News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Dec 11

Posted on December 11, 2021 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Murray State picked up a big road win at Memphis 74-72.  They actually fell behind by as much as 14 late in the first half and came back to win.  This gets Murray to a rather impressive 8-1 on the year, and with a road win like that you have to start thinking of them as a team that could land on the bubble, or even inside of it.  Belmont, who is in the Ohio Valley along with Murray, also has some notable wins and is also looking like a potential tournament team.  As for Memphis, they fall to 5-4, and we may need to start looking at them as a team that could potentially miss the tournament.

-Loyola Chicago picked up another road win as thy knocked off Vanderbilt 69-58 without too much trouble.  The Ramblers are another UTR team that should land inside the bubble if they keep winning at the clip they have been.

-DePaul got a really nice road win at Louisville.  It was their first true road game of the season, and it improves them to 8-1 on the year with the only loss being to Loyola Chicago.  Louisville is in a bit of a tailspin both on and off the court.  They need some wins not just to get their resume in order, but to get their mental health in order as well.

 

HIGLIGHTED GAMES:

-HOUSTON AT ALABAMA (***Spotlight Game***).  Both teams are ranked in the top 15, both teams already have big wins on their resume, both are on pace (for now) to become protected seeds, and this is the kind of win that can make a case for a team being a #1 seed.  It’s also the first true road game for Houston, so we should learn quite a bit about them tonight.

-NEBRASKA AT AUBURN.  I almost put this down with the buy games, but at 5-5 Nebraska is a little better that.  I still think it’ll be an easy win for Auburn, though.

-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Both teams are in the rankings, and both have some big wins on their resumes already.  Wisconsin just survived a home scare against Indiana and will need to play a lot better to beat a really good Ohio State team on the road.  It’s a conference game, and it’s a resume building opportunity for both teams.

-BYU VS CREIGHTON (game in Sioux Falls).  A good chance for both of these teams to pick up a notable win away from home, which means it’s a resume boosting opportunity for both of them.  BYU deserves credit for going out and playing teams like they have.

-SYRACUSE AT GEORGETOWN.  This is perhaps the signature rivalry of the Classic Big East.  I don’t know how classic it will be this year, though.  Georgetown is 4-1 at home, but this is a bigger test than the caliber of games they’ve been winning.  Syracuse is looking for their second true road win.

-ARKANSAS AT OKLAHOMA.  The Razorbacks are off to a 9-0 start, and you can’t ask for more than that, but this is their first true road game and it is a test.  Oklahoma probably isn’t as good as Arkansas, but it’s still a game they can win on their home court.

-PENN STATE AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Should be a winnable conference home game for the Spartans.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE VS COLORADO STATE (Basketball Hall of Fame Classic).  I’ve been banging the drum for Colorado State all year.  They haven’t lost yet, but this is probably their biggest test up to this point.  It’s a neutral floor game against a pretty good Mississippi State team.  This is a game that Mississippi State could use as well.  It would also arguably be their biggest win of the season up to this point against an almost and likely soon to be top 25 team.

-DRAKE AT CLEMSON.  Drake has won three straight, but they were all agains weak teams and they didn’t exactly bury any of them.  This is the kind of win they need to get their resume, and perhaps their season, turned back around.

-UCLA AT MARQUETTE.  This is a tough road game, but UCLA is a #1 seed caliber team that is certainly capable of winning tough road games.  Marquette is unbeaten at home with some notable wins on their resume, but none as big as this.  It would be a game they’d probably get quite a bit of credit for winning even though they’re the home team.

-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE.  South Dakota State suffered a real head-scratching loss to Idaho earlier this week, and that is the last thing any UTR team needs that’s trying to play their way onto the bubble.  They’ve got a chance at a notable win today against what’s looking more and more like a really good Wazzu team, but they’ll need to do much better than they did the other night.

-MISSOURI AT KANSAS (Border War).  THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!!  THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!!  So…on paper, this is a huge mismatch and given how good Kansas is and the kinds of wins they’ll have on their resume at the end of the year, this won’t move the needle at all.  In fact, given how poorly Mizzou has looked in several of their games, it’s shaping up to be a real snoozer.  But…that doesn’t matter!!  THE BORDER WAR IS BACK!!!!

