Hoops HD

A HOLIDAY MESSAGE FROM THE PUPPET:

For all of you who enjoyed the Holidays, I’m glad you did!  It’s been a crappy year and everyone deserves some enjoyment.  For those of you who endured the Holidays, congrats!!  you made it!!  The Holidays are great for a lot of people, but also awful for a lot of people.  It can be a sad reminder of something (or someone) that you’ve lost, or it can be a constant reminder of something that seemingly everyone else seems to have, but that you don’t.  Social media is full of images of people who seem to be having a blast, and if you’re not having a blast, that can suck.  Or, it could just mean that it’s always a time where the work and stress that goes into it always surpasses the enjoyment that comes out of it.  In short, please know that while it’s normal for people to love The Holidays, it’s also normal for people to not like them at all.  I can definitely relate to both experiences.

And to make things worse this year…HALF OF THE DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC GAMES ON CHRISTMAS DAY WERE CANCELLED!!!!  That TOTALLY ruined Christmas for me!!!

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Our regularly podcasting, Bracketing, and Posting schedule has been somewhat disrupted due to the Holidays.  We should have a new bracket on Thursday (from me), perhaps a mid-week podcast some time in the next couple of days, and then back to our regular routine next week with the Hoops HD Report on Monday, Under the Radar on Thursday, and our first Bracket Rundown Podcast on Thursday.

-It has been an incredibly uneventful couple of days, and today is another snoozer with just three total games on the schedule, and only one that features two D1 teams (Brown @ Syracuse).  Things should start to pick back up tomorrow (highlighted games listed below).  But with that being said…

-More and more games are being cancelled or postponed due to COVID protocol, and common sense tells us all that those cancellations were increase before they decrease.  Many teams were given time off during the holidays, and with players, coaches, and support staff traveling it could result in a spike in infection rates over the next few weeks.  Conferences are kind of figuring it all out as they go, which means their policies and protocols are changing from day to day.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (for Tuesday, Dec 28):

-At the time I’m writing this, seven games have been either cancelled or postponed.  By the time you read this, it will probably be more than that.

-JAMES MADISON AT PENN.  James Madison can get to 10-2 on the year, which still makes them a long shot (at best) for landing inside the bubble.  They basically need to win out in order to get there.

-CONNECTICUT AT XAVIER (Big East).  Hugely important game in the Big East.  Both teams have played well, both already have notable wins, and both are off to 1-1 starts in the Big East.  Xavier has been unbelievably good at home this year, so this would be a big win for the Huskies if they could pull it off.

-CARVER BIBLE COLLEGE AT JACKSONVILLE STATE.  Carver Bible College is looking to make history!!  This could be their first D1 win!!

-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT OHIO U (MAC).  Ohio U’s got a very narrow path to landing inside the bubble, and it basically involves blowing through the MAC Conference.

-FRESNO STATE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  I think both teams are outside the bubble, but that both are also within reach of it, which makes this an important game for both of them.  This would be a really nice road win for Fresno State, who only has one up to this point.  It’s also the conference opener for both teams, so…

BUY GAMES:

-Alabama State @ Texas Tech
-North Alabama @ Gonzaga
-Northwestern State @ Baylor
-LSU Alexandria (nonD1) @ North Texas
-Incarnate Word @ Texas
-Lehigh @ Maryland
-Academy of Art (nonD1) @ San Francisco
-Yale @ Saint Mary’s

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Duke had a little more trouble than expected with Virginia Tech, but held on to win 76-65.  VA Tech is at a very modest 8-5 right now, but if they can play the rest of the way like they did yesterday they should win quite a few games in the ACC.

-Tennessee jumped out to a big lead against Arizona, and the Wildcats battled back to make it a game.  Tennessee held on for the win and Arizona suffered their first loss, but it was still a very impressive showing for Arizona to battle back like they did.

-Auburn didn’t have too much trouble with Murray State.  This is a Murray State team that we currently have inside the bubble, and a loss to a team like Auburn isn’t going to set them back at all.

-Wyoming dropped one to Stanford that they really could have used in the Diamond Head Classic.  It isn’t just that they didn’t beat Stanford, but that their remaining games will be on the losers’ side of the bracket, which denies them chances to put better wins on their resume.  It was close throughout the entire game, but Stanford had a lead throughout most of it and was ahead when the clock struck 0:00.

-Monmouth suffered a rather costly loss at home to Hofstra 77-71.  Monmouth had been inside the bubble, and may still be, but this is the kind of game that tournament caliber teams need to be able to win.  Hofstra has gone on a bit of a roll.  They’ve won seven of their last eight, and in their last two games have knocked off Arkansas and Monmouth away from home.

