Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For all of the brackets, schedules, and results of the In-Season Tournaments – CLICK HERE

-Purdue knocked off Ole Miss 80-78 in a thriller to win the Rady Children’s Invitational. Both teams are good now, and both will also likely improve even more as the season continues. Some were a little skeptical of Purdue after at times they merely looked like a top 20 team instead of a top 5 team, but this really is a nice win for the Boilers.

-Wichita State, who we were praising going into yesterday’s game against Florida, did absolutely nothing that praiseworthy in said game. The Gators blew their doors off 88-51 in the ESPN Events Invitational.

-West Virginia, who we had no expectations for whatsoever coming into the season, and who seemed to live down to those expectations when they were blown out by Pitt, had an absolutely incredible showing in the Battle 4 Atlantis. They beat Gonzaga, barely lost to Louisville in overtime, and yesterday finished things off with a win over Arizona. The Mountaineers are for real!! Arizona, on the other hand, may not be. If they are, they haven’t shown it yet. They now fall to 3-4 on the season, and while their schedule has been tough, it is a little concerning that they’ve lost all four of their big opportunities.

-The Championship Game of the Battle 4 Atlantis featured two other teams that have completely outperformed preseason expectations. Oklahoma held off Louisville 69-64. Kasean Pryor had to leave the game with an injury, which certainly impacted Louisville, but the Cardinals still had a chance to win in the final minute. Oklahoma made some big defensive plays and escaped with the win and the hardware. Oklahoma is now 7-0 and they’ve now picked up some really big wins, so their resume is looking great!

-Butler, who was one of my sleeper teams coming into the season, now appears to be awake!!! They had a very nice 87-77 win yesterday over Mississippi State in the Arizona Tip-Off. It was the first loss of the season for Mississippi State, and Butler seems to have bounced back after sleepwalking through some of their earlier games.

-Pittsburgh, who we’ve mentioned before as a team that has impressed us, picked up a VERY big win yesterday at Ohio State. It was a 91-90 overtime thriller, and seeing as how it was a true road game against an Ohio State team that has already proven itself with some big wins of their own, it is by far Pitt’s biggest win of the year up until now.

-Arizona State continues to look better and better as the season goes on. They handed a very good Saint Mary’s team their first loss of the season in the Acrisure Classic Championship game.

-Utah State remains unbeaten after a really nice 61-57 win against a strong North Texas team. Definitely keep an eye on the Aggies as they (again) look to be one of the stronger teams in the MWC this year.

-UC Irvine also remains underrated after their 51-39 win over a very good Kent State team. It wasn’t exactly an offensive explosion, but it is a huge win on paper for the Eaters.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-CREIGHTON VS NOTRE DAME (Players Era Festival). Both of these teams are in a bit of a tailspin. The wheels seem to be falling off for Creighton. Finishing up this event with any sort of a win will probably be as important to their mental health at this point as it is to their resume. Notre Dame has now lost three straight as well and could also really use this win.

-TEXAS A&M VS RUTGERS (Players Era Invitational). Rutgers is coming off a hard fought loss to Alabama, which despite the loss may have been one of their more impressive showings of the year. TAMU edged out Creighton in their last game. Both teams have the chance to end on a high note and pick up a win that will almost assuredly be quad-1 or quad-2 on the team sheet.

-FURMAN AT KANSAS. I know it’s a buy game, and I know that chances are the final score will look like a buy game, but Furman comes in unbeaten and is one of the top UTR teams out there, and it will be interesting to see what they can do in this one. Kansas is arguably the toughest place in the country to win, so I know Furman is shooting at the moon. But, if they were to somehow hit the moon, they should be ranked in the top 25 and their resume will (at least for now) look like they deserve a protected seed.

-SAN DIEGO STATE VS HOUSTON (Players Era Invitational). San Diego State managed a very impressive win against Creighton their last time out, which is probably their best showing of the season. Houston, who I still think can make the Final Four, has yet to pick up a big time win this season yet. A win today would probably be their biggest to date.

-RICE VS ARKANSAS STATE (Baha Mar Hoops). This is an odd game to highlight, but I really like this Arkansas State team whose only loss so far was a very competitive road loss at Alabama. Rice is a very respectable 5-2 and if Arkansas State can pick up this win and then beat Hofstra tomorrow their resume is going to be looking really good heading into December.

-OREGON VS ALABAMA (Players Era Invitational). Oregon isn’t in the rankings today, but they almost assuredly will be on Monday regardless of the outcome of this game. Both teams have managed some nice wins in this events and both have the chance to pick up another really nice on tonight, as well as take home some hardware.

