Vermont cannot wait to welcome teams to Patrick Gymnasium where they have lost exactly 2 home games all season. Defense allegedly wins championships and a team that is 15th in the nation with 64.3 PPG allowed knows the importance of guarding their own basket. I was a little worried that they were running out of TJs after TJ Long went down with an injury in December, but TJ Hurley has helped save the day with 16.1 PPG/88.7 FT%.

Big Sky tourney predicted champ: Montana (#2 seed)
Dates: March 8-12
Location: Boise, ID
2024 tourney champ: Montana State (#5 seed)
Fun fact: Montana State has made title game in each of past 4 years
Seeding: 3 of past 4 champs were not #1 seed
The good news for Montana State is that it has made the title game in each of the past 4 years: the bad news is that they were swept by both of the top-2 seeds this year so I do not think they can make it 5 in a row. Therefore, I will go with their fellow Treasure State program located in Missoula. Last March the Grizzlies made it all the way to the title game before losing to the Bobcats, but Coach Travis DeCuire has never had a losing season during his 11 years as head coach so I believe in him. His team was red-hot down the stretch and the only reason they are not entering this tourney on a 12-game winning streak is because they choked away an 11-PT lead with 5 minutes remaining in an OT loss at Portland State last Saturday. They are not a great rebounding team, but you do not have to rebound a lot of misses when your 49.8 FG% is #3 in the nation…and with all the money in the sport these days, how can you bet against a team whose leading scorer is named Money Williams?!

MVC tourney predicted champ: Bradley (#2 seed)
Dates: March 6-9
Location: St. Louis, MO
2024 tourney champ: Drake (#2 seed)
Fun fact: each of past 3 championship schools won back-to-back titles
Seeding: 5 of past 6 champs were not #1 seed
After making each of the last 4 title games and wrapping up a 27-3 regular season last Sunday you would think that Drake is the 1 top seed in the entire nation that I SHOULD go with…but history says otherwise. This tourney has been unkind to #1 seeds, and the only school to ever win 3 of these in a row was Southern Illinois from 1993-1995. Over the past 2 months the Bulldogs have won 15 of 16 with just a 2-PT home loss, so I will go with the team that gave them that loss. Bradley looked quite beatable a month ago when they lost 3 in a row to UIC/Northern Iowa/Belmont by an average of 13+ PPG, but they got back on track by winning 6 of their final 7. There are some teams that require a deep-dive to discover the secret to their success but that is not the case for the Braves: their 40.9 3P% is #1 in the nation, and they have 4 seniors who each started 30+ games this season.

Southland predicted champ: McNeese (#1 seed)
Dates: March 9-12
Location: Lake Charles, LA
2024 tourney champ: McNeese (#1 seed)
Fun fact: 5 different champs in past 7 tourneys
Seeding: 9 of past 11 champs were top-2 seed
McNeese shattered their school record for wins last year with 30 (the previous high was 22)…but I would argue that this year’s squad is just as impressive. Last year they only faced 1 top-75 team in non-conference play (beating VCU in the season-opener), but this year the Cowboys are much more battle-tested with a win over North Texas and single-digit losses to Alabama/Liberty/Santa Clara/Mississippi State. You can call Coach Will Wade a lot of things but “loser” is not 1 of them: at age 42 he has won 70% of his games while coaching 4 teams in 4 different conferences. Their 70 FT% might end up biting them in the butt…but with an average scoring margin of 13.1 PPG thanks to a defense that is top-20 in the nation with 64.4 PPG allowed, they usually do not have to worry about games that go down to the wire.

Posted in News and Notes | 1 Comment

Championship Week Video Notebook – Day 4

Posted on March 6, 2025 by Chad

Check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

Also, don’t miss our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 31 conference tournaments

Check out our new HOOPS HD TEAM SHEETS AND DEFCON RATINGS for all 364 D1 teams

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS

The Stairway to Seven continues and action kicks off in the Northeast, Summit League, Ohio Valley, and Big South. We review all of Wednesday’s action, preview Thursday’s games, update our Survival Board and more! It is Day 4 of the Championship Week Video Notebook!

