News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Jan 21st

Posted on January 21, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For last night’s Hoops HD Bracket Rundown and Under the Radar Video Podcasts, where we build a bracket and debate it line by line as we go – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between Idaho and Montana – CLICK HERE

-Last night was another busy night in college basketball.  Villanova led for most of the game at Seton Hall, but had to barely hold on to avoid being the fourth top five team to lose this week.  Seton Hall isn’t in the rankings, but they’re still a team that is very tough to beat at home so Nova does deserve credit for what really was a good win.

-Texas got what was clearly their biggest win of the season with their upset win at West Virginia.  They had struggled on the road prior to last night’s game.  Not only did they add a much needed road win to their profile, they added one of the highest quality road wins that any team has managed this season.

-Nebraska has a long way to go, but they’ve also won four straight and last night knocked off Michigan State on the road.  While it’s a good win for a Nebraska team that is clearly heading in the right direction and still has time to land inside the bubble, Michigan State is suddenly in a bit of a tailspin.

-Baylor needed double overtime to knock off a Kansas State team that desperately needed a high caliber road win.

-Washington picked up a notable home win against Colorado that they really needed, and UCLA got a desperately needed road win against Oregon State.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-CHATTANOOGA AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  As we say for all their games Chattanooga will be in the discussion for an at-large if they win out, but anything short of that and they’ll really be in trouble, so every game has a do or die feel to it.

-KENTUCKY AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Kentucky is slipping, but if they turn it around and finish strong then they should still end up as a protected seed.  This is the kind of road game they need to be able to win if they want to do that.

-MEMPHIS AT CINCINNATI (American).  Both of these teams are on the outside looking in right now and have a ton of work to do if they want to feel safe on Selection Sunday.

-IOWA AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  We like Iowa as a #1 seed at Hoops HD, and if they continue to play like they have been as they go through the Big Ten the real committee will likely end up feeling the same.

-MONMOUTH AT MANHATTAN (Metro Atlantic).  Monmouth appears to be relatively safely inside the bubble for now, but since every team they play from here on out is a sub tournament team then it’s important that they avoid bad losses.

-GRAND CANYON AT CHICAGO STATE (WAC).  The Team of the People!!!!  Grand Canyon will try to improve to a very impressive 17-2 on the year, which is remarkable for a transitional program.

-ARKANSAS STATE AT UT ARLINGTON (Sun Belt).  Arlington has a razor thin margin for error that they came dangerously close to when they lost their last game over the weekend.  They basically need to win out.  Arkansas State is off to a 5-1 start in conference play, so Arlington better not overlook them.

-LITTLE ROCK AT TEXAS STATE (Sun Belt).  Like UT Arlington, Little Rock has an extremely small margin for error if they want to be in a safe position to receive an at-large bid if they end up needing it.

-RICE AT UAB (Conference USA).  UAB should at least get a look by the committee if they win out and end up needing an at-large bid, but anything short of that and they’ll likely need the automatic bid.

-OHIO STATE AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Ohio State has shown signs of life on a few occasions, but where they sit now they’ll need to go on a huge run just to get themselves into the tournament picture.  Purdue continues to look like a protected seed and it should stay that way so long as they hold serve.

-ARIZONA STATE AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  We have both these teams on the bubble, and both really could use this win to help build their profile and to distance themselves from other bubble teams.

-USC AT OREGON (Pac Twelve).  USC has had a great year, but could still use some big road wins to really solidify their profile and make the case that they are a protected seed.  Oregon got a big road win at Utah last week and has been very tough to beat at home this year.

-GONZAGA AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  This is the premier rivalry in the West Coast Conference, and this year it’s a game that both teams really need.  Saint Mary’s is outside the bubble with no real strong wins, and Gonzaga’s profile doesn’t have much on it either.

-ARIZONA AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Stanford is right on the bubble and could really make a strong case for themselves if they’re able to pick up a win in a game like this.  Arizona has slipped somewhat, but this would be a big road win for them and go a long way toward getting them back into protected seeded range.

-UTAH AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Utah has struggled in true road games, but this is probably the most winnable road game remaining on their schedule so it’s important that they take care of business.

 

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | 1 Comment

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, January 21: Idaho at Montana

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Idaho at Montana 9:00 PM Eastern, eversport.tv

For our latest HOOPS HD Bracket Rundown and Under the Radar podcasts, CLICK HERE.

