-Buffalo fell at East Carolina 73-70. Buffalo had no expectations whatsoever coming into the season, but had been playing well with a 9-1 overall record going into yesterday, so it was a game we were expecting the to win.
-High Point lost again. They fell on the road to Appalachian State 86-78. And that might be the last mention we make of High Point this season other than on Under the Radar.
-The game did not impact the bubble at all, but Troy played another game that was decided by a last second shot. They knocked off UAB 86-85 in a game that seesawed back and forth. No one has played more exciting games this season than Troy!
-North Texas got a nice 58-57 road win at South Alabama, which is their first true road win of the season. North Texas has a lot of work to do, but they are looking like one of the better teams in the American (which I guess isn’t saying much).
-Boise State got a big win against Saint Mary’s 68-67 in Idaho Falls. It was one of the worst telecasts I have ever seen! But it was a big and much needed win for the Broncos.
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GAMES (I don’t want to say these are “Highlighted):
-Niagara @ VCU – VCU needs to start stringing together wins and cannot drop any home buy games
-Wyoming vs South Dakota State (Sioux Falls SD) – this is a bit of a tough road test for a Wyoming team that may be good enough to land inside the bubble. It’s not an easy game to win, but it’s the kind of game they should be able to routinely win if they are an NCAA Tournament caliber team
-Campblesville (nonD1) @ Western Kentucky -McNeese @ Houston Christian (Southland) -Incarnate Word @ TCU
-Top ranked Arizona ran away from Alabama in the second half for a very impressive 96-75 win. Arizona now has a true road win against UConn and a mostly-road win against Alabama on their resume. They have certainly earned the top ranking.
-Gonzaga held off UCLA 82-72 in Seattle for one of their better wins of the year. The Zags never really blew it open, but they did hold a lead for pretty much the entire game. I get the sense that UCLA will get better and build up a strong resume once they get into Big Ten play.
-Nebraska remains unbeaten and they’v now got a top level win on their resume. They went on the road to Illinois and pulled out an exciting 83-80 win. The Huskers held a lead for most of the game and every time Illinois seemed to be making a run they came up with an answer. The game ended on a last second 3 for the Huskers. After a road win like this I think we need to start thinking of Nebraska as a protected-seed caliber team.
-Arkansas came from behind in the second half to knock off Texas Tech 93-86 in Dallas. Arkansas also has a home win against Louisville, but given that this was a neutral floor game this is probably their biggest win of the year so far.
-Kansas needed overtime, but got a big 77-76 road win over NC State. I think this win will age well. NC State isn’t having a great year, but they’re at least having a decent year, and they’re getting better, and by the end of the year they could end up with both a really strong team and resume. Either way it was a huge win for Kansas, and their first true road win of the season.
-Michigan played with their food against Maryland, but blew it open late in the second half for a 101-83 win in a game that was more competitive than what the final score indicated for much of the game.
-Michigan State really had to sweat at Penn State, but pulled out a 76-72 conference road win. The Nittany Lions probably aren’t a tournament team, but they do appear to be good enough to give really good teams fits when they play them at home.
-UMass is a very respectable 8-3 after knocking off Florida State 103-95. We haven’t talked much about them even on the Under the Radar shows, but they are a team in the MAC that’s worth keeping an eye on.
-DePaul is now 8-3 after beating Wichita State in the Round House 61-58. DePaul probably won’t land inside the bubble, but they are VERY MUCH improved! Chris Holtman has them going in the right direction, and they are not going to be the Big East doormat this year.
-Oklahoma knocked off Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Game 85-76. It was a really nice win for the Sooners. Not only was it a win over a rival, but it was a win away from home against what has looked like a probable tournament caliber team so far. And suddenly Oklahoma’s neutral floor loss to Nebraska, which was a close game, is looking like a good effort against a top 20 caliber team. The Sooners might have more life than we thought.
-Butler’s double overtime win over Providence was the game of the day. I don’t know how many ties and lead changes their ended up being, but I think it was close to 30, and it was just big play after big play for fifty straight minutes! Butler got the win, and while Butler certainly still has work to do to get all the way inside the bubble, it’s by far the best team they’ve had since Thad Matta took back over.
