News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 12th

Posted on February 12, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for the latest Hoops HD Report

-Virginia rebounded from the home loss at Duke by winning on the road at North Carolina, and picking up yet another solid win for their resume.  It’s now looking like the ACC will put two teams on the top line.

-Kansas got a much needed road win against TCU, and needed overtime to do it.  Toward the end of regulation, Kansas appeared to be in control.  Then they melted down as TCU came back and got the lead and they appeared to be in control.  But, Kansas was able to force overtime, and the lead flipflopped in OT as well.  It was an exciting game, and it there was quite a bit on the line for both teams.  Kansas had just one true road win and desperately needed some more, and TCU was hovering around the bubble and needed some stability.

-Oklahoma is now six games below .500 in Big 12 play after losing to Baylor, which is not good at all.

-PURDUE AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Purdue was given a protected seed by the committee on Saturday, and a win on the road against a really strong Maryland team would help further cement that, as well as keep them within reach of finishing first in the Big Ten.

-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Both are probable tournament teams, and both have been playing really well since conference play started.  LSU has just one loss in the league, but this is far and away the toughest game they’ve played all season.  Kentucky actually has a path to a #1 seed if they can keep winning and adding big wins to their resume.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Michigan State had one bad week, but appears to be back on track.  This is a very tough road game for the Spartans against a Wisky team that could still end up as a protected seed if everything falls right.  They’re looking to bounce back from a road loss at Michigan where they gave a fairly good account of themselves.

-BUFFALO AT AKRON (MAC).  This is another really tough conference road game for the Bulls.  Akron has had their issues, but they’ve won four of their last five and have just one loss at home this year.

-MARQUETTE AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Marquette is coming off a big emotional win against Villanova, and they need to come back down to Earth because winning at DePaul is no longer the cakewalk that it used to be.  They’ve won two straight and are just a game below .500 in Big East play.

-MICHIGAN AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  This is a game that Michigan should clearly win despite being a road team.  They still have a path to a #1 seed if they can finish strong.

-BUTLER AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  As weak as the bubble is, some still have Butler hovering around it.  I think they need to string together several wins just to get into the picture, but they do have a path to it, and a win tonight would be a fantastic start.  The Johnnies are a combination of impressive wins, good efforts, and head scratching losses.  They should win tonight, but one never knows with them.

-DUKE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Two top 16 seeds and two likely protected seeds.  Louisville’s resume is good, but their team may be capable of being even better when you look at how close some of their losses were and to how good those opponents were.  They’re coming off an overtime loss against Florida State team that nearly beat Duke earlier in the season.  Duke has three wins against top five teams, and two were away from home.  That’s astoundingly good.  They’ve got a chance to pick up yet another road win against a ranked team.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS (Big 12).  K State still has a two game lead over the rest of the conference, but even with that it’s hardly comfortable.  Texas has been a very schizophrenic team this year, and the more wins they can pick up like this one, the more stable they will be.

-ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  We have Alabama hovering right around the bubble, and a road win against a likely tournament team would do wonders for their resume.

-ARKANSAS AT MISSOURI (SEC).  Arkansas is still on the outside looking in, but they can play their way into the mix if they’re able to string together some wins.

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The Hoops HD Report: February 11th

Posted on February 11, 2019 by David Griggs

We’ve got a full panel tonight, and we begin by looking at the top four lines that the selection committee released this past Saturday and discuss what we think the points of emphasis are based on the teams that they selected. and what teams need to do the rest of the way in order to end up as protected seeds.  From there we run through all of the major conferences and discuss Duke’s big win at Virginia and how impressive their resume is, how Virginia rebounded with a big win at North Carolina on Monday, Kentucky’s big win at Mississippi State and the big week they have coming up against LSU and Tennessee, how how Florida State is and how they have a stretch of winnable games remaining, Washington State’s surprising week where they swept the Arizona/Arizona State trip, Gonzaga and Nevada’s dominance in conference play, and much more.

