Under The Radar: Nov 17th

Posted on November 17, 2021 by David Griggs

Chad, Zach, and David are back for the first Under the Radar of the season!!  Tonight’s feature conference is the MEAC, which is off to a better than usual start, and where Howard has looked impressive.  From there we run through the other 21 UTR leagues and discuss Vermont’s good start, the struggles in the Missouri Valley, Furman’s big win at Louisville and near big win at Belmont, Iona’s 3-0 start, and much more!!  And as we do every week, we close with our 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

Happy Anniversary!: HoopsHD interviews Jackson State legend Purvis Short

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The Warriors franchise has featured some of the greatest scorers in NBA history, from Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in Philadelphia to Steph Curry’s NBA-best 32 PPG last season for Golden State. 1 who should not be forgotten is Purvis Short, who remains the all-time leading scorer in Jackson State history with 2434 PTS and averaged 19.4 PPG during his 9 seasons in the Bay Area. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Purvis about being a great scorer and getting drafted 1 spot ahead of Larry Bird. Today marks the 37th anniversary of Purvis’ career-high scoring game when he had 59 PTS on November 17, 1984 so we take this time to remember that remarkable achievement.

Growing up you allegedly developed a shot with a very high arc because your father would play defense against you by holding a broom up in the air: was anyone ever able to block your shot? Actually it was my high school coach (Johnny Hurtt) who helped me develop my jump shot. He was a great fundamental teacher who taught me everything about shooting. He believed that the higher the arc, the softer the shot (which would have a greater chance of going in). Early on I could not grasp the concept because I was a line-drive jump shooter. Every day after practice during my sophomore year he would have me shoot over a broomstick in order to develop an arc. I had to end every practice by making 15 shots in a row on the move from 15-20 feet. He gets a lot of the credit because he laid the foundation.

Your older brother Gene was selected 9th overall by the Knicks in the 1975 draft after an All-American career at Jackson State: who was a better player, and how much of a factor was he in your own decision to go to Jackson State? I have always said that Eugene was a much better player. He was a tremendously gifted athlete who did everything well, whereas I had to always work hard to get better. He was the reason I went to Jackson State: I always wanted to play on the same team as him.

As a senior you scored 29.5 PPG, which was #3 in the nation behind Freeman Williams/Larry Bird: what is the secret to being a great scorer? The secret to being a great scorer is having great fundamentals, great footwork, and a great work ethic.

You were a 3-time All-American: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It was really a great honor: going to a small school and being recognized as 1 of the best players in the country was tremendous: it gave hope to other kids in Mississippi.

You finished your career with 2434 PTS/969 REB: what position did you feel most comfortable at on the court, and how were you able to get so many rebounds despite being only 6’7”? My rebounding ability was average. My most comfortable position was SF: the fact that I played SG/SF during college really helped in my transition to the NBA.

In the summer of 1978 you were picked 5th overall by Golden State (1 spot ahead of Bird): did you see that as a validation of your college career or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA? Both: it was unbelievable and a dream come true! All those years of dreaming about being an NBA player, all of the hard work and sacrifices, growing up in Mississippi, going to a small HBCU: I still have to pinch myself.

At the end of your 1st season you were named to the NBA All-Rookie team: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the NBA, and what sort of expectation did that create for you heading into your 2nd year? I think what helped was going to a team where I got the opportunity to play, a great coach in Al Attles, and the chance to learn from 1 of the game’s best in Pete Newell. I started working with Pete after I got to the Warriors: he is the reason for my success/longevity. Pete is a Hall of Famer on every level and refined my offensive game with his techniques about footwork.

Despite being known primarily as a scorer, in 1981 you held Bird to 0 PTS in 37 minutes (the 1st time he went scoreless in his college/pro career): how on earth were you able to keep him from scoring? I have no idea: perhaps the stars were aligned or maybe he was sick that night! I do not think it was my defense: my best defense was my offense.

On November 17, 1984, you scored a career-high 59 PTS in a game against New Jersey: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was that rare moment that all athletes strive for: that mental place where you are in control of everything. Everything slows down, the basket seems twice the size, and you just know that every shot you take is going to go in. I still remember that game as if it was yesterday.