-Tulsa is 10-1 after knocking off a solid New Mexico State team 83-70 on a neutral floor. They appear to be good enough to blow through the American and if they do that they should be safely inside the bubble.
-Santa Clara had what appeared to be a commanding 17pt lead at the half against Arizona State, but the Sun Devils dominated the second half and came back to win 82-79. It was a missed opportunity at a quality win that Santa Clara really could have used.
-Kentucky knocked off Indiana 72-60 in a game they really needed to win. Right now neither team has been playing like a tournament-caliber team, so I’d almost call this an important non-loss rather than a big win for Kentucky. Both teams still have a lot of work to do.
-Saint Bonaventure looked to have what should have been a lay-up level win away from home yesterday, but fell in overtime to Ohio U 88-83. This is an Ohio team that I thought would be good coming into the season, but up until yesterday had really struggled. It’s just the second loss of the year for the Bonnies, but it’s a damaging one.
-Saint Louis is still going strong after a solid 85-75 win over San Francisco. I know it’s a been a while since Saint Louis has been good, and maybe the fans have sort of forgotten about them, but they are good this year!! Spread the word!! People need to start showing up!! The attendance was kind of pathetic given how good SLU has been and that they were facing a quality opponent at home.
-LSU got a really good win over SMU 89-77. This is probably their biggest win of the year so far and they’re an SEC team that we need to really keep an eye on. It wouldn’t shock me at all of both these teams are dancing in March.
-There were a few close calls yesterday with Richmond and Georgetown needing overtime to win home buy games, and Belmont barely knocked off UIC in their conference opener
-Syracuse lost at home to Hofstra 70-69. It was more than just a close call. It’s an alarming loss for a Syracuse team that had been playing at a high level, but is still really light in terms of notable high level wins.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-SAINT MARY’S AT BOISE STATE. Both teams are good enough to make a run at the bubble, but both have work to do and both could really use this win. Saint Mary’s is 9-1 and they do have a smattering of decent wins. Their only loss was to Vanderbilt, which is not a bad loss. This would be a true road for them against a solid Boise State team.
Buffalo @ East Carolina – Buffalo continues to play well and can pick up their 4th true road win of the season today
-High Point vs Appalachian State – should be a winnable neutral floor game for High Point
-Troy @ UAB – One never knows what Troy is going to do. Neither team is likely to finish near the bubble, but both have shown moments of being able to compete at a high level and it’s a bit of a rivalry game
-Kent State @ Portland – Kent State is 9-1 on the season, but amazingly this is their first true road game
-North Texas @ South Alabama – this is one of the better games of the day. Neither team will likely land inside the bubble, but both are good teams that are having good seasons so far, and the door isn’t completely closed
-UMES @ Virginia Tech -Eastern Illinois @ Iowa State -Bethune Cookman @ Missouri -Northern New Mexico (nonD1) @ Colorado State -Western Michigan @ Iowa -FGCU @ New Mexico -Queens @ Wake Forest -Jacksonville @ Texas A&M -Washington State @ USC
-ARKANSAS VS TEXAS TECH (Dallas TX). Both teams are ranked in the top 20, both have a lot of potential, but both could also really use a big win like this on their resume. Arkansas has a nice win against Louisville, but that was a home game and right now it’s their only win of note. A win like this on a neutral site would boost their resume even more. This would also be Texas Tech’s biggest win of the season up to this point.
-OKLAHOMA STATE VS OKLAHOMA (Oklahoma City OK). BEDLAM!!!!!!! Oklahoma State isa perfect 9-0 whereas Oklahoma is a modest 6-3 and still trying to pick up some notable wins to put themselves on the map. It’s a rivalry game at a neutral site and it should be a fun one.
-TULSA VS NEW MEXICO STATE (Frisco TX). I’m highlighting this because Tulsa looks to be the only American team that has any real shot of landing inside the bubble and in order to get there they need to be able to beat a decent New Mexico State team on a neutral floor.
