Hofstra (7-3, 5-3 D1) at Norfolk State (6-3, 4-3 D1) – 7:00 PM ET (No Live TV)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day heads to Norfolk, Virginia for a nonconference matchup between the Hofstra Pride and the hometown Norfolk State Spartans. Hofstra has had a couple of notable wins in the nonconference slate with road wins at Seton Hall and UMass. They did finish as the runner-up in the Baha Mar Invitational with a win against Rice and a loss against Tarleton in the championship game. Cruz Davis averages 14.9 points a game and 4.1 assists a game for Hofstra.
It’s not often you see a team from the MEAC with a nonconference record against D1 opponents above .500, but Norfolk State is a perennial contender in the league and is currently on a 2-game winning streak against D1 opponents with road wins against UC-Davis and Stony Brook. The Spartans went 1-2 on their road trip out west overall that also included a 7-point loss at Stanford and an 18-point loss at Grand Canyon. Brian Moore Jr. averages over 21 points a game for the Spartans.
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DAILY RUNDOWN (From the Puppet):
-Missouri sprinted out to a lead against rival Kansas and held it for the entire game. The 76-67 win over their hated rivals who have entirely outperformed them for the past…ohh…century or so, might be one of the more feelgood moments Mizzou has had on the basketball court since nearly making the Final Four in 2009.
-Purdue had to come from behind at home in the second half to beat Maryland, but held on for the 83-78 win. Still, a really good showing on the road by the Terps and a sign that they may have a little more potential than we thought.
-UCLA, who had seemingly slipped out of the spotlight after losing to New Mexico the first week of the season, should absolutely be back into it now. They picked up a HUGE win at Oregon and are now 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time ever!!! The Bruins had a 3pt shot that banked in at the buzzer to give them the win, which some will say was lucky, but they played an outstanding game on another team’s home court prior to that to end up in that situation.
-Duke picked up an impressive 76-65 road win at Louisville and looked particularly strong in the second half. The Blue Devils now have road wins at Arizona and at Louisville. That’s impressive!!
-Arkansas State is an Under the Radar team we’ve been praising some, and who we are about to be praising them a hell of a lot more! They went on the road to Memphis and didn’t just win, but played a fantastic game where they were basically in control for the entire 40 minutes. To do that on the road against a team as good as Memphis may be the single most impressive performance from a UTR team we’ve seen this season so far.
-I’d say the health of UConn’s profile has been restored. They picked up their first true road win of the season knocking off Texas 76-65 in a game that they basically controlled the whole way.
-Texas A&M held off former conference rival Texas Tech down in Forth Worth yesterday 72-67 to pick up another a nice win away from home.
-MINNESOTA AT INDIANA (Big Ten). It’s the Big Ten opener for the Hoosiers and they should be able to hold serve in this one. Minnesota is 6-4 on the year and playing in their first true road game.
-Penn @ VCU – VCU can improve to 8-2 on the season -Abilene Christian @ Baylor
-Kentucky picked up a massive win against Gonzaga in the Battle In Seattle! They trailed by 16 at the half and it appeared as though the Zags were in complete control, but Kentucky kept making big plays in the second half, and chipping away, and eventually pulled even and had a chance to win at the end of regulation. They held on for a 90-89 win in overtime when Gonzaga failed to get a shot up on their last possession. I thought Kentucky was a solid top 25 team coming into the year, but they’ve definitely shown they are a lot more than that. They’re ranked 4th in the nation right now, and are absolutely deserving of that ranking.
-Marquette pulled away from Wisconsin 88-74 to get it done on their home court. Marquette continues to rack up impressive wins. It was Wisconsin’s first true road game, but most of the rest won’t be as tough as this. A road loss to a top 5 team is not a setback.
-Both Pittsburgh and North Carolina struggled against weaker conference opponents, but both held on to win. Pitt held off Virginia Tech 64-59 and North Carolina squeaked by Georgia Tech 68-65.
-Furman picked up a nice 72-66 win against a Princeton team that has been somewhat disappointing so far, but should still end up having a big year. Furman is now a solid 9-1 on the season with the only loss coming at Kansas.
-Michigan State absolutely pasted Nebraska 89-52. It’s not shocking that Michigan State won. They’ve had a good year so far. But, Nebraska looked to be having a pretty good year as well, and the Spartans just blew them into the sun.
