Northern Colorado (14-6, 6-1) at Eastern Washington (6-14, 2-5) – 5:00 PM ET (ESPN+)
Last Saturday, we featured the Winwood Cup between Longwood and Winthrop – today we feature the NoCoEWU Cup that pits the Northern Colorado Bears and the Eastern Washington Eagles. Northern Colorado had won eight straight games to take first place outright in the Big Sky – even a loss at the buzzer to Idaho earlier this week couldn’t knock the Bears from the top. Both Langston Reynolds (17.1 PPG) and Isaiah Hawthorne (16.8 PPG) spearhead the Bears’ attack.
Eastern Washington is in a rebuilding mode after most of their players (including the head coach) migrated to Washington State during the offseason. While the Eagles did start off 2-2 in Big Sky play, they have now lost 3 straight games against Idaho, Montana State and Northern Arizona. Andrew Cook averages 15.4 points a game for the Eagles.
-Purdue was expected to beat Michigan, but they weren’t expected to beat them by 27 and dominate the whole game. They were basically up by 20 from the time of the tipoff and it never got close after that.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-IOWA STATE AT ARIZONA STATE (Big 12). Iowa State hasn’t always been perfect, but they’ve been pretty close to it the vast majority of the time and can still get a #1 seed if they keep going like they have been. Arizona State is outside the bubble and could use a big win like this to help boost their resume. Even though it’s a home game it would still be a huge signature win for them.
-KENTUCKY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky is having a crazy good year. They’re coming off a home loss to Alabama, but that is hardly a setback. Having said that, they will be challenged on the road today, and this is a big game for them because as good as Kentucky’s profile is, they still only have one true road win. Vandy looks like a solid tournament-caliber team that recently beat Tennessee at home, so they’ll be way up for this one as well.
-TEXAS A&M AT TEXAS (SEC). It’s a rivalry game! And it’s great to have it back as a conference game!! Texas A&M is a fringe protected seed that could use a road win like this, and Texas appears to be a fringe bubble team that could use a win over a highly ranked team like TAMU. This one is important both on and off paper.
-GEORGIA AT FLORIDA (SEC). Florida barely escaped at South Carolina earlier this week, but managed the win and is still high in the rankings and in the metrics. Georgia has lost three straight, and their last two were by 3pts or less. It doesn’t get any easier today as they go to one of the toughest road environments in the country. UGA is still inside the bubble for now, but a win like this would be a huge help.
-DUKE AT WAKE FOREST (ACC). This is a hugely important game for Wake. They appear to be squarely on the bubble, and a win today could shoot them way up the seedlist and give their metrics a big boost as well. As for Duke, they are being projected onto our 1-seed line and are so good that they may actually win out. They’ll be tested today, though.
-BAYLOR AT UTAH (Big 12). Baylor hasn’t been 100% for most of the season, and while they’re not in the rankings or where we’re used to seeing them in the seedlist, they are still in good shape overall. They’ve only won one true road game so far, so a win today would really help them out.
-OLE MISS AT MISSOURI (SEC). This is a fascinating game between two teams that are in the rankings, and at times have shone indications that they could be protected seeds. Mizzou is coming off a loss at Texas, and they haven’t been the best road team, but at home they’ve been as tough as anyone. Ole Miss has lost two straight, one in overtime by 3pts and another by just 1 pt, and is looking to bounce back from that. Both teams are solid, but both have room on their resumes for improvement, and a win today would be big.
-HOUSTON AT KANSAS (Big 12). All year long I’ve been saying I thought Houston could be a Final Four team. All year long I’ve also been saying that due to a backloaded schedule, their tournament resume has been flimsy when compared to other top teams up until now. Well, here is a chance to make it un-flimsy! If they go into Kansas and get a win, which I think they are good enough to do, it’s a sign that they are a protected seed caliber team (something most people think already). It’s also a sign that they can be as good as anyone in the Big 12 and can even end up as a #1 seed.
-UCONN AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier has looked good in a lot of their games. The problem appears to be their depth. They just run out of gas down the stretch. But, if they can play at the level they’ve played at in the last two games, they may have an outside shot at playing their way into the field. Having said that, beating UConn won’t be easy even at home. The Huskies can still get a protected seed if they can finish strong, which they are good enough to do.
