Hoops HD

NEWS AND NOTES

-Happy Valentines Day from Hoops HD!  Well, I guess.  I know this is a difficult day for a lot of basketball fans, because Valentines Day activities can distract from more important activities such as college basketball.  I encourage everyone to realize that if he or she wants to do anything other than watch college basketball today, then chances are they are not worth keeping!!!

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between New Hampshire and Stony Brook – CLICK HERE

-Wisconsin got a huge road win against Maryland, which blasts them into the tournament picture.  Maryland’s profile didn’t sustain that much damage because the one thing that’s missing from it is a big time road win, and they’ll still have their chances to pick that up, but Wiscy’s profile is a million times better than it was before the game.

-Normally winning at Maryland would be one of the most impressive wins that anyone manages all season.  As it turns out, it wasn’t even the most impressive road win of the day.  Kansas went into Oklahoma, and pulled off the win of all wins by downing the Sooners on the road.  Kansas has now beaten Oklahoma twice.  Kansas is now in first place of what we believe the toughest conference to be.  Kansas has the most impressive singular win of anyone this season.  I’ve got to believe that this win puts Kansas on the #1 line, and perhaps even as the overall #1 seed.

-Xavier went into Butler and won convincingly, which was a 180 from how they had looked in their previous road game against Creighton earlier in the week.

-Virginia went down at Duke, but as instant replay has shown us they should have won the game.  In defense of the referees, I didn’t notice it when I watched it in real time, but when Grayson Allen (who was very well defended), got up a desperation heave, his feet left the ground, and then touched the ground, and then he shot the ball.  That’s a travel.  But, it wasn’t called, and it went in, and Duke came out with a huge win.  It stings for Virginia, but I don’t think it does anything to hurt them, and wouldn’t be surprised if they still ended up as a #2 or even a #1 seed based on ho well they’re playing and how they have opportunities to keep building their resume.

-Oregon lost their second straight when they fell at Stanford.  I was starting to like them an awful lot, but two straight road losses to a team that’s on the bubble, and another team that’s nowhere near the bubble isn’t exactly playing like a #1 or #2 seed.

-LSU got a big win against Texas A&M.  Texas A&M has now lost five of their last six.  Things really started to go south for TAMU after Lee Delvecchio and Chad Sherwood began discussing how they thought they could be a #1 seed.

-Kentucky’s coach John Calipari was kicked out within the first three minutes of their game against South Carolina.  Kentucky then went on to absolutely blast the Gamecocks out of their own gym.  Calipari was apparently furious that a foul had been called on South Carolina (yes, this happened after a foul had been called on the other team) and wouldn’t stop yelling about it until they kicked him out.  I believe he was channeling his inner Norman Dale for whatever reason.  I really don’t know the reason, but if he did do it on purpose then I guess it worked.

-Baylor lost badly a home to a Texas Tech team that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere other than the NIT.  Baylor could have really done without that.

-Wichita State lost for the second straight weekend to a Northern Iowa team that only scored 15 the second half, but still won.  Wichita State could have really done without that.

-Valparaiso became the fourth Under the Radar team who appeared to be inside the bubble to pick up a really damaging loss when they lost to Wright State at home after the Raiders scored the last eight points of the game.  This is the second time they’ve lost to Wright State.  Valpo really could have done without that.

-Washington came very close to picking up a big road win in each of their last two games, which really would have helped them out, but they fell by a point at Colorado yesterday.

-Last, and definitely not least, Yale improved to 8-0 in the Ivy League with their win yesterday at Harvard.  That sets up a big game against Princeton this Friday that will have NCAA Tournament implications

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SYRACUSE AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC).  Syracuse seems to be getting better and better as the season progresses, and they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up a road win against a BC team that’s winless in ACC play.

-PITTSBURGH AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  UNC is easily a protected seed, and Pitt is safely in the field.  Pitt can really help their profile if they’re able to win this game.

-INDIANA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Indiana got a huge win against Iowa earlier in the week.  If they manage to pick up a road win against a likely protected seed then I think it will completely change the complexion of their resume.

-SOUTH FLORIDA AT TEMPLE (American).  We are looking at Temple, but we likely won’t be anymore if they lose a game like this.

-WASHINGTON STATE AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  Utah has  a solid profile and just needs to hold serve today.

-MIAMI FL AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC).  Miami has yet to win a true road game against a team that’s likely to make the field, so today is a chance to add something to their profile that they don’t have.  It’s also a chance to beat a rival on the road.  Florida State is inside our bubble, but they’d be much safer if they can get another notable win or two.

