Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Creighton rolled over Villanova in their Big East opener last night 79-59, and for the first time all season question marks are going up around Villanova.  There is still very little doubt that they’re a tournament team, and they’ll probably get their season turned back around and safely end up getting a protected seed, but this was their second blowout loss in a row.  Granted, both the teams that beat them were really good, but when you believe a team to be a Final Four caliber team it’s shocking to see them get blown out like that.

-Questions are also being raised about Saint Bonaventure, who was blown into the sun yesterday by what is from all accounts an average at-best Virginia Tech team.  The final score was 86-49.

-Mississippi State held off Furman 69-66 to improve to 8-3 on the year.  Seven of those wins have come at home, though, so they still have some work to do.

-Wake Forest is now 11-1 after beating Charlotte in a close on 82-79.  Wake still hasn’t faced any really big tests, but they do have a bloated record.

-San Diego State got a really nice win against a quality Saint Mary’s team that they desperately needed.  This game had such a pivotal feel to it for the Aztecks.  A win gets them to 7-3 with a nice neutral floor win against a solid tournament caliber team.  A loss would have knocked them down to 6-4 with nothing to speak of on their resume.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-BUTLER VS PURDUE (Crossroads Classic).  Butler got off to a bit of a slow start, but has been looking a lot better lately.  That being said, I don’t know if they have it in them to beat a Purdue team that’s ranked 3rd nationally, but it isn’t a game Purdue just wants to overlook.

–TENNESSEE AT MEMPHIS.  Memphis has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but they did beat Alabama really handily in their last game, so they could be pulling it together.  There is some heat to this as well, so Tennessee better be ready for a battle. (CANCELLED due to COVID-19)

-PITTSBURGH AT SAINT JOHN’S.  This isn’t a buy game, but it might as well be.  The Johnnies shouldn’t have too much trouble.

-GONZAGA VS TEXAS TECH (Jerry Colangelo Classic).  This game is out in Phoenix and it features a Gonzaga team that’s in the hunt for a #1 seed, and a Texas Tech team that’s off to an 8-1 start, but that has a lot of buy game wins and could really boost their resume with a win in a game like this.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT FLORIDA.  The Gators shouldn’t have too much trouble in this one.

-TCU AT GEORGETOWN.  After writing Georgetown off, they have been able to string together some wins.  They still have a long way to go, but they aren’t looking quite as much like the doormat we thought they’d be.  TCU is 8-1 on the season, but it’s come against a rather fluff schedule.  This is their first true road game of the year.

-LOUISVILLE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY.  This is is a winnable road game for Louisville, but it won’t necessarily be easy.  WKU is very talented and while they’ve underperformed somewhat this year, they still have a high ceiling and will likely be way up for this one.

-INDIANA VS NOTRE DAME (Crossroads Classic).  There wasn’t all that much reason to be excited about Notre Dame this year, but then they beat Kentucky and suddenly look like they may have turned things around.  Indiana comes in at a respectable 8-2, but like everyone else still needs to add to their resume.

–UCF AT FLORIDA STATE.  Florida State can’t seem to get out of their own way this season, and if they don’t do it soon they’ll be watching the NCAA Tournament on TV.  UCF, on the other hand, is off to a promising 7-2 start and a road win like this would get even more people to sit up and take notice. (CANCELLED due to COVID-19)

-USC VS GEORGIA TECH (Jerry Colangelo Classic).  USC is 11-0 and appears to be under-matched in this one.  I expect them to be able to hold serve.

-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier has looked amazingly good at home this year, and while Marquette has some big wins this would be their biggest to date.  A conference game against a ranked team who hasn’t lost at home is a pretty good freakin’ win!

-NORTH TEXAS AT WICHITA STATE.  This is probably a mismatch, but not as much of one as some may think.  North Texas is a strong team out of CUSA and isn’t someone who Wichita State should overlook.

–COLORADO STATE AT TULSA.  Colorado State is unbeaten on the season and is looking to stay this way.  This is definitely a winnable road game for them.  It probably won’t be a cakewalk, but it is winnable. (CANCELLED due to COVID-19)

-UTAH AT MISSOURI.  Utah is still looking for their first true road win of the season.  As weak as Missouri has been, if they don’t get this one they may be in trouble.