-Boise State picked up a nice road win at Washington State 58-52.  Wazzu, who was a team that we thought would be a dark horse, has hit a bit of a skid.  They’ve now lost four of their last six.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-LIBERTY VS STANFORD (Diamond Head Classic).  Both teams won close games yesterday, and both still have a lot of work to do if they want to end up on the committee’s board this March.

-FRESNO STATE AT WEBER STATE.  Fresno State has lost all three of their road games, and right now that’s the biggest difference between them being on the radar as opposed to off of it.  Weber State has lost three straight (all against good teams), but this would still be a good road win for Fresno because once Weber gets into Big Sky play they aren’t likely to lose too many more at home.

-NORTHERN IOWA VS WYOMING (Diamond Head Classic).  Wyoming let one slip away yesterday against Stanford that they really could have used.  They basically need to hold serve the rest of the way in the Diamond Head and win their next two games.

-BUTLER AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Both teams have some decent stuff on their profiles, but both still have work to do and both could use this one today.

-GEORGE MASON AT WISCONSIN.  This should be a rather easy home win for Wisconsin.  They’re in the rankings, they’ve been good at home, and they should be able to hold serve.

-BYU VS VANDERBILT (Diamond Head Classic).  BYU appears to be the strongest team in this event, and shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the win today and advancing to the Championship game.  Having said that, Vandy hasn’t looked all that good this season, but they’ve played well in their last two games.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-There is one team in the Atlantic Ten that looks like they belong solidly inside the bubble, and that team is Davidson!  They picked up a HUGE win at Alabama last night, which completely makes their resume at the moment.  The Wildcats are now 9-2 on the year with a win against what looks to be a protected seed caliber team away from home.  At least…we think.  Since the big win against Houston, Alabama has looked sluggish at best.  They were beaten handily by Memphis, had to sweat out Jacksonville State in a buy game, and lost last night to Davidson.

-Xavier controlled the first half at Villanova, but then Nova completely dominated the second half for a 71-58 win.  The game was pretty close in the final minutes, but Nova opened it up and got the win.  Perhaps they’re coming out of what has been a bit of a sluggish period for them.

-Samford got a big win at Ole Miss.  They basically controlled the entire second half and had what appeared to be a safe lead down the stretch, but Ole Miss fought back, got back into it, and actually appeared to have hit a game winning shot at the buzzer, but after further review (MUCH review actually…throughout the entire game) it showed that the shot was not in time and that Samford got the win.  The Bulldogs are now 10-2 on the season with a nice road win on top of that.

-Utah got a nice win against Fresno State 55-50.  We kind of had our eyes on Fresno State, and we still do, but a glaring issue with them is that they are 0-3 in true road games.

-NC State lost a home buy game to Wright State 84-70 and is now just 7-5 on the year.  I believe we are done with NC State for the time being.

-UConn picked up their first true road win of the year, and it was a big one as they knocked off Marquette 78-70 to even their Big East record out at 1-1.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT SAN FRANCISCO.  Southern Illinois has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they are in a stretch where they’ve won five out of their last six.  San Francisco has had a fantastic year at 11-1, and their last two games have been battles with a one point loss to Grand Canyon, and a one point win on the road at Arizona State.

-WYOMING VS STANFORD (Diamond Head Classic).  Wyoming has just one loss on the season, but needs to add some meat to their resume and the Diamond Head is a chance to do that.  Stanford has been playing better, but still has a ton of work to do, and a good showing in this tournament could really help them out.

-MURRAY STATE AT AUBURN.  Murray comes in with an impressive 10-1 record and they have a nice win at Memphis.  You have to start thinking of them as a possible tournament team, and if they’re able to win tonight at Auburn they’ll be even further inside the bubble.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT KENTUCKY.  With the Louisville v Kentucky game being cancelled (for now) this was a late addition.  WKU beat Louisville in their last game, but this one is on the road and will be a much bigger challenge.  The other cool thing about this game is that all the proceeds from it are being donated to the victims of the recent tornadoes that clobbered the state of Kentucky.

-ARIZONA AT TENNESSEE.  Tennessee is unbeaten at home and is having a fantastic year.  Arizona is unbeaten overall and has played their way up to the #6 ranking.  It’s a big showcase game between two teams that have a good chance at ending up as protected seeds, so this would be a high caliber win for either of their resumes.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT CHATTANOOGA.  It is unlikely that either team will land inside the bubble, but this is still a pretty good UTR match-up.

-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA.  Right now it looks as though both teams are on the outside looking in and both have work to do.

-HOFSTRA AT MONMOUTH.  Monmouth is off to a 10-2 start and has a few decent wins.  They will have to blow through the rest of their schedule to land inside the bubble, but they are good enough to do it.  They better not overlook this Hofstra team, though, who recently picked up a big win against Arkansas and that’s won six of their last seven.

