Feb. 3-9, 2020
We have 3 feature games for you this week, and we'll start in the Pac 12.
2/6/20-
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) @
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- The Buffaloes used 55.1% shooting, including 11 three pointers, to shock Stanford and get a big road win, doing even more damage to Stanford's postseason chances.
Final Score: Colorado- 75, Stanford- 62
Now to the ACC:
2/8/20-
Duke (Dean Hoo) @
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- This one was not for the weary at heart. The teams combined for 51 fouls and shot a combined 68 free throws. Unfortunately, Clemson shot 47 free throws, making more than Duke even attempted. Both teams shot over 56%, but it was the free throws that made the difference as Clemson gets their first conference win of the season.
Final Score: Clemson- 105, Duke- 102
We finish in the Big 12.
2/8/20-
TCU (Bee Mighty) @
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- A pretty even game, but the Jayhawks hit a few more shots and a few more three pointers as they get revenge over TCU, picking up an important victory.
Final Score: Kansas- 78, TCU- 65
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 15-7, 8-3 2nd America East.
2/5/20 vs. Vermont (W 78-69).
Just 1 game this week for the Hawks, but they continue their winning ways.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 6-15, 1-10 11th (last) American.
2/5/20 vs. Tulane (L 70-58).
2/8/20 at Temple (W 80-73).
A split for the Pirates this week, who get their first conference victory with the win at Temple.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 15-7, 7-3 3rd American.
2/5/20 vs. Houston (W 81-72).
2/8/20 at SMU (L 75-60).
A split for the Golden Hurricane. No shame in losing to SMU, they are a darn good team.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 13-9, 8-2 T-1st Atlantic 10.
2/5/20 vs. St. Bonaventure (W 85-61).
2/8/20 vs. Richmond (W 88-67).
The Wildcats pick up 2 more wins, and they are getting it done in conference. If they can rattle off a few more wins, we could be talking about Davidson in the postseason as well.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 6-16, 1-9 14th ACC.
2/5/20 vs. #12 Louisville (L 76-56).
2/8/20 vs. Duke- feature game, highlighted above.
If nothing else, the Tigers will keep that win over Duke in the memory books. With the loaded schedule they have coming up, it might be their last win of the season. But hey, at least for right now, they can say they are no longer in the cellar!
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 13-10, 3-7 T-12th ACC.
2/5/20 vs. Virginia Tech (L 72-64).
2/8/20 at Clemson- feature game, highlighted above.
The Blue Devils continue to show their inconsistency with 2 losses this week against 2 teams they had no business losing to. Now they play 4 of their next 5 games against teams with 15+ wins. Wouldn't be surprised if they won at least 3 of those games. Coach Hoo has to be feeling the pressure right now, this is a Final Four caliber team but they aren't playing anything like it.
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 12-9, 6-5 4th Big 12.
2/3/20 vs. Oklahoma (W 80-66).
2/8/20 vs. TCU- feature game, highlighted above.
The Jayhawks get back on track with a couple wins this week, including a revenge win over TCU. They can solidify their postseason chances by going on a nice little roll as they'll go on the road next week for a couple easy non-conference tests.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 13-10, 5-6 5th Big 12.
2/3/20 at #1 Baylor (L 91-47).
2/8/20 at Kansas- feature game, highlighted above.
Ouch, the Horned Frogs team that was once 13-7 appears to be gone. They've lost their last 3, including a really bad 44 point loss at Baylor. They've still got a lot of chances to add to their win total, but they can't have anymore weeks like this.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 8-14, 4-6 10th Big Ten.
2/5/20 vs. #6 Maryland (L 57-55).
2/8/20 at Purdue (W 68-67).
A split for the Wolverines this week and a couple very close games. They were just seconds away from pulling the upset against Maryland but let it slip away.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 15-7, 7-3 T-1st Big Ten.
2/5/20 vs. Penn State (W 89-82).
2/8/20 at #6 Maryland (L 72-58).
The Spartans also split this week, but maintain their share of the Big Ten lead. It is a telling sign though when their in-state rivals fared better this week against Maryland than they did.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 12-10, 5-5 T-7th Big Ten.
2/5/20 vs. #14 Nebraska (W 74-67).
2/8/20 vs. #23 Iowa (W 71-60).
A good bounce back week for the Wildcats after losing 3 straight, as they beat 2 opponents this week with RPI's of 18 and 6, respectively.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 11-11, 4-5 T-5th Big West.
2/3/20 vs. Seton Hall (L 69-48).
2/8/20 vs. UC Irvine (L 64-59).
Well, the good news is no split this week for the Warriors. The bad news, they lost both their games. 1 was a non-conference game, but they are back under .500 in the conference and Coach Gunn is already making phone calls to see what jobs will be open next season, as it appears Hawaii will be one of them.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 8-13, 6-4 T-3rd Conference USA.
2/6/20 vs. Florida Atlantic (W 80-62).
2/8/20 at UTSA (L 76-71).
The 49ers with a split this week, as the loss at UTSA breaks a 3 game winning streak.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 10-12, 5-5 8th Conference USA.