-Rhode Island came from behind in the second half to beat their rivals Providence 69-63. Rhody is now 9-0 on the season, which is their best start in several centuries…or something like that.
-Loyola Chicago is also unbeaten at 8-0. They haven’t looked quite as impressive as Rhody, and really struggled against South Florida today, but they’ve won eight and that’s all they’ve played.
-Michigan’s impressive season continues as they held on to beat Iowa 85-83. This puts Michigan at 8-1 on the season, and 2-0 so far in the Big Ten. I’m not sure why this team isn’t in the rankings. Chances are they will be on Monday.
-Washington State was blowing Boise State off their own floor, but the Broncos mounted a comeback after trailing by more than 20 in the second half, but couldn’t quite come all the way back. Wazzu held on for a very big 74-69 win, which is another nice addition to their resume. The Cougars have looked like a tournament team so far.
-Saint Mary’s was blowing Utah off of their own floor, and also had a 20pt lead in the second half. Utah also came back, but couldn’t quite come all the way back. They got as close as 3, but SMC took control in the final minutes and pulled out a really nice 72-63 road win.
-New Mexico State, who had been unimpressive all season long, pulled off a big overtime upset win over rivals New Mexico 89-83. It looked as though New Mexico State was going to win in regulation, but they fouled a 3pt shooter in the final seconds, which enabled New Mexico to tie the game. It was all NMSU in the OT, though. This is a damaging loss for the Lobos. They’ll be able to overcome it, but it won’t look good on their resume.
-Nevada was down huge at LMU before coming back and almost winning, but fell just short 68-64. This isn’t the easiest road game in the world, but a solid NCAA Tournament team should be able to win on the road at LMU, so this will be a bit of a setback for the Wolfpack.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MARYLAND AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Maryland is a decent team with a decent shot at making the tournament, whereas Purdue is ranked in the top 10 and will likely end up as a protected seed. If the Terps will win this, we will be talking about them as being a lot more than just decent, but chances are Purdue will hold serve and get their first conference win.
-OKLAHOMA STATE AT SETON HALL. This is a winnable road game for Oklahoma State, which would get them to 6-2 on the year and 2-0 in true road games.
-VANDERBILT AT TCU. Vandy is having a really good year and can build up their resume even more if they’re able to pull this one off on the road. TCU is coming off a nice win against Xavier and will be challenged again in this one.
-KANSAS AT MISSOURI. Since the Border War resumed, all of the games have been Kansas blowouts. Mizzou’s fans will be sky high for this one, and Kansas is coming off a road loss at Creighton and will look to bounce back, but this is the second game for the Jayhawks in front of a raucous crowd and not their first, so chances are they’ll be more ready for this one. And while Mizzou is 7-1, six of those wins were home buy games, so it’s a test for the Tigers despite them being at home.
-TEXAS A&M VS TEXAS TECH (Fort Worth, TX). This is an interesting OOC match-up on a neutral floor between two old rivals, both of which are probable NCAA Tournament teams and who could use a big win on their resume. Why can’t there be more games like this!!??
-RICE AT TEXAS STATE. Both teams have respectable records so we are keeping our eyes on them for now, but I still think it’s unlikely that either one of them makes a run at the bubble. Having said that, a win today would be a step in the right direction.
-ARKANSAS STATE AT MEMPHIS. I know this is a buy game, and I know Memphis will likely win it without too much trouble, but Arkansas State is a good enough UTR team to make this one worth highlighting. While they have been struggling some lately, they were very competitive at Alabama earlier in the year.
-UCONN AT TEXAS. People have been down on UConn since their showing in the Maui, but I think a win today (which won’t be easy) will shut the critics up. They will have beaten Baylor at home and Texas on the road. That’s a hell of a week! Texas is 7-1 and coming off a nice road win at NC State, but this is still one of their bigger tests of the year so far.
-DUKE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC). Louisville has had a great start to the season, but the big question is can they keep playing at that level with the injuries they’ve sustained? Duke is obviously super talented and getting better and better as their young players become more experienced. This will, again, be a tough road test for the Blue Devils.
-UCLA AT OREGON (Pac 12 Big Ten). Oregon is having an amazing season so far and appears to be cruising toward the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has won six straight since their loss to New Mexico and is coming off a nice win against Washington. This is the toughest test of the year for the Bruins so far, and may be one of their toughest tests all season, but I think people have forgotten that this UCLA team is still really good! If UCLA can win this one today, I bet people’s memories about how good they are will start to come back.
