Under the Radar Game of the Day – Sunday, December 27: Middle Tennessee vs South Dakota State

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Middle Tennessee vs South Dakota State, 5:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports North/Fox College Sports Central

With the holiday break over, and conference play about to begin in earnest, the UTR Game of the Day will be heading up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota today as the Sanford Pentagon plays hosts to the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in the first of a two-day showcase event (Florida Gulf Coast and South Dakota will battle in the Pentagon tomorrow night).  South Dakota State has been one of our top-rated Under the Radar teams all season long, and will enter conference play as the favorite to win the Summit League regular season title.  Scott Nagy’s squad is currently 10-3, with wins over Illinois State, TCU and Minnesota.  Their losses have come at UMKC, at Texas Tech and at Weber State last time out.  Today’s game is the team’s final game before they begin Summit League play.  The Jackrabbits have been led by Deondre Parks this season.  He has surpassed the 20-point mark four times so far this year, including tieing his season best 23 points in the Weber State game.  He will need to score well into double-digits again today if the Jackrabbits want to pick up the win over one of Conference USA’s top teams.

Middle Tennessee currently sits at 7-3 on the season, with wins over Auburn and Belmont and the championship of the Great Alaska Shootout already in their back pockets.  The Blue Raiders’ three losses came at Murray State, at home to VCU and at Georgia State last time out.  This will be their last true non-conference test (though a game against non-D1 Trevecca Nazarene awaits on Wednesday night).  Reggie Upshaw picked up a double-double in the Georgia State game, scoring 18 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, while Darnell Harris chipped in 18 points as well.  Both payers will be called upon to try to help lead Kermit Davis’ squad to one last notable win before they head to Birmingham on January 3 to start conference play at UAB.  As this game matches up two teams that should be right in contention for their league titles, we expect a great game that could be used to springboard he winner into the heart of their regular season play.

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Christmas Memories: Montana PG Micheal Ray Richardson

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Jon Teitel

1 of the most famous basketball games to ever take place on Christmas Day was back in 1984 at Madison Square Garden.  The Knicks lost to the Nets by 6 PTS despite a legendary 60-PT performance by Bernard King, but New Jersey was led by 35 PTS (16-17 FT) from PG Micheal Ray Richardson.  Richardson began his college career with a 3-PT loss to eventual champion UCLA in the 1975 NCAA tourney, the final season of Coach John Wooden’s unparalleled career.  3 years later he finished his college career by getting picked 4th overall by the Knicks in the 1978 NBA draft, and in 1980 he became the 3rd player in NBA history to lead the league in both APG/SPG.  His NBA career ended in 1986 but he kept playing professionally in many different countries before retiring in 2002.  He then became a super-successful coach, winning a pair of CBA titles and a pair of Canada NBL Coach of the Year awards in a 6-year stretch from 2008-2013.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Micheal Ray about having the game of his life on Christmas Day. 

mrr

What are your memories of the 1975 NCAA tourney as a player at Montana (you scored 2 PTS in a 67-64 loss to eventual champion UCLA)? We held the basketball for a long time so it was 1 of the lowest-scoring games ever. There was no shot clock at the time so Coach Jud Heathcote said the only shot we could take was a layup. My teammate Eric Hays scored 32 PTS and had the game of his life.

In the summer of 1978 you were drafted 4th overall by the Knicks (2 spots ahead of Larry Bird): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was like a dream come true after coming from a real small university. It showed that all of my hard work had paid off.

In your 2nd year you became the 3rd NBA player to ever lead the league in both APG (10.1) and SPG (3.2) in the same season: how were you able to balance your passing with your defense? I just played hard on both ends of the court. I knew that in order to be successful I would have to play defense and pass the ball.

In March of 1981 you had 27 PTS/15 REB/19 AST in a win over Cleveland: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? I think it is in the top 3 or 4 for sure. I think my best game ever was in 1984 when I scored 35 PTS on Christmas Day in a 6-PT win over the Knicks (Bernard King scored 60 in defeat).

