Under The Radar Game of the Day: Thursday, December 19th

Posted on December 19, 2019 by John Stalica

For Chad Sherwood’s recap of the Delaware-Delaware State rivalry – CLICK HERE

Appalachian State (6-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (6-4, 0-0 Sun Belt) – 8:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Mobile, Alabama for the conference opener between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the South Alabama Jaguars. App State comes into the game with their record bloated with a pair of non-D1 wins, but there does seem to be a renewed energy with the program under first-year head coach Dustin Kerns. The Mountaineers have won three of their last four games that include a non-D1 win, a win against Charlotte and a win at Howard in their last outing. Isaac Johnson averages 11.1 points a game and 9 rebounds a game.

South Alabama comes into the game with the highest preseason expectations in the Sun Belt, and like Appalachian State they come into tonight with a 4-4 record against D1 competition. The Jags did finish 2nd in the Gulf Coast Showcase with wins against Northeastern and Miami University before losing to La Salle in the title game. They also missed on opportunities in preseason to get wins against teams like Auburn and Richmond, and therefore are going to have to win the Sun Belt tournament crown if they wish to culminate their season with an NCAA Tournament bid. Josh Ajayi leads South Alabama with 16.0 points a game and 7.5 rebounds a game.

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HoopsHD at the Battle of the First State

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Chad

The Battle of the First State.  The Route 1 Rivalry.  On Monday, December 16, the two Division 1 schools from the State of Delaware squared off at the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware for bragging rights within the state.  And HoopsHD was there!


Thanks must first be made to the University of Delaware for the media pass to the game and a great seat on press row right near center court.  I was seated directly behind the Instant Replay screen..which gave me a great view of the screens, and not that bad of a view of the game at all!

This game marked the first game of the season for players from both team.  For the Fightin’ Blue Hens, Dylan Painter, a transfer from Villanova, made his season debut now that the first semester has concluded.  Painter certainly came ready to play, as he was a dominant force off the bench.  Painter finished the game with a team-high 19 points.  Given that Delaware had four players already averaging in double digits, his addition could make this team the favorites to win the Colonial this year.  The Hornets of Delaware State welcomed Trey Gross to his first game of the year as well.  Gross was a starting wide receiver on the football team this season, but has now turned his attention to the basketball court with the football season over.  Gross scored 2 points and pulled down 2 rebounds in his short time on the court.

At the end of the day, it was Dylan Painter and the Blue Hens that picked up the 86-78 win, a game that they led pretty much wire-to-wire.  Nate Darling, the team’s leading scorer entering the game, did finish with 18 points, although most of those points came late in the game as the Hornets had done a strong job containing him.  In fact, more than midway through the first half, Darling had as many points (2) as turnovers.  The depth of this Delaware team was shown, however, as Painter, Ryan Allen (14 points) and Collin Goss (9 points and 10 rebounds) more than made up for the early lack of offense from Darling.

Delaware State may have lost the game, but the Hornets were able to stay within striking distance the whole way thanks to John Crosby and Ameer Bennett.  Crosby was the game’s top scorer, dropping 30 point before fouling out late.  Bennett picked up a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards.  The Hornets may be only 1-10 on the season now, but there is no reason that this team will not be competitive in the MEAC this season if players like Crosby and Bennett can continue to lead the way.

Delaware is now 15-5 all time in matchups against their in-state rivals.  However, this rivalry is alive and well, and proved to be a great game between two teams that clearly wanted to win.  The fan turnout was strong, and the decision to play this game at a neutral location did not take anything away form the game.  In the end, the Blue Hens may have won, but it was the guy pictured below, who seemed to have the most fun!

 

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Dec 18th

Posted on December 18, 2019 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is actually one of the better overall games of the day between Vermont and UNC Greensboro – CLICK HERE

-Ohio State, Dayton, Florida State, Washington, Georgetown, and Marquette all won buy games.

-Florida beat Providence so easily that it may as well have been a buy game even though Florida was the road team.  Providence has not looked good, and that is an understatement.  On the other hand, Florida is at least passing the eye test now.  They could be high in the rankings at the end of the year just like they were at the beginning.

-Miami FL also got a really nice win against Temple in Brooklyn.  Miami’s record is looking better and better, and with a smattering of decent wins it may be time to start paying a little bit of attention.

-San Francisco led at Stanford for the vast majority of the game, but not at the end.  Stanford finally got control in the final minutes and ended up winning 64-56.

-Creighton picked up a very respectable home win against Oklahoma to improve to 9-2 on the year.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TENNESSEE AT CINCINNATI.  Tennessee is coming off a loss to rival Memphis, which was probably more damaging to their egos than it was to their resume.  Cincinnati has looked like an NIT team on their best day, and is coming off the most stupidistiest (I like making words up) loss I have ever seen in my life.  It’s definitely a winnable road game for the Vols.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT LSU.  ETSU needs a win like this if they want to show that they belong inside the bubble.  It is more than just a test for them.  It is a chance to really put a quality win on their resume.

