News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Jan 1

Posted on January 1, 2022 by David Griggs

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!  Hopefully it’s less crappy than the year we just had!!  That being said, at the time I’m writing this (late morning on Dec 31), we’ve had 31 games cancelled or postponed.  Many of those would have had tournament implications and would have been listed below.  By the time you read this that number will undoubtedly be higher.

CLICK HERE for the Puppet’s End of 2021 Bracket!!  

-BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE (Big 12) (***Spotlight Game***).  I can’t wait for this one!  Baylor is the top ranked team, and Iowa State is the surprise team of the year who has played their way into the top ten.  This one potentially has #1 seed implications, both teams are highly ranked, both teams are undefeated, and if Iowa State does somehow get this win even though it’s at home, do they have a claim that they should be ranked #1??

-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Texas is a good team that currently has nothing on their resume.  They’ll get plenty of chances in conference play, but a win today would objectively be their biggest of the year so far.

-MEMPHIS AT WICHITA STATE (American).  This game has a bubblicious feel to it.  Both teams have work to do and both could really use this one.

-CREIGHTON AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  This looks to be a resume building opportunity for both these teams.  Both appear to be inside the bubble (for now), but both also have a lot of room to improve.

-VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Both teams are in the rankings, both have looked like protected seed caliber teams, and this is a resume building opportunity for both teams, especially for Villanova since this would be a huge road win for them if they could pull it off.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA).  LA Tech’s path to landing inside the bubble is extremely narrow, but if they can blow through CUSA they should at least get themselves on the board.

-PROVIDENCE AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Providence is having a hell of a season and has some big road wins already.  DePaul is having a much better year than expected, but is also coming off a loss to Butler, which is the kind of game tournament caliber teams need to be able to win.  This is a big test for them at home against a Friars team that is getting some national respect, but probably deserves a lot more.

-UTSA AT UAB (Conference USA).  Similar to what was said about LA Tech, if UAB runs the table in CUSA they will at least be on the board and could end up inside the bubble.

-FLORIDA STATE AT NC STATE (ACC).  Both teams have a ceiling that’s higher than what their current credentials show, which means both teams have a ton of work to do and could really use this one today.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  San Diego State is currently hovering around my bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this in order to keep the inside of it within reach.

-BOISE STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  We have both teams outside the bubble right now, which means both have work to do and that both could really use this win.

-AIR FORCE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  Fresno needs to put together a long string of wins, which they may be good enough to do.  That string would have to include winning at home against non-tournament teams in games like this one today.

-GEORGE MASON AT KANSAS.  George Mason’s win at Maryland seemed big at the time, but seems much less big now.  A win today would be big, but that’s far easier said than done.

-CHICAGO STATE AT NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC).  New Mexico State is good enough to run the table in the WAC, and if they do they should get a serious look from the committee if they slip up in the conference tournament.

-WAKE FOREST AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Miami FL has a strong record, but not much meet on the bone yet, so they need to pick up some notable wins in conference play.  Wake is coming off a loss to Louisville and is looking to rebound from that.

-TULANE AT CINCINNATI (American).  This is a buy game caliber game, and Cincinnati needs to hold serve.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT SAINT MARY’S.  This is going to be a fun one!!  Both are bay area teams, both have had good runs in the OOC, both have decent resumes, and both can improve those resumes with a win today.

-KANSAS STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Both teams are in relatively decent shape, but both still have a lot of work to do, especially K State.  A road win in a game like this would be big for them.

-UTAH AT OREGON (Pac 12).  Both these teams have so much work to do that I almost didn’t even highlight this game.

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Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2021 (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The end of the calendar year means that it is time to recognize the best players in college basketball during 2021. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all of the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from each conference based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible with several exceptions, plus special awards for Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). If you think that he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments, and if you missed Part 1 you can find it at:
https://hoopshd.com/2021/12/30/handing-out-the-hardware-all-conference-players-of-2021-part-1-of-2

MAAC
G: George Papas (Monmouth)
G: Tyson Jolly (Iona)
F: Nelly Junior Joseph (Iona)
F: Malek Green (Canisius)
F: Walker Miller (Monmouth)
POYSF: George Papas (Monmouth)

MAC
G: Mark Sears (Ohio)
G: Ryan Rollins (Toledo)
G: Dae Dae Grant (Miami Ohio)
F: Jeenathan Williams (Buffalo)
F: Daeqwon Plowden (Bowling Green)
POYSF: Ryan Rollins (Toledo)

