News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Friday, Feb 18

Posted on February 18, 2022 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE to watch yesterday’s HOOPS HD BRACKET RUNDOWN where we reveal the Staff’s latest consensus Bracket Projection line by line and debate, discuss, and assess each team as we go.  

-In terms of the board, it was a very chalky night last night.  Arizona, UCLA, Houston, Murray State, and USC all won easily and basically held serve.

-Oregon got blown out by Arizona State, which is not what they needed at all.  They’re still in the discussion, but chances are they’re more out than in right now.

-Michigan picked up another nice win as they knocked off Iowa on the road.  I think Iowa is much closer to the bubble than most other people, but the consensus seems to be that they are still solidly in.  Either way, it was a nice road win for  Michigan team that really needed it.

-Saint Mary’s got a battle at home from San Francisco, but managed to pick up the 69-64 win.

-We may have our first elimination tonight on the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD!!!  If Columbia loses their game at Harvard, or if Cornell wins at Dartmouth, Columbia will be mathematically unable to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament

-RICHMOND AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is on the bubble for being in consideration to be on the bubble.  They have a slim shot at it, but they basically need to win out.  That includes beating their rivals at home tonight.

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Hoops HD Bracket Rundown: February 17th

Posted on February 17, 2022 by David Griggs

The seedlist reflects all games that were completed before Monday, February 3rd.  None of the games played that day, particularly Oregon at Arizona State, San Francisco at Saint Mary’s, Creighton at DePaul, and Michigan at Iowa, were considered

This week the panel each submitted their own individual seedlists.  They were collectively cross country scored, a master seedlist was created, and that was used to build the bracket.  No one on the panel other than Chad knew the final results of the bracket, and it is revealed on the air line by line in a Selection Sunday style format.  Watch as they reveal, debate, discuss, and assess each team.

The bracket below was put together using the seedlist we built, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

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

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It’s Miller Time: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Brandon Miller

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 3 championship teams since 1979 have not featured such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn/2021 Baylor). The McDonald’s All-American Game has been canceled during each of the past 2 years due to COVID but hopefully the 3rd time is indeed the charm to see everyone back on the court in Chicago on March 29th. The rosters were announced on January 25th after selecting the 24 best high school basketball players in the nation from a list of almost 800 nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact this fall just ask Coach Bruce Pearl how he likes having 2021 honoree Jabari Smith at Auburn! Duke seems to be the big winner so far as Coach Jon Scheyer will inherit a trio of 2022 honorees to join him in Durham next season. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Brandon Miller about being named a McDonald’s All-American and the importance of community service.

Last March you led your undefeated Cane Ridge team to the Class AAA boys basketball state championship game before losing to Houston: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I would probably rank it #2 after the Peach Jam loss. Winning a state title remains 1 of my biggest goals.

You finished last year by being named Gatorade state POY after averaging 24.1 PPG/8.5 RPG/4.3 APG/2.3 SPG: how do you balance all of the different aspects of your game? I just work hard in the gym and try to get better every day at every practice.

Last summer your teammate Nick Smith Jr. scored 31 PTS/10-18 FG for the Brad Beal Elite AAU team in a 3-PT loss to Team Final in the Peach Jam finals: how close did you come to winning it all, and how do you feel about facing him in the SEC next year when he is at Arkansas? It was 1 of my toughest losses since it was my final year of AAU. Playing against Nick will be a dogfight: I played against him this year and it was a tough game because he had a very good team.

What has been the hardest part of being a high school basketball player during a pandemic? I did not have any problems but for kids who could not take college visits to see campuses in person it must have been tough.

You received offers from several great schools like Kansas/Tennessee and also considered going to the G League but committed to Alabama last November: what was the biggest factor in your decision? Just the bond between me and Coach Nate Oats and the rest of his coaching staff. I felt it would be the best choice for me and my family.

You grew up watching Alabama football and got to visit Tuscaloosa last September: what was it like to hear 100,000 fans chanting your name at Bryant-Denny Stadium? It was 1 of the greatest experiences of my life: I have never had so many people chanting my name before! It was nerve-racking but I will get used to it over time.

