News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Dec 29th

Posted on December 29, 2018 by David Griggs

-We’ve got another busy Saturday today!  It’s the last Saturday before most conferences begin conference play, so we’ve got quite a few buy games today.  I guess everyone wants to eat one last cupcake.  But there are quite a few big games as well.

-DAVIDSON AT NORTH CAROLINA.  Davidson is off to a halfway decent start, but they still need a really big win if they want to end up on the right side of the bubble.  This would be a season defining win for them if they’re able to pull it off.  Having said that, it is much easier said than done.

-BYU AT MISSISSIPPI STATE.  Mississippi State may be good enough to end up as a protected seed, and shouldn’t have too much trouble taking care of BYU at home.

-NEVADA AT UTAH.  Nevada clearly appears to be the superior team, and has already passed some pretty tough tests.  Utah is unbeaten at home, though, so they don’t want to completely overlook them in this one.

-KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE.  This is a huge rivalry game, and the build up for this year’s edition is pretty good.  Louisville already has some big wins, and arguably has the better resume, and has improved as the year has gone along.  Kentucky is coming off what is easily their most impressive showing of the year with a decisive win against North Carolina, so they’ll also come in with quite a bit of momentum.  This is the first true road game of the season for Kentucky, so if they win this one they’re suddenly looking like a solid protected seed.  Perhaps the same is true for Louisville.

-XAVIER AT DEPAUL (Big East).  DePaul still has some work to do, but at 8-3 and with a smattering of decent wins they seem to be improved.  Xavier has pretty much done nothing other than win home buy games, and has a lot of work to do in league play if they want to end up on the right side of the bubble.

-PENN AT TOLEDO.  This is a huge Under the Radar game that could have NCAA Tournament implications.  Penn comes in at 10-2 with four true road wins, and has some big wins on their resume already.  Toledo’s schedule has been weaker, but they are 11-1 on the year and will still have the opportunities to play their way inside the bubble if they can blow through most of the teams in their conference, and pick up a later win against Buffalo.  It’s a big test with a lot on the line for both teams.

-GEORGIA SOUTHERN AT DAYTON.  Dayton doesn’t have any really good wins, but they don’t really have any bad losses either, and have looked in a lot of their games.  Every year we see teams that got off to a late start make a big charge in the second half of the season.  It could be that Dayton is one of those teams.  They better not overlook Georgia Southern, though.

-NJIT AT HOUSTON.  It’s a buy game, but NJIT has a bloated record and is probably better than what most people realize.  Still, they’re likely overmatched in this one, and Houston should improve to 13-0.

-BUTLER AT FLORIDA.  Butler has played well this season, but a win like this would really strengthen their resume and move them further inside the bubble.  Florida has struggled at times, but they’ve still got a high ceiling and will have the opportunities they need to make a case for themselves.  Their resume isn’t as good as Butler’s right now, but both teams have room for improvement which is why this is a big game.

-FURMAN AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  This will NOT be an easy road game for Furman.  As good as Furman has been, and as many weeks as they spent in the rankings, this is still one of the tougher games they’ve played this season up to this point.  And it’s a conference game, so there is quite a bit at stake.

-BELMONT AT PURDUE.  This is a fascinating match-up between a very good Belmont team that hasn’t gotten the respect that we think they deserve (yet) and a Purdue team that’s really talented and that’s played well at times, but still has a lot of work to do if they want to end up safely inside the bubble.  The Boilers are unbeaten at home, and they are most likely the more talented team, but they better not overlook Belmont.

-CHATTANOOGA AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  Not a whole lot of chatter about UNCG, but they are one of the better teams in the SoCon (if not the best), and with just two losses they could make a case that they belong in the field even without the automatic bid if they’re able to blow through conference play.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA).  I really like this LA Tech team, and think they’re good enough to win CUSA and end up with a very impressive resume by the end of the year.

-WISCONSIN AT WESTERN KENTUCKY.  Wisky has a really strong team that looks like they could end up as a protected seed.  WKU has been rather schizophrenic this year with some big wins mixed with questionable losses.  They are a very talented team, and this is a big showcase game for them since they’re playing a nationally ranked power program at home, so while Wisky is better this still may not be the easiest game for them to win.

-LIBERTY AT UCLA.  UCLA’s margin for error is quickly approaching zero, and it’s entirely fair to question if they’re good enough to make it no matter what their margin of error is.  They better not overlook this Liberty team.

