Under the Radar Game of the Day: Tuesday, December 30, 2014: St. Francis(PA) at NJIT

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Chad

For highlights from the rest of today’s action, CLICK HERE.

St. Francis University (PA) at NJIT, 7:00 PM Eastern, No TV

The UTR Game of the Day returns to Newark, New Jersey tonight as our adopted team, the NJIT Highlanders, tries to rebound from a loss at Lafayette over the weekend and get back on the winning side of things at home.  The Highlanders enter tonight’s game at 5-9 overall, 4 games under the .500 mark that they need to reach by the end of the year to be eligible for the CIT.  With four of their next five at home, and the road game coming at lowly UMBC, there is a very good chance over the next few weeks for NJIT to get its record closer to even.  In order to reach that point, however, they must start with a win tonight.

The Red Flash from St. Francis University (Pennsylvania) are by no means a guaranteed win for NJIT.  SFPA enters tonight’s game at 6-4 on the season including a road win ten days ago at Rutgers.  The Red Flash are in fact our current pick to win the Northeast Conference, though admittedly the NEC race is looking like it will be wide open as we head into conference play.  St. Francis is being led offensively by Earl Brown, who scored 23 points against Rutgers.  NJIT will need to find a way to contain him if they want to knock off the Red Flash and take another step towards that elusive first-ever postseason berth.

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Highlighted Games for Tuesday, Dec 30th

Posted on December 30, 2014 by David Griggs

-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten).  Iowa has a good win at North Carolina already, but still needs to add to their profile.  Ohio State really doesn’t have a notable win yet and will need to prove themselves in conference.

-VIRGINIA TECH AT WEST VIRGINIA.  Virginia Tech is 8-4, but doesn’t have any wins of note on their profile.  West Virginia is off to an impressive 11-1 start.  This is a rivalry, so it should be a fun one.

-YALE AT SACRED HEART.  At 9-4 with some notable wins, Yale has been the most impressive team in the Ivy League so far.

-ILLINOIS AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten).  Michigan desperately needs to get their season turned around before it’s too late.  Illinois has done well, but is still looking for their first true road win.

-LONG BEACH STATE AT LOUISVILLE.  We keep saying it, but Long Beach has played a brutal schedule and if they can get one of these big wins on the road, it may be enough to land them inside the bubble.  Louisville is looking to bounce back from their loss to rival Kentucky.

-CINCINNATI AT NC STATE.  You get the sense that both teams really need this because neither have put that many big wins on their profile yet.  Cincinnati has lost their only true road game, and NC State doesn’t have any wins that jump out at you yet.

-MARYLAND AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Maryland has been a surprise team this year, and Michigan State has struggled.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Terps pulled this one one out on the road.

-DAVIDSON AT VIRGINIA.  Davidson has just one loss and has looked fairly solid, but they haven’t beaten anyone all that strong.  Virginia is a #1 seed caliber team who is unbeaten, so they’ll definitely be tested tonight.

-WILLIAM & MARY AT NORTH CAROLINA.  William & Mary should be one of the better teams in the Colonial, but they’re most likely overmatched tonight against an improving UNC team.

-FLORIDA AT FLORIDA STATE.  The Gators got off to a slow start, but have looked really good in their last few games and can pick up even more momentum with a road win against their rivals.

-CHARLOTTE AT GEORGIA TECH.  A win for GA Tech gets them to 9-3 on the year.

-CHARLESTON AT MIAMI FL.  It’s a buy game, but it’s one the Canes really cannot afford to lose.

-VMI AT GEORGE WASHINGTON.  GW is coming off three big wins in the Diamondhead Classic and can improve to 10-3 with a win in this one.

-LOUISIANA MONROE AT GEORGIA STATE.  Georgia State probably cannot get inside the bubble unless they win out, but they may be good enough to do that.

-HARTFORD AT NOTRE DAME.  Buy game.  Hartford has been somewhat of a disappointment this year.

-FGCU AT PITTSBURGH.  FGCU has looked good at home this year, but not on the road.  They’ve been handily beaten whenever they’ve had the chance to beat someone of note away from home.  A win for Pitt will improve them to 10-3.

-KENT STATE AT KANSAS.  Kent State has looked pretty good this year, and is an impressive 3-1 on the road.  They haven’t won any road games that come close to being as impressive as this would be, though.  Kansas is a solid 9-2 and most of the time plays like a protected seed.

-NORFOLK STATE AT BAYLOR.  Buy game.  Baylor has cracked the rankings.

-OLE MISS AT DAYTON.  Dayton has looked impressive in their last two games despite having a key player dismissed from the team.  They can improve to 10-2 on the year with a win against a respectable Ole Miss team.

