Hoops HD

It’s another huge day of hoops with the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, and quite a few other big games as well…

-KANSAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  It’s not November or December, but it will technically go in the books as YET ANOTHER OOC TOP TEN MATCH UP!!!  We’ve had more of those this year than any season I can recall.  Both these teams seem very #2 seedish to me.  Kansas has slipped a little bit since being hit hard with the injury bug, but if they can win this game then I think it erases a lot of doubts with them.  If Kentucky pulls it off then they have a potential path to a #1 seed when you consider that they will face Tennessee multiple times between now and the end, and that they’ve (for the most part) avoided bad losses.

-GEORGIA TECH AT DUKE (ACC).  This is an ACC game that in all likelihood will end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.

-ILLINOIS VS MARYLAND (Big Ten, New York City).  This is a Big Ten game that in all likelihood will end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.

-IOWA STATE AT OLE MISS (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  Neither team began the season in the rankings, and I don’t think either were expected to do all that much, but both have played their way into the top 25, both are probable NCAA Tournament teams, and it would be a nice resume win for whichever team pulls it off.

-FLORIDA AT TCU (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  Both teams are hovering around the bubble, and we feel that Florida is on the outside of it.  It’s a big game for two teams that still need to build up their resumes.

-OHIO STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Nebraska is a home court hero and is capable of beating ranked teams at home, but other than a win at Indiana has done very little else.  Ohio State has done nothing since the start of the new year.  Both these teams are in a bit of a tailspin and could really use a win in this game.

-ALABAMA AT BAYLOR (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  Baylor has really kicked it into gear lately, and if they keep it up they’ll not only make the NCAA Tournament, but be in the top half of the bracket.  Alabama has looked really solid at times, but still has some work to do, and a road win like this could really help them out.

-VIRGINIA AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Virginia may be the best team in the country, and is gunning for a #1 seed.  If they keep winning, which they are certainly good enough to do, then that’s where they’ll end up.

-MARQUETTE AT XAVIER (Big East).  Marquette is looking more and more like a protected seed, and if that’s the case then this is the kind of road game they should be expected to win.

-CLEMSON AT NC STATE (ACC).  NC State didn’t play the toughest of schedules, and while they’re good they don’t have the highest caliber of wins, so they need to make sure they continue to hold serve at home against teams that are outside the NCAA Tournament picture.

-PITTSBURGH AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Pitt is much improved, but they still don’t have a true road win on their resume.  Louisville is looking more and more like a protected seed and should be able to hold serve.  Pitt won the first meeting in overtime between these two, but that game was at Pitt.

-DAVIDSON AT SAINT LOUIS (Atlantic Ten).  SLU may be one or two losses away from being completely out of strikes.  They pretty much need to win out in order to feel safe.

-TEXAS AT GEORGIA (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge).  Texas has been a very schizophrenic team, and while I think they should win this game easily, one never knows what they are going to do.  Their good wins are really good, and their bad losses are really bad.  This would be another bad loss if they fail to get it done.

-VCU AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten).  This game has the intrigue of a much improved Duquesene team and a VCU team that has a chance of ending up inside the bubble if they’re able to win out.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge).  South Carolina has flipped a switch since conference play began, and is actually playing like a tournament caliber team.  They’ve still got a long ways to go, but if they keep it up they may get there.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS A&M (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  K State is looking like a protected seeded caliber team, and TAMU is looking like a team that just flat out sucks.  That makes this a very winnable road game for K State.

-NORTHWESTERN AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Wisky seems to be back on track with two straight wins, and has another winnable game at home today.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT TENNESSEE (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  Back in October, I was really excited about this game.  Now it’s looking like it could be a complete pounding.  Having said that, Tennessee has had to sweat in their last two games and West Virginia recently knocked off Kansas, so they shouldn’t be too cocky.

-UTAH STATE AT NEW MEXICO (Mountain West).  Utah State is probably out of strikes, but if they’re able to win out they could end up landing inside the bubble.

-FRESNO STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West).  Similar to Utah State, Fresno State has NCAA Tournament hopes that are barely flickering, and they pretty much need to win out to have any real chance.

-VANDERBILT AT OKLAHOMA (SEC/ Big 12 Challenge).  Oklahoma is coming off a nice win against Oklahoma State, which should get them turned back around after they dropped a few games.  They’ve got another very winnable game at home this weekend that won’t help them out all that much on paper, but could be good for their mental health.

