Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For our latest UNDER THE RADAR VIDEO PODCAST – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which may be the OVERALL game of the day – CLICK HERE

-UConn suffered their second straight loss as they fell at Providence 73-61 yesterday.  The Friars pretty much had a lead for the entire game and while it was never really out of reach for UConn until the final minute or so, it never looked like Providence wasn’t in control either.  The Friars are really good.  Again.  As for UConn, while they have lost two in a row, both were on the road to really good teams, so it won’t set them back too badly.

-Miami FL had been one of the hotter teams in the country, but they lost just their second game of the season yesterday in a bit of a surprise at Georgia Tech.  It was close, but GA Tech led for most of the way and ended up pulling it out 76-70.  Winning on the road is tough.

-Missouri had been red hot, but also lost their second game of the year 74-68 on the road against a really good Arkansas team in a highly entertaining game that seesawed back and forth.  While Missouri didn’t win, they were able to be competitive against a really good team on the road, which was one of the questions I had about them, so my opinion of them hasn’t been lowered at all.  If anything, it may have been raised a little bit.

-Duke went on the road to NC State, and WAS NOT competitive.  They were down 16-0 to start the game and never got any closer.  It was actually quite pitiful.  Having said that, it was a nice win for NC State.

-Auburn went on the road to Georgia, and while they weren’t blown out like Duke was, they weren’t really ever in control of the game either.  Georgia picked up a really nice 76-64 win over the Tigers.

-TCU got a monster road win at Baylor 88-87 in a hard fought game that was close the whole way.  Baylor had a chance to win on their last possession, but was unable to convert.  It was a big win for TCU because it came on the road against a ranked team, and it was also their first Big 12 win.

-Iowa State is in the top 25, and showed they were deserving of it after they picked up a really big road win against Oklahoma 63-60.  Any conference road win against a team that’s within reach of the NCAA Tournament is a good win.

-Michigan has now won two straight and looked impressive in both wins since their loss to Central Michigan.  They were in control for pretty much the entire game against a fairly good Penn State team and ended up with a 79-69 win.

-Clemson picked up a hard fought win over Virginia Tech 68-65 and is now off to a 4-0 start in ACC play.  Clemson hasn’t been garnering all that much attention, but at 12-3 overall, and 4-0 in the ACC, and with some pretty solid wins on their resume, they look like an NCAA Tournament team to me.

-Northwestern bounced back from their pitiful showing against Ohio State with a very impressive showing against rival Illinois.  They were at home, but it was still an impressive looking win.  Northwestern looks like they can be in the discussion come March.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MARYLAND AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Rutgers picked up their biggest win of the year at Purdue earlier this week, so I think we now all think of them as being a solid NCAA Tournament team.  Maryland also looks to be on their way to landing in the field, and a road win like this would really help out their resume.  In short, this is a game between two good teams and winning it would look good on either resume.

-PURDUE AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Purdue is coming off their first loss of the season, and this won’t be an easy bounce back by any means.  It’s a game they can win, but it’s against a top 25 team on the road.  Still, if they want a #1 seed, then this is the kind of road game that #1 seeds are expected to be able to win.

-UAB AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Conference USA).  This is perhaps the most important game of the day, at least in regards to what the stakes are for making the NCAA Tournament.  Both teams are good enough to make a run at the bubble, but both also have limited chances at the kinds of wins that would impress the committee, which is what makes this game today so important for both of them.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT LOUISIANA (Sun Belt).  Southern Miss is off to a fantastic start, and while this is a game they can/should win, it’s not an easy game, and the committee likely knows it.  Louisiana has lost their last two, but they were really strong out of conference and won’t be easy to beat at home.  Then again, if a team wants to make the NCAA Tournament, they need to be able to win games that aren’t easy to win, and that’s what Southern Miss needs to do tonight.

-INDIANA AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Iowa has come completely off the rails.  They don’t even look like an NIT team.  I keep waiting for them to bounce back, but am also questioning whether or not it will actually happen.  This should be a winnable road game for the Hoosiers.

-USC AT UCLA (Pac 12).  It’s a rivalry game between a USC team that’s played really well at times and is overall good enough to make the Tournament, and a UCLA team that’s played outstanding at times and has looked good enough to make a run at the Final Four.  It’s always fun when these two match up, and it should be fun tonight.  I like the contrasting styles, the rivalry, and the stakes of the game!