-CHARLESTON AT UNC WILMINGTON (Colonial).  If CofC is able to win out, which they are good enough to do, they could end up right on the bubble, or even inside of it.

-OREGON AT BOISE STATE.  Oregon is falling further and further behind the pack and needs to pick up their first road win in order to have any shot at all at getting caught back up.

-GEORGE MASON AT KANSAS STATE.  George Mason is playing a little better after a horrific start to the season.  K State still looks like an NCAA Tournament caliber team and will probably be back in the rankings and safely in the field by the time it’s all over, but for now they still just look like a home court hero.

-STONY BROOK AT NORTHERN IOWA.  They probably won’t end up near the bubble, but Stony Brook is a team to keep an eye on.  A win will get them to 12-3, as well as give them their 7th road win of the season.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Huge test for The Johnnies.  They come into this game unbeaten, but this is by far their biggest test of the year.  Seton Hall already has some big wins on their resume, and they’re on their home court for this one.

-UC IRVINE AT PACIFIC.  Similar to Stony Brook, UCI is a team to keep an eye on.  They can improve to 12-3 and pick up their 6th road win with a win.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT UC SANTA BARBARA.  This is a really good San Francisco team who’s only loss was a close game against Buffalo.  They’ve got a tough road test against a pretty good UCSB team that’s unbeaten at home.

-High Point @ Ohio State
-Coppin State @ Notre Dame
-Howard @ Georgetown
-Tennessee Tech @ Tennessee
-UMBC @ Penn State
-Fairleigh Dickinson @ South Florida – USF still has a lot of work to do, but a win will get them to 10-2
-Tennessee State @ Vanderbilt
-Eastern Michigan @ Kansas
-Northern Illinois @ Michigan State
-FGCU @ Ole Miss
-Southwest Minnesota State (nondiv1) @ Nebraska
-Morehead State @ Missouri
-Saint B0naventure @ Syracuse.  Not technically a buy game, but practically one.  Syracuse cannot afford to lose it
-Princeton @ Arizona State
-Colgate @ Pittsburgh
-North Florida @ Auburn
-Radford @ Maryland – we like Radford and think they can win the Big South.  Maryland better not overlook them
-New Orleans @ Baylor
-Buffalo @ Canisius (Big Four)
-Utah Valley @ Fresno State
-Bryant @ Iowa
-Central Connecticut @ Oregon State

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Under The Radar: December 26

Posted on December 26, 2018 by David Griggs

Christmas is coming folks!!  Just 364 days away!!  Chad and David run through all 22 UTR conferences, and begin in the Atlantic Sun with Lipscomb and the incredible start they are off to this season.  We also take a look at NJIT and Liberty and discuss what their chances are.  In the America East we still like Stony Brook, the OVC has two huge teams in Murray State and Belmont, UC Irvine is looking tough out in the Big Sky, and it was a huge week for Drake, who for now looks to be the best team in the Missouri Valley.  We run through all that, 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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Hanging with the Hoyas: Part 6

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Jon Teitel

HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with a very special reward coming in March. 5 down, 3 to go:
Part 1: Central Connecticut State (https://hoopshd.com/2018/11/11/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-1)
Part 2: Richmond (https://hoopshd.com/2018/11/30/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-2)
Part 3: Liberty (https://hoopshd.com/2018/12/04/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-3)
Part 4: SMU (https://hoopshd.com/2018/12/15/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-4)
Part 5: Appalachian State (https://hoopshd.com/2018/12/19/hanging-with-the-hoyas-part-5)
Part 6 was Saturday afternoon when Little Rock visited DC for the schools’ 1st meeting all-time.

‘Twas 3 days before Christmas, when all through the gym
Many Hoyas were stirring, including Jessie (Govan), Mac (McClung), & “Jim”
(aka James Akinjo);
The pregame meal was prepared in the media room with care,
In hopes that my cholesterol test would not take place there
(bacon/egg/cheese croissant, breakfast potatoes, blueberry muffin, and a chocolate glazed doughnut!);
Each Johnson was ready after a restful night in bed:
Georgetown’s Kaleb dressed in gray while Little Rock’s Kamani wore red
(I know it is technically maroon: work with me!);
And I in my winter cap had joyful feelings in my heart,
Having finally seen Josh LeBlanc make his 1st career start
(in place of Trey Mourning, who missed his 1st game of the year due to a head injury),

Akinjo’s 3 turnovers in the 1st 3 minutes caused such a clatter,
That Coach Patrick Ewing called a timeout to see what was the matter
(The Trojans started strong in getting out to an 11-5 lead).