-TENNESSEE AT AUBURN (SEC). This is a huge one as far as it being a showcase game. Both are potential #1 seeds, and both are ranked highly in the polls. If Tennessee wins, it greatly strengthens their chances of getting a #1 seed, and perhaps the top #1 seed, which means getting to play in the Atlanta Region, but regardless of the outcome of the game both teams will still be high in the rankings and in a position to get a #1 seed.
-OKLAHOMA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Oklahoma is right on the bubble and needs a road win like this to help get on the right side of it. Arkansas finally won a conference game earlier this week, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-SMU @ NC State (ACC) – SMU is a modest 14-5, and while they are pretty far outside the bubble they could still reach it if they can blow through their schedule the rest of the way
–Pittsburgh @ Syracuse (ACC) – a classic Big East rivalry!! Pitt is right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it
–Mississippi State @ South Carolina (SEC) – Mississippi State is being projected close to a protected seed. Having said that, they’ve lost three of their last four and could really use a road win today
-Michigan State @ Rutgers (Big Ten). Michigan State has a winning streak that dates back to before Thanksgiving. This will be a test from a talented Rutgers team that has underperformed, but it’s still one the Spartans should win
-Seton Hall @ Creighton (Big East) – Creighton still has work to do, but they should stay inside the bubble so long as they hold serve in games like this
–Illinois State @ Bradley (Missouri Valley) – We say this about every game, but if Bradley can win out they should make the field
–Miami OH @ Akron (MAC) – this game won’t impact the bracket, but it is a match-up between two teams that are having big years in the MAC . Both come in unbeaten in MAC play, so it should be a fun one
–Boston College @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC will fall outside the bubble if they are unable to hold serve in games like this
–New Mexico @ UNLV (Mountain West) – New Mexico is squarely on the bubble and could use this road win. UNLV recently knocked off both San Diego State and Utah State, but then fell to Wyoming at home, so they are a big question-mark every time they take the floor.
–Colorado @ Arizona (Big 12). Arizona is 6-1 in Big 12 play and seems to be getting better and better as the season goes on. They should be able to hold serve at home in this one
–Oregon @ Minnesota (Big Ten) – Oregon is unbeaten away from home and they should remain that way after today. Havig said that, Minnesota can be tough to beat on their floor. They recently knocked off Michigan and followed that up with a win at Iowa.
-TCU @ UCF (Big 12) – UCF is right on the bubble and must hold serve in this one
–Drake @ Missouri State (Missouri Valley) – Drake is right on the bubble and should end up inside of it so long as they can continue to blow through the MVC
-Utah State @ Air Force (Mountain West) – AFA can be very tough to beat. Most teams do it, but most teams don’t do it easily. Utah State does not want to overlook them, and a loss would look really bad on their resume
–Clemson @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – Clemson is having a great overall year at 16-4 and should be able to pick up another conference road win in this one
-West Virginia @ Kansas State (Big 12) – WVU is having a fantastic year, but has lost two out of three and is looking to bounce back from a home loss to Arizona State. It’s a road game, but it’s one they should be able to win
–Wofford @ Samford (SoCon) – this game doesn’t impact the bracket, but this Samford team is good, fun to watch, and these are two of the better teams in the SoCon
-Saint Mary’s @ Washington State (West Coast) – this will be a tough road test for SMC, but it’s one that they are good enough to win
-LSU @ Alabama (SEC) – Bama is one of the best teams in the country and they should have very little trouble holding serve at home in this one
-Cincinnati @ BYU (Big 12) – both teams are outside the bubble and both have a lot of work to do if they want to reach it
–San Diego State @ Nevada (Mountain West) – this is far from the easiest road game, but it’s still one that San Diego State is good enough to win and should win
–Hawaii @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine needs to bounce back from their tough loss to UC Riverside on Thursday. I still think they can end up inside the bubble if they win out
Before anyone actually starts to pick apart the bracket I want to make sure everyone knows what they are looking at. This IS NOT what I think the Selection Committee will do on Selection Sunday, nor is it what I think the committee would do if today were Selection Sunday. For the sake of this exercise, I don’t give a damn about the Selection Committee. If someone from Bracket Matrix sees this and puts this on there, it will compromise the matrix. I’m not trying to guess the committee. Jon Teitel does that! He is FANTASTIC at doing it! I couldn’t compete with him if I wanted to. If that’s what you’re looking for, you can check out his bracket HERE
-If I were king, and in charge of everything, and the season ended today, this is who I would have in the bracket and where I would have them seeded. I’m also doing this on the basis that if the season ENDED TODAY, this is what it would be. I think Houston is a Final Four team, but when you look at who’ve they’ve played and who they’ve beaten, I feel that as of today everyone I have seeded ahead of them has done more. By the end of the year it wouldn’t shock me at all if Houston were a #1 seed, but that’s now how I choose to do it.
