Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

Saturday was probably the single craziest/most exciting day of the year so far.

-Duke hit a 3 at the buzzer to knock off Florida State.  It was only their second true road win of the year, and it may have also been their single best win on paper so far.  They will assuredly hold on to the #1 ranking and remain on pace to get a #1 seed.

-Gonzaga picked up a road win against San Francisco, which was probably their toughest remaining game on the schedule.  It was close for about 38 minutes, but Gonzaga finally blew it open in the latter part of the game.  The road is pretty clear for Gonzaga to win out.

-Texas Tech picked up a nice road win at Texas, which was arguably their single best win of the year up to this point.

-Nevada bounced back from the blowout loss to New Mexico with a road win at Fresno State, which may have been their toughest remaining game of the season, although they still have to go to Utah State.

-Louisville blew out North Carolina.  Just winning at North Carolina would have been somewhat of a surprise, but blowing them off the floor and through the roof was kind of shocking.  It may be time to start paying some serious attention to a Louisville team that’s been good all season, and appears to be continuing to improve.

-Ole Miss picked up a huge win against rival Mississippi State on the road.  This is a really big statement win for Ole Miss.  They played two games this week against ranked teams, and won both of them.  Their resume is suddenly a lot better than a team like Mississippi State, who’s best win to date is a road win at Dayton.

-Ohio State has hit a bit of a skid.  They fell at Iowa, in what was a very big and very much needed win for the Hawkeyes.

-Kansas State picked up a win they desperately needed at Iowa State.  It gives them their first road win, and their first win against a ranked team, and changes their resume from completely nothing into something.

-Oklahoma picked up a nice home win against TCU in another game that was a thriller.

-DePaul is suddenly 2-2 (10-5 overall) on the year with wins against Seton Hall, and now a road win against Saint John’s.  It’s a bad loss for the Johnnies, but it’s also a very good win for DePaul. Had the Blue Demons been able to finish against Boston College, Xavier and at Villanova, their profile would look like a surefire NCAA Tournament team.

-Providence and Georgetown played a double overtime thriller that the Hoyas finally pulled out.  Jon Teitel will have extensive coverage of this game later on today.

-VCU fell at Davidson.  VCU had the best OOC resume of all A-10 teams, but it’s hard to say they’re a solid tournament team when they fail to win a road game like that.

-Alabama followed up their big home win against Kentucky with two consecutive lossee, the most recent being a home loss to Texas A&M.

-Georgia Tech went in to Syracuse and won rather convincingly.  Syracuse is in the running for the most schizophrenic team of the year.  They’ve won at Ohio State, and lost at home to Georgia Tech and Old Dominion.

-Some very surprising Under the Radar results.  Eastern Michigan blew out what we thought was a good Kent State team, Texas State needed to sweat out Appalachian State, Georgia State barely beat UL Monroe in a thriller, UTEP won on a buzzer-beater 3 in which they had to inbound the ball the length of the court with 0.5 seconds remaining against Rice(thanks to our colleague Mike for flagging this game), Princeton has swept Penn in the Ivy League, and North Alabama beat NJIT in a complete shocker

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-BUTLER AT XAVIER (Big East).  Butler is right on our bubble at the moment.  Picking up a road win against a team like Xavier, who isn’t likely to make the tournament, is something that any team that’s solidly in the tournament should be able to do.

-VILLANOVA AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  We currently have Nova in the field, but with quite a bit of room to improve, and Creighton behind the pack with a lot of catching up to do.  A win for either team would certainly help.

-MISSOURI AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Neither team is anywhere close to our bubble right now, but South Carolina has suddenly come to life and can improve to 3-0 in SEC play with a win today, and Mizzou is quite a ways behind the pace, but will have the opportunities to catch back up if they can string together several wins. (Note: This was a rescheduled game from yesterday due to a winter storm that prevented Missouri from getting into South Carolina in time for yesterday.)

