METRO ATLANTIC: –Rider out with a loss at Sacred Heart –Canisius out with a home loss to Manhattan and wins by Iona (at Niagara) and Sacred Heart (vs Rider) –Niagara out with a home loss to Iona and wins by Manhattan (at Canisius) and Sacred Heart (vs Rider)
AMERICAN: –UTSA out with a loss at Charlotte
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-The biggest result from yesterday was hands down Texas Tech’s win at Arizona. I realized while the game was going on that I had completely skipped over it during yesterday’s write up, which was stupid because it was a game between two protected seeds. It was an overtime thriller that was tied at the half and tied at the end of regulation. Texas Tech just kept making big plays and kept the momentum from swinging Arizona State’s way. Texas Tech now holds two wins away from home against likely #1 seeds, and one of those was a true road game. No one else’s resume tops out as good as that.
-Iowa State blew a red hot Kansas team off the floor 74-56. Kansas is really good, but this just goes to show you how hard it is to win at Iowa State.
-UConn keeps winning games, but they don’t always do it the easy way. The got an unexpected battle from Georgetown and only held on to win 79-75. UConn has a habit of playing with their food.
-Gonzaga got an expected battle from Santa Clara, but held on to pick up a really nice 94-86 road win. Santa Clara is by no means a protected seed caliber team, but they are a good team that’s hovering around the bubble and that was jacked way up for this one.
-Florida kept Kentucky at arms lenght in their 93-82 win. Kentucky came into this one playing really well and this loss really won’t set them back that much.
-Virginia had more trouble with Ohio State down in Nashville than I expected, but did hold on to win 70-66. Ohio State continues to hover around the bubble and UVA continues to hover around the 4-line.
-Saint John’s got a road win at Providence in a game that was unfortunately highlighted by a scuffle that occurred after a ridiculous hard foul committed by Providence. Basically had he done this to someone on the street he’d be charged with assault. No one was injured, several were ejected, some will likely be suspended, and the Johnnies won 79-69.
-Texas A&M’s losing streak continues as they fell at Vanderbilt 82-69. None of TAMU’s losses are particularly bad, but when you add all four of them together they do start to add up.
-TCU got a much needed road win at Oklahoma State 95-92. They are squarely on the bubble and adding another decent road win to their profile was something they needed.
-Virginia Tech lost to Florida State, at home, by a lot. The final score was 92-69. This was a pitiful performance by a VA Tech team that looked to be trending up. Losing badly to teams that are nowhere near the bubble is not a good move for teams that are on the bubble themselves.
-SMU, another team that’s hovering around the bubble, lost on the road to Syracuse 79-78. Syracuse has had a rather underwhelming season, so this one is going to leave a mark on the Mustangs.
-Georgia is another team that is going in the complete wrong direction. They fell at Oklahoma 94-78 and really didn’t look at all like a tournament caliber team. Georgia has now dropped five of their last six and is in a complete tailspin.
-Miami FL got a huge win at NC State 77-76. It’s an important road win for a team that appeared to be hovering around the bubble. Both teams are safely in our field for now, but neither can afford to just coast to the finish.
-VCU had to sweat a little bit to do it, but they knocked off Richmond 78-67 on the road to improve to 20-6 on the year. They should at least get a serious look from the committee if they win out until the conference tournament, but then don’t win the auto-bid.
-West Virginia is a team we’ve been saying you need to watch, and yesterday they showed us why. They picked up what was perhaps their most important win of the year (so far) as they went down to UCF and won 74-67. UCF is a place where Kansas and Texas Tech failed to win. WVU likely isn’t all the way inside the bubble yet, but they are playing well enough to get there.
-Missouri, who had been on an absolute roll, was absolutely rolled over on their own court last night by Texas 85-68. It’s a win the Longhorns really needed and probably moves them off the bubble and into the field (for now).
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-INDIANA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Illinois has all the indications of being a team that will end up with a protected seed. Indiana is inside our bubble and a win for them today would certainly be their best of the year and shoot them up the seedlist.