-SAINT BONAVENTURE VS UCONN (Never Forget Tribute Classic).  This is the kind of game that if the Bonnies were to win it, and then blow through the rest of their schedule, you could argue that they deserve a solid protected seed.  If they don’t win it, but blow through the rest of their schedule, they’ll still be high in the rankings and still easily wearing white in the Round of 64, but they’ll be lacking a big time signature win away from home.  UConn has been better than expected this year, and it’s a chance for them to add another notable win to their resume.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT TENNESSEE.  It’s a buy game, but UNCG is off to a respectable 7-2 start with a win on the road.  They may be more competitive than expected, and if they can somehow win, then this catapults them into the picture.

-ARIZONA AT ILLINOIS.  This is a HUGE road test for Arizona, and would be a huge statement win if they could pull it off.  Illinois has stumbled a couple of times and has fallen out of the rankings, but they have a very high ceiling and I think they’re going to get back in there soon enough.  A win at home like this against a highly ranked team is just as important for their confidence and momentum as it is a big win for them on paper.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT SAINT LOUIS.  BC comes in with a very respectable record, and SLU has done well this year despite battling injuries.  If they hold serve in this one then they’ll still be on a good path.

-KENTUCKY AT NOTRE DAME.  This is a huge mismatch.  Kentucky shouldn’t have too much trouble winning despite the fact that it’s a road game, and that it’s UK’s first true road game of the year.

-LSU AT GEORGIA TECH.  This will be the first road test of the year for LSU, and while it’s a winnable game, it’s not necessarily a gimme game.

-UC SANTA BARBARA AT SAINT MARY’S.  We really like this UCSB team, but while their record is respectable they haven’t made a big statement yet.  This would certainly qualify.  Saint Mary’s is unbeaten at home, and they’ve also tested themselves on the road, and they appear to be well on their way toward landing inside the bubble.

-TOLEDO AT RICHMOND.  Toledo comes in at 7-2, and Richmond is a rather disappointing 5-4.  At the start of the year I would have said this is a game where Richmond should be able to hold serve against a good UTR team.  Now I’m inclined to say that while it’s not easy, it’s a winnable road game for Toledo.

-TCU VS TEXAS A&M (game in Houston).  Both of these teams come in at 7-1, but both also have resumes that could use upgrading, and this is a chance for them to make that happen.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Minney has a good 7-1 record, and Michigan has stumbled a little bit early on despite having a ton of talent.  Still, the Wolverines will be extremely difficult to beat on their home floor.

-UC IRVINE AT FRESNO STATE.  These are two good teams who have limited chances at resume builders (especially the Eaters), but both have the chance at a good win tonight.  This one is definitely worth tuning in to!

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT LMU.  New Mexico State has a very narrow margin for error if they want to land inside the bubble, but they do at least have a margin.  This would be an at least decent road win for them if they’re able to pull it off.

-LIBERTY AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN.  Two good UTR teams that are admittedly long shots at best at landing inside the bubble, but it should still be a fun game to watch!

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT OLE MISS.  WKU has been a little disappointing this year, but they are still a talented team and Ole Miss won’t want to just overlook them.

-CINCINNATI AT XAVIER (Crosstown Shootout).  It’s a big rivalry game, and it’s actually a game that both teams could use on paper.  Cincinnati has a nice win against Illinois, but considering that this is a road game against a Xavier team that probably won’t lose too many at home even in the Big East, this would give their resume another big boost in the right direction.  Xavier can get to 9-1 on the season if they can hold serve.

-SANTA CLARA AT CALIFORNIA.  Santa Clara has an uphill climb to get inside the bubble.  This is a winnable road game and it’s the kind of game that they need to be able to win.

-UTAH VALLEY AT WYOMING.  Utah Valley comes in at 7-2 and with a nice win against BYU on their resume (albeit at home).  Wyoming is coming off their first loss of the season, and while losing at Arizona is hardly a damaging loss, getting blown out the way that they were is probably a little discouraging.  This is a bit of a bounce back opportunity for them.

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

-Louisiana @ Louisiana Tech – not a buy game, but a rivalry game between a decent UTR team in Louisiana, and a good UTR team in Louisiana Tech
-Saint John Fisher (nonD1) @ Buffalo
-Temple @ Saint Joseph’s (Big Five) – only being mentioned because we love the Big 5!
-Central Connecticut @ Providence
-Ohio U @ Steston – I still think Ohio U is a really good UTR team, but to make a run at the bubble they have to start putting together a long string of wins
-Eastern Illinois @ Butler
-Maine Fort Kent (nonD1) @ Weber State
-Manhattan @ Utah – Manhattan is a very respectable 6-2, but this is a very big test for them
-Radford @ James Madison – JMU’s path to the NCAA Tournament is basically them winning out
-Norfolk State @ Wichita State – Norfolk State has a good record, but is still way overmatched
-Elon @ North Carolina
-TAMUCC @ Omaha – a win for TAMUCC, which is likely,  gets them to 9-1 on the season
-New Orleans @ Utah State