-MICHIGAN STATE AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State is now solidly on our #2 line, and will have the chances to end up on the #1 line given how strong their schedule is the rest of the way.  Penn State has been a total disappointment this year making this a very winnable road game for Michigan State.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  We’ve got two different storylines.  Can Michigan pick up the win and remain unbeaten on the season? and can Northwestern, who’s been very close on several occasions, finally pick up a season defining level win and completely change the complexion of their resume?

-USC AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). This is just a lead-in to the other Pac-12 matchup taking place tonight.

-UCLA AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve).  The Pac Twelve has been a disaster this year, but there is a road for a team or two to land inside the bubble if they’re able to dominate conference play.  UCLA and Oregon State are both unbeaten in league play, and they at least have a few decent things on their resumes as well.

It is another busy Saturday of college basketball, but it’s somewhat disappointing that there are no 11pm tips and that Hawaii is not at home.  That means we only get 12-and-a-half hours of college basketball instead of 13 or 14.  🙁

CLICK HERE for our first Bracket Rundown Show of the season where we build a seedlist line by line on the air!

-INDIANA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten) (Friday).  Maryland is coming off a big win against Minnesota, which was a huge step in the right direction.  Indiana has had a good season, but to date only has one true road win, and a huge quality road win like this could really boost up their resume

-PURDUE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten) (Friday).  Purdue’s resume could really use some work, and winning a road game like this can instantly make it look a ton better.  Wisky is a good team that’s having a strong year, but they’ve still had their share of hiccups and wins like this are always good.

-VIRGINIA AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Right now Virginia looks like a #1 seed caliber team, and Clemson looks like a team that’s hoping to play their way into the field.  Obviously, beating a #1 seed would go a long way.

-LOUISVILLE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  UNC is coming off one of the most impressive wins of the year and clearly looks like a protected seed.  Louisville is coming off a tough overtime loss to Pitt, and although they clearly look like a tournament team, this would be a next-level type win for them.  Easier said than done, though.

-PITTSBURGH AT NC STATE (ACC).  Right now Pitt is hovering around the outside of our bubble, and this is the kind of win that could really catapult their status.  NC State is trying to rebound from an intense loss to NC State and hold serve against a team they appear to be better than.

-MIAMI OH AT BUFFALO (MAC).  Buffalo is in the rankings and should land in the top half of the bracket if they blow through the MAC, which they are good enough to do.

-KANSAS STATE AT IOWA STATE (Big 12).  Iowa State has been fantastically good at home and mediocre on the road.  Fortunately for them they’re at home.  K State has been okay at home and atrocious on the road.  They need some road wins just to play their way into the discussion of making the NCAAs.

-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Right now it appears that both teams are on the outside looking in and need to continue to string together wins in order to catch up to the pack.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Notre Dame is on the outside looking in and can’t afford a home loss to a team that’s even further outside than they are.

-RUTGERS AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Rutgers is coming off a huge feelgood win against Ohio State, but that was at home.  Beating a team like Minney on the road is an entirely different ordeal.

-OLE MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  I don’t remember the last time this match-up was this anticipated.  Ole Miss is coming off a huge win against Auburn, but they’ve yet to really be tested on the road against a team like Mississippi State.  Speaking of Mississippi State, they really haven’t been tested that much either.  Their next win against a team that looks to be a solid tournament team will be their first.

-MISSOURI AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  South Carolina has kicked it into gear over the last week, but they need to keep it in gear for a long time to get their resume turned around.  Mizzou is pretty far behind the pack as well and could use a road win like this.

-DUKE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  Florida State is high in the rankings, and although the rest of Hoops HD really likes them, their resume still needs some work.  They have a HUGE home showcase game.

-TEXAS TECH AT TEXAS (Big 12).  Yes, please!!  From an X’s and O’s standpoint, the grinding defense of Texas Tech and the pressure defense/transition of Texas is always going to be fun to watch.  From a resume standpoint, it’s big as well.  Texas Tech is having a great season, but doesn’t have any true road wins against teams as good as Texas yet.

-SETON HALL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Both teams look like solid tournament teams, and this is a nice resume building opportunity for both of them.