In 1985 you scored 28 PPG, which was #4 in the league behind Bernard King/Bird/Michael Jordan: did you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the league, and who was the best defender you ever faced? All of the hard work was paying off and I did feel like I was 1 of the best offensive players in the league. The best defender I ever faced was Michael Cooper.

In 1987 your team lost to the eventual champion Lakers in the Western Conference Finals: what is the biggest difference between the regular season and the playoffs, and where does that Lakers team rank among the best you have ever seen? The playoffs are totally different from the regular season. It is like night and day: everything is tougher, every play is important, and the intensity is off the chart. That Lakers’ team was tremendous so I think they were 1 of the best. Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/James Worthy/Byron Scott/Cooper: it does not get any better than that!

You averaged 17.3 PPG during your 12-year career but some people refer to you as “the best player in NBA history not to make an All-Star team”: how satisfied are you with your career, and how on earth did you not make an All-Star team? I am very satisfied with my career. Every time I stepped onto the court I gave my all and tried to put on a good show for the people who paid their hard-earned money to come watch us. As far as the All-Star team I have no regrets: I gave my best effort and controlled the things I could. It just did not work out but I still had 12 of the greatest years of my life.

In 1990 you took a year off and left the NBA: why did you decide to step away from the game, and what did you do during that year? Basketball had taken its toll and my skills were starting to erode so I had no contract offers. I tried to get a job but there were just no takers.

In 1991 you decided to play in Israel, where you reached the finals of the playoffs before losing the decisive Game 5 to your arch rival Maccabi Tel Aviv: how close did you come to winning the title, and what was the biggest difference between the NBA and Israeli basketball? Israel was a great experience: we came within a couple of plays of winning the title. Maccabi had a great team featuring Mike Mitchell and some other good players. The biggest difference between the NBA and Israeli basketball is that in the NBA you face the greatest players on earth each and every night.

You later served as director of the National Basketball Players Association’s Player Services Department: what did you do as director, and what kind of services did your organization provide? Programs were designed/developed to assist players with the many new and transitional aspects of NBA life. Through the use of varied innovative/interactive programs, our department provides players with the necessary education/tools/support/guidance for entry and longevity in the NBA, as well as helping them develop and explore their off-court interests. These individual adjustments/challenges are different for each player. Programs have been tailored to meet the individual and group needs of our membership. The National Basketball Players Association (through its Player Program Department) provides education/support on issues including (but not limited to) Financial Education, Substance Abuse/Mental Health Issues, Health Education, and Career Development. The Players Association cares about the health/well-being of its players and recognizes that a variety of issues or personal problems can disrupt their personal/work lives.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Nov 17th

Posted on November 17, 2021 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Seton Hall trialed Michigan most of the game, but kept it within reach.  Then down the stretch The Hall started reaching more, and more, and more.  Then they got the lead and ended up holding on to it when time ran out for a huge road win against 4th ranked Michigan.  At the end of any college basketball season you can usually count the number of times a top five team lost at home on one hand.  Granted, it’s early, and who knows if Michigan will end up in the top five, but my point is that this was a hugely impressive win for Seton Hall!

-BYU picked up a hugely impressive win against Oregon, who they blew off the floor.  The game was in Portland, so it wasn’t quite the same as a home game, but it was a pro-Oregon crowd, so it was a really surprising and impressive win for the Cougars.

-Nebraska fell to Creighton in the other Gavitt Games game.  The Big Ten has won a lot of buy games, but has yet to win anything else.  Their next win of note will be their first

-Saint Louis had looked good early on, and there were questions about Memphis (at least from me) regarding how well they’d be able to play together.  Well…the answer is…pretty well!!  Memphis blew SLU off the court last night, and looked very much deserving of their #11 ranking.

-Alabama had to sweat out South Alabama, and actually trialed late in the game, but finally got control in the final couple of minutes for the 73-68 win.

-Virginia is making the loss to Navy look like less and less of a fluke.  To be fair, Houston is an excellent team, but they just manhandled the Hoos last night in a 67-47 win that didn’t even feel like it was that close when watching it.