I have a few comments below, and some staff members may chime in as well. Understand that if they disagree with ANYTHING that I have done, then THEY ARE WRONG!!!!
OTHERS CONSIDERED: UCF, Arizona State, UC San Diego, Bradley, North Texas, Xavier, Indiana, Dayton, Boise State, Nebraska, Penn State, Cincinnati, San Francisco
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-I mentioned Houston earlier. They were my preseason pick to win it all. I still think they can win it all, and I think they’ll win the Big 12, and will be shocked if they’re seeded any worse than the 2-line come Selection Sunday. But as of now they don’t have any wins against any of the teams that are ahead of them, so I don’t have them seeded that high yet. But…I will.
-A team like Oregon actually seems to be better away from home than they are at home. They are actually kind of tough to place. They have some great wins, but then a smattering of home losses to teams that they clearly appear to be better than.
-Gonzaga on the 8-line may seem low. Well…show me where at any point this season they’ve looked better than that! This was one of my Final Four teams coming into the season, and while they haven’t looked so bad that they should be left out, they’ve also not looked all that much better than an 8 seed at any point this year.
-Maryland on the 10 line may seem really low to a lot of people as well. Realize that until they beat Illinois last night, which was their first road win and first win of any real substance, I didn’t have them in at all.
-Drake and UC Irvine (despite the road loss yesterday) are Under the Radar teams that I have seeded inside the bubble and ahead of the First Four. I realize that both need to pretty much win out in order to stay there, but both are really good and have earned it so far.
COMMENTS FROM THE STAFF (coming soon…maybe):
Posted inBracketology, News and Notes|Comments Off on Hoops HD Staff Bracket (From the Puppet) – January 24th
-Maryland, who had not won a true road game prior to yesterday, got a HUGE road win at Illinois 91-70. They didn’t just beat the Illini, but blew them off the court and totally dominated the second half. This was, without question, the biggest win of the year for the Terps and make make the difference of them being an NCAA Tournament team as opposed to an NIT team.
-Saint Mary’s absolutely dominated a San Francisco team that had been playing well, but after last night does not quite look like they’re gonna make it inside the bubble. The final score was 71-51, and for part of the second half the margin was a lot more than that.
-UC Irvine fell in overtime to UC Riverside 84-80. They trailed by 12 midway through the second half, but came back to tie it and the lead seesawed back and forth the rest of the way. UC Irvine is a really good team, but any game they lose is going to hurt because any loss they sustain will be against a team that’s nowhere near the NCAA Tournament field. I still think the committee will select them if they win out, but anything short of that and they’ll probably need to win the Big West Tournament.
-It was actually a pretty exciting and busy night for a lot of Under the Radar teams. Maine got a huge win at UMass Lowell in overtime, Samford came from behind to beat Chattanooga on the road and remain in 1st place in the SoCon, Arkansas State held off Appalachian State at home to remain within a game of South Alabama in the Sun Belt, Lipscomb fell at North Alabama in a game between two of the better teams in the ASun, and Northern Colorado went down in a very surprising upset at Idaho.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-VILLANOVA AT MARQUETTE (Big East). Nova had been playing better, but they’ve now lost 3 out of 4 and have a very tough assignment tonight which will likely drop them to 4 out of 5 losses and keep them outside the bubble. Marquette still looks to be on cruise control for a protected seed.
-MICHIGAN AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Both teams are in the rankings, both have some really good wins on their resumes, and both could end up as a protected seed if they play up to their ceiling the rest of the way. A win tonight for either team would likely end up as a quad-1 win.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT VCU (Atlantic 10). I’m beginning to think that VCU is the only team from the A10 that can land inside the bubble and make the NCAA Tournament without winning the conference tournament, and to do that they pretty much need to win out between now and the end of the season. Any loss between now and the end would be coming against a non-tournament caliber team.