-South Florida @ Florida Atlantic (American) – South Florida appears to be in the driver’s seat in the American
-Belmont @ Murray State (Missouri Valley) – these are two of the better teams in the MVC and it is a really tough road test for Belmont
-Seton Hall @ Butler (Big East) – If Seton Hall wants any shot of landing inside the bubble they need to hold serve in all remaining games like this one
-TENNESSEE TECH AT SOUTHERN INDIANA (Ohio Valley). Southern Indiana will be eliminated if they lose this game and Eastern Illinois wins at home today against Little Rock.
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-Wisconsin in suddenly on a rampage. They’ve won back-to-back against at Illinois and a blowout win over Michigan State at home last night. After having what seemed to be kind of a blah season, you look at the Badgers now and realize they’re 9-2 in their last 11 games and have won at Michigan, at Illinois, and blown out Michigan State in that stretch.
-Mother Miami and Ohio had the national stage to themselves on ESPN last night – while the Redhawks were a little slow out of the gate, they did kick into another gear in the 2nd half and ended up blowing out the Bobcats. Angry Frank’s UMass team is next in line (at home in Amherst) to try to end the nation’s last undefeated team.
-It was a rather chalky night last night with Saint Louis, Akron, Harvard (albeit barely), and Yale all winning
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CLEMSON AT DUKE (ACC). Before their last game I wrote about how Clemson was having an incredible year and were not getting the general appreciation that they should be, so of course they went out and lost their next game to Virginia Tech. Today they’re facing a #1 seed caliber team on the road. The Tigers are good, but probably not this good.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big 12). A very bubblicious game here between two teams that both really need to win this. TCU is right on the bubble and needs road wins like this to help them get on the right side of it, and Oklahoma State needs to string together wins between now and the end just to reach the bubble.
-UCLA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). UCLA is hovering around the bubble. As frustrating as their season has been they have a chance today to really slingshot themselves up the seedlist. Having said that, it won’t be easy. Michigan is good enough to win it all and beating a team that’s as good as that on their floor is…well…not easily done.
-KANSAS AT IOWA STATE (Big 12). This is a clash between two heavyweights. Kansas has been playing much better and just knocked off top ranked Arizona, but going on the road to Iowa State may be even more challenging given the fact that it’s a road game. Iowa State had a somewhat surprising loss earlier this week that they are looking to bounce back from. The atmosphere for this one should be incredible.
-TEXAS A&M AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Both teams are in the top half of the bracket (for now), but both also have room for improvement on their profiles and today’s game is a chance to do that. TAMU has lost three straight, so there is likely some added urgency on them to snap that losing streak.
-KENTUCKY AT FLORIDA (SEC). Kentucky has really been playing well lately having won eight of their last nine, but they’ve got a very tall order today. Florida, regardless of what the paper an profiles say, looks to be the best team on the court right now in the SEC and it may not even be close. They are good enough to go deep into March, and they’re at home. If Kentucky could somehow win this one they should shoot up the rankings and the seedlist.
-MIAMI FL AT NC STATE (ACC). Miami is coming off a big home win against UNC, which is one of their better wins of the year. They can really strengthen their resume if they can win this one on the road today. NC State was blitzed at Louisville earlier in the week and is looking to bounce back. They had been playing really well before that.
-HOFSTRA AT UNC WILMINGTON (CAA). I’m actually highlighting this one even though it’s a UTR game. I think these are two of the best teams in the CAA, and if one of them ultimately wins the auto-bid I think either one would be a very dangerous team in the Round of 64, so watching them go at it today is interesting enough to highlight.
-PURDUE AT IOWA (Big Ten). Iowa had been rolling with six straight wins, three of which were on the road, but lost a somewhat surprising game to Maryland their last time out. Things don’t get any easier today. They’re at home, but against a really good Purdue team that is a solid protected seed and who is looking for their 7th true road win.
-WEST VIRGINIA AT UCF (Big 12). West Virginia is climbing the Big 12 standings and is actually even with UCF. WVU is nowhere near the bubble, but they may be able to be within reach of it if they can get this one on the road today. UCF appears to be relatively safe, but they need to hold serve in games like this.
-VIRGINIA VS OHIO STATE (Nashville TN). Virginia looks like a team that will end up as a protected seed whereas Ohio State is outside the bubble and needs some big wins to get on the right side of it. A win today would certainly help them.