In 1980 & 1981 you were named to the All-Defensive team: what is your secret to being a great defender? It just takes hard work rather than skill: you have to want to do it.

Take me through the 1984 playoffs:
You had 24 PTS/6 STL in an upset of the defending champion 76ers on the road in the decisive Game 5 (the Nets’ 1st playoff series win): is home-court advantage overrated based on the fact that the visiting team won each game of that series? In the playoffs anyone can win: it just puts more pressure on the home team to win. If you are the road team then you have nothing to lose and can let it all hang out.

You had 11 PTS/9 AST in a 1-PT loss at home to Milwaukee in the decisive Game 6: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It is probably #2 after my disqualification from the league.

You finished the 1984 season by being named NBA Comeback POY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? It was unbelievable after all the bumps that I had along the way.

You played on the 1985 Eastern Conference All-Star team that had an 11-PT loss to the West: how on earth did you lose with a starting lineup of Moses Malone/Larry Bird/Isiah Thomas/Julius Erving/Michael Jordan, and did the rest of them really freeze out Jordan? We did not freeze out Jordan: the West team just played well that night.

On October 30, 1985 you had 38 PTS/11 REB/11 AST/9 STL in a 9-PT 3-OT win over Indiana (just missing out on becoming the 2nd NBA player to ever have a quadruple-double): did you realize at the time how close you were to making history? I did not. If I knew I was that close they should have just gave it to me!

In February of 1986 you became the 1st active player banned for life by commissioner David Stern due to your 3rd violation of the league’s drug policy (which you later said saved your life): what was your reaction when you learned about the ban, and did you think there was a double standard based on race (since Chris Mullin was never disciplined for his documented alcohol problems)? I was actually banned by my own actions: the commissioner just had to do what he had to do. I was young at the time but I look back now and think that it could have been a lot worse (like Len Bias). It was a blessing because it woke me up. I was reinstated and had a chance to join the 76ers but chose not to and decided to stay in Italy. I cannot speak about what Mullin was doing, but I did wrong and I paid for it.

In Game 7 of the 1988 CBA Finals as a player for the Albany Patroons you scored 10 PTS in a 9-PT win over Wyoming to clinch the title: what did it mean to you to win the title? Anytime you can win a title on any level it is a great accomplishment. We had a great team with Scott Brooks/Sidney Lowe/Coach Bill Musselman.

You ended up playing 14 years in Europe: what did you learn from the experience, and how did it compare to the NBA? They play some good basketball over there and it was a great life experience. I met a lot of great people and had a great time.

Your career 7 APG remains in the top-25 all-time: what is the key to being a great PG? You just have to be a leader. When you have the ball in your hands you can shoot at anytime, but you have to keep all of your teammates happy. I enjoyed passing the ball.

Your career 2.6 SPG remains 2nd-most all-time (trailing only Alvin Robertson): do you consider yourself to be 1 of the best defenders in NBA history? I was a great defender and took pride it in it. I took the challenge every day of trying to guard the best guy on the opposing team.

You have won several titles as a coach over the past decade both in the US and Canada: what makes you such a good coach, and what do you hope to do in the future? You have to have good players to be a good coach. It is not about Xs and Os: you have to get your guys to believe in what you are doing and respect you. I am hoping to get back to the NBA someday: we shall see.

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Throwback Thursday – The Bluegrass Rivalry

Posted on December 24, 2015 by John Stalica

Click here for Chad Sherwood and David Griggs’ latest Under The Radar Podcast

11 NCAA Championships. This is the combined amount of titles won between the University of Kentucky Wildcats and the University of Louisville Cardinals.

