Hoops HD

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Sunday, March 1st

Posted on March 1, 2026 by David Griggs

HAPPY MARCH MADNESS EVERYBODY!!!!!

American:
-East Carolina is out with a home loss to Memphis AND Temple wins at home over Rice AND North Texas wins at UAB
-Rice is out with a road loss at Temple AND Memphis wins at East Carolina AND North Texas wins at UAB

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Duke and Virginia was a big showcase game between!!! And it was a blowout. Duke totally crushed them 77-51.

-But we also had Kansas and Arizona!! Now THIS was a showcase game!!! And it was a blowout. Arizona totally crushed them 84-61.

-Now Arkansas at Florida!! Now THIS would be a great game!!! It wasn’t. Florida crushed them 111-77.

-Villanova at Saint John’s?? Blowout. Johnnies won 89-57.

-Okay, there were some good games, but a lot of the showcase games were just complete hot garbage. Duke, Arizona, and Florida in particular all looked like they belong solidly on the top two lines.

-Alabama and Tennessee are two teams that are battling for protected seeds, and this one was a thriller with Alabama picking up what may be their biggest win of the year. They knocked off the Vols on the road 71-69 in a game that came right down to the wire.

-Texas Tech isn’t likely to get a 1 seed, but they may set some sort of all time record for most wins against 1-seeds in games away from home. They’ve won against Duke on a neutral floor, won at Arizona, and last night won at Iowa State, and actually won convincingly 82-73. They did this without JT Toppin and completely controlled the game. It was one of the most remarkable performances by any team this season.

-UConn got an unexpected battle from Seton Hall, but made big plays late and held on for a 71-67 win. Seton Hall was outside the bubble and this win could have gone a long way toward getting them selected.

-Saint Mary’s finished off a very impressive week. After a blowout win against Santa Clara, they came from behind against rivals Gonzaga last night and completely dominated the second half on their way to a 70-59 win and a virtual lock into the NCAA Tournament field.

-BYU continues to slide downward. Injuries have really hurt this team. They fell at West Virginia 79-71 and were benind for virtually the entire game.

-Louisville continues to struggle on the road and Clemson snapped out of their losing streak with an 80-75 win over the Cardinals. The game wasn’t a blowout, but it felt as though Clemson was in control for the entire second half.

-Vanderbilt trailed by as much as 20 at Kentucky and while we’ve seen the Dores come back before, they didn’t come back yesterday. Kentucky held on for a solid and impressive 91-77 win.

-Iowa was a team I was slow to get behind, but then eventually did. They’ve now lost four of their last six, and their 71-69 loss last night at Penn State was particularly atrocious. I still think they’re inside the bubble, but they are going in the completely wrong direction. Their last two games are against Michigan and Nebraska, so the chances of them going into the Big Ten Tournament with a 2-6 record to the end the season are high.

-NC State lost at Notre Dame 96-90. Because of course they did! They’re still almost assuredly inside the bubble, but they’re nowhere near as good as I once thought them to be.

-UCLA, who had some nice wins earlier in the week, could not get it done against Minnesota on the road and fell 78-73. No word yet on what Mick Cronin’s thoughts on the Minnesota student-section were.

-New Mexico continues to cling to the bubble after an exciting 81-76 win at home against San Diego State. Chances are they are on the wrong side of the bubble, but they may still have a chance to play their way in.

-Texas got a huge 76-70 road win against rival Texas A&M. We had both teams in the field, but in the bottom half of the bracket, so this was an important game and a really nice road win for the Longhorns. The two split with each winning on the other’s home court. Or as we like to call it the Road Win Exchange Program.

-California was right on the bubble and did something that no bubble team should ever do. They lost at home to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble. Pitt went into Cal and won 72-56, which I believe knocks them out of the field for now.

-SMU, another bubble team, was also blown out at Stanford 95-75 and I can’t imagine them being inside the bubble after that.

-Auburn, who needed to hold serve yesterday, did not. They fell at home to an Ole Miss team that’s nowhere near the bubble 85-79. This knocks them down to 15-14 and while you want to reward the tough schedule they played, they’ve lost some games that were not against tough teams, and yesterday was one of them.

