Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES:

-North Carolina came from 15 down at the half and actually had a lead in the final few minutes of the game at Kansas, but the Jayhawks held on for a thrilling 92-89 win. I was every bit as impressed with the Tarheels as I was with the Jayhawks considering it was a true road game and they almost knocked off the #1 team in the country. It’s a big early win that will almost assuredly look good on Kansas’s profile come March, but UNC showed that they’re good enough to pick up some big wins of their own between now and the end.

-Alabama had to sweat out Arkansas State and led by just 2 with less than 6 minutes to go, but they finally got control at the end and held on for an 88-79 win. Still, an impressive showing for Arkansas State, who we think will be a very good Under the Radar team this year.

-Ole Miss narrowly escaped an upset against Grambling. That’s right! GRAMBLING!!! We really like this Ole Miss team, but they didn’t exactly show out last night in what should have been a cakewalk for them. It’s not like Grambling is expected to be a top level UTR team. Still, the Rebs managed to escape with a 66-64 win.

-New Mexico made a big splash last night as they beat 22nd ranked UCLA 72-64. The Lobos were in control for pretty much the entire game and showed us that they’re probably better than what many people were expecting coming into the season. This is a win that will likely look really good on their resume come March. UCLA should still end up having a big year and will show improvement as we get further into the season.

-Butler was one of my personal dark horse teams coming into the year. As of now they have yet to leave the starting gate. They struggled to win their season opener, and last night fell to Austin Peay 68-66. This was a really good win for the Govs and gets them to 2-0 on the season, and I don’t want to overlook how good Austin Peay might be, but I also need acknowledge that Butler hasn’t exactly looked like the team I thought they’d be so far.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-TENNESSEE AT LOUISVILLE. This is the first real test for both these teams as both teams blew through home buy games in their openers. Expectations are super-high for Tennessee and this will be a good road test against a Louisville team that appears to be much improved under Pat Kelsey. As for Louisville, it’s a big opportunity to land back in the national spotlight after being about a hundred miles away from it during the past several years. I’m actually looking forward to this one and think it should be fun.

-TOLEDO AT MARSHALL. This is clearly an Under the Radar match-up, but it’s between two pretty good UTR teams that can pick up a somewhat notable win early on. Marshall won their opener whereas Toledo fell to Troy and is looking to bounce back, but it won’t be easy on the road.

-MEMPHIS AT UNLV. Both teams won their season openers, but neither were really tested. Memphis did beat Missouri, but Mizzou is awful so that hardly qualifies as a test. Both teams appear to have quite a bit of potential due to their talent, but there are also big question marks as to whether either of them can play up to the collective level of their talent. We should learn something about both of them today.

-BAYLOR VS ARKANSAS (Dallas, TX). Baylor was absolutely smoked on opening night out at Gonzaga, and they’ve got another super-tough test against a very talented Arkansas team tonight. Both teams are incredibly talented, but both also consist of rosters that are still getting used to playing together. This is a great early season game, but I expect both of them to improve as the season goes on. On paper, it’s a chance at a notable win early on, which is why these games are so good for the teams that actually choose to go out and play tough teams in the first week.

-NORTHWESTERN AT DAYTON. Both teams are potential NCAA Tournament teams, and even though it’s early in the year both teams could really benefit from having a win like this on their resume. In short, it is a really interesting early season match-up where there is something at stake. This win will look good on either team’s profile.

-AUBURN AT HOUSTON. I’ll start by saying I don’t know what happened on Auburn’s plane or why it had to turn back, but I don’t really care because I don’t think it will matter. Both teams are ranked really high, and I actually think both should be ranked even higher. I think Houston is the best team in the country and they are my pick to win it all. They’re at home tonight, so this will likely be the toughest game for Auburn to win all season long. Having said that, I think Auburn is a Final Four caliber team. They blew what is actually a very good Vermont team off the floor earlier this week, and I’m curious to see what they can do against a very strong Houston team.

-WASHINGTON AT NEVADA. Both teams are sort of going through transitions, but both won their openers and the team that wins this tonight will have some early momentum built up.