BUY GAMES (and other games worth mentioning):
-Richmond @ Auburn -Tarleton State @ UCF -Howard @ Cincinnati -Chicago State @ Saint Louis -FGCU @ LSU – LSU can get to 8-1 -Prairie View @ Mississippi State -Louisiana Tech @ Louisiana – it’s a rivalry game, and a win for LA Tech gets them to 8-2 -Jackson State @ Iowa State
-For John Stalica’s latest Staff Bracket – CLICK HERE
-Illinois led for most of the game at Northwestern last night, but the Wildcats were able to force overtime and then get the 70-66 win in OT. It’s will give the Wildcats a bit of a boost and make Illinois wait a little bit longer to get their first true road win.
-West Virginia and Georgetown were close for much of the game, but the Mountaineers got control in the second half and picked up the 73-60 win. Both of these teams are having better seasons than we expected, and while Georgetown didn’t get the win, they showed they can be competitive in games that aren’t just home buy games.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-KANSAS STATE AT SAINT JOHN’S. The Johnnies are a perfect 5-0 at home, but this is a tougher test than what most of them have been (although they have beaten New Mexico at home). K State is a respectable 6-2 on the season, but this is their first true road game and would be their biggest win to date if they can pull it off.
-CLEMSON AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Clemson is coming off the big home win against Kentucky, whereas Miami is coming off a home loss to Arkansas that they kind of blew. Miami has shown no signs of life this season despite having what appear to be talented players and good coaching. A win like this might give them a much needed jumpstart, but it won’t be easy despite being at home. Clemson is good! Having said that, this would be the first true road win of the year for the Tigers if they can pull it off.
-PRINCETON AT FURMAN. This is a VERY tough road test for a Princeton team that got off to a slow start, but that’s coming off a really nice win at Saint Joe’s and still has the opportunities they need to land back inside the bubble. Furman is 8-1 on the year with the only loss coming at Kansas, and is perfect at home.
-RUTGERS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Both teams have potential, and both have shown that potential, but both have also dropped a game or two that they should’ve/could’ve won. This is the conference opener for both, and it will be a nice win for whichever team picks it up, especially if it’s Rutgers since they’re the road team.
-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). Nebraska has been very impressive this year and has exceeded all expectations (at least all of mine). They’re looking like a solid tournament team and already and already have a really strong road win at Creighton. Michigan State is also tough and is also looking like they’ll be solidly in the NCAA field. This is a conference opener and a resume boosting opportunity for both.
-PROVIDENCE AT RHODE ISLAND. This is a very bitter rivalry, and the storyline leading into this one is great since both teams have looked really strong this year. Rhode Island is a perfect 8-0, but has had a limited number of actual tests. Providence is 6-3 and just snapped a three game losing streak with a very impressive win over BYU. Both teams will be up for this one. It is important both on and off paper.
-WISCONSIN AT MARQUETTE. It’s a big time rivalry game between two highly ranked teams!! It’s Wisconsin’s first road game, and it will be a tough one. Marquette is looking to bounce back from a loss at Iowa State, and the fans will be jacked way up for this one.
-PITTSBURGH AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Pitt was blown to bits in their last game against Mississippi State, but they should be able to bounce back in this one and pick up a conference road game.
-GEORGIA TECH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC). UNC is a very modest 4-4 on the year, but it’s not too discouraging since they’ve played such a tough schedule. A conference home game against Georgia Tech feels like some low hanging fruit that they should have no problems gathering.
-IOWA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Both teams are 7-1 and Michigan has really been on a roll. Iowa has some decent wins, but this would be their biggest of the year so far if they were somehow able to pull it off.
-EAST CAROLINA AT SOUTH CAROLINA. ECU is off to a modest 7-2 start and this is their first true road game. They probably won’t end up getting near the bubble, but they’ll at least have our attention if they’re able to pick up this road win and improve to 8-2.
-VIRGINIA AT SMU (ACC). Virginia has struggled this year. SMU has been decent, but still has work to do and needs to hold serve in this one.
-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT BELMONT. Two really good UTR teams in a crosstown rivalry. Both are 7-2, and while making a run at the bubble would be a long shot for either one, I wouldn’t say it’s completely out of the question yet.
-FLORIDA STATE AT NC STATE (ACC). Both of these teams have shown potential, but both still have a lot of work to do and both could use this one today.
