Hoops HD

Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projections (From the Puppet) – Feb 12th

Posted on February 12, 2026 by David Griggs

Below are my Bracket Projections. It projects the field as if today were Selection Sunday, and if I was a committee of one. I am not trying to guess what the actual selection committee will do on Selection Sunday. I am merely showing you what the field would look like if today were Selection Sunday and I were on complete charge of selecting and seeding the teams. If you want to see a bracket where someone is trying to guess the committee, check out Jon Teitel’s latest Bracket in our BRACKETOLOGY Tab at the top of the page…

OTHERS CONSIDERED: New Mexico, UCLA, Calfornia, VCU, San Diego State, Seton Hall, Ohio State, West Virginia, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Tulsa

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It would be both cruel and hilarious if things played out this way, but never has a #1 seed been more cursed than Connecticut by the bracketing rules of this particular bracket. They are sent to the South Regional where they could conceivably have to play Houston in Houston in the Elite Eight, but may also have to face Villanova in Philadelphia and Texas Tech in Houston along the way. So much for being protected!!!

-Arizona is still my overall #1 seed despite the loss at Kansas. It does not undo all of the good that they’ve done, and holy crap have they done a lot of good! Including a true road win at UConn, which is perhaps the single most impressive win that any team has managed this season.

-The teams that have moved the most for me are probably Missouri and Miami FL. In fact I think this is the first time I’ve actually selected Missouri, and I have them several lines inside the bubble on the #9 line. The top of their profile is really good and they had a great win at Texas A&M the other night.

-Below are some comments from the staff. If any of them says anything that is critical of the masterpiece of a bracket I have put together, or if they simply disagree with anything….THEY ARE WRONG!!!!

STAFF COMMENTS:

From Chad:

I don’t have as many disagreements with the top of this bracket as I normally do with Griggs, though Vanderbilt as a 6 seed perplexes me. The Commodores have bounced back from their three game losing streak to win 4 of 5, including a road win at Auburn. This team is still in prime position for a protected seed, and they should not be any lower than the 5 line.

Miami (FL) seems bit high to me on the 9 line. I get that they beat Carolina, but as Griggs would say, it was only a home win so it should not even count. Further, that is their only win against an at-large caliber team. I would have the ‘canes in as well, but in or very close to the First Four.

Virginia Tech and TCU would not be in for me right now, but both teams are very close. TCU’s profile is all over the place, with wins and losses in all 4 tiers. Va Tech has a lot of losses for a profile with only 2 wins of note. I would probably choose UCLA and New Mexico right now, with a strong look at Ohio State.

Finally, I know that Griggs wrote this bracket before St. Thomas lost at Omaha tonight, but why are the Tommies even in the field over conference leader North Dakota State? It makes no sense to me, and the only answer is that he is just a #StupidPuppet. For this reason, despite doing a great job on the rest of the bracket, I give his efforts a solid D-. Which is better than the F I gave him last time!

From Stalica:

Chad has acquired a copy of the Selection Committee’s Rules and Procedures for 2026; it typically doesn’t allow for conference matchups until the Sweet 16 if teams match up twice during the season. That rule CAN be relaxed if a conference has 9 or more teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East will get at most 3 bids this year without a bid thief in the conference tournament. While I do appreciate the Puppet’s efforts to troll Zach, the UConn-Villanova matchup would not be permissible this early in the bracket.

While Vanderbilt has been wildly inconsistent, I don’t see how they should be lower than a 5 seed. They do have 6 games against teams that are likely to be in the field versus only one loss against a team not in the field. And isn’t the Puppet always harping on teams needing a great record away from home? The Commodores are 9-2 away from home.

I agree that Georgia is a team that should not feel safe as far as NCAA Tournament inclusion. Texas A&M and Auburn also need to start feeling a sense of urgency; Auburn is the first team in this field to reach double-digit losses, although none of them are against non-tournament teams. If not for their win at Florida, Auburn might not even be in this field. Texas A&M is now on a 3-game losing streak since the difficulty of their SEC schedule started to get much higher.