When you think of Kentucky, you think of the flagship state university. 8 NCAA titles, 2 NIT titles, 17 Final Fours, 2,000+ victories and counting, a death penalty (and a near-repeat in the late 1980s), Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith and John Calipari. The shadow and mystique of Rupp was so big that even an up-and-coming coaching legend like Paul “Bear” Bryant could not escape it; he would go on to lead Texas A&M and Alabama to prominence.

When you think of Louisville, you look at the state’s largest city and urban area. The Cardinals not only have 3 NCAA titles under their name, they also have 10 Final Fours, an NIT title and also an NAIA title to their name. Denny Crum, Darrell Griffith, Pervis Ellison, and Rick Pitino.

There are 3 periods that divide the series – the first era took place between 1913 and 1922. Kentucky would win 7 out of the first 9 matchups. Of course, this was also an era in which scoring 38 points (UK won 38-14 in 1922) represented an offensive explosion.

The 2nd period lasted between 1922 and 1983. Only 3 meetings would take place, all of which would take place in a tournament setting. The first meeting actually took place in New York – Kentucky won their first NCAA Championship in 1948 with wins over Michigan, Holy Cross and Baylor; Louisville won the NAIA title that year with wins over South Dakota State, Emporia State (KS), Beloit (WI), Xavier (OH) and Indiana State. Not surprisingly, Kentucky would trounce Louisville 91-57 in this battle of national title winners. The only other meetings took place in the NCAA Tournament – Kentucky would win 79-68 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1951; Louisville would win 76-61 in the Round of 16 in 1959. Another thing in common between those 3 games – neither one took place in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The 1951 game was played at NC State’s campus; the 1959 contest took place at Northwestern’s campus.

Perhaps the most memorable game between the two teams took place in 1983 (click here for the pregame and game coverage). Like the last 3 games player between UK and UofL, this game was also played outside the commonwealth on Tennessee’s campus. Even this game almost didn’t happen; it took a buzzer-beater by Louisville to knock off Arkansas (who, ironically, was coached by future UK head coach Eddie Sutton). Kentucky secured their spot with an upset win over interstate rival Indiana. CBS also did a nice pregame piece showing Kentucky’s aversion to playing Louisville in almost a quarter-century, but the national audience was treated to an overtime thriller that saw Louisville defeat Kentucky 80-68 to clinch a Final Four appearance for the 2nd straight year. Even a loss to Houston a week later could not dampen the spirits of Louisville fans.

But thanks to this game and some “encouragement” from then-governor John Brown and the Kentucky legislature, Kentucky-Louisville finally became a fixture game in the regular season. It has traditionally been played on the first weekend after Christmas, but this has not always been the case. The 1983-84 season actually had a double feature; Kentucky would win the regular-season meeting in Lexington and also in the NCAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena as well (you can click here for the 1st half of that game and here for the 2nd half of the game). Kentucky would go on to the Final 4 that season, but it would be 12 years before they would make it that far in the tournament.

Since the series resumed, they have met twice in the NCAA Tournament; Kentucky would defeat Louisville 69-61 in the 2012 Final Four in New Orleans en route to their 8th national title. Louisville would win the national title the next season, but 2014 saw Kentucky “avenge” Louisville’s title with a 74-69 victory in the 2014 Sweet 16 in Indianapolis. Overall, Kentucky leads the series 33-15. Louisville has never won as many as 3 in a row; Kentucky’s longest winning streak in the series is 5 games.

One common thread in the series is Rick Pitino. Pitino would help rescue Kentucky from NCAA sanctions levied against Kentucky in the 1980s; he would go on to 3 Final 4 appearances with Kentucky along with the national championship in 1996. He would have a 6-2 record against Louisville in his Kentucky tenure. After a brief attempt at coaching in the NBA with the Boston Celtics, he surprised everyone in basketball circles when he replaced Denny Crum as the head coach at Louisville. In his first 8 seasons at Louisville, Pitino compiled a 4-4 record against his old employer. Once John Calipari became head coach at Kentucky, the Wildcats have dominated the series by winning 7 out of their last 8 matchups, including the 2 aforementioned wins in the NCAA Tournament.

