Howard (5-7, 3-7 D1) at Hampton (7-5, 4-5 D1) – 4:00 PM ET (CBS/Paramount+)
Today’s UTR Game of the Day returns with a visit to Hampton, Virginia as the Howard Bison travel to visit the Hampton Pirates in the Battle For The Real HU. Hampton has dominated the series 62-29 since the 1952-53 season; the Pirates are coming off of a 76-68 win against the Loyola (MD) Greyhounds. This ensured that Hampton will finish above .500 through December for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Noah Farrakhan averages 13.3 points a game for Hampton.
Howard recently had a modest 2-game winning streak that included victories against non-D1 Virginia-Lynchburg and UNC-Wilmington. However, a 13-2 run by Drexel powered the Dragons to a 68-65 victory over Howard in the Bison’s last game. Marcus Dockery led Hampton with 14 points in the loss against Drexel.
For the first time in recent memory (and perhaps forever), HoopsHD has convinced Chad to prepare a bracket prior to the start of the New Year. This is nothing more than his snapshot of where things stand if today was Selection Sunday. Below the bracket are a few of his notes on why he chose the teams he did, and potentially some reactions from other staff members.
CHAD’S NOTES
Even though most of the non-conference season is over, there is still way too little data to make any form of informed choices in a bracket like this. While I based my choices on team resumes, there are some great teams on this list that are way under-seeded due to simply not having picked up top-level wins yet (Houston for example) — and a few teams that are over-seeded due to one or two wins (or a lack of losses) carrying them.
When it comes to great wins at the top of the profile, I have to tip my hat to Memphis. The Tigers are not ranked in either poll, but have 3 Tier 1A wins and 7 total wins in the top two tiers, with only ONE of those having come at home. I may not even have them ranked high enough on my 4 line.
The SEC representation is almost insane. 7 of my 16 protected seeds and 3 of my 4 1 seeds are SEC teams. The conference has 13 of 16 members in the field and had 2 others (Vanderbilt and LSU) at least get a look. But that Big Ten is not far behind at all. 12 of 18 Big Ten teams made my field, though only 2 of those teams made the top 4 seed lines. A 13th Big Ten team, Northwestern, was among my top four teams out.
As for the rest of the leagues — 7 Big 12 teams are in, 5 ACC, 4 Big East and 2 Mountain West. All other conferences are single bid leagues, including the American, A-10 and West Coast. My top two teams out were, however, both from the WCC (Oregon State and St. Mary’s) and Washington State was not far off the pace.
The exact order of my First Four teams was Nebraska, Iowa, Texas Tech, and Arkansas. My top four teams out were, in order, Oregon State, St. Mary’s, Northwestern and Arizona State. My next four out were Colorado, Vanderbilt, Washington State and Louisville. I also took at least a look at San Francisco, Bradley, BYU, UC-Irvine, Georgetown, Boise State, UCF, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, LSU, New Mexico, Indiana, Arizona and VCU.
In conclusion, I don’t expect the final bracket on Selection Sunday to be anywhere close to this. But the staff here made me build a bracket — so this is what you get! Enjoy!
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
Chad rarely does anything right, but I actually do agree with some of the things he did here. Auburn clearly has the best resume (and perhaps the best team) of anyone in the country. They have the best wins, and their only loss was to another #1 seed in a true road game that was close. We still have a long way to go, but the Tigers are already noticeably good enough to win it all.
UC San Diego on the #11 seems insane to me! And it’s not that he has them too high! He has them too LOW! For instance, they beat Utah State at Utah State, and for some reason Chad has them four lines higher. UCSD has just two losses, and one of them was a close loss on the road to San Diego State. To go 1-1 in true road games to teams that are wearing white in the Round of 64 and only be seeded 11th seems nuts! But, we are talking about Chad here!
I think Houston will shoot way up the seedlst between now and March, but as of now I can’t disagree too much with placing them on the #5 line. In fact I don’t even think I had them in my last bracket at all.
Posted inNews and Notes|Comments Off on Staff Bracket – December 27, 2024
It’s the day after Christmas, and we start off in the Missouri Valley and focus on a Drake team that is one of the few remaining unbeatens and is inching closer and closer to the top 25. Bradley is another team to keep an eye on in league, and several other teams are on current winning streaks.
From there we run through the other 21 UTR conferences and discuss how Maine is making some noise in the America East, Princeton had a big win against Rutgers out in the Ivy League, UC Irvine and UC San Diego both have strong resumes and could both make a run at the bubble, North Dakota State is on fire out in the Summit League, and much more. And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
We start in the Big Ten, where Illinois had a huge win over rival Missouri to win the Braggin’ Rights Trophy, and Ohio State managed a huge blowout win over Kentucky. In the ACC, North Carolina got a much needed win over UCLA, which we think could be the start of them turning things around. Duke also continues to look strong and Clemson, who we liked, are also starting to be questioned after a rough loss to South Carolina. The SEC has all but one team in the top 50 of the SOR, Cincinnati had a nice win against Dayton, and Utah State had an interesting week with a home loss to UC San Diego and a big road win at Saint Mary’s. We discuss all that, and more!
