News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Friday, Jan 14

Posted on January 14, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

CLICK HERE to watch (or listen to) our latest HOOPS HD BRACKET RUNDOWN Video Podcast

-Gonzaga blew out BYU at home.  They continue to look like one of the top five teams in the nation and that they can sleepwalk through the rest of their regular season schedule.

-Oregon had been having an utterly disappointing year given the talent and potential they seemed to have, but they got a huge win yesterday at UCLA 84-81, and it was a win where they really battled and really played well.  Perhaps this is when they begin to turn it around.

-Wisconsin continues to build to an already impressive resume.  They basically controlled Ohio State from tip to buzzer last night and got another notable win on their resume.  They look like they could have a shot at a #1 seed if they keep it up.

-Seton Hall fell at DePaul 96-92 in a game that was a bit of a shocker.  Not that it’s easy to win at DePaul, but it’s the kind of game that you would expect a top 25 team to be able to win most of the time.

-Stanford is staring to build up a rather impressive resume.  They had a nice 62-57 win at Wazzu yesterday to improve to 10-4 overall and 3-1 in Pac 12 play.  They are looking more and more like a tournament team.

-Indiana is still winless in true road games, and that will be a big black eye on their resume.  The had a lead against Iowa for much of the game last night, but couldn’t hold on.  Iowa ended up winning 83-74.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-NEBRASKA AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  This is a winnable conference home game for Purdue where they should be able to hold serve.

-MONMOUTH AT SAINT PETER’S (MAAC).  Monmouth is outside the bubble, but if they are able to blow through this league then they should at least get to a point to where they are at least on the board.

-MANHATTAN AT IONA (MAAC).  This is one of the most exciting UTR rivalries, and it should be a fun one tonight.  If Iona can continue to blow through the regular season and not slip up, which basically means winning out, they should be in the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the conference tournament.

-VCU AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  Both teams have quite a bit of work to do just to get onto the bubble, but both are also talented and are capable of finishing strong.  Having said that, both really kind of need this one tonight if they want to have any sort of a chance.

-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  These two teams seem to be going in different directions.  Illinois has been playing really well lately, and Michigan continues to disappoint.  The Wolverines can make up a lot of ground rather quickly if they can somehow pull the shocker tonight, though.

-DAVIDSON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they’re still capable of beating good teams when they play up to their potential.  Davidson (for now) is safely inside the bubble, and perhaps even in the top half of the bracket.  This game does have a bit of a pivotal feel to it.  A loss wouldn’t cripple them, but it would set them back a bit, whereas a true conference road win against a solid Richmond team probably helps elevate them a bit.

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Hoops HD Bracket Rundown: January 13th

Posted on January 13, 2022 by David Griggs

The seedlist reflects all games that were completed before 9pm, est on Monday, January 13th.  None of the games that went final after that, particularly the Indiana vs Iowa or BYU vs Gonzaga games, were considered

The panel builds a seedlist line by line, and assess, discusses, and debates each team as they get brought up.  Find out who the #1 seeds are, who the other protected seeds are, who is safely inside the bubble, who just made the field, who is on the bubble, and who is on the outside looking in.

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…

Posted in Bracketology, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Jan 13

Posted on January 13, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-CLICK HERE to watch our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast

-Michigan State got all they wanted and then some at home against Minnesota, but held on to (barely) win 71-69.  The biggest thing I took from this is just how good Minnesota is.  They didn’t get this win, but they’ll have many more opportunities at big wins between now and then end and if they play like they did yesterday they’ll pick up a few.

-Villanova keeps stringing together wins as held on for a nice road win at Xavier yesterday 64-60.  They are once again looking like the best in the Big East.

-Memphis fell on the road to UCF 74-64.  Right now it does not look like Memphis belongs anywhere near the tournament.  They need to finish very strong if they want to make The Dance.

-Colorado State bounced back from their blowout loss to San Diego State with a home win over Utah State, but they had to sweat to do it.  Utah State kept it close and was actually in a position to win with just a few minutes to play, but Colorado State held on 77-72.

-UConn needed overtime against Saint John’s, who came back late in the second half to tie it, but held on for the 86-78 win.

-Louisville continues to fall into oblivion, and this time I don’t think they will reemerge from it.  they lost rather handily at home to a weak NC State team 79-63.

-TCU had a rock fight at Kansas State, but held on to pick up the road win 60-57 and improve to 11-2 on the year.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SETON HALL AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Seton Hall looks to be heading toward the top half of the bracket and perhaps toward a protected seed.  This is a winnable conference road game for them tonight.

-STANFORD AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12).  Stanford is coming off a nice home win against USC and suddenly has some momentum built up.  If they can knock off Wazzu on the road, their profile will be starting to look like…well…something that’s worth looking at.

