-Alabama got a massive win at Saint John’s yesterday 103-96. Saint John’s is currently ranked 5th in the nation and believed by pretty much everyone to be a protected seed caliber team. For Bama to get a road win of that caliber is huge for their resume. Beating a protected seed in a true road game is not something we see happen all that often.
-Arkansas battled at Michigan State, but came up just short 69-66 in what was a really entertaining game. It’s a nice resume builder for Michigan State, and perhaps a missed opportunity for Arkansas, but both of these teams are going to have so many opportunities for big wins between now and March that you can hardly even call it a setback for the Razorbacks.
-Gonzaga basically lead Oklahoma from tip to buzzer and never really sweated in their 83-68 win over the Sooners. Once again the Zags appear to be very good.
-Memphis jumped all over San Francisco early, but the Dons mad a run in the second half to get back into the game. The Tigers still picked up the 76-70 win, which is huge for them because they don’t get as many chances at notable wins as the teams in the P4 do. It would have been a big win for San Francisco had they been able to pull it off, especially with it being a road game, but the loss isn’t a terrible setback. They don’t have chances at big wins every week the way the P4 seemingly does, but they’ll have enough to play their way inside the bubble if they’re good enough.
-Virginia Tech got an entertaining overtime win over Providience 107-101 in the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip Off. I’m still not all that big on either team, but it was a fun game to watch and we’ll pay attention to both teams until they give us a reason not to.
-Nevada got a scare from Pacific, but held on to win 78-77 to remain unbeaten. Pacific isn’t expected to be that good. We almost saw another shocking home loss by a Mountain West team.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-INDIANA VS MARQUETTE (Chicago IL). It’s the first real test for both of these teams. Preseason expectations brought a lot of question marks for both of them, especially for the Hoosiers, so we should be able to learn something about both of them today. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them both in the NCAA Tournament this March.
-TEXAS A&M AT OKLAHOMA STATE. This is a true road test for TAMU. Oklahoma State isn’t expected to be all that great this year, but it would still be a true road win and a good early addition to TAMU’s profile if they can pull it off.
-WASHINGTON AT BAYLOR. This is the first real test for either team and a chance to sort of slingshot themselves into the spotlight with a notable early season win, especially Washington if they can get this one on the road.
-South Dakota State @ Northern Iowa – neither team has a loss yet, and I think both can do very well in their conferences. Northern Iowa is actually my pick to win the MVC this year.
-VMI @ Missouri – this may not seem like a big game on the surface, but both teams are unbeaten, VMI is perhaps a dark horse in the SoCon, and Mizzou had to sweat out SEMO just a couple nights ago
-North Texas @ Loyola Chicago – Loyola Chicago is coming off a loss to Mercyhurst, and North Texas can improve to 3-0 and pick up their second true road win
-Florida Atlantic @ Liberty – Both teams are unbeaten. It’s the first true road game for FAU, and Liberty may be an under the radar team that’s good enough to make a run at the bubble
-Morehead State @ Georgia -Lehigh @ West Virginia -Utah Tech @ Arizona State -UC Davis @ Portland – both teams unbeaten -Idaho State @ San Diego State – both teams unbeaten -Manhattan @ USC – both teams unbeaten -Omaha @ Colorado State
-North Carolina pulled away from Kansas after a dominant second half to win 87-74 in Chapel HIll. Both teams will likely be in the rankings for most of the season, so it’s a notable win for UNC’s profile even though it’s early and even though they were at home.
-The Maryland v Georgetown rivalry has finally resumed!! And yesterday’s edition of it was rather underwhelming. I kind of felt cheated!! It was sloppily played in an arena that wasn’t full and didn’t resemble the high energy crowds we had seen during the Gavitt Games. Nevertheless, Georgetown picked up a really nice road win 70-60 and their season is off to a good start for the first time in seemingly forever.
-Utah State picked up a nice neutral floor win against VCU 80-77. Utah State appeared to be in control of the game, but VCU made a late run and almost came all the way back to win it all. We think both of these teams could end up in the NCAA Tournament, so this was an important neutral floor matchup for both of them.
-PENGUIN FEVER LIVES!!! In one of the biggest surprises of the day, Youngstown State went into Grand Canyon and pulled off a 90-81 road win after holding a lead for most of the game. GCU almost never loses at home, and they’re expected to have a big year this year. It’s hard to say whether Youngstown State is a team we really need to start following or if we just big-time overestimated Grand Canyon, but for now it’s a great win for the Penguins! And, Grand Canyon is in the Mountain West this year, and this is yet ANOTHER surprising home buy game loss for an MWC team.
