Under the Radar Games of the Day: Rivalry Week Doubleheader

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Chad

Winthrop at UNC-Asheville, 7:00 PM Eastern, ESPNU
New Hampshire at Vermont, 9:00 PM Eastern, ESPNU

For Jon Teitel’s great interview with Notre Dame women’s head coach Muffet McGraw, CLICK HERE.
For our most recent Under the Radar video podcast, CLICK HERE.

It is Rivalry Week on the ESPN networks this week, a week of basketball games that has been built around tonight’s huge doubleheader.  Apparently, most people are under the belief that the doubleheader is on ESPN starting at 8:00.  We here at HoopsHD know the truth — Rivalry Week was in fact built around tonight’s ESPNU doubleheader, leading off with a key contest in the Big South between Winthrop and UNC-Asheville, followed by the “Team of  the People” New Hampshire Wildcats traveling to Burlington to take on America East foe Vermont (and yes, BYU and Pepperdine will make it a tripleheader at 11:00, but the WCC is no longer Under the Radar this year).

The early game could go a long way to deciding which team wins the Big South regular season title and the right to host the conference tournament quarterfinal and semifinal rounds (and the title game if they reach it, as that game will be at the home court of the highest remaining seed).  Entering play tonight, Winthrop, UNC-Asheville and Liberty are all tied atop the standings at 10-2 in league play.  Winthrop (18-5 overall) has already defeated both Asheville and Liberty once this season and can clinch any two-way tie-breakers against the Bulldogs with a win tonight (as well as move a game ahead of them in the standings).  Xavier Cooks was the star of the earlier win over Asheville with 19 points and 13 rebounds.  The UNC-Asheville Bulldogs enter play tonight at 18-7 overall and on a 5 game winning streak.  Last time out, they snapped High Point’s 6-game win streak with a 74-71 road win behind 19 points from Ahmad Thomas and 18 from Macio Teague.  Another effort like that tonight could see the Bulldogs sitting on top of the conference standings by tomorrow morning.

The second game of the big doubleheader features our adopted team, New Hampshire, traveling west to the shores of Lake Champlain to take on the Vermont Catamounts.  The UNH Wildcats are in desperate need of a win after dropping their last three consecutive games, including a double overtime loss at UMBC (in which they were robbed), a three point loss at Stony Brook (robbed again) and a 14 point home loss to Albany (robbed again).  In fact, as we have pointed out routinely in our Under the Radar video podcasts, they have not legitimately lost a game all season and their 14-10 overall record and 5-5 conference marks should really be 24-0 and 10-0.  Tanner Leissner does continue to have an amazing season for the Wildcats, including a 32 point effort in the UMBC game and a 20 point effort in an earlier loss to Vermont (another game they were robbed in!).  Tonight, the Wildcats have a chance to set the record straight and pick up a huge road win against a Vermont team that is 11-0 in league play, 21-5 overall and one of our top-rated Under the Radar teams in the nation (keep an eye on Trae Bell-Haynes who scored 22 points in the earlier matchup of these two teams).  Of course, the northeast is getting blasted by a snowstorm today, so if somehow the score comes out wrong for the Wildcats, then it will clearly have been the conference’s fault for having made UNH play in such bad weather.  We here at HoopsHD know the truth and we will find a way to get the Wildcats dancing this year, or die trying!!!

#GoDancingOrDie

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Under the Radar: February 8th

Posted on February 8, 2017 by David Griggs

It was a rough week for Middle Tennessee, UNC Wilmington, and Valparaiso, who have been near the top of the UTR Top Ten all season long.  Chad, David, and John recap all of last week’s actions, and run through all 23 UTR conferences as the conference tournaments approach and teams jockey for position in the standings to earn good seeds, and in some cases home court advantage.

 

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

Posted in Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | 1 Comment

Skill of the Irish: HoopsHD interviews Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Jon Teitel

It is almost unfathomable for a Sweet 16 appearance to be considered a disappointment…but when you make 5 straight Final 4s from 2011-2015 the bar gets set unreasonably high.  Last year Notre Dame went 33-1 before losing to Stanford in March, but those who underestimate Muffet McGraw do so at the peril of getting beat by Muffet McGraw.  She won her 1st NCAA tourney game in 1996 and is on pace to make her 22nd straight tourney next month. In 2001 she was named national COY en route to winning an NCAA title, in 2011 she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and last year she became the 10th head coach in D-1 women’s basketball history with 800 career wins.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach McGraw about winning a title and making the Hall of Fame.