Right to the rim Little Rock flew like a flash,
As the home team’s porous defense they did easily gash
(much like the Trojans’ entertaining pregame layup line,
There were portions of the 1st half that resembled a dunk contest).
Coach Darrell Walker picked up a T for some conduct rather low,
(despite actually leading 20-18 at the time!)
The resulting FT would be huge but at the time there was no foreshadow
(have I mentioned how much I hate picking up technical fouls in tight games?!),
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But 3 freshmen stealing the show while too young to drink beer
(Georgetown’s starting backcourt of Akinjo/McClung combined for 33 PTS in 31 1st half minutes, while Little Rock PF Nikola Maric made 6-7 FG including a pair of threes en route to 16 PTS in only 13 minutes and change),
With a Hall of Fame coach who knows how to roll-and-pick,
I knew a passionate halftime speech was coming from Coach Patrick
(the most PTS the Hoyas’ had allowed in the 1st half all year had been 42 to Appalachian State last Tuesday…until Little Rock finished the 1st 20 minutes with a 52-51 lead).

More rapid than (Marquette’s Golden) Eagles from the locker room they came,
As Rich Chvotkin whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
(shout-out to the legendary radio play-by-play man,
Who worked his 1400th game as the Voice of the Hoyas)

“Now, Jamorko! Now, Josh! Now Jessie and Jahvon!
On, Mac! On, James! On, Jagan and Grayson!
Turnovers you should force! Try hard to steal the ball!
Now to the FT line! FT line! FT line all!”
(3 key statistical advantages for the Hoyas on Saturday:
They forced 24 TO, recorded 10 STL, and ended up with a whopping 45 FT attempts)
Kris Bankston’s 1st-half dunks showed how high he can fly,
When he picked up his 5th foul he descended from the sky
(his 3-3 FG shooting means he is now #1 in the nation with 85.3 FG%,
But fouling out with 2 minutes left means he was not around to make any baskets at crunch time);

So up to the rafters everyone’s temper flew
With the players full of testosterone, and the 3 refs too
(the refs called a double technical foul with 2 minutes left in the 1st half,
Followed by yet another double technical foul 2 minutes into the 2nd half)-
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
Karma laughing at me for making a streak go poof
(I asked Greg Malinowski after the Appalachian State game how he enjoyed being the best FT shooter in the nation [17-17], so of course I ended up jinxing him and he missed his very 1st FT this season midway through the 2nd half while his team had a 64-61 lead).
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Rayjon Tucker kept filling the stat sheet, be it point/assist/rebound
(he ended up fouling out with 46 seconds left in regulation but still put up 16 PTS/14 REB/4 AST/2 BLK).

McClung stands 6’2”, from his head to his foot,
With filthy moves all tarnished with ashes and soot
(he made a layup/foul/&1 to set a new career-high of 20 PTS while tying the game at 61-all, missed a FT with 6 seconds left in regulation that would have given his team a 3-PT lead, but somehow rebounded his own miss/got fouled/converted another FT to make it 84-81);

A bundle of young teammates Govan has carried on his back,
But for the 2nd time this week he needed freshmen to pick up the slack
(after scoring a season-low 8 PTS and not attempting a single FT vs. Appalachian State,
He had a season-low 2 REB vs. Little Rock before fouling out for the 1st time all season).

Maric’s eyes—how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
Atop a Saturday sundae he’s the Bosnian cherry
(he eventually fouled out with a career-high 27 PTS on 8-10 FG in addition to 8 REB)!
The Trojans had 1 final chance to put up a throw,
And Ryan Pippins’ prayer was as pure as the driven snow
(his only basket of the game came at the right time,
As his 30-footer at the buzzer banked in to tie the game at 84 and send it into OT:
Kudos to 12up.com for getting the video that I was unable to procure myself:
https://www.12up.com/posts/6254060-video-ryan-pippins-banks-in-deep-3-to-shockingly-send-arkansas-little-rock-to-ot-at-georgetown);
Akinjo has fangs, not just baby freshman teeth,
And when he gets hot the basket looks as big as a wreath
(he made his 1st 6 shots in a row on a series of jumpers/threes,
Set a new career-high in scoring late in the 2nd half,
And fouled out in OT with 25 PTS/7 AST/3 STL);