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Maine @ UMass Lowell (America East) – A win for UMass Lowell gets them to 14-2 on the year
-SMU @ Houston (American) – should be a winnable conference home game for the Cougars
-Texas State @ James Madison (Sun Belt) – James Madison has an outside shot at making a run at the bubble, but their margin for error is basically zero
-Grand Canyon @ Sam Houston (WAC) – I still think Sam Houston can make a run at the bubble despite a recent loss to Utah Valley.  They can’t slip up tonight at home against a GCU team that’s also pretty good
-Washington State @ Arizona State (Pac 12) – Wazzu has shown they can be tough to beat at home, but not so much on the road.  Arizona State should be able to hold serve int his one
-Louisiana Tech @ Rice (Conference USA) – I don’t think Rice will end up inside the bubble, but a win tonight gets them to 12-3 and the conference will give them some opportunities at good wins, so it’s not impossible
-North Texas @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA) – this is a challenging, but winnable, road game for North Texas who has a shot at making a run at the bubble
-Santa Clara @ Pepperdine (West Coast) – a winnable road game for Santa Clara that would get them to 14-4 on the year
-Washington @ Arizona (Pac 12) – Arizona looks to be among the teams that are good enough to make a run at a #1 seed, and they should be able to hold serve at home in this one
-Gonzaga @ San Francisco (West Coast) – I was excited about San Francisco for a while, but they have not looked good lately.  Gonzaga should roll in this one

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – CLICK HERE

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

-For Jon Teitel’s All Conference Midseason Awards – CLICK HERE for Pt.1  and CLICK HERE for Pt.2

-The biggest news on the court last night was Rutgers’s huge upset win on the road against top ranked Purdue.  It’s one of the better singular wins that any team has managed this season, and it suddenly makes their resume look tons better than what it did before yesterday.  Rutgers had played really well against some really good teams, but came up just short.  Yesterday they played really well against the #1 ranked team, and got the win, so I’m glad for them that they finally picked one up.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MARQUETTE AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Both teams are well within reach of the inside of the bubble, but both still have some work to do in order to actually reach it.  The Johnnies have lost three straight and need a win like this in order to bounce back.  Marquette has actually won five out of their last six with the only loss being a double overtime thriller against Providence and is coming off  really nice win at Villanova, so for them to pick up another road win would really have them on a good path.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Mississippi State has lost two straight games since building up a big 11-0 record against what was mostly a pastry cart.  They do have a couple of good wins, but they still have a lot of work to do.  Tennessee has lifted some pretty heavy weight and appears to be on pace toward a protected seed.  But to stay on that pace they need to be able to hold serve in games like this.

-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State appears to be outside the bubble right now and needs to string together some wins just to get back in the picture.  This is a winnable conference home game and they need to take care of business.

-WESTERN MICHIGAN AT KENT STATE (MAC).  I still think there will be room for Kent State inside the bubble if they can blow through the MAC.  I know that’s easier said than done, but I do think they’re good en0ugh to do it.

-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky doesn’t have any notable wins yet, and a win today may actually be their best of the season so far, but they don’t have any damaging losses either and are talented enough to where they should safely reach the field so long as they hold serve.  LSU has built up a big record, but mostly done so by going to the bakery and ordering cupcakes.  They will certainly be tested tonight, though, and they are coming off a really nice win against Arkansas, so we can’t just brush off this LSU team.

-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Both teams have to make up some ground, and both could really use this one tonight.  Creighton just hasn’t looked good at all since their 6-0 start and needs to get things turned around.  This is a winnable home game for them and they need to take advantage.

-KANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Kansas survived a battle at home against Oklahoma State, and like every conference road game they play they’re going to be in for another battle tonight.  Texas Tech can really help out their resume with a win tonight even though they are at home.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12).  K State has just one loss on the season, but they didn’t amass that record by playing in games that will test them as much as this one will.  Texas is 12-1, ranked really high, has some high caliber wins, and has been really good at home this year.

-OLE MISS AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Alabama has some of the best wins of any team in the country, and depending on how well they do between now and the end I don’t think a #1 seed is out of the question.  They do need to hold serve in games like this, which I expect they’ll be able to.

-VIRGINIA AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Pitt has won nine of their last ten and, as crazy as this is to say, they’re playing really well with some decent wins on their resume.  If they can get this one tonight, they’ll REALLY get the attention of the committee.  Virginia is one of the teams that appears to be contending for a #1 seed, and for teams like that road wins in games like this come with the territory, but Pitt has reason to be optimistic.

-MINNESOTA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisconsin is up to 14th in the rankings, and they are well deserving of it and in contention for a protected seed.  They should be able to hold serve in the basketball version of Paul Bunyan’s Axe tonight

-UTAH STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West).  I really like this Utah State team and feel they can land inside the bubble.  Air Force can be a tricky team to play against, especially on the road, but it’s still a winnable conference road game that they can add to their resume.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  I think this is a good Boise State team, but I also realize they still have a ton of work to do if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament and can’t afford to drop games like this at home.

-NEW MEXICO AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  New Mexico is the last unbeaten and this should be another winnable road game for them.