-AUBURN AT ARKANSAS (SEC). Both are likely NCAA Tournament teams and Arkansas should be safely in the top half of the bracket. This is just a resume building opportunity for two teams that appear to be playing for seeding at this point.
-TEXAS AT MISSOURI (SEC). Mizzou is coming off one of their better wins of the season as they knocked off Texas A&M on the road. They have a winnable, but also somewhat challenging home game tonight against a Texas team that’s playing better and that’s right on our bubble. A road win like this for the Horns would be huge.
-NEVADA AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). Both teams are outside the bubble and both have very narrow paths to get inside the bubble, but both have played well and have shown they may be good enough to do it. Having said that, this game is almost a must-win for both these teams.
-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast). The importance of this game is obvious. Santa Clara is right on the bubble and a win today against Gonzaga will likely vault them onto the right side of it. It’s a showcase home game against a blue blood program. The Zags, on the other hand, are trying to stay within range of a protected seed and this would be one of their better wins of the season if they can pull it off.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-California @ Boston College (ACC) – Cal is just outside the bubble and can’t afford to lose a game like this
-Northwestern @ Nebraska (Big Ten) – Nebraska shouldn’t have too much trouble bouncing back after their to Purdue in their last game. The Huskers have lost three of their last four, but are still in really good shape.
-Saint John’s @ Providence (Big East) – The Johnnies are really on a roll and may win out through the regular season. They could still end up as a protected seed. However, keep in mind that Providence already beat the Johnnies at The Garden earlier this season.
-Pittsburgh @ North Carolina (ACC) – UNC is coming off a tough loss to Miami FL, but should be able to bounce back today in what almost amounts to a buy game
-Florida State @ Virginia Tech (ACC) – VA Tech is inside the bubble and needs to hold serve at home today
-SMU @ Syracuse (ACC) – SMU is inside our bubble, but they are not safe. This is the kind of road game they need to be able to win to show they belong inside the field
-Villanova @ Creighton (Big East) – Nova is on pace to land in the top half of the bracket and while it’s never easy to win on the road, this is a game they should win
-Georgia @ Oklahoma (SEC) – Georgia can and should win this. It’s a road game against a team they should beat and it’s the kind of game they need to win to safely stay where they are on the seedlist
-Kansas State @ Houston (Big 12) – Houston started off good and they’ve just gotten better since. They are about as good as anyone in the country and should hold serve at home in this one
-Colorado @ BYU (Big 12) – BYU just snapped a four game losing streak and they should be able to follow that up with another win today
-Louisville vs Baylor (Fort Worth TX)- an interesting OOC game that looked a lot more compelling back in November than it does now. Louisville hasn’t always been the best road team, but they’re good enough to where they should win this one, especially since it isn’t a true road game
-VCU @ Richmond (Atlantic 10) – VCU’s path to land inside the bubble is very narrow, but there does appear to be a path. They need to take care of business against their rival today
-LSU @ Tennessee (SEC) – Tennessee should be able to hold serve in this one
-Georgetown @ Connecticut (Big East) – UConn should hold serve in this one
-Saint Mary’s @ Pacific (West Coast) – This is the kind of game that a solid tournament team should be able to win on the road. It won’t be easy. Pacific is 9-1 at home and they’ll be up for this one, but like I always say, teams have to show they can win games that aren’t easy to win in order to make the NCAA Tournament
-Memphis @ Utah State – another OOC game that looked a lot more interesting back in November than it does now. As things played out this is just another quad 3 home game for Utah State
-South Carolina @ Alabama (SEC) – Bama is on the verge of a protected seed and should be able to hold serve in this one
UTR WATCH:
-Navy @ Colgate (Patriot League) – Navy is running away from the rest of the PL
-Long Island @ New Haven (Northeast Conference) – LIU is running away from the rest of the NEC and should have home court advantage in the conference tournament
-UMBC @ New Hampshire (America East) – UMBC is one of the teams in the AEast conference race
-High Point @ Gardner Webb (Big South) – High Point is in a race with Winthrop and should absolutely flatten Gardner Webb today
-North Dakota State @ North Dakota (Summit League) – North Dakota State now has a two game lead in the Summit standings, but will be challenged today on the road against a rival