Kaleb has neither a broad face nor a little round belly
But his scoring/rebounding go together like peanut butter and jelly
(Johnson has not had a chance to shine all season with only 19 PTS/13 REB through his 1st 10 games, but with most of his teammates not bringing their “A” game he really helped save the day: season-highs of 12 PTS/9 REB in 26 big minutes off the bench).
Markquis Nowell is 5’8”/165, not much bigger than an elf,
And I was in awe when I saw him, in spite of myself;
(he only made 5-13 FG and committed a career-high 7 TO but still got it done on offense/defense: 24 PTS [including 3 FTs after being fouled by Akinjo while down by 5 with 16 seconds left in regulation], 6 AST, 5 STL while playing more than 40 minutes in a 102-94 OT loss, the 1st time that Georgetown has scored 100 PTS since November 2017);
A wink of Coach Walker’s eye and a twist of his head
Gave me comfort in the press conference with nothing to dread
(I reminded him that the last time he was a head coach in DC the arena was called the MCI Center and his best player was Chamique Holdsclaw: he admitted that DC was a “special place” and that it is always great to be back in town, he said that he was going to dinner with some friends that night and that he will make sure his old New York Knicks teammate Patrick picks up the check!);

Akinjo spoke a few words, coming straight from his work,
As the SID finally let the freshmen speak: what a nice holiday perk
(I praised him for cutting down his turnovers during his previous 2 games before committing 3 in the 1st 3 minutes against the Trojans that led to a Ewing timeout: the freshman said that his coach just told him to “settle down a bit” because everyone was too anxious due to a little miscommunication),

Mac’s 4-PT play in the final minute left him striking a pose,
And giving a smile, up the ranks he rose
(McClung had a near-perfect 1st half with 17 PTS/3 AST/0 TO, then a key offensive REB with 5 seconds left in regulation, then a 3/foul/&1 with 46 seconds left to make it 98-90 as he celebrated while lying flat on his back: I inquired what had changed over the past month since he went scoreless in a loss to LMU in November and he said he knew that it would be a learning process so he just continues “working as hard as I can”);

Ewing sprang to his feet, to his team gave a whistle,
And they all flew to the huddle like they were shot out of a missile
(I asked Ewing if his young backcourt was exceeding his expectations after only a dozen games: he is pleased that they are playing very well and that they are “growing every game”, although they still have a lot to learn).

But I heard him exclaim, ere he walked out of sight—
“my freshmen need to hit the showers”, and to all a good night!
(it was the 1st time that the Hoyas allowed freshmen to attend a postgame press conference, and instead of showering/suiting up like their elders they showed up while still in uniform)

Hope you enjoyed the holiday poem, check back in 2019 for our continuing coverage.

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Bracket Projections (from the Puppet): December 24th

Posted on December 24, 2018 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our latest Hoops HD Report

The bracket reflects games played through December 23rd.

I want everyone to understand what they are looking at.  This is a CHECKPOINT of CURRENT MERIT.  It is not a prediction of what I think the bracket will look like on Selection Sunday, nor is it a reflection of how good I think the teams are.  It is just me asking the question how hard would it be for an average team to win the games that these teams have played, and then ranking them based on how they’ve done.

OTHERS CONSIDERED: Arkansas, Saint Louis, Iowa State, Purdue, Pittsburgh, UConn, Maryland, Fresno State, Northwestern, Murray State, Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss, Washington, Tulsa, Oregon, Florida, Alabama, Toledo, Davidson, UCLA, Liberty, UCF, Clemson, North Texas, LMU, Colorado

 

NOTES ON THE BRACKET

-As more and more games are being played, the more and more “normalized” my brackets are becoming.

-I realize that teams like Belmont and Lipscomb may seem to be seeded really high.  I do really like both of those teams, and think both have a chance at making the field even if they don’t win their conference tournaments so long as they are able to blow through their conference regular seasons, but I don’t think either one will end up as far inside the bracket as where I currently have them.

-I’m not sure what to make of Saint John’s yet.  In one sense, they’re unbeaten.  In another sense, they’ve played a schedule that I think about fifty teams would be unbeaten against.  We will see what they’re made of when Big East play starts.  If they win their first four Big East games, then they’ll be up on at least the #3 line.

-Texas is one of the more schizophrenic teams this year.  Their good wins are really good.  Their bad losses are pretty bad, at least by NCAA Tournament standards.  We always get a few of those every year.

