Under the Radar Game of the Day: Morgan State at Loyola Marymount

Posted on December 26, 2016 by Chad

Morgan State at Loyola Marymount, 8:00 PM Eastern, thew.tv

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Ben Byrd about Bernard King, CLICK HERE.

The calm before the storm.  After Christmas Eve off and only the final round of the Diamond Head Classic yesterday, Boxing Day today brings us one Division I contest before a ton of teams start regular season conference play tomorrow and over the next week.  The one and only game on the calendar is Morgan State, taking a holiday trip to the west coast (they play again Thursday at Cal State Northridge), to take on Loyola Marymount.  Morgan State enters tonight’s game at 3-8 on the season, with home wins over Campbell, Manhattan and non-D1 Wilmington.  Although only two wins against D1 foes sounds rough, the Bears, along with North Carolina Central, are one of only two MEAC teams to have more than one such victory so far this year.  Keep an eye on junior Phillip Carr for the Bears, as he has scored in double figures every game this season and has picked up four double-doubles.

Loyola Marymount enters play tonight with a record of 6-4.  None of the Lions’ losses have been particularly bad, as they all fall within the top 100 in KenPom ratings (Nevada, UConn, Boise State and Texas-Arlington).  In addition, LMU picked up a nice road win at Colorado State, one of the tougher venues to win at in the Mountain West conference.  Brandon Brown scored 22 points in that win, while Stefan Jovanovic added 21.  If the two of them can continue to dominate opponents, the Lions have a great shot at not only winning tonight, but being very successful when conference play starts later this week.

 

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Holiday Memories: HoopsHD interviews Ben Byrd about Hall of Famer Bernard King

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Jon Teitel

Christmas is 1 of the loneliest days on the college basketball calendar because the NBA owns December 25th.  Tomorrow marks the 32nd anniversary of 1 of the greatest Christmas Day performances ever by 1 of the greatest Tennessee Volunteers ever.  In 1984 Bernard King scored 60 points in a loss to New Jersey, becoming the 10th player in NBA history to score 60+ points in a game.  He scored 40 in the 1st half and finished the game by making 19-30 FG/22-26 FT and finished that season as the league scoring champion.  King honed his craft in Knoxville as a 3-time All-American and 3-time SEC Player of the Year.  Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame sportswriter Ben Byrd passed away in September, but while he was alive HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with him about the “Ernie and Bernie Show” and the Vols’ memorable 1977 NCAA tourney OT game against Syracuse.  We send our condolences to Ben’s family.

In the mid-1970s Bernard went to Tennessee and formed the “Ernie and Bernie Show” with teammate Ernie Grunfeld: what made the 2 of them such a dynamic duo? Tennessee had some very fine players before those 2 showed up but never had 2 as plainly great as King and Grunfeld. There was more attention paid to them on offense but they were both complete players. King was the quickest inside player I had ever seen: he generally played in the high post and if he was facing a man-to-man defense he could always get his shot off.

He was a 3-time SEC POY/3-time All-American: what did it mean to him to win such outstanding individual honors? Grunfeld was 1 year ahead of him and was so good that he broke all the school scoring records as a freshman…and then the following year Bernard came along and took his place in the record book!

In the 1977 NCAA tourney he had 23 PTS/12 REB before fouling out in a 5-PT OT loss to Syracuse: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of his career? That game was played in Baton Rouge. Tennessee had good teams in the past but often finished 2nd to Kentucky and Adolph Rupp so they rarely had success in the NCAA tourney. I think the tourney trip the year before when they lost to VMI. I remember walking into practice a couple of days before that game and nobody was doing very much. Coach Mears told me that he had a little bit of trouble because Bernard got hurt during a scrimmage.

After being drafted 7th overall by the Nets in 1977 (1 spot ahead of Jack Sikma) he set a Nets franchise record with 24.2 PPG as a rookie: how was he able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? He was obviously so far ahead of everyone else due to his natural ability. He was not particularly tall but he could score against anyone in the post. He was also a good man-to-man defender even though he played a lot of zone defense in college.

