Under the Radar: February 6th

Posted on February 6, 2019 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is our personal favorite, the Northeast Conference!!  One game separates the top four teams after the first half of league play, and with home court advantage on the line for the conference tournament there is a lot at stake the rest of the way.  After that we run through all 22 UTR leagues and discuss the race in the America East between Vermont and Stony Brook, Lipscomb’s impressive showing in ASun play, the strength at the top of the SoCon with the top four teams, the tight four team race in the OVC, and how Belmont and Murray State have been getting all the love, but Austin Peay and Jacksonville State also have a good chance of winning the 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…

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Call from the Hall: HoopsHD interviews new Hall of Famer Ticha Penicheiro

Posted on February 6, 2019 by Jon Teitel

On Monday the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame announced the 7 members of its Class of 2019: Ticha Penicheiro, Ruth Riley Hunter, Valerie Still, Carolyn Bush Roddy, Beth Bass, Joan Cronan, and Nora Lynn Finch. Ticha Penicheiro has to be considered 1 of the greatest PGs in the history of women’s basketball. She was a 2-time All-American at Old Dominion, won the 1998 Wade Trophy as the best D-1 player in the nation, was a 4-time WNBA All-Star, won the 2005 WNBA title with Sacramento, and led the WNBA in AST an amazing 7 times. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with the brand-new Hall of Famer about making the 1997 NCAA title game and winning the 2005 WNBA title.

You grew up in Portugal: how did you 1st get into basketball? My dad/brother both played basketball so I just started following them everywhere. Basketball was love at 1st sight for me even though I was often the only girl playing among the boys.

In the 1997 NCAA title game as a player at Old Dominion you had a 9-PT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to winning it all, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It probably ranks #1 or #2: I also lost the 2006 WNBA Finals to Detroit. ODU is where my American journey started and I really enjoyed being there. We faced a Stanford team in the Final 4 who many considered to be the favorite to win it all.  We beat them in OT and then I think that we just ran out of gas against the Vols 2 nights later.

You finished your career as the school’s all-time leader with 591 STL and still hold the WNBA single-game record for most STL in a game with 10: what is the secret to being a great defender? Just having the will to defend. Most people talk about my passing but I took a lot of pride in playing defense and guarding the best perimeter players on the other team. I had a lot of defensive-minded coaches, starting with my dad, and I really enjoyed playing defense.

You were a 2-time All-American/2-time conference POY and won the 1998 Wade Trophy: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was great! I really did not know what to expect when arriving at college: kids today can do a lot of online research but it was kind of a step in the dark for me. I did not know how hard the conference would be or what our team would be like: I did not even know what the Wade Trophy was until someone explained it to me! I just tried to play team basketball the right way and have fun while doing it.

You were a 4-time WNBA All-Star with Sacramento: how were you able to play your best against the best players in the world? Great coaching/teammates and a lot of hours in the gym. I took a lot of pride in winning: the 1st couple of years in Sacramento were kind of rough but we eventually got better. Whenever you receive individual accolades in a team sport it is always a credit to your coaches/teammates.

You remain #2 in WNBA history with 2599 career AST and led the league in AST 7 times: what is the key to being a great PG? Court vision: being able to see things before they happen. You also need to have good chemistry with your teammates: sometimes my passes would hit my teammates in the head(!) but every AST involves someone else putting the ball into the basket.

In 2005 you won a WNBA championship with the Monarchs: what did it mean to you to win a title? Everything: that is what you play for! We had a great fan base and were so close for so many years but just could not overcome the LA Sparks. I will never forget Game 4 and the moment of winning a title at home: it is probably the highlight of my career.

Your father João was a basketball player/coach and your brother Paulo plays pro basketball in Portugal: who is the best athlete in the family? I would probably have to say myself but I did not get to see my dad play a lot. My brother always shot and I always passed: I tell my parents that I wish they would have mixed up the genes a bit! I owe a lot to my brother because he helped me get my start in the sport.