I actually agree with Griggs when it comes to including TCU and Santa Clara in the First Four, but I also believe the Hoosiers may actually be safer than he thinks they are. Winning at UCLA might be a fatal blow for the Bruins, and the Wisconsin win looks better now that the Badgers are starting to look like more than a 1-trick pony.

It’s very UTRish, but could the Horizon be down on the 16-line this year? Neither Wright State nor Oakland seem to want to win the top seed, and it’s very much possible that Doug Gottlieb could be the Comeback Coach of the Year should the Phoenix win the Horizon autobid this year.

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Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Feb 12th

Posted on February 12, 2026 by David Griggs

For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE:

-LITTLE ROCK AT WESTERN ILLINOIS (Ohio Valley). Western Illinois becomes mathematically eliminated from making the conference tournament if they lose this one tonight. They are coming off their first conference win of the season after knocking off Eastern Illinois a couple nights ago.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Michigan and Connecticut both sweated a little bit on the road against what appeared to be vastly inferior opponents, but both got control in the second half and both held serve.

-Florida went on the road and absolutely blew out Georgia. This was a Georgia team that at least looks like they can get inside the bubble, and Florida just blew them off their own floor 86-66 is rather impressive. The Gators haven’t been perfect, but they’ve looked like the best team in the SEC.

-Virginia Tech got a massive 76-66 road win at Clemson, which will help their resume out a ton. Clemson had won 13 of their last 14 going into this one, so for VA Tech to beat them at home is huge.

-Iowa, who had been looking really solid, stubbed their toes last night with a road loss at Maryland. Maryland has a losing overall record and is just 3-10 in Big Ten play, so this is a bit of a black eye for the Hawkeyes.

-USC could not get it done at Ohio State in a game between two teams that are right on the bubble. Ohio State pulled it out 89-82. I don’t think this gets the Buckeyes in yet, but it certainly helps.

-California needed to show they could routinely win on the road against mediocre teams and last night they failed to do that. In a crazy game that saw multiple overtimes and saw the lights go out, Cal fell at Syracuse 107-100 in what is a very damaging loss.

-Missouri got one of their biggest wins of the year as they went on the road and beat Texas A&M in an 86-85 thriller. Mizzou was floating around the bubble, so for them to pick up a true road win against a team that’s likely in the middle of the bracket is really big for them. TAMU has now lost three straight after getting off to a fantastic start.

-New Mexico picked up a really nice 70-64 win at Grand Canyon. GCU is not the easiest place to win, and the committee should give the Lobos some credit for this, but it may not be enough in and of itself to put them back inside the bubble.

UTR WATCH:

-Tonight’s slate is all Under the Radar games

-NJIT @ New Hampshire (America East) – NJIT is tied with UMBC in the loss column for the 1st place spot in the AEast

-UMBC @ Maine (America East) – this may be a tough road test for UMBC given how much better Maine has been playing

-Marist @ Merrimack (Metro Atlantic) – Merrimack is still holding on to the 1st place spot in the MAAC

-High Point @ USC Upstate (Big South) – High Point is tied with Winthrop atop the Big South standings. This should be a winnable road game against an Upstate team that’s struggled this year

-Detroit Mercy @ Wright State (Horizon League) – Wright State has a one game lead on Oakland in the HL standings and needs to hold serve at home

-Elon @ UNC Wilmington (CAA) – UNCW sitll has a one game lead over Charleston and has basically beaten everyone except William & Mary. They may get a test today even though Elon is pretty far down the standings

-Portland State @ Northern Arizona (Big Sky) – Portland State is running away from the Big Sky and should wrap up the top seed in the tournament soon

-UT Martin @ Lindenwood (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin still has a one game lead in the standings despite their loss to Morehead State last week. They could be challenged on the road tonight by a Lindenwood team that’s fighting to position themselves in the conference standings

