News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Jan 15th

Posted on January 15, 2020 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

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

-Clemson followed up their first ever win at North Carolina with a much more surprising upset home win against Duke.  It was just the second loss of the year for the Blue Devils, and while Clemson still has a lot of work to do their prospects are looking a lot better.

-Louisville needed overtime and a somewhat controversial call late in the game to get by Pittsburgh.  Actually, the call was so bad that perhaps it wasn’t even controversial.  It was just bad.  But, Louisville hangs on for the road win nevertheless.

-Villanova also needed overtime to get past DePaul.  Nova appeared to have the game in hand with a double digit lead in the final minutes, but DePaul fought back to get it to overtime.  DePaul has now lost four straight conference games, which is rough because they played well in all the games but failed to get the wins.  Their resume is still good enough to give them a path to the NCAA Tournament, but they have to start stringing together some wins.

-Wisconsin held on to beat Maryland in another Big Ten thriller.  Wisky has been playing very well lately and the value of their resume continues to improve.  Maryland is still in decent shape, but they are also still looking for their first true road win.  Until they get it their resume will be lacking something.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SETON HALL AT BUTLER (Big East).  Seton Hall has won six straight, and is unbeaten in Big East play.  This is perhaps one of the toughest, if not THE toughest, road games of the season so far.  Butler is also unbeaten in conference play, and their only loss on the season was by one point at Baylor.  If Seton Hall wins, they’re suddenly looking like a solid protected seed.  If Butler wins, then they continue to stay on pace for a #1 seed.

-KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Kentucky continues to play well, and this appears to be another winnable road game for them tonight.

-VIRGINIA AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  Virginia is now to a point of needing a big win like this just to help shore up their resume and get them back on pace to land inside the bubble.  They’ve lost two straight, and it’s about to get harder, not easier.  Florida State has looked like one of the better teams in the conference and appears to be rolling toward a protected seed.

-CREIGHTON AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Creighton is coming off a nice road win at Xavier, which was nice after two straight losses, and has actually cracked the rankings.  They’ve got another tough but winnable game tonight against a Georgetown team that has played well, but has been hit so hard with guys leaving the team that you wonder if they’ll be able to stay on a pace that could get them to the tournament.

-TENNESSEE AT GEORGIA (SEC).  This Tennessee team had gone through a huge setback, but after two straight wins they may be back on the right track.  A win tonight would be huge for them.  Georgia is good, but they’ve had two rough games in a row and could use a win to bounce back from that.

-FORDHAM AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten).  Another winnable game for Duquesne, which will get them to 15-2 on the year.

-MIAMI FL AT NC STATE (ACC).  Both teams have done a few good things, but neither are on cruise control just yet.  This is a game where both teams could really use a win to help boost their resumes.

-INDIANA AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Both teams have decent resumes with some good wins, but the biggest thing missing from Indiana’s resume is a really strong road win.  A win tonight would certainly check that box.  It is far easier said than done, though.  Rutgers has also struggled on the road, but they’ve been fantastic at home.

-SAMFORD AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  A win for East Tennessee State gets them to 15-3, and keeps their at-large hopes flickering.

-WESTERN CAROLINA AT FURMAN (SoCon).  This should be a good game.  We expected Furman to be good, and they will be a tough match-up in the Round of 64 if they can get there, but we didn’t expect much from Western Carolina.  Nevertheless, the Catamounts are 12-3 on the year and have the chance to pick up a really nice road win tonight.

-IOWA STATE AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Baylor is ranked #2, and should probably be ranked #1.  Iowa State is decent at best, and to pick up a win like this on the road is a very tall order.  It’s Baylor’s first home game since winning at both Texas Tech and Kansas.  Hopefully the fans show up in full force.

-VALPARAISO AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Northern Iowa has a path to landing inside the bubble, but they pretty much need to win out in order to do it.

-XAVIER AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Marquette is inside our bubble for now, but they can’t just hit the snooze button just yet.  They need to hold serve in games like this.  Xavier has struggled ever since conference play began and they need a win in a game like this to get things turned around.

-TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  We’ve currently got both teams on the outside looking in, and if they want to get back in then a win tonight would be a nice start.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT CENTRAL ARKANSAS (Southland).  There is a decent chance that the committee will select SFA if they win out through the regular season, but lose in the conference tournament.  Anything short of that won’t be enough, though.

-VANDERBILT AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Arkansas has improved as the season has gone on and is now playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team.  This one of those games where they need to hold serve.