 

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

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Bracket Projections (From the Puppet): Monday, Feb 11th

Posted on February 11, 2019 by David Griggs

For Jon Teitel’s latest interview with Bill Thomas about Curtis Perry – CLICK HERE

For Today’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between Lehigh and Bucknell, as well as the rest of today’s News and Notes – CLICK HERE

Let me explain to everyone what they are looking at.  This is a CHECKPOINT of what I WANT based on what teams have done SO FAR, not a prediction of what I think the actual committee will do on Selection Sunday.  Jon Teitel is our Selection Committee Guessing Expert.  He is one of the best at it in the world, and he’s certainly way better at it than I am.  If you want to look at his latest picks, you can CLICK HERE

-Based on what the actual committee did on Saturday, I am certain that I have made selections and seedings that are nowhere near what they are doing.  I’ll explain much of that in the notes below the bracket.  Other members of the staff are free to comment as well, even though they are COMPLETELY WRONG about anything they disagree with!!

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Georgetown, Indiana, Florida, UCF, Arkansas, Davidson, South Florida, Oklahoma, San Francisco, Toledo

-First off, I have taken an extreme executive privilege with this bracket.  I openly admit that I have perhaps abused my executive privilege, and will face serious brushback from the comments of the other staff members.  The rules are that these are MY picks, and that I can do what I want!  I have opted to select Bellarmine from Division 2 as the last team in.  I am rather certain that the actual committee will not do this, but I’m not trying to guess the actual committee.  The reason is because that the bubble sucks so badly, that I just don’t like the idea of putting any of the div1 teams in the field.  The First Four games are down on the 13 line, and although it has been that low before, even in those years the teams looked better than the ones we have this year.  It was so bad that I had to go back and double check it to make sure I didn’t leave anyone out.  I’m still not entirely convinced that I didn’t.  If there is an oversight and I left out someone obvious, I’m sure I’ll here about it.

-Everyone is probably falling out of their chairs when they see where I have Kansas State.  I know the committee didn’t like them either, and they are not without their warts.  But, they are the first place team in the Big 12, and they have a lot of good wins away from home.  I don’t see why they shouldn’t be a protected seed.

-New Mexico State and Old Dominion are in as conference champions, but both are actually inside my bubble right now.  Wofford, Lipscomb, and Belmont are teams that are also safely inside the bubble.  They may not have wins against top 50 teams, but beating a top 50 team at home isn’t necessarily that hard to do if that team only has one or two road wins on the season.  The games that the above mentioned teams have won are not easy games to win.

-Kansas has won just one true road game.  I cannot give a protected seed to a team that’s just one won true road game, and that’s playing the way they are.  If they win tonight then I’ll feel a little better about them.

-Auburn has won just one true road game.  I would almost never have a team like that as high as the #10 line, but…who do I put ahead of them.

COMMENTS FROM STAFF

FROM JOHN:

– I honestly can’t complain too much about the top 5 seed lines here – but I think a team like Florida State is on the verge of breaking through here after surviving a tough test at home against Louisville over the weekend. Also keep an eye on LSU – they’ve clearly established themselves as the third best SEC team and can vault even further if they’re somehow able to win at Kentucky later this week. Easier said than done.

– Saint John’s is one of the more perplexing teams around. They are talented enough to the point where they can sweep Marquette, but it’s also a team that has trouble staying healthy. They have home losses to DePaul, Georgetown and Providence – in recent years this would be potentially disastrous for the Johnnies. Their win against VCU is looking better, though.

– I’m not ready to drop a team like Central Florida into the NIT just yet, but they’re running out of opportunities to make their case. They’ve got a stave off a challenge from in-state foe South Florida who is suddenly looking to make their case as a longshot from the American.