Last month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It means a lot to me: it was 1 of the biggest goals to scratch off my checklist. You do not know how to take it in at the time but I am getting better at it.

You are part of a great recruiting class thanks to the Tide bringing in another McDonald’s All-American next year in Jaden Bradley: how well do you know him, and what makes him such a great player? I talk to Jaden almost every day! We went out to dinner last weekend and will make a good duo at Alabama.

You are 6’8”: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I would call myself 6’9”! I would feel most comfortable at SF but I can rebound/push the ball up the court: I consider myself a positionless player.

You have spent a lot of time as a volunteer to help raise money for breast cancer research and feed the homeless: how much importance do you place on community service? I try to give back every day: my parents feel I give too much money sometimes but I feel that everyone should have the same things that I do.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 17

Posted on February 17, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

CLICK HERE for our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast, where we run through the 22 non-major conferences in college basketball

-Texas Tech is proving to be among the toughest places to win on the road in the entire country.  They’re 16-0 at home, and their wins include Kansas, Baylor, and Texas in games where they pretty much had a lead all throughout.  They knocked off Baylor last night 83-73.

-Rutgers is suddenly one of the hottest teams in the nation.  That is not hyperbole.  They’ve won five of their last six, and in that stretch beat Michigan State, Ohio State, went on the road and won at Wisconsin, and then last night beat Illinois 70-59 after leading by as much as 20.  They got to Purdue this weekend.  If they win that one, they’d probably be projected in the top half of the bracket despite a very slow start to the season.

-Xavier lost at home to Saint John’s, and this one is going to leave a mark.  Xavier still has a pretty good resume overall, and still does not seem to be in any danger of missing the field, but with home losses to DePaul and Saint John’s, and last night’s being by double digits, and tough schedule to remaining to close out the season, the fans are starting to get restless.

-Miami FL is now 11-4 in ACC play after winning at Louisville 70-63 last night.  Louisville, on the other hand, has fallen to 11-14 and has now lost seven straight and ten of their last eleven.  That is a historically bad run for Louisville.

-Notre Dame needed overtime to beat Boston College.  At home.  They ended up with a 99-95 win, but that was not exactly what you would call impressive.

-North Carolina lost at home to Pittsburgh 76-67 after trailing for double digits for pretty much the entire game.  I’ve been saying all season that North Carolina does not belong in the field, and they don’t, but getting beaten handily at home by Pitt surprised even me.

-Loyola Chicago won at Valpo.  By 2.  Their resume is still good enough for them to be inside the bubble, but they’ve suffered a handful of losses to teams that don’t appear to be anywhere close to the NIT, and another one last night would have not been good.

-SMU had a solid record, and after their win against Houston it was looking like they could make a run at getting inside the bubble.  They followed that up last night with a 64-57 loss to Temple.  Well…so much for that!

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-AUSTIN PEAY AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  Murray State is on cruise control right now.  So long as they don’t unexpectedly crash they’ll be okay.

-MICHIGAN AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Very bubblicious game out of the Big Ten tonight.  A lot of people like Iowa, but their profile looks pretty flimsy to me.  Michigan still has a ton of work to do, but based on their recent blowout win against Purdue it looks as though they are starting to get better and if they can string together some wins down the stretch they could end up in the field.

-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona has a path to a #1 seed if they can win out, or at least finish very strong.  They shouldn’t have too much trouble tonight.

-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  If Belmont wins out, which would include a win at Murray State, they’ve got a shot to at least be on the bubble, and perhaps make the field.

-UCF AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston has dropped two straight, both of which were surprises, and is looking to bounce back tonight.  It’s a game they should be able to win.

-COLORADO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Colorado State is coming off a huge win at Boise State and their resume looks to be solid (for now).  They should cruise in this one despite being on the road, but New Mexico just took down Wyoming so Colorado State won’t want to completely overlook them.

-OREGON AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Oregon is squarely on the bubble.  I still think they are inside of it, but barely.  They cannot afford a loss tonight.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  This is a rivalry game between two teams that appear to be inside the bubble.  Saint Mary’s is in a little bit better shape, but both could really use this one to add some sparkle to their resumes and move them up the seedlist a little bit.

