Before you look at the bracket, I want to make sure you know what you’re looking at. This is a CHECKPOINT of CURRENT MERIT. It is NOT an attempt to select or seed teams based on how good I think they actually are, nor is it an attempt to guess what the real committee will do in March. I’m really just asking myself one question: How hard was it for this team to win the games that they’ve won?? I’ve tried to guess the real committee before, and I am terrible at it. We have other people on this site who do that. So, the bracket probably looks ridiculous if you’re looking for something that predicts the committee.
Since this is a Merit Based bracket, here is a list of teams that I believe to be good, but have zero in terms of merit as of today: Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Wake Forest, Wyoming, Ohio State, Villanova, Wisconsin, UCLA, Florida State, Syracuse, San Francisco
ON THE BOARD, BUT NOT IN THE BRACKET: Stanford, LSU, Virginia, Georgia, Texas A&M, Northwestern, George Mason, Washington, William & Mary, VCU, George Washington
COMMENTS FROM THE PUPPET:
-Michigan blew through the Players Era. They’ve played a tough schedule, won all their games, and beat several good teams by a lot of points. They have a solid case for being the #1 overall seed, but I still went with Arizona. The win at UConn was just too good to overlook. I think it’s the best win anyone has so far, and may end up being the best singular win any team manages this season.
-I know it’s early and that we’ve only played about half a football season in terms of games, but having said that, I’d be willing to bet that more than half of the teams that are in this bracket as protected seeds end up as protected seeds in March.
-I like Utah State and Dayton a lot, but I don’t think either one of them will end up as protected seeds. Still, they’re off to really good starts.
-I like McNeese and Tulsa a lot, but I don’t think either one of them will end up seeded as high as the 6 line come March, especially not McNeese. It is possible that McNeese can make a run at landing inside the bubble if they can blow through the rest of their schedule.
-Utah State got a scare from Montana State, but held on to win 84-81 and remain unbeaten on the year. Montana State is just 3-5, but they’ve played a tough schedule and should make some noise in the Big Sky.
-Wy0ming gave Texas Tech an absolute battle, but came up just short 76-72 in a game that wasn’t decided until there was less than a minute to go. Given how well the Cowboys played, and given how poor most of the rest of the MWC has been so far, Wyoming could be set up for a very big year.
-Yale improved to 7-1 on the year and picked up their 3rd true road win by knocking off Vermont 77-74. Yale had a lead for most of the game, but Vermont kept it within arms reach and almost tied it up at the end. It’s another notable road game for Yale against a team that isn’t likely to lose too many at home.
-Saint Bonaventure picked up their first true road win of the year and improve to 7-1 overall after knocking off FAU 70-65.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-TEMPLE AT VILLANOVA (Big 5). Nova is off to a very respectable 5-1 start with the only loss being a close game to BYU in their opener. They still don’t have any big wins yet, and while this is a rivalry game this also won’t qualify as a big win, but Nova should hold serve and may be good enough to make some noise this season.
-CALIFORNIA BAPTIST AT COLORADO. This is going to be a fun one. We knew that Cal Baptist would be good, but I don’t think we expected them to be 7-0 and have some of the wins that they do. We didn’t really expect Colorado to be good at all, but they’re also 7-0. This is a resume building opportunity for both teams, and is especially important for Cal Baptist because they have so few of these.
-UAB @ Middle Tennessee – UAB is 6-2 on the year, but their overall profile isn’t that impressive yet and they don’t have any true road wins yet
-McNeese @ Incarnate Word (Southland) – conference play opens tonight!! McNeese looks like the best team, but they aren’t just going to cakewalk through this conference
-Portland @ Stanford – Stanford is off to a somewhat surprising 6-1 start and should be able to hold serve at home tonight
-Tarleton State @ Cincinnati -Saint Francis @ Xavier -Coe (nonD1) @ Northern Iowa -Bowling Green @ Kansas State
-UConn kept Illinois at arms length for pretty much the entire game and ran away with a 74-61 win at MSG. The Huskies actually never trailed in the game and at no point did it feel like they were in any danger of losing it.
