News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 19th

Posted on February 19, 2020 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a big one between Furman and East Tennessee State – CLICK HERE

-Illinois had been struggling, but winning on the road against a top ten team will suddenly make you not struggle.  It was perhaps the most impressive win of the season for the Illini, and it could not have come at a better time.

-Kentucky picked up another impressive road win as they held on to beat LSU 79-76.  LSU won their first 8 SEC games, but has since lost four out of five and are coming down to Earth a little bit.

-Creighton continues to rack up impressive wins and look more and more like they should be a protected seed.  They picked up another big road win at Marquette last night.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-BUTLER AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Butler has slipped a little bit, but they are still a team that should easily get in on the first ballot, and they can actually play their way back into a position to get a protected seed if they can finish strong.  Seton Hall has dropped two in a row and needs a win like this to get the momentum shifted back.  They still have a pretty wide path to a protected seed.

-SYRACUSE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Louisville lost two straight road games last week and looked pitiful in both showings.  They just need a win to get their confidence and momentum back.  Syracuse had been playing well, but has once again slipped outside our bubble and needs a string of big wins at the end of the season if they want any chance of making the field.

-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC).  Auburn is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Missouri, but has a winnable game tonight and should be able to get things turned around.

-MICHIGAN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Michigan has finally won some road games and their resume has started to stabilize.  A win tonight would be really big since Rutgers has not lost at home yet this year.

-UCF AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati continues to walk the tight rope that is the bubble, and needs to hold serve in games like this when they are not facing tournament caliber teams.

-GEORGE MASON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond is right on the bubble and should be able to make the field if they can put together a strong finish to the season.

-FURMAN AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  These are two of the better teams in the SoCon.  ETSU has a wider bath to the NCAA Tournament, but Furman should at least be in the discussion if they win out.  It’s a chance for both of them to build up their resumes a little bit.

-WOFFORD AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  If UNCG can win out then the committee will probably at least look at them.

-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland).  It’s always the same story with SFA.  If they win out, then they should be on the committee’s board and be considered.

-TCU AT TEXAS (Big 12).  The lights aren’t completely out for these two teams, but it is getting there.  They are both almost out of strikes.

-SMU AT TULANE (American).  SMU is sort of lurking in the weeds, but they do have a chance at making the NCAA Tournament if they can finish the regular season strong.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Virginia appears to be back inside the bubble, but they aren’t exactly totally safe.  It’s important that they hold serve in games like this.

-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Georgetown has picked up some big wins and is very close to landing inside the bubble.  With the games they have remaining, they’ll have the opportunities they need in order to make the field.

-DUKE AT NC STATE (ACC).  Duke is a probable protected seed and NC State is right on the bubble.  It’s a really big game for NC State, who’s trying to raise the value of their resume.

-VILLANOVA AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Nova had hit a bit of a skid, but they’ve won two straight and have another winnable game tonight against a DePaul team that’s good, but just hasn’t picked up the wins in conference play like they needed to.

-TULSA AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston has backtracked a little bit, but they are still in good shape.  They need to take care of business tonight against a Tulsa team that’s played well all throughout conference play.

-INDIANA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Indiana is right on the bubble.  The biggest thing they are missing is road wins, and they desperately need to pick this one up tonight.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  This is a huge bubblicous game.  South Carolina has really been playing well these last few weeks, but is right on the bubble and still has work to do, and Mississippi State needs some wins to help them end up on the right side of it as well.  This game is hugely pivotal for both these teams.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is in relatively good shape so long as they’re able to hold serve in games like this.

-WYOMING AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Utah State is right on the bubble, and if I had to guess I’d say that the committee will take them so long as they avoid losses to all teams that aren’t San Diego State.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Wednesday, February 19th

Posted on February 19, 2020 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Hall of Fame head coach Debbie Ryan – CLICK HERE

Furman (22-5, 12-2) at East Tennessee State (23-4, 12-2) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Johnson City, Tennessee for one of the major Spotlight Games in the SoCon this year – the Furman Paladins hit the road to take on the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. Furman won the first meeting between both teams 65-56 back in January; Jordan Lyons scored 14 points in the Paladins’ victory and Furman also outrebounded the Bucs by 13 in their first meeting. Furman is now in the beginning of a 3-game stretch that also includes a home game against Wofford and a road game at UNC-Greensboro that will give the Paladins a golden opportunity to potentially vault their way up to a possible NCAA Tournament at-large contender.

Since their first meeting with Furman, ETSU has won 10 out of their next 11 games. The highlight of their current streak was a two-game sweep against UNC-Greensboro to help put them in a prime spot to clinch the top overall seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament. The only black mark in their current run was a 71-55 home loss to Mercer – even that game was mitigated a bit with a 13-point road win against the Bears. However, the Bucs nearly got caught looking ahead to today when they struggled to get a win against VMI on the road during the weekend.

