Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Jan 25th

Posted on January 25, 2024 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

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

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-Auburn v Alabama was delayed because the lights went out, but it was worth the wait. Alabama held a lead all throughout. Auburn fought back on the road and had a chance to win in the final minutes, Bama held on 79-75. Still, I’m impressed with Auburn’s team, and while this would have been a great win on the road, the loss isn’t really that much of a setback for the Tigers.

-Northwestern v Illinois was a thriller with Northwestern getting the big win in overtime. Illinois won in a blowout the first time around, and this would have been a big road win for the Illini’s resume, but they’re still in great shape overall. As for Northwestern’s resume, this win gives it another nice boost.

-Nevada snapped their losing streak with a 77-64 win over Colorado State at home. Colorado State has now lost three of their last five, and they only have two true road wins to date and need to get some more before the season is over, but overall their resume is still very healthy.

-Providence, despite the injuries and despite all the setbacks, still keeps going!! They picked up a MASSIVE road win at Seton Hall last night 67-63. This Seton Hall team had been as hot as anyone in the Big East, and they were coming off a close loss to Creighton and were looking to bounce back, but Providence still got the win. Can the Friars, after all they’ve been through, still make the NCAA Tournament?

-Samford, who came into last night’s game at Furman with 17 straight wins, did not get to 18. They lost 78-68. While the streak came to an end, Samford is still having an incredible year and can still be very dangerous come March. And, we still love #BuckyBall!!!

-It was a crazy night in the Missouri Valley with Drake falling on the road at Missouri State, who is a team that always seems to give the Bulldogs trouble, and Indiana State barely escaping at UIC.

-Mississippi State, who was a team we liked but also felt they needed some more road wins to help boost their resume, did not win on the road last night. They fell to Florida 76-70 in a game they really could have used.

-Utah, who was a team we liked but who also needed some more road wins, did not win on the road last night. They were actually blown out by a so-so Washington State team 79-57, and now it may be time for us to start asking ourselves about Utah.

-Colorado needed a road win last night…and they actually got it!! They knocked off Washington 98-81 for their first true road win of the season.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-GRAND CANYON AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (WAC). GCU is coming off a road loss to Seattle U. I still think they can land inside the bubble, but they’ve got what may be perhaps an even tougher road test tonight at SFA. If they can win out until the conference tournament I think they’re safe, but that’s much easier said than done.

-ARIZONA STATE AT OREGON (Pac 12). Oregon is right on our bubble and needs to hold serve in this one tonight.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast). I think Gonzaga can land inside the bubble if they blow through the rest of the WCC schedule, and despite struggling from the outside I still think they’re good enough to do it. Having said that, they may be tested at home tonight, and if the Dons can get this one then the committee may start paying some attention to them.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

–Georgia Southern @ Appalachian State (Sun Belt) – App State just doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead. They still have a shot to make a run at the bubble if they can run the table from here on out, which they may be good enough to do
-Vermont @ UMass Lowell (America East) – these are the top two teams in the America East, and this game could determine home court advantage throughout the conference tournament
-Drexel @ Towson (Coastal Athletic) – Drexel is starting to make quite a bit of noise in the CAA
-Arizona @ Oregon State (Pac 12) – Arizona is a protected seed caliber team and this should be a routine road win
–Pacific @ Saint Mary’s (West Coast) – SMC is hovering around the bubble and needs to hold serve in this one

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, January 25th

Posted on January 25, 2024 by John Stalica

Northern Colorado (11-7, 4-1) at Eastern Washington (11-7, 5-0) – 9:00 PM ET

There are four conferences that have matchups worthy of the UTR Game of the Day; we have undefeated UMass-Lowell and Vermont facing off in the America East, we have an Oakland-Green Bay matchup in the Horizon League, and we also have the Black and Blue rivalry between UC-Irvine and Long Beach State in the Big West.

But Hoops HD has a knack for highlighting rivalries that never get any love nationally, and the NoCoEWU Cup is such a game. Northern Colorado (NoCo) travels up to Eastern Washington (EWU) for a matchup of the top 2 teams in the Big Sky tonight. The Eagles completed a 3-game road trip in the Big Sky that includes wins against Idaho, Weber State and Idaho State. The big win was at Weber State; Cedric Coward had 24 points for EWU in that win.