For those that prefer audio only:

ASUN SEMIFINALS

HORIZON LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

OHIO VALLEY QUARTERFINALS

PATRIOT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

SUMMIT LEAGUE QUARTERFINALS

MISSOURI VALLEY FIRST ROUND

SUN BELT STAIRWAY TO SEVEN THIRD ROUND

WEST COAST FIRST ROUND

Posted in News and Notes | 1 Comment

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, March 5th

Posted on March 5, 2025 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

For our latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE:

In addition to eliminations from conference tournament games today, NC State will be eliminated with either a loss at home to Pitt or a Notre Dame win over Stanford.

-In a few words, last night was crazy…

-Auburn went on the road to Texas A&M and suffered a rare loss. It’s odd to say that losing on the road to a ranked team is a surprise, but given how good Auburn has been looking it kinda was. Texas A&M came into the game with four straight losses. I’d say they’ve bounced back in a big way. They basically held a lead from tip to buzzer and won 83-72.

-BYU struggled to score early, and turned the ball over a ton, and had a lot of things go wrong, but…won!!! At Iowa State!! They held off the Cyclones 88-85 in overtime. BYU is suddenly looking as good as some of the top teams in the country. They’ve won seven straight, and have road wins at Arizona and at Iowa State in that stretch.

-Texas at Mississippi State was a clown show of errors both at the end of regulation and in overtime, but the end result is all that matters and Texas got a win they desperately needed. They came into the game outside of our bubble, and while this doesn’t lock them in, it was a win on the road against a Mississippi State team that is safely in the top half of the bracket, and that is BIG!

-Georgia, who really needed a road win, got one at South Carolina 73-64. Granted, it was at South Carolina who isn’t going anywhere near the tournament without a ticket, but it was still a win away from home.

-Baylor, who also really needed a road win, got one last night at TCU 61-58. TCU is outside the bubble, but they have played well at home it’s definitely a win that makes Baylor’s resume look a little better.

-West Virginia also picked up a road win as they held off Utah 71-69. Like a lot of teams previously mentioned, their win didn’t come against a team that will make the field, but the road win does make their resume look a little better.

-Indiana battled out at Oregon, but just couldn’t get it done and the Ducks pulled away in the final minute for a 73-64 win. I don’t want to say this was a damaging loss for Indiana because it really wasn’t, but it was a big missed opportunity at a big win for a team that is squarely on the bubble.

-Nebraska and Ohio State went to multiple overtimes before Ohio State finally got the 116-114 win. Both teams really needed this one, and both still have work to do, but the win definitely helps keep Ohio State’s head above the water.

-Arkansas, who was coming off one of the more pathetic showings of the entire season, picked up one of their biggest wins of the season last night as they beat Vanderbilt 90-77 on the road. Vandy has a decent team overall, but on their home court they have been phenomenal. I’m sure the committee knows that and that Arkansas will get a lot of credit for this win.

-San Diego State could have really used a nice road win at UNLV last night to held stabilize their spot in the field, but hey came up short 74-67. The Aztecs seem to be slowly sinking into the quicksand. They need a good finish to the season and to avoid an early loss in the MWC Tournament.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are high in the rankings. We’ve been projecting Michigan as a protected seed for a while and Maryland is perhaps within reach of it. Michigan has won a lot of close games, which has a lot of people questioning how good they actually are, but they’ve beaten a lot of good teams in those close games so they must be good. As for Maryland, this would be a big road win for them if they can pull it off.

-FLORIDA AT ALABAMA (SEC). These are two of the six teams that are solidly in the hunt for a #1 seed and the outcome of tonight’s game will play a big role in determining whether these teams end up there. Alabama is finishing the regular season with games against Tennessee, Florida, and Auburn. Then the SEC Tournament. I mean…wow! They will certainly be battle tested.

-CLEMSON AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). Clemson has been red hot and they should be able to hold serve in this one. Some at Hoops HD are thinking they are on the fringe of getting a protected seed.

-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East). This is a game that Xavier simply has to win. They’re on the bubble, they’re facing a team that’s nowhere near the bubble, and they cannot afford to lose it. Having said that, it may not be an easy game. Butler has battled teams on their home court this year.

-COLORADO AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Texas Tech is almost locked into a protected seed and just needs to hold serve in games like this. They’re at home against a non-tournament caliber team.

