Under the Radar Game of the Day: Buffalo at Western Michigan (and other news & notes)

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Chad

Buffalo at Western Michigan, 7:00 PM Eastern, ESPNU

Don’t miss our latest Bracket Rundown video podcast!

It is time for some #MACtion tonight at the Under the Radar Game of the Day features a matchup of two of the top teams in the Mid-American Conference.  The visiting Buffalo Bulls enter with an impressive 13-5 overall record (5-0 in MAC play) and feature the best metrics in the conference, including a top 30 RPI.  Nick Perkins has been leading the way for the Bulls including a career-high tying 26 points last time out in a win over Northern Illinois.  With their sole games against Toledo and Ball State already in the books as wins, tonight’s contest in Kalamazoo, Michigan is likely Buffalo’s toughest test left this season.

Western Michigan enters tonight’s game at 11-7 overall and 3-2 in MAC play.  The Broncos have lost 2 of their last 3, including a tough two point loss last time out at Kent State.  WMU did have four payers score in double figures in that game, led by 16 from Josh Davis.  Thomas Wilder was held to only 10 in the loss, tied for his second lowest point output on the season, and needs to get the ball through the hoop more if his team wants to pull off the upset in tonight’s contest.

 

OTHER GAMES AND NOTES

-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State has been slumping, but not to the point to where I’d expect them to lose at home to a sub-NCAA team.

-ST. BONAVENTURE AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic 10). The lights aren’t completely out on the Bonnies’ at-large chances, but a loss at Davidson (who is 5-0 at their campus home arena) may cause us to take them off of our board.

-IONA AT MONMOUTH (MAAC). Both Metro Atlantic co-leaders are on the road tonight and Iona has the easier of the two games on paper. Even though Monmouth is rebuilding, this rivalry still has a little heat remaining from the past couple of seasons.

-YALE AT BROWN (Ivy League). Only in the Ivy League would you have travel partner games scheduled back-to-back. We highlight this game because it is only one of 7 games being played in Division I tonight.

-ILLINOIS AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Hard to believe that Wisconsin is a game under .500 overall, but it would be even harder to imagine them losing at home to an Illinois team that is in freefall mode in the B1G.

-CANISIUS AT MANHATTAN (MAAC). Not only are the Golden Griffins playing to retain a share of the lead in the Metro Atlantic, they’re also looking to avoid falling into a tie with the Jaspers in the league standings.

-It was a big night as far as UTR Games go.  Belmont held off Murray State at home in an OVC showdown between two of the three best teams, William & Mary was blown off the court at home for the second game in a row after earning our praise on UTR the other week, Vermont held on to beat New Hampshire in a game between two teams near the top of the America East Standings, Western Kentucky had to come from behind to hold of UAB at home to remain atop Conference USA, East Tennessee State held of Furman in a thriller between two top SoCon teams, FGCU held off Lipscomb to stay atop the Atlantic Sun, Wright State is continuing to blow through Horizon League play (with NKU not far behind), Middle Tennessee fell at Marshall and is now almost certainly relegated to needing the auto-bid to make the NCAAs, and Louisiana had to come from behind to win at UT Arlington.

-In non-UTR news, Saint Mary’s picked up their biggest signature win of the year, which will also end up being their biggest regular season win of the year, with a close win at Gonzaga.  The game was a great game to watch between two rivals who seesawed back and forth.  SMC clearly needed the win more than the Zags.  They now have a much needed signature win on their resume.

-Of the Pac-12 bubble teams last night, the only team that stood out in a good way was USC – they came from behind to win at Oregon last night. Both UCLA and Washington took hits to their profiles with respective losses on the road at Oregon State and Colorado.

-Nebraska is starting to look like a homecourt hero with a decisive win against Michigan last night. Whereas it may keep the Wolverines out of a protected seed for the time being, it gives the Huskers some momentum going into their game at Ohio State on Monday night.  This will be their last shot at beating an NCAA Tournament-caliber team away from home until the Big 10 Tournament in March.

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Hoops HD Bracket Rundown: January 18th

Posted on January 18, 2018 by David Griggs

Chad and the panel once again put together their seedlist line by line and debate and discuss all of the teams as they go.  This is not an attempt to predict what the committee will do in March, nor is it an attempt to guess what the actual selection committee would do if they were building the bracket today.  This is simply what WE would do as a staff if we were the selection committee.  The areas of most debate are the #1 seeds, where Wichita State and Cincinnati belong, where Miami FL should be, and who the last teams in the field should be. And, after the Gonzaga v Saint Mary’s game went final, we actually scrub the final results!   All that, and much more…

 

Below is the bracketed form of the seedlist, but you should watch the show before you look at it!