-PROVIDENCE AT CONNECTICUT (Big East).  Providence comes in at 10-1 and could really put themselves on the map if they’re somehow able to pull off the upset in this one.  UConn has been playing extremely well and should make quite a bit of noise in the Big East this year.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT UAB.  This is a big showcase event for UAB who is hosting a West Virginia team that isn’t ranked, but probably should be.  It’s in the downtown arena, and it’s a chance for them to pick up a huge win and make a statement that they belong inside the bubble.  As for WVU, this is a win that the committee should give them quite a bit of credit for if they’re able to pull it off.

-NORTH CAROLINA VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic).  Both these teams were originally slated to play someone else, but due to COVID protocol the other two teams are on shutdown, so we’re ending up with this match-up.  Kentucky’s best win of the season so far is still just a home buy game, so this would greatly improve the quality of their resume if they’re able to get the win.

-DAYTON AT OLE MISS.  Dayton is plugging away and trying to make up for some really bad early season losses.  A road win against a decent Ole Miss team that’s currently unbeaten at home would be another big step forward.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT HOUSTON.  Houston has looked really good this year and should be able to pick this one up at home.

-LSU VS LOUISIANA TECH.  this is NOT an easy game for LSU.  It’s one they should win, but LA Tech is not a team you want to just overlook.  If Louisiana Tech were to get this, it could be the kind of win that lands them inside the bubble come Selection Sunday.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GRAND CANYON.  This is a HUGE game.  San Francisco is unbeaten on the season, and Grand Canyon is extremely difficult to win against at home.  The problem for the Lopes is that they’ve probably played a few too many at home against UTR schools, so their margin for error is somewhat small.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT KANSAS.  This is a buy game, and it’s one that Kansas will likely win, but SFA is probably one of the better teams in the WAC and could be at least a little competitive in this one.

-CHATTANOOGA AT MURRAY STATE.  Simply put, this is a match-up between two under the radar teams that have a very good chance of landing inside the bubble.  That makes this a VERY big game.  Murray State is unbeaten at home and has a very nice road win against Memphis, and Chattanooga is a very impressive 5-1 in true road games.

-TEXAS A&M AT OREGON STATE.  Simply put, this is probably the most winnable road game against a P5 opponent that any team could play right now.  TAMU should get this one, which would be their first true road win of the year.

-BYU AT WEBER STATE (Beehive).  This is a winnable road game for BYU, but it’s not an easy road win.  Weber State is one of the better teams in the Big Sky, and while they may be overmatched in this one, it wouldn’t shock me at all if they were at least competitive.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT CLEMSON.  Both teams still have a lot of work to do, and it’s possible that neither of them will be on the board at the end, but both have a path.  This is a rivalry game, so it should give the team that wins it some momentum going forward.

-AUBURN AT SAINT LOUIS.  This is a tough road test for the Tigers.  SLU has been beaten up with injuries, but they’ve still had a pretty good year and could give Auburn fits at home tonight.

-UTAH STATE VS IOWA.  This game is in Sioux Falls, and it’s a really good test for both teams, as well as a chance at a good resume building win for both teams.  Utah State has some decent wins already, but won’t have as many opportunities moving forward as Iowa will have.

-BAYLOR AT OREGON.  Baylor is on a rampage of historic proportions.  They’ve won 37 of their last 39, and very few of those wins were home buy games.  Oregon has been a bit of a disappointment this year, and could be in for a rough night despite the fact that they’re at home.

BUY GAMES:

–Texas Southern, ,err, Ashland @ Cincinnati – (Texas Southern cannot play due to COVID-19 protocols)
-Saint Francis U @ Illinois
-Radford @ Davidson
-Cal State Bakersfield @ Colorado
-Drexel @ Temple (Big Five) – Well…it’s SORT OF Big Five
-Fairleigh Dickinson @ Virginia
-Bethel (nonD1) @ Belmont
-Loyola MD @ Duke
-Northern Colorado @ Washington State
–Rider @ Rutgers (Postponed due to COVID-19; may be rescheduled)
-Buffalo @ Canisius (Big Four)
-CA Baptist @ Arizona
-Northern New Mexico (nonD1) @ New Mexico State
-Southern Utah @ Michigan – Southern Utah is one of the better teams in the Big Sky
-Hofstra @ Arkansas
-Jacksonville State @ Alabama

-Duke, Drake, and Stanford are playing home buy games tonight.  That is literally all there is.  So, take the night off and do some Christmas shopping…

As for last night…

-UC Irvine gave USC all they wanted and then some.  They actually had a lead for much of the game, and with less than a minute to go it was still within reach, but they just couldn’t pull it out.  This is the kind of win that can make the difference of whether or not an under the radar team can land inside the bubble, so you follow those teams like we do you hate to see them come up just short of a big opportunity, but the Eaters still have a good team and should win a lot of games this year.