MEAC
G: Elijah Hawkins (Howard)
G: Myles Carter (Delaware State)
G: Jesse Zarzuela (Coppin State)
F: Kris Bankston (Norfolk State)
F: Tyree Corbett (Coppin State)
POYSF: Jesse Zarzuela (Coppin State)

MVC
G: Cameron Henry (Indiana State)
G: Terry Roberts (Bradley)
G: Shamar Givance (Evansville)
F: Marcus Domask (Southern Illinois)
F: Gaige Prim (Missouri State)
POYSF: Terry Roberts (Bradley)

MWC
G: Grant Sherfield (Nevada)
G: David Roddy (Colorado State)
F: Justin Bean (Utah State)
F: Orlando Robinson (Fresno State)
F: Graham Ike (Wyoming)
POYSF: Justin Bean (Utah State)

NEC
G: Peter Kiss (Bryant)
G: Alex Morales (Wagner)
F: Eral Penn (Long Island)
F: Ty Flowers (Long Island)
F: Jordan Minor (Merrimack)
POYSF: Peter Kiss (Bryant)

OVC
G: KJ Simon (Tennessee-Martin)
G: Tevin Brown (Murray State)
F: Johni Broome (Morehead State)
F: KJ Williams (Murray State)
C: Nick Muszynski (Belmont)
POYSF: Tevin Brown (Murray State)

Pac-12
G: Terrell Brown Jr. (Washington)
G: Bennedict Mathurin (Arizona)
F: Isaiah Mobley (USC)
F: Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
C: Christian Koloko (Arizona)
POYSF: Terrell Brown Jr. (Washington)

Patriot
G: Cam Spencer (Loyola Maryland)
G: Nelly Cummings (Colgate)
F: Neal Quinn (Lafayette)
F: Sukhmail Mathon (Boston University)
C: Alex Timmerman (Bucknell)
POYSF: Cam Spencer (Loyola Maryland)

SEC
G: JD Notae (Arkansas)
G: Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State)
F: Jabari Smith (Auburn)
F: Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
C: Wildens Leveque (South Carolina)
POYSF: JD Notae (Arkansas)

SoCon
G: Malachi Smith (Chattanooga)
G: Ques Glover (Samford)
F: Jalen Slawson (Furman)
F: Hayden Brown (Citadel)
C: Jake Stephens (VMI)
POYSF: Malachi Smith (Chattanooga)

Southland
G: Troy Green (New Orleans)
G: Ty Gordon (Nicholls State)
F: Isaac Mushila (Texas A&M CC)
F: Darius Lee (Houston Baptist)
C: Kendal Coleman (Northwestern State)
POYSF: Ty Gordon (Nicholls State)

SWAC
G: MJ Randolph (Florida A&M)
G: Shawn Williams (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
F: John Walker III (Texas Southern)
F: Jalen Johnson (Alabama A&M)
C: Jayveous McKinnnis (Jackson State)
POYSF: MJ Randolph (Florida A&M)

Summit
G: Max Abmas (Oral Roberts)
G: KJ Hunt (Denver)
G: Trenton Massner (Western Illinois)
F: Douglas Wilson (South Dakota State)
F: Rocky Kreuser (North Dakota State)
POYSF: Max Abmas (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G: Charles Manning Jr. (South Alabama)
G: Rudi Williams (Coastal Carolina)
F: Jordan Brown (Louisiana)
F: Norchad Omier (Arkansas State)
C: Essam Mostafa (Coastal Carolina)
POYSF: Essam Mostafa (Coastal Carolina)

WCC
G: Jalen Williams (Santa Clara)
G: Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco)
F: Tyler Robertson (Portland)
F: Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
C: Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga)
POYSF: Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco)

WAC
G: Teddy Allen (New Mexico State)
G: Savion Flagg (Sam Houston)
F: Gavin Kensmil (Stephen F. Austin)
F: Justin Johnson (UTRGV)
C: Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley)
POYSF: Fardaws Aimaq (Utah Valley)

Posted in CBB | Comments Off on Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2021 (Part 2 of 2)

Year End Bracket Projections (from the Puppet) – Dec 31st

Posted on December 31, 2021 by David Griggs

I want to make sure everyone knows what they are looking at.  Each week throughout November and December myself and David Doorman take turns doing a bracket.  This is my turn.  It is not a Hoops HD Staff Bracket.  It does not reflect what anyone else who contributes to the site thinks.  It is 100% mine.  So, if you notice drastic differences between the bracket you see below and the bracket you saw last week, that’s why.  I different person did it.  Beginning next week, Jon Teitel will do his weekly bracket, AND there will be a weekly podcast where we build a staff bracket, AND Doorman, myself, and Chad (and I suppose anyone else who wants to) will continue to take turns each week doing our own individual brackets.

