Chad is joined by a full panel that builds this week’s seedlist line by line! They debate, discuss, assess, and sometimes strongly argue about each team as they go. Find out who they have on the #1 lines so far, who is safely in, who still has work to do, and who on the bubble just made it in and just missed it.
Below is a final copy of The Bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!
And, for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
For today’s Hoops HD Daily Rundown – CLICK HERE
We are only 8 weeks away from Selection Sunday as we begin to make our NCAA tourney predictions. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel correctly picked 67 of the 68 teams that made the 2024 tourney: 62 of his 67 were within 1 spot of their actual seed and 41 were right on the money. He will spend the upcoming months predicting which 68 teams will hear their names called on March 16th. See below for his list of who would make the cut if they picked the field today and if you agree or disagree then feel free to tweet us. To see how he stacks up with other websites (ranked 7th out of 179 bracket veterans over the past 5 years), check out: www.bracketmatrix.com
SEED: TEAM (CONFERENCE)
1: Auburn (SEC)
1: Duke (ACC)
1: Alabama (SEC)
1: Iowa State (Big 12)
2: Tennessee (SEC)
2: Marquette (Big East)
2: Florida (SEC)
2: Kentucky (SEC)
3: Kansas (Big 12)
3: Michigan State (Big 10)
3: Illinois (Big 10)
3: Oregon (Big 10)
4: Mississippi State (SEC)
4: Texas A&M (SEC)
4: Purdue (Big 10)
4: Houston (Big 12)
5: Mississippi (SEC)
5: Michigan (Big 10)
5: Memphis (AAC)
5: Connecticut (Big East)
6: Wisconsin (Big 10)
6: West Virginia (Big 12)
6: Arizona (Big 12)
6: Baylor (Big 12)
7: Louisville (ACC)
7: Gonzaga (WCC)
7: Utah State (MWC)
7: Georgia (SEC)
8: St. John’s (Big East)
8: Missouri (SEC)
8: UCLA (Big 10)
8: Clemson (ACC)
9: Pitt (ACC)
9: Oklahoma (SEC)
9: Texas Tech (Big 12)
9: Creighton (Big East)
10: Vanderbilt (SEC)
10: St. Mary’s (WCC)
10: San Diego State (MWC)
10: Maryland (Big 10)
11: Nebraska (Big 10)
11: North Carolina (ACC)
11: New Mexico (MWC)
11: Ohio State (Big 10)
11: Iowa (Big 10)
11: VCU (A-10)
12: UC Irvine (Big West)
12: Drake (MVC)
12: McNeese (Southland)
12: Samford (SoCon)
13: Lipscomb (Atlantic Sun)
13: Princeton (Ivy)
13: South Alabama (Sun Belt)
13: High Point (Big South)
14: Middle Tennessee (C-USA)
14: Charleston (CAA)
14: Akron (MAC)
14: Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
15: Utah Valley (WAC)
15: Purdue Fort Wayne (Horizon)
15: Norfolk State (MEAC)
15: Marist (MAAC)
16: Bryant (America East)
16: Omaha (Summit)
16: Southern (SWAC)
16: Morehead State (OVC)
16: Colgate (Patriot)
16: Long Island (NEC)
1ST 4 OUT
Arizona State (Big 12)
Indiana (Big 10)
Texas (SEC)
Wake Forest (ACC)
NEWS AND NOTES:
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE
-So, yesterday was extremely chalky and there was no real big results or upsets at all. I’m kidding, of course. It was CRAZY!
-Auburn did escape Georgia with a win and should hold on to their #1 ranking, but it wasn’t easy. Auburn led by as much as 10 with less than 8 minutes to go. Georgia had a chance to tie the game and force OT on their last possession, but came up just short and the Tigers escaped 70-68.
-Iowa State, who we just got done praising as being every bit as good as Auburn, went on the road to West Virginia and lost a defensive battle 64-57. It was just Iowa State’s second loss of the year, and it’s another huge win for a West Virginia team that’s starting to build up a pretty nice resume.