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
-After today we will be going into Holiday mode. Things slow way down, so there won’t be s daily rundowns to recap days where no meaningful games happened. We will pick that back up this Saturday. As for now…
-The Braggin’ Rights Game seems to never disappoint! It was once again close, exciting, intense, and emotional. Missouri trailed by as much as 10 late, but went on a run to get the lead with under 5 minutes to go. It was was back and forth from that point on with Mizzou getting a chance to tie it at the buzzer, but the shot didn’t go down and the Illini held on for a big 80-77 win. This is big for Illinois both on and off paper! Missouri is good and they’ll get plenty of chances at big wins in conference. I think we’ll see both these teams in The Dance come March.
-Georgetown is now 10-2 overall and 2-0 in the Big East after picking up an exciting 61-60 road win at Seton Hall. Maybe it wasn’t so much picking up a win as surviving; the Hoyas were held scoreless for the final 4 minutes of the game and Seton Hall did not manage to get a shof off on their final possession. Georgetown may not be quite good enough to finish inside the bubble, but they’ve strung together quite a few wins and definitely have our attention for now.
-Utah State bounced back from their home loss to UC San Diego in a BIG way by picking up a true road win at Saint Mary’s. They were ahead for most of the game, which is not easy to do at Saint Mary’s, and picked up the very impressive 75-68 win. This game is a statement that Utah State is very good and perhaps belongs in the top 25. It’s also a statement that UC San Diego is also very good themselves and deserves a ton of credit for their win at Utah State last week.
-In the Diamond Head Classic, Oregon State pretty much controlled College of Charleston for the whole game. It was by no means a blowout, but at no point did it really feel like the Beavers weren’t in control.
Nebraska also cruised past Murray State and Hawaii knocked off Charlotte. The one big upset was Oakland’s win over Loyola Chicago, so Oregon State now faces Oakland in the semifinals today.
-Iowa State, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, South Carolina, West Virginia, Georgia, LSU, and Michigan all easily won buy games.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23RD:
-CHARLESTON VS LOYOLA CHICAGO (Diamnond Head Classic). Charleston was unable to get by a pretty solid Oregon State team, and Loyola Chicago fell to Oakland in a game that was a bit of a surprise. That was a missed opportunity for both teams yesterday, and a setback for Loyola Chicago, but they get a chance at another decent match-up today.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT TENNESSEE. Middle Tennessee is a very respectable 9-3, but they are swinging way over their heads today on the road against the top ranked team in the country.
-OREGON STATE VS OAKLAND (Diamond Head Classic). Oregon State had a decent win yesterday against Charleston, and from a resume-building standpoint would probably rather be facing Loyola Chicago than Oakland. This should be a winnable game and allow them to advance to the Championship on Christmas Day.
-SEATTLE U AT WASHINGTON. Washington shouldn’t have too much trouble getting to 9-3.
-NEBRASKA AT HAWAII (Diamond Head Classic). Both teams cruised yesterday, and while this is a tournament this will also be considered a true road game for Nebraska, so this would be a nice addition to their resume.
-MURRAY STATE VS CHARLOTTE (Diamond Head Classic). Depending on who you ask, this is either a December 24 game (for those in the Eastern and Central time zones) or a December 23rd game given the 8 PM local tip time.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 24TH:
-No Games! Reruns of old CBI games should be available on YouTube, though!! (Note from Stalica – I will settle for a rerun of DePaul-Creighton that was played on Christmas Day a couple of seasons ago to be simulcast with the annual marathon of A Christmas Story.)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25TH:
-The 7th, 5th, 3rd, and 1st place games of the Diamond Head Classic will be taking place. If the chalk holds, Nebraska v Oregon State should be a very interesting final between two possible tournament teams, and a nice resume-building opportunity for both of them.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26TH:
-No games! It is the Feast of St. Stephen, and I’m sure Good King Wenceslas would be spinning in his grave if he knew there was no college basketball today!!! (Note from Stalica – How does the Puppet not mention today is Boxing Day? Even here in the United States, we know today is a sporting day devoted to the English Premier League!)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27TH:
-Baylor hosts Arlington Baptist and Duquesne hosts Cleary. Nothing like a couple of nonD1 cupcakes a couple days after Christmas, I suppose.
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I know the Holidays a very special and meaningful time for a lot of people, and I hope all of those people are able to enjoy it and have a safe and happy time. I also know that it is perhaps the hardest and most depressing time of the year for a lot of other people. If you fall into this category, I can certainly relate, and I hope you’re able to get through these next few days. We will be active on Twitter because even on Christmas Day we love talking college hoops, so give us a shout!
-Auburn seems to blow teams out even when the team they are playing is really good. They blasted Purdue yesterday 87-69 and were basically in control for the entire 40 minutes.
-Ohio State blasted Kentucky for a result that was a big surprise. They knocked off the 4th ranked Wildcats 85-65 in the CBS Sports Classic, which is a huge statement win for Ohio State and that will give their resume a really big boost.