BUY GAMES (and other games of note):

-Southern @ Louisiana Tech – LA Tech is looking to remain unbeaten
-Monmouth @ Seton Hall
-Chicago State @ Wisconsin
-Western Carolina @ Marquette
-Pfiffer (nonD1) @ High Point
-Charleston Southern @ Miami FL
-Albany @ Georgetown
-Temple @ La Salle (Big 5) – both teams have just two losses, but still have a lot of work to do
-Tarlton State vs Hofstra (Baha Mar Hoops) – Hofstra can improve to 6-2 and put another win away from home on their resume
-Eastern Washington @ Utah
-Harvard @ Saint John’s
-Georgia Southern @ Drake – a win for Drake gets them to 7-0
-UMES @ UConn – If UConn fails to snap their 3 game losing streak tonight they could REALLY be in trouble!
-Jacksonville @ Georgia
-UC Irvine vs Towson (Western Slam) – a win for UC Irvine gets them to 8-0
-Cal Poly @ Stanford

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For all of the In-Season Tournament Brackets and Schedules – CLICK HERE

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-In the Battle 4 Atlantis, Gonzaga blew out Indiana 89-73 and seems to be back on track after their surprising loss to West Virginia the day before. Indiana has now been blown out twice in two days, and is likewise starting to look more like the team we expected coming into the season.

-On the other side of the bracket, Louisville picked up a win against West Virginia in an overtime thriller, and will face Oklahoma who pulled off an upset win against Arizona. Arizona will likely still have a big year, but they have yet to manage any big time wins this season yet.

-Illinois pretty much led Arkansas from tip to buzzer in Kansas City for the 90-77 win. The loss knocks Arkansas back to 5-2 and the Razorbacks are still in search of their first win that isn’t a home buy game.

-Ole Miss needed overtime, but they got by BYU 96-85 in a thriller at the Rady Children’s Invitational. It was probably Ole Miss’s best win of the season up to this point, and they’ll get to face a really good Purdue team tonight.

-Wichita State is now 6-0 on the season after edging out Minnesota 68-66. The Shockers have a huge game today against Florida. If they can win that one then you have to start thinking about them as a tournament team.

-Utah State is also unbeaten after handing Saint Bonaventure their first loss in the NIT Season Tip-Off 72-67.

-Butler picked up their biggest win of the season yesterday as they held off Northwestern 71-69 in a thriller out in the Arizona Tip-Off. I still think Butler could be a dark-horse team, and if they’re able to beat Mississippi State today it should get the attention of the voters.

-Saint Mary’s blasted USC, and Arizona State beat New Mexico in a thriller out at the Acrisure Classic. That Saint Mary’s v Arizona State game tonight should be good. Neither team is currently in the top 25, but perhaps both of them should be and will be soon.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-PROVIDENCE VS INDIANA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both teams should have a sense of urgency coming into this one as both are still looking for their first notable win of the season.

-MINNESOTA VS WAKE FOREST (ESPN Events Invitational). One last chance for each team to pick up a win of note in this event.

-PITTSBURGH AT OHIO STATE. Pitt may be the best team in the ACC outside of Duke and North Carolina right now, and they have a chance to pick up a really good win this afternoon. Both of these teams have shown signs of being solid tournament teams, and this game is a resume building opportunity for each of them.

-ARIZONA VS WEST VIRGINIA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Arizona’s season has been a little disappointing so far and they fell to Oklahoma yesterday. West Virginia fell to Louisville in an overtime thriller after the shocking upset of Gonzaga two days ago. Both are looking to end things on a high note today.

-WICHITA STATE VS FLORIDA (ESPN Events Invitational). Both teams are unbeaten and both have picked up some nice wins already. This is probably a bigger game for Wichita State as they won’t have quite as many opportunities at notable wins the rest of the way as Florida will.

-NC STATE VS BYU (Rady Children’s Invitational). Both teams are coming off a loss yesterday, and both are still looking for their first win of the season that isn’t a home buy game.

-OKLAHOMA VS LOUISVILLE (Battle 4 Atlantis). This probably isn’t the championship game that most people were expecting. Louisville has knocked off Indiana and West Virginia, and Oklahoma had a nice win over Arizona yesterday. Both teams have picked up some really good wins in this event, and both have the chance to take home some hardware and finish it off with one more nice win today.

-OLE MISS VS PURDUE (Rady Children’s Invitational). Both teams are in the rankings and both had nice wins yesterday to get to the championship game.

-UTAH STATE VS NORTH TEXAS (NIT Tip-Off). Utah State is unbeaten, but their resume is still a little flimsy. North Texas is an impressive 6-1, but could also use some big wins to beef up their resume. It’s a game that both teams could really use.

-NORTHWESTERN VS UNLV (Arizona Tip-Off). Winning this game would help either team’s resume.

