News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Nov 5th

Posted on November 5, 2019 by David Griggs

HAPPY COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON EVERYBODY!!!

NEWS AND NOTES

–CLICK HERE for our Preseason Bracket Rundown Show

For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Boston U and Northeastern – CLICK HERE

Regardless of anything that is said below or that was said in any of our preseason coverage, the real truth is that all teams are starting out at zero.  There are teams that are not in the preseason rankings that will crack the top ten.  There are probably about seven or eight teams in the preseason top 25 that will miss the NCAA tournament entirely.  Happens every year.  No one really knows anything yet.  For all we know, the SWAC could win 80 percent of their OOC games and end up sending over half the league to the NCAA Tournament, and the AAC could only send one team.  When it comes to putting each of today’s games into context, the best we can do right now is hypothesize.  So, here it goes…

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT BAYLOR.  It’s a buy game, but it’s the first game between two div1 teams, so we will go ahead and highlight it!!

-KANSAS VS DUKE (Champions Classic) (***Spotlight Game***).  It’s two top four teams, and two potential #1 seeds.  This will actually likely be one of the more important games that either team plays this season when it comes to being able to earn #1 seed.  It would be a super high quality win.

-MICHIGAN STATE VS KENTUCKY (Champions Classic) (***Spotlight Game***).  There are seasons where you go the whole year and never see a #1 vs #2 match-up.  This year, we get one on opening night!!  This is big in the sense that both teams will likely contend for a #1 seed, and it’s possible that both could end up getting it.  This would be a huge quality win and possibly a deciding factor on whether or not a team ends up with a #1 seed.

-PRINCETON AT DUQUESNE.  I like this Duquesne team, and think they’ll be able to make some noise in the A-10.  This is a very winnable game for them to kick off the season.

LOUISVILLE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  This is our first look at a Louisville team that many believe to be a Final Four contender.  It’s never easy to play on the road, much less open on the road in a conference game, so even though many believe Miami is down this year it wouldn’t shock me if this wasn’t a cakewalk for the Cardinals.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC).  I don’t think either team will end up making the NCAA Tournament, but they both get a chance to get a notable win to start off their season.

-BRADLEY AT SAINT JOSEPH’S.  Last year’s Missouri Valley champions have a winnable road game tonight to start off the year.

-UMASS LOWELL AT UMASS.  This is a buy game, but UMass better watch out.  This Lowell team is a potential dark horse in the America East

-FURMAN AT GARDNER WEBB.  I like this Furman team and think they have a chance at landing inside the bubble.  This is a rather tough road game against what should be a pretty good Gardner Webb team, but if Furman is an at-large caliber team then this is the kind of game that they should be expected to be able to win.

-NORTHEASTERN AT BOSTON U (Bean Pot).  We mention this game only because of our love for mythical conferences!!

-SAMFORD AT MOREHEAD STATE.  Samford is a potential dark horse in the SoCon this year.  This is a winnable road game for them, and the kind of game they need to be able to win if they want to position themselves for a postseason tournament.

-LONG ISLAND AT RHODE ISLAND.  It’s a buy game, but it’s interesting enough to highlight because LIU is the favorites to win the NEC and Rhody is still rebuilding.

-UTSA AT OKLAHOMA.  This actually technically isn’t a buy game.  It’s also semi-interesting because UTSA is a darkhorse in CUSA, so the Sooners better not overlook them.

-DREXEL AT TEMPLE (Sort of Big Five).  Temple is in rebuilding mode, but they can get their season off to a feelgood start if they’re able to defeat their crosstown foes.

-PENN AT ALABAMA.  Alabama looks to be the better team, but they better not completely overlook Penn.  It’s not so much of a mismatch that it isn’t worth highlighting.

-OLD DOMINION AT NORTHERN IOWA.  A pretty good UTR game on opening night.  I like this Northern Iowa team and think they can make quite a bit of noise this season.

