We FINALLY got a hot pregame meal: green beans/pasta/steak bites/mini-donuts! The Saturday afternoon after Thanksgiving + a non-power conference opponent = everybody is out shopping or watching college football. Georgetown coach Ed Cooley had a 25-PT win last Tuesday over Wagner, but has not won consecutive games by 20+ PTS since beating Manhattan/UAlbany in December 2022…as coach at Providence. Let’s tip it off (with no band/students/cheerleaders):
UAlbany was missing 2 of its top-4 scorers due to injury (Byron Joshua/DeMarr Langford Jr.) but JR G Kheni Briggs helped his team hang around for the 1st 10 minutes via a STL/layup, long jumper, and a corner 3. After that it was all Georgetown all day long. FR big man Thomas Sorber was unstoppable inside with a ton of layups and finished the day with his 3rd double-double in his 1st 7 career games. SR wing Micah Peavy was making shots from all over the court, including an old-fashioned 3-PT play as well as a 3 from behind the arc, and even added a beautiful block at the rim for the cherry on top of his 17-PT 1st half. I thought 6’7” Caleb Williams was having a great half of his own…until I realized that both he and his 6’6” teammate Curtis Williams Jr. had each scored 4 PTS: #toomanywilliams! The Hoyas were up 49-35 at halftime and did not let up in the 2nd stanza despite Great Dane Justin Neely making just enough great baskets to keep it from getting completely out of hand. Hoyas G Malik Mack used his lanky lefty stroke to finish with 16 PTS/6-8 FG, while Peavy’s corner 3 made it 86-46 with 10 minutes left as Georgetown cruised to a 100-68 victory.
In the postgame press conference I asked UAlbany coach Dwayne Killings how his team was able to get a fantastic 14 STL despite missing 2 of his top defenders. He selflessly gave the credit to his coaching staff for knowing when to anticipate what the Hoyas were going to do. He said they could sniff things out a bit, but did not have the size to compete inside (which is why his team had a 58-22 disadvantage in points in the paint):
I wondered how Coach Cooley’s team was able to shoot over 40% from long-distance after entering today at 28.7 3P%. He confirmed that they have been practicing their 3-PT shooting a lot, and that the key is to get uncontested shots with your feet set (aka “10-toes threes”). That is what most kids practice, so unless you can knock down 25-foot step-backs like Steph Curry/Damian Lillard, you should keep it simple:
That is a wrap for now, but check back in 48 hours when UMBC visits DC.
-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.
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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
The following bracket takes into account all the games played BEFORE Nov 29th, and none on the day of.
I also want to be sure everyone knows what they are looking at. I am not trying to guess what the field will look like in March, nor am I selecting and seeding teams based on how good I think they actually. I am simply trying to put together a CHECKPOINT of CURRENT MERIT. For instance, I believe UConn (despite the rough weekend) to be a solid tournament team, and that Houston will end up as a protected seed. But based on what those teams have done so far, neither team is in the field.
-We’ve played half a football season! So, the bracket is starting to make some sort of sense in regards to the selections and seedings. Pretty much all of the current protected seeds have gone out and won big games away from home, which is what sets them apart from…say…Houston, who hasn’t won any games away from home and isn’t even in the field.
-Louisville and West Virginia have both had big weeks in the Battle 4 Atlantis where they picked up notable wins. It’s also hard to ignore teams like Boston College and Colorado, who we weren’t all that big on coming into the season, but who also picked up notable wins in their in-season tournaments.
-And, if you notice any blatant mistakes, it’s because I’m still in a food coma.
Posted inBracket Rundown, Bracketology|Comments Off on Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projections (From the Puppet) – Nov 29th
-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.
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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
UC-Irvine (6-0, 5-0 D1) vs. Kent State (5-1, 4-1 D1) – 9:30 PM ET (ESPN+)
Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day goes north to Lethbridge, Alberta for the Western Slam between the UC-Irvine Anteaters and the Kent State Golden Flashes. UC-Irvine already beat Kennesaw State 76-59 in the first game of the event; this is a 4-team round robin nonbracketed multi-team event that also features Towson. Bent Luechten is averaging 15.8 points a game and 9.7 rebounds a game for the Anteaters.
Kent State also started off the Western Slam with a 65-54 victory; their win came against Towson. Kent’s only blemish was a 79-56 loss against an Auburn team that could potentially be ranked #1 in the country next week. VonCameron Davis is averaging 16.3 points a game for Kent State.
Today’s featured conference is C-USA with Louisiana Tech, Liberty, and Kennesaw State all having big weeks last week. LA Tech and Liberty are starting to put together the kinds of profiles that may land them inside the bubble, and Kennesaw State is in a huge event at the Western Slam tonight.
From there we run through the other 22 UTR leagues and look at how Grand Canyon and McNeese have struggled, what an impressive start Drake is off to, how Columbia remains unbeaten and has several winnable games ahead of them before Rutgers, South Dakota State’s strong showing in their in-season tournament, and 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…