-TCU AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Both teams have bloated records, but against mid-level schedules at best.  It’s interesting to see what they’ll both do now that they’re starting to be tested.  Both played well in losing efforts at Kansas, and both need to start putting wins with meat on their resumes.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT TEMPLE (American).  Temple just picked up a big home win against Houston, which really helped elevate them.  South Florida is trying to show that their bloated record is not just the result of a weak schedule, but that’s far more easily said than done.

-VCU AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  There are a few teams that we think can land inside the bubble if they blow through the conference, and these are two of those teams, particularly VCU.  These are the types of games that tournament teams should win, and since only one of them can win, it’s an opportunity for one of them to begin to set themselves apart from what is a mediocre (at best) conference.

-OHIO STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  You get the sense that both of these teams are slipping a little bit, and could really use this game to help get things turned around.  It should be a fun match-up between two probable tournament teams.

-TEXAS A&M AT ALABAMA (SEC).  Bama is running down hill right now and needs to keep that momentum going.

-KANSAS AT BAYLOR (Big 12).  Any and all surface logic would tell you Kansas is clearly superior, but Kansas is dealing with injuries, and Baylor is slowly starting to play better.  It may be a bit of a test for the Jayhawks.

-GEORGIA AT AUBURN (SEC).  Auburn should be able to hold serve and rebound from the loss to Ole Miss.  If they can’t then they REALLY have a problem.

-SAVANNAH STATE AT FLORIDA A&M (MEAC).  Your TEAM OF THE PEOPLE!!!  They have first place in their sights!!  They are coming off a thrilling overtime win and are looking to build on that today!!!

-TENNESSEE AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Tennessee looks to be thundering toward a #1 seed, and Florida just needs a big win to bolster up their resume and get their season turned around.

-DEPAUL AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  The two most impressive showings for the Johnnies are probably the two games they lost.  DePaul is improved, but Saint John’s shouldn’t have too much trouble against them at home.

-GEORGIA TECH AT SYRACUSE (SEC).  Syracuse has a schizophrenic resume with some really good wins and some really head scratching losses.  Losing a home game to a team that will likely miss the NIT would not be advisable.

-LSU AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Both teams really need this win.  LSU to help push them further inside the field, and Arkansas to help them get caught back up with the rest of the field.

-SAINT LOUIS AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten).  I want to think that SLU is one of the teams in the A10 that could land inside the bubble if they blow through the league.  If they lose a game like this, I will no longer think that.

-UTAH STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  There are things I like about this Utah State team, but I also feel they’re out of strikes.  They basically need to win out in order to be safely in position for an at-large bid.

-ARIZONA STATE AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Arizona State is the only Pac Twelve team that looks like an NCAA Tournament team, and they don’t look like it all the time.  This is the kind of game that they should be expected to win, but don’t always win.

-NEVADA AT FRESNO STATE (Mountain West).  Nevada was absolutely pasted at New Mexico earlier this week, and this is probably their toughest remaining game, so if they win it I think it’s safe to say that they will have bounced back and can still earn a protected seed in the NCAAs.

-WICHITA STATE AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston is coming off their first loss of the season, which involved a would-be game tying basket that was waived off just before the buzzer.  They’ve been very strong at home this year and shouldn’t have too much trouble against a rebuilding (seemingly from scratch) Wichita State team.

-UCONN AT CINCINNATI (American).  In most of their remaining games, including this one, Cincinnati will be looking to hold serve more than they are to improve their overall resume.

-VANDERBILT AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky had looked really good, but seemingly sleepwalked through their last two games (and lost one of them).  They should be able to beat Vandy at home even if they sleepwalk, but their are tougher games on the horizon.

-GONZAGA AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast).  Get ready for the biggest home game in San Francisco in a VERY long time!!  It has been sold out for once, and it isn’t just about getting a chance to pull off a memorable upset, but to win a game that would go along way toward solidifying them as an NCAA Tournament caliber team.  Now, it it won’t be easy.  Gonzaga is a potential #1 seed, and these are the kinds of games they are expected to win.  It is going to be fun, though!  I think I’m more excited about this than any other game today!