-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT KANSAS STATE.  This is technically a buy game, but since North Dakota State is expected to be one of the frontrunners in the Summit League, and K State is in rebuilding mode, it’s interesting enough to go ahead and highlight.  This is actually a really good first game for both teams.

-GEORGIA TECH AT NC STATE (ACC).  This should be a very winnable game for an NC State team that will most likely land inside the bubble this year.  GA Tech looks to be improved, but they are also ineligible for the postseason.

-FRESNO STATE AT OREGON.  Oregon is beginning the season against a team that actually has a pulse!  They should win, but this is far more intriguing than most of the buy games today.

-SAINT MARY’S VS WISCONSIN (game in Sioux Falls, SD).  This is the kind of game you love to see on opening night!  It’s two teams that will likely make the NCAA Tournament going at it on a neutral floor with a chance to pick up a quality win, and also allow us to learn something about each of them early on.

-DENVER AT COLORADO STATE (Front Range).  Neither team is expected to be good at all, but we at Hoops HD LOVE the Front Range!!!

-UC IRVINE AT SAN DIEGO.  This is an interesting OOC game between a UC Irvine team that is expected to be a Big West frontrunner and a San Diego team that has been improving in recent years.

-PEPPERDINE AT CALIFORNIA.  Some say that Pepperdine is a potential dark horse in the WCC this year.  They have a chance to pick up a road win against a Pac Twelve team tonight.

-UTAH AT NEVADA.  Nevada is in complete rebuilding mode, and we’ve probably got more questions than answers right now about Utah as well.  It would be big for the Utes if they’re able to start off the season with a road win.

 

BUY GAMES

-Wagner @ Seton Hall
-North Florida @ Florida
-Jacksonville @ Xavier
-Saint Francis U @ VCU
-Sacred Heart @ Providence
-Western Illinois @ Indiana
-UMES @ Penn State
-MIT (nondiv1) @ Harvard
-NC A&T @ UNC Greensboro – I think this UNCG team has a shot at the bubble
-Western Carolina @ Georgia
-Appalachian State @ Michigan
-UNC Asheville @ Tennessee
-Holy Cross @ Maryland
-Alabama State @ Gonzaga
-Eastern Illinois @ Texas Tech
-SC State @ Memphis
-Tennessee Tech @ Western Kentucky – WKU is talented enough to make some noise this year.
-Northern Colorado @ Texas
-Mississippi Valley State @ Iowa State
-Cleveland State @ Minnesota
-Nicholls @ Illinois
-FGCU @ Saint Louis
-Jacksonville State @ SMU – this is a winnable road game for Jax State against a rebuilding SMU team
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ South Florida
-FIU @ Mississippi State
-Omaha @ Wichita State
-Rice @ Arkansas
-Army @ Villanova
-Georgia Southern @ Auburn – GA Southern should be good in Sun Belt play, but is overmatched today
-Cal State Fullerton @ BYU
-Alcorn State @ DePaul
-Kennesaw State @ Creighton
-UC Riverside @ Nebraska
-West New Mexico (nondiv1) @ New Mexico State
-Loyola MD @ Marquette
-Montana State @ Utah State
-Life Pacific (nondiv1) @ Boise State
-Texas Southern @ San Diego State
-Purdue Fort Wayne @ UNLV
-Cal State Northridge @ Oregon State
-Florida A&M @ USC

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Under The Radar Game of the Day (Tuesday, November 5): Northeastern at Boston University

Posted on November 5, 2019 by John Stalica

For our extensive coverage previewing the upcoming season – CLICK HERE

Northeastern (0-0) at Boston University (0-0) – 7:00 PM (Patriot League Network)

The initial UTR Game of the Day will be played at a perennial Hoops HD favorite location – The Roof at BU! The Terriers will be playing host to Beanpot rival Northeastern as part of BU’s Greek Life Spirit Night. During their summer tour, BU played four games in Spain – they opened with a one-point win against the Madrid All-Stars and won their final three games by an average of 34.3 points a game. The Terriers are led by Max Mahoney – he averaged 16.5 points a game last season.

