CIT Game of the Day – Wednesday, March 25, 2015: Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Chad

Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky, 7:00 PM Eastern, watchcollegeinsider.com

The quarterfinal round of the CIT gets under way today as the Eastern Kentucky Colonels host the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks in a matchup of Ohio Valley Conference rivals.  Though both teams play in the OVC, they only faced each other once during the season, with EKU prevailing in Martin, TN by a 66-58 score back on January 8.  UT-Martin has advanced to the CIT quarterfinal round with wins over Northwestern State and South Carolina-Upstate, both on the road.  EKU, on the other hand, has ridden their home court into the quarterfinals, knocking off Norfolk State and High Point.

The Skyhawks will be looking for another strong effort from Deville Smith tonight.  Smith put up an amazing triple-double in his team’s first round win over Northwestern State, scoring 21 points while pulling down 12 rebounds and dishing out 11 assists.  If he performs anywhere close to that level tonight, Eastern Kentucky will be in trouble.  EKU is led by Corey Walden, who also had a very strong stat line in his team’s first round win over Norfolk State, scoring 22 points while pulling down 5 rebounds and handing out 8 assists.  Eric Stutz will also be a major factor for the Colonels after scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds last time out.  Whichever team prevails will advance to the CIT Final Four next Tuesday night with a shot at being one of only four teams that will end its season by cutting down the nets in celebration of a championship.

Posted in News and Notes, Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on CIT Game of the Day – Wednesday, March 25, 2015: Tennessee-Martin at Eastern Kentucky

CIT Game of the Day – Monday, March 23, 2015: Cleveland State at NJIT

Posted on March 23, 2015 by Chad

Cleveland State at NJIT, 7:00 PM Eastern, watchcollegeinsider.com

Three games tonight will conclude the second round of the CIT, but anyone that has followed HOOPD HD this year will have no doubts as to which one is our choice for the CIT Game of the Day.  Our adopted team continues its season at home tonight as they host the Cleveland State Vikings in what may be their toughest home game yet this season.  The winner of tonight’s game advances to the quarterfinal round and will be only three wins away from cutting down the nets as 2015 CIT champions.

Cleveland State enters tonight’s game at 19-14 overall after a first round CIT win at Western Michigan.  The Vikings came within just a few points of winning the Horizon league regular season title, losing their final game of the season at home to Valparaiso by 3 points, thus giving home court in the Horizon League tournament to the Crusaders.  The two teams met again in the Horizon league semifinals, and Valpo used its home court advantage to pull out a 5 point win en route to the league’s NCAA tournament berth.

NJIT, the nation’s lone independent, enters tonight’s home game at 19-11 overall including a huge home court win last week over New Hampshire in the first round of the CIT.  Tonight’s game will be only the second of the season at home against a top-100 opponent for NJIT.  The other was a win back in January over Yale, though the Bulldogs were without their top player, Justin Sears, for most of that game.  The Highlanders will need to play one of their best games of the season if they want to defeat Cleveland State tonight.  However, they definitely have the ability to win this game as the Fleisher Center should be rocking loud tonight.  The magical story of the Team of the People could definitely continue beyond tonight — but it will not be easy.  And it certainly will be the game of the night in the CIT.

Posted in News and Notes, Under the Radar | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on CIT Game of the Day – Monday, March 23, 2015: Cleveland State at NJIT

NCAA Tournament Round of 32: Sunday, March 22nd

Posted on March 22, 2015 by David Griggs

-#7 MICHIGAN STATE – 60 VS #2 VIRGINIA – 54.  This was a slow down game between to really good defensive teams.  Michigan State has been playing out of their minds lately, including a strong finish to the regular season, a very good showing in the Big Ten Tournament, and now an upset win today.  They move on to the Sweet Sixteen and as hot as they’ve been they may not be done.

-#8 SAN DIEGO STATE VS #1 DUKE.  Duke is one of the best teams in the country, and at the time I’m writing this, they’re up big on San Diego State.  They haven’t been tested yet and may not be tested in the next round either.

-#7 WICHITA STATE VS #2 KANSAS.  This is a match up that us hoops fans have been waiting for a long time to see.  It’s a long list of games where teams should regularly play, but don’t.  Kansas is the better seed, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Wichita pulled the upset and won the bragging rights for being the best team in Kansas.

-#11 DAYTON VS #3 OKLAHOMA.  I’m to the point to where I need to stop doubting Dayton.  I don’t know how they’re doing it.  They have no front court and a very small rotation, yet they keep winning and keep beating good teams.  Oklahoma should win.  It makes no sense if they don’t, but they may not.  The winner gets Michigan State.

-#7 IOWA VS #2 GONZAGA.  Iowa has looked really good at times this year, and Gonzaga has looked really good at almost all points this year.  I still think the Zags are a Final Four caliber team and expect them to march on.

-#8 OREGON VS #1 WISCONSIN.  Oregon has played well down the stretch, but I think they’re done today.  Wisconsin is just better and I wouldn’t be surprised if this game ended up not being all that close.