-MISSOURI AT OKLAHOMA (SEC). An old Big 12 rivalry!! Oklahoma’s is still good enough to get the Sooners a look despite having played so poorly in conference. They need to win this one to keep themselves in the discussion. Mizzou is solidly in the field, but the one thing they could use more of is true road wins. A win tonight, even though it’s against a bubble team, would make their resume look stronger.

-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Wisky is a likely protected seed and Minnesota will likely struggle just to make the Big Ten Tournament. It’s a road game, but it’s one Wisconsin should roll in.

-MARQUETTE AT UCONN (Big East). Both teams appear to be very safely inside the bubble and are just playing to improve their resume and their seeding. It would be a nice road win for a Marquette team that’s been able to win some big games on the road. It would also be a nice win for a UConn team that has struggled at times throughout the year, but has now won three of their last four.

-TENNESSEE AT OLE MISS (SEC). Tennessee is in the hunt for a #1 seed and this would be another solid win on their resume. It’s a road game against an Ole Miss team that is solidly in the field.

-CALIFORNIA AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Louisville appears to be cruising toward a spot in the top half of the bracket and just needs to hold serve in order to land there.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

Championship Week Video Notebook – Day 3

Posted on March 5, 2025 by David Griggs

Check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

Also, don’t miss our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 31 conference tournaments

Check out our new HOOPS HD TEAM SHEETS AND DEFCON RATINGS for all 364 D1 teams

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS

The Stairway to Seven is underway!! Southern Miss and Louisiana are now just six wins away from immortality after picking up wins in the opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament. The Patriot League also had a couple of thrillers in their opening round and chalk held in the opening round of the Horizon League. We look at all those games, preview tomorrow’s conference tournament action, and update our Survival Board.

Audio only version:

NORTHEAST CONFERENCE QUARTERFINALS:

BIG SOUTH OPENING ROUND:

OHIO VALLEY OPENING ROUND:

SUMMIT LEAGUE OPENING ROUND:

SUN BELT STAIRWAY TO SEVEN 2ND ROUND:

Posted in Championship Week Video Notebook, Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Tuesday, March 4th

Posted on March 4, 2025 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOAD UPDATE:

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT BALL STATE (MAC). Central Michigan will be eliminated from qualifying for the MAC Tournament with a loss at Ball State.

NEWS, NOTES AND LINKS:

-For our latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast, which also contains our CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK – DAY 2 – CLICK HERE

-Duke totally dumptrucked Wake Forest 93-60. Duke looked like a team that belongs on the 1-seed line and Wake looked like a team that doesn’t even belong in the field.

-Kansas played one of the better games they’ve played in a while, and was actually right in there with Houston for much of the game, but the Cougars pulled it out at the end and finished with a 65-59 win.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-GEORGIA AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC). Georgia has won two straight and is coming off a big road win at Texas. They are going in the right direction, but they are still right on the bubble and have a lot of work to do. A win tonight, which would be another road win, would certainly help.

-MEMPHIS AT UTSA (American). This should be an easy routine road win for the Tigers. They are cruising toward the top half of the bracket and may already be locked into it.

-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Purdue just snapped a four game losing streak with a nice win over UCLA and has another winnable game against Rutgers tonight. Rutgers could use a win or two down the stretch just to help ensure that they make the Big Ten Tournament, so don’t expect them to just come out and lay down.

-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC). There aren’t many easy games in the SEC, but by SEC standardss this probably qualifies as easy. Kentucky is still a fringe protected seed and will likely end up there if they hold serve.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). North Carolina remains outside the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to get in the right side of it.

-VCU AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic 10). VCU should land inside the bubble if they win out and avoid an early loss in the A10 Tournament. They are on fire right now and looking like the kind of team that can not just get to the Round of 64, but be dangerous once they are there.

-CREIGHTON AT SETON HALL (Big East). Creighton was just blown off the floor by Xavier in their last game and needs to bounce back. They should be able to add another conference road win to profile tonight and stay in the top half of the bracket.