-BOISE STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE.  Both teams have a path to landing inside the bubble, but both have a lot of work to do.  Therefore, both could really use this one tonight.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT DUKE (ACC).  VA Tech has a few good things on their resume, but nothing that’s in the same universe as what winning at Duke would be like.

-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI.  Braggin’ Rights Game!!  This is usually a really fun game.  This year it appears to be a bit of a mismatch, though.  Illinois looks like a solid tournament team, and so far Mizzou hasn’t even looked like they belong in the NIT.

-DIXIE STATE AT SOUTHERN UTAH (Beehive).  We at Hoops HD love the Beehive!!!

-BYU VS SOUTH FLORIDA (Diamond Head Classic).  BYU shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one.  But, it’s one they have to win to get the better match-ups on the winner’s side of the bracket.

-MISSOURI STATE AT SAINT MARY’S.  SMC has shown every sign of being a solid tournament caliber team.  After a sluggish start, Missouri State has won their last four, but could really make a statement if they were able to get this one.

BUY GAMES (or games that might as well be):

-Johnson & Wales (nonD1) @ Davidson
-TAMUCC @ Notre Dame – TAMUCC is looking like the top team in the Southland right now
-Alabama State @ Texas
-Eastern Washington @ Texas Tech
-Stony Brook @ Florida
-Army @ South Carolina
-Bucknell @ Richmond
-Green Bay @ Minnesota
-Chicago State @ Drake
-Youngstown State @ West Virginia – Youngstown State is a respectable 7-3 with 3 road wins
-Northern Kentucky @ Indiana
-Prairie View A&M @ Wichita State
-North Alabama @ UCF
-Mississippi Valley State @ UAB
-Texas State @ Houston – Texas State is an impressive 9-2
-Lipscomb @ LSU
-Alcorn State @ Oklahoma
-UC San Diego @ San Diego State

NEWS AND NOTES:

-We recorded our UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast last night.  CLICK HERE TO WATCH OR LISTEN

-Other than that, there was nothing that happened on the court yesterday (or really even the day before) that is worth reporting.  I mean…NOTHING!!

TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-SAMFORD AT OLE MISS.  Samford is off to an impressive 9-2 start, and although they are probably overmatched in this one, if they were to pick it up and get to 10-2 and have a win like this on their resume, you’d have to sit up and take some notice.

-DAVIDSON AT ALABAMA.  Davidson hasn’t had a spectacular season, but they’ve at least had a respectable one and as it turns out may have one of the best profiles in the Atlantic Ten.  If they could somehow get this one on the road it would catapult them inside the bubble (for now).  Alabama has some great wins, but has struggled in their last couple of games, so it’s not impossible.

-XAVIER AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Nova hasn’t been quite as good as expected this year, and Xavier has actually exceeded expectations.  The Muskies have shown they can play really well at home, but to get a road win in a game like this it would indicate that they are a protected seeded caliber team all across the board.  As for Nova, they just need to start playing better, and a win at home in a game like this could get their motor started.

-FRESNO STATE AT UTAH.  We’ve got our eyes on Fresno State.  This is not an easy road game, but it’s a road game they can win.

-MICHIGAN STATE VS OAKLAND.  This game is in Detroit, and it’s a huge chance for Oakland to pick up another notable win.  They’ve already got a nice win against Oklahoma State, but if they could pick this one up they could make a legit claim that they belong inside the bubble.  Michigan State keeps looking better and better and is showing all signs of ending up as a protected seed caliber team.

-DELAWARE AT IONA.  Delaware comes in at a respectable 9-3, but this is still the kind of game Iona needs to hold serve in if they want to remain inside the bubble.

-KANSAS AT COLORADO.  This is an old Big Eight rivalry renewed.  They’ve played in the past, and it hasn’t always gone Kansas’s way.  Kansas clearly has the better team, but this is still a really tough road win.  As for the Buffs, their resume could use a bit of a boost and a win tonight would certainly help even though they’re the home team.

-UCONN AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Both teams look like solid NCAA Tournament teams, and both are looking for a resume building caliber win.

-GRAND CANYON AT NEVADA.  Grand Canyon has a bloated record, but it’s also almost entirely lacking wins of substance.  They need road wins and notable wins.  They basically need to tear through the rest of their schedule if they want to get inside the bubble.

BUY GAMES (or games that might as well be):

-South Carolina Upstate @ Ohio U
-Southern Miss @ East Carolina
-Northwestern State @ Texas A&M
-Chicago State @ Iowa State
-Fort Wayne @ Michigan
-Winthrop @ Mississippi State
-Elon @ Arkansas
-Tennessee Tech @ Cincinnati
-Southern @ Dayton
-Wright State @ NC State
-Appalachian State @ North Carolina
-Grambling @ TCU
-SELA @ Iowa
-McNeese @ Kansas State
-Portland State @ Utah State
-Pepperdine @ Oregon – Oregon needs to start stringing together some wins.