News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Sunday, Dec 17th

Posted on December 17, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-I say this every Sunday morning, but yesterday was a crazy day!

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between Delaware and Delaware State – CLICK HERE 

-Wichita State didn’t lose on their home court, but they lost in their home city to an unranked Oklahoma team who sprinted out to a comfortable lead early and then never gave it up.  It was a tremendous showing by the Sooners and it was yet another example of a top ten team going down at home.  At least mostly at home.  Oklahoma should be in the rankings after that.  They appear to be cruising to the top half of the bracket come March.  I’m more impressed with the Sooners than disappointed in the Shockers.

-Xavier, another top ten team, trailed by 22 in the second half to unranked East Tennessee State who came out of nowhere with an incredible effort.  Xavier finally woke up and came storming back to overcome a huge second half deficit as well as a 7-point deficit in the final three minutes to escape with the win.  We almost saw ANOTHER top ten team go down at home to an unranked team.

-Now, to be fair, two of the top ten teams who went down yesterday were Notre Dame and Florida, who are no longer top ten teams and who after yesterday may not even be top 25 teams.  Notre Dame took on an Indiana team that was NIT-tacular at best, and ended up losing in rather sub-NIT-tacular fashion when the Hoosiers were down three and got fouled, then missed the freethrow, but got the rebound and made the layup.  Notre Dame had a chance to tie and force overtime on a mid-court shot that almost went down, but they again pick up a loss to a team that doesn’t appear to be a tournament team.

-Florida fell to Clemson in another exciting game.  Last season Clemson lost eight games either in overtime or on the final possession to tournament teams, and just out of habit I was expecting them to end up losing this game as well.  But, they didn’t.  They picked up a HUGE neutral floor win against a Florida team who I think will get their ship turned around over Christmas break, but for now has shown quite a few flaws.

-Kansas needed a 3-pointer in the final seconds to pull out a win at Nebraska in an exciting game that seesawed back and forth.  It was an electric atmosphere, but then again that’s the way it always is when Kansas plays anyone in a true road game.

-Seton Hall fell to Rutgers in what had to be the most satisfying win for Rutgers in years.  They improve to 10-3 on the season and while the vast majority of those wins include buy games at home, it now includes a win over a rival who was ranked.  Rutgers also gave Michigan State a bit of a squeeze when the two met up a few weeks ago, so Rutgers may be to the point to where they can beat solid tournament teams at home.  That’s an improvement.  I don’t mean that facetiously, although I hope our colleague and host Chad Sherwood takes it that way!

-Florida State fell to Oklahoma State in the second half of the Orange Bowl Classic.  Both games were one point games, and both resulted in a surprising unranked team knocking off a ranked team.  We did not expect much out of the Pokes, but at 8-2 with a neutral floor win over a previously unbeaten Florida State team, we need to start taking them seriously.

-Cincinnati finally picked up a big win and changed the complexion of their resume for the better.  They went out to UCLA and absolutely ran away with that game.

-UNC Greensboro pulled off the biggest UTR upset of the day with their win at NC State.  UNCG clearly looks like a SoCon frontrunner and it will be interesting to see what the committee does with them if they blow through that league.

-Stephen F Austin improved to 10-1 on the year with their win at LSU, who is improving but hasn’t quite graduated to the level of good yet.  Still, SFA should finish the season with just two or three losses, if that.  They go to Mizzou next, and the remaining game is winnable.

-Georgetown appeared to have Syracuse put away, but the Orange came back, forced overtime, and picked up a huge win.  Everyone had been picking on Georgetown for their weak schedule, and rightfully so.  Their profile now consists of a weak schedule and a loss to a decent team.

-Northwestern REALLY had to sweat out DePaul, but ended up pulling out out.  The Wildcats just don’t seem to have it this year.  At least, not yet.  This is noteworthy moreso because of how damaging the loss would have been, not how good the win was.

-Northern Iowa, who had been having a fantastic season, played a back and forth game with Iowa State for about 30 minutes, and then were blown out in the final 10 minutes.  The loss doesn’t sink them, but a win would have REALLY helped them and opened up their margin for error a bit more.

-Saint Bonaventure and Rhode Island both avoided losses to really good UTR teams in Vermont and CofC.  In the case of the Bonnies, it took a buzzer-beating 3 to pull off the win in neighboring Rochester. Those may turn out to be halfway decent wins for them.