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Friday, Dec 10

Posted on December 10, 2021 by David Griggs

-The biggest surprises always come on the nights you’re not expecting anything.  Hence the term “Surprise.”  And…we had another one last night.  Rutgers led Purdue for most of the first half, and as you would expect the place was bonkers.  As you would also expect, Purdue battled back and got the lead, and while it was a battle, you started to feel like it was inevitable that they were going to win.  But, they never pulled away, and then with less than 15 seconds to go Rutgers hit a shot that put them ahead.  Purdue came down the floor on their possession and hit what appeared to be a game winning shot with 3 seconds to play, and then all Rutgers could do was throw up a desperation mid-court heave…which Ron Harper Jr. did…and it went in!!  A HUGE upset and feel-good win for Rutgers as they take down the #1 ranked team for the first time ever, and maybe a moment where things turn around for them.  It seems like they should have been better than what they’ve been up to this point.  Maybe this gets them kickstarted.

-Seton Hall held on to beat Texas in a game that went down to the wire.  It’s a nice win for Seton Hall that they should get some credit for despite the fact they were at home.  Texas is still looking for their first true road win, but to be fair the two road games they’ve played and lost were against top 25 teams.

-Iowa State absolutely clobbered Iowa 73-53 in the Cy-Hawk Series.  Iowa State is DAMN good!!

-Saint John’s held off Monmouth 88-83.  The Johnnies led most of the way, but Monmouth really made it close down the stretch and could have actually won the game had it not been for some big defensive plays by Saint John’s.

-APPALACHIAN STATE AT FURMAN.  I still think Furman is a really good under the radar team, but it will take a Herculean string of wins between now and the end of the season to get them inside the bubble.

-MURRAY STATE AT MEMPHIS.  Murray State is an very respectable 7-1 with a couple of decent wins away from home.  This would be ore than just a decent win for them if they can pull it off.  Memphis has struggled some despite being loaded with talent.  They could still pull it together and end up having a big year where they finish in the rankings, but they don’t appear to be there yet and they better be on upset alert tonight.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT VANDERBILT.  Loyola Chicago is looking for their second true road win of the season.  Vandy has been better than expected (at least better than I thought they’d be), and they are at home, so it wouldn’t be overly shocking if they won this, but I still think Loyola Chicago is clearly the better team.

-DEPAUL AT LOUISVILLE.  DePaul only has one loss on the season (home to Loyola Chicago), but this is their first road game of the year, and it’s also their biggest test so far.  Louisville has done modestly well and just needs to hold serve tonight.

-MILWAUKEE AT COLORADO – buy game.

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The JNG Nitty Gritty Bracket – Dec 9th

Posted on December 9, 2021 by David Griggs

For today’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

For last night’s UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former Arkansas State Coach Nelson Catalina – CLICK HERE

The Seedlist for the Bracket Below was created entirely off of JOBY’S NITTY GRITTY RATINGS (JNG).  CLICK HERE to view the rankings for all 358 D1 schools 

 

COMMENTS FROM JOBY: (coming soon…)

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Joby will be the first one to tell you this (if he hasn’t already).  What you’re seeing is nothing more than a checkpoint.  It’s not a prediction of where the teams will be in March.  It really isn’t even an assessment of how good the teams actually are.  It’s just a current snapshot of where things stand on December 9th.  If 90 seconds into a game Campbell leads Duke 4-2, that is a snapshot of where things stand.  It’s not necessarily an indicator of where they’ll end up.  The scoreboard is not “stupid” for thinking Campbell is better than Duke.  There is still 38:30 left to play in the game.  Same with the JNG right now.  this is what the score is at this point in time, but there is still A LOT of time left to play.

-Having just said it isn’t necessarily an indicator of the future…I will now point out a few things that have me scratching my head…

Belmont’s resume looks better than a #13 seed to me.  There isn’t anything to indicate that they deserve a protected seed, but they’re resume is hardly a pastry cart either.  I don’t think they’ll lose too many the rest of the way, so their numbers may be a lot better by the end of the year.