-MERCER AT TEXAS A&M.  Buy game.  A win gets TAMU to 8-3.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT MISSOURI.  Okie State can improve to an impressive 10-2 with a win, as well as add another true road win to their profile.

-NC A&T AT SOUTH CAROLINA.  Buy game.  Angry Frank can get his team to a respectable 8-3.

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Bracket Racket: Dec 28th, News, Notes and Highlighted Match-ups

Posted on December 29, 2014 by David Griggs

On tonight’s somewhat abbreviated version of the Bracket Racket, Chad and David look back at this past week’s action, particularly, Louisville v Kentucky and how sloppy of a game it was, the tremendous job George Washington did to win the Diamondhead Classic, and how Old Dominion has been overlooked and ignored.  They also take a look ahead at this week’s upcoming games.  All that, and much more.  Also, see the bottom of this post for an mp3 version of the show.

 

NEWS AND NOTES

-It did not go final until after the recording of the Bracket Racket, but Stony Brook overcame a double digit deficit on the road against Washington, and came back to win 61-57.  Washington had just four points in the last eight minutes of the game.  It’s a huge win for the Stony Brook program, and it’s the kind of win that helps them avoid the #15 and #16 seeds if they were to make the NCAA Tournament, and give them a slightly more manageable and winnable first round game.

 

MONDAY’S HIGHLIGHTED ACTION

For CHAD SHERWOOD’S UTR game of the day – CLICK HERE

-TOLEDO AT DUKE.  Toledo has a good team, but they’ve been sort of a disappointment this year.  If they could pull off the upset tonight it could turn everything around for them.  That being said, it’s not likely that they’ll beat one of the two best teams in the country on the road.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s has a small margin for error.  They need to avoid losses in games like this, and pick up a win or two against the likes of Gonzaga and BYU if they want to land inside the bubble.

-PORTLAND AT BYU (West Coast).  Portland has a good record, but needs some notable wins if they want to get the attention of the committee.  Winning this one on the road should do it.

-GONZAGA AT SAN DIEGO (West Coast).  Gonzaga is coming off a big win at BYU, and shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up a second conference road win.

-UC IRVINE AT OREGON.  It’s a buy game, and although this UC Irvine team has somewhat underachieved so far, they’re still really good.  Oregon can’t just sleep walk and beat them.

-RICE AT TEXAS.  Buy game.

-CLEVELAND STATE AT VCU.  Buy game.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT LSU.  Buy game.  Southern Miss has had some good seasons recently, but they’ve struggled this year.

-TENNESSEE STATE AT TCU.  Buy game.

-NORTH TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH.  Buy game.

-ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF AT STANFORD.  Buy game.

-SOUTHERN AT HAWAI’I.  Buy game.  Hawaii has been playing really well recently, though and at 10-4 they could be a force in the Big West once league play starts.

 

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Monday, December 29, 2014: Valparaiso at James Madison

Posted on December 29, 2014 by Chad

Valparaiso at James Madison, 7:00 PM Eastern, free streaming at caa.tv

The UTR Game of the Day heads to Harrisonburg, Virginia tonight as the Colonial’s James Madison Dukes host the Horizon League’s Valparaiso Crusaders.  The Dukes enter tonight’s game with a record of 7-5, though they have dropped three of their last four to sub-KenPom 150 teams.  This will be JMU’s last chance to pick up a win before CAA play starts on Saturday, and if the Dukes are going to be able to find a way to compete with conference favorites Northeastern and William & Mary, they need to start turning their season around immediately.  Having Yohanny Dalembert become a consistent double-digit scorer could be the key for James Madison moving forward.

The road team in tonight’s game, Valparaiso, has played like they intend to be a serious contender in the Horizon League.  While the primary focus in the Horizon so far has been Green Bay, Valpo is quietly sitting at 12-2 overall with top 100 KenPom and RPI ratings.  Their wins include a solid road victory at Eastern Kentucky (who notably beat Miami) and a win at Fort Wayne, which may be among the contenders in the Summit League.  Valpo is looking for its fifth straight win in what will also be their final tuneup before the start of conference play.  Alec Peters has been leading the way so far this season for the Crusaders, having scored 23, 23 and 29 points in his last three games.

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Highlighted Games for Sunday, Dec 28th

Posted on December 28, 2014 by David Griggs

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

 

-SAINT JOHN’S VS TULANE.  Tulane has a bloated record, but all their wins have come against weak teams.  They did look pretty good against Washington earlier in the week, though, so this is a chance for them to pick up their first notable win.