-Belmont basically led Chattanooga from tip to Buzzer and is now 9-3 on the year.  I think they’ll land inside the bubble if they’re able to blow through the OVC, which they should.

-Nicholls came very close to shocking Wisconsin.  Wisky actually had to come back to win the game, and barely held on 71-68.

-Utah State picked up a nice win at Weber State in a Beehive rivalry game.  It was the first true road win for Utah State, and it’s one that they should get a fair amount of credit for because it’s not easy to win at Weber.

-New Mexico State was down by close to 20 on the road at Washington State, but battled back in the second half, and got it closer, and then got back in it, and then tied it, and then won it.  It was a VERY impressive statement that they could go from being dominated on the road against a very respectable Wazzu team, but make adjustments and come back to win.  This New Mexico State team is potentially dangerous if they can play up to their ceiling.

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Apologies for the brief hiatus.  We didn’t have a write up yesterday.  I was in jail for something stupid, and Chad Sherwood was not able to get me out!!  Maybe if I had a better lawyer, we’d have had a write up yesterday!!!

-We’ve been dogging Memphis all year for being a talented team that doesn’t play well together.  Yesterday, they played unbelievably well together!  They beat Alabama 92-78, and truth be told they dominated the game even more than the score indicated.  I don’t know what switch was flipped, but if they can sustain that and play like that the rest of the year, look out!!

-Furman stayed with North Carolina for a half, but only a half.  UNC got control in the second half and ended up with a 74-61 win.

-Monmouth now has seven true road wins, including one at Cincinnati.  This is a good team, and I really hope the committee is watching.  They won at Yale yesterday 69-60, which admittedly isn’t the same as winning at Gonzaga, but it’s still a lot harder than winning a home buy game, and a 7-2 road record should get anyone’s attention.

-Creighton had been looking fantastic, and Arizona State had been looking pitiful.  So, naturally Arizona State got the 58-57 win on the road at Creighton.  The Sun Devils have now won three straight after a rather abysmal 2-6 start.  Perhaps they’ve turned the corner.

-Oregon State lost at home to UC Davis, and is now just 1-9 on the year.  They have NOT turned the corner!

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-CHATTANOOGA AT BELMONT.  These are two really good UTR teams that have a shot at landing inside the bubble, which makes this a hugely important game.  Belmont has some notable wins already, and Chattanooga comes in with an impressive 9-1 record.

-UCF AT TEMPLE (American).  UCF has a respectable 6-2 record and although they still have a lot of work to do, if they were to string together some wins they could play their way into the picture.

-MARSHALL AT OHIO U.  Both teams are on the outside of the bubble right now, and chances are that’s where both will end up, but both are good and if they could rampage through the rest of their seasons they could end up on the board.

-SOUTH DAKTOA STATE AT MISSOURI STATE.  These are two UTR teams that are pretty good, but that have also underachieved a little bit this year.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT OLE MISS.  Middle Tennessee’s schedule has not been a gauntlet, but they’re still 8-2 and much better than what many of us expected this year.  Ole Miss is a modest 6-3 and needs to string together some wins to get themselves into the picture, but that happening is not out of the question.

-UC IRVINE AT USC.  It’s a buy game, but UC Irvine is one of the better teams in the Big West, so they may be able to compete with this USC team.  Having said that, USC is having a fantastic year and is deservedly ranked in the top ten.

-UTAH STATE AT WEBER STATE (Beehive).  Weber State has a bloated record and is likely the best team in the Big Sky, but this would easily be their biggest win of the year if they’re able to pull it off.  It’s not the easiest road game for Utah State, but this is the kind of game you expect tournament caliber teams to be able to win.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE.  New Mexico State is a very strong UTR team that could really use a win like this on their resume.  Wazzu has had a nice year so far, but still has some work to do.  This is one that I’m looking forward to.

BUY GAMES:

-Howard @ Georgetown
-Tennessee Wesleyan (nonD1) @ Murray State
-Nicholls @ Wisconsin
-Morehead State @ Xavier
-Northern Colorado @ Arizona
-Portland @ Oregon – Oregon better watch out in this one
-Lipscomb @ Florida State
-Alabama State @ UCLA