-Yale blew Navy off the floor 97-68. Navy isn’t a team that we thought would land inside the bubble, but they are the favorites to win the Patriot League and Yale just went on the road and blew them out. We knew this was a good Yale team, but they may be even better than we thought.
-Oakland actually hung with Purdue and only trailed by 5 with less than 8mins to go. The Boilers held on to win 87-77 but it was a really impressive showing by the Golden Griz.
-Missouri got a big battle from SEMO and actually trailed for much of the second half. With less than five minutes to go SEMO was ahead. It wasn’t until the final minute that they finally got control of the game and held on 89-84. After losing badly to Saint Louis in their first game, this was a rather impressive showing for SEMO.
-Oregon is 2-0!! They started off with a 1-pt win over Hawaii and last night they held on to beat…(checks notes)…RICE!! 67-63. This is perhaps the most underwhelming 2-0 start we’ve seen from Oregon in quite some time.
-Cal Baptist, who is the favorite to win the WAC, but…okay…sure…went on the road and beat UC Irvine very handily. I know UC Irvine is having to rebuild their roster, but they still looked like one of the best teams in the Big West and they almost never lose at home, so it’s a great win for Lancers who will soon be in the Big West!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-ALABAMA AT SAINT JOHN’S. Both teams are high in the rankings and both are being projected as probable protected seeds. Both also lost a lot off of their rosters from a year ago, and while it’s obvious both are talented we haven’t seen these teams play together against a high quality opponent yet. We will definitely get to see that today.
-SAN FRANCISCO AT MEMPHIS. This is a very important early season game for both of these teams. Both are good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but neither has an abundance of chances to get big wins throughout the season the way the P4 conference teams do, so there is a fair amount of stakes to this game.
-ARKANSAS AT MICHIGAN STATE. Both teams are in the rankings and both have high expectations for this season. Arkansas in particular is super talented, but can they get a win like this at this point in the season? It’s one of many resume boosting opportunities for both these teams.
-OKLAHOMA AT GONZAGA. These are two likely tournament teams, especially Gonzaga, and both are looking for a resume boosting win right out of the gate. If Oklahoma could somehow win this it should catapult them into the top 25.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Princeton @ Akron – Princeton is expected to struggle this year. It will be interesting to see what they do in their season opener, which is a true road test
-Penn State @ New Haven – for New Haven this is a showcase home game against a (sort of) P4 team. It’s interesting enough to note
-South Florida vs George Washington (Uncasville CT) – I like this GW team and think they can make the NCAA Tournament this year. These are the kinds of games they are expected to win in order to earn it
-Drexel @ Saint Joseph’s (Big 5) – both teams are 1-0 and it’s a Big Five game!!
-Towson @ Houston – this game is a mismatch, but it’s still an interesting matchup. I like this Towson team and they can win the CAA. I just don’t think they’re anywhere near as good as Houston, but it’s still a good game for both teams to play
-William & Mary @ Norfolk State – it’s an odd game to highlight, but I like both teams and think both have a shot at winning their conferences. It’s W&M’s first road game, and a chance for Norfolk to get to 3-0 on the season
-Vanderbilt @ UCF – both teams are 1-0, and this is a pretty good Vandy team with what should be a winnable road game for them
-Utah Valley @ Boise State – Utah Valley is the favorites to win the WAC and they’re looking for their first road win of the season. Boise State is looking to bounce back from losing to a D2 team in their season opener
-Providence vs Virginia Tech (Uncasville CT) – I’m not all that big on either one of these teams, but it’s a chance to get a notable neutral floor win early in the year, which would be a decent start
-Queens @ Villanova – it’s a buy game, but Queens is picked to win the ASun and Nova played really well in their opener against BYU, so it’s worth mentioning
-Chattanooga @ UNLV – I like this Chattanooga team a lot, and UNLV lost their season opener to UT Martin, who I don’t think is as good as Chattanooga, so the Runnin’ Rebs better be on upset alert
BUY GAMES AND OTHER BLAH GAMES:
-Alcorn State @ Minnesota – Alcorn battled at South Alabama -Florida International @ Nebraska – both teams 1-0 -Delaware State @ Syracuse -Western Carolina @ Duke -Texas State @ Tulane – Tulane is 1-0 and may make some noise in the American -Marshall @ Toledo – Marshall is looking for their 2nd road win -UMBC @ Dayton – both teams 1-0 -Northern Kentucky @ Tennessee -Lafayette @ Texas – Texas looking for their first win -Monmouth vs La Salle – both teams 1-0 -UT Arlington @ New Mexico – both teams 1-0 -Cal State Fullerton @ Wyoming – both teams 1-0 -Eastern Washington @ Colorado -Montana @ Stanford – both teams are unbeaten and Stanford may struggle -Canisius @ Saint Bonaventure (Big 4) – The Bonnies can stay unbeaten -Averett (nonD1) @ High Point -IU Indy @ Butler – crosstown matchup -Florida Atlantic vs Charleston (Lynchburg VA) – both teams unbeaten -East Carolina @ Richmond – both teams 1-0 -Prairie View @ Wichita State – both teams unbeaten -Weber State @ Utah (Bee Hive) – both teams 1-0 -Bellarmine @ Kansas State -Tennessee State @ Belmont – both teams 1-0, and Belmont may be pretty good this year -Holy Cross @ BYU -Arkansas Pine Bluff @ LMU – LMU can get to 3-0 -Houston Christian @ UC San Diego – both teams 1-0 -Pacific @ Nevada – both teams 1-0
-A reminder that our TEAM SHEETS are up and running!! And, I really mean it when I say I think they are the best on the internet. Be sure and follow those throughout the season.
A few notable results from last night…
-The most entertaining game of the night was Long Island’s 94-90 win at IU Indy. IU Indy is off to an 0-2 start and likely won’t be a force in the Horizon League, but they appear to be much improved and are very entertaining to watch. They will be able to rack up some wins this year. Long Island is expected to run away from the NEC this year and this was a nice road win for them.
-West Virginia struggled some with Campbell, but held on to win 73-65.
-Xavier is 2-0, but both wins were home buy games against weak UTR teams, and they barely won each of them. They beat Le Moyne 74-69 after letting LeMoyne stay in the game the whole way. It will likely be a long and frustrating year for Stalica’s Musketeers.
-Drake fell in overtime to Robert Morris 81-79. With their coach and nearly every key player transferring to Iowa, Drake is just nowhere near the same team they were a year ago.
-Last but not least (unless you’re a Loyola Chicago fan) a shoutout to Mercyhurst, who is a transitional program, but managed an impressive 76-65 win over Loyola Chicago last night! Mercyhurst was 12-16 against D1 teams a year ago, which is actually really good for a transitional program, and to go on the road and beat an A10 team last night is another program-building win.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CHARLESTON AT LIBERTY. Both teams won their first game and both have big expectations for this year. It’s possible we’ll see both of them in the NCAA Tournament via the autobid, and if either of them are going to make a run at the bubble then these are the types of games they’re going to have to be able to win.
-GEORGETOWN AT MARYLAND. IT IS FINALLY BACK!!! At long last these two are resuming a regular season series!! We had two meetings during the Gavitt Games a few years back, but other than that this series has been dormant for decades after a dispute as to whose turn it was to play at home ended the series. Georgetown hasn’t been good in recent years, but is showing signs of improvement this year. Maryland is a potential NCAA Tournament team as well and this would be a nice win for them if they’re able to pull it off at home. This one should be wild!
-KANSAS AT NORTH CAROLINA. Both teams are in the rankings and this is the first real test for each of them. It’s a chance to pick up what will likely end up being a quality win for whichever team pulls it off.
-VCU VS UTAH STATE (Frisco TX). This has the feel of a game between two potential bubble teams. It’s a neutral floor game between two teams who appear to be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, but who will also have limited opportunities at notable wins, so even though it’s early in the season this one still feels really important
-YALE AT NAVY. Why are we highlighting this?? Because it’s a legit good game that’s also potentially important. It is the season opener for a very good Yale team and a Navy team that is favored to win the Patriot League. This would likely end up being a very good win for Yale if they pull it off because Navy isn’t likely to lose too many at home. If Yale is going to make a run at the bubble, they need to win games like this right out of the gate. I submit to the Selection Committee that these are the types of road games that are good to schedule if you want to end up getting selected. Navy may not be a top 50 team, but they are tough to beat on their floor.
