Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-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!

NEWS AND NOTES:

-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

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Cincinnati picked up their biggest win over the year, and it was one they really needed, as they held off Dayton 66-59. Cincinnati’s defense kept Dayton from doing anything at all for the first 15 minutes of the game, and then kept them from doing very little the rest of the way. Dayton did cut a 17pt second half lead down to 4, but couldn’t come all the way back.

-Saint John’s picked up their first true road win of the season as they held off Providence 72-70. The Jonnies are now 10-2 overall and are in pretty good shape where they stand.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-DUKE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). This should be a winnable conference road game for the Blue Devils.

-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East). Xavier put up a fight against UConn in their overtime loss earlier this week, so this could be a tougher game for Marquette than what they’re expecting, especially since it is a road game. Still, Marquette is looking like a solid protected seed and Xavier is looking like an NIT team.

-UCONN AT BUTLER (Big East). It’s never easy to win on the road, and Butler has shown signs of being halfway decent at times, but having said that UConn has looked like a solid protected seed and Butler has looked like an NIT team.

-SMU AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC). SMU is a very respectable 9-2, but is still in search of their first true road game. This is the kind of road game that an NCAA Tournament team should be expected to win.

-SYRACUSE VS MARYLAND (Game in Brooklyn NY). Syracuse is a former Big East team that’s now in the ACC and they’re taking on Maryland, who is a former ACC team that is now in the Big Ten. Maryland has a decent profile and should be able to hold serve in this one.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT MEMPHIS. I think both of these teams are being undervalued somewhat. Memphis is in the rankings and they’ve they’ve played a tough schedule, much of it was away from home, and they’ve done very well against it and should probably be ranked a little higher. Mississippi State is an impressive 10-1, but this is probably their hardest game of the year so far and the fans in Memphis should be up for this one. They have a lot to be excited about.

-WAKE FOREST AT CLEMSON (ACC). Wake has a decent overall record and a nice win against Michigan, so they are at least within reach of the bubble. It’s not easy to win at Clemson, but if they do pull it off it would give them a big boost.

-UCLA VS NORTH CAROLINA (CBS Sports Classic, Game in New York NY). North Carolina has a 6-5 record against a very tough schedule, so they’re by no means sunk, but they do need to start winning games. UCLA is a very impressive 10-1 with impressive wins over Oregon and Arizona, so they are battle tested. This is a resume boosting opportunity for both of these teams.

-VILLANOVA AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Both these teams are outside the bubble, and while both have some good things on their resume, both still have work to do (obviously) and both could really use a win today.

-WASHINGTON STATE VS NORTHERN IOWA (Game in Las Vegas). Wazzu is coming off a loss to their rivals Washington, but I really like how they’ve played this year. I also like how Nortthern Iowa is starting to play, and feel that this is a really compelling game today.

-DEPAUL AT NORTHWESTERN. DePaul is not nearly as bad as what we have seen, but they still have a long way to go before we start declaring them a tournament caliber team. Northwestern has a decent profile with some decent wins, but they still have work to do and they need to hold serve in this one today. It’s always kinda fun when these two play each other.

-PURDUE VS AUBURN (Game in Birmingham, AL). Auburn has been as impressive as any team in the country, so while Purdue is ranked in the top 20, and very deserving of that ranking, and has been tested and won some big games, you still get the sense that they are overmatched in this one. Auburn is just that good.

-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West). Nevada is sitting at 8-3 and needs to string together a lot of wins and hold serve against teams that are outside the bubble in order to end up on the right side of the cut line come Selection Sunday.

-OHIO STATE VS KENTUCKY (CBS Sports Classic, Game in New York NY). Ohio State has some decent wins and looks like they’re currently on pace to be on the right side of the cut line. Kentucky has some amazing wins and looks like they’re on pace to end up on the #1 line.

-UTAH AT IOWA. Both teams have solid records, but both are also lacking in notable wins and both could really use this one today. Iowa is in decent shape with wins over Washington State and Northwestern, but it would still make their resume look better if they were able to pick this one up.

-TEMPLE VS RHODE ISLAND (Game in Springfield MA). A win for Rhody gets them to a very respectable 11-1 on the year.

-KANSAS STATE AT WICHITA STATE. Both teams have work to do, but both look like they may be good enough to get the wins they need between now and the end. It’s a fun in-state match-up and a nice opportunity for both teams.

-OREGON VS STANFORD (San Jose Tip-Off). Oregon has had a fantastic season so far and is looking like they may be on pace for a protected seed. This used to be an old Pac 12 match-up. I suppose now it is a defacto Big Ten/ACC Challenge game, which is very weird to say.

-CALIFORNIA VS SAN DIEGO STATE (San Jose Tip-Off). Cal is having a decent year, but San Diego State is once again looking like a solid tournament caliber team and they should be able to hold serve in this one.

BUY GAMES (and other games of note):

-North Florida @ Florida
-Princeton @ Rutgers – both teams are outside the bubble and need to start stringing together wins in order to reach it
-Penn State @ Drexel – not the easiest road game for Penn State, and this would be their first road win of the season, but it’s a game a tourney caliber team would be expected to win
-Chattanooga @ Indiana – the Hoosiers better be on upset alert
-Niagara @ Saint Bonaventure
-Sam Houston @ Pittsburgh
-Lamar @ Texas Tech
-TAMUCC @ Houston
-Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State – Michigan State should roll in this one
-High Point @ Southern Illinois – High Point is 11-2 overall, but is still lookin for their first true road win
-UT Arlington @ Liberty
-Canisius @ Bradley – Bradley can improve to 10-2 with a win
-NC A&T @ Arkansas
-UC Irvine @ Duquesne – UC Irvine is a long way from home, but this should be a winnable game for them
-Austin Peay @ Vanderbilt
-Furman @ Harvard – Furman can improve to 12-1 and pick up their 4th true road win
-Coastal Carolina @ Arkansas State
-Bellarmine @ Colorado
-Air Force @ Boise State (Mountain West) – it’s a conference game, but it may as well be a buy game
-Central Michigan @ Arizona
-Arizona State vs UMass (Game in Springfield) – Arizona State should roll in this one
-Queens @ Ole Miss
-Drake @ Green Bay – Drake can get to 11-0 with a win
-Montana @ San Francisco – San Francisco needs to bounce back from a tough loss at Bradley
-Jacksonville @ UCF
-Bucknell @ Gonzaga
-UC San Diego @ San Diego – I think UCSD is inside the bubble right now and hey can add another true road win to what is an already very impressive profile

Today’s write-up is short. UC Irvine came from behind to win at Belmont last night, and that was really the only game of note. Today isn’t all that busy either.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Saint John’s has a respectable 9-2 record, but they’ve done virtually nothing away from home and this is their first true road game of the season, so a win adds something to their resume that they don’t yet have.

-CINCINNATI VS DAYTON. This game is in Cincinnati, but it’s not on campus and will be a split crowd as the two teams are less than an hour apart. Both are in the rankings, but Dayton has totally outperformed Cincinnati up to this point. Cincinnati’s OOC schedule has been weak, and while they are coming off a win against their rivals Xavier, it was a game where they struggled to beat a team at home that doesn’t appear to be anywhere near the field. As for Dayton, it’s a chance to pick up another notable win and make a good resume look even better.

-Houston Christian @ Texas A&M
-Florida A&M @ BYU