-UCF, who had been playing amazingly well and pulled off a really nice win at BYU, did not play amazingly well yesterday and lost at home to Baylor 87-86. Baylor hit the game winning freethrow with just one second to play after a foul that UCF fans understandably thought was questionable.

-An Under the Radar note, Central Arkansas ended up finishing 1st in the Atlantic Sun after their win against Queens and Austin Peay’s loss against Bellarmine. Unfortunately the tournament is at a predetermined site this year and not at campus sites.

Several conferences have already wrapped up regular season play. to check out all the conference tournament brackets – CLICK HERE

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PURDUE AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Purdue is still a solid protected seed, but has lost two of their last three and are looking to bounce back. Ohio State is outside the bubble and almost needs a win like this in order to play their way into the discussion. The Buckeyes have had some recent chances, but have lost three of their last four and this is almost a must win game for them.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT INDIANA (Big Ten). Another Big Ten game and another with the storyline of a protected seed going on the road and facing a team that is likely outside the bubble. The Hoosiers really need this one.

-Merrimack @ Niagara (MAAC) – Merrimack has already clinched 1st place and is just playing to keep their metrics where they are.

-Belmont @ Illinois State (Missouri Valley) – Belmont has already wrapped up 1st place and should be positioned to end up on about the 12 line if they can win out through the conference tournament. This will be a bit of a test on the road tonight.

-Charleston @ UNC Wilmington (CAA) – UNCW has clinched 1st place and has had a great year, but so has Charleston. They’ve been a lot better since getting healthy and both these teams can go deep in the conference tournament

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Leave a comment

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Saturday, Feb 28th

Posted on February 28, 2026 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE:

America East:
-Binghamton out with a home loss to Maine or wins by both Bryant (home vs NJIT) AND New Hampshire (at Albany)

Ivy League:
-Princeton is out with a home loss to Dartmouth OR a Cornell home win over Brown
*Columbia is out with a home loss to Yale AND a Cornell home win over Brown
-Dartmouth is out with a road loss at Princeton AND a Cornell home win over Brown

MAC:
-Western Michigan is out if Buffalo wins at home over Central Michigan AND UMass wins at Bowling Green
-Eastern Michigan is out if Buffalo wins at home over Central Michigan AND UMass wins at Bowling Green
-The loser of the Ball State at Northern Illinois game is out if Buffalo wins at home over Central Michigan AND UMass wins at Bowling Green

NEC:
-Saint Francis is out with a loss at Central Connecticut AND a Chicago State win at Wagner
-Chicago State is out with a loss at Wagner AND a Saint Francis win at Central Connecticut
*If both teams win or both teams lose, one will still be eliminated but the tiebreakers are unconfirmed at this time given that they split their regular season series.

Ohio Valley:
-One of Eastern Illinois (at SIUE), Tennessee Tech (at SEMO) or Little Rock (home vs Southern Indiana) will be eliminated today. The easy tiebreaker is if 2 of 3 win, in which case the 1 loser is out. The tiebreakers get more complicated beyond that, but Tennessee Tech is probably out if all 3 win or all 3 lose. If only 1 of the 3 win, then Tennessee Tech loses a tiebreaker to Eastern Illinois, but if it is between Tennessee Tech and Little Rock or Eastern Illinois and Little Rock,i t gets more complicated. Little Rock looks like they will lose either of those tiebreakers but and we may need to wait for official word from the league

Southland:
-Incarnate Word is out with a loss at home to Lamar
-East Texas A&M is out with a loss

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Michigan picked up another impressive road win, and out of all their impressive wins on the year this was perhaps their biggest one. It was a decisive win at Illinois, who is a solid protected seed. The final score was 84-70, but late in the game Michigan was up by much more than that.

-Yale, who was in 1st place in the Ivy League, fell on a last second 3pt shot to Cornell 72-69. This will put another dent in the Bulldog’s tournament resume and it’s a big win for Cornell that can help position them to finish in the top four.

-Miami OH remains unbeaten, but barely. Once again they trailed late in the game, and once again they hit a last second shot after coming back to win 69-67. That seems to be their M.O.

-Akron, who is just a game behind Miami OH in the MAC standings, did not struggle at all. They faced rivals Kent State on the road and won the Wagon Wheel in decisive fashion 92-70.

