News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 16th

Posted on February 16, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between UTEP and North Texas, which I’m sure he had his reasons for picking – CLICK HERE

-Duke picked up what is probably their biggest win of the year (at least on paper) with the win at Virginia.  Virginia has now lost four out of six, but since it’s been against such strong competition they still appear to be safe for a protected seed.  Just not a #1 seed like I had previously thought.

-SMU was so excited about beating Cincinnati that they forgot to show up for the first half for their game against Tulane last night.  They trailed by 15 at the break.  They completely dominated the second half and ended up winning by 5, but that was a close call.

-Seton Hall picked up a home win over Creighton that they desperately needed.  They’re close to the bubble as it is, and are now 6-7 in league play, which is a lot more palatable than 5-8 even though it’s just a one game difference.  Creighton is still safe, but their slow backwards slide is continuing.

-Arkansas got a big win at South Carolina.  I have not been on the Razorbacks’s bandwagon at any point this season, but with the bubble being what it is and with them picking up such a big road win I can’t help but think that they’ve currently played their way inside the bubble.

-Maryland picked up a really nice road win against Northwestern.  Had Northwestern not picked up such a huge win at Wisconsin, we’d be talking about how they’re losing their grip and falling toward the bubble.  They’ve lost three out of their last four, and the one game they didn’t lose was by far the hardest game out of those four to win.  Their next two are at home against Rutgers and Indiana.  They need to win both of those, or to be more accurate they really need to avoid losing both of those.

-Xavier fell at Providence.  Xavier continues to hold serve, but do little else other than that.

-Oklahoma State picked up another nice road win at TCU, and the complexion of their profile continues to improve.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Wiscy is coming off a rather surprising loss to Northwestern, but is still in great shape to finish atop the Big Ten and likely earn a protected seed.  This would be another nice road win.  As for Michigan, a win makes their place inside the bubble a little more safe.

-UNC WILMINGTON AT NORTHEASTERN (Colonial).  UNCW’s chances of landing inside the bubble and getting in if they lose in the conference tournament are bad at best, but they are not completely gone.  If they lose another game they probably will be, though.

-ARIZONA AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Arizona has just one conference loss and could end up as high as the #2 line.  They can add another road win to their profile tonight.

-UTAH AT OREGON (Pac Twelve).  Utah is outside the bubble and this is the win that could go a long way toward helping them land on the right side of it.  Oregon appears to be a solid protected seed and will land there if they hold serve.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  San Francisco is actually one of the better teams in the WCC this year, but they have little to no chance of knocking off Gonzaga at Gonzaga.

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY (Conference USA).  Middle Tennessee still has a chance to make the NCAA Tournament without winning the automatic bid, but it’s only a chance, and they’ll have to win out and at least avoid a loss in the quarterfinals in order to even have a chance.

-LMU AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s should end up in the top half of the bracket and wearing white in the Round of 64 if they hold serve the rest of the way, which in their case basically means not losing to anyone other than Gonzaga.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: UTEP at North Texas

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Chad

UTEP at North Texas, 8:00 PM Eastern, BEIN Sports

For our latest Under the Radar video podcast, CLICK HERE.

Also check out Jon Teitel’s interview with Delta State legend Lusia Harris-Stewart, CLICK HERE.

The Under the Radar Game of the Day turns to Conference USA tonight, but not to focus on the conference leading Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.  Instead, tonight’s game focuses in on the amazing mid-season turnaround that we have seen from Tim Floyd’s UTEP Miners.  The Miners (9-15 overall, 7-5 in conference) won their second D1 game of the season, in the Charleston Classic against Western Michigan.  They then proceeded to lose their next 12 consecutive games, including suffering home losses to the likes of Maryland-Eastern Shore, Northwestern State and Southeastern Louisiana.  That all changed when they broke the streak on January 12 with a double overtime win over Florida International.  The Miners have won 7 of their last 9 games since the losing streak, including a huge home upset win over Middle Tennessee two weeks ago.  Dominic Artis (yes, the same player who used to be at Oregon) came on strong with a 13 point, 7 rebound effort in the win over Middle and a 20 point, 10 assist effort last time out in a win over Southern Miss.  In fact, Artis has now had double-digit assists 5 times this season and has flirted with a triple-double several times.

North Texas enters tonight’s game at 7-17 overall and 1-10 in CUSA play.  The Mean Green picked up their first league win last week at Florida Atlantic behind 21 points and 9 rebounds from J-Mychal Reese.  With only 6 regular season games left, UNT needs to put together a winning streak if they want to avoid the bottom of the conference standings and take a shot at qualifying for the conference tournament (only the top 12 of 14 teams will play).  Tonight, they will attempt to slow down the red-hot Miners; however, with the amazing turnaround that UTEP has had, that simply may not be possible.

