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-SMU AT LOUISVILLE (AAC). Louisville lacks big wins, but they have avoided losses to teams outside the NCAA Tournament picture. SMU, on the other hand, is trying to play their way into the picture, and a win today would go a long way.

-SOUTHERN MISS AT TULSA (Conference USA). A win for Southern Miss gets them to 15-2.

-IOWA AT OHIO STATE (Big Ten). Iowa has played really well against some big teams on the road this year, but has come up just short every time. A win in this one would do wonders for their profile.

-GREEN BAY AT MILWAUKEE (Horizon League). Green Bay is a long shot for an at-large, but they are a dangerous team from the Horizon and could really scare someone in the NCAAs if they win the automatic bid. They have one of their tougher tests today at Milwaukee. For more on that game, see here: https://hoopshd.com/2014/01/12/small-conference-game-of-the-day-january-12/

-COLORADO AT WASHINGTON (Pac Twelve). Washington hasn’t had a good season, but they’ve looked really good since conference play began. They face a Colorado team that had to sweat out a really weak Wazzu team earlier this week.

-XAVIER AT CREIGHTON (Big East). Xavier has looked good this year, but this is by far their toughest test so far. It’s a big game for both teams. Both are good, but both still have work to do.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT AIR FORCE (Mountain West). SDSU has had a great year, and simply needs to take care of business and avoid a bad loss today.

-STANFORD AT OREGON (Pac Twelve). Oregon is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Cal and is looking to rebound.

-AKRON AT OHIO (MAC). Neither team is likely to get an at-large, but they are two of the better teams in the MAC.

-UTAH AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve). Utah has a good record, but their schedule was so weak that they still have a ton of work to do.

-ILLINOIS AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten). Illinois was clobbered earlier in the week, and needs to rebound from that and avoid another loss. Northwestern isn’t good, but they are capable of giving Illinois fits at home.

-MARYLAND AT FLORIDA STATE (ACC). Florida State has done a few good things, but they are a long way from being able to coast.

-ARIZONA AT USC (Pac Twelve). Arizona had a big win at UCLA earlier this week and should continue to cruise.

-ARIZONA STATE AT UCLA (Pac Twelve). Arizona State still has a lot of work to do, and UCLA’s resume could use some improving as well.

Green Bay at Milwaukee, 2:00 PM Eastern, Time Warner SportsChannel – Wisconsin, live streaming at horizonleague.org

The SCGD heads to Wisconsin today for the first of this season’s two matchups in the Horizon league between the Milwaukee Panthers and the Green Bay Phoenix.  Aside from the in-state rivalry between these two teams, they have also so far shown that they will be (perhaps along with Cleveland State) the top teams in the Horizon this season.  This afternoon’s trip to Milwaukee may therefore be Green Bay’s toughest challenge left this season.

Green Bay enters today’s game at 12-3 overall including 2-0 in conference play.  Their RPI is a solid 46, BPI 65 and KenPom 47.  They have done that all against the #65 SOS in the country — all very solid numbers for a mid-major program.  the Phoenix have a home win over Virginia and gave Wisconsin its toughest game of the season to date, losing 69-66.  Green Bay is particularly dangerous given their inside-out game, with 7-1 Alec Brown down low and 5-11 Keifer Sykes outside leading the way.  If they can roll through the Horizon, including finding a way to win today’s game, this team may get a very serious look for an at-large bid should they falter in their conference tournament.

Milwaukee, on the other hand, enters today’s contest at 12-5 overall, though their losses include Loyola-Chicago, DePaul and Northeastern.  They were blown out by Wisconsin and have already lost once in league play, at home to Cleveland State.  Their best rating right now is their RPI, and that is in the triple digits at 115.  However, they should still be a tough challenge every night in Horizon League play, and when it comes to an in-state rivalry on their home floor, ratings and records should be thrown aside.  Today’s game has the chance to be one of the better ones all season in the Horizon, and the SCGD will be watching!

Check out our Under the Radar Podcast from last night

Also check out Chad Sherwood’s SCGD Here

https://hoopshd.com/2014/01/11/small-conference-game-of-the-day-january-11/

-SAINT LOUIS AT DAYTON (Atlantic Ten). Great early game in the A10 today. Both teams are trying to play their way into the field. SLU has a good team, but their profile isn’t quite up to par yet and they could really use this win. Dayton has some good wins, but they need a strong showing in conference to feel safe.

-NORTH CAROLINA AT SYRACUSE (ACC). UNC has been schizophrenic all season long, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they played well today.

-IOWA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big Twelve). This would be a huge win at home for Oklahoma. Iowa State has looked fantastic, but they haven’t had many true road tests.

-WAKE FOREST AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt has just one loss, but did themselves no favors with a weak OOC, so they don’t have a huge margin for error. Wake had a big win against UNC last week, so if they can get this one we may have to start looking at them.

-INDIANA AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Indiana needs this one.

-UMASS AT SAINT BONAVENTURE (Atlantic Ten). Saint Bona has won their last four and is a respectable 11-4 on the year. They’ll really have some momentum built up if they can pull this one off.

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHON’S (Big East). Nova will likely be undermatched once again.

-FLORIDA AT ARKANSAS (SEC). I don’t think Arkansas is a tournament team because of how bad they are on the road, but they’re tough to beat at home so this will be a tough test for the Gators.

-BRADLEY AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley). A win for Indiana State gets them to 13-3.

-TCU AT BAYLOR (Big Twelve). Baylor is coming off a loss, but shouldn’t have too much trouble bouncing back in this one.

-DUKE AT CLEMSON (ACC). Duke is still looking for their first true road win.