-UAB AT NC STATE. Both teams come in 1-0. NC State looks to be a solid tournament caliber team. They’re not in the top 25 right now, but I bet they get into it soon. UAB is a team to watch this year as well. This would be a big early season statement if they’re able to pull off the upset.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Winthrop @ George Mason – both teams are 1-0, and both have the potential to have decent years this year. For Winthrop, it’s a chance to follow up their win in the Field of 68 Marathon with a very good win away from home
-Troy @ Furman – Troy picked up a really nice win at Kent State in their opener and has another tough road test tonight. Furman has potential this year, but they were beaten badly by High Point in their season opener and are looking to bounce back
-Washington State @ Davidson – this is a winnable game for Davidson which would get them to 2-0
-Sacred Heart @ Duquesne – Both teams are 1-0, and this is perhaps a winnable road game for a Sacred Heart team that’s looking pretty good this year
-Sam Houston @ Texas Tech – it’s a buy game, and it looks to be a huge mismatch between a legit top ten team and another team that isn’t likely to land anywhere near the bubble, but Same Houston does at least have a pulse and it’s a semi-interesting regional matchup
-VMI @ Southern Indiana – this is Chad’s pick to win the SoCon versus my pick to be the dark horse in the OVC!! THIS MAY BE THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!
-Youngstown State @ Grand Canyon – It’s the season opener for GCU, and they have a decent shot at making a run at the bubble. Having said that, they better not overlook Youngstown State. The Penguins are likely overmatched, but are still good enough to beat a team that overlooks them. They lost their opener to Pittsburgh, but didn’t look bad at all in that game.
-McNeese @ Santa Clara – both teams come in 1-0 and both have high expectations for this year. With that being said, this is a good early opportunity for both of these teams
-Chattanooga @ Saint Mary’s – this is likely a mismatch that favors Saint Mary’s, but Chattanooga is one of the best teams in the SoCon and it will be interesting to see what they can do in a game like this
CRAPPY BUY GAMES:
-Boston U @ Northwestern – both teams 1-0 -Tulsa @ Rhode Island – both teams 1-0 -PFW @ Ohio State -Oakland @ Purdue -Valparaiso @ Kentucky – both teams 1-0 -Arkansas State @ Stephen F Austin – both teams 1-0 -Alabama State @ Florida State -Western Illinois @ Iowa -Georgia State @ Cincinnati -Morehead State @ Wake Forest – both teams 1-0 -NC Central @ Virginia -Longwood @ Pittsburgh – both teams 1-0 -Detroit Mercy @ Notre Dame -Gardner Webb @ Clemson -UMass Lowell @ UConn – both teams 1-0 -UL Monroe @ Ole Miss -Wagner @ Seton Hall -Bryant @ Georgia Tech -SEMO @ Missouri – SEMO will make some noise in the OVC, but is overmatched in this one -Kansas City @ Southern Illinois – both teams 1-0 -Stonehill @ DePaul – both teams 1-0 -FGCU @ Illinois – both teams 1-0 -Northern Illinois @ Wisconsin – both teams 1-0 -Utah Tech @ Arizona – both teams unbeaten -Idaho State @ San Diego – both teams 1-0 -Rice @ Oregon – both teams 1-0 -UIC @ Oregon State – both teams 1-0 -Pepperdine @ UCLA – both teams 1-0 -California Baptist @ UC Irvine – both teams 1-0
-It is very rare that I say this, but almost nothing of note happened yesterday. USC Upstate went on the road and won at Fresno State 67-66, which is the third time this season we’ve seen a Mountain West team lose a home buy game, but other than that it was uneventful. So…WATCH OUR HOOPS HD VIDEO PODCAST SPECIAL INSTEAD!!!
Chad Sherwood is joined by Rocco Miller, Zach Singer, and myself, and we discuss the ongoing issues and challenges of scheduling, particularly how so many nonD1 games are bad for the sport, and how flat out unfair it is that good teams from outside the multi-bid conferences can’t get quality opponents to play them. We look at some of the reasons as to why that is, and discuss what we think should (and can) be done about it.
Another show that you absolutely must check out is Rocco Miller’s interview with Selection Committee Chairman and Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill – CLICK HERE TO READ AND LISTEN!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-Long Island @ IU Indy – this game will almost assuredly have no impact whatsoever on the bubble, but it’s still an interesting game in terms of style. Both like to play fast, and IU Indy was able to score more than 100 points (albeit in a loss) to Ohio State. LIU is the clear frontrunners to win the NEC, so there’s at least a reason to turn this game on tonight.