-Dayton and BYU seesawed back and forth in the championship game of the ESPN Events Invitational. Dayton got a lead early, then BYU came back and built up a lead of their own, and then Dayton made big plays in the second half with seemingly each team coming up with big shots in key possessions down the stretch, but BYU survived 83-79. This loss won’t hurt Dayton at all, but a win could have really helped them in terms of building up their resume. The Flyers looked really good in this event despite the loss and should have the kind of team that will land inside the bubble.
-Vanderbilt absolutely clobbered Saint Mary’s 96-71 to win the Battle 4 Atlantis. It was hands down their most impressive showing of the year.
-San Francisco, who was a team we thought would end up inside the bubble, has not looked anything like an NCAA Tournament team so far this season. They were beaten rather handily by a so-so Nevada team yesterday 81-65 and now fall to a very modest 5-3 on the year with no real quality wins to speak of.
-Oklahoma edged out Marquette 75-74 in Chicago. Marquette has struggled all year long and is now just 4-4 on the year with no real wins of note on their profile.
-Colorado is now 7-0 after beating Washington 81-68 to win the Acrisure Holiday Classic. The Buffs are much better than we expected and are definitely worth keeping an eye on.
-Texas A&M, who has been very blah all season long, was not blah at all yesterday. They just blew Florida State off the floor 95-59 and looked a lot more like the team we were expecting them to be than what we had seen prior to yesterday. Florida State was a team that appeared to be playing pretty well coming into yesterday, but were totally blown off the court.
-TCU continues to roll after beating Wisconsin rather handily 74-63. The Horned Frogs have rebounded from their season opening loss to New Orleans, have started to build up a pretty solid profile, and are showing that they are capable of continuing to rack up big wins as the season goes on.
-Miami FL jumped out big and early on Georgetown and basically just coasted the rest of the way to a 78-65 win. The Hoyas had looked really solid coming into this event, but after losing in overtime to Dayton it’s as if they didn’t even bother showing up against Miami.
-Saint Louis, after picking up a really impressive win against Santa Clara two days ago, fell somewhat surprisingly to Stanford yesterday 78-77. Stanford is not a team that we expected much out of at all, but with this win the Cardinal are 6-1 on the year and suddenly have our attention.
-SMU needed overtime at Mississippi State, but pulled out the 87-81 win to pick up their first true road win of the season and remain unbeaten on the year.
-Ohio State suffered their first loss of the year at Pittsburgh 67-66 in a game that was a bit of a surprise. It was the first true road game for the Buckeyes, but Pitt had simply looked awful all year long so one sort of expected that Ohio State would win without too much trouble.
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-Due to time and travel commitments, we are making this a Double-Daily Rundown.
SATURDAY, NOV 29TH:
-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE. This is, without question, the game of the day!! It is perhaps the game of the whole weekend!! East Tennessee State can improve to 6-1 on the year, which is a very good start for them, but the reason this game is so seismically important is because this game will determine the winner of the ASun/SoCon Challenge!!!
-James Madison @ George Mason – James Madison has started to play a little bit better, but this should still be a very manageable win for George Mason, which would keep them unbeaten on the year
-Stephen F Austin @ UT Arlington – two solid UTR teams that are off to good start this year. SFA is looking for their third true road win of the season
-UC Santa Barbara vs Seattle U (Las Vegas NV) – it’s two UTR teams that are off to really good starts this season facing each other on a neutral floor. UCSB in particular is a team to keep an eye on.
