Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-It was a busy day both inside and outside of college basketball yesterday.  We decided to postpone Under the Radar until tonight so be on the lookout for that.  We hope everyone out there, regardless of political affiliation, is safe and has a healthy peace of mind after yesterday.  Other than those well wishes, we will stick what we stick to on this site, which is college basketball.

-Seton Hall had looked really good coming into yesterday’s game at Creighton.  They did not look good yesterday.  Creighton, on the other hand, looked amazing.  They blew The Hall off the court 89-53 in one of the most impressive single game performances we’ve seen from a Big East team (or any team that isn’t Gonzaga) all season long.

-Tennessee had to come from behind to beat Arkansas in a 79-74 battle.  While Arkansas didn’t win, I think I was more impressed with them yesterday than I had been at any point before that.

-Minnesota continues to look like a protected seed at home and a sub-NIT team on the road.  Michigan blew their doors off 82-57.

-Louisville appeared to have Virginia Tech at arms length for the whole game, but the Hokies kept it just close enough to keep it within reach, and actually had a shot to win the game as time expired, but the Cardinals held on for the 73-71 win.

-Duke beat Boston College.  By 1.  At home.  I think it’s time for me to say that I’m not all that impressed with Duke this year.

-Pitt got a really nice road win against Syracuse.  We were quick to write off the Panthers when they lost their season opener, but they’ve lost just one game since then and are now starting to rack up some quality wins.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-OREGON AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  Oregon is in the rankings, but has a chance to pick up what would be one of their better wins of the season so far considering that it’s a conference road game against a Colorado team that appears to be of tournament caliber (but who could also use a notable win of their own).

-IOWA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Iowa continues to look like a solid protected seed who could win the Big Ten and/or end up as a #1 seed.

-INDIANA AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Indiana is looking to safely secure a spot inside the bubble and a win in a game like this can certainly help with that.  Wisky is trying to win a Big Ten title and earn a #1 seed.

-CINCINNATI AT SMU (American).  SMU is coming off their first loss of the season, but it was to Houston so it’s hardly damaging.  They’re in good shape and will remain that way so long as they hold serve tonight.

-SEMO AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  A win for Belmont gets them to 11-1, and if they run the table in the OVC, which they are good enough to do, they may sneak inside the bubble.

-COLORADO STATE AT UNLV (Mountain West).  Colorado State’s big win against San Diego State has made them look like a possible tournament team, but they pretty much need to roll over all their opponents who are outside the bubble if they want to get there.

-BYU AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  BYU looks like a solid tournament team, but even solid tournament teams are overmatched by Gonzaga.  I mean hell! protected seeds appear to be overmatched by Gonzaga.

-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Northwestern has been on a bit of a skid since getting off to such an incredible start, and it will be tough to pull themselves out of it tonight against an Illinois team that’s in the rankings and looking like they can earn a protected seed.

-WASHINGTON AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  I still think this Stanford team has potential, but they need to pick up some big wins between now and the end.  They also need to hold serve in games like this.

-USC AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  I like this USC team, but their resume could use some patch work.  A road win in a game like this would certainly help.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12).  Wazzu’s only loss of the season was in overtime to Arizona.  The problem is they have no quality wins to speak of, but they’ll get their chances between now and the end.  They also need to keep beating up on non-tournament teams in order to have a chance.

-NEVADA AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State still looks like a team that will land solidly inside the bubble despite a couple of setbacks.  They need to hold serve in games like this.

-UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  I think these are two likely tournament teams, but it’s also two teams who need to build up their resumes and tonight’s game is an opportunity to do that.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Missouri looked like a top 20 team in the first half against Mississippi State, and looked like a sub-200 team in the second half.  A lot of credit to the Bulldogs for blowing them out of the arena by outscoring them by 27 in the second half and handing Mizzou just their second loss of the season.

-Rutgers couldn’t get their motor started at all against Michigan State and was blown off the floor as well.  Sparty looked as good as they had all year, especially in the second half, as they picked up the 68-45 win.

-Clemson added another notable win to their already pretty noteworthy profile as they held off NC State 74-70 in overtime.  They trailed for most of the game, but stayed in it, made big plays when they had to, and got the win.

-Alabama followed up their big win against Tennessee with another really impressive win against Florida.  The Tide kept the Gators at arms length for pretty much the entire game and then pulled away at the end for the 86-71 win.

-Winthrop got a huge scare from Charleston Southern on the road, but got the 78-76 win and remain unbeaten.