-The Sun Belt Tournament is set!! All the tiebreakers are worked out!! We have a #StairwayToSeven!!!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VIRGINIA AT DUKE (ACC). Virginia is looking more and more like a solid protected seed who we could see go deep in the NCAA Tournament. Having said that, as good as they are, I don’t think they can beat the top ranked team on their floor. In a vacuum, this is a harder game to win than it is to win a game in the Final Four. Now, granted, you have to get to the Final Four in order to win a Final Four game, but in a vacuum beating the top ranked team in a true road game is harder than beating them on a neutral floor. So, as good as the Hoos are, they’re still kind of shooting at the moon in this one.

-LOUISVILLE AT CLEMSON (ACC). Clemson is in free fall. They need a win to pull themselves out of the tailspin they’re in after losing four straight, three of which were to teams that are not inside the bubble. Louisville has struggled on the road. They have a solid profile, but it would be a lot more solid if they could get a road win against a team that’s solidly in the field. So, both teams have a lot to play for in this one.

-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Kentucky has had a solid season, but the rest of their schedule will be a challenge. Vandy has been solid as well, but their resume doesn’t top out with any real big time wins, so to beat a solid team on the road would make their profile look a lot better. Kentucky runs as hot and cold as any team in the country and will want to make up for a pasting they took in Nashville the last time these two teams met.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West). Both teams are outside the bubble, but likely on the board. If either of them is to have any chance at all of getting selected without the auto-bid they’ll need this one today.

-KANSAS AT ARIZONA (Big 12). This is Round 2 of what was a very exciting and thrilling Round 1. I still think Arizona is the best overall team and has the best overall profile and avenging the loss at Kansas a few weeks ago should help solidify that. It won’t be easy. Kansas is good. But I don’t know if they’re quite good enough to go into the desert and win at Arizona.

-TEXAS TECH AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Texas Tech is still trying to adjust to life without JT Toppin and they’ve got one of the toughest road tests that any team can have this afternoon. Iowa State is within reach of a 1-seed and they have one of the toughest home courts in the country. If somehow Texas Tech wins this, it would be as big of a statement win that any team has managed this year. They can still be Goliath level programs on the road without their star.

-NEBRASKA AT USC (Big Ten). Nebraska is trying to end up as a protected seed and USC is simply trying to land inside the field. This would be a massive win for the Trojans if they are able to pull it off.

-TEXAS AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). It’s a rivalry game and while both teams are inside the bubble, neither are completely safe and both have a lot to play for. This one should be a fun one because it’s so important both on and off paper.

-ALABAMA AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Both teams are in the rankings and both are flirting with protected seeds, but both still have work to do in order to lock one up. A win today for either team would certainly constitute “doing work,” so it’s an important resume building opportunity for both.

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). The Johnnies were totally boat-raced in their last game. Knowing the team and coach, I expect them to do much better tonight. Nova is solidly in the field and right now solidly in the top half of the bracket. A win would really boost their resume. The Johnnies might still be able to end up as a protected seed, but they pretty much need to win out in order to do it.

-ARKANSAS AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida appears close to being locked in as a protected seed and will not be easy to beat at home. Arkansas can still end up as a protected seed, but in order for that to happen they need to win games like this, which are not easy to win.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). VA Tech is outside the bubble and winning a game like this could be the deciding factor in whether or not they make the field. Since beating Duke, North Carolina hasn’t been quite as good. They need to hold serve in this one to hold their spot on the seedlist.

-GRAND CANYON AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West) – Utah State has dropped two straight and did not look good at all in their last game. They’re still positioned to make the field, but they need to hold serve today against a potentially dangerous Grand Canyon team.

-GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). Both teams are near locks to make the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga is a protected seed and Saint Mary’s is pretty much in. It’s a rivalry game, so they’re playing for bragging rights. They’re also playing to improve their seed in the NCAA Tournament. Saint Mary’s is coming off a fantastic performance against Santa Clara earlier in the week and will have a real shot at winning this if they can play like that tonight. Barring an appearance in the WCC Championship, this will be the last time we see the WCC’s premier rivalry.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Colorado @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston has lost three straight but should have very little trouble snapping out of that today

-Seton Hall @ Connecticut (Big East) – UConn is coming off of one of their more impressive showings of the year and should roll in this one

-Iowa @ Penn State (Big Ten) – This should be a layup conference road win for Iowa

