Highlighted Games for Thursday, Feb 26th

Posted on February 26, 2015 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

–For our most recent, and what will be our final Under the Radar Video Podcast of the season – CLICK HERE

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

-We will be recording our Bracket Rundown Video Podcast tonight, where we go through and banter about all the teams as we hammer out a seed list.  It will be posted either later tonight or early tomorrow morning so be sure to check it out.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-HOUSTON AT TEMPLE (American).  Temple appears to be in relatively good shape, but that will change quickly if they pull a UConn and lose to Houston.

-WOFFORD AT MERCER (Southern).  I don’t think Wofford will have enough to end up inside the bubble if they fall in the conference tournament, but they should at least be in the discussion.  It will require nothing short of winning out, and they’ll likely come up short even then.

-COASTAL CAROLINA AT PRESBYTERIAN (Big South).  Coastal is just one game out of first place and still has a chance to clinch home court advantage in the……..oh, nevermind.  For more on that check out our Under the Radar Podcast.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  I don’t see Minney as being near the bubble right now, but a strong finish will get them there.  Granted, they’ve shown very little to make us believe they have the ability to finish strong.  Michigan State has had a rough year, but is really playing well lately.

-NEBRASKA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  It’s a good thing Nebraska is on the road this week because they’re presumably able to use the visiting locker room.  Head Coach Tim Miles locked them out of their locker room at home.  Ohio State has been tough to beat at home and has a solid profile that shouldn’t change so long as they hold serve.

-UTEP AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA).  I am perplexed as to how this is not the UTR Game of the Day.  Chad doesn’t get many things right, but he normally gets the UTR Game of the Day right, but today he didn’t even get that right!!  UTEP has won seven in a row and is finally starting to look like the team we’d thought they’d be.  The question is whether or not they can get their resume to a point to where the committee will consider it because most of those wins have been against weak teams.  LA Tech is unbeaten at home, and this would be the kind of quality win that would jump out at the committee despite LA Tech’s low RPI.

-SMU AT MEMPHIS (American).  This SMU team is rolling and should be a first ballot NCAA Tournament team.  This is a chance for them to polish up the profile even more by getting another notable road win.

-ARIZONA AT COLORADO (Pac Twelve).  Arizona appears to be a solid #2 seed, so this is the kind of road game they’ve been winning and that you’d expect them to continue to win.

-RUTGERS AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Purdue is really hot right now, and has been playing especially well at home.  Rutgers is dealing with some issues, particularly the issue of not being good, so Purdue cannot afford to slip up against them.

-BYU AT PORTLAND (West Coast).  UTR Game of the Day.  See above.

-ARIZONA STATE AT UTAH (Pac Twelve).  Utah has been outstanding at home this year and should easily end up as a protected seed.  We love watching Arizona State play, but not so much as the road team.  They won’t be bringing the Curtain of Distraction with them.

-SAN DIEGO AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  This, like many Gonzaga conference home games, is a conference game that will likely feel like a buy game.

-OREGON STATE AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Stanford is outside the bubble and basically needs to finish strong if they want to end up in the safe zone.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, February 26, 2015: BYU at Portland

Posted on February 26, 2015 by Chad

For our latest Under the Radar podcast, CLICK HERE.

BYU at Portland, 10:00 PM Eastern, ROOT Sports/free streaming at thew.tv

Brigham Young University announced yesterday that it is their intent to gain entrance into a “Power Five” conference for football purposes (though presumably as an all sports member).  While that most likely means they are trying to join the Big 12, it is by no means granted that any of the major conferences will invite them.  For now at least, the Cougars are an independent in football and a member of an Under the Radar conference in all other sports.  They enter play tonight in third place in the WCC Standings, at 11-5 in conference and 21-8 overall.  Their RPI is 57, though their KenPom rating is 32 and their BPI is 27, both very healthy numbers.  Unfortunately, BYU is not currently in any serious at-large talks with only three top 100 wins, none of which are away from home or over a team that is currently solidly in the field (the best being a home win over Stanford).  Things are made worse by several slip-ups in conference including two losses to Pepperdine and a loss at San Diego.  The good news for BYU is that after tonight’s game they have a game at Gonzaga on Saturday — a chance to put a solid win on their resume.  If they win these two games, and make  run to the WCC championship game, we do believe the committee will give them a look, especially (at least for you conspiracy theorists out there) with their AD, Tom Holmoe, on the Selection Committee.  Should they lose either of these last two games, their only way in will be via the automatic bid.