-Bryant @ Vermont (America East) – Vermont is chasing NJIT and UMBC and is a game behind in the AEast standings
-West Georgia @ Central Arkansas (Atlantic Sun) – Central Arkansas is having a historically good year and is just a game behind Austin Peay in the ASun standings
-Liberty @ UTEP (Conference USA) – Liberty looks to remain unbeaten in conference play and is probably good enough to win out
-NJIT @ Maine (America East) – NJIT is one of the teams in the three-horse-race for 1st place in the AEast
-Bethune Cookman @ Alcorn State (SWAC) – Cookman has just one confernece loss and appears to be the best team in the SWAC
-Portland State @ Northern Colorado (Big Sky) – Portland State appears to be running away with it. Northern Colorado looked to be the best team prior to the start of conference play, but was real disappointing once conference play got underway. They’ve now won five in a row and could be dangerous
-Coppin State @ NC Central (MEAC) – NC Central trying to hold on to 1st place in the MEAC
-UT Martin @ SIUE (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin still looks to be the best team, but they’ve now lost two straight and just one game separates the top six teams in the league
-Stephen F Austin @ UTRGV (Southland) – SFA has a two game lead over McNeese, but they will likely be challenged today on the road against a really solid UTRGV team that’s been playing well lately
-Bellarmine @ Austin Peay (Atlantic Sun) – Austin Peay is trying to hold on to their one game lead over Central Arkansas in the ASun
-Yale @ Harvard (Ivy League) – it’s the two best teams in the Ivy League and this game could determine who the 1st place finisher ends up being
-Hawaii @ Cal State Northridge (Big West) – road games are extra challenging for Hawaii, but if they can win this one they can keep themselves atop the Big West standings
-Troy @ Southern Miss (Sun Belt) – after losing three of their last four in conference, Troy has lost what appeared to be a comfortable lead and we now have a four-team logjam atop the SBC standings
-California Baptist @ Utah Tech (WAC) – Cal Baptist is now alone in 1st place, but Utah Tech is just one game behind them. This is a pivotal game to determine who will finish 1st and get a bye into the semifinals
HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with a very special reward coming in March. However, since it is a rare occurrence to have a top-100 match-up in DC these days, he was in attendance Friday night for the George Mason-George Washington game at the Charles E. Smith Center and prepared this photo essay.
I made it to the other 3 gyms in DC back in November (American/Georgetown/Howard), but it took me a few months to complete the superfecta. GW follows the ain’t-broke-don’t-fix approach to pregame meals because it works just fine: pizza and Coke Zero. Tonight’s color commentator is 1 who is very familiar with the District: former Hoya star/2-time NBA All-Star Roy Hibbert:
But the star of the show is GW strength and conditioning coach/HoopsHD legend Robert “Handy” Handerahan!
Let’s tip it off on Friday the 13th:
We have 2 solid coaches tonight in GW coach Chris Caputo (bottom)/GMU coach Tony Skinn (top):
Unfortunately for the former, it looks like GW is still missing 2 starters due to injury (Rafael Castro/Bubu Benjamin). In Castro’s absence, C Luke Hunger caught fire early with 12 PTS in the 1st 9 minutes on a pair of layups, a fadeaway jumper, and a pair of threes:
GMU started 18-1 this season but had lost 3 of 6 since then and were searching for a way to get back on track. G Masai Troutman (left) almost matched Hunger’s hot start with 9 PTS in the 1st 9 minutes, and big man Riley Allenspach (right) dominated the paint with a layup/turnaround jumper/dunk to keep the Patriots within striking distance at halftime as they only trailed 32-30:
I walked down to the court during halftime and got a nice view of the jersey retirement of former GW PG Shawnta Rogers, who was named 1999 A-10 POY as a SR after leading the nation with 3.6 SPG, then spent more than a decade playing pro basketball in several foreign countries:
GMU G Jahari Long tried to keep his team in it during the 2nd stanza with a trio of trifectas, but as you might be aware, this has not been a good sports week for any Patriots:
In contrast, GW PG Jean Aranguren is having a heck of a February. Last weekend he had a triple-double at Duquesne, and tonight he got to the basket at will in a near-perfect effort with 16 PTS on 7-8 FG/1-1 FT:
Since Oscar Night is rapidly approaching, I think the best way to describe tonight’s result is “The Hunger Game”. The big man made all 3 of his shots from beind the arc despite being just a career 20% 3-PT shooter, finished with 31 PTS after only scoring 31 PTS in the entire month of January, and helped his team pull away in the 2nd half as they cruised to a 72-53 win.
