NEWS AND NOTES:
-Gonzaga jumped out to about a 19-2 lead on Kentucky and at no point was this game close. The Zags beat them down 94-59 in a game that was less competitive than most buy games we see. Kentucky falls to 5-4 and still has no wins other than home buy games on the season.
-East Tennessee State pulled away from a pretty good South Alabama team and beat them handily 91-65. ETSU clearly looks like the best team in the SoCon so far, and I’ve noticed that they have a tendency to blow games open about midway through the second half.
-Quinnipiac got a shockingly dominant win at IONA in the MAAC opener for both teams. They were our preseason pick to win the league, and they looked like the favorites last night winning 89-68 on the road.
-Xavier held on to beat Cincinnati 79-74 in a game that was competitive throughout. After a very slugglish start to the season, Xavier continues to show signs of improvement. Cincinnati is a team that shoots a lot of 3s, which is rather unfortunate for them considering they’re a team that also misses a lot of 3s.
-TCU, who is a team I had been praising, lost at home to Notre Dame, who is a team I had been criticizing. It was a tense and hard fought overtime 87-85 road win for the Irish and while they still have work to do they may be showing signs of getting better.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-IOWA STATE AT PURDUE. Both teams are in the top ten, both are unbeaten, and both have won big games to earn those high rankings. This is a showcase game between two teams that appear to be on pace to end up as protected seeds, and perhaps even contend for #1 seeds.
-DUKE AT MICHIGAN STATE. You can pretty much repeat exactly what is written above. I think I will!! Both teams are in the top ten, both are unbeaten, and both have won big games to earn those high rankings. This is a showcase game between two teams that appear to be on pace to end up as protected seeds, and perhaps even contend for #1 seeds.
-DAYTON VS VIRGINIA (Charlotte NC). Virginia just blew Texas’s doors off. If they play like that the rest of the way they may not lose another game all season. Dayton is off to a solid 7-2 start with some decent wins. This would be their biggest win of the year if they’re able to pull it off, and I think it would make a statement to the committee.
-BOISE STATE AT BUTLER. I’m highlighting this because the more I think about it, the more important I realize this game is. Boise State is 5-3 and still trying to shake off that opening loss to Hawaii Pacific. A big road win in a game like this would give them some much needed equity. Butler is 7-1 with some big wins and the only loss being on the road to SMU. Not many people are talking about them yet, but they look to be a tournament caliber team, or at least a team that could play their way into the discussion. Both teams can really use this win today.
-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT BUFFALO (Big Four). I don’t remember the last time I’ve been this excited for a Big Four game!!! Buffalo is unbeaten. While I admit they’ve been far better than I thought they’d be, I’m still not a full believer. I did say on our last podcast that if they win this one today that I’d start to believe. The Bonnies are 8-1 with the only loss being against North Carolina, and while they don’t have any really good wins they have at least a smattering of decent ones. This would probably be one of their better wins of the season up to this point. And, it’s a Big Four rivalry game!! So this one should be fun! I hope Buffalo’s arena is packed and that it’s a great atmosphere! It may be their biggest home game since Nate Oates was there.
-LOUISVILLE VS INDIANA (Indianapolis IN). This is a big day for the Hoosiers in the city of Indianapolis! While the football game against Ohio State is where most of the attention is, the basketball game against Louisville is also no small thing. Both teams are in the rankings, both are coming off losses, and both could use a notable bounce back win, especially Indiana who’s win against Marquette isn’t looking as good as we thought at the time and who is also coming off a damaging loss to Minnesota.
-GEORGE MASON AT VIRGINIA TECH. George Mason is good. George Mason is unbeaten. But George Mason’s schedule has been nothing short of awful. This is their first test of the season and it’s one that GMU sort of has to win if they want to be taken seriously. VA Tech is a respectable 7-2 and has a few decent wins, but they still have some work to do.
