Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Gonzaga held on to win against Pepperdine, but it was a close, back-and-forth type of game.  Against…PEPPERDINE!  At home.  This would have been a bigger upset than Stephen F Austin’s win at Duke or Evansville’s win at Kentucky because I think both SFA and Evansville are quite a bit better than Pepperdine.  But, the Zags held on to win.

-WE HAD A QUADRUPLER!!  Last night’s Saint Mary’s v Pacific game was the first quadruple overtime game in almost two years!!  And it was glorious.  It saw wild 3-point bank shots, I don’t know how many lead changes, and a somewhat controversial ) no-call on a goal tend that would have won the game for Saint Mary’s at the end of the third overtime before Pacific held on to win.  For SMC, their resume is looking a little flimsy.  I’m not going to go so far to say that they are in trouble, but they have a very small margin for error the rest of the way.

-Florida State picked up their biggest win of the year as they knocked off Louisville on the road. As great as a win as it is for Florida State, it kind of makes you question Louisville and whether or not they have a resume that even warrants being a protected seed right now.

-It’s time to start looking at Georgia now, who is 10-3 on the season, and who picked up a HUGE road win at Memphis yesterday.  Their resume is suddenly looking VERY good, and when you look at the rest of the SEC you have to wonder how much noise they’ll be able to make in that league.

-Villanova was the third top ten team to lose yesterday as they fell on the road to Marquette.  We had a lot of question marks about this Marquette team, but They certainly looked good yesterday and have pretty much good overall throughout the whole season.

-I’m sold on Auburn.  Mississippi State isn’t great, but it was a true road game and Auburn won it rather safely.

-San Diego State went on the road to Utah State and won without even having to sweat.  They are unbeaten, and they’ve already played their toughest games.  I’m not ready to predict that they will run the table just yet, but they will likely be favored in all their remaining games.

-Penn State and Iowa was a thriller with Penn State pulling off yet another big win and improving to 12-2 on the season.  You rarely say this when talking hoops, but Penn State is for real!

-LSU got a much needed road win as they knocked off Tennessee yesterday.  Tennessee is in a tailspin, and given their injuries I don’t think they’re going to be able to pull themselves out of it.

-NC State dropped a rather headscratching game to Clemson yesterday.  NC State had looked good and appeared to be putting together a fairly decent profile, and Clemson hadn’t really looked good at all at any point, so it was somewhat of a surprise that the Tigers ended up getting the win.

-Providence has now won three straight, and all three games were notable wins as they blew out Texas and Georgetown, and then managed a road win at DePaul.  After sleepwalking through the first two months of the season, has Providence finally woken up?

-After going 5-1 in their last six games, Alabama lost a double overtime thriller on the road at Florida.  The Gators actually had to come back to win this one as the Tide led by close to 20pts in the second half.

-North Carolina continues to struggle.  They fell behind by more than 20 at home to Georgia Tech very shortly after the game tipped off, and were then never able to catch up.  I figured that they’d eventually turn it around, but now I’m wondering if they’ll even make the NCAA Tournament at all.

-Every time I think Cincinnati is turning the corner, they end up slamming into the curb.  They fell on the road to Tulane last night, and are once again looking like they’re 100 miles from the NCAA Tournament.  Tulane, on the other hand, continues to exceed all expectations.

-East Tennessee State lost a big road game to Furman, which was a chance for them to pick up a road win that would have looked really strong on their resume.

-UNC Greensboro also lost a tough road game to Wofford.  Of the three SoCon teams that we thought could land inside the bubble if they dominated the conference, two of them lost on the road yesterday.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-RICHMOND AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond showed us that they’ve got the ability to play like a tournament team, but they have a somewhat small margin for error and need to show that more often than not they can win games like this on the road.

-VCU AT GEORGE MASON (Atlantic Ten).  George Mason has a bloated record, but still doesn’t have any notable wins.  VCU is 11-3, but also has a rather small margin for error because their best current win is probably against LSU at home, and as of now LSU has a losing record away from home.  Both teams could REALLY use this one.