-STANFORD AT CALIFORNIA (ACC). Both of these teams have shown potential, but both still have a lot of work to do and both could use this one today.
-UNLV AT CREIGHTON. Creighton just had the big win over Kansas. They need to regroup and make sure their feet are back on the ground and that they don’t blow it against a decent (but far from great) UNLV team.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT BOISE STATE. Wazzu is 7-2 and while not all those wins have been great, they are well positioned. They’re also coming off a road win at Nevada, which is their strongest of the season, and if they can pick this one up today I think we’ll have to start thinking of them as a possible tournament caliber team. Boise is a modest 5-2 and has some pretty high expectations. They also still have a lot of work to do.
-BUTLER AT HOUSTON. The storyline to this game is interesting. Butler is a potential darkhorse who comes in at 7-1 with notable wins over Northwestern and Mississippi State. Houston is believed to be a National Title contender, but who hasn’t gotten any wins of note yet and is actually looking to bounce back from losing two of their last three.
-LA SALLE VS SAINT JOSEPH’S (Big 5 Classic). This will not count in the Atlantic 10 standings because it’s part of the Big 5 Classic and not a scheduled conference game. I still want to think Joe’s can have a big year, but they keep coming up short when presented with opportunities. La Salle isn’t someone who I expected a lot out of, but they are a respectable 6-3 and can pick up a notable win this evening.
-SAINT MARY’S AT UTAH. I’m really big on this Saint Mary’s team and think they’ve been undervalued somewhat. Having said that, this is their first true road game and it is perhaps their biggest test of the season so far. And now having said that, while Utah is a perfect 6-0 at home, those were all buy games. This would be the most notable win of the year for the Utes so far if they can pull it off.
-COLORADO STATE AT COLORADO (Front Range). Colorado is off to a much better than expected start, but they still have a ton of work to do. A win in this one would certainly feel good and give them another momentum boost. Colorado State is a modest 5-3, but has nothing on their resume that’s as good as this win would be.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT NEW MEXICO. This appears to be a mismatch. New Mexico has a nice win against UCLA and is well positioned to make a run at the NCAA Tournament, whereas New Mexico State is just 3-5 and seemingly in store for a very long year. But, this is a bitter rivalry and sometimes very strange things happen.
-NEVADA AT LMU. This is the first true road game for Nevada, and a good way for them to bounce back from the loss to Washington State earlier this week.
-KENTUCKY VS GONZAGA (Battle In Seattle). Both teams are in the top ten, and both have earned those rankings with some very big wins. Kentucky is coming off a tough loss at Clemson, and while this will be another tough environment, it’s not the same as actually going to Gonzaga’s campus. Having said that, Gonzaga is a legit Final Four caliber team. Playing them anywhere isn’t going to be easy. This will be a likely high quad-1 win for whichever team pulls it off, and it should be a blast to watch.
BUY GAMES (and other games of note):
-Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC) – both have shown signs of life, but both still have a lot of work to do -South Florida @ Loyola Chicago – a win for Loyola Chicago gets them to 8-0 -Southern Utah @ Arizona – Southern Utah is an impressive 8-2, but they’re likely way overmatched today -Lehigh @ Dayton -UTSA @ Arkansas -Buffalo @ Saint Bonaventure – a win for the Bonnies gets them to 9-1 -Idaho @ Oregon State -USC @ Washington (Big Ten) – both teams lost their conference openers and need to bounce back today -East Tennessee State @ Wichita State – a win gets the Shockers to 8-1 -Mississippi Valley State @ Liberty -Alcorn State @ Oklahoma -Lindenwood @ Ole Miss -Life Pacific (nonD1) @ Grand Canyon -Utah Tech @ Utah State (Bee Hive) -San Diego @ San Diego State – this is a rivalry, but only sort of. The Azetcs should roll.
This week, it is someone’s turn besides the Puppet to make a bracket for the NCAA Tournament. This is merely a checkpoint if the season were to end today – this is based on merit and not what we think the bracket will look like in March. Without further ado, here is the bracket:
First Four Out: UCLA, Cincinnati, Arizona, Wichita State
Worth An Early Look: New Mexico, Colorado State, The Rest of the SEC
The big winners during Feast Week were Auburn and Oregon – the Tigers won the Maui Invitational and the Ducks won the Players Era Invitational in Las Vegas. Kentucky could have been #1 overall if not for a loss at Clemson, but certainly forgiveable when they already have a neutral-court win against Duke on their ledger.