-North Carolina picked up a nice early season road win at Charleston 94-83.  I don’t mean that as a backhanded compliment.  Those are the kinds of road games that NCAA Tournament teams should be able to win most of the time, but they aren’t easy games to win, and while they can win most of them, they usually can’t win all of them.  Give the Heels some credit for winning on the road against an under the radar team that probably won’t lose too many games at home this year.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-GEORGE MASON AT MARYLAND.  We weren’t expecting all that much out of George Mason this year, but they do come into this one 3-0 and have the chance (albeit a very difficult one) to make a huge statement about how they belong in the national picture.  Maryland is also 3-0, but this will be their toughest test of the season up to this point.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT RHODE ISLAND.  We aren’t expecting big things from either team, but as of now both are unbeaten and this would be an early season momentum building win.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT BUTLER (Gavitt Tipoff Games).  The Big East has won every game of the Gavitt Games so far, but this appears to be one that’s slanted in the Big Ten’s favor.  Michigan state, like the rest of the Big Ten, is still looking for their first win of note.

-TOLEDO AT OAKLAND.  We will highlight this one because Toledo is unbeaten (albeit untested) and Oakland is 1-1 with a win at Oklahoma State, so while neither of them may be inside the bubble come March, at Present they are both off to a good start, so we’ll keep highlighting them until they give us a reason not to.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT ARKANSAS.  I don’t know what happened to the Northern Iowa team that won 23 games two years ago.  All those players are back, but they haven’t looked good at all in their first few games.  We had this one circled as a big chance for them to pickup a quality win, and it still is, but based on how they’ve played it could end up looking like just another ordinary buy game.  Arkansas has a fantastic team this year and is well deserving of their top 25 ranking.

-VCU AT VANDERBILT.  Vandy is currently 2-0 and while we think VCU has some potential, they already have a somewhat head-scratching loss.  It’s early, but this game still has a feel of urgency to it for both teams.

-NC STATE VS OKLAHOMA STATE (Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase).  This game is at the Mohegan Sun, and it’s unfortunate that the story line isn’t a little better.  Oklahoma State is (arguably unfairly) ineligible for the NCAA Tournament this year, but can still be viewed as a quality opponent for the teams they play when evaluating their resumes.  NC State is unbeaten, but it’s a very unimpressive 3-0.  They are looking for their first win of note.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT INDIANA (Gavitt Tipoff Games).  Both teams are unbeaten, but they are also untested, so we should learn something about both of them today.  The Johnnies have some expectations this year, so this would be a  nice early season win for them.

BUY GAMES AND OTHER GAMES WORTH MENTIONING:

-Houston Baptist @ Texas A&M
-Long Island @ UConn
-Drexel @ Saint Joseph’s (Big Five Plus One) – Big Five games are fun!  And Joe’s is looking to remain unbeaten
-Lipscomb @ Dayton – it’s a buy game, but Dayton better watch out in this one
-Charleston Southern @ Wake Forest
-Marist @ Princeton – Princeton probably won’t be inside the bubble come March, but they do have some nice early season wins so far
-Saint Peter’s @ Wagner – a win gets Wagner to 3-0, and they’ve already got a nice win at VCU
-Central Arkansas @ Baylor
-Detroit Mercy @ Mississippi State
-Montana State @ South Dakota State – South Dakota State can improve to 3-1
-Tulane @ Florida State
-Omaha @ Kansas State
-Northern Colorado @ Texas – Northern Colorado is likely overmatched, but they are off to a decent 3-1 start
-Missouri State @ Sam Houston – Missouri State already has a surprising loss early and can’t afford too many more strikes
-Prairie View A&M @ Grand Canyon – win gets the Lopes to 3-0
-UC Davis @ Pepperdine – UC Davis can pick up a road win and improve to 3-0
-Little Rock @ LMU – Little Rock can improve to 4-0 with a win
-Bellarmine @ Saint Mary’s
-North Florida @ UCLA
-UC Riverside @ San Diego – a chance for UCR to pick up another road win.  They’ve already got one at Arizona State

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Nov 17th

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Nov 16

Posted on November 16, 2021 by David Griggs

For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Marquette got a huge home win last night against Illinois 67-66.  The Illini weren’t quite at full strength and struggled with turning the ball over, but it’s still a big early season win for Marquette that gives both their resume and their confidence a huge boost.