-WASHINGTON AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Washington is coming off an exciting win against Oregon, which is probably their best win of the season on paper.  They’ve got another challenging but winnable road game today against the Beavers.

-ARKANSAS AT TEXAS TECH (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  Arkansas is better than we thought they’d be this year, but they still don’t look much like an NCAA Tournament team.  Texas Tech could still end up with a protected seed, but they’re lacking the high caliber wins that they had a year ago, at least for right now.  They’ve also been in a bit of a rut and need to pull themselves out of that with a win today.

-LSU AT MISSOURI (SEC/Big 12 Challenge).  LSU has been playing much better, and has cracked the rankings.  They’ve got a winnable road game today and should be able to keep that momentum going.

-SOUTH CAROLINA STATE AT SAVANNAH STATE (MEAC).  The Team of the People!!!  Savannah State has a winnable game at home today, which will hopefully get things turned around for them.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT PENN (Big Five).  A win for Penn makes them a perfect 4-0 in Big Five play and gives them the outright title!!  The bad news is that the Big Five is simply a mythical conference, and while the winner has never missed the NCAA Tournament so far as we know, Penn can’t get in without the Ivy auto bid despite having a couple of really good wins.

-SYRACUSE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  Syracuse has been schizophrenic all season long, but these last couple of weeks they seem to have gotten it together and are playing consistently good basketball.  VA Tech, on the other hand, has not won a game that comes anywhere close to indicating they are a top 10 team even though the voters have them ranked 10th for some reason.  I know they’re at home, but this is hardly a shoe in for them.

-ARIZONA STATE AT USC (Pac Twelve).  Arizona State his hovering around the bubble despite having some pretty big wins, and needs to hold serve against non-tournament teams, which in the case of the Pac Twelve is damn near the entire conference.

-AUBURN AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  This is a very important game for two teams with good records, but without many (or any) really good wins.  The voters like them both, but neither team’s resume is as good as their current ranking.  I think this is a very big game for both teams, and would be the biggest win of the season for either team up to this point.

UNDER THE RADAR

-HOFSTRA AT TOWSON (Colonial).  Hofstra is unbeaten in the league and is good enough to win out.  If they do, then they’ll be looking at the #12 line in the Round of 64.

-SAMFORD AT FURMAN (SoCon).  Furman still has a pretty strong resume despite being three games out of first place in the SoCon.  If they hold serve and can finish in second place behind Wofford the committee should at least look at them.

-BELMONT AT AUSTIN PEAY (Ohio Valley).  The two losses to Jacksonville State hurt, but I can’t help but think that if Belmont wins out that the committee will at least look at them.

-TEXAS STATE AT GEORGIA SOUTHERN (Sun Belt).  Texas State is coming off a really nice win at Georgia State, and is now in the driver’s seat to finish first in the Sun Belt and earn what should be a manageable seed in the Round of 64

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA).  The top of CUSA is a complete logjam right now, and North Texas needs to bounce back from their loss to UAB the other night.

-VERMONT AT STONY BROOK (America East).  These are the top two teams, and this game is hugely important in determining who will get home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.

-CHATTANOOGA AT WOFFORD (SoCon).  Wofford has cut it very close the last two games, and this one won’t be all that easy either, but they keep winning, and if they keep doing that they’ve got a very good shot at landing inside the bubble and not needing the auto-bid.

-TENNESSEE STATE AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  Murray State’s at-large hopes are pretty much shot.  They’ll need to win the auto-bid.  But finishing in the top two gives them a bye into the semis, so it’s still important that they do well.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT UTVRG (WAC).  New Mexico State is still in the race to finish first in the WAC, and should be able to pick this one up on the road.

-WEBER STATE AT MONTANA (Big Sky).  These are two of the better teams in the Big Sky, and this game will likely have a huge impact on who ends up winning the league.

-UC SANTA BARBARA AT LONG BEACH STATE (Big West).  It’s a two horse race in the Big West between UCSB and UC Irvine.  They need to pick this one up on the road to keep pace.

-GRAND CANYON AT CAL BAPTIST (WAC).  GCU had some tough close losses out of conference, but is 5-1 in league play with the only loss being on a beyond half court shot at the buzzer against New Mexico State.  Cal Baptist can be tough to beat at home, so this one should be good.

-UC RIVERSIDE AT UC IRVINE (Big West).  The much anticipated RiverVine Cup!!!  The best made up trophy in all of sports!!  UC Irvine is in a race for first with UCSB, so every game has a pivotal feel.