After retiring you became the Director of Women’s Basketball and a certified agent for Sports International Group: how did you 1st get into the industry, and what is the best part of being an agent? I started to think about my post-playing career even before I retired. I noticed that there were not a lot of former players/women in the industry and I wanted to help become a mentor to female athletes. I try to help guide them through that world because I know firsthand how the experiences go. When I recruit players I tell them that it is a step down from college where they are taking charter flights and staying in nice hotels (unlike the men’s game). The sport has given me so much more than I could ever give back to it so I just try to pay it forward.

Earlier this week you were announced as an inductee into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It has to be pretty high. The people already in there have contributed significantly to the game. It is still surreal but the more I talk about it the more real it becomes. Basketball is not as big a sport in Portugal as it is in the US but to come here and have the career I had is crazy. I am very honored/humbled/proud to represent my country. Anything is possible when you work hard and follow your dreams.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Cal State-Fullerton at UC-Irvine

Posted on February 6, 2019 by John Stalica

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

Cal State-Fullerton (9-12, 5-2 Big West) at UC-Irvine (19-5, 7-1 Big West) – 10:00 PM EST (ESPN3)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to Orange County, California where the UC-Irvine Anteaters will host the Cal State-Fullerton Titans in a battle for Big West supremacy. Fullerton is in a tie for 2nd place with UCSB as of today and both teams are one and a half games behind UC-Irvine for the conference lead. Fullerton lost their first two games in conference play (including at home to the Anteaters), but have since won five straight games to get back in the race. Two of those wins came at home against UCSB and Cal State-Northridge. Both Kyle Allman Jr. and Khalil Ahmad average over 18 points a game for the Titans.

UC-Irvine has also won five straight games coming into tonight’s game, and avenged their only conference loss with an 82-80 win at Long Beach State over the weekend. Tommy Rutherford hit the game-winner against the 49ers with under three seconds to play in regulation to give UC-Irvine that win. Tonight is also the beginning of a four-game homestand for the Anteaters; all three of their remaining road games will be against the bottom half of the league.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 6th

Posted on February 6, 2019 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-Michigan State…..WTF??!!  Four days ago we were talking about a team that was playing like a #1 seed.  Now we are talking about a team who is coming off a home loss to Indiana, who had lost seven in a row, but okay flukes happen.  Now they go on the road and lose to Illinois….WHO IS EVEN WORSE!!!!  What a meltdown by the Spartans.  They’re still in good shape, and if they get things turned back round it will just be a blip on the radar and they’ll still be within the parameters of a protected seed, but this has NOT been their week!

-Duke played with their food in the first half against Boston College and actually trailed at halftime, but they were not about to lose to BC for a second straight year. They blew out the Eagles in the 2nd half and ended up winning comfortably to get some momentum for this weekend’s big tilt at UVa.

-Another big upset was Saint John’s taking down Marquette on the road.  This is far and away the biggest win for the Johnnies this year, and in the Chris Mullin era.  I know they won at Nova last year, but they weren’t in position to make the tournament last year like they are this year. This was also the first time Marquette lost at home in the new FiServ Forum.

-Kansas State basically led tip to buzzer against rival Kansas.  The Jayhawks were in the game, and even had the lead at certain points, but never really in control.  This is interesting because Kansas is now two games back of first place in the Big 12 standings, and they still only have one true road win on the season.  To be fair to Kansas, if this is the year they fail to finish first, then it needs to come with an asterisk given how good this team was prior to the injuries, but it’s looking more and more like this is the year the reign ends.

-Florida State picked up a very nice road win at Syracuse where they just blew them off the court.  That’s four straight wins for the Seminoles.  They have certainly stabilized what appeared to be a crumbling resume just a few weeks ago.

-Arkansas lived dangerously at home against Vandy, but did end up pulling out a 3-point win at home. Now the Hogs have to travel to a dangerous South Carolina team that is much improved but still well outside of the NCAA Tournament picture themselves.

-While Auburn’s win at home against Florida isn’t surprising, what IS surprising is that this is the first time in 11 tries since 1999 that the Tigers beat the Gators IN Auburn.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-UCONN AT TEMPLE (American).  Temple is right on the bubble.  UConn is not.  Temple is at home.  You do the math.  This is a game where the Owls have to hold serve.