The UTR Game of the Day heads to the Big Sky Conference tonight for a battle between the Idaho Vandals and the Montana Grizzlies.  Idaho features one of my personal favorites players, and of course I am discussing sophomore Chad Sherwood.  Sherwood is a 3-point specialist who has already had two games with 6 made 3’s this season.  He and the rest of his teammates are currently sitting at 11-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play after a tough overtime loss at home to Southern Utah on Saturday (we won’t mention Sherwood’s missed free throw at the end of overtime that could have tied the game).  Victor Sanders and Perrion Callandret are the top two scorers for the Vandals, though Callandret has been out for the past two games.  The Vandals do have a shot tonight for a huge road victory that will re-establish them in contention for the regular season title.  A loss, however, would drop them three games out of first place and make the road to the crown a lot more difficult.

Montana enters play tonight with a record of 11-6 overall, but 6-0 in league play and half a game up on 5-0 Weber State for the top spot in the Big Sky.  The Grizzlies struggled during the non-conference schedule, other than a season-opening win over Boise State, but enter play tonight on a seven game winning streak.  They are led by senior Martin Breunig.  Breunig is a monster scorer and rebounder, capable of 25+ points and well over 10 rebounds a game every time he takes the floor.  27 points and 12 rebounds last time out against North Dakota would be a season highlight for many players.  For Breunig, it was pretty much the status quo.  If the Vandals cannot find a way to contain him tonight, the Grizzlies should be able to win this game and continue to re-establish themselves as a force in the Big Sky.

 

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The Hoops HD Bracket Rundown and Under the Radar: January 20th

Posted on January 21, 2016 by David Griggs

Chad is joined by John and David for both of this week’s Bracket Rundown and Under the Radar Video Podcasts.

In the Bracket Rundown, Chad acts as arbiter as David and John go through each seed line and argue about who should be on it.  For the most part they agree on which teams should be on the top three lines, but debate which order they should be in.  There are disagreements over where Monmouth, Valparaiso, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and several other teams should be.

The seed list is put into a bracket that is also posted below, but you’re not allowed to look at it until you watch the show!!

***NOTE:  The show only reflects games that ended before 9pm, est on Wednesday, January 20th***

 

For this week’s Under the Radar, Chad is joined by David and John (who makes his UTR debut).  They go through each of the 23 conferences, and fill in the rest of the seed list from the Bracket Rundown as they go through it.  They talk about how well UAB is playing, but that even if they win out they’ll have a weak case for an at-large bid due to a lack of quality wins.  Stony Brook is once again out to an impressive start in the America East, there is a big game coming up this weekend between Army and Navy, and they talk about how the Ivy League is just getting underway.  All that, and much more…

 

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And for all you radio lovers, below are mp3 versions of the shows….

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Jan 20th

Posted on January 20, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day, which should be a good one between two of the better teams in the Big South – CLICK HERE

-Joby’s Nitty Gritty Rankings have been updated.  CLICK HERE TO CHECK THEM OUT

-Due to the availability (or lack thereof) of many on the Hoops HD Staff, we will be recording both Under the Radar and our weekly Bracket Rundown Video Podcasts this evening, so be on the lookout for those.

-Yesterday was a very busy day in college hoops.  Xavier and Kansas became the second and third top five teams in about 24 hours to lose.  Xavier was by far the most surprising of the three results as they lost at home to a Georgetown team that appeared to be outside the bubble.  This win certainly helps the Hoyas, but they still have a lot of work to do.  It’s not too shocking that Kansas lost on the road to Oklahoma State, who they always seem to struggle against when they’re on the road, but the 19 point margin was rather shocking.

-Auburn is still nowhere near the bubble, but they picked up their second feel good win in a row as they knocked off rival Alabama.  The Tide are not out of the hunt yet by any means, but they really could have used that road win.

-Maryland needed overtime to beat Northwestern.  Maryland’s paper and Maryland’s eye test don’t seem to match Maryland’s ranking in the national poll.

-South Carolina trailed for much of the game, but pulled out a nice road win at Ole Miss.  Ole Miss isn’t a tournament team, but they’re tough to beat at home.

-Pitt got blasted at home by NC State.  Pitt needs to either put some more meat on their resume, or stop losing at home to non tournament teams.  Or, preferably both.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Villanova is ranked in the top five, and is trying to avoid being the fourth top five team to lose this week.  They’re looking like the best team in the Big East right now, but have a tough road challenge tonight against a Seton Hall team that keeps getting better and better as the season goes along, and who only has one loss at home this year.

-NEBRASKA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Michigan State needs to rebound from the blowout loss at home to Iowa.  This is one of the more winnable conference games they’ll play this year.  Nebraska comes in on a little bit of a streak, but they haven’t won any games anywhere close to this caliber.

-TEXAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve).  West Virginia continues to climb the rankings, and is coming off a very impressive performance at Oklahoma.  Texas has been playing better as well, but this is an extremely tall order.  If they were to get this one, then it would most likely catapult them inside the bubble.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  VA Tech has improved throughout the year and a win in this game would really give them some momentum.  Notre Dame is coming off a huge win at Duke, which greatly enhances their profile.