-MINNESOTA AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Iowa is coming off a loss at Indiana, so this is a good chance for them to rebound.

-USC AT ARIZONA (Pac Twelve).  Both teams are safely in the field, but both teams have room for improvement.  USC doesn’t have that many notable road wins, and Arizona could use a few more wins of note.

-UCLA AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac Twelve).  UCLA is way outside looking in, but if they finish strong they can at least play their way into the picture.

NEWS AND NOTES

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

-Monmouth had to overcome a double digit deficit in the final minutes against Rider to come back and win, which probably saved their season in regards to being able to receive an at-large bid.  With the MAAC Tournament being at Siena, Monmouth needs to remain inside the bubble because that’s not going to be an easy tournament for them to win.  Siena currently has just one home loss (albeit to Monmouth), so winning the automatic bid is not automatic for them by any means.

-We also have 2 teams in danger of being knocked off of our Survival Board tonight – read below for details on SIU-Edwardsville and Dartmouth.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  To say Kentucky hasn’t looked like a road warrior this year is an understatement.  They go into what should be an electric atmosphere against a South Carolina team that’s having a fantastic season.

-TCU AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve).  There aren’t many conference games in the Big Twelve that are easy to win, but this is probably one of them.

-GEORGETOWN AT PROVIDENCE (Big East).  Providence should win this game, but they’re so schizophrenic that one never knows what they’re going to do.  In looking at the kind of season they’ve had so far, it wouldn’t shock me if they lost this game, and then won at Xavier later on.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT WICHITA STATE (Missouri Valley).  Wichita will be safely in the field, and should even be wearing white, if they’re able to win out, which they are certainly good enough to do.

-TEXAS A&M AT LSU (SEC).  This is suddenly a really important game for both of these teams.  TAMU has lost four of their last five, and could use this not only as a notable road win for their profile, but as a means of coming out of the tailspin that they’re currently in.  We have LSU right on our bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it for them.

-KANSAS STATE AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve).  K State is nowhere near our field right now, but we haven’t written them off entirely just yet.  We might if they don’t win this one, though.

-PURDUE AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Both teams are in our field, and Purdue is knocking on the door of being a protected seed, but could use a little more meat on their profile when it comes to solid road wins.  Michigan could just use a little more meat on their profile period, so there’s something significant to be gained here for both teams.

-GEORGIA TECH AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Clemson can still play their way in, but their margin for error is virtually zero.  They can’t afford to lose to a non-tournament team at home.

-WASHINGTON AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  Washington is right on the bubble and this is the kind of win that could really help round out their profile.  Colorado is fairly safe, but they haven’t always looked good.  They really didn’t look good on Thursday as they needed double OT to knock off a really bad Wazzu team.

-KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve).  The first meeting between these two was epic, and I don’t say that lightly.  It was one of the best games I’ve seen in the last five years or so.  This could be an awesome game today, and it still wouldn’t be nearly as good as the first time they’ve played.  Both are likely protected seeds, and Oklahoma still currently looks like the overall #1 seed, so it should be fun.

-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler has won three straight and appears to have righted their ship.  A win today would really shore things up for them if they’re able to pull off the upset.  Xavier is probably a long shot for a #1 seed after the loss at Creighton, but they’re still a solid team and this would be a nice win for Butler.  It would also be a very nice road win for Xavier.

-CHATTANOOGA AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  Chattanooga is coming off a loss at Western Carolina that has them on life support when it comes to landing inside the bubble.  Even winning out may not be enough.  Not winning out most definitely won’t be.

-WILLIAM & MARY AT TOWSON (Colonial).  William & Mary’s chances of landing inside the bubble and getting in without the automatic bid took a huge hit when they fell at home to Hofstra last night.  Anything short of winning out likely won’t be enough to get them in.

-EAST CAROLINA AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati is dangerously on the bubble.  Losing at home to a team with a losing record is something that would not be advised.

-LOUISVILLE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Notre Dame’s profile continues to improve, and they have a shot at what should be a notable win today against a Louisville team that would be in the field if they were eligible.

-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  Both teams are squarely on the bubble, and both teams have a lot of work to do if they want to feel safe on Selection Sunday.  You get the sense that there may not be room for both of them, so this is a hugely important game.

-OREGON AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Things did not go well for Oregon on Thursday night against Cal.  This came just hours after me thinking they were a #1 seed.  Despite the loss, this is a very strong Oregon team with a very strong profile, and this is a winnable road game for them.