-DAVIDSON VS GONZAGA (Battle 4 Atlantis). This appears to be a huge mismatch, but it’s also a great chance for Davidson to pick up what would be a season-defining win.

-BUTLER VS MISSISSIPPI STATE (Arizona Tip-Off). I’ve said that I thought Butler could be a dark horse this year, and while they haven’t looked overly impressive yet, they’re still 5-1 on the season. This would be a statement win if they can knock off Mississippi State, who is currently 6-0 and in the rankings after some nice wins against Utah, SMU, and UNLV.

-ARIZONA STATE VS SAINT MARY’S (Acrisure Classic). Both teams are off to really good starts and both picked up some pretty good wins yesterday. Saint Mary’s blew USC’s doors off and Arizona State beat a really good New Mexico. Both look like tournament teams early on, and have the chance to continue to build their resumes today.

-UC IRVINE VS KENT STATE (Western Slam). These are two really good UTR teams that are both capable of making runs at the bubble, but who also have limited opportunities and can really use this win today. Props to this event for being able to match these two teams up. It is a HUGELY important early season game and a big opportunity for both of them.

-USC VS NEW MEXICO (Acrisure Classic). Both teams are looking to bounce back from yesterday’s losses and leave this event with a notable neutral floor win.

BUY GAMES (and other games of note):

-Dartmouth @ Boston College
-Valparaiso @ DePaul
-TCU vs Colorado State (Acrisure Classic) – TCU is still looking for their first notable win
-Judson (nonD1) @ Bradley
-VMI @ George Washington
-Tennessee Tech @ Vanderbilt
-Central Penn (nonD1) @ Liberty
-Holy Cross @ Virginia
-Santa Clara vs Washington (Acrisure Championship). Santa Clara blew out TCU yesterday and faces a 1-loss Washington team today
-Arkansas State vs Indiana State (Baha Mar Hoops) – Arkansas State can get to 5-1 with a win
-NC A&T @ East Carolina
-Georgia State @ Kentucky
-Seattle U @ Duke
-Hofstra vs Rice (Baha Mar Hoops) – both teams are off to impressive starts and both can build up their resumes with a win today
-Florida A&M @ Clemson
-Elizabeth State (nonD1) @ VCU
-Northern Colorado @ Texas Tech – it’s a buy game, but Northern Colorado is a good team and could be very competitive in this game
-Northwestern State @ LSU
-Saint Bonaventure vs Northern Iowa (NIT Season Tip-Off) – Saint Bona can get to 7-1
-Delaware State @ Texas
-Mississippi Valley State @ UC Santa Barbara

NEWS AND NOTES:

-For all of the In-Season Tournament Brackets and Schedules – CLICK HERE

-I don’t think there has ever been a 7th place finish in any event that was anywhere near as impressive as Dayton’s was in the Maui Invitational. They almost upset two really highly ranked teams, and then blew UConn’s doors off 85-67 yesterday. UConn is, without question, NOT the 2nd best team in the country like their ranking indicated, but Dayton is, without question, one of the best 25 teams in the country. They’re probably good enough to blow through the rest of their schedule and end the regular season ranked very high, and perhaps be on the fringe of a protected seed.

-Auburn ended up winning the Maui Invitational as they skated past Memphis 90-76. Auburn’s resume is as follows: they have wins over Houston, Iowa State, North Carolina, and now Memphis, and all those wins are away from home. That’s insanely good!!

-Michigan State finished things off in Maui with a win over North Carolina. Sparty was not a team I was super big on coming into this event, but they picked up two really good wins and are off to a very solid start to the season.

-Gonzaga, who had looked like one of the best teams in the country, somehow fell to West Virginia, who had shown very few signs of life prior to yesterday. That one game completely changes the complexion of WVU’s outlook this season.

-The other surprise was Louisville’s win over Indiana. The fact that Louisville won isn’t that surprising because we had questions about Indiana coming in, but Louisville winning 89-61 was pretty astounding. Louisville is probably a lot better than we thought, and Indiana may be even worse.

-Rutgers, who less than a week ago fell on the road to Kennesaw State, must have woken up. They didn’t get the win against Alabama yesterday out in the Players Era Festival, but they were extremely competitive and only lost 95-90. I’d say there is more reason to hope than to be discouraged after that.

-Texas A&M held on to beat Creighton yesterday 77-73. While it is the 3rd straight loss or Creighton, they were at least competitive against a strong opponent. In their previous two games it didn’t even look like they belonged on the floor.

-Michigan totally blew Xavier’s doors off 78-53. It’s another case of not being surprised at which team won, but being surprised at how much that team dominated. It was a real statement win for the Wolverines.

-Oregon remains unbeaten after their win over San Diego State in the Players Era Festival. Keep your eye on the Ducks!!