-WAKE FOREST AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  UNC is ranked #2 and has been playing better and better as the season has progressed.  Wake got off to a good start, but has been disappointing in recent weeks and now has a lot of work to do just to get back into the tournament picture.

-DUQUESNE AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU continues to rack up wins, and in my opinion is playing better than anyone else in the A10 right now.

-DEPAUL AT MARQUETTE (Big East).  Marquette has really improved as the season has progressed.  They’re coming off a home loss to Xavier and need to take advantage of what is probably their easiest remaining game.

-INDIANA STATE AT SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (Missouri Valley).  I don’t think Southern Illinois has done enough to land them inside the bubble, but it is kind of hard to ignore a 16-3 overall record.

-WICHITA STATE AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Wichita State has really been playing well since getting all their players back, and I think they’ll be safe for a bid so long as they continue to blow through the conference.  Northern Iowa has two huge wins on their profile so they are capable of beating good teams, but they’ve given all that back and then some with multiple bad losses.

-KANSAS STATE AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve).  Baylor has drastically improved over the course of just a week.  They had two huge road wins last year that have greatly improved their resume.  They should be able to hold serve at home against a K State team that’s struggled on the road this year.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Michigan is a very impressive 9-1 at home and shouldn’t have too much trouble against a Minnesota team that’s struggled all season long.

-COLORADO STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West, Front Range).  We highlight this game only because we love mythical conferences, and we love the Front Range!

-MIAMI FL AT BOSTON COLLEGE (ACC).  BC actually has a winning record at home, but Miami still shouldn’t have too much trouble against them.

-FLORIDA STATE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Louisville has yet to lose at home, but the only really good team they’ve beaten is Pittsburgh.  In fact, the only really good team they’ve beaten at any point is Pittsburgh.  Florida State may be the best team they’ve faced yet this season, so both teams could use this win in order to look more impressive to the committee.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT PENN (Big Five).  Saint Joseph’s is clearly the superior team and should be able to add another road win to their profile.  Having said that, the game is at the Palestra, but I don’t know how the event management will be set up and am not sure if it will be viewed as a true road game or a neutral site game. (This is a home game for Penn – John S.)

-TEMPLE v. LA SALLE (Big Five). This is actually the first part of the Big 5 doubleheader at the Palestra; La Salle will be the home team for this one. Temple still has faint hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid this year; the Surgeon General has advised them not to lose this one – rivalry or not.

-COLORADO AT WASHINGTON (Pac Twelve).  Colorado has been playing well, but this would be one of their better wins of the season if they can pull it off since it’s a road game against a Washington team that’s won four of their last five.

-UCLA AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Both teams are on the outside looking in and have quite a bit of work to do.  Oregon STate appeared to be in control at Utah in their last game before completely melting down in more ways than one.

 

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Wednesday, January 20: UNC Asheville at High Point

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: UNC Asheville at High Point, 7:00 PM Eastern, bigsouthsports.com

There are few matchups that could have tempted me to pass on Howard and Delaware State playing the remainder of a game that was suspended back on January 11 due to the clocks at Delaware State not working properly and being unable to be fixed at that time.  Howard currently leads that game 51-48 with 15:41 left in the second half when play will resume at 4:30 PM Eastern today.  However, when what could be the game of the year in the Big South Conference is on the schedule, even the broken clocks in Dover, Delaware cannot keep me away.

Tonight, the High Point Panthers will host the UNC Asheville Bulldogs in a battle for first place in the Big South.  High Point enters the game with a record of 12-6 overall and 5-2 in league play.  The Panthers lost a pair of heart-breakers in mid-December, at NC State and at William & Mary — losses that we had been afraid would carry over into conference play, but luckily for them did not.  They won three straight league games which (when added to a pair of early December wins) brought their conference record to 5-0 heading into last week.  Last week was another story though, as the Panthers lost at Winthrop and at home to Coastal Carolina, dropping into a second place tie in the conference standings with Gardner-Webb.  It is imperative that High Point bounce back tonight, especially if they are going to find a way to finally get their star senior, John Brown, into the Big Dance.  At this point in my write-up, I would normally quote Brown’s stats.  Instead, today you can see for yourself.  Just check out his web page: http://johnbrown.highpointpanthers.com/.  Don’t forget to pick up your jaw off the floor after watching the highlights.

