On this week’s edition of the Bracket Rundown, Lee Devlechio joins Chad and David, and they discuss where Wichita State and San Diego State should be on the s curve, and whether or not one or both of them should end up as #1 seeds. There is also disagreement over Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Pitt and Dayton.
They cover all the teams from the #1 seeds down to the bubble and discuss what their current status is and where they would be seeded if the tournament started today. Check it out!!
Click here to check out Chad Sherwood’s SCGD: https://hoopshd.com/2014/01/22/small-conference-game-of-the-day-january-22-2/
-IOWA AT MICHIGAN (Big Ten). Michigan got off to a slow start, but they’re playing better now. Both of these teams could end up as protected seeds. Michigan has more work to do than Iowa, but both are in good shape.
-LOUISVILLE AT SOUTH FLORIDA (American). Louisville is coming off a big win at UConn, which they desperately needed, and shouldn’t have too much trouble winning tonight.
-UMASS AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). UMass has been cutting it close over the past few weeks, but they’ve continued to win. This will be another tough road test against a Richmond team who has been good, but not as good as some of us (Me) expected.
-SAINT LOUIS AT DUQUESNE (Atlantic Ten). I really like this SLU team and think they can win the league.
-VCU AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). I have both teams on the right side of the bubble with VCU in slightly better shape, but both teams still have work to do between now and the end of the year. Both should approach this with a sense of urgency.
-DUKE AT MIAMI FL (ACC). Duke better be on upset alert. They haven’t won a true road game yet, and although Miami hasn’t had a great season, they’ve been playing much better lately.
-INDIANA STATE AT LOYOLA IL (Missouri Valley). I think Indiana State could end up on the bubble, or even inside it if they can pull off a win against Wichita, but they have almost no margin for error.
-ARKANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC). This is a very bubbly game. Arkansas needs to do something on the road if they want to make the field, which they really haven’t done yet. Tennessee needs to do more as well.
-OAKLAND AT GREEN BAY (Horizon League). Every game is a big game for Green Bay because they can’t afford to lose any of them.
-WICHITA STATE AT ILLINOIS STATE (Missouri Valley). Wichita could get a #1 seed, but only if they win out. Illinois State isn’t the best team, but this will be a showcase game for them. Every time Wichita plays on the road, it’s a showcase for that other team.
-WISCONSIN AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten). Wiscy has lost two straight, but I still think they’re very good and could even end up on the #1 line. Minney looks like a solid tournament team as well, and this would look really good on their profile. It’s a conference rivalry with something at stake for both teams.
-TCU AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve). Oklahoma has been playing much better lately and should win this one at home easily.
-SAN DIEGO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West). I’m a huge fan of this San Diego State team and think they could end up on the #2 or #3 line.
-CALIFORNIA AT USC (Pac Twelve). This Cal team is really coming on strong. They’re safely inside the bubble and I expect they’ll stay there.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY AT AMERICAN, 7:30 PM Eastern, free streaming at http://www.campusinsiders.com/network/patriot_league
Following Mike Jarvis’ most significant win in years in last night’s SCGD, we head to a battle tonight involving the first D1 team he coached, Boston University. The Terriers are in their inaugural season in the Patriot League, and have started it with a bang, off to a 6-0 league record and 13-6 overall. They have won five of their six league contests by double digits and have been living up to the hype as preseason conference favorites.
Tonight, the Terriers travel to Bender Arena in Washington DC (assuming they can get there after last night’s snowstorm) to take on the American Eagles in a battle of undefeated teams in conference play. American is also off to a 6-0 start and 10-7 overall. 6-0 is the best ever Patriot League season start for the Eagles, and their best conference start since going a perfect 11-0 in the East Coast Conference back in 1981, when Gary Williams was their head coach. American’s great start this season is thank in part to junior John Schoof. Schoof leads the league in rebounding and is second in scoring and is the defending Patriot League Player of the Week. This should be a great game tonight between two of the best teams in the Patriot League, withe the winner having the early lead in the battle for the regular season title.