-Middle Tennessee faced Auburn in Birmingham, and simply did not show up for the first thirty or so minutes of the game.  They fought back to at least make the score respectable, but it was a decisive and impressive win for an Auburn team that isn’t getting a lot of attention, but only has one loss and some fairly good wins on their resume.

-Oregon got a VERY nice road win at Fresno State, which may not have people jumping up and down, but Fresno will not lose many home games and will likely be a top 75 team, so the committee will give the Ducks quite a bit of credit for this one.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VANDERBILT AT ARIZONA STATE.  Vandy is off to an atrocious 3-6 start and Arizona State has looked like a top five team so far.  Nothing about this game suggests that it will be close.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT TENNESSEE.  North Carolina is not afraid to play on the road out of conference, and they’re not afraid to play in games that are tough to win.  This is a road game against a ranked Tennessee team that’s having a much better season than we expected.  It’s a great OOC opportunity for both teams as well as a great showcase game.  Right now UNC is looking like a protected seed, and Tennessee is looking like they could end up wearing white in the Round of 64.

-IONA AT SAINT JOHN’S.  The Johnnies are having a fantastic season so far.  Iona has struggled, as has the entire MAAC, but Iona appears to be struggling less than everyone else.  They’re probably overmatched in this game, but it should still be a fun one.  It usually is whenever two NYC teams get together.

-UC SANTA BARBARA AT USC.  This is the litmus test.  This is the game that if UCSB can win then they’ll have something on their resume to point to and say they belong inside the bubble if they blow through the Big West but trip in the conference tournament (which we often see in that league).  USC on the other hand is just trying to get things turned around.  They certainly don’t need to hit the panic button yet, but they look nothing like a top ten team, which is where they were ranked when the season began.

 

BUY GAMES

-Central Connecticut @ Boston College (the Lee Delvecchio Classic)
-Stony Brook @ Providence
-Savannah State @ Baylor
-Prairie View A&M @ Houston
-Radford @ Nevada
-LMU @ Washington

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Delaware at Delaware State

Posted on December 17, 2017 by Chad

Delaware at Delaware State, 8:00 PM Eastern, dsuhornets.com

We love rivalries here at HoopsHD, so we would be remiss if tonight’s Battle of the First State was not our highlighted Under the Radar Game of the Day.  Delaware State enters this game with a record of 2-9, still searching for the school’s first D1 win of the season.  Their closest game was actually on the road in a six point loss at East Carolina.  Simon Okolue had 14 points while Artem Tavakalyan came off the bench for 20 and 8 boards in that loss.  Tavakalyan went for 13 ad 7 last time out at Duquesne, making him the player that opposing defenses will need to be certain to focus on.

The Blue Hens of Delaware enter tonight’s contest at 4-6, and are looking to break a four game losing streak.  They notably hosted Notre Dame last weekend, losing 92-68.  The Blue Hens were led by Kevin Anderson who scored 21 points to go with 7 assists.  Ryan Daly has been a double-digit scorer in all but one game so far this season.  The Blue Hens will need both of them and their teammates to step up tonight against the rival Hornets, as Delaware tries to expand its all-time 13-4 series lead.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Dec 16th

Posted on December 16, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

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

-We did have a great game last night as Colorado needed double overtime to beat a South Dakota State team that will in all likelihood need the auto bid to get in, but if they do get it they could end up being a dangerous game in the Round of 64.

-Finals Week is over!!  We now have our normal gluttonous serving of college basketball that we’re used to seeing on a Saturday!

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-BYU AT UTAH (***Spotlight Game***).  After a one year hiatus the rivalry is back.  This may not be the biggest rivalry in terms of importance.  It’s not even a conference game anymore, and the two teams aren’t constantly ranked in the top ten.  But in terms of bitterness this rivalry is at a whole other level.  It really is.  And, it’s actually rather meaningful tonight in the sense that both teams currently look like fringe bubble teams.  They may be able to play their way into a position where they’re solidly in the tournament, but then again maybe not.  When you get two teams that are in that situation in a rivalry game, then you should be in for a great night.  I’m glad the rivalry is back!!

-MIAMI FL AT GEORGE WASHINGTON.  This is only Miami’s second true road game of the year, but they still have a pretty strong resume and are off to an 8-0 start.