-NC State @ Notre Dame (ACC) – this should be a layup road win for NC State, and it’s one they need

-Missouri @ Mississippi State (SEC) – Mizzou is perhaps on the edge of the bubble and needs to hold serve on the road in this one

-UCLA @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – UCLA has had two big back to back wins, but both were at home. They need to keep that going today in what should be a winnable road game

-Boston College @ Miami FL (ACC) – Miami has been playing really well recently and shouldn’t have any trouble today

-South Carolina @ Georgia (SEC) – Georgia really needs to hold serve in this one. They have been playing better, but they still have work to do and don’t want to undo some good recent wins with a really bad loss

-Air Force @ Wyoming (Mountain West, Front Range) – We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!! Oh who am I kidding?? This will be a terrible game!!

-Wisconsin @ Washington (Big Ten) – The Badgers had a bad loss to Oregon earlier in the week and really need to bounce back in this one

-Pittsburgh @ California (ACC) – Cal is squarely on the bubble and needs to hold serve at home in what amounts to the equivalency of a buy game.

-BYU @ West Virginia (Big 12) – BYU had a rough showing earlier this week and needs to bounce back. The problem is this. is not an easy road game to win.

-SMU @ Stanford (ACC) – SMU is floating around the bubble and needs to hold serve against teams that are nowhere near the bubble

-TCU @ Kansas State (Big 12) – TCU is right on the bubble and needs this conference road win. A loss would be damaging.

-Duquesne @ Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) – SLU looked really bad in their last game at Dayton and needs to bounce back tonight

-Oregon State @ Santa Clara (West Coast) – Santa Clara is still clinging to the bubble and it’s important they hold serve tonight

-Baylor @ UCF (Big 12) – UCF is coming off a huge road win and should be able to hold serve tonight against a Baylor team that’s struggled this year

-Ole Miss @ Auburn (SEC) – simply put, Auburn cannot afford to lose this game. They risk missing the field if they lose at home to a team that’s nowhere near the field

UTR WATCH:

-Fairleigh Dickinson @ Long Island (NEC) – LIU has already wrapped up first place and home court advantage in the conference tourney

-Austin Peay @ Bellarmine (Atlantic Sun) – Austin Peay will clinch 1st place outright with a win today

-Tennessee State @ UT Martin (Ohio Valley) – Tennessee State will clinch a share of 1st place and win the tiebreaker with a win today. A loss gives it to Morehead State outright. Up until about two weeks ago UT Martin clearly appeared to be the best team in the conference but they have come unraveled down the stretch

-Bethune Cookman @ Southern (SWAC) – Cookman has already clinched 1st place

-Colgate @ Navy (Patriot League) – Navy is having a historically good season and will have home court advantage throughout the PL Tournament

-Utah Valley @ Abilene Christian (WAC) – Utah Valley is the 1st place team and has a path to an outright first place finish

-East Tennessee State @ Mercer (SoCon) – ETSU has already wrapped up the SoCon, but will likely be tested on the road in this one

-Stephen F Austin @ Houston Christian (Southland) – SFA is looking to rebound from a somewhat surprising loss. They still have a one game lead over McNeese and still have a path to an outright first place finish

-Yale @ Columbia (Ivy League) – Yale can get one step closer to locking up an outright 1st place finish

-Liberty @ Jacksonville State (Confernece USA) – after dominating the league, Liberty has had a rough week dropping two straight and not looking good in either game. They’ll be tested on the road again today and need to bounce back

-Hawaii @ Cal State Fullerton (Big West) – Hawaii and UC Irvine are locked up in the race for 1st place in the Big West. This will be another tough road game

-UC Santa Barbara @ UC Irvine (Big West) – The Gauch Eater Cup! UC Irvine is coming off one of the more thrilling wins of the season and is tied with Hawaii in the race for 1st place. They should be tested at home by a pretty solid UCSB team tonight.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Survival Board | Leave a comment

Staff Bracket – February 27, 2026

Posted on February 27, 2026 by Chad

It is Chad’s turn to post the HoopsHD Staff Bracket this week. Below is his current take on where teams stand through all games of Thursday, February 26. His notes on the bracket and responses from other members of the HoopsHD Staff follow as well. If you have any thoughts on his field, feel free to shoot them to us on X at @HoopsHD!