-Alabama and Kentucky was exciting and high scoring from tip to buzzer with several lead changes and momentum shifts, but Alabama got it done 102-97, which is another massive road win for the Tide.
-Tennessee, who had shown they could win tough games on the road earlier this season, did not get the win yesterday at Vanderbilt. They were behind for much of the game, but overcame a 16pt deficit and were at the freethrow line in the final second of the game with a chance tie and force overtime. He made the first, but missed the second, and the Dores got a huge 76-75 upset. They will also be writing a check to the SEC office after storming the court in victory.
-Marquette had been blowing through their schedule and no one was expecting them to have much trouble with Xavier yesterday, but the Musketeers had a great first half, and were able to hold on to their lead throughout the second half and pull off a 59-57 road upset. Not many teams have beaten a top ten team in a true road game, but now Xavier has. They still have a lot of work to do and getting into the NCAA Tournament is still a long shot, but this was a huge step in the right direction. (Note from Stalica – this is the first game of a 4-game stretch for Xavier where they go to St. John’s, host UConn and then go to Creighton. They might be in if they can pick off 2 of those games.) Also in the Big East…
-Connecticut had been on fire and wasn’t expected to have much trouble at all at home with Creighton, so of course the Bluejays picked up a massive 68-63 upset road win which is a fantastic resume-boost for them. It’s the kind of win Creighton really needed to get the committee to take them seriously and greatly increases their chances of making the NCAAs. (Note from Stalica – And yet Creighton is 8-2 all time against UConn.)
-Houston barely escaped UCF with a 69-68 win. This was a tough fought game where UCF led for much of the way, but Houston kept it within reach and then scored the game winner in the final seconds to keep their streak going and pick up another true road win.
-Purdue picked up what may be their biggest win of the season so far as the went across the country to Oregon and got the 65-58 win on the road. Both teams are looking like possible/probable protected seeds.
-Mississippi State and Ole Miss was intense, exciting, and insane just as you would expect. Mississippi State managed to get the big win in OT 84-81. Ole Miss had a shot to force a second OT, but could not convert.
-Gonzaga lost again to a team that’s nowhere near the field as they fell at home to Santa Clara 103-99. It’s okay to start questioning Gonzaga. I still think they belong in the field, but their resume barely suggests that they belong in the top half of the bracket right now and they certainly don’t look like the Final Four caliber team we thought they were at the beginning of the year. (Note from Stalica – another loss right now by Gonzaga would drop them to SIXTH place in the WCC. The last time they were fifth was 1996-97; the last time they were as low as sixth was 1990-91.)
-Clemson got a really nice, and somewhat needed, road win at Pitt as they won in a 78-75 thriller. Clemson was not in any real danger, but a road win like this certainly shores up their resume. (Note from Stalica – Pitt did take a brief lead in the closing minutes of regulation, but Clemson did survive in overtime.)
-Cincinnati, who we were beating up on pretty hard prior to this week, has now won two straight games as they knocked off Arizona State 67-60 yesterday. Arizona State is now just 1-5 in Big 12 play and needs to start picking up wins soon. Also in the Big 12…
-Arizona, who we were heavily praising prior to this week for how well they had been playing recently, did not play well yesterday. They were blown off the court by a rather blah-level Texas Tech team 70-54.
-Wake Forest keeps winning! When are people going to start to pay attention! They pulled off a 72-63 win at Virginia Tech and are now 6-1 in conference play and 14-4 on the year.
-North Carolina, who had also been winning a lot, did not win yesterday. They fell at home to Stanford 72-71 in what would have been the biggest upset of the day on most normal days, but kind of just got lost in the shuffle today.
-Missouri is on fire. They blew Arkansas off the court 83-65 yesterday and this follows up a huge win on the road at Florida earlier in the week. Arkansas is also on fire, but they are more like a burning dumpster. They’ve shown no signs at any point this season of belonging in the NCAA Tournament.