-MARYLAND AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Nebraska is in the toilet, but they still have a road to the NCAA Tournament if they can turn things around and string together a few wins.  Maryland is looking like a probable tournament team and can help themselves out even more by adding another road win to their resume.

-CLEMSON AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC).  Clemson needs to win a few games in a row just to get caught back up to the pack, but the opportunities for them are definitely there.

-TEXAS A&M AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Ole Miss is coming off a loss to rival Mississippi State, but is still in reasonably good shape so long as they’re able to hold serve in games like this.

-RHODE ISLAND AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  We will highlight this not because we think Davidson can play their way onto the bubble (although I suppose it is possible), but because I feel Davidson is playing better than anyone else in the conference and while they may not have a tournament resume over the course of an entire season, they are at least playing like an NCAA Tournament caliber team right now.

-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is the team in the Atlantic Ten with the best resume, and therefore has the best chance at an at-large.  They’ll have to basically win out in order to get it, though.

-GEORGETOWN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  I’m about ready to give up on both of these teams, but having said that they’re both about a four game winning streak away from being inside the bubble, and that certainly isn’t totally impossible.

-CREIGHTON AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Based on last night’s events, Nova will have a two game lead in the Big East standings if they’re able to win tonight.  They’ll also remain on a solid pace to end up as a protected seed.

-BAYLOR AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Texas has been very hot and very cold throughout the season, and could use a win like this to give them some stability.  Baylor, after getting off to a horrendous start, is suddenly in a battle for a first place finish in the conference.

-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  It’s a conference rivalry between two probable tournament teams that are looking to add a solid win onto their resumes.  Wisconsin went through a bit of a slump, but has turned things around and could even play their way into a protected seed if they keep going like they have been.

-LSU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Mississippi State had a good weekend by picking up what was perhaps their best win of the year at Ole Miss.  LSU is coming off their first conference loss and while they’re still in good shape, they don’t have a true road win against a team that’s as good as Mississippi State, so there is quite a bit to be gained by them tonight as well.

-GEORGIA AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Alabama is playing with the bubble a little too much and needs to be able to hold serve at home tonight.

-WYOMING AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West, Front Range).  We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!!  And we may be the only ones who are actually watching this game!!

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big 12).  TCU has a bloated record, but when it comes to quality wins they are severely lacking.  Their margin for error is not that big, and they need to hold serve at home against non-tournament caliber teams.

-NEVADA AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West).  Nevada has been rampaging through league play, and that will likely continue tonight.

UNDER THE RADAR

-LIPSCOMB AT NORTH FLORIDA (Atlantic Sun).  Same story with Lipscomb.  If they win out through the regular season I think they should be in with or without the automatic bid.

-STONY BROOK AT BINGHAMTON (America East).  Stony Brook continues to lead the nation in most true road wins, and has a chance at another one tonight, not to mention trying to keep pace with Vermont for first place in the league.

-MAINE AT VERMONT (America East).  Vermont is in the driver’s seat for first place, which would mean home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.

-CAL STATE FULLERTON AT UC IRVINE (Big West).  UC Irvine has their toughest games behind them, and has a clear shot at winning out in Big West play.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Drake at Loyola-Chicago

Posted on February 5, 2019 by John Stalica

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

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Jay Jacobs about Hall of Famer Jerry West – CLICK HERE

Drake (17-6, 6-4 MVC) at Loyola-Chicago (14-9, 7-3 MVC) – 7:00 PM EST (CBS Sports Network)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us to the Windy City where the Loyola Ramblers will play host to the resurgent Drake Bulldogs at the Gentile Center. Drake lost the first meeting between both teams when the Bulldogs were in a slump that saw them lose three out of their first four league games after the loss of Nick Norton. Since then, they have won five out of their last six games to get within a game of conference leaders Loyola and Illinois State (although Drake also lost to the Redbirds at home). Nick McGlynn currently leads Drake with 15.7 PPG and 8.3 RPG.