What you see below IS NOT an attempt to guess what I think the committee will do in March.  It also isn’t even really an attempt by me to select and seed teams based on how good I think they actually are.  Some others here may do it that way.  I do not.  I’m strictly a CURRENT MERIT guy.  I’m really asking myself just one question.  “How hard  (or easy) was it for a team to win and lose the games that they have so far?”  That’s it.  That’s how I select and seed the teams.  If you want forecasts and predictions, then this isn’t for you…

OTHERS CONSIDERED: TCU, Vanderbilt, Utah State, Louisville, Saint Louis, Boise State, Clemson, UAB, DePaul, Texas, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Wichita State, Wyoming, Mississippi State, Michigan, Indiana, Fresno State, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Washington State

 

NOTES ON THE BRACKET:

-Texas is perhaps the most glaring omission.  But the reason they aren’t in is because they haven’t won any games that are hard to win.  They’ve beaten a Stanford team on a neutral floor that probably wouldn’t be in the NIT right now, and a bunch of buy games.  That simply isn’t enough.

-Providence on the #1 line is bound to shock some people, but their resume tops out with wins at UConn and at Wisconsin who are both really good and a combined 12-2 at home.  Those two losses are to Providence.  That’s pretty damn good!  Home wins over Texas Tech and Seton Hall aren’t too shabby either.

I still like Iona.  Their win over Alabama has them not just in my bracket, but wearing the home uniforms in the Round of 64.  It’s really unfortunate that their game against Seton Hall was cancelled.  It’s really unfortunate that a lot of games have been cancelled.

-A team I feel like I should mention is Hofstra.  I love the top of their resume with wins at Monmouth and against Arkansas in what may as well have been a road game.  Road losses to teams like Houston and Iona, both of which were good games, are hardly alarming.  But what is utterly stupefying was their loss to William & Mary the other night.  Had it not been for that, I’d probably have the Pride inside my bubble.

-Kentucky doesn’t have a whole lot on their resume, but they do have a nice win against North Carolina (in a game that wasn’t even the originally scheduled game).  And, one decent win is infinitely better than zero.  If it weren’t for that, they wouldn’t be in my field at all.

Posted in Bracketology, News and Notes | 1 Comment

Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former Southern Utah coach Bill Evans

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We are almost ready to wrap up the year but we still have 1 interview left in the queue. Bill Evans graduated from Southern Utah in 1972 and almost a half-century later he is still going strong as head coach at Utah State Eastern. He has coached literally all over the United States, from a high school in New Orleans to a college in Alaska, and remains the winningest coach in Southern Utah history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Evans about making the 1st NCAA tourney in school history and being named conference COY. Today is Coach Evans’ 73rd birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1, as well as a Happy New Year!

You went to college at Southern Utah: why did you choose to go there, and how good a basketball player were you back in the day? I went there because I thought that I would have the opportunity to play…but I was a terrible player so I just sat on the bench and learned a lot. As an LDS guy I also thought that it would be a good social community for me.

You made the 2001 MCC tourney final as coach at your alma mater and watched tourney MVP Fred House score 24 PTS including a pair of late FTs in a 3-PT win over Valparaiso: how big a deal was it to win the title? Valparaiso had a lot of size and was a well-coached team who had beaten us the year before in the conference finals. Both Jeff Monaco/Fred played extremely well and it was a tremendous feeling of satisfaction to get the win. Valparaiso was the only team we could never beat on the road: it ended up turning into a really good rivalry.

What are your memories of the 2001 NCAA tourney, the 1st in school history (Monaco scored 26 PTS in a 3-PT loss to BC)? I remember how strong/physical BC was. They pressed us early, which was the cornerstone of what they did. They really struggled to make shots against our zone…but had 30 offensive REB! They made a shot towards the end of the game with the shot clock running down, and then we came down and missed a shot that would have tied it. It was a long flight home: it took us about 8-10 hours to fly back from New York.