Finally, you can also click here to read Jon Teitel’s interview with Rory Owen Delaney (who filmed the documentary The Rivalry: Red v. Blue)

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Under The Radar: December 23rd

Posted on December 23, 2015 by David Griggs

For a rundown of all the upcoming action during the Holidays – CLICK HERE

Chad and David begin by talking about Hawaii’s big win against Northern Iowa last night, as well as the news that was handed down from the NCAA.  The good news, at least for now, is that the postseason ban will not kick in until next season so they have a lot to play for.

They also discuss Monmouth at length.  They now have eight wins away from home, and six true road wins, which should impress the committee and earn them a solid seed regardless so long as they keep it up.

Finally, they talk about the Team of the People at the end of the show!  They unveil their latest act to convince the NCAA to Let the Lopes Play!!  Check it out, and check out the link just below the video.

All that, along with a rundown of all 23 Under the Radar Conferences, and the UTR Top Ten!

 

CLICK HERE TO TWITTER BOMB THE NCAA WITH HOWARD BEALE MEMES!!!!  #LopesWaiver

 

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

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Dec 23rd thru 27th

Posted on December 23, 2015 by David Griggs

Below is a rundown of the notable upcoming college basketball games, as well as a quick look back at yesterday…

NEWS AND NOTES

-We are going into Holiday Mode here at Hoops HD, as is most of the rest of the college basketball world.  Today is a somewhat busy day, but it lightens up significantly after that.  Below is a rundown of all the games through Sunday.

-We will be recording our Under the Radar Podcast sometime soon, perhaps today.  Be on the lookout for it.

-Northern Iowa is a young team that can get way up for big games.  The problem is they can’t get their feet back on the ground once their heads are in the clouds.  They went on the road to face Hawaii in the Diamond Head Classic.  Hawaii is a good team that hadn’t lost at home, and it was a big game because winning it puts a true road win on their profile, and enables them to advance to play stronger competition.  But, a young team doesn’t quite grasp that the way they grasp getting up for an in-state rival that’s ranked #2.  So, they went to Hawaii and were trounced by Hawaii.

As for Hawaii, the win is likely of very little consolation.  The NCAA handed down three years of probation yesterday, along with a postseason ban that begins next year.

-Iowa State rebounded from their loss to Northern Iowa and picked up what has been their most impressive win of the year at Cincinnati in a game that came down to the buzzer.  This is the second time Cincinnati has lost at home to a highly ranked team at the buzzer.  Their paper would have obviously been much better had they won one or both of those games, but it also may end up meaning that they are a far more dangerous team than what their paper indicates.  Well, at least when they’re at home.

-Xavier remains unbeaten, and they sure did make it exciting.  They didn’t show up for the first half against Wake Forest and were down by as many as 18, but came roaring back on the road in the second half to get the win.

-Oakland was quite impressive against Michigan State, and almost pulled off what would have been a season defining victory in overtime.  The Horizon League is shaping up to be an exciting race between Oakland, Valparaiso, and Milwaukee.  We all really like Valpo and think they can land inside the bubble.  It’s a damn shame that the conference changed its format and the tournament is now at a predetermined site.  That makes what should be an exciting conference race a lot less exciting since there really aren’t any stakes.

-Little Rock suffered their first loss of the season to Texas Tech.  Texas Tech has just one loss, and although most of their schedule has been weak, they really did look good yesterday.  I don’t want to admit that Chad may have been right about Texas Tech, so I’ll just say that their early success is a surprise that none of us saw coming.

-George Washington went into DePaul and got absolutely run over.  It was perhaps the most surprising result of the day given how good GW has looked and how bad DePaul is.

 

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23RD

-NEW MEXICO VS BYU (Diamond Head Classic).  This game now looks like it has much bigger NIT implications than NCAA Tournament implications.  Neither have that many remaining chances at notable wins, so they’ll have to really thunder to the finish if they want the committee to notice them.  BYU could have really done without the loss to Harvard yesterday.