-OHIO STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisconsin is suddenly looking like they can contend for a spot on the top two lines.  Ohio State is really good, but this would be a HUGE road win for them if they were able to pull it off.

OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is coming off back to back wins against Kansas and Baylor.  It’s hard to be any hotter than that!  They should be able to hold serve in this one tonight.

-TENNESSEE STATE AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  Murray State has a serious case for an at-large bid and just needs to hold serve the rest of the way.

-AUSTIN PEAY AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  Like Murray State, Belmont has a serious case for an at-large bid and just needs to hold serve throughout OVC play.

-INDIANA AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Indiana has reeled off some pretty big wins, but they still don’t have a true road win on their resume.  If they can get this one tonight, THEN I’ll start seriously thinking of them as a team that can make The Dance.

-OREGON AT UCLA (Pac 12).  Oregon is a talented team that has underperformed this year, but I still can’t help but think they have the potential to kick it into gear and turn it around.  Granted, winning at UCLA is a super tall order.  The Bruins are a potential #1 seed that should win, but they don’t want to completely overlook the Ducks.

-BYU AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  It’s the two flagship programs in the WCC, and it should be a good one.  Gonzaga looks to be the better team, and they are at home.  A win for BYU would catapult the quality of their resume and probably move them up a couple of seedlines.

-OREGON STATE AT USC (Pac 12).  USC is coming off a loss to Stanford, and this should be a very manageable bounce back game for them.

-COLORADO AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona is having a fantastic year, but Colorado comes in at 11-3 and is flying a little further below the radar than what they probably should be.  Granted, if the Buffs win tonight they’ll be squarely on the radar, so it’s a huge opportunity for them.

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Under the Radar: January 12th

Posted on January 13, 2022 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the Ohio Valley where both Murray State and Belmont look like they could be in the NCAA Tournament if they can win out the rest of the way.  We take a look at the two of them and discuss why we think they can land inside the bubble.

After that we run through the other 21 conferences and look at how Vermont could run away from the America East, what a tough week it could be for Iona in the MAAC, Ohio U’s chances of running through the MAC and ending up inside the bubble, UAB’s big win at North Texas and tough loss to Rice in Conference USA, Chattanooga’s upset loss to Western Carolina in the SoCon, and much 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…

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

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Jan 12

Posted on January 12, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-So down goes #1!  At home!  Texas Tech, who I had recently said needed some more wins of note on their resume, now has a really nice win of note on their resume!  They actually trailed Baylor for most of the game, but it was always close, and they battled defensively in the final few minutes to get the lead and hold the lead.  They beat the top ranked team on the road.  When it comes to the caliber of a win, it doesn’t get any higher than that!!

-Miami FL won at Duke over the weekend, and at the time that was the biggest singular win of the year.  Not only was that topped by Texas Tech’s win at Baylor, Miami followed that up with a very disappointing road loss to rival Florida State 65-64.

-Auburn also picked up a really nice true road win as they knocked off Alabama in front of a hostile crowd.  Auburn is beginning to make a case that they belong on the #1 line.

-USC suffered their first loss as they fell at Stanford 75-69.  It was a really big win for the Cardinal, and while USC didn’t have the monster wins that teams like Baylor had, it was still a bit of a surprise.

-Iowa State nearly upset Kansas, in a game that saw multiple lead changes in the final minute.  Iowa State had the last possession and had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but the shot just didn’t go in.  Still it, was an AMAZING effort by the Cyclones.  They’ll get some big road wins in conference play if they can continue to play like that.

-Texas got a nice win at home over Oklahoma 66-52, which should give their resume a bit of a nudge even though it was a home win.

-Iona had to sweat it out at Fairfield, but held on for an 80-76 win, which should keep them inside the bubble (for now).

-Saint Bonaventure needed overtime to get past LaSalle.  It was their first game in a while, but it once again has us asking the question “are the Bonnies really any good?”

-Dayton won the Arch Baron Cup over Saint Louis 68-63!!  After all the hysteria had died down, it was a missed opportunity on what would have been a huge road win for the Billikins.

-Ohio U improved to 13-2 on the year after holding off Bowling Green 85-78.  If Ohio U can hold it to just one loss the rest of the way for the regular season, I think they’ll be inside the bubble.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VILLANOVA AT XAVIER (Big East).  Both teams are ranked in the top 20, and both have a chance at a really big win tonight.  Villanova has seemed to have gotten better in recent weeks, but Xavier is really tough to beat at home, so it should be a fun one.

-DUKE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Duke is looking to bounce back after their home loss to Miami, but they have a tough test tonight.  Wake is a fringe bubble team who will be really jacked up for this one, so it’s a game that Duke can certainly win, but it’s hardly a cakewalk.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State is looking more and more like they could end up as a #1 seed if they keep stringing together wins.  Minnesota is tough, but I don’t know if they’re tough enough to win at Michigan State.