-NEBRASKA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Nebraska is a perfect 10-0 and they blew Wisconsin off the floor the other night, but this is by far their biggest test of the year. They’re playing a ranked team on the road. If they can somehow win this then we are suddenly talking about whether or not the Huskers are a protected seed. It’s a big game for Illinois as well who is trying to continue to build up their profile.
-UTAH STATE VS ILLINOIS STATE (Salt Lake City UT). Illinois State has now won seven in a row, but they’ve also been untested in that stretch. They’ll be tested today by a Utah State team that appears to be the best in the Mountain West and who is trying to put together the kind of resume that will land them inside the bubble.
-KANSAS AT NC STATE. This is a tough road game for the Jayhawks who are having a good season and who have some big wins, but who have also played only one true road game so far and that was a loss at North Carolina. NC State got off to a bit of a sluggish start, but they are also coming off what may have been their best showing of the season earlier this week, so this one should be a good one.
-ARIZONA STATE VS SANTA CLARA (Henderson NV). I’ve been touting Santa Clara as a tournament caliber team all season, but they absolutely did not look like one in their last game, which was a blowout loss to New Mexico. Tonight they have Arizona State on a neutral court. This is the kind of game that a tournament caliber team should be able to win. It’s also a chance for Arizona State to pick up a notable win.
-INDIANA AT KENTUCKY. This is a rivalry game and it’s between two teams who both kind of need to win this game. Neither has really played up to their potential yet, neither really has any wins of note (Indiana’s win over Marquette is no longer a win of note), and both really need this one.
-SMU VS LSU (New Orleans LA). Both teams have good records and SMU in particular has looked good this season, but both also have work to do and could really use this win tonight.
-ARIZONA VS ALABAMA (Birmingham AL). This should be a fun one. Both teams are high in the rankings and both are probable protected seeds, which makes this the kind of game that could help elevate the winner to a #1 seed. Arizona is the top ranked team in the country and already has a true road win at UConn. If they can go into Birmingham and knock off Alabama then they’d make what may already be the nation’s best resume look even better.
-UCLA VS GONZAGA (Seattle WA). It seems like this is always a great game when these two meet. UCLA is a solid 7-2 with the losses being a very close game against top ranked Arizona and another somewhat close loss to a good Cal team, but they don’t have a really big win yet. This would certainly qualify as a really big win if they’re able to knock off the Zags.
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OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Michigan State @ Penn State (Big Ten) – Penn State has a respectable overall record, but they don’t have any wins as big as this one would be. Even though it’s a road game for Michigan State, it’s one they should hold serve in
-Iona @ Saint John’s – it’s a buy game that the Johnnies should win handily, but Iona will likely make a lot of noise in the MAAC so it’s at least worth checking out
-DePaul @ Wichita State – DePaul is a respectable 7-3, but this is their first true road game of the year
-Marquette @ Purdue – this isn’t a buy game, but it may as well be. Purdue should roll in this one
-Utah Valley vs UC Santa Barbara (Salt Lake City UT) – these are two really solid UTR teams, both of whom have decent shots of winning their conferences, will face off in the Delta Center!
-Providence @ Butler (Big East) – Both teams have had decent starts and both are perhaps exceeding their low preseason expectations, but both also still have work to do and both could use this win today
-Cincinnati vs Georgia (Atlanta GA) – Georgia is having a really solid season and should be able to hold serve against a Cincinnati team that has not even looked like an NIT-ish level team so far
-George Washington vs Florida (Sunrise FL) – I’ve started to lose faith in GW. They’re a respectable 8-3, but they’ve blown every shot they’ve had at a notable win. Florida is off to a bit of a slower start than expected, but they appear to be getting better as the season goes along. They’ve lost two straight, but the losses were by just 1pt at Duke and by just 4pts against UConn. They should be able to win today.