-KANSAS STATE AT KANSAS (Big Twelve). A huge rivalry game between two teams that we’re still trying to learn about. K State has won some big games, but are they up for the challenge in this one??

-MISSOURI AT AUBURN (SEC). Mizzou lost at home to a really bad Georgia team earlier in the week. IF they lose this one they’re really in trouble.

-DARTMOUTH AT HARVARD (Ivy League). Harvard is a potentially dangerous NCAA team, but they have to win the Ivy first.

-MINNESOTA AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten). I’ve been impressed with the Gophers this year and am curious to see what they can do in a very hostile environment against a good team.

-RHODE ISLAND AT GEORGE WASHINGTON (Atlantic Ten). GW cannot afford to lose this one.

-MEMPHIS AT TEMPLE (AAC). Memphis got a big win against Louisville earlier in the week and cannot afford a letdown today.

-KENTUCY AT VANDERBILT (SEC). Kentucky should be able to get this one on the road.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big Twelve). West Virginia isn’t the best team, but it’s never easy to go out there and win.

-OLE MISS AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC). This is a conference rivalry between two teams who have a lot of work to do.

-VIRGINIA AT NC STATE (ACC). Again, a game between two teams that have a lot of work to do.

-RUTGERS AT CINCINNATI (AAC). Cincinnati has looked great over the past several weeks and shouldn’t have much trouble at home today.

-UAB AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Conference USA). If UAB can avoid bad losses and win the league out right they may be okay for an at-large, but anything short of that won’t be enough.

-TEXAS A&M AT TENNESSEE (SEC). Tennessee has a lot of work to do and cannot afford to lose this one.

-CENTRAL MICHIGAN AT TOLEDO (MAC). Toledo is pretty much out of strikes with their loss earlier this week. They basically need to win out.

-UCF AT UCONN (AAC). UConn is off to a terrible start and needs a conference win at home.

-CAL POLY AT UCSB. If UCSB can win out, which they’re good enough to do, I think they’ll be safe.

-GEORGETOWN AT BUTLER (Big East). Neither of these teams appear to have done enough and need a very strong showing in conference. Butler did themselves no favors losing to DePaul earlier in the week.

-WICHITA STATE AT MISSOURI STATE (Missouri Valley). This is one of Wichita’s toughest remaining tests. Missouri State has just three losses and will be jacked through the roof for this one.

-TEXAS TECH AT TEXAS (Big Twelve). Texas is running out of strikes.

-FIU AT LOUISIANA TECH (Conference USA). LA Tech needs to dominate the conference if they want an at-large.

-CALIFORNIA AT OREGON STATE (Pac Twelve). Cal got a big win earlier this week at Oregon and simply needs to avoid a letdown today.

-WYOMING AT BOISE STATE (Mountain West). Boise missed a chance to get that much needs signature win earlier this week. They have a very small margin for error now.

-NEW MEXICO AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West). I still like this New Mexico team, but their margin for error is small.

Nebraska-Omaha at Western Illinois, 8:00PM Eastern (no TV)

The SCGD is back in action today, heading to Macomb, Illinois for the Summit League Battle between the Omaha Mavericks and the Western Illinois Leathernecks.  As was discussed in our Under the Radar podcast last night (link to it coming soon), Omaha has been one of the bigger surprises among non-major conference teams, sitting at 10-5 on the season with an RPI of 74, BPI of 90 and KenPom of 117.  Their 8 Division 1 wins so far this season is just two shy of tying their combined wins against Division 1 opponents from their past two seasons.  While the Mavs are still transitioning from Division II, and are ineligible for postseason play this season and next, coach Derrin Hansen is clearly building a program in Omaha that could be a legitimate contender in the Summit League for years to come.

Omaha takes to the road tonight to battle the Western Illinois Leathernecks.  WIU is off to a rough 6-9 start with only three D1 wins to date.  This seasons has been a step back for the Leathernecks, who have posted winning records the past two seasons, including a school record 22 wins last season.  They have played in the CBI the past two seasons, the only two postseason appearances in the school’s Division I history.  Head coach Jim Molinari needs to rebuild again this year, though, if he wants to keep this program at the top of the Summit League standings.  If he can, it will continue to strengthen this conference which was bolstered this season with the addition of Denver and will benefit from Oral Roberts’ return next year.

Long Island U-Brooklyn at St. Francis College (Brooklyn), 7:00 PM Eastern (no TV)

THE BATTLE OF BROOKLYN, ROUND 1

There is nowhere else for the SCGD to be tonight than Brooklyn, New York for round one of this year’s battle of Brooklyn between LIU and St. Francis College.  By far the most intense rivalry in the Northeast Conference, these two schools, mere blocks away from each other, will be meeting for the 99th time tonight, with Long Island holding a 62-36 all-time series lead.

This year’s two contests (the second game will be played February 16 at the Barclay’s Center) present an even more compelling edge as the Blackbirds enter as three time defending NEC champions, yet the Terriers have played as the team more likely than Long Island to win the conference championship this year.  Despite having played eight of their first nine games on the road, St. Francis, at 9-6, has the most overall wins of any NEC team as the schools begin conference play tonight.  Their resume includes a hard fought 6 point loss at Syracuse, in a game they really had shots to win late.

The Long Island Blackbirds sit at 5-8 on the season, including a one point loss at Indiana in their second game of the season.  Their ratings are all significantly worse than the Terriers, including an RPI almost 150 spots lower than their rivals.  However, as with all great rivalries, records, ratings, stats and everything else you may put on paper do not really matter.  This game should be a fun one as always, with the bragging rights — at least until the two schools meet again in February — being possibly even more important than the W or L in the standings.