BYU’s quest to get the Committee’s attention begins today in Portland.  The Pilots enter tonight’s game at 7-9 in conference and 16-12 overall.  They are tied for fifth place with San Diego.  The final two games will be an important battle for Portland as a fifth place finish will give them a much more winnable quarterfinal game (most likely against Pepperdine) than a 6th place finish (BYU or St. Mary’s will finish in third).  Of course, finishing in fifth place also places them on the same side of the bracket as Gonzaga, but if Portland, or anyone else for that matter, wants to make an improbably WCC tournament run they will have to go through the ‘zags sooner or later anyhow.  In addition to trying to spoil BYU’s slim NCAA at-large chances tonight, they will be looking to avenge a 97-88 loss at BYU back in late December.  If the scoring in tonight’s game is anywhere close to the pace of that prior meeting, it should at least be entertaining to watch.

 

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Under the Radar: February 25th

Posted on February 26, 2015 by David Griggs

Chad and David are here for the final Under the Radar Video Podcast prior to the start of the conference tournaments.  They discuss how well UTEP and BYU have been playing, and whether or not they have a shot at ending up inside the bubble with a strong finish to the season.  They run through all 23 conferences and look at what is the final week of the season for most of them, and how the upcoming games will impact the make up of the conference tournaments.  All that, and much more…

 

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

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Higlighted Games for Wednesday, Feb 25th

Posted on February 25, 2015 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-We will be recording our Under the Radar Video Podcast tonight, which will likely be the final of the season in its current format.  Next week, we will begin our nightly Championship Week Video Notebooks, so be sure and check us out tonight.

Speaking of Under the Radar, for Chad’s UTR Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-VIRGINIA AT WAKE FOREST (ACC).  Virginia is battling injuries, and Wake Forest is battling not being good.  Still, it’s never easy to win on the road, even if it’s a weaker team, and it’s even harder to do while injured.

-GEORGE MASON AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten).  Dayton is coming off a very damaging loss to Duquesne.  If they lose this one it might be a knockout punch.

-DAVIDSON AT RHODE ISLAND (Atlantic Ten).  This is a hugely important game between a Davidson team that’s right on the bubble, and a Rhody team that’s outside the bubble, but will have a chance to play their way in if they can finish really strongly.  Both teams need to come in with a sense of desperation.

-INDIANA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Indiana is in good shape, but could improve their profile with more true road wins, and this is one of their more winnable true road games.

-KENTUCKY AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Kentucky is cruising to the #1 overall seed and isn’t likely to be derailed tonight.

-VCU AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  This game is always fun.  Richmond upset VCU at VCU earlier this year, albeit VCU was dealing with injuries at the time.  They’re going to be jacked up for this one.  As well as VCU has been playing, this isn’t the easiest game to win.

-WICHITA STATE AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley).  Wichita should win this, but Indiana State is somewhat formidable at home, and Wichita doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead to Saturday.

-UCF AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati simply cannot afford to lose this one at home.

-TULANE AT TULSA (American).  Tulsa is outside the bubble, but has played well their last couple of games.  A slip up at home to a weak Tulane team may be too much to overcome.

-MARQUETTE AT BUTLER (Big East).  Butler has struggled since losing a key player to injury, but should be able to take care of business at home in this one.

-BAYLOR AT IOWA STATE (Big Twelve).  Both teams could end up as protected seeds, and a strong finish by Iowa State could get them as high as the #2 line.

-EVANSVILLE AT NORTHERN IOWA (Missouri Valley).  Northern Iowa has been really impressive this year, especially at home.  They fell to Evansville earlier in the season, but I don’t see them falling a second time tonight.

-DUKE AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  Duke continues to play like a #1 seed and they should get it if they keep going at the clip they’ve gone at all season long.

-FLORIDA STATE AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  Miami is coming off a very disappointing loss to Louisville, and they need to get over it quick because they’re right on the bubble and can’t afford a loss to a non tournament team at home.

-SAN JOSE STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Missouri Valley).  Colorado State has had a good season, and is hosting one of the weakest teams in the country.  A loss in a game like this could make a good season look really bad in a hurry.

-ILLINOIS AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Both appear to be in the field, but both need some big wins to feel completely safe.  Illinois has been playing better, but a notable road win would really help their profile.  Wins of any kind would help Iowa’s profile as well.

-GEORGIA AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Georgia is right on the bubble, and could use a big road win like this to get them safely inside of it.  Ole Miss has been playing really well.  They haven’t racked up any monster wins, but have a lot of decent ones and can continue to climb up the seed list if they keep it up.

-FRESNO STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  Wyoming is a long shot, but they’re still in the discussion.  They won’t be if they lose this game, though.

-WASHINGTON AT UCLA (Pac Twelve).  Washington is in a bit of a slump.  They are coming off a win over rival Wazzu, but Wazzu isn’t any good and Washington barely beat them.  They’d lost seven straight prior to that.  UCLA is on the bubble and can’t afford a home loss to a team like that.