-Buffalo @ Canisius (Big 4) – Buffalo shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to 8-0 on the year and picking up their second true road win
-LSU vs DePaul (Emerald Coast Classic) – LSU should be able to pick this one up and remain unbeaten on the season, although DePaul is showing signs of being better than they typically are
-California Baptist @ Oregon State – this is a winnable game for Cal Baptist. They’ve played well this season, they’ve yet to lose, and they’ve shown that this is the kind of game they are good enough to win
-Bethune-Cookman @ Indiana -VMI @ UCF -USC Upstate @ Nebraska -Tennessee Tech @ Georgia -Western Carolina @ High Point -Norfolk State @ Arizona -Drake @ Georgia Tech -Montana State @ Utah State -Sacred Heart @ Penn State
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SUNDAY, NOV 30TH
-WYOMING AT TEXAS TECH. Wyoming has just one loss on the year and has looked like one of the better teams in the Mountain West. Texas Tech hasn’t played at quite the level I had expected yet, but they are still a clear top 25 caliber team who is likely to get better as the year goes along and earn a protected seed. Wyoming is a team that they better not overlook, but this is still a game where they should hold serve.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE @ FLORIDA ATLANTIC. The Bonnies are off to a good start this season with their only loss being to North Carolina, but this is their first true road game of the year, and these are the types of games they need to expect to win in order for the committee to take them seriously.
-South Alabama @ UTSA – South Alabama can improve to 7-1 on the year and pick up their third true road win
-Yale @ Vermont – Yale is an Under the Radar team that we think can make a run at the bubble, and Vermont, while off to a somewhat slow start, is still the team we think will be the frontrunner in the America East
-Belmont @ Charleston – Belmont can improve to 8-0 and pick up their second true road win of the year
-Mercyhurst @ West Virginia -Cal State Bakersfield @ Fresno State
-For our IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT page, which contains brackets, schedules, and viewing information – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES:
-Duke vs Arkansas was the spotlight game from yesterday. Duke got out to an early lead, then Arkansas came back and built a lead of their own, but Duke came back again and got control down the stretch for the 80-71 win.
-TCU over Florida in the Rady Children’s Invitational was the upset of the day. TCU seemingly came out of nowhere for the 84-80 upset over the Gators. That win completely changes how I look at TCU. Now they are a team that lost their opener to a talented New Orleans team, nearly beat a very good Michigan team, and did beat the defending national champs.
-Saint Louis got a huge 73-72 win over Santa Clara. Neither team is in a power conference, but both teams appear to be good enough to land inside the bubble, which is why this game was so important. Santa Clara had a lead throughout most of the game, but it was close the entire time and Saint Louis just made the bigger plays at the end.
-Georgetown vs Dayton was another thriller that went into overtime with Dayton pulling out out 84-79 and handing Georgetown their first loss of the year. It’s a big win for Dayton who is starting to build a resume that is worthy of the tournament and who has now earned them a shot at BYU tonight.
-Michigan State pulled away from North Carolina in Fort Myers to pick up a solid and impressive 74-58 win over the Tarheels. It’s no surprise that the Spartans are looking like a protected seed right out of the gate.
-Richmond suffered their first loss of the season to Furman 73-72 in the ESPN Events Invitational. It was a close loss, but it was still damaging as Richmond hasn’t beaten anyone that’s all that noteworthy yet and they now likely won’t get the chance to do that in this event.
-Colorado remains unbeaten after picking up a solid 79-69 win over a solid San Francisco team in the Acrisure Holiday Classic. We’ve now suddenly got more eyes on Colorado and they’ve got another winnable game today against Washington.
-Oklahoma State is also unbeaten after taking care of a fairly solid Northwestern team 86-81 in Chicago.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CONNECTICUT AT ILLINOIS. This is a showcase game between two highly ranked teams that have both already been challenged and both managed notable wins. UConn’s only loss so far was to Arizona and Illinois fell to Alabama in a home-ish type of game, but both teams have managed big wins as well, both are probable protected seeds, and can boost the level of their profile even more with a win today.
-SAINT MARY’S VS VANDERBILT (Battle 4 Atlantis). This is an interesting matchup between two unbeaten teams, both of whom have managed some pretty decent wins already, but neither of whom have a win yet that’s as good as this one would be today.
-WASHINGTON VS COLORADO (Acrisure Holiday Classic). I wasn’t all that big on either team coming into the year, but Colorado is unbeaten and picked up a nice win against San Francisco yesterday, and Washington has just one loss on the year and dominated a Nevada team that is at least formidable. This is suddenly a compelling game that will likely be an early season resume builder.