-Illinois State @ Ohio U – both teams are expected to do well in their conferences, and this is a really good early season game for both of them.
-Central Connecticut @ Quinnipiac – A fairly interesting in-state match-up. Quinnipiac can make some noise in the MAAC this year, and perhaps even win it
-Bethune Cookman @ Miami FL – Miami better watch out! Cookman took Auburn to overtime in their season opener, and with less than a minute to go in regulation had the lead and the ball. This is a very good and very confident Bethune Cookman team, and while Miami is an ACC team, they are not a particularly good ACC team.
HOT GARBAGE BUY GAMES:
-Jackson State @ Louisville -Campbell @ West Virginia -LeMoyne @ Xavier -Robert Morris @ Drake – Drake can get to 2-0 -North Florida @ Florida – Florida can easily bounce back from the loss to Arizona -Grambling @ Iowa State – both teams 1-0 -Merrimack @ Auburn -Alcorn State @ South Alabama – South Alabama had the nice road win at Toledo in their opener and can get to 2-0 -Northwestern State @ North Texas – UNT can get to 2-0 -Cal State Nortridge @ Northern Iowa – I like this UNI team and think they can cruise in their season opener -TAMUCC @ SMU – both teams 1-0 -Chicago State @ Saint Louis -Saint Francis @ TCU – TCU needs to bounce back after the opening loss to New Orleans -Denver @ Washington -Wright State @ California – both teams 1-0
We have a rare in-season special for you tonight! Chad is joined by scheduling expert and consultant Rocco Miller, as well as David Griggs and Zach Singer, and they discuss all things scheduling! The focus is on why we see so many mismatches and crappy buy games earlier in the year, and how a lot of strong programs from non-P4 leagues have trouble putting their season schedules together. We complain about the abundance of D1 vs nonD1 games, and how teams who opt to play nonD1 opponents should consider scheduling each other instead. We also talk about the metrics and the ever growing importance it plays in selection and seeding. It’s a very interesting conversation that you need to check out!
And, for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
-Hawaii v Oregon had a lot of the sloppiness that you typically see in the first week of the season, but it was exciting, and it was a battle, and Oregon needed a shot in the final seconds to escape 60-59. Hawaii actaully battled back late in the second half and got a lead late in the game, but couldn’t hold on to win it. Still, I think the Rainbow Warriors are a good team that can have a really big year. As a fan of Under the Radar teams it would have been nice to see them pick up a road win like this for their resume, but they have a lot of season in front of them.
-Duke v Texas probably went the way most people guessed it would. Texas battled, and actually fought to keep themselves in it at many points when it looked like Duke was going to establish control, but in the end Duke did establish control and won 75-60.
-Wichita State absolutely handled UNC Asheville 75-58. I know there is nothing to celebrate about winning a buy game, but UNCA is a halfway decent team by Big South standards, and Wichita State hasn’t been halfway decent by any standards in quite some time.
-UT Martin got a surprising road win at UNLV 86-81. This is the second head-scratching home loss in about a 24 hour stretch that involved a Mountain West team, but at least UT Martin is D1!
-And we may already have a Centenary Award update!!! NJIT got a road win at Fordham 72-61. I know you almost never see the Centenary winner come from a conference like the A10, but to lose AT HOME to NJIT (and by double digits) is a Centenary level loss!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (and this is a very liberal use of the word “highlighted”)
-Southern Indiana @ Butler – It’s a buy game, and Southern Indiana is not expected to do well in the OVC, but I think they’ll be a little better than expected and that this game is at least worth turning on for a few minutes
-North Dakota State @ UC Davis – this is a chance for North Dakota State to get a decent road win against. UC Davis team that may make some noise in the Big West This year
-North Alabama @ Mississippi State – North Alabama will likely be one of the better teams in the ASun, but they are overmatched tonight
CRAPPY BUY GAMES:
-Rider @ Rutgers -Delaware State @ Temple -UMES @ Georgia -Southern Virginia (nonD1) @ Richmond -South Dakota @ Creighton -Alabama A&M @ Indiana -Tarleton State @ LSU -Southern @ Marquette -East Texas A&M @ New Mexico