In the postgame press conference, I noticed that Coach Skinn’s team had been 4-0 this year while wearing gold, so I asked him if he was a superstitious guy who would immediately burn those jerseys. He smiled and said that he did not even know it was Friday the 13th (strike 1):
In 1 of my most leading questions ever, I wondered if Coach Caputo ever recalled beating an opponent this good by this many PTS with this many injured starters. I expected a resounding “no”…but instead he claimed it would have been 2 weeks agao against St. Louis if some calls had gone his way. He did admit that this 1 is up there with some of his best victories: he has beaten Dayton a couple of times in conference play when they were a top-100 team, and he beat a South Florida team earlier this year that has a good chance of winning the American (strike 2):
Hoping to avoid the strikeout, I begged Hunger to explain how it was possible to score 31 tonight after scoring 31 in January. He said that while most of his looks tonight were good ones, there were 2 shot that he threw up which happened to go in. His MO is to be consistent: even when he arrived and knew that he would have to take a backseat to Castro, he just tried to be the best teammate that he could be. He never gets too down: even if he is only playing 10 minutes, he always has a positive mindset.
That is a wrap for now, but check back in the weeks ahead as the postseason is almost here!
-We have had our first SURVIVAL BOARD elimination. Western Illinois fell at home to Little Rock 77-58, which mathematically eliminates them from making the Ohio Valley Tournament. 359 TEAMS REAMIN!!!
-Hofstra seems to be back on track after almost inexplicably hitting the skids. They picked up a nice 66-62 road win at Charleston last night. Even though the Pride are not at the top of the standings they appear to be the strongest team right now, although UNC Wilmington is also looking really good.
-Belmont bounced back from their overtime loss at Bradley with a 91-86 win over a Northern Iowa team that had been playing really well, but it’s probably not going to be enough to put them on the bubble even if they win out. Another case of a good UTR team that would have made it inside the bubble had they just had more opportunities during the season to prove themselves.
-And UC Irvine!!…my pick to win the Big West!!…..NEVERMIND!!!! (the lost at Cal Poly 79-73 and will fall another game behind Hawaii)
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-MICHIGAN STATE AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten). Wisconsin has two of the best wins that any team has managed this season having won both at Michigan and at Illinois. They have not always played at that level, though. They’ll have a tough test tonight against a good Michigan State team that’s also coming off a really big win as they knocked off Illinois in overtime.
-OHIO U AT MIAMI OH (MAC). The Battle of the Bricks!!! This is a good rivalry and tonight may be the brightest spotlight it has ever had on it. Miami is the more storied team this year and they are at home, but Ohio U will be way up for this one. It should be a fun one!!
-Yale @ Dartmouth (Ivy League) – Yale is fighting for 1st place and Dartmouth is fighting for a spot in the top 4 so they can make the conference tournament
-Brown @ Harvard (Ivy League) – Harvard is tied with Yale atop the standings and looking to stay there
-Saint Louis @ Loyola Chicago (Atlantic 10) – Saint Louis continues to blow through their schedule and should easily land in the top half of the bracket
Below are my Bracket Projections. It projects the field as if today were Selection Sunday, and if I was a committee of one. I am not trying to guess what the actual selection committee will do on Selection Sunday. I am merely showing you what the field would look like if today were Selection Sunday and I were on complete charge of selecting and seeding the teams. If you want to see a bracket where someone is trying to guess the committee, check out Jon Teitel’s latest Bracket in our BRACKETOLOGY Tab at the top of the page…
OTHERS CONSIDERED: New Mexico, UCLA, Calfornia, VCU, San Diego State, Seton Hall, Ohio State, West Virginia, Nevada, Oklahoma State, Tulsa
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-It would be both cruel and hilarious if things played out this way, but never has a #1 seed been more cursed than Connecticut by the bracketing rules of this particular bracket. They are sent to the South Regional where they could conceivably have to play Houston in Houston in the Elite Eight, but may also have to face Villanova in Philadelphia and Texas Tech in Houston along the way. So much for being protected!!!
