Here is our latest Bracket Racket video podcast. Chad, Kyle and David look back at this past week’s games, and then go through each of the major conferences discussing where we feel the teams currently stand. They also look ahead to this week’s upcoming action….
And for all you radio lovers out there, below is an mp3 version of the show
Arkansas-Little Rock vs Green Bay, 2:00 PM
UC-Irvine vs Bradley, 4:30 PM
Both games streamed live at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/holiday-hoops-classic-2014
Today’s UTR Games of the Day are the two semifinals of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic at South Point Arena in Las Vegas. While we normally feature only a single game each day, this four team event is certainly under the radar and therefore both games merit our attention.
In the first semifinal, the 4-4 UALR Trojans will be taking on one of the top UTR teams this season, the Horizon League’s Greeen Bay Phoenix. UALR’s wins have been all against teams ranked 263 in KenPom or worse, including one non-D1 win. As a result, they are going to have a very tough time with Green Bay today. The Phoenix enter the game at 8-2 on the season, with only losses at Wisconsin and at Georgia State to tarnish their record. The Phoenix most notably have a road win at Miami, though that victory does not look quite as good after Miami got blown out by Eastern Kentucky a couple nights ago.
The winner of the first semifinal will take on the winner of the second game in Monday’s championship (and the two losers will meet in a third place game). The second game features UC-Irvine taking on Bradley. UC-Irvine was one of our top teams in the Big West heading into the season, especially with 7-6 monster Mamadou Ndiaye in the middle Ndiaye has missed the last four games with a sprained foot, and the Anteaters dropped three of the four, including a loss to KenPom rated 301 Morgan State last time out. If Ndiaye is able to play and contribute, they should not have too much trouble with Bradley. The Braves are 4-6 on the season with only one win over teams rated better than 300 in the KenPoms. Their losses include bad home losses to Robert Morris and Texas-Arlington.
While both of Sunday’s games appear to be mismatches, if we do in fact get the Green Bay vs UC-Irvine championship, it could be a chance for both teams to get a notable non-conference win as we head towards the start of conference play. Such a win is very important for Green Bay, which may find themselves in the at-large discussion before the end of the season should they slip in the Horizon League tournament the way they did last year. A loss to UALR, or one to Irvine (especially if Ndiaye is not available), could be disastrous to the Phoenix’s at-large resume.
-LOUISVILLE AT WESTERN KENTUCKY. This is an interesting intra-state match-up, and it should be an electric crowd at WKU, but they seem to be overmatched.
-VCU AT CINCINNATI. Cincinnati picked up a big win earlier this week against San Diego State, but could still use another one to help out their profile. VCU could use a big win as well. Both teams will have fewer chances at statement wins in conference play than what they’re used to, so this game does have a pivotal feel to it.
-SMU AT MICHIGAN. Another game with a pivotal feel. It’s between two teams that have underperformed and who could use a big win.
-CHARLOTTE AT GEORGETOWN. Georgetown can improve to 7-3 and remain in pretty good shape if they pick this one up.
-SYRACUSE AT VILLANOVA (Spotlight Game). Nova appears to be a #1 seed caliber tea, and his hosting their old conference rival Syracuse, who has been good but not great this season. This would be a signature win for the Orange if they’re able to pull off the upset, but that’s much easier said than done.
-OHIO STATE VS NORTH CAROLINA (CBS Sports Classic). This is a game between two solid NCAA Tournament teams that will look good on the resume. Although both teams appear to be good, neither have a win of this caliber just yet.
-MANHATTAN AT PROVIDENCE. Providence has been in a funk, and needs to come out of it if they want to be in the discussion come March.
-VANDERBILT AT GEORGIA TECH. I’m not huge on either team just yet, but both only have two losses.
-MISSOURI VS ILLINOIS (Braggin’ Rights). The only reason this game gets a mention is because it is the Braggin’ Rights game. As classic as this has been in the past, it’s not looking so classic this year. Illinois is a decent team, and Mizzou is a bad team.
-INDIANA VS BUTLER (Crossroads Classic). Coming into the season it didn’t look like this would be much of a game, but now it appears to be a match-up between two regional teams that are tournament caliber teams. Both teams have looked good this season, and whoever wins this will get a huge boost in momentum.
-UCLA AT KENTUCKy (CBS Sports Classic). Kentucky is the #1 overall team, and UCLA is perhaps a fringe top 25 team.
-ALBANY AT YALE. UTR Game of the Day! CLICK HERE, to read Chad’s article.
-EASTERN MICHIGAN AT MISSOURI STATE. Eastern Michigan is a respectable 8-2 with a big notable win at Michigan. They have a chance to pick up another road win that may be more notable than it appears. Missouri State probably isn’t even an NIT team, but they are unbeaten at home.