CHAD’S NOTES

Although the Cal vs Santa Clara game is on the 12 line, this was a move required for bracketing purposes and I in fact would have them as my top 2 teams among the First Four. San Diego State and Auburn were my last two teams in. South Florida is not inside my bubble, they were just the top 12 seed that moved up a line when the First Four game was moved down one.

My top four teams out were, in order, VCU, Ohio State, Indiana and New Mexico. The next four out were USC, Va Tech, Seton Hall and West Virginia.

Florida is now squarely on the 2 line for me. The Gators look almost unstoppable these days. I don’t know if they will reach the 1 line, but it is possible. Houston, on the other hand, now looks like a 3 seed to me. They have come up short against almost every one of their top opponents this season.

Saint Louis lost another head-scratcher, this time to Dayton, but should still be ok for an at-large bid if they slip up in the A-10 tournament. The Billikens better win out the rest of their regular season though!

I was very hesitant about putting Auburn in my field, as 15-13 overall should be disqualifying in and of itself. The Tigers grabbed my last at-large spot based on the #1 SOS in the nation and several great wins, including at Florida. They really do not have any margin for error left the rest of the season.

In an Under the Radar note, Utah Valley is now listed as my WAC Champion based on their TRO victory in their lawsauit against the conference. Their ability to participate in the WAC Tournament, however, will not be finalized until the preliminary injuction hearing that is scheduled for today is decided. (Really Griggs, you want us to believe that our resident attorney doesn’t know how to spell lawsuit?) (Really Stalica? You expect me to not typo when I am working with a torn rotator cuff?)

STAFF COMMENTS

From Stalica:

I thought UConn would have a tough time getting back on the 1 line after losing at home to Creighton, but they just blew St. John’s back to the sun with a blowout win against the Johnnies. I would suggest that they not hit the cruise control button again, however.

I’m starting to jump off of the BYU bandwagon, but their unique bracketing situation may have kept them on the 6-line anyhow. While losing at home to UCF wasn’t a complete surprise, getting blown out by the Knights at home was.

Kentucky may be one of the hardest teams to bracket in this field. I also personally have them as my last #7 seed in the bracket, but they have shown they can beat quality teams anywhere in the country, home or hostile crowd. Sometimes both at the same time!

Texas might be Kentucky Lite, but the main difference here is that two of their losses were against non-tournament teams. That shouldn’t warrant a 3-line difference between the two teams. I’d personally have swapped Saint Mary’s and the Horns in this bracket.

San Diego State probably should be at least in the Top 8 out of Chad’s field. While wins against Utah State and New Mexico are all they have of substance, they are at least co-leaders in the Mountain West. They deserve a cursory mention. Not West Virginia who couldn’t even beat an Oklahoma State team that’s fallen off the map.

While Chad has Wright State listed as the Horizon League representative right now, does anyone honestly believe they’re winning the league tournament? I’m picking Robert Morris to win the conference tournament this year. Which begs the question – does it count as back to back appearances if Morris Robert won the auto bid last year and Robert Morris does so this year?

From David Griggs:

-Chad’s bracket gets an F!!! HE FAILS!!! I haven’t actually looked at it yet, but I don’t like him and I know whatever he did was wrong!!

-I still think Arizona is the best team and that they have the best profile. I think they should be the overall #1. It may not matter that much because they’ll almost assuredly be in the West and in San Diego regardless, but their profile is amazing. I also agree with UConn being back on the #1 line. I know they have a very much non-one-seed loss to Creighton, but I think they’ve done enough despite that.

-I find it interesting that Chad has five SEC teams in the lower half of the bracket. I don’t disagree with any of the selections or seedings. I’m just thinking that has to be some sort of record for a conference to have that many.

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Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Friday, Feb 27th

Posted on February 27, 2026 by David Griggs

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE:

-BROWN AT COLUMBIA (Ivy League) – Brown is eliminated with a loss.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Michigan State is having a great season and they picked up what was probably their greatest win of their great season last night as they went on the road and knocked off Purdue 76-74. Purdue probably isn’t within reach of a 1-seed anymore, but they are still well positioned. Michigan State is likely a solid protected seed now after that win.

-Bethune Cookman clinched 1st place in the SWAC with a 76-71 win over Grambling. Obviously they’ll need the auto bid to make the NCAA Tournament, but a great season for Cookman!