-WILLIAM & MARY AT GEORGE WASHINGTON. This is a strange game to highlight, but if nothing else I just think it’s going to be a really fun game. I still think GW can make a ton of noise in the A10 and perhaps even make a run at the bubble despite some early slipups, but they’ll have to play better than they’ve been playing to do it. Still, they’re a very respectable 7-2 on the year. Bill & Mary comes in at 8-2 and has three true road wins already, and is just a ton of fun to watch. They can shoot and they go deep into their bench. I’m not picking Bill & Mary to win this one, but it wouldn’t shock me at all if it happened.
-ILLINOIS VS TENNESSEE (Nashville TN). Both teams are in the rankings, both have some notable wins, but both have a few missed opportunities as well. Still, both these teams are good enough to end up as protected seeds and this is a chance to really boost up their resumes. It should be a fun one.
-SANTA CLARA AT NEW MEXICO. This is a tough road test for Santa Clara, but like I always say, teams need to win games that are tough to win in order to make the NCAA Tournament. If Santa Clara is as good as I think they are they should be able to win this game. We shall see.
-AUBURN AT ARIZONA. This is a massively tough road test for the Auburn Tigers, and they’re probably in over their heads. Arizona has looked like a Final Four team. One could argue that winning a game like this is harder than winning a game in the Final Four (at least if you take out how hard it is to get to the Final Four). When you’re playing a team in the Final Four, it’s not a true road game! Still, it’s a great game for the Tigers to play. Arizona already has multiple massive wins this season, particularly the win at UConn, and can remain on pace to get a #1 seed.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Rhode Island @ Providence – The Ocean State Rivalry!!! Rhody is off to a solid 7-2 start and so far looks like they are on a path that could lead them to the NCAA Tournament. The key part of that phrase is “so far.” There is a long way to go. Not only is this a rivalry game, but it’s the kind of game a tournament caliber team needs to be able to win on the road.
-Southern Miss @ Miami FL – Miami has looked good so far and can improve to 8-2 with a win today
-Old Dominion @ Richmond – I like this Richmond team and a win today gets them to 9-1
-Utah Valley @ Bowling Green – these are two solid UTR teams and this is a fun matchup. Utah Valley is still looking for their first true road win.
-Ohio State @ Northwestern – Ohio State is off to a solid 6-1 start, but they will be tested today against a solid Northwestern team. Most conference road games are tests
-Marquette @ Wisconsin – it’s a rivalry game, but both teams have underperformed. Marquette has underperformed to the point of not even looking like an NIT team. Still, sometimes a win in a rivalry team can jumpstart a team’s season.
-Missouri State @ Tulsa – Tulsa is having a good year and should be able to improve to 8-1 with a win today
-Rutgers @ Michigan (Big Ten) – Michigan is looking like the best team in the country and will likely continue cruising today
-Fresno State @ Arkansas – Arkansas is coming off a big win against Louisville, and while Fresno State is having a pretty good year that’s a lot better than most thought they’d have, they’re probably overmatched today
-Iowa @ Maryland (Big Ten) – both teams have shown potential, but both still have work to do and both could use this one today
-UNC Wilmington @ Louisiana – this is a very winnable road game for UNCW and they’re worth keeping an eye on. This gets them to 9-1 on the season
-Evansville @ Western Kentucky – I still think WKU could end up having a really big year. A win today gets them to 6-2 and one of those losses was an absolute battle against Vanderbilt
-Akron @ Tulane – I like this Akron team, but they need to win a true road game. Tulane is a solid 6-2 on the year, so it will be a test for the Zips
-Seton Hall @ Kansas State – It’s starting to dawn on me that Seton Hall may not be going away. They’re 8-1, and while they don’t have any great wins they do have some really good ones, and given how bad K State is looked this is a chance for them to pick up their first true road win of the season, which makes them look even better.
-Baylor @ Memphis – Before the season you’d think this would be one to highlight, but given how Memphis has played this is simply a somewhat challenging but winnable road game for Baylor. And, that’s really all there is to say about it.