-Liberty stayed with LSU for about 30 minutes and actually held a lead for much of the game, but LSU got control and pulled away down the stretch to stay unbeaten.  This isn’t a season defining win for LSU by any means, but Liberty is a good team and it’s at least a solid win for the Tigers.

-Furman and Belmont was close all throughout, but in the latter stages of the second half Furman appeared to be in control.  With less than 10 seconds to play Furman appeared to be in control, but they fouled a 3pt shooter, he drained all 3 freethrows to tie the game, and Furman could not convert on their last possession.  Belmont took that momentum into overtime and pulled out a really nice win.  As for Furman, it was a missed opportunity, but I wouldn’t exactly call this a damaging loss.  Belmont is good, they may not lose at home all season, and Furman also has a road win at Louisville on their resume.

-Buffalo picked up their first road win at North Texas in a game that they had to come from behind and win.  North Texas probably isn’t quite as good as they were a year ago, but it’s still a nice win for the Bulls against a team that will likely lose very few games at home this year.

-We thought Kansas City would be improved this year and we didn’t think Mizzou would be any good at all, but to see Kansas City totally dump-truck Mizzou was still a big surprise.  The final score was 80-66, but for much of the second half the lead was around 20 for the Roos.

-Providence got a really big early season road win at Wisconsin 63-58.  The game was not a blowout by any means, but Providence lead through most of it and was seemingly always in control.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-UMASS LOWELL AT OKLAHOMA STATE.  UMass Lowell is coming off a surprising win at Dayton that got our attention.  If they can some how follow that up with a win in this one, then they will REALLY have our attention.

-CREIGHTON AT NEBRASKA (Gavitt Tipoff Games).  It’s a rivalry game, and it’s an early season win that both teams could really use right now.  We aren’t forecasting either team to be there in March, but this game will give the winner some early season momentum.

-GEORGIA STATE AT RICHMOND.  We really like this Richmond team, but they have already suffered an early loss and are looking to rebound.  Georgia State is coming in 2-0 and looking for what should be a big resume building road win.

-HOFSTRA AT IONA.  This is an under the radar game worth keeping an eye on.  Hofstra put up a hell of a fight in their opener at Houston and followed that up with a road win at Duquesne.  Iona is 2-0 and appears to be one of the better teams in the MAAC who won’t be easy to beat at home.

-SAINT LOUIS AT MEMPHIS.  When SLU lost so many key players to injuries before the start of the season, it was kind of easy to blow them off, but they have looked good in their first two games.  Even though neither opponent was all that strong, they still blew through them.  Memphis has tons of talent, but the question is whether or not that talent can come together.  This is the first real test for either team, and it should be a good one.

-VIRGINIA AT HOUSTON.  Virginia has high expectations this year, but they are still looking to bounce back from an opening loss to Navy.  Houston also has high expectations, and while they’ve avoided an early loss so far, they’ve also struggled.  Both teams should improve as the season goes on, and this is a good early test for both of them tonight with a chance to get a nice resume building win.

-CHICAGO STATE AT LOYOLA CHICAGO.  Both teams are unbeaten!!  Both teams have won two games against D1 opponents!!  So, if we didn’t highlight this one, Chad Sherwood would have let me hear about it!  In all seriousness, Chicago State has a chance to win their biggest game in my lifetime tonight.  I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLESTON.  An early season road game that UNC shouldn’t have too much trouble with, but they did struggle with Brown their last time out and Charleston is 3-0 on the season under new head coach Pat Kelsey.

-SETON HALL AT MICHIGAN (Gavitt Tipoff Games).  Both teams come in unbeaten, and for the most part untested, although Michigan did beat a pretty good Buffalo team in their opener.  Michigan is way up in the rankings and appears to have the superior team, but it’s a chance for Seton Hall to make a major statement early on, and perhaps pick up what would probably turn out to be one of their most impressive wins of the season.

-NEVADA AT SANTA CLARA.  Nevada is in a bit of a rebuild mode, and Santa Clara is a potential dark horse.  They already have a win against Stanford and a win tonight gets them to 3-0.