-NJIT AT LAFAYETTE.  Our adopted team has a tough road test against a Lafayette team that’s been a little better than expected, and is currently unbeaten at home.

-LONG BEACH STATE AT SYRACUSE.  We keep saying it, but Long Beach has a few notable wins and no real bad losses.  Despite their currently poor record, if they can pick up another notable win and then run roughshod over the Big West, they may end up inside the bubble.

-HARVARD AT ARIZONA STATE.  Interesting match up between a Harvard team that may be challenged by Yale in conference play and could use a notable win like this, and an Arizona State team that’s trying to establish themselves.

-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT NORTHERN IOWA.  South Dakota State has looked like one of the better teams in the Summit League, but they’re probably in over their heads today against a top 25 Northern Iowa team.

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT XAVIER.  It’s a buy game, but it’s an interesting one.  If FGCU wants any shot at landing inside the bubble and not needing the automatic bid, this is a game they pretty much have to win.  Xavier is currently outside the bubble, but will get their chances in conference to prove themselves if they are good enough.

-BELMONT AT BUTLER.  Interesting match up between a Butler team that has slid a little bit since opening the season so strongly, and a Belmont team has also slid, but is still having a good year overall.

-UCLA AT ALABAMA.  Both teams have good records, but need notable wins.

-COPPIN STATE AT EVANSVILLE.  A win gets the Aces to 10-2.

-BUFFALO AT WISCONSIN.  Buffalo has just two losses, and one of those was against Kentucky, who they played pretty well against.  Wisconsin is good enough to contend for a #1 seed, though, so this is a very tall order.

-CENTRAL CONNECTICUT AT CONNECTICUT.  Buy game.  Central Connecticut looked they were going to be one of the best teams in the NEC prior to losing a key player just before the start of the season.

-MORGAN STATE AT MARQUETTE.  Buy game.

-NORTHWESTERN STATE AT ARKANSAS.  Buy game.

-DELAWARE STATE AT TEMPLE.  Buy game.  This may not continue, but I believe Temple is currently on the bubble.

-STONY BROOK AT WASHINGTON.  Buy game.  Stony Brook may be the best team in the America East, but they’re probably way overmatched today.

-CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD AT CALIFORNIA.  Buy game.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day: Sunday, December 28, 2014: US Coast Guard at Army

Posted on December 28, 2014 by Chad

United States Coast Guard Academy at Army, 3:00 PM Eastern, free streaming at patriotleague.org

A battle between two service academies always comes with extra energy and passion beyond the relative talent and abilities of the athletes for both schools.  When Army and Navy meet on the football field every year, records do not count.  The only thing that matters is who wins the game.  While this season, as always, Army and Navy will meet at least twice in hoops during Patriot League play, the Cadets from West Point will get to take on the service academy from another branch of our armed forces this afternoon, the Division III U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

The USCG Bears actually opened the regular season television schedule this season when they played Hampden-Sydney in the Armed Forces Classic in Puerto Rico.  While they fell in that game, the Bears have played .500 ball since then and enter today’s contest at 4-5 on the season.  They are being led by junior guard Kevin Alvarez, who is averaging 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and senior forward David Anderson, who is averaging 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.  Of course, they have their work cut out for them this afternoon with the Army Black Knights.

Army enters today’s game at 8-2 on the season, including wins over Air Force and VMI at home, plus a road win at USC.  Their two losses came at Duke and in an upset home loss to Bryant.  With a sub-150 KenPom rating, Army certainly has not done enough in non-conference play to be an at-large bid contender, but the Black Knights appear do poised to seriously contend for the Patriot League title this year (conference play starts on Wednesday).

Army is one of five teams to have been a member of Division I since 1948 without ever playing in the NCAA tournament.  As we have noted here before, unlike the other four teams (Northwestern, William & Mary, The Citadel and St. Francis(BK)), Army did get an invite to the Big Dance back in 1966, but head coach Bobby Knight turned down the bid in order to take his team, including a guard by the name of Mike Krzyzewski, into the NIT.  That guard went on to coach the Cadets to the NIT in 1978 as well, the last time this team played in the postseason.  He then left Army and went on to have a fairly decent coaching career at some ACC school.

Army appears to be well on their way to a postseason bid this season, if not by winning the Patriot League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, then potentially in one of the smaller tournaments such as the CIT.  Either way, head coach Zach Spiker has done an amazing job turning a perennial Patriot League doormat into a legitimate contender.  The Black Knights have certainly surpassed Navy, at least this year.  But before they move on to Navy and the rest of their conference schedule, Army has one last test to get by — and they should definitely not look past another service academy this afternoon.

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