-The Bonnies on the #12 line is also a bit of a “Huh??”  But…whatever.  It’s early.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former Arkansas State coach Nelson Catalina

Posted on December 9, 2021 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for today’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games, and for our latest Under The Radar Video Podcast

You might think that basketball coaches are incapable of doing anything else but Nelson Catalina proved that is wrong. After spending more than a decade as head coach at Arkansas State with four 20-win seasons and four postseason appearances he left the business and became a financial professional at Merrill Lynch. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Catalina about winning an NIT game with no time left on the clock and losing an NIT game at the buzzer. Today is Coach Catalina’s 71st birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

 (photo credit: soundcloud.com)

You were hired as head coach at Arkansas State in 1984: why did you take the job? Most coaches have the goal/ambition to coach at a D-1 school. I had been the assistant for 5 years and understood the culture here and what we needed to do to make it better: it was a normal stepping stone for me.

1 of your most famous players was Arthur Agee from the documentary “Hoop Dreams”: how did you convince him to head south from Chicago, and how good a player was he? He was at a JC in Missouri just north of us. We went to go see him play and needed an experienced PG pretty bad. We looked around and decided to offer him a scholarship. He saw an opportunity to start, which is what most JC players want to do.

In the 1987 NIT you had a 3-PT OT loss at Arkansas on Friday the 13th: how close did you come to winning the game, and do you think that you would have won if you did not have so many injured players that day? I will not use the injuries as an excuse but it was a great game. It was probably 1 of the most physical games that I have ever been a part of and it got even worse during the final 10 minutes. I think the reason we lost was the physicality and the fact that we missed a couple of FTs. We have not played them since and I do not think it ever will be something I can forget.

In the 1988 NIT Rhon Johnson made a FT with no time remaining to clinch a 1-PT win at Stanford: how was the backup guard able to stay focused after the Cardinal called 2 timeouts before he stepped up to the line, and where does that rank among the most exciting wins of your career? I have been asked that question a lot: it has to be ranked in the top-3. Their floor designed by their engineering program allows you to bounce even higher: our guys were accustomed to more of a hard surface. Stanford had just beaten #1-ranked Arizona on that floor about 10 days before so we knew they had a good team. Rhon drove the baseline and I felt that he could either make the shot or get fouled…and to our amazement they actually called the foul! To beat a big/good team on the road is very tough.

In the 1989 NIT Chris Dillard had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but missed the front end of a 1-and-1 before collapsing in tears in a 2-PT loss at Nebraska: what do you say to a player after such a devastating loss? Chris was a great shooter and the last thing anyone had on their mind was that he would miss a FT: he had unlimited range. All you can do is console the player and explain that something happened in the game that put us in that position: a FT at the end is never the only reason you win or lose.

In February of 1990, 13 of your players skipped practice and threatened to quit school unless you were fired: why did they do that, and how were you able to resolve such a difficult situation? It is not 1 of my favorite topics but I think they just got aggravated at me. There is always a head dog when it comes to leadership but after the season was over we sat down and talked it out. I thought the personnel we had brought in did not help us win, but the following year we had the winningest season in program history.

In 1991 you were the regular season champ of the American South Conference: how big a deal was it for the program and/or the school? Anytime you win a championship it is a big deal and it was a great accomplishment for our players. After going through so much the year before when we had a more talented team, to put the team ahead of everything else and win some really big ball games was great. We actually had a shot to win the conference tourney but just came up a couple of points short against Louisiana Tech: that game has stuck with me a long time. I really felt that if we could get by that game then we would end up making the NCAA tourney for the 1st time. That team was extremely quick and very athletic: we just did not have a 6’10” guy who could dominate inside. We could switch everything on defense, which made us really good.

After retiring you became a TV analyst for the Red Wolves: how did you like it, and what do you hope to do in the future? ESPN3 covers games across the country and I was fortunate to do several games for them last year. Basketball has been part of my life since the 3rd grade and I still go to the arena to watch games.

Your grandson Noah Gatlin played football at Arkansas: who is the best athlete in the family? He is the best athlete: he is 6’7” and 300 pounds and works out with a special trainer. There is no doubt that he has great footwork and is still so young but we think that he has a bright future.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? Regardless of your profession you want to be remembered as someone who cared. I tried to develop our team and make us the best that we could be because that is all we can do. I hope that people look back and say that I gave it everything I had.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Dec 9

Posted on December 9, 2021 by David Griggs

UNDER THE RADAR:

-For our latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-We get into this in more detail on the show, but the Under the Radar teams that could make a run at the bubble are starting to emerge.  Everyone knows what Iona has done, and their win against Alabama is looking bigger and bigger.  Monmouth (who is in the same conference as Iona) also may be emerging.  They’ve got a big win tonight.  Belmont is another team that we really like who has put together some big wins and has some more coming up.  And Chattanooga has some tough road tests against other good UTR teams, so if they can pick up some wins in those games we have to start thinking they may make a run at an at-large.