-AKRON VS IONA (Las Vegas, NV).  CLICK HERE for Chad Sherwood’s Write UP as the UTR Game of the Day

-AUBURN VS HARVARD (Diamond Head Classic).  Auburn has so much work to do that they may not be able to do it all, but winning this tournament would certainly help.

-MONMOUTH AT CORNELL.  Monmouth is looking for what would be a very impressive sixth true road win on the season.  Cornell isn’t a great team, but they have yet to lose at home.  Six true road wins in OOC play really is amazing.  The committee needs to take notice and reward them for it.

-ILLINOIS VS MISSOURI (Saint Louis, MO).  This game is almost always fun.  Unfortunately, this year’s edition is only being highlighted so we can say that there is no reason to highlight it.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT BAYLOR.  New Mexico State is the second best team in the WAC, and unless the Lopes get their waiver, they’ll probably be back in the NCAA Tournament with a poor seed.  Baylor has looked impressive at home this year and shouldn’t have too much trouble tonight.

-LMU AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  Gonzaga blew through their conference opener and should blow through this game tonight.

-GREEN BAY AT WISCONSIN.  Wiscy has a lot of work to do if they want to get their season turned around.  If Gard wants to impress the administration at Wiscy and become the permanent head coach he’ll certainly have that opportunity.

-OKLAHOMA AT HAWAII (Diamond Head Classic).  The good news for Hawaii is that they looked really solid in their win against a good UNI team last night.  The bad news is that they’re on probation for the next three years.  It is an interesting story line with Hawaii being unbeaten at home and Oklahoma being so highly ranked.  Hawaii’s postseason ban kicks in next year, so if they want to make the NCAA Tournament without the automatic bid they need high quality wins like this.

-COLORADO VS SMU (Las Vegas, NV).  I like this Colorado team, but it’s hard to argue for them when they almost lose to Penn State.  Having said that, if they can knock off an unbeaten SMU team it would be a huge statement win and really put them solidly in the NCAA Tournament picture.

-SAINT MARY’S AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  SMC is still seeking their first true road win of the season.  A win today would also get them to 2-0 in conference play.

-WASHINGTON STATE VS NORTHERN IOWA (Diamond Head Classic).  UNI was blitzed by Hawaii in their game last night, but faces a much improved (but still not great) Wazzu team tonight.  They have to rebound and avoid a loss that could potentially look ugly come March.

-Central Connecticut @ Connecticut – (buy game)
-Morehead State @ Davidson – (buy game)
-Colgate @ Georgia Tech – (buy game)
-Western Carolina @ Pittsburgh – (buy game)
-Bryant @ Michigan – (buy game)
-Utah Valley @ Louisville – (buy game)
-Lafayette @ USC – (buy game)

 

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24TH

-No games scheduled today.  It’s a sad day when there is no college basketball, but it gives us all time to remember what’s really important.  And, what’s really important is….THE #LopesWaiver Movement!!!  SPEND YOUR CHRISTMAS EVE DOING SOMETHING THAT’S TRULY MEANINGFUL!!  Tweet at the NCAA!  Email the NCAA!  Call the NCAA!  If they don’t answer, then leave a message!  TELL THE NCAA TO GIVE THE LOPES A WAIVER, AND LET THE LOPES PLAY!!!  #LopesWaiver  

 

FRIDAY DECEMBER 25TH

-Today is all about the Diamond Head Classic.  The match-ups won’t be decided until very late on Wednesday night.  If Auburn ends up facing off against Oklahoma in the championship game, it would likely be a mismatch, but it’s also a huge opportunity for Auburn to drastically turn their season around.

As mentioned earlier, Hawaii’s postseason ban begins next season, so picking up some hardware in this tournament would go a long way toward boosting their NCAA Tournament credentials.  They’ve got a very intriguing game in the semifinals against Oklahoma.