Northern Colorado has been no slouch of late; the Bears have won seven out of their last eight contests. Their only slipup was a 90-81 loss in Bozeman against Montana State. Saint Thomas (not the school) has had back-to-back 20-point games in wins against Sacramento State and Portland State at home.

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Under the Radar (Jan 24th)

Posted on January 24, 2024 by David Griggs

Tonight’s featured conference is the Patriot League and the unbelievable run we’ve seen from Lafayette. After losing all their OOC games against D1 opponents, the Leopards have yet to lose since starting conference play. We discuss that and talk about how it may be tough for Colgate to keep pace with them.

From there we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and talk about how competitive the Big West has been with UC Davis being a sudden surprise as a contender, Drexel who is out to an impressive start in the CAA but who has the toughest part of their schedule still remaining, McNeese who continues to roll, but who also had to come from behind and escape at TAMUCC, Grand Canyon and Samford who suffered rare losses this week, Princeton who continues to look like a solid top 25 caliber team, a big game coming up in the Sun Belt between Appalachian State and James Madison, and more! And, like we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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Winter Reading List: HoopsHD interviews Clayton Trutor about his book “Boston Ball”

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Jon Teitel

The Celtics may be sitting atop the NBA standings, but the college basketball teams in Boston have had less success this season. Northeastern is sitting in the middle of the pack in the CAA, while BU and BC are struggling to stay out of the cellars of the Patriot League/ACC respectively. For those of you who forget the glory days of college hoops in Beantown we have a book for you to add to your winter reading list. “Boston Ball” by Clayton Trutor tells the story of 3 future Hall of Fame coaches (Jim Calhoun at Northeastern/Rick Pitino at BU/Gary Williams at BC) who all began their legendary careers in the same town at the same time. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Clayton about whether Boston is a pro or college sports town and the importance of recruiting.

Your book is about a trio of future Hall of Famers (Jim Calhoun at Northeastern/Rick Pitino at BU/Gary Williams at BC) who all became head coaches more than 40 years ago and unknowingly invented “Boston Ball”: was it just a coincidence that they all employed a similar style at the same time in the same city, or do you think there is something more to it? I think it is largely coincidental but 1 think that they all excelled at recruiting players capable of playing fast. These schools weren’t landing the era’s top big men like Bob Lanier or Bill Walton. These coaches had to build the game around speed.

Do you feel that the success of these 3 future national champions was based primarily on their coaching ability, or their recruiting ability, or their desire to embrace the 3-PT shot, or other? The three-point shot came a bit later. Pitino embraced it thoroughly at Providence to deal with his team’s size disadvantage. This was like his adoption of the press at BU to fend off larger opponents.

What role did the “Pittsburgh Connection” have on the success of any/all of these coaches? They were all excellent recruiters, but the Pittsburgh Connection was a Northeastern phenomenon. A Northeastern alum was part of the Pittsburgh’s “Upward Bound” program and helped send players east from Pittsburgh. The Huskies got many of their top players during that era from Western Pennsylvania, but after Calhoun left for UConn in 1986, it seems to me that John Calipari, a Pittsburgh guy, got a lot of those guys at UMass. Pitino was able to head north and find players in Canada. Gary Williams had a recruiter named Kevin Mackey who brought in several future NBA players from Connecticut like Michael Adams and John Bagley.

What impact did Howard Garfinkel’s 5-Star Basketball Camp have on Pitino as a player/coach? It is hard to find a coach who is more defined by his relationship to Five-Star than Pitino. He went there as a teenager when it was held in the Poconos. He was part of the Five-Star family, and it later gave BU legitimacy as a basketball school.

How did BC basketball survive the roller coaster of joining the Big East in 1979 followed by the revelation of the point-shaving scandal in 1980? The “Anatomy of a Scandal” piece in Sports Illustrated came out in February of 1981. It involved three players who were all gone by 1979 and none of them were recruited by Davis or Williams. Their teams kept put their heads down and went to 4 Sweet 16s in 5 years while winning a pair of Big East regular season titles. I never got to interview Tom Davis, but my impression is that it had a tremendous impact on him. One of his players (Rick Kuhn) was severely punished and sentenced to 10 years in prison, which seems to be one of the reasons that Davis left BC in 1982.