-Arizona is still my overall #1 seed despite the loss at Kansas. It does not undo all of the good that they’ve done, and holy crap have they done a lot of good! Including a true road win at UConn, which is perhaps the single most impressive win that any team has managed this season.
-The teams that have moved the most for me are probably Missouri and Miami FL. In fact I think this is the first time I’ve actually selected Missouri, and I have them several lines inside the bubble on the #9 line. The top of their profile is really good and they had a great win at Texas A&M the other night.
-Below are some comments from the staff. If any of them says anything that is critical of the masterpiece of a bracket I have put together, or if they simply disagree with anything….THEY ARE WRONG!!!!
STAFF COMMENTS:
From Chad:
I don’t have as many disagreements with the top of this bracket as I normally do with Griggs, though Vanderbilt as a 6 seed perplexes me. The Commodores have bounced back from their three game losing streak to win 4 of 5, including a road win at Auburn. This team is still in prime position for a protected seed, and they should not be any lower than the 5 line.
Miami (FL) seems bit high to me on the 9 line. I get that they beat Carolina, but as Griggs would say, it was only a home win so it should not even count. Further, that is their only win against an at-large caliber team. I would have the ‘canes in as well, but in or very close to the First Four.
Virginia Tech and TCU would not be in for me right now, but both teams are very close. TCU’s profile is all over the place, with wins and losses in all 4 tiers. Va Tech has a lot of losses for a profile with only 2 wins of note. I would probably choose UCLA and New Mexico right now, with a strong look at Ohio State.
Finally, I know that Griggs wrote this bracket before St. Thomas lost at Omaha tonight, but why are the Tommies even in the field over conference leader North Dakota State? It makes no sense to me, and the only answer is that he is just a #StupidPuppet. For this reason, despite doing a great job on the rest of the bracket, I give his efforts a solid D-. Which is better than the F I gave him last time!
From Stalica:
Chad has acquired a copy of the Selection Committee’s Rules and Procedures for 2026; it typically doesn’t allow for conference matchups until the Sweet 16 if teams match up twice during the season. That rule CAN be relaxed if a conference has 9 or more teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East will get at most 3 bids this year without a bid thief in the conference tournament. While I do appreciate the Puppet’s efforts to troll Zach, the UConn-Villanova matchup would not be permissible this early in the bracket.
While Vanderbilt has been wildly inconsistent, I don’t see how they should be lower than a 5 seed. They do have 6 games against teams that are likely to be in the field versus only one loss against a team not in the field. And isn’t the Puppet always harping on teams needing a great record away from home? The Commodores are 9-2 away from home.
I agree that Georgia is a team that should not feel safe as far as NCAA Tournament inclusion. Texas A&M and Auburn also need to start feeling a sense of urgency; Auburn is the first team in this field to reach double-digit losses, although none of them are against non-tournament teams. If not for their win at Florida, Auburn might not even be in this field. Texas A&M is now on a 3-game losing streak since the difficulty of their SEC schedule started to get much higher.
I actually agree with Griggs when it comes to including TCU and Santa Clara in the First Four, but I also believe the Hoosiers may actually be safer than he thinks they are. Winning at UCLA might be a fatal blow for the Bruins, and the Wisconsin win looks better now that the Badgers are starting to look like more than a 1-trick pony.
It’s very UTRish, but could the Horizon be down on the 16-line this year? Neither Wright State nor Oakland seem to want to win the top seed, and it’s very much possible that Doug Gottlieb could be the Comeback Coach of the Year should the Phoenix win the Horizon autobid this year.