-DEPAUL AT CLEVELAND STATE.  This is a winnable road game for a DePaul team that’s having a great year.

-RICHMOND AT OLD DOMINION.  This is an old CAA rivalry, but this edition of it appears to be a mismatch.  Richmond is off to a great start and has been a big surprise in a good way, whereas Old Dominion has been a huge disappointment.

-VCU AT CHARLESTON.  This is a tougher road game than what many realize.  Charleston, while off to a bit of a slow start, is still good and still tough to beat at home.

-HOUSTON BAPTIST AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland).  If SFA dominates the rest of their schedule I think they’ll end up inside the bubble.

-UTAH STATE VS SOUTH FLORIDA (Battleground 2K19).  This is a chance for Utah State to pick up some more wins away from home if they’re able to hold serve.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Michigan State has struggled this season, but if they can win this game tonight, then they will be the first Big Ten team to win a Big Ten road game!

-NORTH CAROLINA AT GONZAGA.  This should have been a big game, but given how poorly North Carolina has been playing and considering how beat up they are with injuries, this could end up looking a lot like a buy game.

-SAINT MARY’S AT ARIZONA STATE.  Both teams have looked good, but both teams’ profiles could really use a win like this.  It should be a fun one.

-UTAH VS KENTUCKY (Las Vegas).  It’s usually around mid-to-late December that you really see Kentucky start to improve.  It will be interesting to see what they look like tonight.  Utah has been decent, but not great this season.  A win like this could completely change the complexion of their season, but it is far easier said than done.

 

BUY GAMES (and equivalences)

-Oregon State vs UTSA – Battleground 2k19
-Stony Brook @ Virginia
-Western Carolina @ Xavier – WCU is a surprising 7-2 so X better not overlook them
-Radford @ Mississippi State
-Oakland @ Syracuse
-Miami OH @ Louisville
-Albany @ Saint John’s
-Baylor vs UT Martin (Battleground 2K19)
-Montana @ Oregon

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Wednesday, December 18th

Posted on December 18, 2019 by John Stalica

UNC-Greensboro (8-3, 7-3 D1) at Vermont (7-4, 6-4 D1) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day is a matchup of two potential NCAA Tournament teams where the Vermont Catamounts will play host to the UNC-Greensboro Spartans. Vermont started their season looking like a serious NCAA contender with a 4-0 start that included a win at St. John’s. While a loss at Virginia was inevitable, they recently went through a stretch of three losses in four games that included Ls against Rider, Cincinnati and Yale. Anthony Lamb (16.6 PPG/8.3 RPG) is looking very much like a candidate for America East preseason player of the year.

It’s hard to believe that a team could be 7-3 in D1 play and have a win at Georgetown, yet be one of the nation’s unluckiest teams. But the Spartans of UNC-Greensboro have looked the part with a pair of losses that have come courtesy of half-court buzzer beaters against Montana State and NC State (at home, no less). This game and their subsequent home game against Northern Kentucky will be important checkpoints for UNC-G and their own postseason aspirations. Isaiah Miller is averaging 17.5 points a game through the Spartans’ first 11 games.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Tuesday, December 17th (and other News, Notes, and Games)

Posted on December 17, 2019 by John Stalica

Omaha (6-7, 5-7 D1) at Eastern Washington (6-3, 4-3 D1) – 9:00 PM EST (WatchBigSky.com)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Cheney, Washington where the Eagles of EWU will host the Omaha Mavericks. The Eagles come in to the game losing their buy games at Saint Louis, Boston College and Washington, but they do own a win against Belmont and have ran the table against the remainder of their schedule so far. This is only their third home game against D1 competition with the wins being against the aforementioned Belmont and North Dakota. Kim Aiken Jr is averaging a double-double (15.3 PPG/12.0 RPG) for the Eagles.

Omaha has had a few highlights among the way – they won the undercard portion of the Cayman Islands Classic that they hosted. They beat Southern and Loyola to claim that title. Since then, they did have a rough go with a four-game losing streak that included losses at Saint Mary’s and Arizona. That streak was snapped with a home win against UTRGV on Sunday. Matt Pile also averages a double-double (12.0 PPG/10.8 RPG) for the Mavericks.

 

OTHER NEWS, NOTES, AND GAMES

-FLORIDA VS PROVIDENCE (Brooklyn, NY).  Florida has been somewhat disappointing, but they still have a high ceiling and heading into the Holidays with increased practice time is when this team might start hitting its stride.  Providence has been even more disappointing, and is starting to show signs of not ever hitting their stride.