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show…

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News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Thursday, January 18

Posted on January 18, 2018 by John Stalica

For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day featuring Murray State at Belmont – CLICK HERE

For last night’s weekly UTR Podcast – CLICK HERE

NEWS AND NOTES

-Last night, there were a pair of Top 10 teams that fell victims to upsets against unranked teams. One game was not what you would call a surprise – Texas was able to beat Texas Tech at home. This was the Longhorns’ 2nd win of note at home since they announced that Andrew Jones would undergo leukemia treatments. Mo Bamba had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Texas, and also got a 20-point performance from Kerwin Roach off of the bench.

-What was a surprise involved a floundering SMU team – they went into the Roundhouse at Wichita State and scored a road win against a Top 10 team for the first time since 1982. (The 1982 game was a REAL shocker – SMU was 1-15 in the Southwest Conference that season and won on the road against a Houston team that would reach the Final Four in New Orleans that season.) As for the present-day Mustangs, Shake Milton had 33 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field (including 5 3-pointers).

-TCU finally ended a 3-game losing streak with a much-needed win at home against Iowa State. However, Jaylen Fisher is going to be out of the lineup for TCU for a while because of a knee injury he sustained during practice earlier this week.

-Elsewhere in the American, present-day Houston lost a tough one at Tulane last night. Not terribly surprising in the sense that travel difficulties kept them from arriving in New Orleans until about 4 hours before game time. While we continue to highlight how improved Tulane is this season, it’s also the game that Houston can’t afford to lose very often since their chances at quality wins are still limited in the American.

-In the Big East, Creighton got a little bit of revenge against Seton Hall with a decisive win at home. Angel Delgado was in early foul trouble for the Pirates, and they seemed to just be in a mindset where they took their lumps and instead looked ahead to their home game on Saturday against Xavier. The Musketeers had to grind out a home win against St. John’s, but nonetheless their win propelled Chris Mack into the top of Xavier’s all-time victory list for coaches with #203 (surpassing Pete Gillen in the process).

-Villanova completely demolished Georgetown on the road to take sole possession of first place in the conference. How they do in their final five road games (Marquette, Providence, Xavier, Creighton and Seton Hall) will dictate whether or not they keep their regular season crown. But in the meantime, a trip down memory lane to UConn awaits them this weekend.

-Stanford did it again. The Cardinal got another solid win at home against an Arizona State team that has floundered since getting into Pac-12 play. We don’t think they’ll slip up at California (especially since the Bears got trounced at home against Arizona), but they are transitioning out of a protected seed status into more of a first ballot status right now.

-No Collin Sexton? No problem for Alabama – they also shored up their resume with a home win against Auburn. The Tigers had their 14-game winning streak snapped, but they’ll get a chance to bounce back this weekend when Georgia comes to the Plains of Auburn. Florida and Missouri also got nice wins themselves at home against Arkansas and Tennessee, respectively.

-Nevada and Boise State both survive and advance after tougher-than-expected wins at San Jose State and at home against Utah State, respectively. San Diego State took a tough loss at home against Fresno State, and UNLV also lost at home to New Mexico. It’s looking more and more like the best-case scenario for the Mountain West is two NCAA bids and a bevy of NIT bids.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VERMONT AT NEW HAMPSHIRE (America East). Are we looking at a case of better-late-than-never for last year’s Team of the People? Vermont is still unbeaten in league play, but the Wildcats are only a game out of first place themselves.

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT FURMAN (SoCon). Fresh off a home win against fellow SoCon contender UNC-Greensboro, the Bucs now hit the road to take on a Furman team that can claim a share of first place themselves with a win tonight.

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT LIPSCOMB (Atlantic Sun). The Bison have hit the skids with a disastrous road trip that involved road losses at Jacksonville and North Florida. Gulf Coast is on top of the Atlantic Sun for now, but 7 of their remaining 11 league games will be on the road. However, a win for the Eagles makes them large and in charge in the A-Sun.

-VIRGINIA AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). This is the first leg of a 2-game road trip for the Cavaliers that they should sweep, but as Miami and Notre Dame can attest, you can’t overlook the Jackets even though they have a home loss against Grambling on their resume.

-WAKE FOREST AT NORTH CAROLINA STATE (ACC). This is a game where NC State should hold serve at home – they best not look ahead to their upcoming home game against Miami. Wake is on a 3-game losing streak that involves losses to Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Outside of California, this is the most winnable game the Buffs have remaining in league play.

-UTAH VALLEY AT UT-RIO GRANDE VALLEY (WAC). Both teams are much improved and have a chance to remain in the conference race with a win tonight. Utah Valley is better equipped of these 2 teams to challenge New Mexico State for the crown.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT MARSHALL (C-USA). This is the toughest road trip in conference play for the Blue Raiders with WKU also looming this weekend. Marshall has been tough at home, although they offered little resistance against the aforementioned Hilltoppers earlier this month.