– This is more of a UTRish nitpick, but why is Rider still assumed to be the MAAC autobid? They’ve now lost 4 in a row and are not only behind Monmouth who is suddenly leading the conference, they’re now behind Siena, Canisius and Quinnipiac as well. We’ve said this off the air, but how ironic would it be to see Monmouth finally break through into the NCAA Tournament and end up going to Dayton (not as one of the last four at-larges, but as one of the last four NCAA teams period).

– We really, really need chaos to ensue on Championship Week. Or we just need teams like Georgetown, Florida, Butler, etc. to win enough games to snatch away at-large bids this season.

FROM CHAD:

– I know I am out on my own here, but quite frankly I still like Michigan’s profile enough to have them on the 1 line.  I know the Virginia’s only losses have been to #1 overall Duke, but someone has to drop down a line and I am just about ready to accept the Zags as a 1 seed.  So, for now, I would have Virginia #5 overall.  I would have Michigan #3 overall, by the way, still better than Gonzaga.

– Like John, the rest of the top 5 lines do not offend me, even K State on the 3 line.  I would have had them as a 4 myself, but I see and understand the argument.  I do think there is an argument for Iowa as a top 5 seed, and even a protected seed right now, but David has them on the 6 line.

– I would have made an argument a week ago that TCU may not even belong in the field,  After picking up a ROAD WIN against a protected seed caliber Iowa State team this weekend, their resume suddenly has exactly what it was missing all season.  I like the Horned Frogs in a 7/10 game, but would have them wearing white as the 7 seed.  They now have a huge road win, a high volume of wins and nothing bad on the profile.

– I do not understand David’s obsession with Belmont being this high.  I like thus Bruins team a ton, but at the end of the day they are a mid-major with three sub-130 losses, one of which came at home, and no wins against anyone that is solidly in the field.  If they win out until the OVC title game and lose there, an argument cold be made that they belong in the First Four in Dayton, but that’s their best argument.

– I also am a little shocked to do this, but I think David, who has been dogging Auburn all season, has OVERRANKED them.  The Tigers have, quite frankly, beaten no one and only have one true road win, which came at lowly Texas A&M.  The only thing in their favor is the predictive metrics, like KenPom and BPI and the NET.  That doesn’t pass the test for me.  Send this team to Dayton too!

– I actually like the Clemson pick.  After the heartbreaker against NC State, the Tigers have won four straight and belong in the field as of today.

– Utah State is a very BLAH pick to me, but the Board to choose from is such garbage I understand it.  I think David completely overlooked a team that I would have either in or right on the bubble line right now — the suddenly red hot (4 straight wins) Furman Paladins.  I am ready to join the 3-bid SoCon bandwagon and David doesn’t even know that the team exists!

– Finally, I have no idea what David was smoking when he put Bellarmine in the field.  Everyone knows that both Northwest Missouri State and St. Edward’s (Texas) are better D2 teams right now and either one should be in over the Knights.

 

 

 

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Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews Bill Thomas about Curtis Perry

Posted on February 11, 2019 by Jon Teitel

For the UTR Game of the Day and today’s other highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

With the 2019 NCAA tourney tipping off next month, we will spend this month taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players/coaches who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From a comeback win to clinch the 1954 tourney title (65th anniversary) through a last-second loss in the 2014 Final 4 (5th anniversary), these legends have all carved out a little piece of history in past Marches. We continue our series with Bill Thomas, who coached Curtis Perry at Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State). Thomas led the golden era of Bears basketball, taking his team to 3 D-2 national title games in an 8-year span from 1967-1974. Perry (a Washington, DC native) did not play in the 1st of those title games in 1967 because he was a freshman at the time but scored 25 PTS in the 2nd title game in 1969. He later spent 8 years in the NBA and helped the Phoenix Suns make the 1976 NBA Finals, where he led the team with 15 REB in a 2-PT 3-OT loss to the Celtics in Game 5. What I will remember most about Curtis is playing for him after he was named head coach of my middle school team in Phoenix: he was a nice man and a great coach. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Thomas about the 50th anniversary of the 1969 D-2 title game and his memories of that legendary Game 5 (which is often referred to as “the greatest game ever played” in NBA history).