-In case you’re wondering, Dayton is not as good as they were a year ago.  They lost to a rather pitiful Fordham team 55-54 yesterday and aren’t even looking like an NIT team at the moment.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TULSA AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  Tulsa is beginning to make some noise, especially after their big win against Houston.  If they can pick up this conference road win and improve to 7-3 then they will definitely have our attention.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  The Bonnies had a rather big setback after their loss to Rhode Island.  A home loss to a winless Saint Joe’s team would be more than just a setback.  It would be like losing a buy game.

-PITTSBURGH AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  If Pitt can pick up this win on the road I’ll start to become a believer.  They did fall to Louisville in their last game, but Louisville is tough and it was their first loss since the season opener.  Syracuse is a solid 6-1, but their schedule hasn’t been the strongest and this would arguably be their best win of the year so far if they pull it off.

-RHODE ISLAND AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  I’m still a believer in Richmond, but they need to hold serve against non-tournament caliber teams for pretty much the rest of the year in order to land inside the bubble.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  VA Tech still has an amazing profile and has the chance to add another really big win to it tonight.  Louisville is 7-1 and is looking to add some good wins to their resume themselves.

-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Arkansas has a bloated record, but they amassed it largely through buy games.  Tonight will be a real test against a Tennessee team that looks like they’re good enough to be a protected seed, but who is also coming off a loss to Alabama.

-VCU AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten).  This should be a winnable road game for a VCU team that right now feels like a bubble team.  They need to hold serve against teams that are outside the bubble.

-WICHITA STATE AT HOUSTON (American).  Virtually nothing was expected from Wichita State this year given the off the court drama just before the season started, but they’re 6-2, have looked pretty good, and have the chance to make a major statement tonight.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier got blown out by Seton Hall in their last game and is looking to bounce back against a decent, but not great, Saint John’s team.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Both teams are highly ranked and both seem to have a realistic path to a protected seed.  Minney hasn’t done much away from home, though, so a win tonight would add something big to their resume.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke hasn’t done anything impressive yet, so it’s important that they hold serve tonight.

-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Oklahoma barely lost to Texas Tech just before Christmas and picked up a big win against West Virginia the other night.  This is a test of an entirely different level, though.  If they can beat Baylor on the road then they’ll belong high in the rankings.

-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  UVA shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight, staying in the rankings, and staying in good shape as far as their resume goes.

-TEXAS A&M AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  I still think this South Carolina team can have a big year, but they haven’t played many games and haven’t shown all that much in the few games they have played.  They need to take care of business tonight to keep the bubble within reach.

-SETON HALL AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Creighton is ranked in the top ten and looking like they could easily end up with a protected seed.  Seton Hall has been a little up and down this year, but right now they’re way up with wins in seven of their last eight games and an impressive blowout win at Xavier their last time out.

-AIR FORCE AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  Boise State is 8-1 on the year and looks like a solid tournament team.  They should be able to hold serve tonight.

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NEWS AND NOTES

-West Virginia had to come from behind to get the win against Oklahoma State.  It appeared as though the Cowboys had the game under control, but WVU finished strong and got the W.  It was a statement that they can win big road games without Oscar Tshiebwe, which is important.

-Drake blew out Southern Illinois for the second day in a row.  It’s looking like Drake is the team to beat in the MVC.  They still haven’t lost a game, and when you look down their schedule pretty much all their remaining games appear to be winnable.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DAYTON AT FORDHAM (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton’s margin for error is razor thin.  Having said that, they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up their first road win today against a really bad Fordham team.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech’s resume still needs a bit of work to become a protected seed, but I definitely think they’re good enough to get there and shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve tonight.

-NC STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  A really intriguing game between two teams with good records and that have shown us quite a bit.  This would be one of the better wins of the season so far for whoever ends up pulling this off.

-FLORIDA AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Both teams are likely tournament teams, and both also have the opportunity to improve their resumes with a win tonight.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Both of these teams have the potential to end up safely inside the bubble, but both still have a lot of work to do and could really use this win tonight.

-MISSOURI AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Mizzou continues to look very impressive this year and can pick up their third true road win of the season with a win tonight.

-RUTGERS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Rutgers is coming off a close loss to Iowa, which is frustrating, but also encouraging.  Michigan State has struggled this season and could really use a high quality win like this one.  It’s wild to say that playing Rutgers is such a great opportunity for Michigan State, but that is where we are.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American).  Both teams are on the outside looking in, and both have a lot of work to do.  Winning tonight would be a good start.

-KANSAS AT TCU (Big 12).  Kansas is a solid candidate for a #1 seed and TCU is trying to put together the kind of resume that will land them inside the bubble.  A win for either team certainly helps those causes.