-UNC Wilmington @ Valparaiso – UNCW has a solid 9-1 record, but this will be one of their toughest tests so far. Valpo is 6-3 overall and 5-1 at home
-Kansas State @ Creighton – if either of these teams are going to land anywhere near the bubble then they need to start stringing together wins now
-Memphis @ Louisville – these two used to be huge rivals. Memphis got off to a disappointing start, but they’ve won three straight and are coming off a win against Baylor. They appear to be overmatched in this one, but if they could somehow upset Louisville it would catapult their resume
-UIC @ Belmont (Missouri Valley) – a win for Belmont gets them to a very solid 10-1 on the year
-Murray State vs Akron (Henderson NV) – a really odd location for this game. Both are solid UTR teams, both could make some noise if they can make the NCAA Tournament, and it should be a fun game. I don’t know how many people in Henderson, Nevada are going to come out and watch, but those who do should see a good game!
-Pittsburgh @ Villanova – this should be a game where Nova can easily hold serve and improve to 8-2 on the year
-Saint Bonaventure vs Ohio U (Cleveland OH) – The Bonnies are having a good year and can get to 10-1 overall with a roadi-ish win today
-Oakland @ Northern Iowa – Oakland is 5-5 after playing a brutal early season schedule. Northern Iowa is 7-2 after playing a really soft early season schedule. Both are very good UTR teams and this should be a fun one!
-Southern Illinois @ Richmond – Richmond is having a good year, but they’ve played a very weak schedule. While Southern Illinois appears to be improving, the Spiders should still hold serve at home
-Stanford @ San Jose State – this is the first true road game for Stanford and a win gets them to 8-2 on the year. San Jose State is at least a respectable 4-1 at home so far
-Michigan @ Maryland (Big Ten) – since Thanksgiving Week Michigan has looked like the most dominant team in the country and it’s really not even close. It’s a conference road game, but it’s one they should easily win
-Rutgers @ Seton Hall – this one is usually fun! Seton Hall is an astonishing 9-1 and has another winnable game at home today.
-Ohio State @ West Virginia (Cleveland OH) – I’m not all that sold on West Virginia, but I’m starting to think Ohio State may have something this year. If they can get this win away from home and improve to 8-2. then I’d say they’re pretty well positioned right now
-San Francisco @ Saint Louis – San Francisco has been a bit of a disappointment this year so far whereas Saint Louis has been a lot better than expected so far. If the Dons are going to bounce back and make a run at the bubble then this is one they need.
-Mississippi State @ Utah – both teams need to start stringing together wins
-Duquesne @ Nevada – Nevada could make some noise in the MWC and needs to hold serve today
-Tulane vs UC San Diego (Henderson NV) – UCSD is one of the few UTR teams that may be able to make a run at the bubble. In order for them to do that they need to win games like this one
-UTEP @ Hawaii – a win for Hawaii gets them to 10-2 on the year with all ten wins coming at home. They will eventually need to leave the island and win.
BUY GAMES:
-UL Monroe @ Miami FL -Old Dominion @ George Mason -USC Upstate @ North Carolina -Mercyhurst @ Davidson -Evansville @ Notre Dame -Saint Peter’s @ Georgetown -New Orleans @ Houston -Southern Miss @ Ole Miss -Mercer @ Clemson -UTSA @ Colorado -Hofstra @ Syracuse – Hofstra is a good UTR team, but they’re likely overmatched in this one -Chattanooga @ Auburn -Northwestern State @ California -Southern Utah @ Washington -Central Arkansas @ Vanderbilt -The Citadel @ South Carolina -North Florida @ Dayton -UC Riverside @ BYU
-I did not find my top line to be that difficult. I feel Michigan, Duke, Arizona and with last Saturday’s road win at Purdue, Iowa State all earned 1 seeds.
-My last 4 teams in the field was a tough decision. I went with TCU, Wake Forest, Va Tech and VCU. Teams that I debated over were Villanova, Santa Clara, Texas A&M and Butler. Finding the last 8-10 at-large teams in December is always tricky. Most teams in the mix are power conference teams. Some of which played tough schedules and took some losses and other teams that didn’t challenge themselves and piled up wins. The conference season will sort out most of the teams on the cutline and show us which teams are contenders and who are the pretenders.
-In the end I placed Yale on the 12 line but I thought about an 11 seed and I truly believe Yale can find its way all the way to a 10 seed with a strong Ivy season. Look out for this well coached and talented bunch of Bull Dogs from New Haven.