-DAVIDSON AT CHARLESTON. No one is really talking about Davidson, but they have just one loss and are worth paying attention to. It’ll be interesting to see what they do in the Atlantic Ten.
-DETROIT AT RHODE ISLAND. Rhody is much improved, but they have a small margin for error if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.
-ABILENE CHRISTIAN AT BOISE STATE. Buy game. Boise has just two losses.
-IOWA STATE VS DRAKE (Big Four Classic). I don’t know how classic this edition of the Big Four Classic will be. It’s a shame that Iowa State isn’t matched up with Northern Iowa.
-WAKE FOREST AT FLORIDA. Florida has a lot of potential and they desperately need to get things turned around because they haven’t looked all that good this season.
-PURDUE VS NOTRE DAME (Crossroads Classic). It is a regional rivalry, but it appears to be a mismatch in Notre Dame’s favor despite Purdue’s 8-3 record.
-XAVIER AT AUBURN. Xavier’s weakness in recent years has been true road wins. They cannot afford to lose to what appears to be a sub-NIT team on the road.
-TEXAS A&M AT KANSAS STATE. I’m not big on either team just yet, but TAMU is 7-2 and they can pick up a win against an old conference rival who has not lost at home yet.
-BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT DAYTON. Dayton just had two of their big men kicked off the team, which is a huge setback. Don’t be surprised if Boston U pulls off the upset. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if it isn’t considered that big of an upset by the end of the year.
-RICHMOND AT PEPPERDINE. Pepperdine is another one of those teams with a good record that no one is talking about. A win gets them to 8-2, and they’ll have a few chances at notable wins in league play.
-NJIT AT CENTRAL CONNECTICUT. NJIT has hit a rough spot since their wins against Michigan and SFNY. They go on the road today against a Central Connecticut team that is also struggling.
-IOWA VS NORTHERN IOWA (Big Four Classic). Iowa is probably considered the bigger program, but I believe Northern Iowa is the better team this year, and that Iowa could actually use the win a little bit more. They’re likely to end up closer to the bubble, and could use a notable win against a good team away from home. Northern Iowa has just one loss, and it was in overtime at VCU. They have been very impressive this year.
-LONG BEACH STATE AT TEXAS. This is probably a buy game, but it is a game of interest. Long Beach has played a brutal schedule and already has some big wins. This is a chance for them to pick up another one, but it is a very tall order.
-OKLAHOMA VS WASHINGTON (MGM Grand Showcase). Both teams come into the game in the rankings with some good wins already. Washington is still among the ranks of the unbeaten, but I do believe this will be their biggest test so far.
-NEW MEXICO AT NEW MEXICO STATE. It’s a rivalry game, but in this case it’s between the frontronner of a weak league and a middle to bottom of the pack team from a decent league.
-NC STATE VS WEST VIRGINIA (Gotham Classic). NC State has a good record, but no good wins. If they want people to think they’re for real, they need to get a win like this.
-STANFORD AT BYU. This is an important match-up for both teams. Both appear to be good enough to end up inside the bubble, but both still need good wins.
-UTAH VS UNLV (MGM Grand Showcase). UNLV really needs a statement win like this on their profile.
-DREXEL AT PENN STATE. Buy game. Penn State has just one loss.
-LAFAYETTE AT KANSAS. Buy game.
-DELAWARE STATE AT OREGON. Buy game.
-OAKLAND AT PITTSBURGH. Buy game.
-UTSA AT TCU. Buy game.
-SEMO AT ARKANSAS. Buy game.
-CAL POLY AT GONZAGA. Buy game.
-BALL STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE. Buy game.
Albany at Yale, 2:00 PM Eastern, No TV
The Under the Radar Game of the Day heads to Connecticut this afternoon as the Ivy League’s second best team, the Yale Bulldogs, host the defending America East conference tournament champion Albany Great Danes (or UAlbany according to their uniform tops). The Great Danes have struggled so far this season, with their best win having come a week ago, knocking off cross-town rival Siena. They sit at 3-6 on the season with a KenPom rating of 185. Despite their overall record, that rating is good enough for third best in their conference behind only Vermont and Stony Brook.
Today’s game will be a tall challenge for the Great Danes as they head to New Haven for their battle with Yale. The Bulldogs enter today’s game with a record of 9-3 and a KenPom rating almost 100 points better than Albany’s, at 86. Yale has already scored a huge road win over Connecticut, becoming the first in-state team to win at UConn in almost thirty years. Their only losses were at Florida, at Providence and a double overtime loss to Quinnipiac on the first day of the season. The question that may need to be answered this March is whether or not both Yale and Harvard are good enough to make the NCAA tournament, especially if both teams roll through the Ivy League and can win their remaining non-conference games. For Yale to be in that conversation, they will still need to pass their remaining non-conference road tests at Sacred Heart, Vanderbilt and NJIT, as well as making sure they do not slip up at home today.