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Under the Radar: February 15th

Posted on February 15, 2017 by David Griggs

Chad and David feature the Southland this week.  It’s a three horse race between New Orleans, who is having their best season since rejoining the div1 ranks, and SFA and Sam Houston who are right on their heels.  They also discuss the issues that have leaked into the news regarding Larry Eustachy and share their thoughts on why they don’t feel it’s a big deal.  And as always they run through all 23 UTR leagues, reveal this week’s UTR Top Ten, and unveil the Survival Board for the first time this year.

 

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

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Good things come in 3s: HoopsHD interviews Delta State legend Lusia Harris-Stewart

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Jon Teitel

This spring we will finally see a women’s tourney MOP who is not named Breanna Stewart for the 1st time since 2012. Lew Alcindor is the only player who was ever a 3-time tourney MOP on the men’s side but this year marks the 40th anniversary of another 3-time tourney MOP: Lusia Harris-Stewart and her incredible career at Delta State.  For 3 straight years from 1975-1977, she was a 3-time 1st-team All-American, won 3 straight AIAW titles, and was AIAW tourney MVP for 3 straight years.  After graduating with a college record of 109-6 she became the 1st and only woman ever officially drafted by the NBA when New Orleans selected her with the 137th pick in 1977 (2 spots ahead of some guy named Bruce Jenner!).  In 1992 she joined Nera White as the 1st 2 women ever inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and in 1998 she became 1 of the inaugural inductees to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Lusia about winning a silver medal at the 1976 Olympics and leading the nation in scoring.  We also want to wish Lusia a belated happy birthday last Friday!

You planned to attend Alcorn State even though they did not have a women’s basketball team: what made you end up choosing Delta State? They recruited me as they were about to re-start their program.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Margaret Wade: what made her such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? She made sure that we played together as a team and was like a mother figure who always gave us good advice.

In the 1975 and 1976 AIAW tourney title games you had double-doubles in wins over Immaculata: how good were those Mighty Mac teams (who won 3 straight titles from 1972-1974), and how were you able to beat them? They were a very good team so we had to play really well to defeat the 3-time-defending champs.

In 1976 you led the nation with 31.2 PPG and set a women’s college basketball record with a 58-PT game against Tennessee Tech: what was your secret for being a great scorer? It was no secret: I just had a lot of natural ability, a good coach, and good teammates.

As a senior you scored 47 PTS in 1 of the 1st women’s basketball games ever played at Madison Square Garden: what was it like to play in 1 of the most famous arenas in America? It was a big honor. At that time we were the only team from Mississippi that had every played in the Garden so we were all thrilled to be there.

You played for team USA at the 1976 Olympics: what did it mean to you to win a silver medal? It was the 1st time that women’s basketball was ever a part of the Olympics so it was an honor to play on such a distinguished team. We played our hardest but faced a Soviet Union team that was much more experienced and had been together a lot longer than we had.

You were a 3-time All-American, a 3-time tourney MVP, and in 1977 you won the inaugural Honda Sports Award for basketball: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? All of those are distinguished honors. I also won the Broderick Cup, which set me apart from all the rest.

You went 109–6 during your college career, which included a 51-game winning streak: did the fans just expect you to win every time you stepped onto the court? The team itself expected to win. We had a great group that always gave a team effort: everyone loves a winner!

In the summer of 1977 you were picked in the 7th round by the New Orleans Jazz: what did it mean to become the 1st and only woman ever officially drafted by the NBA? I just thought that I could not compete with the men at the NBA level. I played center in college at 6’3″ so it would not have been a fair contest. Getting drafted was a great honor.

In 1992 you became the 1st African-American woman ever inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I think that is the highest of the highlights. To be recognized as a woman among men was quite an honor.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 15th

Posted on February 15, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which involves one of the best UTR rivalries in college basketball – CLICK HERE

-It was a rather chalky night with Kentucky, Florida, Purdue, Notre Dame (albeit a little more exciting than expected), Dayton, Michigan State, and VCU winning as expected.  Virginia Tech was able to get their first win without Christ Clarke, which is noteworthy.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-ARKANSAS AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  South Carolina is on cruise control and will safely make the field and be in the top half of the bracket if they hold serve the rest of the way.  Arkansas has really gone into a tailspin and will need a very strong finish in order to make the field.

-XAVIER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Xavier doesn’t really have any bad losses, but they don’t have much in the way of good wins either.  Road wins always make the profile look better because they’re usually not easy to come by.  Providence isn’t a tournament team but they have played well at home this year.