Perry did not play as a freshman in Southwest Missouri State’s 3-PT loss to Winston-Salem in the 1967 D-2 title game (Earl Monroe had 40 PTS): could you tell at the time that Monroe was going to become a star, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? The NCAA rule at the time was that freshman could not play in the postseason. “The Pearl” was unique/unreal: I told the kids afterward that they had just played against 1 of the best players we had ever faced. We actually held him BELOW his scoring average (which was 41.5 PPG as a senior!).

From 1968-1970 he was a 3-time 1st-team All-MIAA performer: how was he able to come in as a sophomore and dominate throughout the rest of his college career? Curtis was a wonderful player by the time he arrived: if we had him on the court in 1967 we would have probably won the title. He was 1 of the best practice players I ever had: I almost had to run him out of the gym after practice. He kept improving every single year. I was lucky to get him thanks to a 3-cent stamp: I sent him letters but never actually met him before he showed up at the bus station after a 16-hour ride. I told him that if he was not too tired I would love to get him some gear and watch him play. I had a lunch to go to so I sent 1 of my assistants to watch him, and when I came back to watch him a little bit myself I thought that he was the best player that we had ever had.

In 1969 he scored a career-high 39 PTS vs. Southeast Missouri State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? Not only did he score a bunch of points, but he was probably our leading rebounder as well.

What are your memories of the 1969 D-2 title game (he was named to the all-tourney team after scoring 25 PTS in a 4-PT loss to Kentucky Wesleyan)? Kentucky Wesleyan was a great team and we had to leave 1 of our best players at home due to an injury. They beat the devil out of us in the 1st half but we made a great game out of it in the 2nd half. We had a good chance to win but they beat us in a close game.

In 1970 he had a school-record 31 REB vs. Texas-Arlington and finished his career by averaging 13.6 RPG: what made him such a great rebounder? His talent: he was 6’7” and a wonderful/quick jumper. He was also a very intelligent player on both offense/defense and had an unreal knowledge of the game even as a teenager. In a lot of ways he out-thought our opponents to get good position on the boards.

In 1970 he was named conference POY: what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? In my opinion he deserved it: he was our top scorer/rebounder and a very unselfish team player.

In the summer of 1970 he was picked in the 3rd round by San Diego in the NBA draft and by Virginia in the ABA draft: did he ever consider going to the ABA or was his heart set on playing in the NBA? San Diego gave him a nice big bonus but not a lot of playing time. He was later traded to Phoenix and turned into a starter on a great basketball team that almost won a title in 1976.

Take me through the magical 1976 NBA Finals:
His Phoenix team lost on the road to Boston in Game 5 in a 2-PT 3-OT classic: was that the most exciting game that you have ever seen, and did you realize during the game that it was turning into a classic?  My entire family was at a wedding so we missed most of the game but got back in time to see most of the extra periods.

He had 23 PTS/15 REB in 52 minutes, including a shot with 6 seconds left in the 2nd OT to put Phoenix up by 1, which turned out to be their last lead of the game: did he think that he had made the game-winning shot, and how did he have any energy left for the 3rd OT? When his shot went in we had about 25 people watching in our den and then we all went crazy!

He averaged 9.5 PPG/8.8 RPG (the latter of which remains in the top-100 in NBA history) during his 8-year NBA career before retiring due to a back injury in 1978: did he feel frustrated that he could not go out on his own terms, or satisfied that he had a nice long career, or other? He had a parent die so he gave it up to go home and take care of his other parent. I think that it was part frustration and part satisfaction: that is the kind of guy he was.