-AUBURN AT ALABAMA (SEC).  This is arguably (and maybe not even arguably) Auburn’s biggest test of the year so far.  Alabama has dropped two of their last three, but one was an overtime loss to Florida, and the other was at Kentucky.  They have been playing well lately, and they should be way up for this one.

-WICHITA STATE AT TEMPLE (American).  Wichita State has jumped up to #16 in the rankings, which is probably about where they belong.  They are good enough to earn a protected seed and should get it if they can run away from the rest of the conference.  Temple got off to a good start, but has struggled lately, and will once again have their hands full tonight.

-PENN STATE AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Both teams are in our field, and both are having good years, but both could also really use this win on their resume tonight.  Especially Minnesota who has some good wins, but hasn’t been quite as consistently good as Penn State has.

-SMU AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston is coming off a rather inexplicable loss to Tulsa and needs to bounce back.  This Cougar team has looked good at times, but they haven’t always played up to their ceiling and have used up several strikes already.  SMU has a good record, but it came against a weak schedule, so they’ll need some wins in games like this if they want to get the attention of the committee.

-NEW MEXICO AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West).  If any MWC team other than San Diego State has any chance at all of landing inside the bubble, it’s this New Mexico team.  But, they pretty much can’t lose to anyone other than San Diego State the rest of the way, and they’ll probably need to beat San Diego State at least once.

-STANFORD AT UCLA (Pac 12).  Stanford is off to a great start this season, and this should be a winnable road game for them tonight, which would be their second of the year.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Wednesday, January 15th

Posted on January 15, 2020 by John Stalica

Colgate (13-4, 4-0) at Lafayette (10-5, 2-2) – 11:00 AM EST (WatchStadium.com)

Today’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Easton, Pennsylvania for a special morning edition between the hometown Lafayette Leopards and the league-leading Colgate Raiders. This is a “field day” game that will have dozens of school kids in attendance. The Leopards began league play by dropping a game at Boston University in the closing seconds and had a hangover effect in a home loss to Bucknell. They did rebound with wins against Holy Cross and Loyola-Maryland to move up to 2-2 in Patriot League play. Justin Jaworski leads Lafayette with 18 points a game.

Colgate is currently on a seven-game winning streak; their signature win came in come-from-behind fashion at Cincinnati back in mid-December. In Patriot League play, the Raiders won their first four games, including wins at home against American and Loyola and road wins at Army and Navy. Rapolas Ivanauskas averages 13.2 points a game and 7.6 rebounds a game for the Raiders.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Jan 14th

Posted on January 14, 2020 by David Griggs

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Akron and Northern Illinois – CLICK HERE

-NEBRASKA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Ohio State has lost four straight, so a home game against a weak team (by B1G standards) is probably just what they need right about now.

-DUKE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Clemson is coming off their first win at North Carolina in program history, but following that up with a win tonight is far less likely.  Duke is on pace to end up as a #1 seed, and will stay that way if they hold serve tonight.

-LOUISVILLE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  This is the kind of road game that Louisville should win, but that they may struggle to win.  Pitt isn’t always up, but they are capable of getting up and playing well, especially at home.

-OLE MISS AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Both teams are on the outside looking in and need to start stringing together wins.

-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  This is a winnable road game for the Tigers, and it’s actually one that they need to pick up.  Hopefully the basketball team didn’t celebrate as much as the fans did last night.

-RICHMOND AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond has some bright spots on their NCAA Tournament resume, but it still needs some work.  They also need to hold serve against non-tournament caliber teams in games like this.

-VCU AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  VCU should be one of Dayton’s bigger challenges in conference play.  Having said that, it still may not be all that much of a challenge.  This is a huge opportunity for a VCU team that could really use a big time win like this on their tournament resume, but beating a top 15 caliber team on the road is much easier said than done.

-TEXAS TECH AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  Texas Tech has a lot of empty calories on their resume, and could use a conference road win tonight.  In fact, if they don’t win, it would be a somewhat damaging loss considering how bad K State has looked this year.

-IOWA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Road wins have not been easy to come by in this league, so Iowa needs to grab the low hanging fruit when they have the chance.

-DEPAUL AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  DePaul has more Big Ten wins than they have Big East wins, and that’s becoming a huge problem.  Winning at Villanova will likely also be a problem.  If they do get the win then it completely changes the momentum that’s been spiraling down, and it adds what would be their biggest win of the season to their resume.  But, that is MUCH easier said than done.

-KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Kansas is a very solid protected seed caliber team, and still has a path to end up on the #1 line.  Oklahoma is a decent team that could really use a big win like this.  The Sooners are unbeaten at home, and the team and fans should be up for it.

-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  TCU is off to a good start in league play and is having a pretty good season overall, but this is by far their biggest challenge in conference play so far, and one of their biggest tests of the season.  West Virginia is looking more and more like a protected seed, and they should be able to pick this one up at home.

-MARYLAND AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Maryland remains ranked in the teens, but they’ve had their struggles this year and are still looking for their first true road win.  Wisconsin was a little disappointing early on, and is still very inconsistent, but they are starting to play better and are coming off a very nice road win at Penn State.  A win tonight would be another nice notch on their resume.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  This is another winnable road game for a VA Tech that’s been much better than expected.  They should be able to pick this up and improve to 13-4 on the season.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is unbeaten and ranked in the top ten.  They should win this game easily, remain unbeaten, and remain ranked in the top ten.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Tuesday, January 14th

Posted on January 14, 2020 by John Stalica

Akron (13-3, 3-0) at Northern Illinois (9-7, 2-1) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to DeKalb, Illinois where Northern Illinois will play host to the Akron Zips. Akron is one of two teams still unbeaten in MAC play along with their rival Kent State. Outside of the MAC, Akron’s most notable win came against Tulane in the DC Holiday Hoops Fest back in December before a loss to Liberty in the championship game. In conference play, a win at Eastern Michigan was followed by a pair of home wins against Western Michigan and Ball State. Loren Jackson averages 16.6 points a game for the Zips; former UD transfer Xeyrius Williams averages just under a double-double (14.3 PPG/9.6 RPG) as well.

Northern Illinois also had their high point of the year in late November/early December with a 6-game winning streak; their highlighted wins included Oakland along with Western Illinois and SIU-Edwardsville on the road. After a stretch that saw the Huskies lose four of five, they did their conference opener at Buffalo before a tough loss at Central Michigan. In their last outing, NIU defeated Central Michigan 71-68. Eugene German leads Northern Illinois with over 20.4 points a game.

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Bracket Projection From the Puppet: January 13th

Posted on January 13, 2020 by David Griggs

So, you see a lot of brackets on this site, and I realize that at this time a year we have several people who only look at the brackets.  I want to make sure everyone knows what it is they are looking at.  This IS NOT an attempt to guess what the actual selection committee will do on Selection Sunday.  It also IS NOT an attempt to speculate what the real selection committee would do if today were Selection Sunday.  For the sake of this exercise, we do not give a damn about the actual Selection Committee.  We do have one of the best Selection Committee guessing experts in the world in Jon Teitel.  If that is what you’re looking for, then CLICK HERE for his latest projections.

What I am doing is laying out what I personally think the NCAA Tournament SHOULD look like if the season ended TODAY.  I’m not guessing the future.  I’m merely assessing what I’ve already seen.  I have some notes below the bracket that explain some of what I’ve done.  I assure you that everything I have written is pure genius.  If you disagree with it, then you are almost assuredly wrong.

You’ll also see some comments from other staff members at Hoops HD.  I don’t know why we even let them comment on the brackets that I make, because they are perfect and there is no point in letting them critique them.  Anything they say that disagrees with what I’ve done is also assuredly wrong!!

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Utah, Minnesota, Saint John’s, NC State, Georgetown, Providence, Santa Clara, Arizona State, Tennessee, Xavier, Virginia, TCU, VCU, Rhode Island, Texas, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, Washington, Florida, New Mexico, Duquesne

NOTES FROM DAVID:

-Baylor is my overall #1 seed, and I don’t think that should even be controversial.  They’ve won at Kansas, they’re the only team that’s beaten Butler, they’re the only team that’s won at Texas Tech, and they’re the only team that’s beaten Villanova in a home/neutral game.

-The fact that Auburn is on the #4 line will probably make some people jump up and down.  When I look at their schedule, I just can’t help but think that while there are a lot of decent wins on it, there is nothing that is utterly fantastic on it.  Their best wins away from home are probably Saint Louis and Richmond, and while a win is a win, they didn’t exactly run away from either one of them until late in the game.  Now, they did blow out a pretty good Georgia team at home over the weekend, and I do think that when they start to play the tournament caliber teams in conference that their resume will start to go up, but when I look at all the other teams that I have on the top 5, and perhaps even top 6 lines, I think nearly all of them would have a very good chance of also being undefeated had they played that same schedule so far.