-BYU AT OREGON.  A really fun early season match-up between a BYU team that we think is a solid NCAA team, and an Oregon team that we think is a solid protected seed.  Both teams are 2-0, and both have already had a reasonably good test with BYU beating San Diego State and Oregon toppling SMU.

BUY GAMES AND OTHERS WORTH MENTIONING:

-USC @ FGCU – Interesting road game for the Trojans as Andy Enfield returns to Dunk City where he had his fantastic Sweet Sixteen run.
-Miami FL @ Florida Atlantic – Another interesting road game.  Perhaps a chance to pad the road wins on their resume?
-Howard @ Villanova – both teams unbeaten
-Wright State @ Purdue
-Gardner Webb @ Duke
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Kentucky
-Colgate @ Cornell – worth keeping an eye on.  Cornell has won two road games and Colgate gave NC State all they wanted over the weekend
-Winthrop @ Middle Tennessee – both teams 2-0
-James Madison @ Eastern Kentucky – both teams unbeaten
-Alabama A&M @ Cincinnati
-Johnson & Wales (nonD1) @ Brown
-NJIT @ Rutgers
-Jacksonville @ UCF – both teams unbeaten
-South Alabama @ Alabama
-Murray State @ Illinois State – Murray can get to 3-0
-Alabama State @ Iowa State
-Tarleton @ Wichita State
-New Orleans @ Northwestern
-Central Connecticut @ NC State
-High Point @ Notre Dame
-American @ Georgetown – one of these teams is unbeaten and it’s not Georgetown
-NC Central @ Iowa
-North Dakota State @ Arizona – NDSU will do well in the Summit League, but they’re probably overmatched tonight

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Nov 16

The Hoops HD Report: Nov 15th

Posted on November 15, 2021 by David Griggs

Week 1 is in the books!!  The group looks back at some of the big games from the opening week, including Gonzaga’s blowout win against Texas and UCLA’s overtime thriller against Gonzaga.  They begin in the West Coast to where in addition to Gonzaga, some other teams in the league have racked up notable early season wins.  They run through all the major conferences, look at some of the notable performances (as well as some of the notable shortcomings) that we’ve seen this season, discuss how strong the Big Ten is and debate whether or not it’s being a little overvalued, and the great start that the Big East is off to.  All that, and more!!

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

Posted in Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Merit Rankings (and Bracket Projections) From The Puppet, Nov 15th

Posted on November 15, 2021 by David Griggs

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

For Jon Teitel’s coverage of this weekend’s DC Area games – CLICK HERE

Okay, so before we go any further I want to make sure everyone knows what they are looking at.  This IS NOT a ranking of how good I believe the teams actually are, or how good I think they will be at the end of the year.  It is simply a ranking with one central question in mind “How hard was it to win the games that the teams have won?”  Nothing more.  I think Villanova is clearly better than Oakland, but Villanova hasn’t (yet) won a game that’s as difficult to win as Oakland’s win at Oklahoma State.  Very few teams have.  That’s why Oakland is ranked so far ahead of so many teams that are likely better than they are.  I also feel that going on the road and winning, even if it is against an under the radar team that isn’t all that good, is still harder to do than winning a home buy game.  When it comes to merit, winning home buy games pretty much get you none.

Right now, I go out of my way to avoid trying to speculate how good teams actually are.  I’m merely trying to measure them on merit.  It is a weird way to do it.  So far as I know, no one else does it this way.  But…it’s the way that I personally like to do it.  It gets me in the habit of evaluating teams based on how I think they should be evaluated with no bias or prejudice or assumption in play.  And, it does allow me to identify teams that are better than what I would assume a little sooner than normal each year.  So, without further ado, here are the admitted unpractical, unreliable, and inaccurate rankings after Week 1.  And…sure…why not just take a few more minutes to bracket them??