-SMU got a nice 77-60 win over a Washington State team that came in looking pretty good. It may not be a win that jumps off the resume, but to me it’s an indication that SMU is capable of playing well.

-Last, and definitely latest, Houston finished off Notre Dame 65-54 in a game that wrapped up at some time around 3am. It’s Houston’s most notable win of the season so far.

.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-LOUISVILLE VS WEST VIRGINIA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Many were probably expecting to see these two play today, but probably not on the winners’ side of the bracket. Louisville blew Indiana into the sun and West Virginia, after having shown no real signs of life prior to yesterday, somehow upset Gonzaga. Both have another chance to pick up a notable win again today.

-MINNESOTA VS WICHITA STATE (ESPN Events Invitational). Minnesota comes in at 5-1, but their only wins have been home buy games. Wichita State is a little more proven, but they have a limited number of opportunities at big wins the rest of the way so it is very important that they do well in this event and pick up some notable wins.

-INDIANA AT GONZAGA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Both teams are in the rankings and both still have a shot at picking up a solid win for their tournament resumes today. The fact that it’s on the losers’ side of the bracket won’t matter to any metrics or team sheets. Gonzaga’s resume still looks very impressive, whereas Indiana has still only won home buy games up to this point.

-FLORIDA VS WAKE FOREST (ESPN Events Invitational). Florida appears to be really solid, but their schedule up until now has been somewhat flimsy outside of a win against Florida State. Wake has a nice win against Michigan, but could also stand to build up their resume some, so this event is a good opportunity for both of them.

-PURDUE VS NC STATE (Rady Children’s Invitational). NC State is unbeaten but also untested. Purdue has already managed a big win against Alabama, but this would be their first win of note away from home, so there’s something at stake for both these teams.

-ARKANSAS VS ILLINOIS (Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase). Both of these teams appear to be good and both have high expectations for the year, but to date they are both also lacking in a high caliber win, so this is clearly an opportunity for them to pick up what would be their biggest win of the year to date.

-OKLAHOMA VS ARIZONA (Battle 4 Atlantis). Oklahoma pulled out a close one against Providence yesterday and they’ll have an even tougher test today against an Arizona team that cruised by Davidson and who can add another nice win to their resume today.

-BYU VS OLE MISS (Rady Children’s Invitational). Both teams come in at 5-0 and both have high expectations of being likely tournament teams this year, but they’re also both facing their first real test of the season today.

-UTAH STATE VS SAINT BONAVENTURE (NIT Season Tip-Off). Utah State is coming off a very nice win against Iowa and can add another notable neutral floor win to their resume today. Saint Bonaventure is unbeaten, but completely unproven. This event is a chance for them to pick up some decent wins and get the committee’s attention.

-NORTHWESTERN VS BUTLER (Arizona Tip-Off). Despite Butler’s early loss to Austin Peay and Northwestern not having managed any sort of notable win yet, I still think both of these teams can have bigger years than what their preseason expectations were and even make it to the NCAA Tournament. So, this event and this game today is a big opportunity for both of them.

-KENNESAW STATE VS UC IRVINE (Western Slam). Kennesaw State is a very surprising 5-1 on the year and has a really nice win against Rutgers. UC Irvine is a perfect 5-0 and probably one of the best UTR teams out there. If they are going to make a run at the bubble, the margin for error is very thin.

-USC VS SAINT MARY’S (Acrisure Classic). Saint Mary’s is a perfect 6-1 and USC is a very respectable 5-1. Outside of Saint Mary’s win against Nebraska both teams need some quality wins to build up their resumes.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE VS UNLV (Arizona Tip-Off). Mississippi State is coming off a really nice road win at SMU and can build up their resume some more if they’re able to pick up a couple of wins in this event.

-NEW MEXICO VS ARIZONA STATE (Acrisure Classic). Both teams have managed some decent wins already, and both seem to be better than what we were expecting in the preseason. It will be interesting to see what they do against each other tonight.

BUY GAMES (and other games of note):

-Rhode Island vs UT Arlington (Jacksonville Classic) – Rhody can remain unbeaten on the year
-TCU vs Santa Clara (Acrisure Invitational) – TCU can get to 5-1, but Santa Clara is probably better than their 2-4 record
-Washington vs Colorado State (Acrisure Invitational) – Washington can get to 5-1 with a win
-Providence vs Davidson (Battle 4 Atlantis) – both teams are looking to bounce back and pick up their first notable win of the season
-Northern Iowa vs North Texas (NIT Season Tip-Off) – North Texas can improve to 6-1 and add another road/neutral win to their profile
-Kent State vs Towson (Western Slam) – Kent State can improve to 5-1