The other story to watch is to see how Northern Iowa reacts in the loser’s bracket.  They don’t get many shots at quality wins, but it’s important that they avoid bad losses so they don’t undo the two huge wins they have this year.

 

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26TH

-LOUISVILLE AT KENTUCKY.  It’s the first Saturday after Christmas, and that means Louisville vs Kentucky.  This is an important game because it’s between two likely protected seeds who are looking at adding a big quality win onto their profile, but on paper that’s really all it is.  It’s not a conference game so the stakes aren’t super high.  Off paper, the stakes couldn’t be higher.  This is a bitter rivalry that feels like a high stakes conference game even though it really isn’t.  Louisville has no wins of note yet, so winning this game would completely change the complexion of their profile and season.  They have also been dominated by Kentucky in this series in recent years, so it would help them get some pride back as well.  Kentucky is looking to rebound from a somewhat surprising loss to Ohio State this past weekend.  If they pull off the win in this one, the fans will forgive them.  If they don’t, they’ll start to get extremely restless.

 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 27th

-MIDDLE TENNESSEE AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE.  I’m guessing this will be Chad’s UTR GOTD, so I won’t say too much about it.  But, it’s very possible that one or both of these teams could end up on the bubble, or even inside the bubble, especially if they blow through their conferences which both are good enough to do.  This game is huge because it’s one of the last chances either one of them has at a quality win.

-Presbyterian @ Marquette – (buy game)
-Texas Southern @ Syracuse – (buy game)
-Marshall @ Maryland – (buy game)
-South Carolina State @ Ohio State – (buy game)
-Loyola MD @ Northwestern – (buy game)
-Caroll College (nondiv1) @ Stanford – (buy game)

 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas, or whatever holiday they like to celebrate.  I also hope that everyone uses this time valuably and remembers to contact the NCAA on behalf of the Team of the People, the Grand Canyon Antelopes.  I just wanted to reiterate that one more time.  #LopesWaiver

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Wednesday, December 23: Iona vs Akron

Posted on December 23, 2015 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Iona vs Akron, 3:00 PM Eastern, streamup.com/holidayhoops

In the final UTR Game of the Day before the Christmas break (we will be back with more action on Sunday the 27th), we remain out in Las Vegas for the final game of the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic.  This three team round-robin event has already seen Akron defeat UC-Santa Barbara on Monday, 84-70, before UCSB bounced back yesterday afternoon to upend Iona 80-76 (a fairly significant upset for a Gauchos team that was just 2-7 heading into that game).  Today, Iona and Akron will battle it out, with Akron having a chance to complete the two game sweep in this event.  The Zips (whose fans are celebrating the school’s first ever bowl game victory yesterday over Utah State), are off to a solid 8-2 start that includes at win at Arkansas.  Pat Forsythe and Antino Jackson have led the way so far this season, and will be called upon to have another big game today if the Zips want to knock off an Iona team eager for a victory, and at the same time prove that they will be a serious contender in the MAC this season.

Iona was the preseason pick to win the Metro Atlantic, though with the amazing story that has been Monmouth so far this season, the Gaels have almost fallen off of everyone’s radar.  While their record before this trip to Vegas was only 4-4, all of their losses had been respectable (at Valparaiso, Oregon State, Tulsa and Rhode Island).  However, the loss yesterday was almost inexcusable for a team that should be able to battle with Monmouth all season.  The Gaels should be able to contend because they have A.J. English who is capable of putting up some incredible numbers (such as the 46 he scored on Fairfield earlier this year).  Unfortunately, they are not the same team without him, and English has missed the last three games, including yesterday’s loss, due to a hand injury.  With just over a week left until conference play re-commences, the Gaels need to get healthy.  If they can’t, then they need to learn how to win without English, and picking up a victory today will go a long way to doing just that.

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