-OREGON AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  Oregon is right on the bubble, but one of the things that’s lousy about their profile is a lack of road wins.  Cal isn’t a tournament team, but any road wins would be really helpful for the Ducks.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Wednesday, February 25, 2015: North Florida at Florida Gulf Coast

Posted on February 25, 2015 by Chad

Last night’s UTR Game was postponed until tonight due to a water main break on the Toledo campus.  For a discussion of that game, CLICK HERE.

North Florida at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3

When Dickie V is in the house, you know it is a big game.  Prior to tonight’s UNF-FGCU game, Dick Vitale will be at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida for a book signing, and he has stated that he plans to stay and watch the game as well.  If he does, he is going to see a good one.  First place in the Atlantic Sun, and home court advantage throughout its conference tournament, is at stake tonight as the North Florida Ospreys are in town to take on the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.  UNF enters the game one game behind FGCU in the league standings with only two games left to play.  With UNF having already won the first head-to-head matchup of these two teams this season, barring a crazy upset over the coming weekend, the winner of today’s game will be the top seed.

North Florida enters play tonight at 10-2 in the A-Sun and 18-11 overall.  Their wins not only include a home win over FGCU back on January 14 but also a huge road upset win at Purdue on December 6.  While North Florida has already guaranteed themselves at least the #2 seed on the A-Sun tournament, winning today’s game and Saturday’s home contest against Stetson will guarantee that if they make it to the conference championship game, it will be played in Jacksonville.  The Ospreys will look for a big effort from Dallas Moore tonight, who led the team to its first victory over Gulf Coast, dropping 27 points on the Eagles while collecting 9 assists as well.

Florida Gulf Coast enters play tonight at 11-1 in conference and 21-7 overall.  Their wins include a victory in Sioux Falls, South Dakota over Summit League co-leader South Dakota State and one in Springfield, Massachusetts over UMass.  The only really bad loss on their profile was a home game against Florida International back in mid-December.  Despite their impressive record, they need a win tonight to clinch the A-Sun regular season championship and avoid having to potentially go on the road for the conference tournament title game.  The Eagles are led by seniors Brett Comer and Bernard Thompson, both of whom many may recall from their Sweet 16 run two years ago.  Both players will need to be on top of their games tonight for the Eagles to avenge their earlier loss at UNF and clinch the regular season title.

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Highlighted Games for Tuesday, Feb 24th

Posted on February 24, 2015 by David Griggs

NEWS, NOTES AND LINKS

-For our latest Bracket Racket Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

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

-An interesting bit of trivia.  Alabama has lost five games by two points or less.  That is remarkably unlucky.  Essentially, they’re outside the bubble now and really aren’t close.  But, they’re ten points away from being very safely inside the bubble and most likely ranked in the Top 25 at 21-6.  They play Angry Frank Martin’s South Carolina Gamecocks tonight in a game we will not be highlighting.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-TEXAS AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve).  Texas doesn’t have any bad losses, but they have A LOT of losses.  With this many opportunities at good wins, they eventually have to pick up at least one or two of them.  If they go 7-11 in conference play they’re in trouble.

-PROVIDENCE AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  Nova is contending for a spot on the #1 line, and Providence is a first ballot team that can add to an already very impressive profile.

-WISCONSIN AT MARYLAND (Big Ten).  Wisky is a very good team, but to date they don’t have a high caliber true road win.  That can change tonight.  Maryland had hit a skid, but they appear to have come out of it.  The place should be electric tonight.

-LSU AT AUBURN (SEC).  LSU is not as safe as they’d like to be, and that status will not improve if they fall on the road to a sub-NIT Auburn team.

-NC STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  Duke v UNC has more tradition, but NC State v UNC has more hate.  On top of being a bitter rivalry, this is a hugely important game for both teams on paper as well as off.  UNC is trying to earn a protected seed, and NC State is trying to get themselves safely inside the bubble.  We don’t see enough games like this in college basketball anymore, so I’m going to enjoy this one tonight.

-SYRACUSE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Notre Dame is a very solid protected seed and shouldn’t have too much trouble at home against the Orange.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT PITTSBURGH (ACC).  Pittsburgh is outside the bubble, but they’ve played their way into the picture.  The last thing they need is a home loss to a weak team.

-TEXAS A&M AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  This is a hugely important game for a TAMU team that’s right on the bubble.  This would be a much needed quality road win that would change the entire complexion of their profile.

-NEW MEXICO AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West).  Boise State is right on the bubble and can’t afford any type of home loss to non tournament teams.

 

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