In January/February 1984 with the Knicks he became the 1st player in 2 decades with 50+ PTS in consecutive games, and on Christmas Day 1984 he became the 10th player in NBA history to score 60 PTS in a game in a loss to the Nets: what was his secret for being a great scorer? I am sure that Coach Ray Mears told his team to get the ball to Bernie and Ernie as much as they could but there was no specific plan to try and get him a certain amount of points. He was a good friendly kid and I liked him.

In the decisive Game 5 of the 1984 Eastern Conference 1st round he had 44 PTS/12 REB in a 4-PT OT win at Detroit: how was he able to play so well despite having the flu and 2 dislocated middle fingers, and was Isiah Thomas just “in the zone” at the end of regulation (scoring 16 PTS in 93 seconds to force OT)? I think he was hit by cars on separate occasions but would eventually come back to play after each incident because he had a lot of heart in him. He was a good practice player who wanted to do things the right way.

In 1985 he led the NBA in scoring with 32.9 PPG: did you feel like he was the best player in the league? He was not short on self-confidence. I remember talking to him once in Atlanta and he thought the team was going to finish very high in the league. Grunfeld did not play 2nd-fiddle to anybody: he could swing that big butt around and knock 3 people out of the way! He was a good guy and a real hero in Tennessee. He felt he was the best forward in the league and Grunfeld agreed with him.

In March 1985 he scored 37 PTS before suffering a torn ACL in a loss to Kansas City that caused him to miss the entire 1986 season: what impact did that injury have on him either on or off the court? He came back to Tennessee to visit for a few days: it took a lot of determination to overcome all those injuries. He was determined to get out there and play again.

In 2013 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? It has to rank very high. Anytime you make the Hall of Fame it is part of your legacy. Bernard deserved it: he revolutionized the college game as a power forward.

When people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? I think he is largely remembered as the best basketball player Tennessee has ever had, which says a lot because we have had some very good ones. They have not done much lately but were good for a long time.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Friday, Dec 23rd – Monday Dec 26th

Posted on December 23, 2016 by David Griggs

For our latest Under the Radar Podcast – CLICK HERE

For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

FRIDAY, DEC 23rd

-AUBURN AT UCONN (game in Hartford).  Auburn comes in at 9-2 and needs really needs to do better than they did the last time they faced a team from New England.  If they want to make the NCAA Tournament then winning on the road against non-tournament teams is what they need to be able to do.

-PROVIDENCE AT BOSTON COLLEGE.  This is an old Big East rivalry that probably doesn’t burn as hot as it used to.  Providence has been a bit of a surprise this year.  They come into this game at 10-2, but still don’t have a true road win on their profile.  BC is a much more modest 6-6 and so far hasn’t looked like the kind of team that is postseason bound.

-NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT WEST VIRGINIA.  This is practically a buy game, but it technically isn’t.  It’s part of a four year home-and-home deal that the two schools have.  And, with NKU being much improved and coming into this game at 10-3, it’s a chance for them to do something that will make them nationally relevant.  It’s a long shot because WVU is an excellent team, but it’s still a great opportunity for a Norse team that, by UTR standards, really shouldn’t be ignored.

-RUTGERS AT SETON HALL.  This is an old Big East rivalry that is now an OOC rivalry.  Both teams come in with bloated records.  Seton Hall actually has some wins of note to go along with it where most of Rutgers wins have come against fluff.  Having said that, Rutgers needed a bit of fluffing given the state of their program.  If they can win this game, it could be a huge turning point for the Scarlet Knights.  It will be much easier said than done, though.

-GEORGIA AT OAKLAND.  Georgia could use a notable road win, and although Oakland is an Under the Radar team, this would still go down as a notable road win.

-ARKANSAS STATE AT MINNESOTA.  Arkansas State had a chance to pick up a nice win against Alabama the other night, and just came out flat.  Going to Minnesota is a tougher assignment, but if they were to pick this up it would really boost their NCAA Tournament profile.  Arkansas State has a win at Georgetown, but they can’t just hold serve and coast the rest of the way.  They need a win like this on their resume if they want to be able to make the NCAA Tournament without the automatic bid.