-DAYTON AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton looks to be the best team in the A10 by far, and should blow past this Saint Joseph’s team.

-MICHIGAN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State has had their struggles (at least by #1 seed standards), but they have won six straight (albeit against weaker competition) and you get the feeling that they are just a breakout game away from breaking back into the top ten.  Michigan is just 3-3 in their last six games, they have no true road wins, and two of those wins were home buy games, so as big as the win against Gonzaga was back in November, this would arguably be an even bigger win since it’s a rivalry game and a true road game.

-UMASS AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten).  SLU is coming off of a loss to Duquesne, but they’re still 10-3 overall and still have a path to the NCAA Tournament if they can put up a really big record in conference play and stubbing their toes in games like this.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT XAVIER (Big East).  It’s just the second conference game for both teams, but you get the sense that it is HUGELY important because neither team wants to start off 0-2.  The Johnnies actually look better on paper because their OOC wins are more impressive.  Xavier also didn’t look all that good even though they were winning their games, but they did play pretty well in their loss at Nova in their last game.  Both teams could really use this one.

-OREGON STATE AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  Oregon State has a bloated record, but doesn’t really have any notable wins.  That would change in a big way if they’re able to pull off this upset today, but that’s easier said than done.  Colorado is coming off a big win against Oregon and has really been playing well lately.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Minney still has a lot of work to do, but they also need to hold serve in games like this.

-PURDUE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Both teams are 9-5, both have played well at times, but neither has played like a tournament level team on a consistent basis yet.

-USC AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  This should be a really big game between a Washington team that’s coming off a somewhat inexplicable loss to UCLA and really needs to bounce back, and a USC team that’s having a good year, but that’s been somewhat ignored.  If they can pull off the upset on the road and improve to 13-2 then people will probably begin to pay more attention to them.

NEWS AND NOTES

-Ohio State lost their second straight game as Wisconsin went into Columbus and pulled off a huge upset.  It was a game that Wisky really needed, and it makes you wonder what took them so long to play such a good game.

-Rutgers picked up their first road win of the year as they had no trouble with Nebraska.  Rutgers is now 11-3, and 2-1 in the Big Ten.

-Georgetown was blown out for the second straight game as Seton Hall pretty much ran over them.  Georgetown probably needs to be a little worried.  They overcame a lot when they lost so many key players and were able to keep winning, but they’ve had their doors blown off in their first two Big East games.

-Temple, who is a team I was kind of big on, was blown out of the gym by what looks to be a very average (at best) Tulsa team.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-CREIGHTON AT BUTLER (Big East).  These have been two of the bigger surprise teams in the Big East, especially with Butler playing their way into the top ten.  Creighton has a good record, but a win like this would give them at protected seed caliber resume (at least for now).

-INDIANA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Indiana could use a big road win to help solidify them as a tournament caliber team.  Maryland is 11-2 and high in the rankings, but still needs to hold serve in games like this if they want to end up as a protected seed.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is continuing to improve as the season goes along.  Oklahoma State still has a ton of potential, but they don’t have any wins that really jump out at you just yet.  A win today would certainly change that.

-LSU AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  It’s early, but this game still has a very bubblicious feel to it, especially for Tennessee now that they are dealing with injuries.  Both teams could really use this one.

-WAKE FOREST AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Pitt still has a ton of work to do, but a win today gets them to 11-3.

-NC STATE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  NC State is off to a pretty good start, and this is a winnable conference road game, and road wins on the resume are a good thing.

-GEORGIA AT MEMPHIS.  Memphis is looking good enough to end up as a protected seed despite the loss of Wiseman.  Georgia is having a much better year than expected and this would be a huge road win for the Bulldogs if they’re able to pull it off.

-WYOMING AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West) (Front Range).  We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!

-KANSAS STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  K State has been somewhat disappointing this year, but could still turn things around in a hurry if they’re able to string together some wins.  The Sooners are off to a pretty good 9-3 start and are looking to hold serve in their conference opener.