How hard was it to get African-American players to come to Boston so soon after the city’s notorious busing crisis of the 1970s? I think that it was very difficult and had a significant impact on recruiting at all of the schools. Gary Williams said that even if the players did not recall the busing crisis their parents certainly did. There were fears about what they would encounter, and some guys were afraid of straying too far off the beaten path.

How did Bostonians feel about their local high school talents (like future Georgetown star Patrick Ewing) who decided to go to out-of-state schools? It depended where you were: the people in Cambridge did not necessarily t have any affiliation to BC or BU. Boston is thought of as a “college town” but it is not a typical college town because there is not one school that dominates the landscape. Boston has a lot of colleges that appeal to students and alumni, but everyone agrees that it is a pro sports town.

How did those school gyms of the 1980s compare to those of today? BU and Northeastern are still playing at the same gyms. BC went from the Roberts Center, a place that several of my interviewees described as feeling like a “bowling alley” to Conte Forum. It does not have great sight lines and is not a particularly intimate setting. It is very much a multi-purpose arena.

How did the basketball coaches feel about being at schools known more for other sports like BC (football) and BU (hockey)? I think it had the biggest impact at BU. Jack Parker’s BU hockey team won several national titles and had the two most significant players on the 1980 US Olympic hockey team (Mike Eruzione and Jim Craig).

Who do you consider to be the best Boston player from that era: Michael Adams/Reggie Lewis/Gary Plummer/other? I would take Reggie Lewis. I asked people at Northeastern about him and they said that from the first time he stepped onto the court they knew that he would become the greatest player in school history. Michael Adams, John Bagley, Gary Plummer, Tony Simms, Mark Halsel and so many others were great, but I think Reggie was the most outstanding player, which is why I wanted him on the cover of my book.

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Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Jan 24th

Posted on January 24, 2024 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-Houston picked up a highly impressive 75-68 road win at BYU. They held a lead for most of the game, but it was close all throughout and BYU made a run at them in the final minutes. On paper, it’s one of Houston’s biggest wins to date considering that it was a true road game, and is the kind of win that indicates that they’re very much in the hunt for a #1 seed.

-Kentucky struggled offensively all night long and fell rather decisively at South Carolina 77-62. It’s a nice win for the Gamecocks, and while it’s a bit of a missed opportunity for Kentucky, they are still very much in the protected seed range.

-Texas got a BIG win at Oklahoma 75-60, which is probably their best of the year. It looks great on paper and they were very impressive on the court. After a big road win for Oklahoma over the weekend, the questions of how good they actually are still remain. We know they’re good, but are they really top 15 caliber good?

-Wisconsin got a battle from rival Minnesota, and Minney almost pulled off the college hoops version of the onsides kick at the end of hte game. They were down 3, they went to the freethrow line, they made they made the first, they missed the second, they got the rebound, they got off a great looking shot, but…they missed it. Wisky held on for another nice road win 61-59.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PROVIDENCE AT SETON HALL (Big East). Seton Hall is coming off a triple OT loss to Creighton, but is still playing really well and still moving up the seedlist. Providence hasn’t been the same since injuries set in and is right now squarely on the bubble. A win in a game like this could go a long way toward helping them land on the right side of it, but wins like this are not easy to come by.

-LSU AT GEORGIA (SEC). I still think Georgia is outside looking in, and they were beaten handily by Kentucky in their last game, but they still have a path to making the field if they can string together some wins.

-NC STATE AT VIRGINIA (ACC). Both still have work to do, but Virginia finally got a win on the road in their last game. They need to hold serve over their next few games if they want to move inside the bubble.

-MIAMI FL AT NOTRE DAME (ACC). Miami has been a huge disappointment this year and needs to string some wins together just to get back in the discussion. They sure as hell can’t afford to lose this one tonight.

-MARYLAND AT IOWA (Big Ten). I think Iowa is outside the bubble and that Maryland is even further outside the bubble. Both have a lot of work to do if they want to be on the right side of it come March.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic 10). Richmond is still about 100 miles outside the bubble, but they’ve won eight in a row and while the path for them to get there is steep and narrow, it’s also not impossible. GW has had a pretty decent year and should be able to give them a test tonight.