-SAN FRANCISCO VS ILLINOIS STATE (Diamondhead Classic).  Both teams won their first game easily yesterday, and come into this with quite a bit of momentum as well as a need to build up their resumes.  Neither appear to be inside the bubble as of yet, but both are on our radars and have the ability and opportunity to play their way into the picture.

-WYOMING VS USC (Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic).  Wyoming has a bloated record.  If they can win this game, they’ll have a bloated record with some meat on it and suddenly be nationally relevant.  USC is unbeaten, in the rankings, and looking to remain that way.

-VMI AT DAYTON.  Buy game.

-HARVARD AT HOUSTON.  Buy game.

-FLORIDA A&M AT WISCONSIN.  Buy game.

 

SATURDAY, DEC 24th

-UTAH AT HAWAI’I (Diamondhead Classic).  This game tips off after midnight throughout most of the United States!!  I’m saying it’s on Dec 24th!  We DO have basketball on Dec 24th!  It’s not a very meaningful game, but it’s the most meaningful thing that’s happening that day!

-The Longhorn Network is also rerunning the Kansas v Texas game from the 1999-2000 season.

 

SUNDAY, DEC 25th

-The final round of the Diamondhead Classic is being played today.  Most of the games don’t carry any real weight and aren’t worth highlighting.  The biggest game in the bracket is probably Friday night’s game between San Francisco and Illinois State.  If the winner of that can hold serve against either Tulsa or San Diego State they will have added three neutral floor wins to their profile and built up some momentum going forward.

 

MONDAY, DEC 26th

-MORGAN STATE AT LMU.  Yunno, I don’t know why this game is being played today and none others.  But, the two teams have the college basketball stage all to themselves!

 

-We are switching into holiday mode (or at least I am) until next Tuesday.  I hope everyone has a safe and happy Holiday Season and is able to enjoy whatever it is they plan on doing.  If it’s a big family gathering that you’re looking forward to, then I hope you enjoy it!  If’ it’s big family gathering that you’re dreading, then I hope you survive it and that the shattering of emotions is held to a minimum.  Remember, the Diamondhead games are going on all throughout Christmas Day, so if you want something to do as you run and hide you can turn those on and hit us up on Twitter!  If you’re by yourself, then I hope you’re at least able to enjoy the down time and destress.  And, again, the Diamondhead games are on, so you can turn those on and hit us up on Twitter!  If you’re having to work, then you must be really important in some capacity and I hope they’re at least paying you time-and-a-half.

-Big Ten and American play tip off on Tuesday, and we will be back then to highlight that.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Chicago State vs Troy

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Chad

Chicago State vs Troy, Las Vegas Classic Visitors’ Bracket Championship Game, 5:30 PM Eastern, No TV or video

For our most recent Under the Radar video podcast, CLICK HERE.

The Chicago State Cougars only won one Division I game last season, lost 28 times, and captured the HoopsHD Centenary Award for the worst team in D1.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the offseason saw the university coming under significant financial stress, to the point that questions still remain as to whether or not the school will even be able to keep its doors open.  With all that, we did not expect much at all out of the Cougars this season.  That is why it is surprising to see them sitting at 4-9 on the season already, including having picked up a road win at Western Illinois.  Even more importantly, the Cougars have a chance today to win a championship — by defeating Troy and capturing the Visitors’ Bracket title at the Las Vegas Classic.  They knocked off Southeast Missouri State yesterday by 9 points, led by Trayvon Palmer’s 18 points and 15 rebounds.  Another effort like that today could be just what this team needs.

Troy enters today’s game at 7-6 on the season, including a semifinal win yesterday over Cornell.  The Trojans had six players that scored in double figures in the game, led by 19 from Wesley Person.  Person also had 19 this past weekend in his team’s loss at USC, a game in which the Troy Trojans had a real chance to knock the USC Trojans out of the ranks of the unbeatens.  If Troy can get another solid, balanced scoring effort today, they should prove to be the better team and win this championship.  However, given the struggles that Chicago State has had over the past year, we cannot help but pull for the Cougars to take home some hardware.