CLICK HERE for our latest Bracket Rundown Video Podcast where we build a seedlist line by line and assess all the teams as we go

-Santa Clara was able to keep it within a 20 possession game against Gonzaga last night, but came up just short in a 98-39 thriller!

-Michigan State, who I’m starting to like more and more, picked up what I thought was their biggest win of the year in a true road win at Iowa, and they were able to win rather convincingly.  It was just the second home loss for the Hawkeyes.  I still think to cement a #1 seed, Michigan State will have to beat a protected seed away from home, but I also think they’re capable of doing it.

-NC State stayed with Louisville, but couldn’t pull it off.  NC State still has a flimsy overall resume, and a win last night would have really pumped it up, but they at least showed they could hang with a really good team in a true road game.  Prior to last night they hadn’t really shown that they could.

-Wofford needed overtime for the second straight game, but was able to come from behind and hang on to beat Samford to remain unbeaten in SoCon play and stay in the discussion for an at-large bid.  There were three lead changes in the final 20 seconds, so it was probably the most exciting game of the day.  Samford had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Wofford came up with a defensive stop to force overtime on a play where I guess the referees decided the contact did not warrant a foul.

-Belmont stepped up and beat Murray State rather convincingly, and looked absolutely amazing doing it.  Belmont has two losses to Jacksonville State.  Outside of that, their resume is fantastic.  If it weren’t for those two losses we’d be talking about them being inside the bubble and not needing to win the OVC Tournament to make the NCAAs.

-Washington came from behind to pick up a big road win at Oregon in another thrilling game.  They were fouled while taking a last second 3 from just over mid court, and sank all three freethrows to ice the win.  The Huskies are now 6-0 in Pac 12 play and look to be the only team that’s in position to get an at-large at the moment.

-MICHIGAN AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Indiana is in a complete tailspin right now with five straight losses in games that for the most part were not close.  It doesn’t get any easier tonight against a Michigan team that is in a bit of a slump themselves, but they’re in a slump by #1 seed standards, which means they’re still winning nearly all of their games.

-BUFFALO AT KENT STATE (MAC).  This is a tough road game for Buffalo, who is trying to rebound from their first conference loss earlier in the week.  It’s a showcase game for Kent State and the fans should be jacked.  It should be a lot of fun to watch.

-BROWN AT YALE (Ivy League).  These are two of the better teams in the conference, and this is the second meeting.  If Yale can get this one they should be running down hill to a first place finish.

-BUTLER AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  It seems like we say this about both of these teams whenever they play.  Both are within reach of the NCAA Tournament, but both still have a lot of work to do.

CLICK HERE for our most recent Under the Radar Video Podcast

NEWS AND NOTES

-Tennessee’s first game as the #1 ranked team matched them against Vandy, who has a lot of work to do just to get to the NIT.  They got the win, but had to come from behind to do it at the end of regulation, and then win in overtime.  The last two minutes of regulation might be the greatest combination of sloppy basketball and exciting basketball that I have ever seen in my entire life!  There were multiple unforced turnovers, a flagrant foul, really bad passes, and just an all around performance that would have made the Three Stooges proud!

-The end of Providence v Xavier was sloppy, but not quite THAT sloppy.  It was an exciting game that seesawed back and forth and that both teams desperately needed to win, but Providence ended up pulling it out.  It’s just their second conference win of the season, and to get it on the road really helps out the Friars.

-TCU picked up their biggest win of the year (at least on paper) by knocking off Texas.  It was a home win, but their resume was so flimsy that this is probably still the best win on it to date.

-I think the Atlantic Ten has completely eaten itself.  Whatever little hope their was for VCU and Saint Louis to land inside the bubble is now almost completely gone after both lost to teams that are about a hundred miles from even making the NIT.  VCU fell at Rhode Island, and Rhody didn’t really have to sweat at any point in the second half, and Saint Louis lost at Duquesne.  Duquesne has now won five straight and is in a four way tie for first place.  I don’t want this to sound like a backhanded compliment (even though I know it does) because Keith Dambrot has done an amazing job at a Duquesne program that has virtually no history of basketball success, or even basketball mediocrity.  They’ve just been flat out terrible.  But as improved as they are, they’re still not having the kind of season that would land them anywhere close to getting an at-large bid the NCAA Tournament, and yet they are your first place team!