-California Baptist @ Southern Utah (WAC) – Cal Baptist has won eight straight conference games and is tied with Utah Valley atop the WAC standings. They need to keep winning to lock up the top spot

-Northern Iowa @ Belmont (Missouri Valley) – Belmont’s at-large hopes may have vanished after their loss at Bradley over the weekend. They face a very good and red hot Northern Iowa team that is exceptionally dangerous now that they’re healthy. This should be a good one tonight

-Utah Valley @ Utah Tech (WAC, Bee Hive) – this is a big game in the WAC standings. Unfortuantely we may not be able to see it unless Utah Valley pays the fine before tipoff. Their games cannot be streamed.

-Hawaii @ Cal State Bakersfield (Big West) – It’s never easy for Hawaii to go on the road and win, but this is one they should pick up and they should be able to maintain their one game lead over UC Irvine

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Under the Radar – Week 15

Posted on February 11, 2026 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the Big West where Hawaii, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara are battling it out and where we have several key games coming up this week. Hawaii has been nearly unstoppable at home and UCSB is starting to look a lot better.

After that we run through the other 22 UTR leagues and look at how Liberty is still unbeaten (albeit barely) in Conference USA, and Belmont had a tough loss at Bradley that will probably end their at-large hopes. Stephen F Austin has a two game lead over McNeese in the Southland and has a big week coming up. The CAA and Sun Belt are both wide open with several big games coming up this week. We discuss all that, and more!! And as we do every week, we close with this week’s Under the Radar Top Ten.

And for all you radio lovers, below is our audio only version of the show…

Posted in Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Towering Twin: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Darius Ratliff

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title then you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 2 championship teams from 1979-2020 did not have such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn), and while Florida won a title last April without 1, Coach Todd Golden added Arkansas transfer/2024 McDonald’s All-American Boogie Fland to his roster last May. The rosters for this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game were announced last week after selecting the 24 best players in the nation from a list of several hundred nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact in the fall, just ask Coach Tommy Lloyd how he likes having 2025 honorees Brayden Burries/Koa Peat at Arizona! Unlike most years when 1 school stands out as the big winner with the most All-Americans, there are 3 different programs tied for the current lead with 2 each (Duke/Missouri/USC) and a whopping 8 players who have not yet committed to a college. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Darius Ratliff about being named a McDonald’s All-American and sharing the honor with his twin brother.

You missed part of last season with a foot injury: how bad was it, and how were you able to get back onto the court? It was not too bad, just a stress fracture, but I went to rehab and had to miss the 2nd half of last season.

You received offers from several great schools including Alabama/Arkansas/Texas but signed with USC last October: what was the biggest factor in your decision? The commitment they had to both me and my brother: during our visit they said that we were a priority.

Coach Eric Musselman’s team is currently 18-6: do you think they will make the NCAA tourney next month? If they stay healthy: definitely.

Earlier this month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot and showed all the work that I have put in. I have been to 3 McDonald’s games in the past as a spectator, so it is exciting to finally be going there as a player.

Your twin brother Adonis received the same honor: how special is it for your family to have 2 Ratliffs on the team? It is a blessing because it does not happen a lot. It shows how hard we have pushed each other to succeed.

Adonis will be joining you at USC this fall: is it true that playing together in college was “non-negotiable”? No: we were recruited separately by different schools.

Your high school teammate Jasiah Jervis was also named an All-Americans: what is it like to play on a team with so much talent? It makes the game easier: if our opponent focuses on just 1 player, then we can still find someone else to beat them.

You are listed at 7’: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I am playing center now and would feel comfortable playing PF in college.

Your father Theo was an NBA All-Star in 2001 and led the league in BLK 3 times from 2001-2004: who is the best athlete in the family? I would say my dad due to all the accolades he has.

