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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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday, January 19: Houston Baptist at Central Arkansas

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Houston Baptist at Central Arkansas, 8:00 PM Eastern, free streaming at ucasports.com

For our latest HoopsHD Report video podcast, CLICK HERE.

The UTR Game of the Day has only made a few trips to the Southland Conference all season, so after a trip to Jonesboro, Arkansas for what proved to be  major upset in the Sun Belt last night, today’s game is coming from a few hours away in Conway, Arkansas as the Central Arkansas Bears host the Houston Baptist Huskies.  Central Arkansas has had a rough couple of years.  Last season, the Bears were ineligible for postseason play due to their APR score, but a 2-27 overall record made that a moot point.  Unfortunately, the score did not improve enough heading into this season, and they are on their second straight postseason ban list.  On the court, the team has struggled mightily again, entering play tonight at 2-12 overall, 1-3 in Southland play.  Jordan Howard and Derreck Brooks have led the team offensively this season.  Howard scored 36 points earlier this season in a loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi while Brooks is coming off a double-double last week at Stephen F. Austin.  Although Brooks is a senior, Jordan Howard is only a sophomore, and hopefully can turn into a team leader the next couple of seasons to improve things in Conway.

While the struggles and APR problems at UCA are noteworthy, the real reason this game was chosen for the UTR Game of the Day has been the play so far this season of Houston Baptist.  HBU was only 5-7 during the non-conference portion of the season, though they did pick up a win over a CUSA team (Rice) and a UC-Riverside team that is much improved over its recent seasons.  The Huskies also picked up a win early this season over one of our favorite non-D1 schools, Crowley’s Ridge.  Most notably, however, Houston Baptist is out to a 5-0 start in Southland play, tied with SFA and Corpus Christi as the only three undefeated teams in the league.  HBU is led by Anthony Odunsi, who scored 28 points in a win this weekend at New Orleans, and Josh Ibarra, who has four double-doubles on the season.  Although the overall record and power rating numbers are not nearly as strong for the Huskies as the other two schools on top of the conference standings (an RPI of 261 is the lowest in the nation of any team currently undefeated in its league), if they keep winning conference games, those numbers won’t matter.  What will matter is where they finish in the regular season, where they get seeded in the Southland Tournament, and whether or not they can win the automatic bid.  The way the Huskies have played the last 5 games, there is no reason to they will not be a contender for that bid all season long.

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The Hoops HD Report: January 18th

Posted on January 18, 2016 by David Griggs

After Colorado’s win against Oregon, David is this week’s host!!  Well, for at least a few minutes.  After not discussing any relevant topics, the panel mutinies and Chad takes back over.  They start off talking about what happened in both the Monmouth v Iona and Oregon State v Utah games, and then run through all of the multi-bid conferences.  They talk about how teams like Kentucky, Duke, and Virginia, who we all thought would be strong this year, have struggled.  They debate whether or not Iowa deserves a #1 seed, and how Xavier and Villanova can also contend for a spot on the top line.  They also talk about who has done the best coaching job in each league up to this point.  All that, and more….

 

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

 

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Hoops HD Bracket Projections (David Griggs): January 18th

Posted on January 18, 2016 by David Griggs

Below is what I personally think the bracket should look like if the season ended today.  This is not an attempt to guess what the committee will do in March.  Below the bracket John and Chad will have some comments.  They will agree with some of what I’ve done, and they will be correct.  They will disagree with other things, and when they do so they will be incorrect.

-I cannot seem to get Iowa off my top line.  They have two wins over Michigan State, and a win at Purdue.  They also have a close loss to a very good Iowa State team, which isn’t the same as winning, but it’s hardly the kind of loss you penalize them for.  They’re also currently unbeaten in Big Ten play.

-I know some may think I have Valpo overseeded on the #7 line, and I know their paper isn’t the best, but I do believe them to be that good.  They won at Oregon State, which is something Oregon was unable to do, and are positioned to absolutely blow through the rest of their schedule.