-#5 WEST VIRGINIA VS #4 MARYLAND.  Another match up in this tournament that features two teams that should regularly play, but don’t.  both are very strong, and I think this one is a toss up.  The winner gets Kentucky, and whoever it is, I can see either one having a good shot at pulling the upset in the Sweet Sixteen.

-#5 NORTHERN IOWA VS #4 LOUISVILLE.  Northern Iowa is the lower seed, but I also think they are the far better team.  Their resume didn’t have a lot of quality wins, but that’s a reflection of their schedule and conference not affording them the opportunities and not the strength of their team.  Just by watching how the two teams have played down the stretch I think UNI gets this one.

 

Posted in Bracketology, Daily Rundown | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on NCAA Tournament Round of 32: Sunday, March 22nd

NCAA Tournament Round of 32: Saturday, March 21st

Posted on March 21, 2015 by David Griggs

FOR OUR NEW CHAT ROOM THAT WILL BE OPEN ALL DAY, CLICK HERE

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

 

-#14 UAB VS #11 UCLA.  It’s the match up in the round of 32 we were all hoping for and expecting, especially a week ago before it was even Selection Sunday!!  I know UCLA won, and that it is a very winnable game for them today, but they could win it all and I still wouldn’t agree with the selection.  UAB played their best game in about five years against Iowa State on Thursday.  If they can rebound the ball and pass the ball today like they did in that game, it could be them that moves on.

-#8 CINCINNATI VS #1 KENTUCKY.  These teams are about eighty miles apart, but they almost never play.  It appears to be a mismatch, but Kentucky doesn’t do as well against half court teams as they do against teams that like to run.  The other problem for Cincinnati is that they don’t shoot the ball very well, and they’ll have to heat up if they want any chance at all of pulling the upset of the tournament so far.

-#10 OHIO STATE VS #2 ARIZONA.  It seems like Sean Miller and Thad Matta often square off, and that Matta’s team seems to win on a last second shot.  Today, Ohio State just seems to be way overmatched.  The winner will get either Xavier or Georgia State, and either match up will be interesting.

-#14 GEORGIA STATE VS #6 XAVIER.  If Georgia State manages to win this game, I hope Ron Hunter doesn’t decapitate himself.  He always seems to suffer an injury after any sort of big conference tournament or NCAA Tournament win.  Xavier has looked really good down the stretch of the season, and they certainly looked good winning decisively against Ole Miss on Thursday.  If they win they get a shot at either Arizona or Ohio State, both of whom they’d love a shot at.

-#8 NC STATE VS #1 VILLANOVA.  NC State is pretty good, but Nova appears to be exceptionally good.  NC State could play really well and still not be within reach once the game is over.

-#5 UTAH VS #4 GEORGETOWN.  I’m looking forward to this one.  Utah hasn’t won a game as impressive as beating a team like Georgetown on a neutral floor would be, but I think they’re better than what they’ve shown and wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled off the win today.  Having said that, I thought Georgetown was more impressive in their Round o 64 game than were the Utes.

-#5 ARKANSAS VS #4 NORTH CAROLINA.  Both these teams had to survive big scares with Arkansas edging out a very good Wofford team that we’ve been big on all year, and UNC holding off Harvard who, while good, didn’t play as well during most of the season as they did yesterday.  If they had, the Crimson would have earned a better seed and would have likely had much beter chance of advancing.  This should be an entertaining up and down match up, and it’s really a game that either team could win.

-#6 BUTLER VS #3 NOTRE DAME.  A very good game between two good teams who are regional opponents.  I think both have been much better than anyone was expecting when things got started back in November, but both had to sweat a little bit in the Round of 64 to get here.  This one should really a fun way to close things out tonight.

 

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on NCAA Tournament Round of 32: Saturday, March 21st

CIT Game of the Day – Saturday, March 21, 2015: Northern Arizona at Sacramento State

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Chad

Northern Arizona at Sacramento State, 10:00 PM Eastern, watchcollegeinsider.com

This season has brought up some great turnaround stories as programs that have never even sniffed the postseason have risen up and become contenders.  Here at HOOPS HD, we have been chronicling the amazing season that the NJIT Highlanders have had.  We also saw UC-Davis put together its best season ever to win the Big West regular season crown and advance to the NIT.  North Florida won the Atlantic Sun regular season and conference tournament en route to the Ospreys’ first ever NCAA tournament berth.  And in the Big Sky, the Sacramento State Hornets, who had never had a winning season before this one, have already notched 21 victories and just narrowly missed out on winning the regular season title.

Tonight, Sacramento State (21-11) squares off against conference rival Northern Arizona (20-14) in the CIT Second Round.  The Hornets and Lumberjacks played once during the regular season, in one of the most heart-breaking losses in Sacramento State history.  The game took place on the final day of the regular season, and NAU pulled out a tough, hard-fought 70-68 victory.  With a win, the Hornets would have locked up the top seed in the Big Sky and the right to host the conference tournament.  Instead, the loss dropped the Hornets to the #3 seed and gave Montana the top spot.  While Sac State bounced back to win a quarterfinal over Portland State, the Hornets fell to eventual champions Eastern Washington in the semifinals by 8 points.  They did rebound from that loss to win their first round CIT game at Portland and have a chance tonight to advance to the quarterfinal round.

