Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-For the latest UNDER THE RADAR Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Cal State Bakersfield and New Mexico State – CLICK HERE

-WE HAVE HAD OUR SECOND QUADRUPLER OF THE SEASON!!!  George Washington and Davidson went into quadruple overtime before GW finally picked up the 107-104 win!  The game had BIG TIME Atlantic Ten Tournament Opening Round Implications!!  What a game!!!

-There were four top ten teams in action last night in Baylor, Louisville, Dayton, and Seton Hall, and all of them won!  Given how this season has been going, that was kind of unusual.

-Texas Tech got a huge home win against West Virginia that they desperately needed.  It gives their resume a really nice boost and should land them further inside the bubble.  The Red Raiders looked really good in this game.  They can’t exactly go into cruise control just yet, but they are in much better shape than they were 24 hours ago.

-Memphis won, which is good, but it was hardly inspiring.  The game at UCF came down to the final possession and the Tigers barely avoided losing their third straight game to a non-tournament caliber team.

-East Tennessee State, who we were saying thought belonged inside the bubble, lost to a really weak Mercer team at home last night.  This was under the radar, but it was probably the biggest and most important upset of the evening.  I don’t know if this entirely kills off their chances, but home losses to sub-200 teams certainly do not help.  At the very least I think ETSU is out of strikes and needs to win out until the conference tournament if they want any chance of being inside the bubble.

-Texas picked up a nice win at TCU in a 62-61 thriller.  They are still hovering around the bubble, so any road win like that will help.

-Saint Louis BARELY avoided a damaging loss at La Salle.  They needed overtime to get past the Explorers 77-76.

-Oklahoma, who is solidly on the bubble, which means they need to avoid losses to non-tournament teams and win the kinds of road games that tournament teams are expected to win, did NOT avoid a loss to a non-tournament team yesterday.  Kansas State pretty much led for the entire game and beat the Sooners 61-53.

-Marquette won a double overtime thriller at Xavier despite being without Markus Howard for most of the second half and for both overtime periods.  Xavier is getting further and further out of reach of the bubble, and Marquette is looking more and more like a first ballot team.

-Arkansas lost at home to South Carolina 79-77, who is a non-tournament team.  As I said earlier, it’s not good for bubble teams to lose at home to non-tournament teams.

-Arizona State went into Washington State needing a road win!  It was a winnable road game!  And…Arizona State failed to win it.  NCAA Tournament teams are expected to be able to beat sub-NIT caliber teams on the road, so it was a bit of a setback to a team that was probably already on the outside looking in.

-Last but not least, Colorado State hit a shot at the buzzer to knock off Nevada, and the fans stormed the court!!!  Even our host Chad Sherwood, who normally hates court stormings, loved it!!  Nevada is 13-9 on the year.  It was an exciting finish in a game that saw multiple lead changes in the final seconds, but that may be the first time I’ve seen a team storm the court against a 13-9 NIT-ish caliber team.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-MINNESOTA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Illinois is red hot right now and may actually have a path to a protected seed if they can keep winning like they have been.  Minnesota is right on the bubble, so any game they play in is going to have a pivotal feel to it.  A road win like this would obviously really help them out.

-IOWA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Both teams are ranked in the top 20 and both have very solid resumes.  This is another resume-building opportunity and is the kind of win that could help them end up as a protected seed.

-PEPPERDINE AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve in this one.  They are coming off a rather heartbreaking loss, so it should be a good bounce back game for them.

-OREGON AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12).  This should be a winnable road game for an Oregon team that looks to be the best team in the Pac 12 and who will likely end up as a protected seed.

-ARIZONA AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  Arizona is still looking for their first true road win, and really needs to pick this one up against a Washington team that is in a complete tailspin right now.  If not, then you really have to start to question their resume.

-UTAH AT USC (Pac 12).  I think this is a USC team that can end up inside the bubble.  They should be able to hold serve tonight against a Utah team that’s been good at times, but mediocre at other times.

-PORTLAND AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  SMC should end up in The Dance so long as they don’t stub their toes several times in games like this.

-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  Santa Clara has a good home record and a good overall record.  They should be jacked up for this one, and it should be fun at the start of the game!  But…Gonzaga has been blowing past everyone and it isn’t likely to be any different tonight.