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NEXT IN LINE: Cincinnati, Saint Joseph’s, UCLA, Ohio State, UC Irvine, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Stanford, Oregon State, Saint Mary’s, Davidson

 

COMMENTS FROM JOHN
– As good as Iowa has played in the Big Ten so far, that alone isn’t enough to merit a #1 seed just yet. Their entire body of work is just a notch below Xavier. But I at least understand the puppet’s motivation to have Xavier and Dayton play each other one more time.

– I don’t have too many problems with the protected seeds that David listed, but I would also submit that the leader of the Pac-12 (USC) has done more to earn a protected seed than Arizona has. And yes, the Men of Troy do have the head-to-head advantage for the time being.

– I agree that Valpo and Monmouth are both in the field as at-large if the situation warrants it, but I think that Valpo is not head and shoulders above the First Four just yet. They will be if they run the table in the Horizon. If Gonzaga had the profile of a team like Monmouth, the pundits would probably argue that Gonzaga would be worthy of a protected seed.

– As far as the bubble goes, I agree that Cincinnati doesn’t belong in the field, but why no love for Saint Joe’s? Personally, I would have the Hawks on the 8/9 line playing Villanova in the East Region. That would be the best installment yet of the Holy War – a trip to play in the Sweet 16 in Philly would be at stake.

 

COMMENTS FROM CHAD

– As John mentions, I like USC’s profile better than Arizona’s as of now and would have those teams flipped in the bracket.

– I am not sure South Carolina doesn’t deserve to be a lot lower, now that they are no longer undefeated.  Their resume does have a serious lack of any meat to it.

– I would actually take Monmouth’s profile over Valpo’s right now.  The USC and Notre Dame wins are suddenly looking so much better after what has happened the past week.

– Little Rock is grossly overseeded on the 8 line.  They should probably be on the 11 line where Arlington is due to their sub-300 SOS.  Arlington does not belong in this bracket after their second bad loss of the season.  The Ohio State and Memphis wins just don’t carry much weight for me anymore.

– David expects me to attack his Colorado pick but his Buffs actually did impress me last night over what I felt was a very good Oregon team.  My Pac-12 attack has to do with Washington.  I just don’t think their resume warrants anything close to the 10 line — they should probably be in the First Four if they are going to be included at all.  Also, Arizona State’s resume is not good enough to make up for the Sacramento State loss and they should not be in this bracket.  I feel that Stanford deserves a lot more attention than anyone is giving them, though at least David considered the Cardinal.

– Finally, I agree with John that St Joe’s belongs in this field.  Perhaps in Arizona State’s spot or in Evansville’s.  While I am a huge fun of this Aces team, they just don’t have the quality wins and really only have one more chance to get one (home vs Wichita State).  If they lost that one, I think the only way in will be through the auto bid.

 

LINKS

-For Tonight’s News, Notes, and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

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

-For Jon Teitel’s Bracket (Posted Sunday, January 17th) where he guesses what he thinks the actual committee would do if the season ended today – CLICK HERE

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Monday, Jan 18th

Posted on January 18, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-We will be recording our Hoops HD Report tonight, so be on the lookout for it.  We will also be updating our bracket projections later in the day.

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR GOTD – CLICK HERE

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-SIENA AT MONMOUTH (Metro Atlantic).  Monmouth will land inside the bubble so long as they run away from the league.  Siena is one of the better teams in the conference, but Monmouth needs to be able to beat them at home.

-TEXAS TECH AT TCU (Big Twelve).  Texas Tech badly needs road wins on their profile.

-SYRACUSE AT DUKE (ACC). Despite the brand names, Duke is a fringe protected seed right now, and Syracuse isn’t anywhere close to making the field, although they did blow out Wake over the weekend.

-PURDUE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  This is a rare conference road game that is extremely winnable for the Boilers.

-VALPARAISO AT YOUNGSTOWN STATE (Horizon League).  Valpo should land safely inside the bubble if they win out.

-OKLAHOMA AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve).  Iowa State has slipped down the rankings somewhat, but they’re still tough to beat at home.  This is the caliber of road win that indicates a team is a #1 seed caliber team, so it’s another big test for Oklahoma.

 

 

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