-LSU AT FLORIDA (SEC).  We really like how LSU has been playing, but also feel they could really boost up their resume if they pick up some notable road wins.  They have a chance to do that tonight.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American).  Both teams have some good things on their resumes, both have a lot of potential, but both also have a lot of work to do and both should be feeling a sense of urgency tonight.

-CLEMSON AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Both teams would need to string together a lot of wins just to get themselves into the conversation, but it isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

-UTAH STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West).  Colorado State had their doors blown off by San Diego State their last time out.  They return home to face a decent Utah State game, in what should be a nice chance at a bounce back game for them.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT SMU (American).  I’m not quite done with SMU yet, but they need to bounce back from their loss to Cincinnati and keep winning.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT UCONN (Big East).  Saint John’s is trying to solidify themselves as a tournament team, and a road win like this would certainly help.  UConn is tryin to solidify themselves as a protected seed caliber team, and holding serve in home games like this would certainly help.

-NC STATE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Louisville has so much work to do that I almost didn’t even mention this one, but they do have a conference record of 4-1, and while they may not be capable of navigating a path to the NCAA Tournament, they do at least have one.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  VA Tech is still looking for their first ACC win, which is not a good sign considering how down the ACC is.  Virginia is playing better, but they still have a long way to go.

-TCU AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  This is a winnable road game for TCU, and since that is a very rare thing in this conference it is hugely important that they take care of business.

-BOISE STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  Boise State is on the fringe of our bubble and needs to hold serve in road games like this.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Jan 12

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Jan 11

Posted on January 11, 2022 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast

-IONA AT FAIRFIELD (MAAC).  Iona missed a big chance at Saint Louis over the weekend, but while it was a missed opportunity, I don’t think it was a setback.  If they run through the MAAC they should end up inside the bubble.

-USC AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  It’s nice to see USC back on the court.  They could be challenged by Stanford tonight, but it should be a winnable road game.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee is a potential protected seed.  They should be able to hold serve at home against a decent but not great South Carolina team.

-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Texas Tech is coming off a big home win against Kansas, but as big as that was winning at Baylor would be a Final Four caliber win.  Baylor is the unanimous #1 ranked team and is continuing to blow through the season.

-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Kentucky still has some work to do, and while a road win at Vandy isn’t a great win, it still adds a road win to their resume.

-DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  These two teams are going in different directions.  DePaul has fallen off the radar entirely, and Marquette is making their resume stronger and stronger as they string together wins.

-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT LASALLE (Atlantic Ten).  The Bonnies have been off the court for a long time.  They have somewhat underperformed when they were on the court, but they are back healthy and have a winnable road game tonight.

-SAINT LOUIS AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  IT IS THE ARCH BARON CUP!!!!  CLICK HERE to read all about it!!  It’s the biggest rivalry in all of sports!!!  And, it’s also a game that would be huge for Saint Louis as they continue to build a strong resume despite being injured.

-UMASS AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  This is a good Davidson team that has a solid resume, and who should land inside the bubble so long as they hold serve.

-BOWLING GREEN AT OHIO U (MAC).  I think Ohio U has a path to landing inside the bubble, but they basically need to blow through the MAC in order to get there.  Any more than one regular season loss may be too many.  But, this is a good team who might be good enough to do it.

-IOWA STATE AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Iowa State has had an incredible season so far, but they are entering a very tough stretch.  Beating a protected seed caliber team like Kansas on the road is a very tough order.

-MIAMI FL AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  Miami is coming off one of the biggest singular wins of the year, and they now appear to be squarely inside the bubble.  They can add another road win to their resume tonight if they can knock off their rivals.

-OKLAHOMA AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Texas needs some wins on their resume.  Oklahoma is in better shape, but this would still be a really nice road win for them and would sparkle up their resume.

-ILLINOIS AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Illinois has really been playing well these last few weeks and has a winnable road game tonight.

-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Auburn is looking like they’ve got an outside shot at getting a #1 seed.  That’s how good they are.  Alabama has slipped a little bit, but is still a very good team.  This is a great opportunity for both these teams tonight.  Oh yeah, it’s also a huge rivalry game.

-PROVIDENCE AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Providence has an impressive looking resume, but some are starting to question just how big some of their big wins are due to their opponents not being at full strength.  Winning on the road at Creighton is a very tall order, so they have a chance to sort of validate how good they are tonight.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  This is a game where West Virginia should be able to hold serve at home, and improve to 13-2 on the year.

-VALPARAISO AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  If Loyola Chicago wins out, which they are definitely good enough to do, they could be seeded as high as a protected seed.  They should be able to hold serve at home tonight against Valpo.

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