-WISCONSIN VS TCU (Rady Children’s Invitational). TCU had a shocking upset win against Florida yesterday. Not much was expected from the Horned Frogs this year, and after losing their season opener to New Orleans they appeared to be living up to those low expectations. Now all of a sudden after yesterday, they’ve got a really good win on their profile and their only other loss was a very competitive game against Michigan. It’s crazy how one win can completely change a team’s complexion. Wisconsin had no issues with Providence yesterday and was probably expecting to play Florida. This is still a big game for the Badgers and would still be their best win of the season so far if they’re able to pull it off.
-STANFORD VS SAINT LOUIS (Acrisure Invitational). Saint Louis remains unbeaten on the year after winning a thriller against a really good Santa Clara team yesterday, and will face a Stanford team that has a respectable 5-1 record, but who doesn’t have any wins as good as this one would be.
-BYU VS DAYTON (ESPN Events Invitational). This could be a fun one and it’s a big opportunity for Dayton. The Flyers have two pretty good wins on their resume already, including the win against Georgetown yesterday, but to knock off a probable protected seed on a neutral floor is just a massive statement and may catapult them into the top 25. BYU has played a tough schedule and their only loss so far was a close game to UConn in Boston, so they are certainly proven and battle-tested.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Virginia Tech vs VCU (Battle 4 Atlantis) – Not much was expected out of VA Tech this year, but they come into this one 6-1 and battled with Saint Mary’s yesterday. Quite a bit of was expected out of VCU this year, but so far they are just 4-3 and haven’t managed much in the way of notable wins
-Richmond vs Charlotte (ESPN Events Invitational) – Richmond lost to Furman 73-72 yesterday and as a result fell to the losers side of the bracket. They need to rebound and hold serve today
-Nevada vs San Francisco (Acrisure Holiday Classic) – San Francisco is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Colorado. While we still think they can have a big year they really haven’t managed any big wins yet. They need to hold serve today
-Oklahoma vs Marquette (Chicago IL) – neither team has done much yet and both could use this win today to help jumpstart their seasons
-Providence vs Florida (Rady Children’s Invitational) – Florida is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to TCU and looking to bounce back
-Colorado State @ South Florida (Battle 4 Atlantis) – it’s unlikely that either team will end up anywhere near the bubble, but both have at least shown moments of being formidable so far this season
-Texas A&M vs Florida State (Tampa FL) – neither team has done much in the way of quality wins, but Florida State at least competed in against Florida in a game that is their only loss. TAMU is just off to a rough start, but has held serve in their buy games. This game has a sense of urgency to it because it’s one that both of these teams could really use
-Miami FL @ Georgetown (ESPN Events Invitational) – Miami is looking to bounce back from a loss to BYU, and they’ll face a Georgetown team who lost an overtime thriller to Dayton yesterday. Georgetown still looks like a tournament caliber team and can still pick up some decent wins in this event.
-Georgia Tech vs DePaul (Emerald Coast Classic) – not much is expected from either team this year, but both have respectable records early on
-SMU @ Mississippi State – SMU is 7-0 on the season and this does look like a winnable road game, but it’s also their first true road game
-Ohio State @ Pittsburgh – The Buckeyes are 6-0, but this is their first true road game
-Santa Clara vs Minnesota (Acrisure Invitational) – Santa Clara needs to bounce back from their loss to Saint Louis yesterday and hold serve in this one today
-LSU vs Drake (Emerald Coast Classic) – a win for LSU will get the Tigers to a very respectable 6-0 on the season
BUY GAMES/CRAP GAMES:
-Eastern Illinois @ Purdue -Northeastern @ Wake Forest -Wright State @ Butler -Navy @ UNC Wilmington – UNCW can improve to 6-1 -NC A&T @ Davidson -Charleston Southern @ South Carolina -Queens @ Virginia -TAMUCC @ Xavier -Alabama A&M @ Clemson -Stony Brook @ LMU
We have seen some great in-season tournaments in the past (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, etc.), but the Players Era Festival has simply taken things to another level. Last year’s debut featured 8 teams, but this year there is an 18-team field featuring some of the best teams from the best conferences in the country. It is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel concludes our coverage from Sin City with a recap of Tuesday night’s action.