 

NEWS AND NOTES:

-So a lot of the games I was looking forward to last night, particularly the measuring stick games for teams like Wyoming and Weber State, turned out to be duds.  Wyoming was down by 20 to Arizona seemingly when the game tipped off and just never got any closer, and Weber State was blasted into the sun by Washington State.

-UConn seemed to have every chance int he world to get a big road win at West Virginia, but just couldn’t get the ball in the basket on their last few possessions and fell 56-53.

-Michigan State handed Minnesota their first loss of the year and picked up what looks to be (at least for now) a nice road win.

-Indiana had perhaps the best first half that any team has had all season!!  They built a 20ish point lead on the road against a VERY good Wisconsin team and appeared to be making the statement of all statement.  Then, the second half started, and you do have to credit Wisconsin for playing their way back into it and outscoring the Hoosiers 39-17 in the second half and escaping with a 64-59 win.  I complimented IU on how well they played in the first half, and because I did that, IU Twitter now hates me.  I don’t blame them.

-BYU held serve against a very good Utah State team, which was a nice feel good win over a Beehive rival.  They’ve actually put together two nice wins since falling at Utah Valley, so the Cougars are still in great shape.

-Dayton had been on a roll after getting rolled over in their first couple of games, but didn’t quite have enough muscle to get the win at SMU last night.  It’s not easy to win at SMU, but like I always say it’s not easy to land inside the bubble either.  To do it you have to win games that are hard to win.

-Marquette got another really nice win as they knocked off Kansas State on the road 64-63.  It is the first road win of the season for Marquette, and it was a tough one, so this helps them out a lot.

-San Francisco is now 10-0, and while their hasn’t been a gauntlet, it hasn’t been a pastry cart either.  They beat a pretty good Fresno State team last night 71-63, and I think they’ve done enough to where some of the voters should at least be voting for them.  I’m sure the committee has noticed them.  They notice everything.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-TEXAS AT SETON HALL.  Both teams are in the top 25, and both have played well with some pretty impressive wins already.  Texas is still looking for their first true road win (their only other attempt was at Gonzaga, so no shame there) and this would be a huge protected seed caliber win if they were to get it.  Seton Hall has a nice win against Michigan, but this would also be really big even though they are at home.

-PURDUE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  I don’t think Rutgers can even compete with Purdue despite the fact that they’re at home.

-MONMOUTH AT SAINT JOHN’S.  Iona is getting all the love out of the MAAC, but Monmouth has a pretty strong resume as well, and it will be a lot stronger if they can pick this one up on the road.  A win here means you have to start thinking of them as a potential NCAA Tournament team.  The Johnnies are 6-2 on the year with all six wins coming at home and they still don’t have a notable win yet.

-IOWA AT IOWA STATE.  This game is always crazy.  I think everyone knows it’s a rivalry, but I don’t think many outside the state of Iowa realize just how bonkers of a rivalry it is.  Iowa State is off to a shocking 8-0 start and has a well deserved ranking of #17.  Iowa comes in at a respectable 7-2, but this would easily be their biggest win of the season up to this point.  Both on and off paper.

-GRAND CANYON AT ARIZONA STATE.  Grand Canyon is on our radar, but barely.  They’re 8-1, but haven’t played a tough schedule and would pretty much need to come close to running the table to get inside the bubble.  This would be a nice road win for them, but Arizona State still doesn’t look like a team that you can hang your NCAAT Tournament resume on.

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

-Bethune Cookman @ NC State
-Merrimack @ Gonzaga

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Under the Radar | 2 Comments

Under the Radar: December 8th

Posted on December 8, 2021 by David Griggs

Chad, Rocco, and David look at the 22 Under the Radar conferences and discuss how the other than Loyola Chicago the Missouri Valley has been kind of disappointing, James Madison’s big win against Virginia and what that means for their season since they’re not eligible for the Colonial Tournament, how well Iona and Monmouth have played out of the Metro Atlantic, how strong Belmont has looked this season, how a lot of the teams in the SoCon have played better than expected and what a big week it is for Chattanooga, and more!!  And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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