High Point will be hosting UNC Asheville tonight.  Asheville currently sits at 13-6 overall and 6-1 in conference play.  Their non-conference slate included a win at Georgetown back on December 19.  They also already have a win over Gardner-Webb in league play, though did suffer a loss last week in overtime at Radford.  UNCA enters play tonight with the best RPI (131) and KenPom (124) rating in the conference.  The Bulldogs are led by Ahmad Thomas, who has already scored four double-doubles on the season, and Sam Hughes, who has been a fairly consistent double-digit scorer.  Also keep an eye on freshman Dylan Smith, who has scored 23, 18 and 11 points in his last three games, including hitting 5 threes in the loss at Radford.  If the Bulldogs can find a way to contain John Brown (at least somewhat) tonight, they could score the road win and place themselves firmly in control of the Big South standings.  If not, then we could be in for a heck of a battle between these two teams the rest of the way.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Tuesday, Jan 19th

Posted on January 19, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-To Watch and/or Listen to the latest Hoops HD Report – CLICK HERE

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day between Houston Baptist and Central Arkansas – CLICK HERE

-Oklahoma suffered their second loss of the year yesterday at Iowa State, which will probably knock them out of the #1 ranking they had achieved just hours prior.  Now, before everyone goes crazy the way they always do about how there is no clear cut #1 team, you need to stop and think about how college basketball has some unique variables when compared to other sport.  It’s much tougher to win on the road in college basketball than in most other sports because the floors are different, the shooting backgrounds are different, and the environment is more suffocating than in a sport like football.  It’s the only sport I can think of where there are games played during the regular season that are tougher to win than any game any team would play in the NCAA Tournament, including the Final Four or National Championship game.  It’s harder to win at a place Kansas then it is to win a Final Four game that’s on a neutral floor.  Four teams will make the Final Four.  Chances are zero teams will win at Kansas and only one will win at Iowa State.  So, even though Oklahoma has two losses, they probably don’t lose either game if it’s not a true road game.  Hell, they almost won both of them even though they were true road games.  So, I still believe Oklahoma is the best team.

-Speaking of tough places to win, let’s take a look at Duke.  Duke is suddenly having a hell of a time winning at Duke.  They lost their second straight home game yesterday to an unranked  Syracuse team.  I don’t even recall the last time that happened.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES 

-BUTLER AT PROVIDENCE (Big East). Both teams are in the top twenty, but both teams have room to improve and could really use this win.  Providence won at Butler earlier this season, but is coming off their second home loss and looking to rebound.  Oddly enough, Providence appears to be better away from home this year.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Florida is right on the bubble and can’t afford to drop home games to non tournament teams.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT OLE MISS (SEC).  This is a big game for both teams.  Ole Miss has a lot of work to do if they want to make the field, but they’ve been really strong at home this year.  South Carolina has just one loss, but since Ole Miss is 7-1 at home this would probably be their best win of the season so far.

-KANSAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Big Twelve).  Kansas will always play in a hostile environment when they go on the road, but they should be able to handle the Cowboys.

-TULANE AT UCONN (American).  UConn’s margin for error is now basically zero.  They had a nice win at Houston over the weekend, but are very close to the bubble and any losses to sub tournament teams could be devastating, especially if they lose at home.

-ILLINOIS AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Indiana has won several games in a row, but none have been against really strong teams.  Illinois certainly doesn’t fall into that category either, so the Hoosiers should roll in this one.

-DAYTON AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten).  This is a big road game for the Flyers, as the Bonnies have just one home loss on the season.  Bona is a long way from the bubble despite having a 12-4 overall record, but a win tonight would be a huge step forward.

-NC STATE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Pitt can improve to 17-2 overall and shouldn’t have too much trouble knocking off the Wolfpack at home.

-NORTHWESTERN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Oddly enough, Northwestern is unbeaten on the road, but this is by far their toughest test.  If they want any shot at all at making the NCAAs, they need some high caliber wins, which I seriously doubt they’re good enough to pull off.

-CLEMSON AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Virginia has struggled on the road, but has been very strong at home.  Clemson has won five straight, including wins against three ranked teams, but this is a much tougher test since they’ll be on the road.  Still, if Clemson pulls it off, they’re solidly in the discussion.  At least for now.

-GEORGETOWN AT XAVIER (Big East).  Xavier continues to look like they could get a #1 or #2 seed, and shouldn’t have too much trouble at home tonight.

-ALABAMA AT AUBURN (SEC).  Alabama could use a road win.  They’re still right on the bubble, so every game has a pivotal feel to it.  To knock off their rivals in a road game like this would be sweet as well.

-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  TAMU appears to be the best team in the SEC.  LSU is playing better, but they still have a long way to go and will need a win in a game like this to play their way all the way back to having a chance to make the tournament.

-HOUSTON AT SMU (American).  SMU is now the nation’s only unbeaten team, which doesn’t mean anything since they’re ineligible.

-LOYOLA IL AT EVANSVILLE (Missouri Valley).  Evansville continues to pile up wins and can improve to 17-3 tonight.

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