I missed the entire Kansas-Syracuse game but hustled downstairs for the postgame press conference. Since Coach Adrian Autry hosts Tennessee next Tuesday, I asked him if he planned to take advantage of the rare opportunity for some in-person scouting this evening when the Vols faced Houston. He smiled and said he will not be scouting Tennessee because he is already very familiar with Coach Rick Barnes and his program. All he is worried about now is getting prepared for his next opponent in Vegas:
This rematch of Houston’s win over Tennessee at the 2025 Elite 8 is by far the premier game on today’s schedule…and since my prediction a few weeks ago was that these 2 teams (along with Purdue/Gonzaga) would make the Final 4, I am very excited to check them out in person, as Barnes/Kelvin Sampson are 2 of the only active coaches with 800+ wins:
I found an empty seat in the media area…and ended up sitting next to Gonzaga radio color commentator/2006 NCAA scoring champ Adam Morrison!
I asked Players Era CEO/AND1 founder/Penn alum Seth Berger about the $50 million equity partnership announced on Monday with the Big 12 and whether he thinks that is the best conference in the sport. He said that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said it best: “The Big 12 is the 2nd-best basketball league in the country to…the NBA!” He talked to all the conferences but went with the Big 12 because he wanted to work with their players/coaches:
I asked Coach Sampson about facing 3 fellow members of the 800-win club in the months ahead (Rick Barnes tonight, John Calipari next month, and Bill Self in February). He said they are all good friends of his. He remembers playing basketball against Barnes 50 years ago: he used to call him Little Ricky from Hickory (the city in North Carolina where Barnes was born)! They are all high-character guys who are great for the game, as well as great husbands/fathers/role models. It has been a thrill for him to see some fellow baby boomers on the sideline:
That is a wrap for now but check back next month to see if Georgetown is #STILLundefeated!
Posted inNews and Notes|Comments Off on All-Access at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas: Miscellaneous Part 2
-For our IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT page, which contains brackets, schedules, and viewing information – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES:
-Remember a week ago when I said I thought Michigan was underperforming and playing with their food in a lot of their wins?? I no longer feel that way. They faced three really good teams in the Players Era Festival and blew all three of them out. The best team they played was Gonzaga, and that’s the team they blew out the most. The final score was 101-61 and the game seemed like it was pretty much in hand by the first media timeout.
-Auburn defeated Saint John’s 85-74 to finish off a really good showing for them after getting blown out the day before. The Johnnies fall to just 4-3 on the year, but this is still a very good team that will likely get better as the season goes along. They have a tendency to do that.
-Kansas came from behind in the second half to beat Tennessee 81-76 and finish off a really good week for them. Kansas actually won all three of their Players Era games, which usually means you win the event, but because of the crazy set up the Jayhawks finished just 3rd. Tennessee just went ice cold in the latter part of the game and Kansas was able to get the lead and keep it.
-Western Kentucky is an Under the Radar team to keep an eye on. They gave Vanderbilt a battle in the Battle 4 Atlantis, but came up short 83-78. It’s a win the Toppers could have really used because they just don’t get too many chances at these types of wins that would impress the committee. Still, they should be a team that the committee has their eyes on.
-We figured Tulsa vs Northern Iowa would be a battle in the Acrisure Invitational, and it was. Tulsa picked up the huge 63-60 win and handed Northern Iowa their first loss of the year. Both of these teams needed this game as a resume building opportunity.
-USC pulled away from Arizona State 88-75 to remain unbeaten and win the Maui Invitational. The Trojans are a bit of a surprise this year, and we will see if they can continue to make noise as the season goes along.
-UC San Diego just keeps winning. They are now 7-0 after knocking off a really good Towson team 87-73 in the ESPN Events Invitational. They are starting to build up the kind of resume that should be getting the committee’s attention.
-Cincinnati must have started their holiday celebrating a little too early and ended up losing a home buy game to Eastern Michigan 64-56. That is a loss that is going to leave a lasting mark.