-SETON HALL AT RUTGERS.  This is a rivalry game, and Rutgers does appear to be making progress.  They’re making it slowly, but they are making it.  They’re not anywhere close to Seton Hall’s level, but they are at home and it’ll be interesting to see what they can do against them.

-BUTLER VS PURDUE (Crossroads Classic, Indianapolis).  I keep saying that this is a rebuilding year for Butler, and they don’t appear to be as good as they’ve been recently, but they do come into this at a quiet 8-2 with some decent wins on their profile.  If they get this one it would really be a statement win.  Purdue’s only two losses on the year are the two they picked up in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

-LOUISVILLE VS MEMPHIS (Gotham Classic, MSG).  This is an old Metro Conference, then Conference USA, and then very briefly an American rivalry.  The bitterness is probably gone (at least most of it), but it’s still hugely important game on paper as both teams come in 7-2 in search of a quality win.

-UNC GREENSBORO AT NC STATE.  It’s a buy game, but with UNCG looking like one of the better teams in the Big South SoCon we will go ahead and highlight it.

-MICHIGAN VS DETROIT (College Basketball Showcase, Detroit).  The game is in Detroit, but the crowd will likely be partial to Michigan as they look to improve to 10-3 on the year.

-INDIANA STATE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY.  Western Kentucky is coming off disappointing (and in the case of their last game controversial) losses and are looking to get things turned around.  Their margin for error is small, and they pretty much need to blow through the rest of the season if they want the committee to look at them.

-SYRACUSE AT GEORGETOWN.  Georgetown is unbeaten against the weakest schedule I’ve ever seen.  Syracuse’s schedule hasn’t been tough, but it’s been infinitely more challenging that Georgetown’s.  We should learn something about the Hoyas today as they take on their former Big East rivals.

-STEPHEN F AUSTIN AT LSU.  SFA is 9-1 on the year and are good enough to win this game if LSU overlooks them.

-MICHIGAN STATE VS OAKLAND (College Basketball Showcase, Detroit).  Prior to the season when we thought Oakland was a top UTR team this is one we had circled.  The Grizz have been kind of disappointing, whereas Michigan State has put together an amazing profile and is deservedly ranked #2 in the nation.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT KENTUCKY.  Both teams come in with just one loss, but neither really have a win anywhere close to as good as this one would likely turn out to be.

-DAVIDSON AT VIRGINIA.  This isn’t a buy game, and Davidson could be a force in the Atlantic Ten, but it looks to be a huge mismatch and could end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT FLORIDA STATE.  We weren’t expecting much at all out of Okie State, but they come into this one at 7-2 and we’ll have to start taking them seriously if they’re able to pick up a win today.  Florida State comes in unbeaten and is one of the bigger surprises of the season, especially when you consider how they blew out Florida on the road.

-NORTHWESTERN AT DEPAUL.  Northwestern started off sluggishly, but they appear to have turned it around and should continue to build momentum if they can knock off a DePaul team that’s looked sluggish for the last decade or so.

-LOUISIANA TECH AT TEXAS.  LA Tech has had some close calls against big opponents, but hasn’t managed to get over the hump and pick up a quality win just yet.  Texas comes in at 6-3 and is off to a very impressive start when you consider two of their losses were close games to Gonzaga and Duke.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT MILWAUKEE.  I like this Loyola team and they can improve to 11-1 on the season if they pick up this win today.  If they keep it up they won’t need the automatic bid to make the NCAA Tournament.

-INDIANA VS NOTRE DAME (Crossroads Classic, Indianapolis).  Notre Dame looks like a potential protected seed and Indiana looks like a potential NIT team if they’re even able to play that well.  It should be a mismatch in favor of the Irish.

-GEORGIA AT UMASS.  There hasn’t been a whole lot of buzz around Georgia, but they do have wins against Saint Mary’s and at Marquette, and a win today will get them to 8-1 on the year with three true road wins on their profile.

-CINCINNATI AT UCLA.  Both teams have good records, but both teams severely lack quality wins right now, and you get that there is a sense of urgency for both of them coming into this game.

-OKLAHOMA AT WICHITA STATE (Intrust Bank Arena).  This game isn’t at the Round House, but it will still be a great atmosphere between a Wichita State team that’s good enough to gun for a #1 seed, and an Oklahoma team that I feel is a lot better than what many realize.  It’s Oklahoma’s first road game as well as their biggest test of the year and would be a huge win on their resume if they’re somehow able to pull off the upset.