-CREIGHTON AT DEPAUL (Big East).  I think Creighton is in relatively decent shape, but only relatively.  It would help them out a ton if they could string together some wins between now and the end, and even though this is a road game it’s one they should win.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT UCLA (Pac 12).  UCLA is a protected seed and Wazzu looks to be an NIT team minus some incredible and unexpected finish to the season.

-UTAH AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  I’ve given up on Stanford, but in case you haven’t, you should if they don’t win tonight.

-WASHINGTON AT USC (Pac 12).  Washington has played much better these past few weeks, and while USC is coming off a nice win against UCLA, their resume is still a little hollow.  All that being said, while it’s possible they won’t hold serve tonight, it is expected that they will.

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Under The Radar – February 16th

Posted on February 16, 2022 by David Griggs

Tonight’s featured conference is the Horizon League, and the reason we feature them was because of the spectacular public rebuke the league office gave to UIC for how they handled leaving the conference.  Oakland and Cleveland State are still near the top of the standings, but Northern Kentucky is coming on strong.

From there we run through the other 21 Under the Radar conferences, and discuss what a rough week it was for a lot of the top UTR teams.  Vermont lost at Hartford, but is still in control of the America East (and actually clinched first place tonight).  Iona had a rough week where they suffered a loss and probably fell outside the bubble.  Loyola Chicago held on to win at Valpo tonight, but barely.  The Big South is still tight, but Longwood has the best overall record.  North Texas may be positioning themselves for a spot inside the bubble if they can win out.  We discuss all that, and more.  And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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Walker Houston Cougar: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Jarace Walker

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 3 championship teams since 1979 have not featured such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn/2021 Baylor). The McDonald’s All-American Game has been canceled during each of the past 2 years due to COVID but hopefully the 3rd time is indeed the charm to see everyone back on the court in Chicago on March 29th. The rosters were announced on January 25th after selecting the 24 best high school basketball players in the nation from a list of almost 800 nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact this fall just ask Coach Bruce Pearl how he likes having 2021 honoree Jabari Smith at Auburn! Duke seems to be the big winner so far as Coach Jon Scheyer will inherit a trio of 2022 honorees to join him in Durham next season. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jarace Walker about being named a McDonald’s All-American and winning a national championship.

As a freshman at IMG Academy you won a national championship: what did it mean to you to win a title? It meant a lot and really helped my confidence.

Each summer you drive an hour to Route 1 Athletics to work with your longtime trainer/AAU coach Donnell “Mookie” Dobbins: how has he turned you into a 5-star recruit? He definitely knows what he is doing in terms of skill development and has help me become a better player.

What has been the hardest part of being a high school basketball player during a pandemic? Just not being able to get into the gym: even when you do it is just for a minimal amount of time and not as many days/week as you would like.

You received offers from several great schools including Alabama/Auburn but signed with Houston last November: what was the biggest factor in your decision? The family atmosphere: I definitely felt at home during my visit. They also do a great job at developing big men to get to the next level.

What was it like to spend time with a pair of legends like Clyde Drexler/Hakeem Olajuwon during your recruiting trip? It was really cool to see them and talk to them and pick their brains about what it takes to play at a Hall of Fame level.

You are part of an outstanding recruiting class for the Cougars including Emanuel Sharp/Terrance Arceneaux: how well do you know either of them, and what makes them such good players? I do not know them personally yet but Emanuel can get downhill and create his own shot, while Terrance can stretch the floor and play great defense.

Last month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It definitely meant a lot. I have been working my whole life toward that goal and I finally reached it: to be honest it was amazing!

You have 2 IMG teammates who are fellow McDonald’s All-Americans (Jaden Bradley/Keyonte George): how do you think they will do in college? I think both of them will do really well in college. Keyonte is a great shot-maker and Jaden is a great all-around PG so I think that their games will translate well to the next level.

You are 6’8”: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I had to play the 5 this year but feel really comfortable at whatever position the coach wants me to play. I can be productive at any position.

You have a couple of older sisters who played college basketball/volleyball: who is the best athlete in the family? I would definitely go with me, but if not then probably my youngest sister Jaden who plays basketball at St. Joe’s.

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