After graduating from St. Joe’s you played for the California Dreams of the Women’s Professional Basketball League: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was a defensive specialist and a PG who liked to pass/play defense during college. I was looking at some jobs when a spot opened up at a local high school and I figured I would give it a try because I loved the game.

Take me through the magical 2001 NCAA tourney:
In the Final 4 you beat defending national champion UConn: how did you overcome a 16-PT 1st half deficit to win by 15 PTS (setting a record for the largest margin ever overcome in a Final 4)? We had some foul trouble in the 1st half (particularly eventual tourney MOP Ruth Riley) and were not playing our game. We had the wrong people taking shots but we settled down at halftime and got on a roll in the 2nd half.

In the title game Riley made a pair of FTs with 5.8 seconds left to clinch a 2-PT win over Purdue: did you think that she was going to make them both, and what did it mean to you to win a title? I thought that she would make them: talk about pressure! We only had the lead for about 60 seconds during that entire game. It was an unbelievable experience to win it all: you treasure the moment when you end the season with a win and we will have that moment for the rest of our lives.

In the 2011 NCAA tourney title game, tourney MOP Danielle Adams scored 30 PTS in a 6-PT win by Texas A&M: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot the Aggies put up in the 2nd half seemed to go in because they were all “in the zone” (15-22 FG)? They made a 3 late in the game where they just threw it up and it went in, which kind of derailed us. We just could not figure out a way to stop Adams: she was a great player.

In 2011 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is not that high. It was a great moment to recognize all my former players/assistants to enjoy it with me, but winning the title was more important.

Take me through the 2012 NCAA tourney:
In the Elite 8 Skylar Diggins had a triple-double in a 31-PT win over Maryland: where does Diggins rank among the best all-around players you have ever seen? She is definitely in the top-5. She really changed our program when she arrived here. She brought a competitive winning attitude and is 1 of the most recognizable players in our history.

After an 8-PT OT win over UConn in the Final 4 you lost to Baylor in the title game: did you ever think that you would see a team go 40-0? I really did not: we should not be playing 40 games at the college level.

You entered the 2014 NCAA tourney title game undefeated before losing to an undefeated UConn team: do you think that the outcome would have been different if Natalie Achonwa had not been injured? I think the game would have been better but I cannot say whether we would have won. We had such an amazing group that had beaten UConn in 6 of our previous 8 meetings.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney title game you had a 10-PT loss to UConn: what makes Geno Auriemma such a great coach? Geno does a tremendous job and is very good at recruiting. They have been very consistent over the years. He is great at practice and really understands the game.

You made 5 straight Final 4s from 2011-2015: how were you able to be so dominant for such a long stretch of time? We have had some pretty good players too! This is the most that All-Americans we have ever had at 1 time. We recruit the players that fit our system even if they are not the best players in the country.

You have had a perfect Graduation Success Rate for all of your 4-year players since 2007: how much importance do you place on academics? We value the degree here at Notre Dame so my players are students 1st, which the alumni appreciate.

You are a 3-time national COY and won your 800th game last season: what makes you such a great coach, and how long do you plan on sticking around for? I am enjoying what I do and I love practice more than anything. I hope I know when it is time to move on but I have no thoughts on retiring at the moment.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 8th

Posted on February 8, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between Bucknell and Lehigh, which are two of the better teams in the Patriot League – CLICK HERE

-Last night was another busy and exciting night.  Alabama pulled off a surprising upset at South Carolina, and they needed four overtimes to do it making it one of the more exciting games of the year.  Alabama isn’t a team that we’ve talked much about at all, but they host Kentucky this weekend and if they pick that one up then you have to start thinking that the bubble is in reach for them.

-Maryland lost their second straight game.  Their string of close wins and having a record that appeared to be better than their team is starting to even out.  They lost to Penn State, and pretty much trailed the entire game.

-Butler picked up a nice road win at Marquette, which is another really nice win for the Butler profile.  They’ve got a lot of those.  Marquette is still inside the bubble, but they have backtracked somewhat over the last week or so.

-Notre Dame was able to hold off Wake Forest in a game that seesawed back and forth.  Wake is still on the outside looking in.