  1. DUKE – 3-0, win vs Kentucky
  2. KANSAS – 2-0, neutral win vs Michigan State
  3. UCLA – 2-0, home buy win, home win vs Villanova
  4. GONZAGA – 2-0, blowout home win vs Texas
  5. OAKLAND – 1-1, loss @ West Virginia, win @ Oklahoma State
  6. FURMAN – 1-0 in D1 games, win @ Louisville
  7. Virginia Tech – 2-0, win @ Navy
  8. UCF – 2-0, win @ Miami FL
  9. UC DAVIS – 2-0, win @ Utah State
  10. WAGNER – 2-0, home win vs Hartford, win @ VCU
  11. VERMONT – 1-1, win @ Northern Iowa, loss @ Maryland
  12. OHIO U – 2-0, home win vs Belmont, win @ Cleveland State
  13. UMass Lowell – 2-0, win @ Dayton
  14. NAVY – 1-1, home loss to VA Tech, win @ Virginia
  15. Miami OH – 2-0, wins @ Georgia Tech, vs Lamar
  16. Oregon – 2-0, home buy win, home win vs SMU
  17. Usc – 2-0, home buy win, win @ Temple
  18. FLORIDA – 2-0, home win vs Florida State
  19. NICHOLLS – 1-0, win @ Northern Iowa
  20. Northern Illinois – 1-1, win @ Washington, loss @ Indiana
  21. The Citadel – 1-0 vs D1, win @ Pitt
  22. West Virginia – 2-0 at home, win vs Pitt
  23. NORTHERN COLORADO – 3-0, 2 D1 wins, neutral vs Pacific, @ Hawaii
  24. Byu – 2-0, home by win, home win vs San Diego State
  25. MICHIGAN – 2-0, buy win vs PV A&M, home win vs Buffalo
  26. Iowa State – 2-0, home buy win, home win vs Oregon State
  27. Boston College – 2-0 in buy games, home win vs Dartmouth
  28. DARTMOUTH – 1-1, win @ Georgetown, loss @ Boston College
  29. GEORGIA SOUTHERN – 2-0, win @ South Florida
  30. Colorado – 2-0, home wins vs Montana State and New Mexico
  31. Cincinnati – 2-0 at home, wins vs Evansville and Georgia
  32. EASTERN KENTUCKY – 1-0 vs D1, win @ Milwaukee
  33. Toledo – 2-0, win @ Valpo, home win vs Detroit
  34. Princeton – 1-1 vs D1, neutral win vs South Carolina, loss vs Minnesota
  35. Cornell – 2-0, road wins @ Binghamton and Lafayette
  36. HOFSTRA – 1-1, win @ Duquesne, loss @ Houston
  37. Delaware – 1-1, win @ Siena, loss @ Davidson
  38. Louisiana – 1-0 vs D1, win @ Southern Miss
  39. Binghamton – 1-1, home loss to Cornell, win @ Sacred Heart
  40. Njit – 1-1, home loss to Merrimack, win @ Lehigh
  41. Alabama – 2-0, home wins vs LA Tech and South Dakota State
  42. Maryland – 3-0, 2 buy game wins, 1 win vs Vermont
  43. Youngstown State – 1-1, loss @ Penn State, win @ SEMO
  44. SEMO – 1-1, win @ Missouri State, home loss vs Youngstown State
  45. UNC Greensboro – 2-0, win @ Northern Kentucky
  46. WESTERN ILLINOIS – 1-0 vs D1, win @ Nebraska
  47. South Dakota State – 2-1, home win vs Bradley, win @ SFA
  48. Chattanooga – 2-0, win @ LMU
  49. Uic – 1-1, loss @ Dayton, win @ Valpo
  50. MONMOUTH – 1-1, loss @ Charlote, win @ Towson
  51. HOWARD – 1-0 in D1 games, win @ Bradley
  52. North Dakota State – 1-0 vs D1, win @ Cal Poly
  53. Long Beach State – 1-0, road win @ Idaho
  54. Marist – 1-1. Loss @ American, win @ Columbia
  55. CAMPBELL – 1-1, neutral win vs Hartford, loss @ Duke
  56. SOUTHERN – 1-1, loss @ Louisville, win @ Tulane
  57. Texas – 1-1, home buy win, loss @ Gonzaga
  58. SETON HALL – 2-0, both buy games, but one was against Yale
  59. South Carolina – 2-1, home buy win, neutral win vs WKU, loss vs Princeton
  60. South Dakota – 1-1, neutral win vs Air Force, road loss @ Drake