-VIRGINIA AT DUKE (ACC).  Virginia has suddenly turned into gangbusters and has convincingly won in their last few road games, which were against good teams.  The way they’re going it wouldn’t shock me to see them end up on the #1 line.  Duke is safely in the field, and will probably be wearing white in the round of 64, but they probably won’t end up as a protected seed.  Unless, of course, they can string together some wins in games like this.

-LITTLE ROCK AT LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE (Sun Belt).  Little Rock is coming off a rather damaging loss, and that was likely their last strike.  If they win out until the conference tournament they should be alright, but anything short of that will likely result in them needing the automatic bid.

-ALABAMA AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Florida looks to be safely inside the bubble.  Alabama is not, but they’ve been playing better as of late and it’s not completely unrealistic to think they could end up there.  They’d need a very strong finish, and they’d need to pick up multiple wins in games like this.

-SAINT LOUIS AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is coming off what is perhaps their most damaging loss of the season, and doesn’t want to follow that up with a loss that would be even more damaging.

-WISCONSIN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Wiscy has been playing well lately, and I think they’ve managed to play their way onto the bubble.  A win like this against a Maryland team that has been really strong at home would be huge.  Maryland is almost a definite protected seed, and could end up as high as the #2 line if they’re able to pick up some big road wins between now and the end.

-OREGON STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  Oregon State picked up a road win against Stanford that they desperately needed in their last game.  They’re still on the bubble, and another road win in a game like this could make the difference as to whether or not they get in.  Cal is also on the bubble, and the biggest thing they need is road wins, but they need to hold serve at home as well.

-TEXAS TECH AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve).  This Baylor team is one of the teams that we’re not in complete agreement over, but we all feel that at worst they’ll be wearing white in the Round of 64, and at best they’ll end up as a solid protected seed.  They need to take care of business against non tournament teams at home, though.

-TULSA AT UCONN (American).  Tulsa is suddenly right outside the bubble, and UConn is in a situation where if they can’t hold serve then they will miss the field.  This is a really big game for both of these teams that both really need to win.

-WRIGHT STATE AT VALPARAISO (Horizon League).  Wright State is the only team to beat Valpo in conference this year, and the Crusaders are looking to avenge the loss.  If Valpo wins out, I think they’re okay for a bid.

-CREIGHTON AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  It would take a big finish for Creighton, and they’d have to win on the road in games like this to make it happen, but it’s still possible for them to end up on the bubble, or even inside the bubble.  I don’t know how probable it is, but it is possible, and they’re coming off a decisive win against a Xavier team that should end up as a protected seed.

-SAINT JOHN’S AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Half of these teams are really good and will likely end up as a #1 seed.  The other half won’t be playing in any sort of postseason tournament whatsoever, but did somehow manage to beat Syracuse.

-LA SALLE AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Atlantic Ten, Big Five).  Saint Joe’s is coming off what I think is easily their most impressive and most important win of the year at GW, and should make the field so long as they don’t fall on their face in games like this.

-TEXAS AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve).  Texas did not beat Oklahoma, but they led for most of the game and took them down to the buzzer.  The game was at Oklahoma, and it’s by far the most impressive a team has looked at them in Norman.  I really like how they’re playing and think they could end up way up on the seed list if they’re keep playing like that and pick up a couple wins in games like this.

-AIR FORCE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is coming off of a loss, but I still think they’ll get a serious look if they win out the rest of the way, and may even get selected if they fail to win the automatic bid.

-GONZAGA AT SMU.  This is an out of conference showcase game between two teams who wanted a high caliber opponent late in the season, but had limited opportunities in their conferences.  SMU is banned from the tournament, but the fans will still be jacked up for this one.  Gonzaga is right on our bubble.  If they can manage a win in a game like this it would really cement their profile and indicate that they do belong in the field.

-SIU EDWARDSVILLE AT EASTERN ILLINOIS (OVC, Survival Board). We could potentially be looking at our first team to be eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration today due to non-APR and postseason ban issues. SIU-E needs to win today and have either Austin Peay or Eastern Kentucky lose a game to remain alive for the OVC Tournament (8 out of the top 12 teams are considered). Either a loss by the Cougars or wins by both Peay and EKU will knock SIU-E off of our Survival Board tonight.

-YALE AT HARVARD (Ivy, Survival Board). We highlight this game not just for the rivalry involved between the Bulldogs and the Crimson, but a Yale win combined with a Dartmouth loss will also knock the Big Green off of our Survival Board tonight.