After retiring he worked as a coach/teacher: which role does he enjoy the most, and what does he hope to do in the future? I never got to see him as a coach but he taught at a Catholic school in DC and loved it. He was a great man and everyone around here thought the world of him. You cannot talk about our program without mentioning him.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Lehigh at Bucknell

Posted on February 11, 2019 by John Stalica

Lehigh (16-7, 9-3 Patriot) at Bucknell (16-8, 10-2 Patriot) – 7:00 PM EST (CBS Sports Network)

Tonight’s matchup takes us to central Pennsylvania where the top two teams in the Patriot League face off for the second time this season; the Bucknell Bison host the Lehigh Mountain Hawks tonight in Sojka Pavilion. The Bison won the first meeting between both teams at Lehigh earlier this season thanks to a game-winning layup from Jimmy Sotos with about a second remaining on the clock. Bucknell did start the year a little slowly at 6-6, but their win at Vermont is still a significant one and even their win against Monmouth is looking better and better by the day.

Lehigh is a full game behind Bucknell in the standings; however, they are currently in a stretch where they have won six out of their last eight games. The only real surprise was getting swept by Colgate thus far. Their best win of the season so far was a 15-point win against Princeton back in November. Lance Tejada leads the Mountain Hawks with 14.5 points per game.

OTHER GAMES, NEWS, AND NOTES

-Houston picked up a really nice win against Cincinnati yesterday and still has just one loss on the season.  I was impressed with the play of both teams, and although Cincinnati could have really used the road win, I think they should be more encouraged from their performance than discouraged.

-Iowa overcame a double digit deficit with just minutes to go to come back against Northwestern and dodge what would have been a somewhat damaging loss, but by no means would  it have been a killer loss.  Northwestern easily leads the nation in heartbreaking losses this year.

-Indiana’s win at Michigan State was great.  The problem is that they’ve done so many things that aren’t great that I still think they’re on the outside looking in.  They fell at home to Ohio State yesterday, and are now just 4-9 in Big Ten play, which is way below what we typically see for teams that are inside the bubble.

-VIRGINIA AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  I think Virginia is still on the #1 line, but they could really use a big time win like this in order to help them stay up there.  When you look at the opportunities teams like Kentucky and Michigan have to get top ten wins away from home, it’s not inconceivable that some of them could jump over Virginia.

-KANSAS AT TCU (Big 12).  TCU just picked up a win that they desperately needed over the weekend against Iowa State.  If they could get this one then they’ll really be on cruise control.  Kansas needs this win as well.  To date, they have just one true road win.  It’s a part of their resume that’s really lacking, and this particular road win could really help them out.

-OKLAHOMA AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Oklahoma is just 3-8 in league play, and won’t make the NCAA Tournament unless that gets better.  Baylor is in relatively good shape, but could really benefit from rebounding from a loss over the weekend.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Siena at Rider

Posted on February 10, 2019 by John Stalica

For today’s News, Notes and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s latest Bracket Projection where he guesses the Selection Committee – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s coverage of yesterday’s Butler-Georgetown game – CLICK HERE

Siena (12-12, 7-4 MAAC) at Rider (12-11, 7-4 MAAC) – 2:00 PM EST (ESPN+)

Today’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to the MAAC – this has quietly become one of the more competitive conferences in the country, even if the winner is likely to be going to Dayton for a First Four berth come NCAA Tournament time. The Rider Broncs will play host to the Siena Saints. To say Rider has hit a snag would be an understatement; they have lost three games in a row that included a loss at home against Canisius on Friday night; the Golden Griffins hit a 3-point shot with under 10 seconds remaining that turned out to be the difference maker. Frederick Scott leads the Broncs with 12.1 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

Four teams are tied for second in the MAAC; Siena is one of those 4 teams at the moment (along with Rider, Canisius and Quinnipiac). The Saints only had 5 wins out of conference, but 3 of those wins came against GW, Harvard and Robert Morris. They have currently won seven out of their last nine games in conference play; the only two losses were against Monmouth. Evan Fisher leads the team with 15.6 PPG and 6.1 RPG.

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