Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-San Diego State picked up a huge and much needed win against Gonzaga last night that will go a long way toward helping their tournament chances.  They’re along way from being able to coast, but if they finish at or near the top of the Mountain West (which is much easier said than done) then they should be okay.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TEMPLE AT GEORGIA.  Both teams are off to a good start and both have some good wins on their profile, but both also still have a lot of work to do and a win today would really help.  Temple has four nice neutral floor wins, but is still looking for their first true road win.

-LOUISIANA AT CLEMSON.  Louisiana is off to a pretty impressive 8-2 start and has a nice road win at Louisiana Tech, but if they were to pick this one up then they’d be setting themselves up for an at-large bid if they’re able to blow through the Sun Belt this year.  Clemson is also off to a fantastic start at 10-1 and is looking to continue to build their momentum.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS PRINCETON (Diamond Head Classic).  This tournament is a chance for Middle Tennessee to pick up some notable wins, which is important if they want to be in position to get an at-large bid.  Today’s game is big simply because losing it will most likely deny them the chance to play in the winner’s bracket.

-NORTHWESTERN AT OKLAHOMA.  Oklahoma has steamrolled through the season so far and can keep that momentum going with a win today.  Northwestern’s season has been rough, but this is the kind of game that could turn things around in a hurry if they somehow figure out a way to win it.

-SAINT BONAVENTURE AT SYRACUSE.  This one should be fun!  Syracuse has just one loss on the year, and the Bonnies have been solid ever since Jaylen Adams rejoined the team.  If the Bonnies want to show that they are a solid tournament team then this is the kind of game that they’ll need to win.

-TOWSON AT PITTSBURGH.  We are highlighting this more for Towson than for Pitt.  This is a very winnable game for Towson and they can improve to 11-2 on the year and pick up their second true road win.

-CHARLESTON AT COASTAL CAROLINA.  CofC’s margin for error is essentially down to zero, but they’re still a very respectable 8-3 and if they can somehow making it through the rest of the season by winning out or coming close to it then they should be in the discussion come Selection Sunday.  A win today would be their second true road win of the season.

-HOFSTRA VS. VILLANOVA (Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum). A homecoming of sorts for Jay Wright – his prior head coaching stint was at Hofstra. The Pride appear to be fighting out of their weight class in this one.

-AKRON VS. USC (Diamond Head Classic).  At 6-2, Akron has a chance in this one, and if they were to pick it up it would certainly make everyone sit up and take notice.  USC has struggled and needs to string together some wins just to get things turned around.

-SAN FRANCISCO VS DUQUESNE (Las Vegas Classic).  Somehow Duquesne is 8-3, and although they don’t have a lot of quality wins, they’re still improved.

-XAVIER AT NORTHERN IOWA.  This is a great game.  For Xavier it’s a chance to pick up their second true road win, and it won’t be easy.  Northern Iowa has yet to lose at home, and if they win this they may not lose at home all year.  UNI is coming off a rough loss to Iowa State, but they still have a solid profile and if they’re able to win this one it would solidify it even more.  Our John Stalica will be there in person for what is probably the game of the day.

-WILLIAM & MARY AT TCU.  Bill & Mary is off to a quiet 7-3 start and is doing a lot better than what we expected.  If they some how win this one that will change to a very noisy 8-3.  TCU is looking to remain undefeated on the season.

-COLORADO VS IOWA (Sioux Falls SD).  This is just an odd game, but…whatever.  Colorado should be able to pick up a win away from home and improve to 9-3.

-TEXAS VS ALABAMA (Birmingham AL).  Both these teams have looked good, both these teams are good, but both have profiles that don’t quite reflect how good each of them are yet.  That’s why this game is so important.  It’s a chance to pick up a really nice win for the tournament resume.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT MISSOURI STATE (Missouri Valley).  Conference play gets underway in the MVC!  I get the feeling that the teams at the top of this league will be inside the bubble, and both of these teams are positioned to end up there.

-NORTHERN COLORADO AT UNLV.  Both teams have good records and have looked pretty good this season.  I’m not ready to declare either one of them a solid tournament team yet, but this is certainly a game that’s worth watching.

-MONTANA AT WASHINGTON.  Washington has some good wins (and one in particular), but they still have a ton of work to do.  Although they’re favored, Montana comes in at 7-4 and they aren’t likely to just lay down.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS VS NEVADA (Las Vegas Classic).  This is a decent Southern Illinois team taking on a really good Nevada team.  The Wolfpack can improve to 11-2 on the year and pick up another win away from home.