-SAINT MARY’S AT LMU (West Coast).  LMU probably won’t end up in the mix for an at-large, but they are 13-3, and the conference is better than what we’re used to seeing, and they do get two shots at Gonzaga, so the opportunity is at least there.

-WASHINGTON AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  There is a road to landing inside the bubble for Washington, but it basically involves winning out or coming close to it.  Still, they have shown (at least at times) that they may be able to do it, and are coming off a nice win at Utah.

-ARIZONA AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  Arizona looks to be improved!  They’re winning more!  Then again, they’re winning against other Pac Twelve teams, so it’s hard to say.

UNDER THE RADAR

-KENT STATE AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (MAC).  This is one of the better teams in the MAC playing on the road against one of the teams we thought would be one of the better teams in the MAC

-UL MONROE AT GEORGIA STATE (Sun Belt).  We like this Georgia State team and feel they could end up in the 12-13 seed range if they blow through the SBC.  They may be tested a bit by ULM today, though.

-WOFFORD AT VMI (SoCon).  After destroying UNC Greensboro on the road the other night, Wofford may be the best team in the SoCon.  They won what appeared to be their toughest conference game by 29pts.

-TOLEDO AT WESTERN MICHIGAN (MAC).  Toledo is off to an atrocious start in conference play, and basically needs to win all the rest if they want any hope at all of being on the bubble.

-PRINCETON AT PENN (Ivy League).  This one is always fun!  The Ivy has a few horses in the race this year, and these are two of them.  The first went into overtime.  Hopefully this one is just as good.

-NORTH TEXAS AT UTSA (Conference USA).  There are some good teams that won some good OOC games in CUSA, and North Texas wasn’t really one of them, but they’re the only team that hasn’t lost to anyone they should have beaten.  A win gets them to 17-1 on the season.

-NJIT AT NORTH ALABAMA (Atlantic Sun).  NJIT needs to keep pace with Lipscomb and Liberty

-STETSON AT LIPSCOMB (Atlantic Sun).  Lipscomb is trying to keep pace with NJIT and Liberty

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT MERCER (SoCon).  ETSU is trying to keep pace with Wofford and UNCG in what continues to be a really compelling season in the SoCon

-FURMAN AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  These are two heavyweights (by SoCon standards).  I thought UNCG was the best overall team, but they got mauled on Thursday night.

-MURRAY STATE AT SEMO (Ohio Valley).  Murray State should run roughshod over this conference and be a dangerous team in the NCAA Tournament

-CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD AT NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC).  New Mexico State escaped last night in one of the most exciting games of the season.  They should be able to skate through this one and keep pace with first place in the league.

-EASTERN KENTUCKY AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  Belmont, along with Murray State, are the two teams that should run away from the rest of the league.

-NEW HAMPSHIRE AT STONY BROOK (America East).  This Stony Brook team is really good and should be able to run away from the conference and earn a manageable seed in the NCAA Tournament.

-UC IRVINE AT CAL STATE FULLERTON (Big West).  UCI had some really nice wins OOC, and they’re one of our favorites to win the Big West.

NEWS AND NOTES

–Please CLICK HERE check out our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast from last night.  It is a bit of an extended version, but we have a very special treat for you!!  Zach joins us for the first time all year!!  From his car!!  In a Five Guys parking lot!!  After leaving the UMBC v Hartford game!!  There is no better entertainment on the entire internet!!

It was another very entertaining night.

-Kansas was able to get it done against a pretty good TCU team despite being very shorthanded, which they will be for the rest of the year.  It was a good showing by TCU, and a sign that they should get the wins they need in conference to land safely in the NCAA Tournament field.

-Everyone’s favorite crazy uncle, Uncle Buzz!!, had a rough time at Georgia Tech last night.  VA Tech got the win, but it was surprising that it was such a struggle.

-Ole Miss beat Auburn rather handily at home.  I think this is a sign that Ole Miss is better than we thought.  I also think it’s a sign that Auburn isn’t as good as we thought.  Given how Auburn has struggled against UAB, Murray State, Dayton, and a few others, perhaps they’re not a top ten team after all.  I know some of those teams are good teams, but none are so good that a top ten team should struggle to beat them, much less struggle to beat all three.