-Northwestern lost at home to a very mediocre Illinois team that hadn’t won a single road game all season.  Northwestern still appears to be in the field, and they were without one of their better players, but you can’t help but scratch your head a little bit and wonder if they’re going to make it.

-Syracuse picked up another nice win, and continues to inch closer and closer to the bubble.  They won at Clemson on a last second shot, and are now a very surprising 8-4 in ACC play.  That alone has the earmarks of being in the field.  And, as Chad so accurately observed, Jim Boeheim picked up his 900th win just three days after picking up his 1000th win!

-Arkansas had a nice comeback against Vanderbilt and only lost by 13 after falling behind by close to 30.  It’s their second straight loss to a team that is nowhere close tot he field.  I believe they are in a bit of trouble.

-Iowa State followed up their big win at Kansas with a road loss at Texas.  Had you told me they would win one out of two in those two games, I would have definitely picked the opposite outcomes.

-Michigan State was blasted off the court by Michigan, and is now falling backward toward the bubble.  They need to hold serve the rest of the way just to feel safe.

-TCU held on to beat Texas Tech in a game between two bubble teams that really needed the win.  The score was 62-61.  That’s about what the score seems to be whenever these two meet up in football.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-OLE MISS AT TENNESSEE (SEC).  Tennessee is coming off of a loss that they really couldn’t afford.  They are running out of strikes, but the possibility for them to get in is still there.

-DEPAUL AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier is coming off of a huge win at Creighton and despite their frustrations is just a game back of first place in the loss column.  This is probably their most winnable remaining game so they really don’t want to slip up.

-RUTGERS AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Ohio State is inching closer to the bubble, but they still have a lot of work to do.

-NC STATE AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  NC State is outside the bubble, and although I don’t think it’s probable it is possible for them to reach it if they can pull off some wins in games like this.  Florida State is coming off a very impressive week and once again looks like they’ll end up as a protected seed.

-BAYLOR AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve).  Oklahoma State is coming off a huge win at West Virginia, and Baylor is trying to rebound from a two game losing streak.  Baylor is still within reach of a #1 seed, but it’ll be a lot less likely if they’re not able to pull off this win.  Oklahoma State should have a ton of momentum, which will make for a fun atmosphere.

-PROVIDENCE AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Seton Hall has been in a tailspin after losing five of six, but they just picked up a win at Georgetown that they really needed.  They need to hold serve at home tonight against a Providence team that does not appear to be inside the bubble.

-IOWA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Minnesota just ended a five game losing streak with their win at Illinois and needs to hold serve and pick up a win against an Iowa team that is of sub-tournament level.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Virginia Tech appears to be inside the field, but certainly has room to improve.  Miami is on the fringe of the bubble and needs to string together some wins.  In short, it’s a game between two teams that really need to improve their profiles.

-WEST VIRGINIA AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve).  Oklahoma pulled off what was a huge upset when the two met earlier in the year, and West Virginia is coming off yet another surprising upset against Oklahoma State.  Offsetting that with a road win of their own would certainly be nice.

-UCF AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati has a shot at ending up as a protected seed if they win out, but the lack of quality wins may give the committee pause.  Either way they need to hold serve in games like this.

-VCU AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten).  VCU escaped with a road win against Saint Bonaventure under controversial circumstances that they desperately needed.  They’re still on the fringe of the bubble and need to pick this one up tonight.

-CALIFORNIA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve).  Cal is a fringe bubble team, and this is a winnable road game that they need to pick up.

-STANFORD AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve).  Arizona got blasted in their last game at Oregon, but should be able to rebound at home against a Stanford team that’s barely above .500.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Bucknell at Lehigh

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Chad

Bucknell at Lehigh, 7:00 PM Eastern, Service Electric 2 Sports (PA)/patriotleague.tv

The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to Bethlehem, PA tonight as the top team in the Patriot League, Bucknell, faces a tough road test at Lehigh.  The Bucknell Bison enter tonight’s game at 19-6 overall and 11-1 in conference play.  They have won 7 consecutive games since suffering their lone conference loss, at home back on January 11 to this same Lehigh team.  The Bison just played two nights ago, defeating Holy Cross at home 82-68 behind 27 points from Zach Thomas and 17 points and 7 assists from Kimbal Mackenzie.  Bucknell will need strong efforts from the two of them, as well as teammates such as Nana Foulland and Stephen Brown, if they want to pick up their 12th conference win and move a step closer to locking up the top seed in the Patriot League tournament, which comes with home court advantage throughout.