The Huskies are coming off of a season where they won the CAA Conference tournament and advanced to the first round of the NCAAs. Five players who saw regular playing time last season return, including senior starters Jordan Roland (14.6 PPG) and Bolden Brace (9.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG).

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Hoops HD Preseason Bracket Rundown

Posted on November 4, 2019 by David Griggs

On this show, we unveil the first of what will be many brackets this year!  Chad reveals what he thinks the NCAA Tournament will look like on Selection Sunday this March.  We go through it line by line and discuss, debate, and assess each team as it is revealed.  The panel takes turns either agreeing with him, or telling him that they think he is completely nuts.

Below is the final preseason bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews St. Mary’s JR SF Elijah Thomas

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We conclude our season preview coverage with St. Mary’s JR SF Elijah Thomas. Coach Mark Few deservedly gets the majority of the attention on the West Coast but Randy Bennett is up there as well: 12 straight seasons of 21+ wins, the winningest coach in school history, and 7 NCAA tourneys under his belt. Almost every single player on last year’s roster is back as they try to rebound from last year’s 4-PT loss to Villanova in the NCAA tourney. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Elijah about hailing from the great state of Arizona and facing the mighty Zags.  Hope you enjoyed all the previews: on to the regular season!

You grew up in Arizona: what made you choose St. Mary’s? I liked the fact that they had won a lot of games and the coaches gave me the 1-on-1 attention that I needed.

You play for Coach Randy Bennett: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He teaches us to be prepared for everything and to put in the work. This is my 4th year here and I am still learning things from him.

In your last 2 season debuts (a 2017 win over St. Francis PA and a 2018 win over McNeese State) you made a combined 6-7 3-PT shots: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? There is not much to it: get your feet set and have the confidence to make it. It just kind of happens.

You started the 1st 12 games of the season last year: what is the biggest difference between being a starter vs. coming off the bench? I do not think there is a big difference but when you come off the bench you still need to do your job and bring some energy. Even when I am coming off the bench I prepare for every game as if I were a starter.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you played 3 minutes in a 4-PT loss to Villanova: how close did you come to beating the Wildcats, and what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? The biggest takeaway is experience. We learned that were good enough to make it to that stage.

You have 9 guys on the roster from foreign countries: is it hard to get everyone on the same page? It has been really cool to learn about different cultures so I have definitely enjoyed it.

1 of your new assistant coaches this year is former St. Mary’s star Mickey McConnell: what does he bring to the table? He brings a lot. He was obviously a great player here and knows the game. He has also been through everything that we are going through so he can help us with that.

In your 56 regular season games you have gone 0-3 vs. Gonzaga and 42-11 vs. everyone else: what makes the Zags so good, and how intense is your rivalry with them? I think that it is 1 of the best rivalries on the West Coast. You will get a good game every time you see us play them: it is a lot of fun.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Wisconsin/Cal/ASU/Nevada: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? My mindset is to take it game by game: I do not really like to look past the next team that we are playing.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The expectation is to come out and play hard each game. We want to play better defense and win a national championship: you gotta go big, right!?

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin

Posted on November 4, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin. He has had success everywhere he has been: the 1994 Elite 8 as a player at Purdue, the 2010 CIT title as coach at Missouri State, a Sweet 16 as coach at Tennessee, 2 straight 20-win seasons as coach at Cal, and an NCAA tourney appearance in his very 1st year as coach at Missouri in 2018. The Tigers backtracked last year with a 15-win season but hope to get things going in the right direction this year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Martin about being a great 3-PT shooter and having a brutal non-conference schedule.