-SAMFORD AT FURMAN (SoCon). BUCKY BALL!!!! The Samford Bulldogs are looking for a nation’s best 18th straight win tonight.

-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC). A hugely important game tonight! It’s a rivalry game between two really good teams whose resumes could both still use some work if they want to end up as protected seeds. It should be a crazy atmosphere and a huge statement win for whoever is able to pull it off, especially if Auburn does it on the road.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT RICE (American). This should be a routine conference road win for FAU, but nothing for FAU has been routine this year.

-INDIANA STATE AT UIC (Missouri Valley). This should be a routine road win for Indiana State and improve them to 17-3 on the year.

-DRAKE AT MISSOURI STATE (Missouri Valley). Like Indiana State, Drake is looking for a shot inside the bubble and if they can continue to string together wins and finish atop the standings they should get a pretty serious look. They need to pick this one up on the road tonight.

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East). Nova is 11-7 on the year, but they’re still playing really well and have a strong resume. They nearly knocked off UConn in their last game. A win on the road against the Johnnies would give their resume a nice boos. Saint John’s could use this one as well. They come into this one on a three game losing streek.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT FLORIDA (SEC). We’ve got Mississippi State inside the bubble, but a road win in a game like this would help them strengthen their grip. Florida is on the outside looking in and could really use this win themselves. Both teams should have a sense of urgency coming into this one.

-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). It’s not easy to win at Northwestern, but Illinois is really good and is capable of winning games that are not easy to win. The Illini look like a potential protected seed and Northwestern looks like a team that should be safely in on the first ballot if they can manage a few m0re big wins.

-MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL (Big East). There aren’t many easy road wins in the Big East, but this is perhaps one of them. Marquette should hold serve in this one and stay within the range of a protected seed.

-KANSAS STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Both teams are moving up our seedlist, but Iowa State is moving up a lot higher and a lot faster whereas K State is still trying to play their way safely inside the bubble. A win tonight on the road would be another big step forward for K State.

-ARKANSAS AT OLE MISS (SEC). Ole Miss has a bloated record, but is just 2-3 in SEC play and a loss tonight at home against a team that’s pretty far outside the bubble would be a rather big setback. Despite the big record, Ole Miss needs to hold serve tonight.

-UTAH AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12). Utah is a team that a lot of people like, but they are just 1-3 in true road games and I think they’ve got to do a little better than that. This is a big road swing, and a big game for them tonight. A win at Wazzu would help make their resume look a lot better.

-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). Colorado State is back in the rankings and both teams have a very solid shot at making the NCAA Tournament, but both still have some work to do. A road win like this would really help out Colorado State’s resume, and as for Nevada, they’ve lost three straight and are below .500 in the conference after opening the season up 14-1. A win tonight would help pull them out of the tailspin they seem to be in.

-NEW MEXICO AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West). New Mexico has been playing really well, and adding more road wins to their resume will make it look even better. This is a game they should be able to win tonight, which would allow them to continue to climb both the rankigns and our seedlists.

-COLORADO AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12). Colorado has no true road wins and that is a glaring problem. They need to take care of business tonight and start winning some games away from home or else I think there are going to be some huge red flags with their resume come March.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Wednesday, January 24th

Posted on January 24, 2024 by John Stalica

UNC-Greensboro (14-5, 5-1) at Western Carolina (15-4, 4-2) – 7:00 PM ET (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Cullowhee, North Carolina for a matchup of two of the top teams in the Southern Conference where the Western Carolina Catamounts host the UNC-Greensboro Spartans. UNC-G has won five out of their last six overall, but the lone loss was a 79-70 game at Samford that has at the moment relegated the Spartans to second place in the SoCon. In their most recent game, Mikeal Brown-Jones scored 29 points to lead the Spartans to an 82-59 win at home against Wofford.

Western Carolina finds itself in a four-way tie for third place at the moment with Chattanooga, Wofford and Furman. They have a home win against Wofford and a road loss at Furman which gives them a 1-1 record against the group at the moment. The loss at Furman came at the buzzer; it was even more painful as they were coming off of a home loss against Samford. Vonterius Woolbright leads the Catamounts with 21.1 points per game.

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