-Purdue picked up a nice road win at Ohio State.  Ohio State has yet to win a game in the year 2019.  If this keeps up it may end up being just a so-so win for the Boilers.

-Oklahoma had to come from behind after falling behind big early, but got the win on the road against rival Oklahoma State to end a two game loosing streak.

-Stony Brook picked up their 10th true road win of the season, but barely.  They needed overtime to beat an Albany team that is not even in the top 300.

-UC Irvine picked up an exciting win at Hawaii in one of the more exciting games of the night.  It have been the toughest remaining game for the Eaters other than their trip to UC Santa Barbara, so if they continue to rack up wins they could end up pretty close to the bubble themselves.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-MICHIGAN STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  This is a tough road test for a Michigan State team that’s in contention for a #1 seed, but they’ve been tested before and as tough as it is to win a road game like this, it’s the type of win that a #1 seed should be able to pull off.

-TULSA AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati is inside the bubble and should remain there so long as they hold serve, which means avoiding losses to non-tournament caliber teams, especially at home.

-MEMPHIS AT TEMPLE (American).  Temple is squarely on the bubble, so every game for them has a pivotal feel to it.  Memphis has won seven of their last eight and has quite a bit of momentum built up coming into this game, so Temple better not overlook them.

-NC STATE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Both teams are in the rankings, but Louisville’s profile clearly looks to be better despite being the team that isn’t ranked as high.  NC State’s best win of the season is probably a home game against Auburn, and that’s looking less and less impressive.  A win in a game like this could really polish up their resume.

-MIAMI FL AT SYRACUSE (ACC).  Syracuse has been bi-polar all year long, and one never knows what they’re going to do.  They should be able to win this game at home, but they were beaten at home rather handily by Georgia Tech not that long ago.  That was right before they went to Duke and won.

-ARIZONA AT USC (Pac Twelve).  If Arizona wants any hope of being on the right side of the bubble, they need to basically win out.

-WASHINGTON AT OREGON (Pac Twelve).  I want to like this Washington team.  I want to say that I think they’re the best team in the Pac Twelve, and are deserving of an NCAA Tournament bid.  This is a tough road test against a big rival.  If they aren’t able to pull this off then it will be a lot harder for me to say that.

-PORTLAND AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast).  San Francisco cannot afford any slip ups.  In fact their schedule is so weak that simply winning all their games against teams that aren’t Gonzaga may not quite be enough.

-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  Gonzaga is a #1 seed caliber team.  Santa Clara..well..isn’t.

UNDER THE RADAR

-SAMFORD AT WOFFORD (SoCon).  Wofford has a top 30 net ranking, if they can finish in first place of the conference and either win out or come close to it my guess is that the committee will take them whether they win the conference tournament or not.

-CHATTANOOGA AT FURMAN (SoCon).  Chattanooga has gotten hot since conference play began.  Furman still has a strong resume, particularly because of their win at Villanova, but basically need to win every game the rest of the way to have a realistic shot at an at-large bid.

-TEXAS STATE AT GEORGIA STATE (Sun Belt).  These look to be the two best teams in the Sun Belt, and it’ll be fun watching them go at it tonight.

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT LIPSCOMB (Atlantic Sun).  Lipscomb is trying to remain unbeaten in ASun play.

-UAB AT NORTH TEXAS (Conference USA).  North Texas still has a bloated record and can improve to 18-2 overall if they can hold off UAB tonight.

-MARSHALL AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA).  This is a potentially tough road test for a Marshall team that’s looked really strong since league play began.

-BELMONT AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley).  This looked like it was going to be a showcase game for the OVC, but Belmont has dropped two league games already.  Murray is strong, but to date they don’t have a win as good as this one on their resume, so if they want to make any sort of a case for themselves then they need this one.

NEWS AND NOTES

-So Minnesota came within seconds of picking up what may have been the most single impressive road win of the season (or at least forcing overtime), but Michigan hit a shot as time expired on both the shotclock and the game clock to pull out a much more exciting than expected win.  Michigan is in a bit of a slump, and you know they’re good because their definition of a slump is a close win against a pretty good team, and a road loss against another pretty good team, but they haven’t had their best week.

-Kentucky seemed like they were up by about 15pts at tip off.  Mississippi State made a few runs, but for the most part they were blown off the court by a Wildcats team that just keeps getting better and better.