Teams like Cincinnati and Arizona are currently not in the bracket with a lack of wins against the top 2 quadrants of the NET – but then again, this is an indication of a December checkpoint as opposed to where I believe they’ll finish in March. I know Louisville has done enough so far to merit at-large consideration, but now are going to have to show they can win without Kasean Pryor in their lineup (out for the season with a torn ACL).
-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which today is a special one – CLICK HERE
-Penn State beat Purdue 81-70 and at no point in that game were really having to sweat. The margin was actually a lot more than that for most of the second half. Purdue has now lost both of their true road games on the season so far, and they weren’t even remotely competitive in either game.
-Drake had to make some plays late in the game, but they managed the 66-60 win at Valpo in their conference opener, which keeps them undbeaten on the year.
-TCU bounced back from a stretch where they had lost 3 out of 4 and knocked off Xavier at home 76-72. TCU led for most of the game, but it was close all throughout and actually tied with less than a minute to go before TCU pulled it out. Xavier falls to 7-2 and is still in search of a marquee win.
-San Francisco absolutely dominated Saint Louis last night, especially in the second half. The final score was 78-61, but there were times the lead was much more than that. Coming into the year we were big on both of these teams. San Francisco has lived up to it, and Saint Louis clearly has not. SLU has barely looked like an NIT team so far.
-An Under the Radar note, a really nice win for UC San Diego who went into UC Santa Barbara and beat the Gouchos on the road 82-66. That improves UCSD to 7-2 on the year, and one of those losses came in the final seconds against San Diego State, so they are a team to keep an eye one.
-UC Irvine, who is also in the Big West, remains unbeaten after pulling away from Cal State Bakersfield late and securing an 82-66 win. UC Irvine strikes me as a solid top 40ish level team. If you’ve been watching Under the Radar, which is linked above, you already knew that.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-GEORGETOWN AT WEST VIRGINIA. Georgetown is off to a 7-1 start, which is much better than what they’ve been in recent years, but this is their first real test of the season. West Virginia has looked much stronger than expected at 5-2 and has a really nice win against Gonzaga on their resume.
-NORTH TEXAS AT HIGH POINT. High Point is a strong UTR team and isn’t going to be easy to beat at home. North Texas is coming off a hard fought loss to Utah State and really needs this win on their resume. I think they’re good enough to build the kind of resume they need in March to be selected for the NCAA Tournament, but they need this road win on there to do it.
-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Northwestern is coming off a tough road loss to Iowa where they lost after a 3pt buzzer beating shot. They have a good team, but they don’t have any real wins of note yet. Beating Illinois, even thought it is a home game, would qualify as a big win. It’s also a rivalry game. As for the Illini, they’re coming off a nice win against Arkansas, but this is their first true road test.
-Miami OH @ Indiana – Miami OH is off to a decent start and IU has been somewhat disappointing, but the Hoosiers still appear to have the upper hand
Ivanhoe’s 27th Taylor University Silent Night -6:00 PM EST (YouTube stream)
In short, Taylor University has a tradition where the crowd is silent at the beginning of the game until Taylor scores its 10th point in the game. Then the place gets noisy and the students rush the floor (with full knowledge from the opposition and the officials). At the end of the game, the students will sing Silent Night before leaving and preparing for their final exams. The above video was from the 2023 edition of Silent Night.
Hoops HD Staff Bracket – Friday, December 6th
This week, it is someone’s turn besides the Puppet to make a bracket for the NCAA Tournament. This is merely a checkpoint if the season were to end today – this is based on merit and not what we think the bracket will look like in March. Without further ado, here is the bracket:
First Four Out: UCLA, Cincinnati, Arizona, Wichita State
Worth An Early Look: New Mexico, Colorado State, The Rest of the SEC
The big winners during Feast Week were Auburn and Oregon – the Tigers won the Maui Invitational and the Ducks won the Players Era Invitational in Las Vegas. Kentucky could have been #1 overall if not for a loss at Clemson, but certainly forgiveable when they already have a neutral-court win against Duke on their ledger.
Teams like Cincinnati and Arizona are currently not in the bracket with a lack of wins against the top 2 quadrants of the NET – but then again, this is an indication of a December checkpoint as opposed to where I believe they’ll finish in March. I know Louisville has done enough so far to merit at-large consideration, but now are going to have to show they can win without Kasean Pryor in their lineup (out for the season with a torn ACL).