-I know that Gonzaga has dropped in the rankings since losing back to back games against Tennessee and North Carolina.  North Carolina was a true road game, and Tennessee is on the #1 line.  They also beat Duke on a neutral floor.  Two losses away from home, one of which was a true road game against a protected seed caliber team that is unbeaten at home, is not a reason to move them below Duke.  I don’t think Duke has won a game that is as difficult to win as either of those two, and Gonzaga did beat them head to head on a neutral floor.

-A case could easily be made that Kentucky belongs a lot higher than where I have them considering how big their win was against North Carolina.  Well, if they beat Louisville they’ll certainly jump into the protected seeded range.  As for now, I just feel that the other teams have more good/decent wins at the moment.  I also feel Kentucky has kicked it into gear and will be way up the seed list by the end of the season.

 

NEWS, NOTES, UPCOMING GAMES, AND HOLIDAY WISHES

-We at Hoops HD are basically going into Holiday mode.  There are no games on Christmas Eve, or the day after Christmas.  On Christmas Day we have the four Diamond Head Classic games.  We’ll certainly be following those, so if you happen to be watching give us a shout on Twitter.  Will Colorado’s train wreck continue to pile up by losing all three of their games? Will Bucknell get another nice win for a UTR team after some pretty good efforts recently?  And, Indiana State vs TCU is actually a really good championship game.  The Trees have played pretty well for most of the season, and TCU has just one loss and is adding some wins away from home to their resume.

On December 27th we have just one game, and that’s UMKC @ Creighton in a buy game.

On December 28th we have a smattering of what is mostly buy games.  Texas Tech, Virginia Tech, NC State, Kent State, TCU (although their game is actually on the road against nondiv1 Hawaii Pacific), Marquette, Texas, Arkansas (who may get a halfway decent battle from Austin Peay), LSU, Gonzaga, Utah State, and LMU are all going to the bakery this Friday to get a tasty cupcake as a nice wrap up to their Christmas festivities, I guess.  We will be back in full swing this Saturday for another busy day of college hoops.  We are planning to record an Under the Radar podcast this Wednesday, although it may be a somewhat abbreviated version, so be on the lookout for that.

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday Season!!  I know for some people that is easier than others.  If you have big plans then I hope you’re able to enjoy whatever it is that you’re planning to do.  If you’re dreading the Holidays for whatever reason, then I hope you’re able to get through it and that things are back to normal for you soon.  If you need to escape, then just tweet at us during the Diamond Head Classic.  Truth be told there are years where stepping away and watching the Diamond Head Classic has been my favorite part of the Holidays, so we can kind of relate.

Posted in Bracketology, Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on Bracket Projections (from the Puppet): December 24th

The Hoops HD Report: December 23rd

Posted on December 23, 2018 by David Griggs

We come to you a day early this week!  Chad and the panel begin by looking at the SEC, particularly Kentucky’s huge win over North Carolina, which suddenly changes the complexion of their entire resume.  We also look at Tennessee’s dominance, Auburn’s struggles in all three games this past week, and Ole Miss who is exceeding expectations.  We also look at the Big East and how Villanova appears to be bouncing back, as well as Marquette and Seton Hall piecing together some big wins.  In the ACC, we talk about how Louisville appears to be better than what most people expect with a resume that is pretty solid up to this point.  We also discuss how the Pac Twelve and Atlantic Ten continue to struggle, and then look at the five remaining unbeaten teams and talk about which ones we feel have the best chance of staying unbeaten the longest.  All that, and much more…

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Dec 23rd

Posted on December 23, 2018 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-We will be posting our latest Bracket Projections either today or tomorrow.  I think.  We will also be recording the Hoops HD Report tonight instead of tomorrow night.  It’s that time of year where we have to put a few things on hold and make a few changes for what’s really important.  And what’s really important right now is the Diamond Head Classic.  We plan to spend all day Monday prepping for the games on Tuesday.

-Top ranked Kansas went down at Arizona State.  It is a huge win for the Sun Devils and it will go a long way come their selection and seeding in March, but I do want to point something else out.  Prior to this game Arizona State had lost to Nevada on a neutral floor (not bad), barely beaten Georgia on the road (kinda bad, but they won), and was beaten handily by Vanderbilt on the road.  They need to do more than just be a home court hero, which they have, but beating a #1 team at home does not necessarily move them up as much as it would have had they been winning away from home.  So, to assess Arizona State, they can beat the best teams in the country at home, but at the same time struggle (and perhaps even fail) to beat NIT teams on the road.