-Marquette survived a late run from from Xavier as they held on for a 72-70 conference road win. Xavier was behind by 15 in the second half, but went on an 18-2 run and actually got the lead with 2 minutes to play, but Marquette was able to survive after Xavier’s Ryan Conwell appeared to be tripped by a Marquette defender, but the game ended on a no-call. Xavier has now had back-to-back-to-back close losses against ranked teams, which on one hand has got to be incredibly frustrating, but on another hand tell you that they’re not far away from being a really good team themselves.
-UConn jumped out to a 22-7 lead at Butler, but they also had to sweat at Butler as the Bulldogs made a furious comeback themselves. Nonetheless UConn held on for a 78-74 conference road win. I still think Butler is capable of making some noise, they need to start stringing together some wins like this in order to make a run at the bubble.
-North Carolina, who had lost several close games to really good teams this season, finally won a close game against a really good team yesterday. They knocked off UCLA in a 76-74 thriller in the CBS Sports Classic. The Tarheels were down by as much as 16, but came from behind and got the lead with just 13 seconds to go and held on for a massively important win.
-Mississippi State got a huge win as they went on the road and beat Memphis 79-66. Memphis is having a great season, and their resume still looks really good despite the loss. As for Mississippi State, they just add to the long list of SEC wins against good teams away from home.
-Princeton, who we all liked coming into the year but had been somewhat disappointed with up until yesterday, did NOT disappoint yesterday! (FACT CHECK: We do not all like Princeton.) They knocked off Rutgers 83-82 to pick up a huge out of conference win. As for Rutgers, they’ve been somewhat of a disappointment as well, but they’re still talented and can still make quite a bit of noise in the Big Ten this year.
-Creighton came back from a pasting at Georgetown and were able to survive at home against a Villanova team that had a 5-game winning streak snapped.
-Northwestern had no trouble at home against DePaul in an intracity battle. We are guessing that the Wildcats had Giordano’s after the game.
-UC Irvine, after getting a big come from behind win at Belmont the other night, basically got their doors blown off at Duquesne yesterday. They lost 70-54 to a Duquesne team that’s looking like they’re on their way to finishing toward the bottom of the Atlantic 10. I know it’s hard to fly across the country and play two road games in three days, but like we always say, it’s also hard to land inside the bubble, and to do it a team needs to be able to win games that are hard to win. Duquesne, even though it’s a long trip, is NOT a hard road game to win. This is a big setback for the Eaters.
-Miami FL lost to Mount Saint Mary’s at home in overtime. Now I think they’re just trying to make me look bad for picking them as a sleeper team back in the preseason.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI (Game in Saint Louis MO). BRAGGIN’ RIGHTS!!!! This game is almost always a blast to watch, and this year both teams come in looking really good. Mizzou has just one loss, and already has a big win over one rival in Kansas. Illinois is a solid 7-3 with some decent wins on their resume and nearly beat to ranked Tennessee in their last game, but this would be one of their better wins to date if they’re able to pull it off.
-OREGON STATE VS CHARLESTON (Diamond Head Classic). Both teams have solid 8-2 records and both have shown an ability to play a a high level. This tournament is a big opportunity for both of these teams to put some solid wins on their resume, and that includes this game today. It should be a fun one.
-SAINT LOUIS AT GRAND CANYON. This was one we had circled back in October as what we thought would be a big game. Given how both teams have started the season, it has lost some of its bigness. Anything short of winning out for Grand Canyon would probably mean they’d have to win the WAC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. SLU is still looking for their first true road game and is a very modest 6-5 overall this season, so they have a lot of work to do as well.
-LOYOLA CHICAGO VS OAKLAND (Diamond Head Classic). Loyola can get to 10-1 with a win today. This event is a chance for them to pick up some big wins away from home.
-GEORGETOWN AT SETON HALL (Big East). Georgetown is off to a really good start this season. They won their Big East opener and they may be good enough to make some noise in the conference. They don’t have a true road win yet, but this looks like a winnable road game for them. (FACT CHECK: Georgetown’s first true road win came at Syracuse last week.)
-UTAH STATE AT SAINT MARY’S. Neither team is in the rankings, but it’s quite possible that both should be and/or will be by the end of the year. This is a very big test for an Utah State team that’s coming off their first loss of the season. It’s their first road game, and it’s against a strong team, so we will learn quite a bit about them today.
-NEBRASKA VS MURRAY STATE (Diamond Head Classic). Nebraska is a respectable 7-2 and this event is a chance for them to build up their resume.
-CHARLOTTE VS HAWAII (Diamond Head Classic). It’s not easy to win at Hawaii. They may be able to pull off some big wins in this event.
BUY GAMES (and other notable games):
-Morgan State @ Iowa State -Kent State @ Alabama – Kent State is good, but probably way over their heads today -Central Arkansas @ Oklahoma -Purdue Fort Wayne @ Michigan -Detroit Mercy @ Wisconsin -Radford @ South Carolina -Mercyhurst @ West Virginia -William & Mary @ VCU -Brown @ Kansas -Oral Roberts @ Oklahoma State -New Orleans @ LSU -Charleston Southern @ Georgia -Southern @ USC -Rider @ NC State