-VERMONT AT SAINT BONAVENTURE.  Vermont has been somewhat disappointing in the sense that we thought they’d be a top forty team that could put together a top forty resume, but they’ve still been a solid team and are still potentially dangerous.  The Bonnies have gone 7-1 since dropping their opener without their star player and are still a solid team that could land inside the bubble if they keep winning like they have been.  Today’s game won’t top the headlines, but it is one of the more intriguing games of the day.

-CHARLESTON AT RHODE ISLAND.  This is another really intriguing game that will probably fly under the sight line of most of the nation.  Charleston had a really bad showing in Alaska, but other than that they have held serve and could still land on or near the bubble if they can thunder down the stretch and pick up a win in a game like this.  Rhody has dealt with injuries, but has still at least held serve and EC Matthews should be back today, which is another reason to watch.

-FLORIDA VS CLEMSON (Orange Bowl Classic).  This is a hugely important neutral floor game for a Florida team that’s trying to shake off a bad week from the other week, and a Clemson team that’s out to an 8-1 start and trying to add a huge quality win to their resume.

-NORTHERN IOWA VS IOWA STATE (Des Moines).  Northern Iowa is having the kind of year that could not just land them in the NCAA Tournament, but land them in the top half of it.  This is a chance to add yet another notable win to an already impressive resume.

-DREXEL AT TEMPLE (Sort of Big Five).  Temple was clobbered by Villanova earlier in the week and is looking to rebound from that.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT AUBURN.  Middle Tennessee is a UTR team, but this is a game between two teams that are trying to make the NCAA Tournament and could end up in the top forty.  Both teams have just one loss and a few decent but not great wins.  Whoever wins this will take a huge step in that direction.

-OREGON AT FRESNO STATE.  We are still feeling these teams out.  Are one or both of them good enough to end up inside the bubble?  Today’s game is important because of how it will help answer that question.

-BUCKNELL AT VCU.  We highlight this game only to mention that we are not highlighting this game.  Both teams have been disappointing.

-KANSAS AT NEBRASKA.  Kansas is coming off back to back losses, both of which were rather surprising.  They face a Nebraska team that has shown moments of promise, but nothing more.  They are unbeaten at home, though, and the place should be rocking for today’s game.

-ARIZONA AT NEW MEXICO.  I was happy when I saw this series was coming back!  My excitement level has dropped off some now that New Mexico is a pitiful 3-7 on the year.

-NEW MEXICO STATE VS ILLINOIS (United Center, Chicago).  This will be a tough test for an Illinois team that appears to be improving, but still has a long way to go.  New Mexico State is probably the best team in the WAC and the Illini better not overlook them.

-UNLV AT PACIFIC.  UNLV has looked good this year, but their resume could still use some work and they’re still looking for their first true road win.

-SAINT LOUIS AT OREGON STATE.  This game will likely have, at most, NIT implications, but there is still time and opportunity for one or both of them to get things turned around.

 

BUY GAMES

-East Tennessee State @ Xavier
-Wheeling Jesuit (nondiv1) @ West Virginia (exhibition that does NOT count towards WVU’s overall record)
-Appalachian State @ Ohio State – a HOT HOT HOT!! buy game
-IUPUI @ Washington State
-North Dakota @ Gonzaga
-Rice @ Texas Tech
-UT Martin @ Mississippi State
-Troy @ Arkansas
-New Orleans @ Louisiana – probably not an actual buy game, but whatever
-Southeast Missouri State @ Kansas State
-UC Irvine @ Saint Mary’s
-North Florida @ Missouri
-Texas Southern @ Wyoming
-North Texas @ San Diego

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Texas-Arlington at Texas-Rio Grande Valley

Posted on December 16, 2017 by Chad

Texas-Arlington at Texas-Rio Grande Valley, 8:00 PM Eastern, wacsports.com

It is a tough road test tonight for one of the nation’s top Under the Radar programs in non-conference play over the past few seasons, the Sun Belt Conference’s Texas-Arlington Mavericks.  The Mavs, who have lost two straight games, will be visiting UTRGV tonight.  Arlington fell last Thursday at Northern Iowa by four points before losing a home game last weekend to Florida Gulf Coast, this time by seven.  UTA’s only other loss of the season came at Alabama, and  that one was only by a single point.  Keep an eye on senior Kevin Hervey who has three double-doubles on the season and has topped the 20 point mark seven times already.