-Belmont and Buffalo are both 7-0 after picking up wins yesterday. Belmont knocked off Toledo and Buffalo took care of Bucknell.
-Liberty, who was coming off a bit of a surprising loss to Towson, lost again yesterday to Bradley 74-64. This will knock the Flames pretty far away from the bubble.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VCU VS VANDERBILT (Battle 4 Atlantis). Vandy got a battle from Western Kentucky yesterday, but held on to win and remain unbeaten. Today they face a VCU team that’s good and that needs to build up their resume. This probably means a little more to VCU since they won’t have as many chances at notable wins as Vandy will later on this season.
-OREGON VS CREIGHTON (Players Era Festival). Both teams have struggled in this event and both could really use this win today to at least get something of quality on their resume.
-SAN FRANCISCO VS COLORADO (Acrisure Holiday Classic). Both teams have good records, but both have played flimsy schedules (for the most part). This event, and this game today, is a chance to put some meat on their resume.
-NORTH CAROLINA VS MICHIGAN STATE (FORT MYERS TIP-OFF). This is one of the showcase games of the day. Both are unbeaten, both are in the rankings, and both have already passed some tests this season. This is the kind of of win that could be important in earning a protected seed later on.
-BYU VS MIAMI FL (ESPN Events Invitational). BYU is a solid top 10 caliber team. Miami’s resume doesn’t look all that impressive on the surface, but they have just one loss and it was agains a very good Florida team in a game where they competed for much of it, so they may be able to give BYU a test today, and if they could somehow win it would completely change the complexion of their season so far.
-SANTA CLARA VS SAINT LOUIS (Acrisure Invitational). This is a really good game between two unbeaten teams that look like they may be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but who need wins in games like this in order to build up their resumes. This is probably the biggest test of the year for each team up to this point, so it should be fun.
-DAYTON VS GEORGETOWN (ESPN Events Invitational). Georgetown has gotten off to an incredible start, which has surprised a lot of people. They already have some big wins and have looked like a tournament team. Dayton is coming off a win at Marquette, but needs to keep building their resume and this event (particularly this game today) is a great opportunity for them to do that. Even though it’s November, these games are hugely important.
-DUKE VS ARKANSAS (CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic). Both teams are high in the rankings and both have high expectations. Arkansas has struggled a little bit, but you get the sense that they will continue to improve as the season goes along. They certainly have the chance at a statement win today against a Duke team that looks good enough to go to the Final Four.
-OKLAHOMA STATE VS NORTHWESTERN (CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic). Both teams are off to good starts, but both could also use some notable wins on their resumes, so this is a good opportunity for both teams.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Richmond vs Furman (ESPN Events Invitational) – Richmond is unbeaten, but also hasn’t really been tested yet. This event will be a chance for us to see how good they actually may be
-Saint Bonaventure vs East Carolina (Fort Myers Tip-Off) – Saint Bonaventure can improve to 6-1 on the season and bounce back from their loss to North Carolina
-TCU vs Florida (Lady Children’s Invitational) – The Gators are 4-1 and may bet a bit of a test from TCU today, but should be able to hold serve
-Washington vs Nevada (Acrisure Holiday Classic) – Both teams have solid records, but neither has much in the way of a solid profile yet, so this is a good opportunity for both teams
-South Florida vs Western Kentucky (Battle 4 Atlantis) – Western Kentucky is a good team who battled Vanderbilt yesterday and who needs some wins in this event
-Providence vs Wisconsin (Rady Childrens Invitational) – Wisconsin looks to be a solid tournament team, whereas Providence has shown a few signs of life but hasn’t passed any really big tests yet
-Wichita State vs Colorado State (Battle 4 Atlantis) – Wichita State battled yesterday against Saint Mary’s, but came up short. They need to bounce back today. Colorado State battled Virginia Tech yesterday, but lost. Their only wins so far have been home buy games.
-Stanford vs Minnesota (Acrisure Invitational) – both teams have decent records, but neither has impressed me all that much this season. At least not yet.
Posted inDaily Rundown, News and Notes|Comments Off on Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Nov 27th (Thanksgiving Edition!)