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Hall of Famer Debbie Ryan

Posted on February 18, 2020 by Jon Teitel

With the 2020 NCAA tourney tipping off next month, we will spend this month taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players/coaches who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From some game-winning FTs in the 1955 tourney (65th anniversary) through a 17-PT comeback win in the 2015 1st 4 (5th anniversary), these legends have all carved out a little piece of history in past Marches. We continue our series with Hall of Famer Debbie Ryan, who won more than 700 games as head coach at Virginia. She made the postseason in 4 different decades, was a 7-time ACC COY, and had a ridiculous 10-year run from 1987-1996 that included 3 Sweet 16s/4 Elite 8s/2 Final 4s/3-PT OT loss to Tennessee in the 1991 NCAA title game. She coached team USA to a silver medal at the 2003 Pan American Games and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Debbie about the 30th anniversary of beating Pat Summitt in the 1990 NCAA tourney and the 25th anniversary of 1 of the strangest finishes in tourney history.

You played PG at Ursinus: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was definitely a PG: you have limited options when you are only 5’3”! I could penetrate and shoot from long range even though we did not have a 3-PT line back then. I always wanted to be in coaching my whole life. I swam as a child and played basketball starting in junior high school, so that became my sport of choice.

1 of your assistants while you were head coach at Virginia was Geno Auriemma: what was he like as an assistant, and what makes him such a great coach? He was great as an assistant: it was hard for him to be an assistant but he had a great demeanor and a great knowledge of the game. I learned a lot from him. There are a number of things that make him a great coach. He maximizes every single player’s potential and is very good at inspiring players to step up and get outside of their comfort zone and play against themselves.

In the 1990 NCAA tourney Dawn Staley scored 25 PTS in a 4-PT OT win over Tennessee: how were you able to finally beat Pat Summitt after losing to her in each of the previous 3 tourneys, and did that make the victory any sweeter? Obviously yes because we were going to the Final 4 in Knoxville: it was 1 of my sweetest wins ever. The whole team believed we could win and we were determined to win that game. It was an amazing accomplishment and a statement to the rest of the world that we had arrived.

In the 1991 NCAA tourney title game Staley scored 28 PTS in a 3-PT OT loss to Tennessee and became the only player from a losing team to ever be named tourney MOP: what made the 2-time national POY such a great player, and where does she rank among the greatest players that you have ever seen? I think she is the greatest that I have ever seen. She is very small but was always 1 of our top rebounders and would play any position we asked her to. She was phenomenal that night. There was a controversial call late in the game where we made a 3 but the basket was taken away because 1 of our players was blocking out too hard, and it really affected us. Dawn fouled out early in OT after cramping up earlier in the game. She knew the game so well and could see plays developing 3 or 4 plays in advance. Growing up in Philly she prepared herself so well.

In the 1993 NCAA tourney Dena Evans made what appeared to be the game-winning 3-PT shot with 0.6 seconds left, but it was disallowed because you called a timeout, then your team’s inbounds pass went out of bounds, then Ohio State’s in-bounder stepped on the end-line, and then your inbounds pass was blocked to give the Buckeyes a 2-PT win: how was your blood pressure doing by the end of that sequence? Katie Smith missed a FT and Jenny Boucek was a freshman who was dribbling up the court. I was trying to call a timeout right after we got the rebound but then decided not to because it looked like Jenny knew what she was doing. It was very poor officiating.

In the 1995 NCAA tourney you had a 1-PT lead with seconds left when Debra Williams missed the front end of a 1-and-1 for Louisiana Tech, but the scorekeeper accidentally recorded it as a made FT so the scoreboard showed 63-all: how weird was it to see both teams celebrating at the end of regulation, and how relieved were you to see referee Dee Kantner finally point to your bench to signal that you won the game? I know there was some controversy so I walked over to Coach Leon Barmore to congratulate him, but then there was a misunderstanding. I knew we won the game but I did not know what was going on.

You were diagnosed with cancer in 2000: how difficult was your recovery, and how is your health doing at the moment? It was a very very tough blow and not easy to overcome but now I am 1 of the longest living pancreatic cancer survivors in the whole world. I feel fine and got very lucky: it is miraculous and I do not know exactly why I am alive. It was even harder to overcome in terms of recruiting because some other coaches actually told high school players that I was going to die.

In your 34 years as head coach you were a 7-time ACC COY (including 1991 national COY) and only had 2 losing seasons: what made you such a great coach, and how were you able to be so successful for such a long period of time? I had really great players and we recruited some great people to come here. I gave them the freedom to play and express themselves on the court. You have to be able to change on a dime and switch direction quickly if you want longevity. If you focus only on your team you can be very good at this, which I did not learn until the latter stage of my career.

Each of your players who completed their 4 years of eligibility ended up graduating: how much importance did you place on academics? A lot: you do not coach at Virginia if you do not understand that from the get-go. This is not a place where sports come 1st: they are always 2nd to academics. Once you win and set a precedent then everyone else starts to figure out who you will recruit, so as long as they are smart enough to get in here then you are fine. I stayed away from kids who would struggle in the classroom because that would end up translating to the court.