2/6/20 at Old Dominion (L 59-58).
2/8/20 at Middle Tennessee (W 79-71).
The Owls split 2 road games this week, but 1 point separated them from a 2 win week. They are still trying to get over the hump and get back over .500 in conference.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 11-13, 9-7 4th MAAC.
2/7/20 vs. St. Peter's (W 66-58).
2/9/20 at Canisius (L 71-64).
The Hawks continue to split in conference play, not able to get over that hump. Unless they can go on a run now, their record this season will be much worse than it was last season.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 8-15, 5-5 T-7th MEAC.
2/3/20 at North Carolina A&T (W 85-77).
2/8/20 at Maryland Eastern Shore (W 65-55).
The Spartans are hitting their stride, winners of 5 in a row after winning 2 more this week. In a conference where no team is taking control, Norfolk State still has a very legit shot to finish on top, if they can keep winning.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 6-16, 3-7 10th Pac 12.
2/6/20 at Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2/8/20 vs. California (L 74-46).
The Buffaloes split this week, including a big win over Stanford. Coach Nielsen is still looking over his shoulder though, as rumors are rampant that he could also be looking for a new job next season.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 12-9, 6-4 T-3rd Pac 12.
2/6/20 vs. Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/8/20 vs. Oregon (L 81-78, OT).
Not a good week for the Cardinal, who drop 2, including an upset loss. They are starting to lose their grip near the top of the conference.
#21 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 16-6, 5-5 T-5th Pac 12.
2/6/20 vs. Arizona State (L 73-69, OT).
2/8/20 at #3 Arizona (L 71-67).
The Bruins drop 2 this week, both by 4 points. I wouldn't call it a slide necessarily, they are still a very good team despite losing 3 in a row.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 9-13, 1-9 12th (last) Pac 12.
2/6/20 vs. Oregon State (L 67-48).
2/8/20 at Arizona State (L 61-48).
A couple double digit losses for the Cougars this week, as they continue to stay in the cellar of the conference. They've gotten 1 win in their last 10 games.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 15-6, 6-4 T-4th SEC.
2/5/20 vs. #17 Texas A&M (W 78-71).
2/8/20 vs. Ole Miss (W 78-62).
The Crimson Tide are getting it together again, winners of 3 straight after 3 losses. They've had some crazy streaks since 2020 started: lose 2, win 3, lose 3, win 3. Hopefully the winning streak will continue.
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 11-11, 4-6 9th SEC.
2/5/20 at Ole Miss (L 61-53).
2/8/20 at #19 Texas A&M (L 85-52).
The Gators weren't very competitive this week, getting hammered by Texas A&M. Even the Ole Miss game required a massive 2nd half comeback to even make it close. Coach Oppenheimer better figure something out or his job could be on the line soon.
#5 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 20-2, 9-1 T-1st SEC.
2/5/20 at #4 Vanderbilt (W 87-83).
2/8/20 vs. South Carolina (W 74-47).
Great week for the Wildcats who hand Vandy their first conference loss and absolutely blitz South Carolina.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 12-9, 6-7 T-6th Sun Belt.
2/6/20 at South Alabama (L 75-61).
Just 1 game this week for the Trojans, and they are losing steam. After a 5 game winning streak, they've lost 3 in a row.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Baylor (72) 23-1 1800 1 Big 12 Conference
2. North Carolina 20-3 1720 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Arizona 19-3 1642 3 Pacific-12 Conference
4. Vanderbilt 19-3 1594 4 Southeastern Conference
5. Maryland 19-3 1478 6 Big Ten Conference
6. Syracuse 19-3 1425 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Kentucky 20-2 1410 5 Southeastern Conference
8. Louisville 18-5 1246 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Iowa State 18-4 1140 13 Big 12 Conference
10. Virginia 16-6 1129 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Arkansas 19-4 1062 11 Southeastern Conference
12. Wisconsin 16-7 1036 9 Big Ten Conference
13. Connecticut 18-5 946 10 American Athletic Conference
14. New Mexico 20-3 891 16 Mountain West Conference
15. Illinois 17-5 794 19 Big Ten Conference
16. Dayton 19-3 768 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Florida State 17-6 579 15 Atlantic Coast Conference
18. Boise State 17-5 563 22 Mountain West Conference
19. Texas A&M 15-7 476 17 Southeastern Conference
20. Wichita State 17-4 437 24 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Minnesota 16-6 393 18 Big Ten Conference
22. Nebraska 16-6 176 14 Big Ten Conference
23. Notre Dame 16-6 161 25 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. UAB 17-4 151 NR Conference USA
25. Providence 17-5 96 NR Big East Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
South Florida 18-5 61 American Athletic Conference
Michigan State 15-7 39 Big Ten Conference
Alabama 15-6 36 Southeastern Conference
UCLA 16-6 32 Pacific-12 Conference
Iowa 13-8 28 Big Ten Conference
Washington 16-6 22 Pacific-12 Conference
Gonzaga 18-6 20 West Coast Conference
UC Santa Barbara 17-5 18 Big West Conference
Harvard 18-5 14 Ivy League
USC Upstate 19-5 6 Atlantic Sun Conference
Yale 17-5 6 Ivy League
Western Michigan 17-5 5 Mid-American Conference
Crazy rankings this week, as Kentucky moves down 2 spots, even after handing Vanderbilt their first conference loss. UCLA is out of the top 25 for the first time in a long time, but still receiving votes. Alabama and Michigan State get quite a few more votes each this week. Not surprisingly, Duke has lost all their votes.