Northern Arizona also fell in the Big Sky semifinal round, losing to Montana in a tough, close game by a final score of 61-59.  As with their conference foe, the Lumberjacks were able to bounce back in their first round CIT game, winning by 5 points at Grand Canyon.  Tonight, they will be in Sacramento where the Hornets will certainly be looking for payback for the regular season game.  Given that Sacramento State has one of the smallest home court venues in the country, the crowd has a chance to be loud and electric — meaning that an NAU win will require one of the Lumberjacks’ best efforts of the season.  They certainly have a chance though, as this team did win at St. Mary’s back in December in one of the bigger “Under the Radar” upsets of the season.

 

NOTE:  We will also have a championship decided today — Augustana takes on Wisconsin-Stevens Points (3:00 PM Eastern, CBS Sports Network) for the Division III championship!

Posted in News and Notes, Under the Radar | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

NCAA Tournament: Friday, March20th

Posted on March 20, 2015 by David Griggs

CHECK OUT OUR CHAT ROOM, WHICH WILL BE OPEN ALL DAY LONG, BY CLICKING HERE

 

-#15 NEW MEXICO STATE VS #2 KANSAS.  New Mexico State ran away from the WAC this year, but that’s not really saying much.  Kansas shouldn’t have too much trouble advancing.

-#10 GEORGIA VS #7 MICHIGAN STATE.  Georgia had a very strong year, and should be even better next year.  Michigan State looked very good the last couple weeks of the season, and they almost won the Big Ten Tournament.  Given how they’re playing now they could go deep into the tournament.

-#12 WYOMING VS #5 NORTHERN IOWA.  Wyoming looked strong in the Mountain West Tournament, and had some decent wins during the year.  Northern Iowa had just three losses, and are probably much better than their seed indicates.

-#12 BUFFALO VS #5 WEST VIRGINIA.  West Virginia is really strong, and I don’t expect them to have too much trouble, but Buffalo is tough and may make it a game for a while.

-#10 INDIANA VS #7 WICHITA STATE.  I’m not a huge fan of Indiana’s profile, and although they appeared to be playing better down the stretch, I think they’re overmatched today against an underseeded Wichita State team.

-#15 BELMONT VS #2 VIRGINIA.  Belmont won the OVC Tournament, but didn’t really do a whole lot to indicate they’re capable of pulling the upset.  Virginia’s defense is very tough and I think they’re one of the teams that could end up winning it all.

-#13 UC IRVINE VS #4 LOUISVILLE.  I’m not as big on Louisville as the committee was, and although I think they’ll win today against a pretty good UC Irvine team, I don’t see them going too much further.  They don’t have a whole lot of big wins away from home.

-#13 VALPARAISO VS #4 MARYLAND.  I like this Valpo team, and it wouldn’t shock me if they pulled off the upset, but this isn’t the best match up for them.  Maryland is really good and should go far in the tournament.

-#9 OKLAHOMA STATE VS #8 OREGON.  Oregon was playing their best basketball at the end of the season, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they carried that momentum into the tournament.  Okie State is certainly battle tested, as most of their losses came against really strong teams.

-#16 ROBERT MORRIS VS #1 DUKE.  Duke had a fantastic season, and beat several top ten teams in true road game.  It’s been an exciting run for Robert Morris, but I don’t see them going any further.

-#10 DAVIDSON VS #7 IOWA.  Davidson is a very good shooting team that’s very tough to beat when their shots are falling.  Iowa has been somewhat inconsistent, but they’re capable of playing really well and it wouldn’t surprise me if they ended up winning a couple games in the tournament.

-#14 ALBANY VS #3 OKLAHOMA.  Albany pretty much dominated the America East, but I think they’re in over their heads today against a very good Oklahoma team.

-#16 COASTAL CAROLINA VS #1 WISCONSIN.  Wisky has a very strong team that finished in first place in the Big Ten, and won the conference tournament.  Coastal Carolina got to play their conference tournament on their home floor, and I think they’re probably in over their heads today.

-#9 SAINT JOHN’S VS #8 SAN DIEGO STATE.  San Diego State is a very strong defensive team that will give Saint John’s a lot of trouble.  The Jonnies were playing well down the stretch, but they’re not quite at full strength and it wouldn’t surprise me if they struggled today.

-#15 NORTH DAKOTA STATE VS #2 GONZAGA.  North Dakota State has a very young and exciting team that should continue to improve in the coming years.  Gonzaga is a Final Four caliber team and is probably just too much for them, though

-#11 DAYTON VS #6 PROVIDENCE.  Dayton had a very exciting win against a pretty good Boise State team in the First Four.  Providence has been somewhat inconsistent this year, but they really were playing well down the stretch and if they play like that in the tournament they have a chance to go pretty far.

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off on NCAA Tournament: Friday, March20th