-Colorado @ Colorado State (Front Range) – Colorado is looking to remain unbeaten on the year and pick up their first road win of the season. Colorado State is a respectable 6-2, but they haven’t looked as good as Colorado throughout those games
-Pacific @ California – Pacific is a respectable 7-2 and Cal is having a much better year than any of us expected, so this is a surprisingly noteworthy game!
-Washington @ USC (Big Ten) – Washington played well against UCLA earlier in the week, but came up short of getting what would have been a big win. They’ve got another tough test today, and it’s on the road. USC is still perfect on the season at 8-0.
-Oregon @ UCLA (Big Ten) – UCLA has struggled a little more this season than what most people probably expected, but it is still early, they did just get a nice win at Washington, and they’re back home for what should be a winnable conference road game today
-Wake Forest vs West Virginia (Charleston WV) – Wake has impressed me a few times this season, but their last game against Oklahoma was not one of those times. They still need a signature win, and while this wouldn’t be a great win it would probably be their best one to date
-California Baptist @ Utah – Cal Baptist has lost two straight and has another tough test today. Utah is a modest 6-3 and better not overlook the Lancers in this one
-Penn vs Villanova (Big Five Classic) – it’s the championship game!! And Nova is looking to improve to a very respectable 7-1 on the year.
-Oklahoma State @ Grand Canyon – GCU hasn’t had a bad year, but they haven’t been as good as we expected either. Still, it’s never an easy place for a team to go and win, and while Oklahoma State is a perfect 8-0 this is their first true road game and it’s not an easy one
-Florida State @ Houston – Florida State has been decent at times. Houston has been good, but not as good as they will likely be by the end of the year. Still, this is one the Cougars should win
-Ole Miss @ Saint John’s – The Johnnies are a modest 4-3 but are still very well positioned and should be able to hold serve in this one against a decent-but-not-great Ole Miss team
-Wichita State @ Northern Iowa – I still really like this UNI team even though their schedule hasn’t been the toughest. This should be (another) winnable home game for them, which would improve them to 8-1 on the year
-Oklahoma @ Arizona State – both teams have shown potential, and Arizona State has looked a lot better than expected so far, but both still have work to do
BUY GAMES/CRAP GAMES:
-Maine @ Miami OH
-UNC Asheville @ NC State
-Coppin State @ Liberty
-Dartmouth @ Wyoming
-Chicago State @ Illinois State
-South Dakota @ Northern Colorado – a win for NOCO gets them to 9-1
-UC San Diego @ Long Beach State (Big West) – UCSD should cruise
-Cal State Fullerton @ Hawaii (Big West) – Hawaii should cruise
Hoops HD Staff Bracket – Friday, December 5th
This week, we at Hoops HD are basing the weekly Staff Bracket based on the initial NET rankings that were released by the NCAA earlier this week. As you’ll see below, take some of the team selections with a huge grain of salt. That said, here is the bracket below:
First Four Out – UCLA, George Washington, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin
Rounding out the Top 60 in the NET: VCU, California, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Bowling Green, Northwestern
COMMENTS FROM JOHN
– One thing that is certain is that Michigan created a lot of separation from their blowout wins in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. They’ve raced out to the top overall seed in this bracket.
– What a difference a year makes in the ACC/SEC Challenge. While the SEC did come back from a 6-3 deficit on the first day, they did win the series 9-7 overall. However, the bracket in its current form shows “only” 9 SEC teams and now has 8 teams from the ACC.
– The Atlantic 10 actually managed to get a pair of teams into the field based on their NET rankings (Saint Louis and George Mason). George Washington was also the second team out, yet Dayton was not mentioned. Also note where the Billikens were placed in the bracket – they CAN be placed in St. Louis since the host is the Missouri Valley Conference, not SLU itself.
– We know that Houston can play in the South Region in Houston since they’re not a host institution, but Villanova can also play in South Philly themselves since Saint Joe’s is hosting the first and second rounds. I’m sure the folks at Hawk Hill are proud of that fact.
– Any questions and complaints about this bracket can be addressed to Grok. I’m sure it’ll say they’re all great questions to ask.