UTRGV enters tonight’s game at 6-6 on the season, winners of three straight including a road win at Rice.  The Vaqueros are led by senior guard Nick Dixon who has scored in double figures every game so far this year.  Also keep an eye on freshman point guard Javon Levi.  Levi has averaged over 5 assists per game in his team’s last six contests, including dishing out seven dimes in their win over UC-Irvine.  Dixon, Levi and company will need another strong effort tonight if they want to pull off the upset of Arlington.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Tennessee State at North Carolina A&T

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Chad

Tennessee State at North Carolina A&T, 7:00 PM Eastern, ncataggies.com

The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to Greensboro, North Carolina tonight for one of the biggest turnaround stories of the season so far.  Last year, the North Carolina A&T Aggies were among the lowest rated tames in the entire nation.  They ended the season ranked 349 out of 351 teams at kenpom.com.  Their 3-29 record included only a single win over a Division I team, and that came in their regular season finale against North Carolina Central.  That is why seeing the Aggies at 5-4, with three D1 wins and being tied for the most overall wins among MEAC teams at this stage is such a story.  On top of that, two of the D1 wins have been in true road games, at Jacksonville and at East Carolina.  Junior Femi Olujobi, a transfer from Oakland who sat out last season, has been the key to the turnaround.  He has scored in double figures every game so far, and had an absolutely amazing stat line in the Jacksonville win — 37 points and 18 rebounds!

Tonight, North Carolina A&T hosts the Ohio Valley Conference’s Tennessee State Tigers.  Head coach Dana Ford’s team enters play tonight at 5-3 on the season, including two true road wins, at Kennesaw State and at Alabama State.  Christian Mekowulu had a big game for the Tigers last time out, notching a double-double in the win at Alabama State.  Also keep an eye on Delano Spencer who scored 26 two weeks ago in an overtime loss to Lipscomb.  Another effort like that could lead to a road win against a much improved NCA&T team tonight.

 

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES

-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT COLORADO.  What is perhaps the best team in the Summit league is traveling to play a Colorado team that has shown some promise, but only some.  They still have a lot of work to do.

-UMES @ Creighton –  buy game

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: South Dakota at Northern Arizona

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Chad

South Dakota at Northern Arizona, 8:30 PM, watchbigsky.com/pluto.tv

Flagstaff, Arizona is the site of tonight’s Under the Radar Game of the Day as the Big Sky’s Northern Arizona Lumberjacks play host to the Summit League’s South Dakota Coyotes.  The host Lumberjacks enter tonight’s game at only 2-8 on the season, with just a single D1 win, and a head-scratching loss to non-D1 Embry Riddle, on their resume.  NAU is ranked 337th out of 351 teams at kenpom.com.  Despite their struggles, the Lumberjacks do have a surprisingly solid road win at Bakersfield back on December 2, when Chris Bowling’s 17 points helped pace NAU to a 60-52 victory.

The reason that this game was selected as today’s Game of the Day (aside from the overall weakness of the schedule tonight) was because it does present a road test for one of the Summit League’s top contenders, South Dakota.  The Coyotes are 9-3 on the year with two of those three losses having come at Duke and at TCU (the third was to Northern Colorado).  South Dakota has  picked up blowout home wins over Grambling (the team that beat Georgia Tech) and Drake (the team that just fell to Minnesota by a single point this week).  Junior Matt Mooney has put up some solid numbers, including a 30 point effort against UMKC, while Trey Burch-Manning has a chance to be explosive, including an strong 18 point and 14 rebound effort against Southern Miss.  Also keep an eye on Tyler Hagedorn who has been inn double digits in scoring 8 times this season.  The Coyotes have the depth and talent to make some serious noise, and picking up a true road win tonight will continue to help this team build towards the start of conference play just over two weeks from now.

 

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES

-VALPARAISO AT NORTHWESTERN.  Valpo has dropped two straight after getting out to an 8-0 start, which were really the only two decent teams they’ve played.  a win tonight would be huge.  Northwestern got off to somewhat of a slow start but they appear to be turning things around and this would certainly continue that turnaround.

-Texas Southern @ Baylor – buy game
-Santa Clara @ USC – buy game

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