Posted inBracketology, News and Notes|Comments Off on Hoops HD Staff Bracket Projections (From the Puppet) – Feb 12th
-LITTLE ROCK AT WESTERN ILLINOIS (Ohio Valley). Western Illinois becomes mathematically eliminated from making the conference tournament if they lose this one tonight. They are coming off their first conference win of the season after knocking off Eastern Illinois a couple nights ago.
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NEWS AND NOTES:
-Michigan and Connecticut both sweated a little bit on the road against what appeared to be vastly inferior opponents, but both got control in the second half and both held serve.
-Florida went on the road and absolutely blew out Georgia. This was a Georgia team that at least looks like they can get inside the bubble, and Florida just blew them off their own floor 86-66 is rather impressive. The Gators haven’t been perfect, but they’ve looked like the best team in the SEC.
-Virginia Tech got a massive 76-66 road win at Clemson, which will help their resume out a ton. Clemson had won 13 of their last 14 going into this one, so for VA Tech to beat them at home is huge.
-Iowa, who had been looking really solid, stubbed their toes last night with a road loss at Maryland. Maryland has a losing overall record and is just 3-10 in Big Ten play, so this is a bit of a black eye for the Hawkeyes.
-USC could not get it done at Ohio State in a game between two teams that are right on the bubble. Ohio State pulled it out 89-82. I don’t think this gets the Buckeyes in yet, but it certainly helps.
-California needed to show they could routinely win on the road against mediocre teams and last night they failed to do that. In a crazy game that saw multiple overtimes and saw the lights go out, Cal fell at Syracuse 107-100 in what is a very damaging loss.
-Missouri got one of their biggest wins of the year as they went on the road and beat Texas A&M in an 86-85 thriller. Mizzou was floating around the bubble, so for them to pick up a true road win against a team that’s likely in the middle of the bracket is really big for them. TAMU has now lost three straight after getting off to a fantastic start.
-New Mexico picked up a really nice 70-64 win at Grand Canyon. GCU is not the easiest place to win, and the committee should give the Lobos some credit for this, but it may not be enough in and of itself to put them back inside the bubble.
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UTR WATCH:
-Tonight’s slate is all Under the Radar games
-NJIT @ New Hampshire (America East) – NJIT is tied with UMBC in the loss column for the 1st place spot in the AEast
-UMBC @ Maine (America East) – this may be a tough road test for UMBC given how much better Maine has been playing
-Marist @ Merrimack (Metro Atlantic) – Merrimack is still holding on to the 1st place spot in the MAAC
-High Point @ USC Upstate (Big South) – High Point is tied with Winthrop atop the Big South standings. This should be a winnable road game against an Upstate team that’s struggled this year
-Detroit Mercy @ Wright State (Horizon League) – Wright State has a one game lead on Oakland in the HL standings and needs to hold serve at home
-Elon @ UNC Wilmington (CAA) – UNCW sitll has a one game lead over Charleston and has basically beaten everyone except William & Mary. They may get a test today even though Elon is pretty far down the standings
-Portland State @ Northern Arizona (Big Sky) – Portland State is running away from the Big Sky and should wrap up the top seed in the tournament soon
-UT Martin @ Lindenwood (Ohio Valley) – UT Martin still has a one game lead in the standings despite their loss to Morehead State last week. They could be challenged on the road tonight by a Lindenwood team that’s fighting to position themselves in the conference standings
-California Baptist @ Southern Utah (WAC) – Cal Baptist has won eight straight conference games and is tied with Utah Valley atop the WAC standings. They need to keep winning to lock up the top spot
-Northern Iowa @ Belmont (Missouri Valley) – Belmont’s at-large hopes may have vanished after their loss at Bradley over the weekend. They face a very good and red hot Northern Iowa team that is exceptionally dangerous now that they’re healthy. This should be a good one tonight
-Utah Valley @ Utah Tech (WAC, Bee Hive) – this is a big game in the WAC standings. Unfortuantely we may not be able to see it unless Utah Valley pays the fine before tipoff. Their games cannot be streamed.
-Hawaii @ Cal State Bakersfield (Big West) – It’s never easy for Hawaii to go on the road and win, but this is one they should pick up and they should be able to maintain their one game lead over UC Irvine