-DAVIDSON VS NEW MEXICO STATE (Diamond Head Classic).  This is a really good New Mexico State team who is capable of making quite a bit of noise in this tournament and helping out their resume in the process.

-MIAMI FL AT HAWAII (Diamond Head Classic).  This game is tipping off late, and it may not be over until almost 4am, but it may be worth watching.  Miami has yet to lose a game, and Hawaii is tough to beat at home.

BUY GAMES

-UTRGV @ Oklahoma State
-Pacific @ Arizona State
-Abilene Christian @ Texas Tech
-Sacred Heart @ Providence
-FGCU @ Wichita State
-Hampton @ Virginia
-Jacksonville @ NC State
-Stony Brook @ Rutgers
-Rider @ Penn State
-Incarnate Word @ Florida
-Norfolk State @ Old Dominion
-Delaware State @ Nebraska
-North Florida @ LSU
-Bethune Cookman @ Washington State
-UNC Asheville @ Saint Mary’s

NEWS AND NOTES

For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between Oakland, and Towson, which is a REALLY good game – CLICK HERE

-Texas A&M, Xavier, Wichita State, Syracuse, and Notre Dame all won buy games, but they were all struggles.  Syracuse didn’t put Buffalo away until the final minutes, Xavier blew a big lead against Marshall and held on to win by only 4, Wichita trailed in the second half against Arkansas State before finally pulling away, and Texas A&M didn’t put Northern Kentucky away until the final minute of the game.

-Missouri defeated SFA by a single point, but that game was far less surprising because of how strong SFA is.  It’s actually a decent win for Mizzou, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if SFA was able to win out.  They really needed a win like the win at Mizzou if they wanted to impress the committee because their remaining schedule is atrociously weak, but still.  Don’t be surprised if they win out and enter the NCAA Tournament with 30 wins.

-Auburn picked up another nice win that is much nicer than it appears.  They went into Murray State and beat a good team on the road.  Murray could end up finishing in the RPI top 75, which means the committee will give Auburn a ton of credit for that win.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SAINT JOSEPH’S VS SAINT JOHN’S (Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase, Uncasville CT).  Saint John’s has been really impressive this year and they can add another respectable win away from home to their resume today.

-HOUSTON VS PROVIDENCE (Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase, Uncasville CT).  Both these teams have potential, and both have shown signs of having a pulse.  Having said that, you get the sense that this is a big game for both teams because both need to improve.

-EVANSVILLE AT DUKE.  Evansville comes into this game at 10-2 and is likely way overmatched.  But if they could somehow pull off this upset (which I know isn’t likely) then it’s the kind of win that could catapult them onto the national scene and solidly into the NCAA Tournament talk.

-WAGNER AT SETON HALL.  This is a buy game, and could very well end up looking like a buy game, but it’s an interesting regional match up between a Wagner team that so far has looked the best out of all the NEC teams, and comes into this game with a 7-2 record.

-NORTHEASTERN AT SAINT BONAVENTURE.  I like the way the Bonnies have been playing, and they’ve got another tough UTR team at home today.  They don’t want to overlook Northeastern, who comes in at 7-4 with five straight wins, including Bucknell and Vermont in that stretch.

-FURMAN AT TENNESSEE.  Tennessee is coming off a hard fought game against North Carolina that they lost, but still ended up earning a lot of respect for.  They need to focus on today’s game against a Furman team that comes in at 9-3 and who could possibly put themselves in the discussion if they’re able to pick up a high caliber win like this.

-ALBANY AT LOUISVILLE.  This is a buy game that Louisville should be able to blow open, but we’ll go ahead and highlight it because of Albany’s strong 11-2 start and because they should be at or near the top of the America East.

-KANSAS STATE AT WASHINGTON STATE.  Both teams have shown signs of life, both have respectable records, and Wazzu even has some notable wins.  Having said that, both teams really need more quality wins so this is big for both of them.

BUY GAMES

-Coppin State @ West Virginia
-James Madison @ Florida
-North Texas @ Georgetown
-UMES @ Iowa State
-Southern @ Baylor
-UTSA @ Nebraska
-Little Rock @ Mississippi State
-Siena @ Memphis
-Wofford @ North Carolina — Keep an eye on Wofford’s Fletcher Magee!
-SC Upstate @ Creighton
-Northwestern State @ Utah
-Central Arkansas @ Oregon
-Mississippi Valley State @ UNLV