-OKLAHOMA AT CREIGHTON.  This is another tough road game for the Sooners.  They’ve got a few somewhat notable wins against Minnesota, Oregon State, and Missouri, but this would be their most impressive win of the season up to this point if they’re able to pull it off.  Creighton is a very respectable 8-2 on the season and is unbeaten at home.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT STANFORD.  Both teams have bloated record, and Stanford has some nice wins on their resume.  Both are Bay Area teams, so it should be a fun match-up.

-DENVER AT NORTHERN COLORADO (Front Range).  Not really a big game, but we at Hoops HD love the Front Range!!

-PURDUE AT OHIO.  This is a road test that is probably tougher than what it appears.  The Boilers have looked really good at times this season, but are also coming off a somewhat surprising decisive road loss to Nebraska.  Ohio is a modest 6-3 on the year, and should be jacked way up for this one.  It’s not often that they get to host Big Ten teams.

-MIAMI FL AT TEMPLE.  We really like this Temple team, and although Miami has shown signs of improvement, it is a very winnable game for Temple.  Having said that, this is the kind of win that could turn Miami’s season around, so it is a good opportunity for them.

-UMBC @ Georgetown
-SEMO @ Ohio State
-North Texas @ Dayton
-NC Central @ Louisiana Tech
-Marysville (nondiv1) @ Saint Louis
-Grambling @ Marquette
-North Florida @ Florida State
-Grand Canyon @ New Mexico
-UC Irvine @ UTEP
-Seattle @ Washington

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Bracket Projection – Hoops HD Staff Bracket

Posted on December 16, 2019 by John Stalica

This week, it is staff member John Stalica’s turn to do the weekly staff bracket. This is not an ultimate projection of what the bracket will be (as that is the expertise of our colleague Jon Teitel), but rather a checkpoint of where we stand through games of Sunday the 15th of December. And here is the bracket:

First Four Out: Xavier, Utah State, LSU, Seton Hall

COMMENTS FROM JOHN

– Once again, there is no clear cut team for the #1 overall slot. I was set to put Ohio State in that spot after what they did to Cincinnati, Villanova, North Carolina and Penn State. Losing at Minnesota stings, but it’s very odd that home teams are a perfect 13-0 in the B1G so far this season.

– Gonzaga is once again looking like a team that will be seeded #1 in the West Region. The Bulldogs have beaten two of the top teams in the Pac-12 all on the road and also beat Oregon down in Atlantis last month. If they finish noncon play without any further slipups, there’s a very good chance of Gonzaga running the table the remainder of the season.

– Memphis is also showing that they can win games of significance without James Wiseman. Winning at Tennessee is not only good for the profile, it’s a big boost for the fanbase that hasn’t had a team this solid since the days of Calipari (even if the NCAA insists on a “Vacant” entry or two in the record books.

– There is a team from the Keystone State that is a protected seed this week not named Villanova. Penn State has shown that they can win games of significance both home and away, and beating Maryland had to be a feather in their cap. The Nittany Lions are now ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since the 1990s.

– Northern Iowa is a team that can potentially get above the First Four later on in the season. Their best wins are against South Carolina down in Cancun and at Colorado. Their only loss is against West Virginia, and it’s possible they could have an at-large case depending on whether or not they’re able to win the regular season crown in the Missouri Valley.

COMMENTS FROM THE STAFF

FROM DAVID -I agree that it is tough to pick the overall #1, but I also think that Stalica got it right in Kansas.  A rarity!  He did something right!  Kansas played Duke in their first game and turned it over about once a minute, which is bad.  But, they still nearly won the game despite not playing well, and they haven’t lost since.  They also have a really nice win against Dayton (more on them in a second), and a profile that looks pretty good.

I’m also really impressed with what Gonzaga has done, and agree that they should be on the #1 line.  I could see putting them even a little higher up than 4th on the seedlist.

I like Dayton a lot more than Stalica.  I know that their profile shows no wins over ranked teams, so if you’re going strictly off of merit one could argue that the #5 line is where they belong.  But, this is a team that’s only loss to Kansas is in overtime, and that has blown everyone else they have played off of the floor.  I think they are easily one of the best 15 teams in the country, and perhaps even one of the 10 best teams in the country.  I’d have them as a protected seed.

Rutgers makes the field!!  An argument can definitely be made.  I’d like to see them win at least one game away from home, though.

I like Penn State, but not THAT much!!!  Sheesh Stalica!!

Something I don’t understand.  Butler has one loss, by one point, at Baylor, who Stalica has up on the #2 line.  He has Butler down on the #5 line.  How does a team that loses by just a point on the road, IN THEIR ONLY LOSS, MIND YOU!, end up seeded three lines below the team that barely beat them?

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