-UNLV has had a hell of a week ruining things for their opponents. After going on the road and knocking off Utah State, they followed that up last night with a win at San Diego State. UNLV has looked…well…let’s just say ‘not great’ for most of the season, so for them to go on that road trip and get both those wins is perhaps the most improbable thing that happened all week. As for San Diego State, the 76-68 home loss is a setback, but they should still be inside the bubble and will remain there so long as they don’t stub their toes like that too many more times.
-Furman is a good team. They will win a lot of games. But, after yesterday’s 75-71 home loss to Chattanooga, which is now their third loss in SoCon play, one of those wins better be that last SoCon Tournament game if they want to make the NCAAs.
-The home loss UC San Diego had to UC Irvine was a missed opportunity. The 85-81 road loss last night to UC Riverside might mean that UCSD will need to win the Big West Tournament in order to play in the NCAA Tournament. This one hurt. UCR is a good team, but that’s just it. Teams have to beat good teams to make it to the NCAAs.
-Oregon State followed up their big home win against Gonzaga with a tough road loss to San Francisco. This is a really good San Francisco team that people aren’t talking all that much about. They could definitely end up making the NCAA Tournament this March.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Both teams are ranked in the top 20 and both are playing at a high level right now. Illinois has won six out if seven, including some really tough road win sin that stretch, and Michigan State hasn’t lost since Maui over Thanksgiving, and is a perfect 9-0 at home. Both could end up as protected seeds, and this would be a huge resume win today.
-NEBRASKA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). Nebraska has lost three straight, is in a bit of a tailspin, and is in danger of falling outside of the bubble if it continues. A win today would really help them get things turned around. Maryland is in failry good shape, but needs to hold serve in games like this.
-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Michigan had been red hot, but is coming off a somewhat surprising loss on the road to Minnesota. This is a good bounce back game for them as Northwestern is a decent team, but certainly one they can beat at home. As for Northwestern, they’re coming off a home win against Maryland that they desperately needed, but they still have work to do and a win today would help them out a ton.
-MEMPHIS AT CHARLOTTE (American). This should be a rather easy win for Memphis, but they are coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Temple, so as good as they are they can’t just show up and go through the motions.
-TCU AT BAYLOR (Big 12). Baylor looks like a solid team that should end up in the top half of the NCAA Tournament bracket, and will have chances to move up between now and the end. They should be able to hold serve at home against TCU, who looks to be very NIT-ish right now.
Morris Robert Robert Morris (12-7, 4-4) at Milwaukee (13-6, 6-2) – 3:00 PM ET (ESPN+)
Today’s UTR Game of the Day heads to Milwaukee as the host Panthers take on the Robert Morris Colonials in a Horizon League matchup. Milwaukee comes into today’s game a game behind leader Cleveland State and a half game behind Purdue-Fort Wayne for second place. In their last game, the Panthers were unaffected by Penguin Fever as they defeated Youngstown State 79-64; they were led by Faizon Fields’ 21 points in the victory.
Robert Morris is having their best season to date in the Horizon; they have won six of their last eight games overall. After losing at home to Cleveland State a week and a half ago, the Colonials defeated Wright State by 3 points at home and blew out Green Bay on the road. Alvaro Folgueiras averages a double-double (12.8 PPG, 10.3 RPG) for Robert Morris.
HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. He was in attendance Friday night at Capital 1 Arena and prepared this photo essay about the Hoyas’ matchup against DePaul. If you would like to check out his prior coverage, please go to:
Part 1: https://hoopshd.com/2024/11/09/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-1-4
Part 2: https://hoopshd.com/2024/11/16/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-2-5
Part 3: https://hoopshd.com/2024/11/23/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-3-4
Part 4: https://hoopshd.com/2024/11/30/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-4-4
Part 5: https://hoopshd.com/2024/12/03/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-5-5
Part 6: https://hoopshd.com/2024/12/19/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-6-4
Part 7: https://hoopshd.com/2024/12/28/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-7-5
Another great pregame meal: multiple types of pasta/garlic bread/brownie/chocolate chip cookie. The student section is hungry for a win and looks quite packed:
I noticed that the radio analyst for DePaul was Dave Corzine. I got to interview him about his fellow alum George Mikan a couple of years ago and he was super-nice:
Let’s tip off an eventful weekend in DC:
It is hard to feel confident about a DePaul team that has lost 39(!) straight Big East regular-season games over the past 3 seasons, but they certainly have the health advantage as Georgetown was down a pair of starters. Their leading 3-PT shooter (Jayden Epps) was out for the 3rd time in the past 6 games due to a left hamstring injury, while their leading scorer/rebounder/shot-blocker (Thomas Sorber) was out for the 1st time all season due to a right elbow injury:
DePaul coach Chris Holtmann has been waiting even longer for a win, as the last time he beat a Big East team was on 11/22/21 in a 3-PT win at Seton Hall when he was coach at Ohio State:
For a guy whose name sounds primarily like a defensive star, Blue Demons G Layden Blocker displayed his offensive repertoire in the 1st half with a layup, a jumper, and a pair of threes en route to 14 PTS in just 14 minutes of action:
Caleb Williams/Malik Mack tried to pick up the offensive slack for the Hoyas by getting to the basket for layup after layup, but they needed a bit more help:
DePaul entered the locker room up 39-28 at halftime thanks to Georgetown making exactly ONE shot from behind the arc and having just 3 AST. After coming back onto the court, Blue Demons PF NJ Benson missed a dunk but was still strong enough to wreck part of the stanchion, so the maintenance crew had to bring out a stepladder to fix it:
With Sorber out, Benson was able to use his 6’8”/235-pound frame to his advantage in the 2nd stanza with a layup, an alley-oop dunk that thankfully did not do any further damage to the basket, and even a 3 from the top of key to beat the shot clock. His 4 BLK on the defensive end were not too shabby either:
To the Hoyas’ credit, they did not go gently into that good night despite their depleted roster. Drew Fielder made several shots around the basket, a turnaround jumper, and a 3 to finish with 19 PTS:
Both Mack and his teammate Curtis Williams Jr. made a pair of threes down the stretch as they were able to chip away at a 17-PT 1st half deficit and whittle it down to a 1-possesion game in the final minutes. However, DePaul G CJ Gunn gave his team a shot in the arm with a layup, a jumper, and a corner 3 to finish with a team-high 17 PTS and lead his team to a 73-68 victory and their 1st conference road win since beating the Hoyas in DC on 2/24/22:
In the postgame press conference I asked Coach Holtmann (who spent the past 7 years at Ohio State) how close he was to Buckeyes’ football coach Ryan Day and whether he thought Day was 72 hours away from becoming a national champ. He smiled and said that Coach Day is 1 of the best people he knows and a hell of a guy. While he refused to make an official prediction, he admitted that he would like nothing more than for Coach Day and his staff to win it all on Monday night:
I wondered if Georgetown coach Ed Cooley and his team would have time to celebrate Martin Luther King Day on Monday considering he had a game at Villanova at 6PM that evening. He explained that he requested to play on MLK Day because it is something special, and much like King the Hoyas want to be a leader in discussing justice/injustice. He is grateful that the league has allowed him to play on Monday, and that King’s dream is coming true by virtue of Cooley being able to talk to us today:
That is a wrap for now but check back later this month when St. John’s visits DC.
NEWS AND NOTES:
-For the latest Hoops HD Staff Bracket, which was put together this week by Chad Sherwood – CLICK HERE
-Indiana snapped a two-game losing streak where they were blown out in both games by getting a really nice 77-76 road win at Ohio State. Every year we see schizophrenic teams, and Ohio State is a team with a profile that fits that category this year. They have a blowout win against a team like Kentucky away from home, and last night they lost at home to an Indiana team that appeared to be on the bubble at best.
-UCLA also ended their losing streak with a blowout home win against Iowa. The final score was 94-70, but the lead was much bigger than that until late in the game.