HARVARD AT FLORIDA ATLANTIC, 7:00 PM Eastern
Two of the top coaches in the Big East conference square off tonight as Tommy Amaker’s Seton Hall Pirates take on Mike Jarvis’ St. John’s Red Storm. Amaker is in his second season coaching at Seton Hall, coming off an NIT appearance last season, and is one of the fastest rising stars among young coaches. While his team has not gotten off to a great start so far this year, the future looks very bright in New Jersey for Coach Amaker. Mike Jarvis is the new man in town in New York City, taking over for Fran Fraschilla. Jarvis led the George Washington Colonials to four NCAA appearances in the last six seasons, and Red Storm fans are extremely excited to have Jarvis as the newest head coach. The team has been off to a great start and an NCAA tournament appearance seems like a lock already.
Oh wait…
That was 15 years ago.
Welcome to Tommy Amaker versus Mike Jarvis, the 2014 edition. Amaker’s star did indeed rise all the way to landing him a head coaching job at Michigan. Unfortunately, that is where it sputtered out, without a single NCAA appearance in his six years at the helm. Amaker then moved on to Harvard, where he has turned a perennial Ivy League doormat into a team with the ability to win multiple games in the NCAA tournament. His star is certainly back on the rise, but it remains to be seen if he will stay at Harvard or try to move up to the big time once again.
Mike Jarvis’ career has not been so good. After an Elite 8 appearance by the Johnnies in his first season, the Red Storm started to fall apart, and he became the first Big East coach ever fired midseason (actually only six games in ) in 2003-04. After five years out of coaching entirely, he returned to the sidelines in 2008-09 with the Owls of Floria Atlantic. In his five seasons there, Jarvis has only led the Owls to one winning season, and has not even sniffed an NCAA tournament bid.
Tonight’s game is certainly a tale of two coaching careers. Both coaches started their careers strong, but had set backs when they moved up to higher level competition. That is where the similarities end, however. Amaker has reinvigorated his career with his almost incredible success at Harvard, while Jarvis has done absolutely nothing and seems to be at the tail end of his career.
On this edition of the bracket racket, Galen, David, and Kyle delve into the teams that hurt and helped themselves the most over the past week, including questionable performances by Georgetown, Marquette, Arkansas, and Illinois, and beneficial performances by SMU, Stanford, UCLA, and Texas. We also discuss the possibility of Wichita State getting a 1 seed, the case Kansas has for the top seed line, and the important upcoming games this week.
Plus, as an added audio-only bonus, Galen chats with Lee Delvecchio for the last 30 minutes of the pod, delving into the American Athletic Conference race, the Big East, and more.
UTAH VALLEY AT SEATTLE, 4:00 PM Eastern (no TV)
Oh the Whacky WAC.
A week ago, the WAC looked like it might be the least competitive conference in the country. New Mexico State sat with a top 100 RPI and KenPom rating and was being discussed as a possible at-large candidate should they falter in the conference tournament. The rest of the conference was at or below .500 overall and had ratings in the sub-200 zone,. It is amazing what one week can do to change a team and conference’s fortunes.
On Thursday night, New Mexico State suffered a 5 point loss in a thrilling game to Chicago State. They followed that up last night with another thriller, and another loss, to the UMKC Kangaroos. As a result, the door to the WAC championship seems to have been thrown wide open, and the SCGD has diverted course from our original destination today (the huge C-USA showdown between Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss) to instead head to the Pacific Northwest as the Utah Valley Wolverines travel to take on the Seattle Redhawks.
Utah Valley is the current WAC leader at 3-0 in conference and 9-7 overall. Their current four game winning streak has them well into the top 200 in all ratings. While their non-conference schedule did not feature any great wins, they do have a victory over a Weber State team that may be among the best in the Big Sky. More importantly, the Wolverines are off to a great start in conference play, as they seek their first ever NCAA tournament bid (in fact, this is the first season that have been in a conference that receives an automatic bid after spending the last four in the Great West).
Seattle is not seeking its first ever NCAA bid this year, though it has been quite some time for the Redhawks. Seattle last made the field in 1969, and after the 1980 season dropped down out of Division I. Five years ago they decided to make the jump back up in divisions, and completed their transition, becoming postseason eligible, as of last season. So far this year they are 9-8 overall, but only 1-3 in WAC play. A win today, however, will get them right back into the thick of things in this suddenly wide open conference race.