Loyola lost their last game at Illinois State – they ended up splitting their season series with the Redbirds. (As it stands right now, Illinois State would have a tiebreaker edge based on their current record against Drake.) Before that game, they did have a narrow escape at home against Northern Iowa, so the Ramblers will be looking to improve upon their last two games if they want to remain at the top of the league standings. Both Marques Townes and Cameron Krutwig average over 14 points a game for the Ramblers.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 5

Posted on February 5, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for the Latest Hoops HD Report Video Podcast

For Jon Teitel’s latest interview with Jay Jacobs about Jerry West – CLICK HERE

-Last night was a pretty light night.  Louisville picked up a very nice road win against Virginia Tech, which is their second true road win of the year against a solid top 25 team.  The list of teams that can claim that is very small, and it currently DOES NOT include Duke, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Virginia, Michigan, or Michigan State.  You know what?  I think Louisville is the only team on that list!  But, I’m in too much of a hurry to research it any further. (In fact, Louisville is the first team this year with two road wins against Top 15 teams. – JS)

-Iowa State picked up another nice road win at Oklahoma, which makes them look more and more like a protected seed.  Oklahoma suffered yet another home loss and is now just 3-7 in Big 12 play and the tailspin that they’re in is getting worse and worse.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT DUKE (ACC).  This is a home game that may end up looking a lot like a buy game.  BC will probably fall short of the NIT.  Duke will likely end up as a #1 seed.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  South Carolina has looked really good since conference play began, but they still have a long way to go.  Kentucky is playing like they could end up as  a #2 seed and just picked up a big win this past weekend at Florida.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  Any conference road win is a good thing.  It would be a nice way for Michigan State to bounce back after the home loss to Indiana this past weekend.

-AKRON AT TOLEDO (MAC).  An intriguing match-up between two good MAC teams who can make quite a bit of noise the rest of the way and in the tournament.

-MICHIGAN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Michigan is clearly the better team, but they’ve also struggled some on the road (at least by protected seed team standards) and it’s not easy to win at Rutgers.

-NC STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  This one is ALWAYS fun.  We’ve been dogging NC State all year for a weak schedule and a lack of big wins.  That can all change if they’re able to pull off a win in a game like this.  It’s much easier said than done, and UNC is coming off a huge win against Louisville and playing their best basketball of the year right now, but the opportunity is there.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  The Johnnies blew out Marquette when the two faced off earlier this season, but it’s an entirely different ballgame when you’re playing on the road.  Marquette is on pace to get a protected seed, and the Johnnies are reasonably safe when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament so long as they hold serve the rest of the way.  An upset win tonight would make them far more than just “reasonably” safe.

-FLORIDA STATE AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  Both of these teams are probable tournament teams, but having said that both could also use a little bit of stabilization, and a win tonight could certainly help with that.

-MISSOURI AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee is the top ranked team and shouldn’t have too much trouble holding serve at home tonight.

-DAYTON AT SAINT LOUIS (A-10, Arch Baron Cup). Even in a down year in the A-10, we still love our rivalry games, and the ABC is no exception!

-KANSAS AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  Lots of things at play here.  1) It’s a rivalry game, 2) it’s a game between two teams fighting for protected seeds, 3) Kansas has struggled in true road games this season and could really use a high caliber road win like this to stabilize that part of their resume, 4) K State has a one game lead on Kansas and a win tonight for them could play a huge role in unseating the Jayhawk’s long reign on first place in the Big 12.

-FLORIDA AT AUBURN (SEC).  Florida has been playing a lot better these past few weeks, but they still have a ton of work to do in order to catch up to the bubble and make the field.  A road win tonight would be a huge step in the right direction.  Auburn is a probable tournament team, but they could certainly use some more meat on their resume.

-UTAH STATE AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  These are the two best teams in the Mountain West other than Nevada.  It would be a huge stretch for either one to make the tournament, but I suppose it’s possible.  They’d need to win this game, and knock off Nevada at some point.

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