-Ever since beating UConn and showing signs of possible tournament life, Villanova has now gone backwards after losing at St. John’s (forgivable) and Xavier (less forgivable). They barely eked out a win at home against Providence last night.
-Which is more than we can say for Georgetown. The Hoyas took a huge step backward after DePaul snapped a 39-game losing streak in conference play last night with a 73-68 win. AND on the road in Washington. This was also the first road win for the Blue Demons in two seasons.
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SPOTLIGHT GAME:
-VMI AT THE CITADEL (SoCon). This is legit one of my favorite rivalries in all of college basketball!! Neither team is all that good, and when these two meet it is oftentimes for second-to-last place in the SoCon, but WOW do they get after it!! There is something special and somewhat romantic about a game that doesn’t mean hardly anything on paper between two teams that aren’t ever nationally significant, but that come out and go at it with such intensity the way these teams do. It’s worth watching!! It really is!! (Note from Stalica – out of respect for Griggs, this is now our UTR Game of the Day.)
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ALABAMA AT KENTUCKY (SEC). Both teams are ranked in the top ten and both are within reach of a #1 seed. Having said that, the SEC is so strong both are also at risk of not finishing in the top 4 and byeing into the SEC quarterfinals. Alabama has an unbelievable resume, but they are coming off a somewhat surprising home loss to Ole Miss (who is also very good) and this will not be an easy game for them to bounce back in.
-HOUSTON AT UCF (Big 12). Houston continues to string together wins as their schedule gets tougher and tougher. UCF is a team that is good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, and a win today would go a long way even though it’s a home game.
-CLEMSON AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). It feels like both of these teams will be able to make the Tournament, but both still have work to do and a win today would be big for whoever pulls it off. Clemson has won five out of six, including a road game in their last game, but none of the wins were super strong. Pitt is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Florida State and will be looking to rebound.
-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC). This will be another tough road test for an Auburn team that’s passed virtually all of their tough road tests. Georgia is having a good year, but this would be a huge win on their resume even though it’s a home game. They should be jacked way up for this one.
-ARIZONA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12). Arizona has really started to play well and is definitely trending up. This is another tough, but winnable, road game against a Texas Tech team that’s looked good at times, but needs to look good a few more times in order to land inside the bubble.
-PURDUE AT OREGON (Big Ten). Both teams are ranked in the top 20 and both teams have some really good wins on their resume. Oregon got battles from Ohio State and Penn State on the road in their last two games, but managed to win both of them. As good as Purdue has been this year, this would probably be their best win of the season so far up to this point.
-WISCONSIN AT USC (Big Ten). Going all the way out to USC and winning on the road is not an easy task for Wisky, but it is one that they are certainly up for. They’ve now won six straight, but this would just be their second true road win of the season.
-TENNESSEE AT VANDERBILT (SEC). It’s a rivalry game, and Vandy is having a good year, but it still appears to be a bit of a mismatch as Tennessee is looking like they are among the few teams that are good enough to win it all. The Vols have also shown that they can play and win in tough road environments.
-IOWA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12). Iowa State is one of the two best teams in the country and is coming off a rather decisive win against Kansas. This will be a very tough road game, and it’s one that could give West Virginia’s profile a huge boost, but Iowa State is capable of winning tough games.
-OLE MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). It’s a big rivalry game between two ranked teams. Ole Miss just picked up a massive on the road against Alabama, so as intense as this atmosphere will be for this one they’ve shown they can win on the road against really good teams. Mississippi State has lost two straight and will be looking to bounce back from a blowout loss at Auburn.
-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Arkansas is in real trouble. They’re 0-4 in SEC play and haven’t looked all that good this season other than perhaps in their win against Michigan. Mizzou, on the other hand, is coming off an amazing road win at Florida and is suddenly looking like a top 25 team. They have a ton of momentum built up and their fans should be up for this one.