-Things could not have gone worse for Winthrop. They were having such a great season and were keeping pace with High Point in the Big South, but last night they lost their star player Logan Duncomb to an injury. The loss to Charleston Southern was costly, but the loss of Duncomb may be too much to recover from. Obviously we hate to see a player sustain such an injury and our best wishes are with him.

-Morehead State clinched at least a share of 1st place in the Ohio Valley with their 76-70 win at Little Rock and Tennessee State is right with them after their big 79-71 win at SEMO. If Tennessee State wins at UT Martin on Saturday they’ll be the regular season 1st place team via tiebreaker.

-Saint Thomas absolutely boatraced North Dakota State 84-62 in what may have been their most impressive performance of the season. These appear to be the two best teams in the Summit League heading into the conference tournament and while they’re still two games back in the standings the Thommies looked like the best team last night.

-In the game of the night, UC Irvine hit a last second shot on an inbounds play with less than a second to go to get a massive 68-67 road win at Cal State Northridge and jump ahead of them in the Big West standings. The two were in a three way tie for first place coming into that game.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). These are most likely the two best teams in the Big Ten, both teams are ranked in the top ten, Michigan is on pace to get a #1 seed and can take a big step toward that tonight. As good as Michigan has bene this year, this would probably be their best win on paper so far seeing as how it is a road game. Illinois is looking to bounce back after a loss to UCLA, and this would certainly qualify as bouncing back.

-Miami OH @ Western Michigan (MAC) – this should be another winnable conference road game for Miami OH and get them to 29-0 overall on the year

-Yale @ Cornell (Ivy League) – Yale has a one game lead with just three games to go and should be able to get this one on the road

-Merrimack @ Canisius (MAAC) – Merrimack is having a historic season and has already wrapped up a 1st place finish.

-UL Monroe @ Troy (Sun Belt) – There is potential for a 7-way tie in the Sun Belt and Troy is among the seven teams. They should be able to sleepwalk through this one as ULM is one of the weakest teams in the nation

-Akron @ Kent State (MAC) – THE WAGON WHEEL!!!! This is of the great college basketball rivalries! Akron is trying to keep pace with Miami OH and will be tested on the road against a pretty good Kent State team tonight. This one is always fun and I don’t expect tonight to be any different

-Appalachian State @ Texas State (Sun Belt) – both teams are part of the SBC logjam and the potential 7 way tie for first.

-Coastal Carolina @ James Madison (Sun Belt) – Costal Carolina is part of the SBC logjam and the potential 7 way tie for first.

-Southern Miss @ South Alabama (Sun Belt) – South Alabama is part of the SBC logjam and the potential 7 way tie for first.

-Louisiana @ Arkansas State (Sun Belt) – Arkansas State is part of the SBC logjam and the potential 7 way tie for first.

-Georgia Southern @ Marshall (Sun Belt) – Marshal is part of the SBC logjam and the potential 7 way tie for first.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Leave a comment

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Feb 26th

Posted on February 26, 2026 by David Griggs

For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE:

-NEW HAMPSHIRE @ BINGHAMTON (America East) – a loss for Binghamton eliminates them

-LONG BEACH STATE AT CAL POLY (Big West) – a loss for Long Beach State eliminates them

-EASTERN ILLINOIS AT LINDENWOOD (Ohio Valley) – Eastern Illinois is eliminated with a loss tonight and wins by Tennessee Tech at UT Martin and a win by Little Rock at home against Morehead STate

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Saint John’s visited Connecticut last night and were treated very badly. UConn did rude, awful, inhospitable, and perhaps even illegal things to the Johnnies in a 72-40 blowout win in a game that was pretty much over by the first media timeout. UConn has played with their food at times this year, but they did no such thing last night.

-Florida got a battle on the road at Texas as you would expect, but pulled away late for another really solid road win 84-71.

-Arkansas handily beat Texas A&M 99-84. As good as I thought TAMU was about a month ago, I was wrong. They should still safely make the field, but they likely won’t be in the top half of the bracket.

-Vanderbilt held serve against a Georgia team that had been playing really well going into yesterday’s game. It was a battle, but the Dores won 88-80.

-California got a much needed 73-69 game over SMU. Both teams were squarely on the bubble and both really needed this one.