-The Big East can not afford to stumble outside the conference any more for the next 3 weeks. This league could end up as a 2 bid conference with UConn and St. John’s if someone else doesn’t step up quickly. The Pirates of Seton Hall have been a pleasant surprise to most, let’s see if they can carry this momentum into conference play. Marquette and Creighton don’t seem to have the talent and depth they have had in the last few years. Big East fans, it’s not too early to sound the alarms, it’s time for a few members to step up and start putting tournament worthy resumes together.
Upcoming Games this weekend you do not want to miss:
Saturday, December 13th:
-Arkansas vs Texas Tech in Dallas -Memphis at Louisville -Nebraska at Illinois -Kansas at NC State -Arizona vs Alabama in Birmingham -UCLA vs Gonzaga from Seattle
Sunday, December 14th:
-St. Mary’s at Boise St. -N. Texas at South Alabama
-College Football’s regular season is over, it’s time to turn your focus to College Basketball and all the early conference games and a few more blockbuster out of conference matchups.
Enjoy the Games!
Posted inBracketology|Comments Off on Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projections (From David Dorman) – Friday, Dec 12th
-Iowa State looked to be a huge favorite against their in-state rivals considering how they’d demolished Purdue over the weekend, and how they were at home, and how they were ranked 4th nationally, but Iowa battled until the very end. This is a huge rivalry in terms of how bitter it is, and you could feel it yesterday. The Cyclones survived 66-62.
-TEXAS AT CONNECTICUT (Hartford CT). Connecticut clearly looks to be the superior team so far and while Texas isn’t bad, they haven’t really even come close to winning a game against an opponent of this caliber yet. A win for Texas would give their resume a huge boost, but that’s far easier said than done.
-Missouri State @ Xavier – Xavier still has a lot of work to do, but this would be their fifth straight win after nearly upsetting Georgia
-Nebraska remains unbeaten and certainly looked like a team that was deserving of their top 25 ranking after blowing out Wiscnosin 90-60. I don’t think Wisky is a tournament team. At least they haven’t shown any signs of it yet. But it’s still a big win for Nebraska, and the crowd was electric!
-Miami OH remains unbeaten after a 90-87 overtime win at UNC Asheville. Miami appeared to be in control early in the second half, but then UNCA came all the way back and got the lead, and it was actually Miami that had to force overtime and then escaped with a win.
-Western Kentucky, a team I was praising, deserves no praise after yesterday. They went on the road and lost rather handily to Marshall 77-61. I know it’s hard to win at Marshall, but that’s the point. It’s hard to land inside the bubble and in order to do it a team must win games that are hard to win.
New Mexico DID win a game that was hard to win! They pulled off a huge 81-78 road win at VCU, which is clearly their best win of the year and now has us all looking at the Lobos again. When they lost to rival New Mexico State we sort of shrugged them off, but they’ve only lost one other game, they blew away Santa Clara in their previous game, and they picked up a big road win last night.
-What NC State did to Liberty is illegal in some states. It was a level of assault that I would not wish on anyone. It was an 85-45 blowout. It was by far the best I’ve seen NC State look this year and it makes me wonder why I ever thought Liberty had a chance to land inside the bubble.
-George Washington lost at home to Delaware 70-58 in one of the more pathetic showings of the season. I thought GW might be a tournament team coming into the year. Last night they looked like they may be CBI bound. \.
HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-IOWA AT IOWA STATE. This is a rivalry that is not for the weak at heart!! Iowa State is coming off one of the most impressive single game performances I can ever remember as they blew out top ranked Purdue on the road. Iowa is coming in with just one loss, but they were beaten handily on the road at Michigan State in that one loss, and Iowa State appears to be just as good, or even better, than the Spartans. Still, with this being a rivalry, sometimes you don’t know what’s going to happen.
-Saint Joseph’s @ Syracuse – The Orange have had times where they’ve looked like a tournament team and they’re sitting at a modest 5-3 on the year after coming off a big win against Tennessee. They should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Western Carolina @ Virginia Tech -Alabama State @ Missouri