-Ohio State went to Rutgers for what was probably their most winnable remaining road game, and lost!!  A nice feelgood win for a Scarlet Knights program that still has a very long way to go, but is getting better.

-Houston suffered their first loss of the year at Temple, and it wasn’t without some controversy,  A driving layup that would have tied the game in the final seconds was waved off due to a charge, and Temple held on to pick up a win that they desperately needed.

-Marquette got a nice road win at Creighton.  No sweat!.  They were down 5 with 5 seconds to go.  They hit a shot with less than a second to go, and after Creighton threw the ball the length of the court in an attempt to burn the final second, Marquette got the ball back under their own basket, inbounded the ball, and hit a three that just barely beat the buzzer.  After that they pulled it out in overtime.

-Vanderbilt, who we kind of liked, was blown out at Georgia.  That’s not good for Vandy.

-Georgetown fell on the road at Xavier in a game where both teams were beaten up with injuries.

-Kansas State was down by about 20, and appeared to be dead to rights, but somehow came back and beat West Virginia.  It was a win that both of those teams really needed, and it will put WVU into an even bigger tailspin.

-Louisville fell at Pittsburgh in overtime.  The Cardinals trailed for most of the game, but mounted a comeback and got a lead both late in regulation and in overtime, but couldn’t hold on.

-Fresno State picked up an impressive and exciting win at Utah State.  If we are going to see a second team out of the MWC, I guess it’s going to be Fresno.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SMU AT UCONN (American).  SMU has been playing better.  They’re off to a 2-0 start in league play and could use this road game tonight.  They’ve still got a lot of catching up to do.

-CINCINNATI AT TULSA (American).  Cincinnati is trying to bounce back after a horrendous loss to East Carolina, and they’ve got a really rough road test tonight against a Tulsa team who’s unbeaten at home, and who could play their way toward the bubble if they can have a strong showing in conference.

-MICHIGAN AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten).  If all goes as expected, Michigan should win and stay unbeaten on the year.

-PENN STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Nebraska looks to be a home court hero this year.  If that’s true, then they need to win at home against teams that have been playing as poorly as Penn State.

-WASHINGTON AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  I still think there is room inside the bubble for a Pac Twelve team to get an at-large, but it’ll have to be someone that totally dominates league play, and Washington may be one of the few teams that’s good enough to do it.  Utah had struggled for most of the season, but they’ve come to life lately and won’t be easy to beat at home.

-PACIFIC AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  It’s a conference game that will end up looking like a buy game.

UNDER THE RADAR

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT THE CITADEL (SoCon).  ETSU is one of four teams that we think could win the SoCon this year, and they have a very compelling road game against a much improved and very exciting to watch Citadel team.

-WOFFORD AT UNC GREENSBORO.  Wofford and UNCG are two of the four teams that we think could win the SoCon this year.

-LOUISIANA AT GEORGIA STATE (Sun Belt).  If Georgia State blows through this league, and I mean pretty much wins out, then there may be room for them on this year’s bubble.

-OLD DOMINION AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC (Conference USA).  I think ODU is the best team in CUSA, and that they certainly have the best resume despite a surprising loss this week.  This will be a somewhat tough road test.

-MOREHEAD STATE AT BELMONT (Ohio Valley).  Belmont is one of the horses in the two horse OVC race…

-MURRAY STATE AT UT MARTIN (Ohio Valley).  Murray State is the other horse.

-NORTH TEXAS AT UTEP (Conference USA).  North Texas shouldn’t have any trouble improving to 16-1 on the year.

-GRAND CANYON AT NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC).  This is quickly becoming one of the more intriguing UTR rivalries.  New Mexico State may insist that it’s not a rivalry based on how they’ve dominated the series, but it is at the very least a feud.  NMSU again looks to be the toughest team to beat in the WAC.

-UC DAVIS AT UC IRVINE (Big West).  Irvine has had a good season up to this point and should land in a good spot if they can dominate Big West play.