-BOISE STATE AT SAN FRANCISCO. I think Boise State is a tournament caliber team. Tonight is a test. This is not an easy game to win, but tournament teams are supposed to be able to win games that aren’t easy to win, so we’ll learn something about Boise tonight.

BUY GAMES (and other games worth mentioning):

-Little Rock @ Winthrop – both teams 1-0, and it’s a road test for a Little Rock team that should do well in the OVC
-Fordham @ Seton Hall – Seton Hall can get to 2-0
-Colgate @ Drexel – both teams 1-0
-Delaware State @ Columbia – Columbia is coming off a big road win at Villanova and can get to 3-0 on the season
-Jackson State @ High Point – we really like High Point and they can get to 2-0 today
-Quinnipiac @ Saint John’s – the Johnnies should roll and remain unbeaten, but Quinnipiac is probably one of the better teams in the MAAC
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Tulsa – Tulsa is 1-0
-Omaha @ Minnesota – both teams unbeaten
-Old Dominion @ Arizona – Arizona is 1-0
-Bucknell @ Kentucky – both teams are unbeaten
-UTEP @ Utah Valley – both teams unbeaten
-Coastal Carolina @ East Carolina – both teams 1-0
-Charlotte @ Utah State – both teams 1-0
-Fairfield @ Georgetown – Georgetown is 1-0
-Cleveland State @ Kansas State – K State is 1-0
-Louisiana Tech @ UT Arlington – both teams 1-0
-James Madison @ Norfolk State – both teams unbeaten, and it should be a winnable road game for a pretty good JMU team
-UC Santa Barbara @ Portland – both teams 1-0
-Marist @ Richmond – Richmond is 1-0
-Stonehill @ Providence
-Middle Tennessee @ Abilene Christian – both teams 1-0
-Vermont @ Merrimack – Vermont can pick up their 2nd road win of the year
-Montana State @ Wichita State – I almost highlighted this one. Montana State lost their opener, but should be strong in the Big Sky, and Wichita may be one of the better teams in the AAC
-Florida State @ Rice – Both won their opener, but Rice will be tested more tonight
-New Hampshire @ UConn
-Western Kentucky @ Grand Canyon – we really like this GCU team and think we will see them in the top 25 before the end of the season
-Bethune Cookman @ Nebraska
-Kennesaw State @ California Baptist – both teams 1-0

For the latest HOOPS HD REPORT – IN SEASON TOURNAMENT SPECIAL – CLICK HERE

For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VCU VS BOSTON COLLEGE (Veterans Classic – Annapolis, MD). Both teams come into this game 1-0, but all signs point to VCU being the superior team. Having said that, if BC were to win it, it would very quickly change our opinions of the Golden Eagles and suddenly put them on our radar.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT KANSAS. It’s our second top ten matchup of the week! I like North Carolina a lot, but I like Kansas more and since they’re at home one would think they would have the advantage in this one. It’s a chance for both teams to get a signature win very early in the season and it’s good for teams to play resume-building games this early on instead of devouring a few cupcakes right out of the gate. It ‘s also better for the fans!

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT CHARLESTON. An interesting game here as South Florida gave Florida a fairly decent showing earlier this week even though the Gators did pull away down the stretch. Charleston started things off with a nice neutral floor win against Southern Illinois. While this may not be a chance for either team to pick up a tier-1 win, it’s still a good early season game and opportunity for both of them.

-UMASS AT WEST VIRGINIA. I don’t have a whole lot of hope that either team will be anywhere near the bubble come the end of the season, but both teams did win their openers, both have very good coaches, and both have a chance at a notable (at least for now) early season win in this one.

-SANTA CLARA VS ARIZONA STATE (Game in Henderson, NV). I was really impressed with what Santa Clara did in their opener in getting a win against what we think is a good Saint Louis team. They have a chance to pick up another notable win against an Arizona State team that also won their opener, but did so rather unimpressively against Idaho State. I’d almost be surprised if Santa Clara didn’t pick this one up. This would make the 2-0 with both wins coming on neutral floors, which is about as good as you can ask for right now.

-PRINCETON VS DUQUESNE (Jersy Jam – Trenton NJ). Princeton won their opening game, but BARELY! Beating Iona by just one point isn’t exactly a top-40-caliber statement win. They should be able to get this one tonight against a Duquesne team that is completely rebuilding and who lost their opener to Lipscomb.