– Kansas State has now won three straight games against a ranked team by knocking off Texas Tech at home.  On the flip side, it was the third straight loss for Texas Tech and while none of those losses were bad, their resume is looking a little light by protected seed standards.  Their best overall win was probably against Nebraska in Kansas City, and Nebraska isn’t exactly a road warrior.  They’ll need some bigger wins between now and the end of the season to end up on one of the top four lines.

-One of the more shocking results of the night was Buffalo’s loss at Northern Illinois.  Buffalo fell behind early, which we’ve seen them do.  They came back and got the lead and appeared to be in control, which we’ve seen them do.  But, they failed to hold onto the lead, which we haven’t seen them do.  It’s definitely a setback, but the Bulls are still in really good shape to make the NCAAs as an at-large.

-Auburn fell at South Carolina, which is another big step in the right direction for a Gamecocks team that has completely turned things around, and another setback for an Auburn team that has very few decent wins, let alone good wins.  Their NCAA Tournament resume is nowhere close to matching their ranking.

-Alabama blew Ole Miss’s doors off.  A really impressive home win for the Crimson Tide after a couple of really heartbreaking recent losses.

-Indiana has now lost five straight games, and only one of them was a close game.  Northwestern ended up winning by 7, but at no point did it appear that they were not in control of the game.  IU’s tailspin is probably about to get worse since their next game is against Michigan.

-Fresno State had a huge second half comeback against a rather weak San Diego State team to stay at the top of the Mountain West standings and keep their at-large hopes alive.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-PROVIDENCE AT XAVIER (Big East).  Both of these teams are slipping further and further outside the bubble.  It’s still possible that either team could end up making the field, but they’re gonna need to sprint to the finish.

-TENNESSEE AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Tennessee is a #1 seed contender, which basically means they have to beat everybody.  Vandy looked solid at times prior to conference play, but they’ve lost all five of their SEC games and things aren’t going to get any easier tonight.

-GEORGIA AT LSU (SEC).  LSU has really come on strong lately and shouldn’t have too much trouble against a Georgia team that seems to be on pace to finish below .500

-TEXAS AT TCU (SEC).  Texas is schizophrenic, but at least they have some big wins on their resume.  TCU does not.  They have a good record against sub NCAA Tournament caliber teams, and could really use a win in a game like this.

-VCU AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  VCU already has a conference loss, but if they can finish in first place and blow through the league the rest of the way they should end up making the field.

-PURDUE AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  It’s starting to get a little bit desperate at Ohio State.  They’ve lost four straight games, and their next win will be their first of 2019.  Purdue has had several close losses throughout the season, but seems to be firing on all cylinders now having won six of their last seven.  This is another road game that they can win.

-EAST CAROLINA AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston should have very little trouble holding serve and improving to 19-1

-SAINT LOUIS AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten).  Saint Louis is perfect in conference play, and if they can continue to dominate and not lose games to…well…the vast majority of the league, they should be on the right side of the bubble come March.

-UCF AT TULANE (American).  This is a winnable conference road game for UCF.  The better way to say it is that UCF is hovering around the bubble, and they better not lose this game.

-DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  This sounds crazy to say, but DePaul has a few good things on their resume and if they can string together a couple of wins this week we may need to start thinking of them as a tournament contender.  That’s much easier said than done, though.  Marquette is a contender for a protected seed, and beating them on the road is a very tall order.

-OKLAHOMA AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12).  BEDLAM!!!!!  Oklahoma is in a bit of a tailspin, and although none of their recent losses are bad things will probably be magnified a little bit if they fail to win this one.

-WISCONSIN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  After hitting a bit of a skid where they lost four out of five, Wisky just knocked off Michigan.  I’d say that they’ve turned things around.  They’ve got a very winnable game tonight against Illinois.  It is perhaps the most winnable road game remaining on their schedule.

-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  Despite only having one loss, Nevada seems to be slipping.  They’re still winning, but barely, and they’re playing teams that aren’t all that good.  They need to hold serve tonight.

UNDER THE RADAR

-UMBC AT VERMONT (America East).  Vermont is still perfect in league play and is keeping pace with Stony Brook

-STONY BROOK AT ALBANY (America East).  Stony Brook is unbeaten in league play, and has another winnable road game, which would add to their overall total, which is the highest in the nation.

-UC IRVINE AT HAWAII (Big West).  UC Irvine is one of the two best teams  in the Big West, but they have what is perhaps their toughest road game tonight.