Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

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

-Xavier picked up a REALLY nice road win at Northern Iowa.  I think that Xavier is a better team, but I was actually expecting UNI to win because they were at home, and had the crowd with them, and had the familiarity of the venue with them.  This could very well end up being their only home loss, and if that’s how it plays out then its’ a win that Xavier will get a ton of credit for from the selection committee.

-Georgia had no trouble burying Temple 84-66.  I Georgia is a really hot and cold team, but after that win I’d say they’re hot right now.

-Saint Bonaventure led Syracuse for most of the game, but the Orange were able to force overtime.  Still, the Bonnies pulled it out and picked up a huge win for their resume, and did it against a regional P5 team.  That always has to feel good.

-Rutgers, who we never thought of as being a tournament team but still thought were showing signs of promise, lost at home to Stony Brook yesterday.  I guess they were still partying after beating Seton Hall.  They weren’t the only Big Ten school to choke on their cupcake…

-Penn State, who we have talking about as a possible tournament team, lost at home to Rider yesterday in a game that was truly surprising.

-Towson blew it against Pitt.  Pitt is getting better, but this was really a game Towson could have won and arguably should have won.  The Colonial will get one team in, and it’ll be whoever wins the automatic bid.  Teams need to be able to win on the road against sub-NIT caliber teams if they want to be able to make the NCAAs.

-Texas looked really impressive against Alabama in Birmingham.  It was a good win for their resume, but more importantly they looked like a top 25 caliber team yesterday.

-UNLV and Washington both survived scares from Big Sky teams.  Northern Colorado, who is having a fantastic season by UTR standards, nearly knocked off UNLV, and Montana was right in there with Washington.  It was two of the more exciting games of the day.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES, Saturday, Dec 23rd

-TENNESSEE AT WAKE FOREST.  Tennessee had to sweat out their last game, but they’ve still had a great season so far and have a winnable true road game today against a Wake team that is improving with six straight wins, but that’s still struggling.

-GRAND CANYON AT LOUISVILLE.  It’s a buy game, and it probably won’t be a close game, but since GCU is one of the better teams in the WAC we’ll go ahead and highlight it.

-RICHMOND AT BOSTON COLLEGE.  Richmond is so bad that this will end up looking like a buy game.

-OHIO STATE VS NORTH CAROLINA (CBS Sports Classic, New Orleans).  UNC is coming off a rather surprising loss to Wofford and is looking to rebound.  Their opponent is an Ohio State team that is by no means great, but has gotten noticeably better as the year has gone along and is a potentially dangerous opponent today if UNC overlooks them.  UNC is a likely protected seed, and Ohio State is trying to make the field.  A win today away from home helps both teams causes.

-ILLINOIS STATE AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley).  Evansville was just blasted at Duke, but they weren’t at full strength and they’re still in relatively decent shape if they can finish at or near the top of the MVC.  Winning today is pretty much a must.

-UCONN AT AUBURN.  Auburn has been one of the bigger surprises of the year, and they can continue to build that momentum against a UConn team that has really struggled this season.  The Huskies really need a win like this to get things turned around.

-KENTUCKY VS UCLA (CBS Sports Classic, New Orleans). Kentucky comes into this at 9-1, but still doesn’t have a really solid win that most protected seeded teams will have.  Still, they’ve improved as the year has gone on and are still dangerous.  UCLA is still trying to iron out their issues and could really use a win like this to catapult their resume, so this is a nice opportunity for both teams.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS USC (Diamond Head Classic).  Middle Tennessee barely survived against Princeton yesterday, but it’s a good thing that they did because it places them on the winning side of the bracket and gives them the chance to pick up quality wins away from home.  If they win this game, which they’re certainly capable of doing, and then blow through the conference, which they’re certainly capable of doing, then they should at least end up on the bubble.  If they win this whole tournament then they should end up inside the bubble.  USC needs to win just to get things turned around.  They started off ranked in the top 10, but have barely looked like a top 40 team for most of the season.

-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI (Saint Louis, MO).  BRAGGIN RIGHTS!!!  This game doesn’t quite have the story line that it typically did about ten years ago, but it is slowly working its way back to relevance.  Missouri looks like a tournament caliber team this year and this would be another win away from home.  Illinois has struggled, but they’re program is rebuilding and you get the sense that it’s going in the right direction.  This would be a feel-good moment for them if they’re able to pull the upset, and those feel-good moments are important to programs that are rebuilding.

-NEW MEXICO STATE VS MIAMI FL (Diamondhead Classic).  New Mexico State is a solid UTR team that could really build up their resume if they’re able to win this tournament.  Like Middle Tennessee, if they beat a ranked team today and then blow through their conference they should end up inside the bubble come Selection Sunday.  That’s easier said than done.  Miami is undefeated and just blew out a pretty good Hawaii team in the middle of the night last night.

-SAN FRANCISCO VS NEVADA (Last Vegas Classic).  Nevada is off to a great start and shouldn’t have too much trouble improving to 12-2 and picking up another win away from home.

BUY GAMES

-Fordham @ West Virginia
-Manhattan @ Seton Hall
-Loyola MD @ Memphis
-Alabama A&M @ Georgetown
-Florida Atlantic @ Minnesota
-Southern Miss @ Mississippi State
-Texas Southern @ BYU

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24TH

-No games scheduled

MONDAY, DECEMBER 25TH

-MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  We will have the final round of the Diamond Head Classic today.  The winner’s side of hte bracket has shaped up to be pretty good, and the third place games and championship games should be worth watching.  It will be some combination of New Mexico State v Miami FL and Middle Tennessee vs USC with the winners and losers playing each other.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 26th

-No games scheduled

As we do every year, we will be going into holiday mode for the next couple of days.  Christmas falls on a Monday, so we will be recording the Hoops HD report at a later time (probably Tuesday).  I realize the holidays mean different things to different people, and that everyone experiences them in a different way.  Some love it.  Others hate it.  If you’ve got a big family celebration plan then I hope you enjoy it and that it goes well.  If you’ve got a big family celebration planned that you’re dreading, then I hope you survive it.  If you’re unable to be with your family and friends then at the very least I hope you’re able to relax and enjoy the time to yourself.  If you ever need to connect with someone, just turn on the Diamond Head Classic and jump on Twitter.  We will be watching.  If you’re someone that doesn’t enjoy the holidays at all then I’m sure you have your reasons and I hope you get through them okay.  As I said before, just turn on the Diamond Head, jump on Twitter, and pretend that it’s not December!

Thanks to all those who watch, listen, and read.  See ya soon!!

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