-UCLA AT WASHINGTON (Big Ten). UCLA has pulled themselves out of whatever tailspin they were in, and can pick up their third straight win tonight. It’s never easy to win on the road, but this is one the Bruins should be able to get.
UNC-Wilmington (14-5, 4-2) at Charleston (15-4, 5-1) – 7:00 PM ET (FloHoops)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day figures to be a dandy as the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks travel down Highway 17 to take on the Charleston Cougars in a matchup of two of the top teams in the CAA. Conference play wasn’t initially kind to Wilmington after losing their conference opener to Towson at home, but the Seahawks have won four out of their last five games. On Monday, Bo Montgomery scored 24 points as UNC-W beat William & Mary 85-74 to knock the Tribe down to a 3-way tie for first place along with Charleston and Towson.
Charleston has currently won two straight games after a surprising loss at Monmouth 12 days ago along the Jersey Shore. The road does get tougher for Chris Mack’s crew over the next four games; Elon and William & Mary will also be looming as the Cougars get into the heart of conference play. Ante Brzovic averages 18.5 points a game and 8.4 rebounds a game for Charleston.
-Florida only had a lead for about 2 seconds in their game at South Carolina, but it was the right two seconds as they hit a game winning shot to escape 70-69 and avoid a loss to a South Carolina team that’s nowhere near the field right now.
-Texas A&M was behind for pretty much the entire second half at Ole Miss, but they were able to keep it close and hit a game winning 3 with about 15 seconds to go to pick up a massive 63-62 road win. This is probably TAMU’s most impressive win of the year considering it was a true road win against a deservedly highly ranked team that was unbeaten at home coming into last night.
-Kansas also had to come from behind to win at TCU, but managed to put the game out of reach down the stretch and win 74-61.
-Saint John’s came back from 16pts down against Xavier to force overtime, and then pulled away in overtime for the 79-71 win. The Johnnies remain in solid shape with some big challenges coming up, and Xavier remains on the outside looking in.
-Nebraska, who I’ve tried to be nice to all season, continues to show why they can’t have nice things. They lost at home to USC 78-73. It’s hard to argue that a team belongs in the NCAA Tournament when they can’t win home games against teams that are nowhere near the NCAA Tournament.
-Georgia appeared to be steamrolling over an Arkansas team that appeared to be getting steamrolled, but Arkansas kicked it into gear in the last ten minutes of the game, came back from double digits, and ended up winning 68-65. This is the first SEC win for Arkansas, so they still have a lot of work to do. As for Georgia, it’s their second straight close loss and this one kind of hurts since it came to a team that is nowhere near the NCAA Tournament field.
-We keep saying that Air Force is hard to play against, and they are. Most teams find a way to beat them, but most teams struggle in doing so. Last night San Diego State needed overtime and barely escaped 77-76. AFA is just 3-16 on the year and 0-8 in MWC play, but they are still a potential landmine given their unique style of play that most teams just aren’t used to.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-WICHITA STATE AT MEMPHIS (American). Memphis has a tendency to sleepwalk through some of these conference games that they should be blowing through, but the expectation is that they will hold serve in this one.
-MARYLAND AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois is coming off a tough road loss at Michigan State where they almost pulled out a huge win. They should be able to bounce back tonight against a Maryland team that’s good, but not ‘able-to-beat-a-top-20-team-on-the-road’ level good.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast). San Francisco is a very solid 16-5, and is just one big win away from being on the bubble and on the committee’s radar. A win at Saint Mary’s, who is safely inside the bubble right now, would qualify as a big win, so this one is an important game that should be a lot of fun to watch.
-UC SANTA BARBARA AT UC SAN DIEGO (Big West). UCSD is perhaps out of strikes. They need to win out to have any shot at all at landing inside the bubble.
-UC IRVINE AT UC RIVERSIDE (Big West). Right now I’d say that I think UC Irvine is one of the 40 best teams in the country, and that they belong inside the bubble and in the NCAA Tournament even if they don’t win the Big West Tournament, and that their resume is strong enough to indicate that. Having said that, they absolutely need to keep winning!