-LOUISIANA AT TEXAS-ARLINGTON (Sun Belt). We expected this to be one of the #FunBelt signature games this season, but not for the storylines that tonight’s game offers. Louisiana has their toughest roadie with Arlington and Texas State looming this weekend.

-MINNESOTA AT MARYLAND (Big Ten). A pair of desperate teams meet at College Park tonight, but the Gophers played much better in their win at Penn State than they did when they no-showed at home against Purdue. All of Maryland’s 6 losses are Tier 1 losses, but they’ll be on the wrong side of the bubble should they lose this one.

-SAINT MARY’S AT GONZAGA (West Coast, Spotlight Game). Round 1 of the WCC’s signature rivalry begins at 9 PM tonight on ESPN in front of a national audience at the Kennel. A Gonzaga win may vault them into a protected seed; a Saint Mary’s win would give the Gaels a desperately needed win in terms of quality (quantity is there for now).

-MICHIGAN AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten). We keep waiting for the other shoe to drop as it relates to Michigan, but they were able to avoid an emotional letdown with their win at home against Maryland on Monday. Nebraska is not a gimme, though. The Huskers are 0-5 against Tier 1 competition, but if they’re able to beat either Michigan or Ohio State on the road next Monday, they may get on the same trajectory that launched them on an NCAA Tournament run 4 years ago.

-USC AT OREGON (Pac 12). The Trojans can get themselves on the right side of the bubble with a win against an Oregon team that has been up and down in league play. The Ducks lost at home against Utah 2 weeks ago, but bounced back nicely with a win at Arizona State.

-SEATTLE AT NEW MEXICO STATE (WAC). The Aggies continue to flirt with a possible Top 25 ranking with their current 4-game winning streak that includes a win against Miami in the Diamond Head Classic. Lose this one and they’ll suddenly be caught in the WAC logjam that also includes Grand Canyon, Utah Valley and UTRGV.

-UAB AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (C-USA). This could have been Chad’s UTR Game of the Day if not for the Belmont-Murray State game that he chose. The Hilltoppers will have a chance to continue to bolster a potential at-large resume with a win against a UAB team only a game out of first place themselves in C-USA.

-WASHINGTON AT UTAH (Pac-12). The Huskies are squarely on the bubble after losing at home to Stanford over the weekend. They could really use at least one road win this weekend to stay in contention.

-UCLA AT OREGON STATE (Pac-12). The Bruins are also in need of at least one road win this weekend. Tonight is a winnable game, but as the Beavers showed at Arizona State over the weekend, they’re not going to be a pushover either.

 

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Murray State at Belmont

Posted on January 18, 2018 by Chad

Murray State at Belmont, 7:00 PM Eastern , ESPNU

The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to Nashville, Tennessee tonight for a first place battle in the Ohio Valley Conference between Murray State and Belmont.  The two teams enter play tonight tied for the conference lad at 5-1 (along with surprising Austin Peay as well).  The host Bruins are 13-6 overall including a pair of very impressive road wins at Middle Tennessee and at Western Kentucky, the top two teams in Conference USA.  In fact, but for a pair of losses to cross-town rival Lipscomb, it is arguable that Belmont would have a profile that could challenge for at-large bid contention should they continue to win.

The Murray State Racers are currently 13-4 overall with the best predictive metrics (KenPom, BPI, Sagarin) in the conference.  Their average predictive rating of 79 is over 20 spots better that Belmont’s 101.  The Racers have only one truly notable win so far, at Horizon League leader Wright State, but are still a very dangerous team.  Keep an eye on Terrell Miller in tonight’s game, as he was impressive with a double-double last time out in a win over Tennessee Tech.

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Under the Radar: January 17th

Posted on January 17, 2018 by David Griggs

Tonight’s featured conference is the SWAC where Texas Southern had a tough week with two losses, and Pine Bluff and Jackson State find themselves in first place.  Grambling has also made some noise with a 3-3 start.  We run through all 22 leagues and discuss how Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee could both end up in the NCAA Tournament, what a logjam the Big South is once again, how exciting things are in the SoCon, Wright State’s surprising start in the Horizon League, South Dakota State’s dominance, and much more…

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show…

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Corey’s Story: HoopsHD interviews TCU legend Corey Santee

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Jon Teitel

TCU had a year to remember in 2017: after upsetting Kansas in the Big 12 tourney last March they made the NIT and won 5 games in a row to clinch the title, then started this season 12-0 before losing by 1 PT to Oklahoma on December 30th.  Coach Jamie Dixon has received much of the credit for turning around a program that went 12-21 in 2016 before he showed up, but his staff has played a large role as well, including grad assistant Corey Santee.  He was originally recruited by Billy Tubbs to attend college at TCU back in the day and finished his career as the all-time AST leader and #2 career scorer in school history.  After graduating in 2005 he played professionally for several years but is now back in Fort Worth as he tries to help his alma mater make it to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time in 20 years.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Corey about single-handedly making life miserable for Marquette fans in the mid-2000s and whether it is a good thing to have multiple PGs on 1 team.