-TEXAS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). Texas is just 1-6 in their last seven games and appears to be right on the bubble. They need a win tonight, and perhaps more between now and the end, in order to land on the right side of the cutline. Mississippi State has also struggled some lately, but not as much as Texas and their spot in the field is much more secure right now.

-BAYLOR AT TCU (Big 12). Baylor is coming off a win against Oklahoma State, but they still have a lot of work to do and could really use a road win like this to help boost their resume. They are just 2-9 in true road games, which is a big hole on their resume, so this game does have a pivotal feel to it for the Bears.

-AUBURN AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Auburn has been on a role and while it’s never easy to beat a ranked team on the road, Auburn has been doing it all season. A short time ago we felt Texas A&M might be on the brink of a #1 seed, but they’ve currently lost four straight and have another really tough assignment tonight. They’re at home and it should be a high energy game, but those types of atmospheres have not phased Auburn at all this year.

-BYU AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). BYU has been on an absolute tear lately. Still, while they’ve won a lot of big games, they haven’t won one quite this big. A road win against a likely protected seed and one that’s coming off a decisive home win against Arizona State would be at another level.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT UTAH (Big 12). West Virginia remains close to the bubble and will really be tested on the road tonight. Utah is nowhere near the field, but they are still tough to beat at home.

-NEW MEXICO AT NEVADA (Mountain West). New Mexico is inside the bubble and is looking to hold serve tonight. While it’s a bit of a test on the road, it’s still one that they should be able to win.

-BOISE STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). Boise State is right on the bubble and needs a strong finish in order to get selected. A win tonight wouldn’t be helpful so much as a loss would be very damaging.

-INDIANA AT OREGON (Big Ten). This is one of the bigger games of the night considering what this win would mean for Indiana. They are inside our field, but still close to the bubble, and a win like this would give them another big boost up the seedlist. Oregon has been inconsistent all season, but they have now rattled off five straight wins and will look to keep that streak going tonight.

-NEBRASKA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a very bubblicious game as Nebraska has gone into a tailspin and needs to pull their way out of it, and Ohio State really needs to string together wins to help them land on the right side of the bubble. This game has huge stakes for both teams. They both almost need to win it.

-ARKANSAS AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Vandy has gone on a tear lately and played their way almost safely inside the bubble. They’ve also been one of the toughest teams in the country on their home floor, whereas Arkansas has struggled on the road. Arkansas was pitiful in their last game against South Carolina and needs to bounce back and get a win in a game like this in order to have any shot at making the field.

-ARIZONA STATE AT ARIZONA (Big 12). Arizona was blown out by Iowa State in their last game, but they should be able to bounce back from that. This is likely to be much better theater than it will be a game. Arizona is clearly the superior team and given how Arizona State stormed off the court the last time they met I’m sure the Wildcat fans will be ready to welcome them!

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West). This is a tricky road game for a San Diego State team that’s trying to remain inside the bubble. In order to do that they need to avoid losses to teams that are not going to make the field.

UTR WATCH:

-AKRON AT TOLEDO (MAC). Akron has pretty much wrapped up 1st place in the MAC. They’ll be tested on the road tonight, but it’s a test they should pass.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Survival Board, Under the Radar | Comments Off

The Hoops HD Report (and Championship Week Video Notebook – Day 2) – March 3rd

Posted on March 4, 2025 by David Griggs

Check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD, which shows who is a lock, who is on the bubble, and who needs the auto-bid

Also, don’t miss our CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT PAGE, which has brackets, times, and viewing information for all 31 conference tournaments

Check out our new HOOPS HD TEAM SHEETS AND DEFCON RATINGS for all 364 D1 teams

Finally, be sure to keep an eye on our most recent BRACKET PROJECTIONS

A full panel is configured tonight as we head into the final week of the regular season. Auburn remains at the top of the rankings with a big win at Kentucky, and Tennessee knocked Alabama off in a thriller that could impact the #1 seed line. Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas are all on the bubble and all have big games coming up down the stretch. Saint John’s resume keeps getting stronger out of the Big East, and Xavier goes into the final week right on the bubble. Michigan State is looking solid out of the Big Ten, Houston is cruising to a #1 seed out of the Big 12, and VCU is looking like they’ve played their way inside the bubble out of the Atlantic 10. We discuss all that, and so much more.