In 2002 you were named MCC COY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? It was a great honor: even though I am not into those things I am still appreciative of that recognition. Not to sound corny but good players make good coaches.

You remain the winningest coach in school history: what makes you such a great coach, and do you think anyone will ever break your record? I worked for some really good people. We were an Independent for about half of my tenure there. Big schools will now pay $85,000+ for guarantee games but back then they only paid about $35,000. I worked for patient administrators who understood how difficult it was for us to schedule games in January/February. It was hard to recruit kids who knew that they might not play in the NCAA tourney. My players/staff just continued to work hard and do their best so I have no regrets.

In 2008 you became an assistant coach under Wayne Tinkle at Montana: how did you like working with Wayne, and what makes him such a great coach? I was told by some of my trusted friends that I would never have to worry because I was a very employable guy…but I soon found out that was not the case. I had an opportunity to be a D-2 head coach but I held off because I wanted to stay in D-1. 1 of my assistants was going to go to Montana, but after changing his mind he told Wayne to give me a call and 1 thing led to another. Wayne’s strength is that he is very bright and a very good offensive coach. He can look at tape of an opponent’s defense and in 2 minutes figure out how to beat it, while it might take me hours and hours. He is good at keeping people united and was good about letting me give some input.

In the 2010 Big Sky tourney title game tourney MVP Anthony Johnson scored a tourney-record 42 PTS (including the last 21 PTS of the game) in a 1-PT win over Weber State to win the title: was it just a situation where every shot Johnson put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? I remember at halftime when we were down by 20 PTS. We just told the team to try and cut the lead to 10 PTS with 10 minutes to go…and lo and behold I looked up with 10 minutes left and we were only down by 9! It was just 1 of those halves where the ball would not go in the doggone basket for Weber State. Johnson’s performance was unlike anything I had ever seen before: he was just amazing. If there had been 20 NBA scouts in the crowd that night then I think that he would have become a 1st round pick.

What are your memories of the 2010 NCAA tourney (Brian Qvale scored a career-high 26 PTS and had 13 REB in a 5-PT loss to New Mexico)? We defended them pretty well but had a lot of unforced turnovers. Brian was outstanding that night: he is 1 of the nicest kids I have ever coached and I knew that he was going to become a great dad/husband/citizen.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like to be remembered as a good dad and honest guy who worked really hard and did his best every day. I was a kind person who gave back to my coaches/players. Those things are far more important than winning games, even though wins determine if you remain coach. I really do not care if I was a good coach; rather, I care that I was a good man.

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Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2021 (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on December 30, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The end of the calendar year means that it is time to recognize the best players in college basketball during 2021. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all of the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from each conference based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible with several exceptions, plus special awards for Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). If you think that he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments, and check back tomorrow for the remaining conferences in Part 2.

America East
G: Austin Williams (Hartford)
G: Moses Flowers (Hartford)
G: Miles Coleman (NJIT)
F: Ryan Davis (Vermont)
F: Jayden Martinez (New Hampshire)
POYSF: Jayden Martinez (New Hampshire)

AAC
G: Kendric Davis (SMU)
G: Tristen Newton (East Carolina)
F: Jeriah Horne (Tulsa)
F: Kevin Cross (Tulane)
C: Jalen Duren (Memphis)
POYSF: Kendric Davis (SMU)

A-10
G: Jordan Hall (St. Joseph’s)
G: Noah Fernandes (Massachusetts)
F: Tyler Burton (Richmond)
F: Josh Oduro (George Mason)
C: Ejike Obinna (St. Joseph’s)
POYSF: Tyler Burton (Richmond)

ACC
G: Michael Devoe (Georgia Tech)
G: Alondes Williams (Wake Forest)
F: Paolo Banchero (Duke)
F: Wendell Moore Jr. (Duke)
C: Armando Bacot (North Carolina)
POYSF: Michael Devoe (Georgia Tech)

Atlantic Sun
G: Darian Adams (Jacksonville State)
G: Dylan Penn (Bellarmine)
G: Tavian Dunn-Martin (Florida Gulf Coast)
F: Jacob Ognacevic (Lipscomb)
C: Kevin Samuel (Florida Gulf Coast)
POYSF: Tavian Dunn-Martin (Florida Gulf Coast)