In 2008 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is a very big highlight to be considered for the Hall of Fame by your peers. I will remember it for the rest of my life.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 18th

Posted on February 18, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our latest Hoops HD Report 

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Robert Morris and Saint Francis U – CLICK HERE

-For Jon Teitel’s interview with Hall of Fame Inductee Carol Callan – CLICK HERE

-ILLINOIS AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  These two teams look to be going in different directions.  Illinois has lost four straight, and Penn State is now in position to finish first in the Big Ten.  This means Illinois needs a big win to turn their momentum around, and Penn State needs a big win to help them win the conference and end up as a protected seed.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  West Virginia had a challenging stretch where they faced Baylor and Kansas in back to back games.  They’re at home tonight against a team they should be able to beat, which will help them bounce back.

-ARKANSAS AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Very bubblicious game here between a Florida team that’s trying to remain inside the bubble, and an Arkansas team that’s falling further and further way from it.

-PURDUE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Purdue continues to be schizophrenic this year with some really big wins combined with some real headscratching losses, and is right on the bubble in need of a big finish.  Wisconsin is doing a little better and has won three of their last four.  A win tonight will certainly make them feel safer.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Maryland is going for their 9th straight win in a conference that is just stacked with good teams.  They appear to be heading toward a protected seed.

-PITTSBURGH AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  Florida State continues to win.  They are well on pace to earn a protected seed and still have a chance to finish in first place in the ACC.

-DAYTON AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton continues to rack up wins and run away from the rest of the league.  They may be challenged tonight against a VCU team that many expected to make the NCAA Tournament, but who right now is a long way from doing that.  Still, the Rams can be tough to beat at home.

-CREIGHTON AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Creighton has racked up several big wins in the last couple of weeks, and appears to be playing well at the right time of the season.  They’ve got another tough road test against a Marquette team that is also in the rankings and could also make a case for a protected seed if they’re able to finish strong.

-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  The #1 team in the nation and the consensus overall #1 seed right now is on the road against an Oklahoma team that’s inside the bubble, but not in the top half of the bracket.  If the Sooners were to win this one tonight, they would suddenly become MUCH safer.

-KENTUCKY AT LSU (SEC).  After winning their first eight SEC games, LSU has now lost three of their last four and their resume has taken a hit.  They’re still in good shape as far as making the tournament, but a home win tonight certainly helps boost the value.  Kentucky has won some big road games since conference play started and can still end up as a protected seed if they continue to play at the level they have been.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Tuesday, February 18th

Posted on February 18, 2020 by John Stalica

For yesterday’s Hoops HD Report podcast – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Hall of Fame-elect Carol Callan – CLICK HERE

For our colleague Chad Sherwood’s latest Staff Bracketology – CLICK HERE

Robert Morris (15-12, 11-3) at Saint Francis University (17-8, 10-4) – 7:00 PM EST (NECFrontRow.com)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day moves away from its traditional #MACtion Tuesday night slot over to the Northeast Conference tonight – with Merrimack in first place and ineligible as a transitional team to participate in the conference tournament this season, the game between RMU and St. Francis becomes a game between two teams expected to be the top two seeds when the tournament begins in a couple of weeks. Robert Morris had a six-game winning streak snapped on Saturday at home against Fairleigh Dickinson in a 72-71 loss. AJ Bramah hit a pair of free throws that put the Colonials ahead by a point, but FDU hit the game-winning shot off of an offensive rebound on the ensuing possession and was unable to hit an answer in time.

Saint Francis had kind of an inexplicable three-game losing streak back in January thanks in part to a home loss to Merrimack that was followed by road losses at Long Island and St. Francis-Brooklyn, but the Red Flash have rebounded nicely with a five-game winning streak that includes a recent sweep of a three-game road trip at Sacred Heart, Wagner and Mount St. Mary’s. Both the Red Flash and the Colonials will meet twice in the final two weeks of the regular season – they will also meet at RMU for the NEC finale. Both Isaiah Blackmon (18.5 PPG) and Keith Braxton (16.9 PPG/7.1 RPG) lead the way for Saint Francis.

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The Hoops HD Report: February 17th

Posted on February 17, 2020 by David Griggs

We review a crazy week where in the SEC Auburn fell to Missouri and Kentucky barely held on to beat Ole Miss.  South Carolina is also coming on strong and has a shot at making The NCAA Tournament if they keep it up.  In the ACC, Louisville dropped games to Clemson and Georgia Tech, which drops them behind Duke and Florida State in the race for first place.  The Big East continues to impress with five teams in the top 25, and Xavier and Georgetown picking up big wins this week as they fight for a bid.  The top six teams in the Pac 12 are separated by just one game, and Oregon and Colorado continue to push for protected seeds.  In the Atlantic Ten, Dayton continues to dominate, and Richmond and Rhode Island are making a run at the bubble.  Houston had a rough week in the American, but is still in good shape.  All that, and more…

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

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