-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC). Texas A&M has lost two straight, but those were against Alabama and Kentucky, which are clearly not easy games to win. But, they do need to bounce back and hold serve in the winnable games they do play because most SEC games are very hard to win. LSU is respectable, but TAMU should beat them at home.
-OREGON STATE AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast). After Oregon State’s big win against Gonzaga last night they are probably within reach of the bubble, and they certainly have the opportunities at the wins they need between now and the end to get inside of it. Tonight’s game is a big one. The Dons are not easy to beat on the road!
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Creighton @ UConn (Big East)- UConn is looking like a protected seed and Creighton is trying to play their way into the field. A win today would really help the Bluejays
-Georgia Tech @ Florida State (ACC)- Florida State is coming off a nice win against Pitt, which was their 5th win in 7 games, and they have another winnable game today
–Virginia at Louisville (ACC) – Louisville is hot right now with seven straight wins and they should be able to extend that today
-George Washington @ George Mason (Atlantic 10) – the chances of either team landing inside the bubble are slim, but if one or both of them can tear through their schedule and run away from the rest of the conference they may have a chance
-Kansas State @ Kansas (Big 12) – The Jayhawks should bounce back from their big loss at Iowa State and roll at home in this one
-Xavier @ Marquette (Big East) – Xavier needs a win like this (and probably then some) to get themselves back inside the bubble. Marquette looks like a sure fire protected seed who may even flirt with the #1 line if they can keep blowing through the Big East
-Arizona State @ Cincinnati (Big 12) – Both teams have shown signs of strength, but both are really struggling now with just one conference win for each of them. They both really need a win today
-SMU @ Miami FL (ACC) – this should be a rather easy road win for SMU
-Wake Forest @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – Wake has really come to life lately and they can add another road win to their resume and improve to 6-1 in ACC play
–Saint Bonaventure @ Duquesne (Atlantic 10) – the Bonnies are not inside the bubble, but they can perhaps get there if they can blow through the rest of their schedule. Anything short of that and they’ll need the auto bid
-Stanford @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC is another team that’s really come to life lately having won six out of their last seven and they should be able to hold serve today
-Texas @ Florida (SEC) – A win like this for Texas could completely turn their season around and boost their profile through the roof, but it’s easier said than done. Florida is one of the best teams in the country and won’t be easy to beat at home
-Bradley @ Murray State (Missouri Valley) – A win for Bradley gets them to 16-3 on the year and keeps the bubble within reach
-Colorado State @ Wyoming (Mountain West, Front Range) – WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THE FRONT RANGE!!!!
-South Carolina @ Oklahoma (SEC) – neither team has an SEC win yet, and both need one today. Oklahoma was unbeaten out of conference and is winless in conference so far
-Drake @ Indiana State – Drake can get to a very impressive 16-2 on the year and pick up another road win, which should keep them within reach of the bubble
-Duke @ Boston College (ACC) – should be some low hanging road fruit for Duke
-UNLV @ San Diego State (Mountain West) – UNLV just knocked off a really good Utah State team, so San Diego State doesn’t want to overlook them, but they should be able to hold serve and get this one done at home
-Saint John’s @ Seton Hall (Big East) – the Johnnies are really on a roll and they should be able to pick up another conference road win tonight
-UC San Diego @ UC Riverside (Big West) – UCSD did lose to UC Irvine recently, but I still think they are good enough to get inside the bubble. Having said that, road games like this are not easy to win
-Santa Clara @ Gonzaga (West Coast) – Gonzaga is coming off an overtime loss to Oregon State and needs to bounce back. They can still get a protected seed, but their margin for error is razor thin
-BYU @ Utah (Big 12) – not all that important on paper, but it is a fierce rivalry and it’s good to have it back as a conference game again!
-Cal Poly @ UC Irvine (Big West) – UC Irvine is inside of our bubble and will remain there so long as they continue to hold serve
-Saint Mary’s @ Pepperdine (West Coast) – SMC should be a first ballot NCAA Tournament team and should be able to hold serve tonight