Big 12
G: Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
G: Izaiah Brockington (Iowa State)
G: Christian Braun (Kansas)
F: Tanner Groves (Oklahoma)
F: Timmy Allen (Texas)
POYSF: Christian Braun (Kansas)

Big East
G: Posh Alexander (St. John’s)
G: Javon Freeman-Liberty (DePaul)
F: Julian Champagnie (St. John’s)
F: David Jones (DePaul)
C: Nate Watson (Providence)
POYSF: Julian Champagnie (St. John’s)

Big Sky
G: John Knight III (Southern Utah)
G: Jalen Cone (Northern Arizona)
G: Bryce Fowler (Sacramento State)
F: Jubrile Belo (Montana State)
F: Linton Acliese III (Eastern Washington)
POYSF: Bryce Fowler (Sacramento State)

Big South
G: John-Michael Wright (High Point)
G: D’Maurian Williams (Gardner-Webb)
F: Najee Garvin (Hampton)
F: Zack Austin (High Point)
F: Cedric Henderson Jr. (Campbell)
POYSF: John-Michael Wright (High Point)

Big 10
G: Jaden Ivey (Purdue)
G: Johnny Davis (Wisconsin)
F: Keegan Murray (Iowa)
F: EJ Liddell (Ohio State)
C: Kofi Cockburn (Illinois)
POYSF: Keegan Murray (Iowa)

Big West
G: Joel Murray (Long Beach State)
G: Ezra Manjon (UC-Davis)
F: EJ Anosike (Fullerton)
F: Collin Welp (UC-Irvine)
F: Amadou Sow (UCSB)
POYSF: Amadou Sow (UCSB)

CAA
G: Zach Cooks (Hofstra)
G: Camren Wynter (Drexel)
G: Cam Holden (Towson)
F: James Butler (Drexel)
F: Dylan Painter (Delaware)
POYSF: Zach Cooks (Hofstra)

C-USA
G: Taevion Kinsey (Marshall)
G: Jahmir Young (Charlotte)
F: Kenneth Lofton, Jr. (Louisiana Tech)
F: Jairus Hamilton (Western Kentucky)
C: Jacob Germany (UTSA)
POYSF: Jahmir Young (Charlotte)

Horizon
G: Antoine Davis (Detroit Mercy)
G: Jarred Godfrey (Purdue Fort Wayne)
G: Tanner Holden (Wright State)
F: Jamal Cain (Oakland)
F: Grant Basile (Wright State)
POYSF: Jamal Cain (Oakland)

Ivy
G: Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (Columbia)
G: Ethan Wright (Princeton)
G: Noah Kirkwood (Harvard)
F: Chris Ledlum (Harvard)
F: Tosan Evbuomwan (Princeton)
POYSF: Noah Kirkwood (Harvard)

Posted in CBB | Comments Off on Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2021 (Part 1 of 2)

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games (and a Puppet Rant): Thursday, Dec 30

Posted on December 30, 2021 by David Griggs

PUPPET OBSERVATONS/RANTS:

-There are certain things that all NCAA athletes in all sports in all three divisions must abide by in order to play.  One is that they have to take a physical before they can be declared initially eligible.  Another is that they are subject to random drug testing, which sounds just like what it is, but is actually even worse.  The NCAA can basically just show up and require any athlete on any team to suddenly give a urine sample so they can test for any drugs they want that are on the banned substance list.  Several of the drugs on that list include recreational drugs as well as performance enhancing drugs.  Someone from the NCAA actually observes these tests.  In other words, they make the guy or girl being tested strip down in front of them and pee right in front of them.  Talk about invasive!!  But, no one complains because I guess they feel that drug use is a rampant problem that could shut down all of college sports as we know it.

Now, why do I say this??  Well, it seems odd to me that no one complains about how it’s unnecessary or an over reach to players to take physicals or random drug tests, but yet they seem to think requiring them to get a COVID vaccine would just be a step too far.  Even though other vaccines such as the MMR are required (at least I think they are.  I believe players must apply for a special status waiver if they do not have a vaccine record), certain people have decided the COVID vaccine is a much bigger deal.  We’ve got 30 games today that are cancelled, but are simply choosing not to take a measure that would greatly reduce (or even eliminate) this problem.