-OREGON STATE AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  This is a bubblicous game.  Stanford looks to be just inside the bubble and every game has a pivotal feel to it.  Oregon State now looks to be pretty far outside the bubble and would need a Herculean finish to the season just to get into the conversation.

-COLORADO AT UCLA (Pac 12).  This is a game that the Buffs should win, but UCLA has been able to step up and beat some teams this year, especially at home.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Nicholls and McNeese – CLICK HERE

-Virginia picked up a huge win that they desperately needed.  They still have work to do, but this was a huge step forward in regards to playing their way back inside the bubble and being in a position to make The Tournament on Selection Sunday.

-Auburn played an atrocious first half and one was wondering if they even belonged in the NIT.  But, they fought their way back into it on the road and forced overtime, and then double overtime, and then picked up a nice road win against Ole Miss.  I say it was nice.  That’s really all it was.  Auburn is entering a stretch of their schedule where they can pick up a lot of really good wins, so if they really are a top 20 team then they are about to get the chance to prove it.

-Texas A&M picked up a road win at Tennessee, which was their third conference road win of the year.  I don’t know if we should praise TAMU, or shame the SEC.

-Rhode Island got a nice win at George Mason last night, which was their 7th win in a row.  They still have some work to do, but they are looking like an NCAA Tournament team and a strong finish should land them inside the bubble, especially if they’re able to win one of their two games against Dayton.

-Syracuse’s winning streak ended with a 71-70 loss at Clemson in the final seconds of the game. The play that Clemson scored what would end up being the winning basket on was so exciting that the referees reviewed it for what seemed like a half-hour!!

-Michigan finally ended their losing streak by picking up a road win at Michigan.  It was low hanging fruit, but at least it was fruit.

-Virginia Tech must have peaked too early.  They fell on the road at Miami FL last night, which was their third loss in their last four games.  Two of those losses came to Miami and Boston College, who aren’t exactly tournament caliber teams.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-DEPAUL AT SETON HALL (Big East).  DePaul has really been digressing since the start of conference play.  None of their losses are bad, but 1-6 in the league just isn’t going to be enough to get them inside the bubble.  Having said that, if they can win this one on the road it would be a huge step toward getting that turned around.  Seton Hall looks like a solid protected seed and has been playing like a Final Four team since the start of Big East play.

-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky continues to play well and build their resume and they shouldn’t have any trouble holding serve at home tonight.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Like Kentucky, Michigan State is another protected seed that shouldn’t have any trouble holding serve.

DAYTON AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton has been blowing through the league, and while this is a road game against a much improved Duquesne team, Dayton is still a protected seed caliber team and Duquesne is at best an NIT team.

-HOUSTON AT EAST CAROLINA (American).  Houston has been on a roll lately and this is a very winnable conference road game for them.

-ALABAMA AT LSU (SEC).  Alabama isn’t inside the bubble, but after a slow star to the season they have been playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team.  While it’s much easier said than done, this is a chance for them to take a huge step forward.  LSU has been playing like a protected seed over the last several weeks and seems like they’re continuing to get better.

-MEMPHIS AT UCF (American).  Memphis cannot afford another loss.  It’s pretty much as simple as that.  They are squarely on the bubble and need to win a game like this, because while it’s a road game it’s the type of game that NCAA Tournament teams are expected to be able to win.

-MERCER AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  I think ETSU will be inside the bubble if they win out.  They should be able to pull this one off tonight.

-TEXAS AT TCU (Big 12).  Both teams are outside the bubble.  Both have work to do.  Both need to win tonight.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  West Virginia is a protected seed caliber team that’s looking for a big road win to help keep them in that range.  Texas Tech is actually right on our bubble, and needs a big win on their resume to help build it up.

-SAINT LOUIS AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten).  I still think SLU has a chance to play their way into the field, but they’ll pretty much need to win out in order to do it.

-OKLAHOMA AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  The Sooners are dangerously close to the bubble and need to pick up this road win tonight.