-Kentucky looked better than they’ve looked all year yesterday with a big win over North Carolina where they essentially had a lead from tip to buzzer.  Suddenly Kentucky’s resume is looking a ton better.  They’ve got a win on a neutral floor against a likely protected seed, and none of their losses are really the kinds of losses that would anchor a resume.  Is it safe to say that Kentucky is back?

-Auburn got the home win against Murray State.  By 5.  Now, to be fair the Tigers have been winning, but in their last three games they’ve needed overtime to beat UAB, got beaten kind of handily at NC State, and had to sweat out Murray State at home.  I know those are all good teams (well, maybe not UAB), but I don’t think anyone would argue that any of them, much less all three of them, are top ten teams, so why is a team that’s ranked #7th having to sweat them out like they are?

-Speaking of not winning impressively, West Virginia held off Jacksonville State.  At home.  By 2.  Perhaps West Virginia will do very well in the NIT this year.

-UConn stayed with Villanova for about 25 minutes before Nova blew it completely open and ended up with one of their more impressive wins and showings of the season.

-Texas State went into Arkansas with just one loss yesterday, but had racked up that record against a really weak schedule so we didn’t really know what to make of them.  They took the Razorbacks to the wall, and nearly pulled the upset against a pretty good Razorbacks team.  I know there probably isn’t enough meat left on Texas State’s schedule to get them inside the bubble without them winning the SBC Tournament, but they should be a strong force in the Sun Belt and worth keeping an eye on if you’re an Under the Radar fan.

-LA SALLE WINS THE BATTLE OF THE BOARDWALK!!!  LA SALLE NOW HAS A TROPHY!!!!  Not a bad weekend for a team that was winless.  Granted, they beat another team that was winless and then beat a pretty bad Towson team, but they got it done!!!

-This is mentioned below, but Colorado looked to be a quiet dark horse riding to the rescue of what is a mostly pitiful Pac Twelve.  The Diamond Head Classic was set up to give them 3 wins away from home and put them at a rather impressive 11-1.  Well, they lost to Indiana State yesterday.

-Boston College picked up a nice road win against DePaul.  I’m not going to say it was a great win, but it was a nice win.  It was DePaul’s first home loss, and BC is now 9-2 on the year.

-Seton Hall picked up their first true road win by knocking off a pretty good Maryland team yesterday.  Seton Hall has a pretty damn good resume, which now includes a neutral floor win against Kentucky and a road win against Maryland.

-San Francisco only beat Stanford at home by 9, which was kind of surprising.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-COPPIN STATE AT HOUSTON.  I’ve gotta credit Chad for this (which I HATE doing!!) but we’ve got five undefeated teams remaining, and one of them is playing in this game.  We’ve also got two winless teams playing, and one of them is playing in this game.  And do you know what that means!!??  IT MEANS YOU SHOULD WATCH A DIFFERENT GAME!!!  Sheesh!!

-INDIANA STATE VS UNLV (Diamond Head Classic).  Indiana State doesn’t have much a profile, but they don’t have anything that’s really awful on their resume either and they just picked up a pretty good win against Colorado.  If they can win this tournament and knock off a team like TCU in the process, then they may be better set up for an at-large bid than anyone else in the Missouri Valley.

-COLORADO AT HAWAII (Diamnond Head Classic).  Colorado came into this event with just one loss.  Now the only objective is to avoid getting out of this event without any bad losses, and hope that finishing at or near the top of the Pac Twelve is enough to get them into the Dance.

-SAN DIEGO VS DRAKE (Las Vegas Classic).  An interesting game between two teams with good records, but not a whole lot of good wins (at least by the standards of the selection committee).  This game is a chance for one of these teams to pick up a decent win against a decent team away from home.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT NEW MEXICO STATE (Las Vegas Classic).  New Mexico State kind of stubbed their toes against Drake yesterday, and whenever a team with so few chances at high quality wins loses to a team that isn’t inside the bubble it can be a setback.  Now, losing today would be an infinitely bigger setback.  I still like this New Mexico State team and still think they can be dangerous come March, but they may have to win the WAC Tournament to get there.

-BUCKNELL VS TCU (Diamond Head Classic).  Bucknell picked up an exciting win against a Rhode Island team that has really struggled this year, but has a bigger test today against a one loss TCU team that sputtered in the beginning, but seems to be getting better and better as the season goes along.

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