Now for the mid-major top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Connecticut (60) 18-5 1785 1 American Athletic Conference
2. New Mexico (9) 20-3 1728 2 Mountain West Conference
3. Dayton (3) 19-3 1657 3 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Boise State 17-5 1562 4 Mountain West Conference
5. Wichita State 17-4 1499 5 Missouri Valley Conference
6. South Florida 18-5 1397 8 American Athletic Conference
7. UAB 17-4 1365 12 Conference USA
8. Gonzaga 18-6 1221 6 West Coast Conference
9. UTEP 16-6 1115 7 Conference USA
10. Louisiana Tech 16-7 1111 11 Conference USA
11. UC Santa Barbara 17-5 1108 15 Big West Conference
12. Harvard 18-5 1013 14 Ivy League
13. Yale 17-5 885 10 Ivy League
14. Indiana State 17-7 841 16 Missouri Valley Conference
15. Western Michigan 17-5 773 20 Mid-American Conference
16. San Diego State 14-9 741 9 Mountain West Conference
17. USC Upstate 19-5 688 22 Atlantic Sun Conference
18. Tulsa 15-7 491 18 American Athletic Conference
19. Niagara 20-6 454 17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
20. Mercer 16-6 424 NR Southern Conference
21. Richmond 14-6 374 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Oakland 16-6 295 13 Horizon League
23. SMU 14-8 209 NR American Athletic Conference
24. Northeastern 16-6 160 21 Colonial Athletic Association
25. Saint Louis 15-7 111 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
North Carolina Central 16-6 101 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
UC Irvine 15-8 66 Big West Conference
Drake 16-7 48 Missouri Valley Conference
Samford 16-8 37 Southern Conference
Davidson 13-9 29 Atlantic 10 Conference
UT Arlington 15-6 27 Sun Belt Conference
Memphis 12-8 17 American Athletic Conference
Portland 16-8 17 West Coast Conference
Hartford 15-7 12 America East Conference
North Dakota State 16-7 12 Summit League
Lehigh 17-8 9 Patriot League
Eastern Michigan 16-7 8 Mid-American Conference
Seattle 14-8 3 Western Athletic Conference
William & Mary 15-8 3 Colonial Athletic Association
Long Beach State 14-8 2 Big West Conference
Northern Arizona 14-8 2 Big Sky Conference
So Tulsa stays strong at #18, while Hartford picks up a few more votes. And say hello to Davidson again, who is receiving mid-major votes for the first time in a while. I'm ecstatic that we have 3 FOFC teams receiving mid-major votes. Hopefully this is just the start.
Now for this weeks edition of the Bubble Watch. We have 1 FOFC team in the Overall Bubble Watch this week, let's take a look.
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Georgetown 14-8 .552 (64) 3-2 2-2 8-4 1-0 86 In
California 14-8 .568 (47) 1-3 6-2 5-3 2-0 54 In
Iowa 13-8 .627 (6) 7-8 3-0 2-0 1-0 3 In
SMU 14-8 .562 (56) 1-4 3-2 4-2 6-0 81 In
Seton Hall 14-8 .558 (61) 2-3 3-2 4-2 5-1 92 In
Yale 17-5 .549 (69) 2-1 2-1 6-1 7-2 241 In
Tulsa 15-7 .551 (67) 1-2 1-2 6-3 7-0 149 In
Oregon 14-8 .548 (70) 1-4 3-3 7-1 3-0 94 In
Northern Arizona 14-8 .563 (55) 0-2 0-3 5-0 9-3 102 Out
Saint Louis 15-7 .542 (77) 2-2 4-1 3-3 6-1 171 Out
Samford 16-8 .550 (68) 1-1 1-1 2-2 12-4 125 Out
UC Irvine 15-8 .545 (72) 1-1 4-1 5-4 5-2 146 Out
West Virginia 14-8 .543 (76) 2-4 0-2 6-1 6-1 109 Out
San Diego State 14-9 .571 (42) 1-4 1-1 6-3 6-1 46 Out
Missouri 14-7 .521 (114) 4-2 3-3 2-1 5-1 247 Out
That split this week has put Tulsa on the bubble. Last week they were safely in, this week, one of the Last Four In. Their RPI and SOS is borderline for an at-large bid, so the best thing they can do at this point is to win at either South Florida or UConn, who are the top 2 teams in the conference. No easy task.
Now for the rest of the FOFC teams. If there were any changes from last week for a team, I will highlight that in parenthesis.
Locks:
Michigan State,
UCLA,
Alabama,
Kentucky
In:
Hartford
The only difference among teams that are projected out this week is
TCU. Last week they were on the bubble and projected in. This week they are projected out.