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks enter play tonight at 13-10 overall and 7-5 in conference play.  They are currently tied with Loyola for fourth place in the conference standings, but only one game behind Navy and Boston U (and only one game ahead of Holy Cross and Colgate).  Finishing in the top four is imperative in this conference as it will guarantee at least a quarterfinal round home game in the league tournament.  The Mountain Hawks defeated American on the road over the weekend, 70-55, behind 15 points and 12 rebounds from Tim Kempton.  Kempton also led his team in scoring in the earlier win at Bucknell, with 20 points.  Austin Price, Kahron Ross and Pat Andree were all in double-digits in that game as well.  If Lehigh can hit the Bison with another tough, balanced scoring attack tonight, they have a chance to pull off the upset and score the season sweep over the conference leaders.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Feb 7th

Posted on February 7, 2017 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

–For our latest HOOPS HD REPORT, where we recap what felt like one of the craziest weekends in college basketball history, and kind of reset everything as far as the major conferences go – CLICK HERE

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

-Kansas rebounded from their home loss against Iowa State and picked up their second win of the year against Kansas State.  It was an electric atmosphere and K State hung in until the final minutes, but Kansas pulled it out.  Virginia also ran away from a short handed Louisville team in yesterday’s other featured game.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-MARYLAND AT PENN STATE (Big Ten).  Maryland has been in, and to their credit won, a lot of close games.  They should get this one tonight, but although Penn State is not a tournament team I think they’ve proven they are capable of beating tournament teams at home, so it’s not a gimme.

-ALABAMA AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Some on the Hoops HD staff seem to have the insane notion that Alabama can thunder down the stretch and end up on the bubble. I’m not seeing it, but if that were to happen tonight is the kind of game they’d need to win.  South Carolina continues to look impressive and if things fall right I could even see them contending for a protected seed.

-FLORIDA AT GEORGIA (SEC).  Florida is fresh off their emotional blowout win against Kentucky, but Georgia isn’t the easiest team to go on the road and beat so they need to avoid a letdown.

-LSU AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky has lost three out of four, but none of those were home games against non NIT teams.  This may be exactly what they need to swing things back in the right direction.

-WAKE FOREST AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Wake is outside the bubble and needs a win like this, and while th Irish are still safely in the top half of the bracket they are in a bit of a tailspin having lost five of their last six.  Both teams need this win for different reasons.

-TULSA AT MEMPHIS (American).  I think Memphis is just one loss away from being entirely out of the picture for an at-large.

-RHODE ISLAND AT UMASS (Atlantic Ten).  Rhody’s chances of making the dance are very slim.  They basically have to win out in order to do it, and hope that some other things fall their way.

-GEORGETOWN AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Nova is competing for a #1 seed, and Georgetown is just trying to get on the right side of the bubble.  They’ll probably need a win like this in order to make it happen, which is much easier said than done.

-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  More often than not the storyline of this game is that it’s a tournament team taking on a possible NIT team.  We have that again, but the roles are reversed.

-SYRACUSE AT CLEMSON (ACC).  This is a game between two bubble teams who need to string together some wins between now and the end.

-ILLINOIS STATE AT DRAKE (Missouri Valley).  If Illinois State wins out they’ll probably have a less than fifty percent chance of making the field, but they will have a chance.  If they don’t win out they’ll virtually have no chance.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton should end up safely inside the bubble so long as they hold serve, and that means winning their games against non-tournament teams.

-VANDERBILT AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Arkansas had to come from behind to win the first game at Vandy.  They are coming off what is easily their most damaging loss of the season and cannot afford to follow that up with a home loss to a team that currently has a losing record.

-IOWA STATE AT TEXAS (Big Twelve).  Iowa State is coming off a huge upset win at Kansas, and will be in very good shape if they can add another conference road win to their profile.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  It’s a rivalry game between a Michigan State team who appears to be safely in the field barring a collapse, but has a lot of room to build their profile, and a Michigan team who needs to string together some wins just to land in the field.

-TEXAS TECH AT TCU (Big Twelve).  This is a game between two bubble teams that really need wins like this between now and the end, especially when you consider that it may come down to having to beat out each other.

-BUTLER AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Marquette has managed some big wins, as has Butler.  Butler clearly has the better profile, but they haven’t always been the best road team so it wouldn’t shock me if Marquette were able to pull this off.

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