You grew up in Flint, MI and were rated as the #1 PG in the state as a senior: what made you choose the Horned Frogs instead of following the “Flintstones” (Mateen Cleaves/Morris Peterson/Charlie Bell) to East Lansing? They did not really start recruiting me at 1st so I kind of had a chip on my shoulder about that! I went to Coach Steve Fisher’s camps at Michigan for several years and really wanted to go there until he left in 1997.  An assistant coach at TCU wrote me a couple of letters and there were so many good coaches in their league at the time (Bob Huggins/Tom Crean/Rick Pitino/John Calipari/etc.) that I wanted to be a part of it and create a name for myself.

In 2002 you were named to the CUSA all-freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? They threw me into the fire but it was nice to have the ball in my hands and get to lead a run and gun offense. I could not have asked for a better situation because the veterans on the team trusted me to play PG.

In the 2004 CUSA tourney you scored 10 PTS including a 1-handed floater with 8 seconds left in a 2-PT win over Marquette and in the 2005 CUSA tourney you scored 8 PTS including a 3-PT shot with 11.8 seconds left in a 3-PT OT win over Marquette: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and are you banned from ever setting foot on the Golden Eagles’ campus?! As a kid you are just playing outside in the driveway, counting down the clock (5-4-3-2-1), and then putting up a shot at the buzzer. I thrived on it and relished those moments…but it was crazy to do it 2 years in a row against the same team!

You remain #2 in school history in PTS and #1 in AST: what is the key to being a good PG? Those are very nice accomplishments. You need to be a vocal leader: even when you are hurt during practice you have to pick up your own level of play. You need to be a leader on and off the court: you can have fun in college but it is a brotherhood so you have to make sure that your teammates are making the right decisions and that everyone is trying to reach the same goal on the court.

After graduation you spent several years playing pro basketball in the D-League as well as several countries: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? At that time the teams overseas viewed American players as cocky/arrogant so it was hard to get along with my teammates at 1st until they got to know me personally. There is much more physicality overseas and every single big man can shoot from outside on pick-and-pop plays. The fans there are really into it: painted faces/confetti/etc.! There are only 2 rounds in the NBA draft (unlike 7 in the NFL), so even though there are plenty of NBA-caliber players who just did not make it to the NBA, they all go overseas so there is a lot of great competition around the world.

Last October you were inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is a blessing and right now is at the very top. I had goals of trying to make my family/city proud of me, so to be recognized as 1 of the best players to come here is amazing.  I could never have planned it working out so well and there is such a great atmosphere here.

You are in the middle of your 1st year as a grad assistant to Coach Jamie Dixon at your alma mater: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He always stays level no matter what and is always positive/encouraging to everybody. He pays attention to the details and learns everyone’s strengths/weaknesses to get the best out of everyone. He is the captain of the ship and it is cool to watch him lead us.

Your roster has a pair of good PGs in Jaylen Fisher/Alex Robinson: does it make life easier (because there is always a backup who can take over in case of injury/foul trouble to the starter) or harder (because you can only have 1 guy running the offense at a time)? I think it is great. They still need to be more vocal but now that they see they are better with each other they just push each other so hard in practice to be the best they possibly can. They each bring a different dynamic so we are lucky to have both of them.

You began this season 12-0 thanks to 1 of the best offenses in the country but have lost 4 conference games since Christmas by a total of 11 PTS (including 2 in OT): what makes the Big 12 the best conference in the country, and what is the key to winning games that go down to the wire? The Big 12 is the toughest conference because we have great coaches, experienced teams, and fantastic fans. We just need to finish games when we are up by 6 PTS with 2 minutes to go by doing all the little things: huddling up, taking care of the ball, and making big shots down the stretch.

2 of those losses were to Oklahoma, whose star PG Trae Young averaged 41 PPG/7.5 RPG/10.5 APG against you, made 16 threes, and committed 16 TO: I know it is a small sample size but where does he rank among the greatest college basketball players that you have ever seen? He has to be up there.  I am usually hard on our opponents but he has been great in both games against us. I like past PGs like Allen Iverson/Kemba Walker but the offense runs through Trae because he takes chances and is great in the pick-and-roll due to his unlimited range. He has a great IQ and is 1 of the best PGs in the game right now.

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