-FLORIDA STATE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Both teams have had good OOC runs, but both could really use this win today in order to help make a solid case that they are protected seed caliber teams.  For Louisville, they’re coming off an overtime road loss to rival Kentucky, so a conference win over a ranked team is a good way to move on from that.

-VILLANOVA AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Marquette is off to a decent start, and Nova is off to a much better start, especially in their last few games.  Nova only has one true road win right now, so a win today would help fill out their resume a little bit.

-MISSOURI AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  A winnable conference home game for a Kentucky team that seems to have things turned around.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  It’s a rivalry game, and it features a Virginia Tech team that’s looked a lot better than expected, and a Virginia team that hasn’t looked quite as good.  Having said that, UVA still appears to be the superior team.

-IOWA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  A conference game between two ranked teams, and a huge resume building opportunity.  Both of these teams have done much better than expected this season and it’s been fun watching both of them improve as the season has gone along, so this will be an interesting one today.

-PROVODENCE AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Providence got off to a rough start, but has been on a tear in their last two games and should have a ton of momentum coming into this one.  DePaul had a fantastic OOC run, but lost their conference opener to Seton Hall and really needs a win today.  Starting off 0-2 in Big East play with both losses coming at home does kind of put them behind the 8 ball a little bit.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT KANSAS (Big 12).  A huge conference opener between two ranked teams.  West Virginia just knocked off a really tough Ohio State team in Cleveland, and if they can win this one today they should really shoot up the rankings.  It’s possible that both teams end up as protected seeds, and Kansas is gunning for a #1 seed.

-OLE MISS AT WICHITA STATE.  Wichita State is in the rankings, and has just one loss, and is looking to hold serve against a decent Ole Miss team.  As for the Rebels, a win like this would really boost their resume and they’d suddenly look like a solid tournament caliber team.

-CINCINNATI AT TULANE (American).  Cincinnati is playing a lot better, and they are coming off a decisive home win against UConn.  They need this one on the road against Tulane because they need to continue to string together wins.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT FURMAN (SoCon).  Both of these teams are really good, and both have a shot at landing inside the bubble and earning an at-large bid if they can run away from the SoCon.  With ETSU being the road team, it would be a particularly big win for them.

-AUBURN AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Auburn is unbeaten and they’ve beaten a lot of decent teams, but no really good ones.  Mississippi State isn’t exactly “really good” but it is a quality road test for the Tigers.

-OREGON AT UTAH (Pac 12).  Oregon is coming off a road loss to Colorado and has another tough assignment tonight against a Utah team that doesn’t always play well, but is certainly capable of playing well in big games.

-SAN DIEGO AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  Santa Clara’s schedule has been a pastry cart, so they still have a ton to prove, but this is another winnable game which will get them to 14-2.

-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Alabama has won five of their last six games, and is playing a lot better than what most people realize.  As big as people were on Florida at the beginning of the year, if the Tide can go on the road and win this one they’ll have a better overall resume than Florida at this point.

-GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  UNC is still dealing with injuries, but they have to take care of business in this one, which is a winnable game despite the injuries.

-IOWA STATE AT TCU (Big 12).  Iowa State needs to wash the taste out of their mouths from that huge upset loss to FAMU, and a conference road win is a good way to do it.  It’s much easier said than done, though.  Most were picking TCU to be toward the bottom of the conference, but they are 9-3 and are coming off a blowout win against what appeared to be a pretty good George Mason team.

-TEXAS A&M AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  A win for Arkansas gets them to 12-1 on the season.  A lot of their OOC schedule was weak, but they just got a big win at Indiana and are definitely worth paying attention to.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT WOFFORD (SoCon).  UNCG is one of the three teams that we think has a chance of landing inside the bubble come March.  Of course, in order to do it, they need to be able to win on the road at Wofford, which is much easier said than done.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT NEW ORLEANS (Southland).  If SFA wins out, I think they will be inside the bubble regardless of what happens in the Southland Tournament.

-DUKE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Duke is ranked #2, and is arguably the best team in the country, but they’ll have a tough road test against a Miami team that’s been playing really well and should be way up for this one.

-TEXAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  People are down on this Texas team, and I know their blowout loss to Providence was a bit of a head-scratcher, but they’ve only lost one other game.  Baylor has been fantastic this year, but if Texas can go on the road and win this one it should land them in the top 25.

-BRADLEY AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Northern Iowa was fantastic OOC, and probably earned themselves a mulligan or two as they headed in to conference play.  Well, they’ve already used one of those mulligans, and need to bounce back from their loss to Illinois State earlier this week.

-LMU AT BYU (West Coast.  BYU’s resume is looking pretty good, but they still need to hold serve at home tonight.

-SMU AT VANDERBILT.  SMU is an impressive 10-2 on the season, but they don’t have a lot of huge wins that jump out at you, so they really need to pick up this road win against a Vanderbilt team that appears to be below NIT caliber.

-ARIZONA STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  It’s the first edition of this heated rivalry, and both teams could really use this win.  While both have played decently well, they still have a lot of room to improve their resumes, so this game means as much on paper as it does off paper.

-PEPPERDINE AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  Gonzaga is ranked #1, and will likely stay that way after today.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  An argument could be made that this is San Diego State’s toughest remaining game, and if they win this one they have a somewhat realistic shot of running the table.  Utah State is coming off a really bad looking loss to UNLV and needs to rebound, so they should enter this game with a huge sense of urgency.  They need a good win on their resume, and they’re running out of opportunities.

-SAINT MARY’S AT PACIFIC (West Coast).  This is a winnable road game for an SMC team that should land inside the bubble.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a big one between Kent State and Bowling Green – CLICK HERE

-For Jon Teitel’s interview with Stu Jackson where they discuss, among other things, the career of David Stern – CLICK HERE

-Colorado knocked off #4 Oregon last night, and has now won five straight.  Oregon is the second ranked team that they’ve beaten in that stretch, so I’d say the Buffs are alive and well!  This was one of the tougher games remaining on Oregon’s schedule, and while a loss certainly doesn’t sink them, it does hurt their chances of ending up as a #1 seed.  Then again, virtually any loss does that, so…

-In other Pac 12 news, UCLA, after looking like they weren’t good enough to finish in the top half of the Big West for most of the season, went into Washington and picked up a very surprising upset win over the Huskies.  Washington started things off with a win against Baylor, who is now ranked in the top ten, but ever since then they haven’t done much of anything other than buy games.  They do have a decent win at Hawaii in the Diamondhead Classic, other than that and Baylor they have just one other win against a team with a winning record.  I still like this team and think that they’ll get the wins that they need before it’s over, but this was a head-scratcher.

-Stephen F Austin and Liberty both won, and both have clear paths to winning out until the NCAA Tournament.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-WISCONSIN AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Ohio State is looking to bounce back from a somewhat disappointing loss to West Virginia last week.  This is a winnable conference home game against a Wisconsin team that has underachieved for the most part, but that’s also won three straight, and beaten Tennessee in that stretch.

-UCF AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston may finally be waking up.  They still have a lot of work to do, but the path for them to have a really big season and land in the top half of the NCAA Tournament bracket is still there.  This is a decent but not great UCF team, and it’s important that they take care of business at home.

-RUTGERS AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Rutgers has shown us something this year, but in order to be taken seriously as a tournament team they need to win on the road.  If they can’t beat Nebraska on the road, then I’m inclined to think of them as nothing more than a home court hero, which I guess is a lot better than what they’ve been in recent years.

-GEORGETOWN AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Georgetown really got their noses bloodied in their conference opener against Providence, and the lack of depth after losing so many key players may be catching up to them.  Seton Hall got a really nice road win at DePaul and is looking to get to 2-0 in Big East play and keep a lot of their momentum going.

-KENT STATE AT BOWLING GREEN (MAC).  These are two of the better teams in the MAC, and if Kent State is going to make any sort of a run at landing inside the bubble, then they need to win this one tonight.

-TEMPLE AT TULSA (American).  I still think this Temple team has a ton of potential, and this is a chance for them to pick up a conference road win against a fairly decent Tulsa team (at least profile wise) if they’re able to hold serve.

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