-I don’t have Louisville all that high either, at least not when compared to where they are in the polls.  It’s for the same reason.  I don’t think they’ve done anything that the teams that I have ahead of them would not have also been able to do.  Their best win is probably Michigan at home.  Michigan has yet to win a road game, and I do take things like that into account.

-I’m not sure what to do with Purdue.  Their ceiling is high, but their basement is deep.  While they do have seven losses, the loss to Nebraska is the only one that smells really bad, and some of their wins look pretty good, so the #10 line is where I ultimately put them.

-Oregon State’s profile has a lot of empty carbs on it, but they’ve avoided bad losses (with perhaps the exception of Texas A&M) and have added some meat to their resume in recent weeks.

-Northern Iowa is the only Under the Radar team that landed inside the bubble, and they are BARELY inside the bubble.  They are sandwiched in between the First Four.  Unfortunately I do not see that changing.  Perhaps Akron or East Tennessee State can play their way up if they blow through their conferences.  Liberty may get quite a bit of love from the actual committee if they win out, and they probably will win out, but to me they just don’t have any opportunities to make their resume any better.  They have virtually no one remaining that’s in the top 200, so all winning out really establishes is that they’re capable of beating teams outside the top 200.  That’s hardly distinctive when comparing them to other NCAA Tournament caliber teams because of course all of them can do that.

STAFF COMMENTS:

Comments from Chad:

– I am not going to complain about what David did on the top few lines, because quite frankly I am not offended by it.  I think Louisville should be a little higher, but not much.  And I fully understand the Auburn 4 seed argument, and the only way I justify them being higher is by arguing “hey they are undefeated.”

– My first big issue with David comes on his 6 line, when I see Texas Tech.  The Red Raiders beat Louisville (a team David ripped) on a neutral court and Oklahoma State (a team David barely even considered) at home.  Beyond that, they have done NOTHING.  This team may belong in a 6/11 game, but as the 11 seed!

– Georgia.  I think this is a solid Georgia team.  I do NOT think this team is an NCAA Tournament team right now.  Georgia won at Memphis.  Georgia has not beaten anyone else that is even coming close to sniffing a bid.  You do not get in the field with one win.  They do not belong.  Georgetown should probably be in, or maybe VCU, in their stead.  Of course, Florida should definitely be in and also did not make this field.

– All in all, David did a fair job.  But he is dead wrong on Texas Tech and therefore his bracket should be completely ignored.  #StupidPuppet

Comments from John:

– We saw a similar trend in the first Bracket Rundown show we had last week. I’m not going to nitpick the teams on the first five lines, but I do see question marks begin to shape up around the 6 line. Since Chad already questioned Texas Tech (which is more of a “projected” 6 than a “merited” 6 right now), I’ll ask the same question of Iowa. I think they’re a tournament team right now, but not one I’d be sure of as a first ballot team at this point. They could even be slotted in the opposite end of the 6/11 game.

– Illinois was probably the big winner last week – a win at Wisconsin and a home win against a hot Rutgers team helped fill a few holes in the Illini’s profile. Whether or not they sustain this remains to be seen.

– DePaul is barely hanging on by a thread, but when you’re 3-0 against B1G teams (including road wins at Iowa and Minnesota) and yet 0-3 against the Big East, it becomes a difficult profile to judge. I’d say they’re on their last legs right now.

 

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Monday, January 13th

Posted on January 13, 2020 by John Stalica

For the latest Hoops HD Report podcast – CLICK HERE

Morgan State (8-10, 2-1) at Bethune-Cookman (8-9, 2-1) – 7:30 PM EST

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Daytona Beach, Florida for a game between the hometown Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman and the Morgan State Bears. Bethune-Cookman had their highlight of the season back in November when they won 3 games against Incarnate Word, Eastern Illinois and Saint Francis-Illinois in San Antonio to claim the MTE-San Antonio tournament championship. They are currently on a 2-game winning streak in conference play with wins at Howard and at home against Coppin State. Cletrell Pope averages 13.8 points a game and 11.8 rebounds a game for the Wildcats.

In addition to three non-D1 wins this season, Morgan State also managed to get a few notable buy game wins this season – two of them came at George Washington and Loyola Marymount. The Bears opened conference play with wins against Delaware State and at South Carolina State. Unfortunately, they lost their last game against Florida A&M at home back on Saturday. Six players average in double figures for Morgan State – they are led by David Syfax Jr (15.0 PPG).

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