You were a player/assistant to Gene Keady at Purdue: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you learned from him? Coach Keady pushed us to become men and challenged us to be great in all walks of life. I learned the kind of work ethic it takes when the lights are off and when no one is watching to truly be successful. That is where the separation happens: the extra time that you put in.

You set a school record with 8 3PM in a 1994 Sweet 16 win over Kansas and your 45.1 career 3P% remains the best in school history: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Again, it is putting in the time and getting those extra reps up. When I got to Purdue, I really could not shoot the 3-ball and was encouraged not to because it was not part of my game…but I made it part of my game. I worked at it and worked at it and made it a part of my lifestyle. The repetition just gets to a point where you do not think about it because you have put in the time. Every shot feels the same and feels like it is going in.

In the 2010 CIT title game as head coach at Missouri State you beat Pacific: what did it mean to you to win a title? It was a great experience for those guys: any time you win a championship at any level it is special.

In the 2011 World University Games you were an assistant to fellow Boilermaker Matt Painter on team USA: could you have imagined at the time that Draymond Green would become a 3-time NBA champ? Yes, because of the type of guy he is in terms of how much he wants it and how hard he works on his craft. It does not surprise me: it only works out for guys like that.

You spent 3 years as head coach at Cal: how do you think that your job would have changed had the state legislature passed a Fair Pay to Play Act while you were still in Berkeley? Recruiting-wise you are still looking at players based on their character, work ethic, and who fits your system both on and off the court so that part would not change. It is still unknown what all the rules will be from an NCAA standpoint so it is hard to say how you would approach it differently in California compared to other states, regardless of your own state legislature.

Your brutal non-conference schedule includes games against Xavier/Butler/Illinois/West Virginia and 1 of Oklahoma/Stanford: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? True road games are always great and give our guys a chance to grow. The SEC is pound-for-pound one of if not the deepest and best leagues in the country so it is good to get those opportunities early and then learn from them.

You have 3 juniors on your roster named Smith (Dru/Mark/Mitchell): was that just a happy accident, and how is Mark’s left ankle doing after having surgery last March? Happy accident but we are thrilled to have all three who bring different things to the table for us. Mark is back and fully in the fold practice-wise.

Reed Nikko is the only senior on the roster: how much pressure is there on him to be a leader this year? Reed has always been a great locker room guy: just steady. He is one of the most vocal guys we have on the court and one of those guys who does not change his demeanor for anything.

There were 7 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney as top-10 seeds last March: where do you think that your conference ranks among the best in the nation? As I said, one of the strongest in the country. Every night is a battle with how deep the league is. We were picked 13th in the preseason in the SEC. If we do end up finishing 13th that will mean this will be one of the greatest seasons for any conference in history!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I expect to be as good as anybody and compete for an SEC title.

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Bracketology: The 2019-20 Preseason Media Bracket

Posted on November 2, 2019 by John Stalica

For our extensive preseason coverage of the 2019-20 season – CLICK HERE

We are now just three days away from the beginning of college basketball’s regular season – now that the preseason polls from all 32 conferences have been released along with the preseason AP and Coaches’ polls, we have our annual preseason media bracket ready to be unveiled. The teams are sorted by average order of where they were slotted in the polls and single-bid UTR conferences are represented by the teams picked to win their respective conferences.

Every team above the first four (including UTR teams Liberty and Harvard) received votes in both the AP and Coaches’ polls; the teams in the First Four (Missouri, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Wisconsin) were the top vote-getters that only appeared in one of the respective polls apiece.

And without further ado:

This is also the first season I can remember where the four teams in the Champions Classic (Michigan State, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky) are the top four teams in the preseason polls! Couple that with the ACC opening the regular season with conference games for everyone else and you’ve got a helluva Opening Night.

Also keep in mind that Gonzaga is eligible to play in Spokane since Idaho is the host institution for first and second round games being played at Spokane Arena this year. If these subregions ever came to fruition, good luck trying to get tickets if you’re not a resident in the Pacific Northwest.

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