So, while the damn games are being cancelled, the good news is that recreational drug use is under control!!!  I guess we feel that’s a much bigger threat to the health of the sport since we allow far more invasive measures to combat that issue than we would ever allow for an actual pandemic.  Good job NCAA and members!!  The decision to not address an actual problem like the COVID pandemic as aggressively as they are addressing a much lesser problem like recreational drug use, and not taking measures toward COVID that are nowhere near as invasive or extensive as the ones they take toward drug testing is beyond stupid!!  ANY PUPPET KNOWS THAT!!!

 

NEWS AND NOTES:

-I’ll begin with something that most people probably missed.  William & Mary’s win over Hofstra will probably be the biggest upset of the year in regards to how far apart the two teams are in the NET.  At the time I’m writing this, Hofstra’s NET is 95, and they had won seven out of eight, which included wins over Arkansas and Monmouth.  William & Mary is 345th in the NET and yesterday was their first win of the season against a D1 opponent.  Those rankings reflect where the two teams are AFTER the game.  Prior to that, they were even further apart.  This also absolutely KILLS Hofstra’s resume, which up until yesterday was starting to look pretty good!

-Michigan State had to sweat a little bit with High Point and actually trailed at the half, but got control in the second half for an 81-68 win.  Perhaps a little rust after some Christmas cheer for the Spartans.

-Auburn had no trouble with LSU at home for a 70-55 win.  A win would have been big for LSU, but a loss hardly hurts them.  Auburn is ranked 11th.  Losing a road game like that is hardly a demerit.

-Tennessee was short handed, but still hung in at Alabama and had a chance to win in the final minute, but couldn’t pull it off.  It was a big win for the Tide, perhaps more so off paper than on.  They had been looking a little sluggish lately and a big win at home in a conference game against a ranked team could get their motor started again.

-Seton Hall gave Providence  battle on the road, but the Friars held on for a 70-65 win, which puts them at a very impressive 12-1 on the year, and should enable them to continue to climb the rankings.

-Wisconsin really had to sweat out an Illinois State team that hadn’t had that good of a year, and who I believe was dealing with a depleted roster.  The Badgers did escape with the 89-85 win, though.

-Utah State could have really used a road win at Air Force yesterday, but they couldn’t get it done and fell 49-47 in a game that was an absolute rock fight.

-DePaul lost their conference opener to Butler 63-59.  It was a road game, and those are never easy to win, but it was a bit of a surprise considering DePaul had gone 9-1 in OOC play coming in to yesterday.

-Arkansas seems to be going in the wrong direction.  They fell at Mississippi State yesterday 81-68 and just didn’t look like a top 25 team.  Then again, like a lot of teams they were shorthanded.  That is really unfortunate but at least we don’t have to worry about recreational drug use!!

-Louisville needed a big win yesterday, and got it.  They came from behind and played a fantastic second half to knock off a Wake Forest team that came in at 11-1 and had been one of the bigger surprises of the season.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-If I counted correctly, 30 games have been cancelled or postponed today.  That includes what would have been a top ten match-up between Arizona and UCLA, and several others that would have made this list.  More will probably be cancelled as the day goes on.  But, at least we’ve got the impending threat of recreational drug use under control!!

-MICHIGAN AT UCF.  This is a tough road game for a Michigan team that was expected to be a lot better than what they have been.  UCF, on the other hand, is a very respectable 8-2 2 and if they can get a notable win like this they will be worth paying attention to.

-ROBERT MORRIS AT OAKLAND (Horizon League).  If Oakland wants to land inside the bubble then they need to blow through the Horizon League.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  After a bit of a sluggish start, Richmond has won six in a row and they shouldn’t have too much trouble making it seven tonight.  If they can get through conference play without stubbing their toes too many times (and basically any loss would constitute stubbing their toes) then they should be inside the bubble come March.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT CHATTANOOGA (SoCon).  Chattanooga has a very narrow path to landing inside the bubble.  They basically need to blow through the SoCon, which won’t be easy.

-UTEP AT UAB (Conference USA).  UAB is 10-3 and although they missed a couple of opportunities to really elevate their resume, they should be okay if they can dominate CUSA.

-SEMO AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  If Murray State wants to land inside the bubble they cannot lose to anyone other than Belmont, and they better beat Belmont at least once.

-UTAH AT OREGON STATE (Pac 12).  Utah has some ground to make up.  Winning at Oregon State is hardly impressive, but it is at least a conference road win.

BUY GAMES:

-Maine @ Rutgers
-Brown @ Maryland

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games (and a Puppet Rant): Thursday, Dec 30