  61. San Francisco – 3-0, all home wins, Davidson is the best win
  62. Villanova – 1-1, buy game win, loss @ UCLA
  63. Baylor – 1-0 in buy games
  64. Kentucky – 1-1, home buy win, neutral loss vs Duke
  65. Ohio State – 2-0 in buy games
  66. Illinois – 2-0 in buy games
  67. Houston – 2-0 in buy games
  68. Purdue – 2-0 in buy games
  69. North Carolina – 2-0 in buy games
  70. Florida State – 1-1, buy win vs Penn, loss at Florida
  71. NEW MEXICO STATE – 2-0, home wins vs UCI and UTEP
  72. Memphis – 2-0 in buy games
  73. Auburn – 2-0 in buy games
  74. Texas Tech – 2-0 in buy games
  75. SAINT BONAVENTURE – 2-0 in buy games
  76. UConn – 2-0 in buy games
  77. COLORADO STATE – 2-0 in buy games
  78. Oklahoma – 2-0 in buy games
  79. Wisconsin – 2-0 in buy games
  80. Clemson – 2-0 in buy games
  81. LOYOLA CHICAGO – 2-0 in buy games
  82. NC State – 2-0 in buy games
  83. Smu – 2-0 in buy games
  84. Drake – 1-0 in buy games
  85. Mississippi State – 2-0 in buy games
  86. Iowa – 2-0 in buy games
  87. Creighton – 2-0 in buy games
  88. Wake Forest – 2-0 in buy games
  89. Notre Dame – 1-0 in buy games
  90. Saint Louis – 2-0 in D1 buy games
  91. Marquette – 2-0 in buy games
  92. Wichita State – 2-0 in buy games
  93. UAB – 2-0 in buy games
  94. Rhode Island – 2-0 in buy games
  95. Providence – 2-0 in buy games
  96. Richmond – 1-1 – home buy win, neutral loss vs Utah State
  97. San Diego State – 1-1, buy game win, loss @ BYU
  98. Little Rock – 1-0 vs D1, home win vs Southern Illinois
  99. Butler – 3-0 in buy games
  100. Tcu – 1-0 in buy games
  101. Kansas State – 1-0 in buy games
  102. Xavier – 2-0 in buy games
  103. Saint John’s – 2-0 in buy games
  104. Indiana – 2-0 in buy games
  105. Arizona – 2-0 in buy games
  106. Rutgers – 2-0 in buy games
  107. George Mason – 2-0 in buy games
  108. Northwestern – 2-0 in buy games
  109. DePaul – 2-0 in buy games
  110. Penn State – 1-0 in buy games
  111. Towson – 1-1, road win @ Albany, home loss vs Monmouth
  112. Colgate – 1-1, home win vs Northeastern, loss @ NC State
  113. Virginia – 1-1 in buy games, lost to Navy
  114. Tennessee – 2-0 in buy games
  115. Texas A&M – 3-0 in buy games
  116. Arkansas – 2-0 in buy games
  117. Utah – 2-0 in buy games
  118. Lsu – 2-0 in buy games
  119. Saint Mary’s – 2-0 in buy games
  120. Missouri – 1-0 in buy games
  121. Louisville – 1-1 in buy games, lost to Furman
  122. Sacred Heat – 1-2, win @ La Salle, losses @ Providence, vs Binghamton
  123. Washington State – 2-0 in buy games
  124. Ole Miss – 2-0 in buy games
  125. Vanderbilt – 2-0 in buy games
  126. Santa Clara – 2-0 in buy games

-So, this is always amusing to look at.  A First Four game between Villanova and Baylor on the #16 line with the winner taking on Duke is probably something that you will not see at the end of the year as things play out more.  You probably (well…most definitely) won’t see so many Under the Radar teams with protected seeds either.  But, as of now, after Week 1, those teams have played and won on the road, and many of the bigger programs have not.  So, if you’re trying to go strictly off of merit, then this is how it looks.

Posted in Bracketology, News and Notes | Tagged | Comments Off on Merit Rankings (and Bracket Projections) From The Puppet, Nov 15th