-GEORGE MASON AT MARQUETTE. Both teams breezed through their openers, but both played weak teams. George Mason is probably extremely overmatched in this one, but if they were to get a win they would suddenly catapult themselves into the national spotlight.

-NORTHERN COLORADO AT COLORADO (Front Range). We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!! This is a BIG Front Range Mythical Conference battle between two teams that managed to win their openers. Colorado is a program I have quite a bit of respect for, but this year they just don’t seem to have the pieces. Northern Colorado looks like they have a chance to win the Big Sky, and it wouldn’t shock me at all to see them win this one tonight.

-NEW MEXICO VS UCLA (Game in Henderson, NV). Both teams won their openers, but New Mexico had to sweat out Nicholls, whereas UCLA blew out Rider and looked like they deserved their top 25 ranking. This is a much tougher test for the Bruins than Rider was, and New I think Mexico is a probable NCAA Tournament team, but it’s still a game UCLA should win. Having said that, New Mexico has a chance to get a high caliber win on their resume early if they can compete and pull off the upset.

-BRADLEY AT WASHINGTON STATE. Both teams won their openers, and while both teams are sort of outside of the spotlight right now, it wouldn’t surprise me all that much if both ended up having big years. This could be one of those games that at the end of the year we realize was more important than what we thought at the time.

BUY GAMES (and others worth mentioning):

-Cal State Fullerton @ Stanford – Stanford can improve to 2-0
-Army @ Duke – both teams 1-0
-Temple v Monmouth (Jersey Jam) – Temple can improve to 2-0
-Samford @ Cornell – both teams 1-0 and both are expected to do well in conference play
-IU Indy @ Xavier – both teams 1-0
-UMBC @ Penn State – both teams 1-0
-Austin Peay @ Butler – both teams 1-0
-Northern Kentucky @ Purdue – Purdue can get to 2-0
-Morehead State @ Cincinnati – Cincinnati can get to 2-0
-Grambling @ Ole Miss – both teams 1-0
-Georgia Southern @ UNC Wilmington – both teams 1-0
-Davidson @ Bowling Green – a winnable road game for Davidson, which would get them to 2-0, but it’s hardly a guaranteed win
-Siean @ Bryant – both teams 1-0
-Presbyterian @ NC State – NC State can get to 2-0
-Hampton @ George Washington – both teams 1-0
-Murray State @ Pittsburgh – both teams are 1-0, and Murray State has shown some promise. It’s a buy game, but it will be interesting to see how well they compete
-PFW @ UCF – both teams 1-0, and UCF is coming off a real nice win against Texas A&M
-Eastern Kentucky @ East Tennessee State – both teams 1-0
-Saint Francis U @ Clemson
-Central Connecticut @ Saint Joseph’s – Saint Joe’s won their opener, but they better not overlook CCSU who nearly took down Providence earlier this week
-Furman @ Belmont – both teams 1-0
-Georgia State @ Mississippi State – both teams 1-0
-Arkansas State @ Alabama – Arkansas State won their opener and will likely do well in the Sun Belt, but they’re probably way overmatched tonight
-TAMU Commerce @ Texas A&M – TAMU needs to bounce back after losing their opener at UCF
-Houston Christian @ Texas – Texas needs to bounce back after their opening loss to Ohio State
-Yale @ UIC – both teams are 1-0, but Yale looks to be the much better team and should pick up a road win
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Maryland – both teams 1-0
-SIUE @ Illinois – Illinois can get to 2-0
-FGCU @ TCU – TCU can get to 2-0
-NJIT @ Villanova – Nova needs to bounce back after their home loss to Columbia
-Northwestern State @ Texas Tech – both teams 1-0
-UC Riverside @ BYU – UCR should be able to make some noise in the Big West, but they’re probably overmatched tonight
-Long Beach State @ South Dakota State – South Dakota State had a really nice win against McNeese in their opener and should be able to improve to 2-0
-Tennessee State @ Colorado State – both teams 1-0
-UC Irvine @ LMU – both teams 1-0
-Montana @ Oregon – both teams 1-0. Montana should do well in the Big Sky, but is probably overmatched tonight
-Weber State @ Oregon State – both teams 1-0

NEWS AND NOTES:

-The game that I thought was the most interesting going into last night turned out to be an absolute boat-racing. Auburn blew Vermont off the floor 94-43. I still think Vermont will have a great year, and their opening win at UAB will still carry a lot of weight. It isn’t surprising that they lost to Auburn (who I think can be a Final Four team), but I’m a little surprised they were absolutely dominated the way that they were.