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Under the Radar: December 22nd

Posted on December 22, 2016 by David Griggs

NOTE: Recorded prior to the end of Valparaiso’s loss to Santa Clara

Chad, John, and David are back, and on this week’s edition Under the Radar welcomes a new conference in the Mountain West.  It appears that for the second year in a row it is a one bid league with no teams solidly inside the bubble as we head into conference play.  We look at that, as well as the other 22 UTR conferences, and we reveal this week’s UTR top ten with Valpo, Middle Tennessee, Monmouth, UT Arlington, Wichita State, and UNC Wilmington all continuing to look strong.

 

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

Posted in Commentary, Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | 2 Comments

Throwback Thursday: Farewell to the Georgia Dome

Posted on December 22, 2016 by John Stalica

For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day between Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grand Canyon – CLICK HERE

For David Griggs’s daily News, Notes and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

With the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium set to open in the fall of 2016, we will be saying farewell to a venue that has hosted a number of Falcons home games, SEC football championships, SEC basketball championships, 2 Super Bowls, multiple NCAA regionals and 3 Final Fours. The first notable postseason action as far as NCAA Tournament action goes took place in 1996 – the Georgia Dome was the host site for the East regional. The participants were UMass (a spot ultimately vacated), Arkansas, Georgetown and Texas Tech. Both UMass (with John Calipari and Marcus Camby) and Georgetown (with John Thompson Jr. and Allen Iverson) would advance to the Elite 8, and UMass would ultimately beat Georgetown 86-62 to earn their school’s first trip to the Final 4.

The first Final Four to be played in the Georgia Dome took place in 2002. Maryland won the East regional, Kansas won the Midwest Regional, Indiana was the surprise winner in the South Regional (upsetting Duke in Lexington, much to the delight of the locals) and Oklahoma emerged from the West Regional. Indiana would beat Oklahoma in the first semifinal to advance to its first championship appearance since 1987, and Maryland beat Kansas 97-88 to advance to its first championship game. Thanks to a cast of players that included Juan Dixon and Steve Blake, the Terrapins defeated Indiana 64-52 for their first national title in men’s hoops.

The second Final Four would take place in 2007 – this time the 4 teams featured were the defending champions of Florida (Midwest Region), Ohio State (South Region), UCLA (West Region) and Georgetown (East Region). With Ohio State defeating Georgetown and Florida beating UCLA, it set up a championship game between Ohio State and Florida that mirrored the exact same 1-2 matchup in college football’s championship game for the first and only time in NCAA/BCS history. What was a banner year for Gator fans became even better with another win over the Buckeyes – they won both the football and basketball championships that year as well!

Next year, the SEC Tournament was played in the Georgia Dome. What made this tournament very unique was a combination of a Cinderella team in the Georgia Bulldogs and Mother Nature. During the quarterfinal game between Mississippi State and Alabama, Alabama hit a 3-point shot to tie the game and send it to overtime (click here to see it from a fan’s viewpoint). This may have literally saved thousands of fans from filing out of the Georgia Dome before the Georgia-Kentucky quarterfinal. Why? As overtime began, a line of severe thunderstorms moved over downtown Atlanta – a line of storms that included a violent EF2 tornado that damaged many parts of downtown Atlanta (including parts of the Georgia Dome). Click here to see part of the Jefferson-Pilot broadcast with Tim Brando on the call. At about the 35-second mark, there is an audible noise coming from the roof, and at the 45-second mark, fans begin to evacuate after a stoppage in play to take cover. Remarkably, no one inside was killed or injured. After an hour-long delay, the Alabama-Mississippi State game was completed, but the Georgia-Kentucky game was postponed to the following day. Because of structural damage to the Georgia Dome, the remainder of the tournament was played at Georgia Tech’s Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Georgia would win twice on Saturday and in the championship on Sunday to win the SEC title and a very unlikely #14 seed.

The third and last Final Four was played in 2013 – the four teams to advance to Atlanta were Michigan (South Region), Wichita State (West Region), Syracuse (East Region) and Louisville (Midwest Region). Louisville was playing the remainder of their tournament in honor of Kevin Ware – he suffered a gruesome leg injury in the regional final against Duke. Michigan quietly advanced to their first national title game since the Fab Five era (1992 and 1993). Louisville would win the national title with an 82-76 victory, and Luke Hancock became the first ever Most Outstanding Player in a Final Four to not have started either of the Final Four games.

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