-Saint Mary’s…okay! I am impressed. We had been questioning their profile. We had been questioning their team. last night they handily beat a really good Santa Clara team 86-67 and seemed to establish pretty decisively that they are the better team, they are a tournament caliber team, and they belong inside the bubble.

-Every time I say something critical about Wisconsin they make me look like a fool. But the opposite is also true. Every time I say something nice about Wisconsin they make me look like a fool. I had been saying nice things about them and last night they made me look like a fool. They lost to Oregon, who…well…stinks, 85-71. I’ve given up trying to decide what this team will do on a day to day basis.

-Utah State suffered their biggest loss of the year (at least in terms of margin) and has now lost two straight. San Diego State is not an easy place to go and win, and I don’t want to take away from what was a really good showing by the Aztecs, but I was wrong when I said Utah State was a top 25 caliber team. They’re a good team. They will make the NCAA Tournament field. But they are not as good as I thought. They had a chance to show they were good this week by playing two tough road games, but they lost them both and they lost last night rather handily.

-In an Under the Radar note Central Arkansas got a big win at Austin Peay last night 93-88, which gives them the most D1 regular season wins ever. They’ve had a great year and are one of the biggest surprises in all of college basketball. They will likely still finish a game behind Austin Peay (who has also had a great year). It is likely we will see these two again, and when we do it will be for the auto bid.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-MICHIGAN STATE AT PURDUE (Big Ten). These are two probable protected seeds that are playing for seeding more than anything else. It would arguably be the biggest win of the year for Michigan State seeing as how it would be a true road win against a protected seed.

-Bryant @ UMBC (America East) – UMBC can clinch at least a share of 1st place in the AEast and a 1st place finish means home court advantage in the conference tournament

-Bethune Cookman @ Grambling (SWAC) – Cookman still has a two game lead in the SWAC with just three games remaining, so they can clinch at least a share of 1st place tonight. Watch the game for free on SWAC TV, which is one of the best conference apps available!!

-High Point @ Presbyterian (Big South) – High Point can lock up 1st place outright tonight. This is also their last regular season game

-Chicago State @ Long Island (NEC) – Long Island has already clinched. Chicago State is locked up with Saint Francis in a battle for the last spot in the NEC Tournament

-NC A&T @ UNC Wilmington (CAA) – UNC Wilmington appears to be on cruise control toward a 1st place finish. They’ve had a fantastic year

-Liberty @ Kennesaw State (Conference USA) – Liberty has blown through CUSA this season (despite being blown out themselves in their last game). This is a bit of a tough road test, but it’s one they’re capable of winning. The Flames will be a dangerous team in the Round of 64 if they can win the auto bid.

-Morehead State @ Little Rock (OVC) – Morehead State is in a three way tie for 1st place and can clinch at least a share of it tonight. It’s a pivotal game as a loss could knock them down to as low as 4th and keep them from getting a buy into the semis.

-Tennessee State @ SEMO (OVC) – this is the game of the night in the conference. Both teams are part of a three way tie for 1st place, so something has gotta give! The loser will also fall behind Morehead State and not get a bye into the semifinals

-North Dakota State @ Saint Thomas (Summit League) – these are the two best teams in the Summit and it’s North Dakota State’s toughest conference road test tonight

-Hawaii @ UC Davis (Big West) – Hawaii is in a three way logjam with Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine

-Northern Colorado @ Eastern Washington (Big Sky) – It’s the NoCoEWU Cup!!!!!!!

-UC Irvine @ Cal State Northridge (Big West) – this is the game of the night in the Big West. Both teams are in a three way tie for first place and Northridge has gone on an insane winning streak to play their way to the top of the standings!

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

Under the Radar – Week 17

Posted on February 25, 2026 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the OVC, which is completely logjammed with Morehead State, SEMO, and Tennessee State all tied for 1st place with just two games to go. The regular season ends Saturday and with the conference tournament being a ladder format the stakes are very high.

From there we run through the other 22 UTR leagues. Liberty and Stephen F Austin both suffered surprising upsets this week. League play is winding down some of the teams have already clinched 1st place finishes, and some of the races are down to the wire. The Sun Belt in particular is crazy as the top 7 teams are separated by just one game. We discuss all that and more!! And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.