Your high school team has won 3 straight state titles: do you think you can make it 4 in a row this spring? Yes: we have the pieces/size/IQ, so we just need to buy into it as a team.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged Darius Ratliff, usc | Comments Off

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Feb 11th

Posted on February 11, 2026 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-TCU had hit the skids and desperately needed a big win. And last night, they got one. They held of Iowa State 62-55. It was close all throughout, but TCU kept making big plays and made enough down the stretch to pull off the upset win, which is their biggest of the season and will likely be a difference maker in them making the field.

-Purdue jumped out to a big lead on Nebraska, but the Huskers fought back to force overtime and appeared to be positioned to win it. Purdue took control in overtime and held on to win after a Nebraska player slipped on the floor on what ended up being their last possession of the game. The Boilers escaped with their best win of the season 80-77.

-Wisconsin had a flimsy profile with just one good win on it coming into yesterday. They now have a profile with two of the best wins that any single team has this season. They went into Illinois and knocked off an Illini team that had been looking like a Final Four team. The 92-90 win is a huge boost for the Badgers.

-Miami FL was another team that was squarely on the bubble and who needed a big win, and also got it. They beat North Carolina 75-66, who was coming off their big and emotional win against Duke. This will give their profile a nice boost even though it was a home win.

-Virginia and BYU both got scares on the road, but both escaped with wins. BYU in particular really needed their win at Baylor.

-Villanova survived a massive scare at home against Marquette, but made some big plays in the final minute to escape 77-74.

HIGHIGHTED GAMES:

-USC AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). This is a bubblicious game that both of these teams really need. Not only are both fighting for spots inside the bubble, both are fighting each other for a spot inside the bubble, so there should be a huge sense of urgency to this one.

-FLORIDA AT GEORGIA (SEC). Florida looks to be a protected seed and is playing as well as anyone in the SEC right now. They’ll be challenged on the road tonight against a Georgia team that should end up making the field and who can really help solidify their tournament profile if they can pull off the upset tonight. This is also a rivalry game, so it should be a fun one.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC). VA Tech is right on the bubble and this is the kind of game that could make the difference as to whether or not they get in. It’s also a very tough game to win. Clemson is in the rankings, but they’re still being undervalued for how good they are. They’re 13-1 in their last 14 games and have been playing the same ACC teams that Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina are playing, and they should be able to hold serve at home tonight.

-MISSOURI AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Both teams need to build up their profiles, and Texas A&M needs to pull themselves out of the two game losing streak they’re on. Missouri has some nice wins, but this would be their best win away from home and do a ton to make their resume look better.

-NEW MEXICO AT GRAND CANYON (Mountain West). New Mexico is outisde the bubble after their loss this past weekend, but they are still close enough to it to reach it and a road win like this would go a long way toward them getting back on the right side of the cut line. Grand Canyon probably can’t reach the bubble, but they have been playing better and are a potentially dangerous team, especially when they are at home.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Iowa @ Maryland (Big Ten) – Iowa has been on a roll lately and is going for their 7th straight win and 4th true road win

-VCU @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – VCU will at least be on the bubble if they win out, which they are seemingly good enough to do

-California @ Syracuse (ACC) – Cal is right on the bubble and needs to show they can routinely win games like this. Simple as that.

-Alabama @ Ole Miss (SEC) – Bama will be tested in this one, but it is a game they are likely to win

-Connecticut @ Butler (Big East) – UConn will likely blow through the rest of the regular season

-South Florida @ Wichita State (American) – the American appears to be wide open and these are two of the better teams. This is a tough road test for South Florida

-Providence @ Seton Hall (Big East) – Seton Hall needs a Herculean finish in order to end up inside the bubble

-Colorado @ Texas Tech (Big 12) – Texas Tech shouldn’t have any trouble in this one

-UAB @ Tulsa (American) – Tulsa is one of the teams in the hunt for 1st place in the American and needs to hold serve tonight

-Michigan @ Northwestern (Big Ten) – it’s never easy to win on the road…except when it is. Michigan should roll in this one