-INDIANA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Both these teams look like NCAA Tournament teams, but Penn State is within reach of a protected seed and Indiana is just trying to string together some wins to keep them inside the bubble.  A road win tonight would certainly help that.

-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East).  Marquette has been playing well lately and this would be another nice road win on their resume.  Xavier is squarely in the NIT range right now and needs to string together several wins just to get back into the picture.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Arkansas is in our field, but they need to hold serve and win this one.  That may be easier said than done.  South Carolina isn’t anything to get excited about right now, but they have won three of their last four and are suddenly playing well.

-BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). Baylor is ranked #1 and will stay there so long as they keep winning.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Most of San Diego State’s toughest tests are behind them, but this a road game that they could potentially slip up in.  New Mexico is nowhere close to the NCAA Tournament right now, but they can be tough to beat at home.

-LOUISVILLE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC).  BC has pulled off a couple big wins at home this year, but it’s still a very winnable game for a Louisville team that is suddenly playing really well.

-ARIZONA STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac 12).  Arizona State has played their way onto our bubble, and can probably play their way inside it if they can pick up both road wins this weekend.

NEWS AND NOTES

CLICK HERE for the last night’s HOOPS HD REPORT

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Ball State and Bowling Green – CLICK HERE

-NC State lost at home to North Carolina last night, which appears to be their second straight loss to a team that won’t even be playing in the NIT.  They were on the bubble a week ago.  That is not how you go about ending up on the right side of the bubble.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  The Johnnies just got a big win against DePaul, but they still got a lot of work to do.  Beating Villanova is a tall order even at home, but if they want to land on the right side of the bubble they need to answer some tall orders.

-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee is on the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this, which are home games against non-tournament teams.

-FLORIDA STATE AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Florida State needs this win to keep the #1 line within reach.  Virginia needs this win to keep the bubble within reach.  As much as the Hoos have struggled, they are only a few big wins away from being back inside the bubble.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Florida continues to linger in that area between the bubble and the top half of the bracket, which means they are inside the bubble, but can’t put the cruise control on yet.  It is important that they hold serve in this one tonight.

-SMU AT CINCINNATI (American).  SMU just picked up a big win against Memphis, and is suddenly looking like a tournament caliber team.  A win today would further their case even more.  Cincinnati has had a rough year, but they have been playing better lately and are entering a stretch of their schedule where they face decent competition, so if they can continue to string together wins then they can play their way inside the bubble.

-RICHMOND AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  It’s a rivalry game between two teams that look more like NIT teams than NCAA teams, but who can still get inside the bubble if they can finish strong.

-SYRACUSE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Syracuse has won five in a row and continues to build up their resume.  Another road win would polish it up even more.

-MICHIGAN AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Michigan has not won a true road game this season, and this is perhaps their most winnable road game.  They’ve also lost four in a row and really need to pull themselves out of that.  If they lose this one, then they may be reaching panic mode.

-PURDUE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Purdue’s level of play is all over the place.  Some nights they look like a top 15 team and other nights they look like a CBI team.  Rutgers needs to hold serve at home in order to remain on pace to make the top half of the bracket.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  VA Tech has taken a few steps back, and needs to win this game because it’s the kind of road game that NCAA teams are expected to win.  It’s not an easy win, but then again making the NCAA Tournament is not an easy thing to do.

-GEORGIA AT MISSOURI (SEC).  Georgia is outside the bubble and has really digressed since the start of conference play.  They need to pick this one up on the road.  They’ll still have more work to do after this, but a win tonight would at least be a start.

-PITTSBURGH AT DUKE (ACC).  Duke remains in contention for the #1 line and needs to hold serve at home.  Pitt is outside the bubble, but they’re still much improved from a year ago.  This is probably too tall of an order to fill, but if they were to win it then they’d certainly be in the conversation for a bid.

-BUTLER AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Butler ended a three game losing streak with a big overtime win against Marquette, but like every Big East game they have another big challenge on the road tonight.  Georgetown is still within reach of the bubble, but they really need to string together some big wins to make it happen.

-AUBURN AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Auburn’s best win of the season has probably been at Mississippi State.  If they can beat Ole Miss tonight, it will give them just their second true road win against an NIT caliber team, and that would probably help their resume out some.