-MARYLAND AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Northwestern is coming off one of their biggest wins in program history where they beat Wisconsin on the road, and is not only on pace to make the NCAA Tournament, but on pace to land in the top half of the bracket.  Maryland has hit a bit of a skid, but they’re stillin great shape and should also be wearing white in the Round of 64.  The crowd should be out in full force for this one.  It’s two solid tournament teams looking for a quality win.

-IOWA STATE AT KANSAS STATE (Big Twelve).  Both teams are safely inside the bubble and appear to be on pace to make the tournament, but both also have room to improve their resumes.  This would be a quality win and a resume enhancer for whichever team pulls it off.

-CINCINNATI AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American).  Cincinnati is coming off a loss to SMU, but it’s only their third of the season and they’re still in great shape and will stay that way if they hold serve.  This is a very winnable road game that they should be able to pick up.

-WICHITA STATE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (Missouri Valley).  I think Wichita State is reasonably safe for a bid if they win out through the regular season and avoid a loss in the quarters of the MVC Tourney.  They’ve been good on the road all year long and should be able to pick up this one as well.

-FORDHAM AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  Just in case that if for some reason y0u’re not done with Rhody, I suppose they have a small chance at an at-large if they win out.

-GEORGIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  It is to the point to where every game these two teams play feels like a must win.  Tonight is no different.  Both are right on the bubble, this game has an extremely pivotal feel to it, and it’s one that they both need.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT NC STATE (ACC).  This is a rivalry game, but it is an incredibly lopsided rivalry game.  UNC should be able to pick this one up despite being a road team.  The Tarheels have a very backloaded schedule and can even end up as high as a #1 seed if they avoid losses in games like this and pick up several big wins down the stretch.

-CREIGHTON AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Seton Hall is right on the bubble, but they still have a really good chance at landing on the right side of it, especially if they can pick up a win like this.  Creighton is still trying to stabilize their profile to show they can win big games after losing Mo Watson and a win in a game like this would do just that.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler appears to be on pace for a protected seed if they hold serve.  The Johnnies are nowhere near the NCAA Tournament, or for that matter the NIT, but they are a very surprising 6-7 in the Big East and have exceeded expectations in league play.

-INDIANA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Indiana is now outside our bubble, and they need road wins and quality wins to get things turned around.  A win tonight would help in both of those categories.  Minnesota will end up on the top half of the bracket if they keep winning at the clip they have been.

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  This is another ACC match-up between two teams that are likely to end up as protected seeds.  What else is new?  Virginia, while good, has currently lost three of their last five games, including an overtime loss to their rivals Virginia Tech in their last game, and could use a win like this to get things turned around.  Duke has actually strung together several wins and is looking to keep up that momentum.  This would be their biggest road win of the season so far, and go a long way toward enhancing their tournament profile.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big Twelve).  TCU is right on the bubble and has been a home court hero.  Oklahoma State has won some big road games, but this will still be a challenge for them and yet another big win for them.

-TULANE AT SMU (American).  SMU is coming off a big win against Cincinnati and are currently tied for first place in the conference and heading for the top half of the bracket.  This will probably end up looking a lot like a buy game.  In fact it may end up looking a lot worse.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Long Island U-Brooklyn at St Francis (Brooklyn)

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Chad

LIU-Brooklyn at St. Francis (Brooklyn), 6:00 PM Eastern, CBS Sports Network

It is time for one of our favorite college basketball rivalries — the Battle of Brooklyn between Long Island University and St Francis College, two schools just a few miles apart in Brooklyn that have been matching up against each other since 1928.  Although the two schools play each other twice annually, only the second of the two games each year is officially designated as the “Battle of Brooklyn”.  These two teams met at LIU back on January 14 with the Blackbirds winning 63-58, but that and all records are off the table in tonight’s official Battle.  Entering tonight’s game, LIU has a 23-18 lead in the “official” Battle games and a 65-41 lead in all-time matchups.

The Blackbirds of Long Island University currently sit at 16-11 overall and 9-5 in Northeast Conference play.  They had two players put up double-doubles in the first matchup between these rivals this season, as Jerome Frink scored 15 points and pulled down 12 rebounds while Iverson Fleming had 16 points and 10 boards.  St Francis College (4-23 overall, 2-12 in conference) was led in that game by Rasheem Dunn, who had 21 points and 8 rebounds.  The Terriers will, in addition to defeating their rivals, be looking to snap a 12 game losing streak tonight.  Theey have not been victorious since December 31.  As a result, a loss tonight will also mathematically eliminate them form a berth in the NEC tournament and remove them from our Hoops HD Survival Board.  All of these may be reasons why tonight’s game is important, but at the end of the day the most important thing is the rivalry, and no matter what the records or streaks, this game should be a good one!

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