-Tennessee @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Tennessee has not been the best road team, so while this game is not a showcase game, it’s still sort of important because it’s a winnable road game for the Vols, and it’s one they could really use

-Seattle U @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – Santa Clara is right on the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one

-Pepperdine @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC has a solid record, but their profile doesn’t top out that high so it’s important that they keep holding serve in games like this if they want to land inside the bubble

UTR WATCH:

-Chattanooga @ East Tennessee State (SoCon) – ETSU recently suffered a loss but they are still on top of the SoCon standings

-Austin Peay @ Queens (Atlantic Sun) – these are two of the better teams in the ASun with Austin Peay in 1st place and Peay just two games behind with a chance to make up some ground tonight

-Bellarmine @ Central Arkansas (Atlantic Sun) – in one of the bigger UTR stories of the season, Central Arkansas is just one game out of 1st place!

-Troy @ Texas State (Sun Belt) – Troy was in the drivers seat but after two straight conference losses they are in a bit of a tailspin and need this one on the road

-Liberty @ New Mexico State (Conference USA) – Liberty has blown through the league so far and will likely at least be on the bubble if they can win out

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Towering Twin: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Adonis Ratliff

Posted on February 10, 2026 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title then you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 2 championship teams from 1979-2020 did not have such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn), and while Florida won a title last April without 1, Coach Todd Golden added Arkansas transfer/2024 McDonald’s All-American Boogie Fland to his roster last May. The rosters for this year’s McDonald’s All-American Game were announced last week after selecting the 24 best players in the nation from a list of several hundred nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact in the fall, just ask Coach Tommy Lloyd how he likes having 2025 honorees Brayden Burries/Koa Peat at Arizona! Unlike most years when 1 school stands out as the big winner with the most All-Americans, there are 3 different programs tied for the current lead with 2 each (Duke/Missouri/USC) and a whopping 8 players who have not yet committed to a college. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Adonis Ratliff about being named a McDonald’s All-American and sharing the honor with his twin brother.

You received offers from several great schools including Alabama/Arkansas/Texas but signed with USC last October: what was the biggest factor in your decision? I just felt like it was home during my visit. They treated me like royalty and a lot of people who went to USC go on to be very successful in life. Coach Eric Musselman previously coached my dad Theo (as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks in 2002), so they just checked all the boxes.

Coach Musselman’s team is currently 18-6: do you think they will make the NCAA tourney next month? Yes…if they can stay somewhat healthy. Hopefully everyone comes back and they can try to make a run.

Your coach Patrick Massaroni has been named Catholic High School Athletic Association COY for 2 years in a row: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He makes sure that each one of us will get into college no matter what. He has a will to win and wants us to make a statement every time we step onto the court: if we are up by 20 then he wants us to win by 40!

Earlier this month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant everything. I had some injuries early on but worked hard enough to have my name selected.

Your twin brother Darius received the same honor: how special is it for your family to have 2 Ratliffs on the team? You do not see a lot of 7’ twins in high school, but our household is very happy for us. My dad never made it into the McDonald’s game, but we had that goal for a long time and have finally made it happen.

Darius will be joining you at USC this fall: is it true that playing together in college was “non-negotiable”? No. There was a point in time where we were unsure whether to go to the same school, but after the coaches showed us how we could play together we felt that it would work.

Your high school teammate Jasiah Jervis was also named an All-Americans: what is it like to play on a team with so much talent? It makes things a lot easier. If we all can do 1 thing great, then we will probably win the game. We are a dangerous team who plays off each other.

You are listed at 7’: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I am a 3/4 combo forward now, and I think it will be the same for me in college.

Your father Theo was an NBA All-Star in 2001 and led the league in BLK 3 times from 2001-2004: who is the best athlete in the family? We are all good athletes, but my dad would have to take that title.

Your high school team has won 3 straight state titles: do you think you can make it 4 in a row this spring? Yes, our last regular season game is tonight and hopefully we can go undefeated in league play.

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