-Columbia, who if you’re paying attention isn’t expected to finish in the top half of the Ivy League by very many people this year, went into Villanova and pulled off the 90-80 upset win. We didn’t think Nova would be that good this year, but this is still surprising. Give credit to Columbia! They played a really good game and made big plays down the stretch. I still don’t think they’re as good as Princeton or Yale, but they are probably better than we thought. And Villanova is probably even worse than we thought.

-Virginia had to sweat out Campbell in their first game without Tony Bennet as a head coach. They were never in any real danger of losing, but they didn’t exactly blow the Camels off the floor either in their 65-56 win.

-San Diego State really had to sweat out UC San Diego, and were behind very late into the second half. They did hold on to win 63-58, though. You may recall that last year San Diego State barely escaped an upset as well winning just 63-62. So, for whatever reason UCSD can play with the Aztecs.

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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

It’s a slow night in terms of highly important games, but we do have a couple of highly interesting games!!

-UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES & PHARMACY IN SAINT LOUIS AT LINDENWOOD. Such a fascinating match-up!! What a choice for an out of conference game!! Lindenwood’s opponent (it takes too long to type the full name) plays in NAIA, was 1-26 a season ago, and most of those games weren’t close. And…this probably isn’t the most ridiculous match-up of the day!!

-MISSISSIPPI UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN AT MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE. Okay, I have so many questions! For starters, I can confirm that yes, this is a MEN’S basketball game. According to their Wikipedia Page the Mississippi University for Women began accepting male students as long ago as 1982, but I guess never bothered to changed the name of the school. The institution’s current name is more palatable than what it was called at the time of its founding, and that’s the “Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls.” I am not making that up! I’d also like to see those throwback jerseys!! The Mississippi University for Women plays in NCAA D3 and was 7-18 a year ago. Mississippi Valley State is routinely one of the worst D1 teams in the country, but they should be able to win this one.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT UAB. This game actually has a pivotal feel to it for UAB. We thought they’d be a top 40ish caliber team coming into the season, but they lost their opener the other night to Vermont, who we think is good, but were still a little surprised UAB didn’t beat them at home. UAB does not have a strong schedule, so if they don’t finish with a very bloated record then chances are they’ll need to win the conference tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. So even though it’s early, there is a fair amount on the line for the Blazers. Southern Miss did win their opener against Bowling Green, but have a much tougher assignment tonight against a UAB team that should come out incredibly focused.

-MILWAUKEE AT NORTHERN IOWA. This is John’ Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day. CLICK HERE to read his write up on it

BUY GAMES (and other notable games):

-NC A&T @ Wake Forest – both teams 1-0
-Jacksonville @ Florida – both teams 1-0
-Detroit Mercy @ Loyola Chicago – both teams 1-0
-Prairie View @ DePaul – both teams 1-0, but this may be the weakest matchup of unbeaten teams of all time
-Montana State @ Wisconsin – Montana State should make quite a bit of noise in the Big Sky this year, but they’re overmatched in this one
-Southern @ Iowa
-Omaha @ Stetson – both teams 1-0. Neither team appears to be that strong, but it’s probably still a better game than Prairie View vs DePaul
-Niagara @ Michigan State – both teams 1-0
-Florida A&M @ SMU
-College of Biblical Studies @ McNeese – seriously, where do some of these schools find these teams?? McNeese lost their opener, but should blow through tonight’s game
-Chattanooga @ Saint Mary’s – I still think Chattanooga will do really well in the SoCon, but they didn’t look too impressive in their opener and are likely way overmatched tonight
-Idaho State @ USC
-Cal Poly @ California
-Central Arkansas @ Utah