Don’t miss our latest Under the Radar podcast: CLICK HERE
Niagara at Buffalo, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3
The UTR Game of the Day shuffles off to Buffalo, New York tonight as Bobby Hurley’s Buffalo Bulls host nearby “Western New York Big Four” rival Niagara. Buffalo enters tonight’s game with a record of 6-2, and a solid KenPom rating of 96, best in the MAC. With teams like Toledo, Akron and Western Michigan all having struggled so far this season, this could be the year that the Bulls break out and get their first ever bid into the NCAA tournament. They just need to make sure they do not overlook the Purple Eagles tonight, especially with a trip to Wisconsin looming next weekend.
Niagara enters tonight’s game with a record of 1-6 overall and 1-1 in early Metro Atlantic play. The Purple Eagles have struggled, including dropping home games to Hartford and Canisius, both teams ranking outside the KenPom top 150. However, their four other losses were all to top 100 teams, meaning that they have at least been battle-tested so far this season. A win at nearby Buffalo tonight will go a long way to proving to Chris Casey’s team that they are better than last season’s 26 loss team — though they are going to need to improve quickly if they want ay chance to avoid at least 20 losses this year.
Highlighted Games for Sunday, Dec 21st
-SOUTH POINT HOLIDAY HOOPS CLASSIC. To read all about these games, CLICK HERE to check out Chad’s UTR game of the day...
-HARVARD AT VIRGINIA. Harvard doesn’t always play up to their ceiling, but they are the equivalent of a #8 or #9 seeded team. Virginia is about the equivalent of a #1 or #2 seeded team, so this is the kind of match up you’d see ion the round of 32. If Harvard wins, it will catapult their resume, but a loss really won’t hurt them.
-OREGON STATE QT QUINNIPIAC. Oregon State is off to an 8-2 start. They have not been close to an NIT caliber team in recent years, but it’s still kind of strange to see them play this kind of road game.
-MARYLAND AT OKLAHOMA STATE. Both teams have been impressive with just one loss, but Oklahoma State still hasn’t been strongly tested yet. For Maryland, it is their first true road game. Both teams have a chance to add something to their profile.
-CREIGHTON AT NORTH TEXAS. If you’re a solid tournament team, you need to beat non-NIT teams on the road. Creighton needs to win this.
-ALABAMA STATE AT EVANSVILLE. Buy game. The Aces have just two losses.
-SETON HALL AT GEORGIA. A win for Seton Hall gets them to 10-1, as well as their second true road win of the season. Georgia has struggled this year, but they are unbeaten at home.
OTHER NOTES AND RAMBLINGS
-Be sure and catch our latest Bracket Racket tonight. The new Bracket Projections should also be updated either tonight or tomorrow.
-Just about every university is now on Christmas Break. This means that the four hour a day, and twenty hour a week practice rules are no longer in effect. Teams can go for eight hours a day, and sixty hours a week if they want to. Over the next few weeks, you’ll probably notice a lot of teams working out the rust and becoming better.
-Speaking of rust, UCLA…..oh, forget it. They’ve been beaten up on enough.
-Louisville plays Cal State Northridge this Tuesday. That normally wouldn’t be important, but in this case it is because Montrezi Harrell was thrown out of Louisville’s game against Western Kentucky after a scramble for a loose ball escalated into a punch being thrown. What’s worse is that one of the referees was inadvertently struck. So, Harrell will miss the game against Northridge per the flagrant foul 2 rule, but will be back against Kentucky.
-Indiana got a big win over Butler. Butler isn’t great, and was probably overrated, but I still believe them to be a tournament caliber team. When you beat tournament caliber teams away from home, chances are you’re a tournament caliber team yourself. I never thought I’d say this about the Hoosiers a month ago, but I was wrong. They do appear to be a tournament caliber team.
-Also making the list of things I didn’t think I’d be saying a month ago, Washington is unbeaten, and is not only a tournament caliber team, but a legit top 25 team. They almost blew it after leading for most of the game, but they beat a very good Oklahoma team on a neutral floor yesterday. It’s their second win against a ranked team this year.
-Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin missed yesterday’s game against VCU due to him having an unruptured aneurysm. This is a very unsettling thought because once an aneurysm does rupture, it is oftentimes fatal. His team lost rather handily, but that pales in comparison to what is legitimately a serious health issue. We oftentimes poke fun at coaches, and we’ve certainly had our fun with him, but the key word there is “FUN.” We sincerely wish him the best and hope that he is able to recover and return to the bench soon. Fortunately it was discovered before it became far more serious.
-Speaking of VCU, November is now over. This is a team that typically loses more games in November than in the rest of the season combined, with the exception of last year. So, don’t be surprised if they really get on a roll.