Dec. 10-16, 2018
4 feature games to tell you about this week, all non-conference games.
12/13/18-
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) @
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- A much closer one than expected, as a last second shot forced the game into OT. Neither team shot well, Charlotte just 37.8% and Duke an even worse 35.9%, but Duke controlled the extra 5 minutes at the free throw line, and knocked down a couple clutch three pointers to escape with a victory.
Final Score: Duke- 79, Charlotte- 70 (OT)
12/14/18-
Northwestern (Ess Vee) @
#18 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- The Crimson Tide are on a mission this season, as they held Northwestern to just 39.1% shooting, making 12 three pointers and outrebounding the Wildcats 32-27. All that led to an easy home victory.
Final Score: #18 Alabama- 77, Northwestern- 56
12/14/18-
Clemson (Charles Johnson) @
#14 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- A much tougher one than expected for the Gators, as Clemson committed 6 turnovers all game. Florida used a huge rebounding advantage though, 47-29, and despite going 2-13 from the three point line, they made 14 free throws to just 6 for Clemson. That proved to be the difference.
Final Score: Florida- 68, Clemson- 60
12/16/18-
#18 Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- Nobody gave the Crimson Tide much of a chance in this one, as most people figured they weren't up to the Final Four type level yet. For 1 half, they were wrong as Kansas only led 35-31 at halftime. But the Jayhawks stepped up the D in the second half, outscoring Kansas 46-27, handing Bama their first loss by a wide margin.
Final Score: Kansas- 81, #18 Alabama- 58
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 0-10, 0-0 America East.
12/10/18 vs. Towson (L 84-78).
12/13/18 at Hofstra (L 71-55).
The Hawks continue to look for that illustrious first win of the season, coming close against Towson but no cigar. It doesn't look promising to get that first win next week as they go on the road for a tough game.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 3-6, 0-0 American.
12/10/18 vs. UNC Wilmington (L 75-64).
12/12/18 at VCU (L 78-76).
12/15/18 at #1 Virginia (L 88-68).
Not much to talk about for the Pirates this week, they almost pulled a bit of a shocker at VCU. They've still got 3 tough road games to deal with before they come back home.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 1-6, 0-0 American.
12/12/18 at UTEP (L 89-65).
12/15/18 at FIU (L 72-53).
You know things are bad when you get hammered by 19 at FIU. This isn't the same Golden Hurricane team we saw last season, and the honeymoon is over for Coach Brown.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 2-5, 0-0 Atlantic 10.
12/11/18 at Princeton (L 100-95, OT).
12/14/18 vs. South Florida (W 72-64).
12/16/18 vs. North Carolina A&T (L 82-76).
The Wildcats suffered an embarrassing home loss to NC A&T, one they won't live down anytime soon. We've got a lot of teams struggling this season.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 1-8, 0-0 ACC.
12/12/18 at #16 Ohio State (L 64-63).
12/14/18 at #14 Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
12/16/18 vs. North Carolina Central (L 77-36).
I have no idea what happened to the Tigers this week. After 2 hard fought losses against ranked teams on the road, they go home and get blitzed by 41 points to an NC Central team that is good, but shouldn't be winning like that. Coach Johnson better figure it out fast.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 6-1, 0-0 ACC.
12/13/18 vs. Charlotte- feature game, highlighted above.
12/15/18 vs. Holy Cross (W 75-41).
2 easy wins for the Blue Devils this week as they get ready for their season tournament next week.
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 5-3, 0-0 Big 12.
12/12/18 at #15 Ole Miss (W 75-73, OT).
12/16/18 vs. #18 Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
Better week for the Jayhawks who get by a tough Ole Miss team on the road then hand Alabama their first loss. Things look to be starting to come together in Lawrence.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 5-2, 0-0 Big 12.
12/11/18 at New Mexico State (L 69-67).
The Horned Frogs let their only game of the week slip away, but next week is favorable as they face 2 teams on a downhill slide.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 4-4, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/12/18 at Xavier (W 67-64).
The Wolverines get an important win this week, much needed as their next 2 games are against non-power 5 teams who are currently ranked and undefeated.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 4-2, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/13/18 vs. Colgate (W 88-46).
Easy win for the Spartans this week as they are also starting to play better basketball.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 2-5, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/14/18 at #18 Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
12/16/18 vs. Northern Illinois (L 73-65).
2 more losses for the Wildcats as they are struggling. Major difference from last year. They've got 1 game next week before their season tournament the following week.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 1-4, 0-0 Big West.
12/11/18 vs. #7 LSU (L 66-62).
12/16/18 at New Mexico State (W 70-64, OT).
The Warriors look as if they may be turning a corner, as they led LSU at halftime and played well against a strong New Mexico State team. They've got another top 25 team on the schedule next week, we'll see how that goes.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 2-3, 0-0 Conference USA.
12/13/18 at Duke- feature game, highlighted above.
12/15/18 at #4 North Carolina (L 69-45).
The 49ers stay in their home state for 2 road games and lose both, 1 was close, the other wasn't.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 5-3, 0-0 Conference USA.
12/10/18 at South Florida (L 62-53).
12/12/18 at South Dakota (L 83-68).
12/15/18 at Texas Southern (W 86-68).
Travelling to schools that start with South wasn't kind to the Owls this week, as they lost both such games. At least they finished off their week strong, and now head into their conference tournament next week.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 5-3, 0-2 MAAC.
12/14/18 vs. #25 Manhattan (L 69-58).
Just 1 game this week for the Hawks, and it was a tough game. They had to take on the undefeated team in the MAAC and played well, but not well enough.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 3-3, 0-0 MEAC.
12/10/18 vs. Rider (L 97-79).
12/12/18 vs. George Mason (W 62-48).
A split for the Spartans this week, as it was definitely a tale of 2 games.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 5-4, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/13/18 at #2 Iowa State (L 68-56).
12/15/18 vs. BYU (W 62-54).
A split for the Buffaloes, who played well at Iowa State but just not quite there yet.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 5-2, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/10/18 at Youngstown State (L 52-39).
12/12/18 vs. Loyola Chicago (W 61-52).
12/16/18 vs. #19 Maryland (W 73-66).
2 out of 3 for the Cardinal this week, and that big win over Maryland would mean more if not for the embarrassing loss at Youngstown State, although Youngstown isn't too bad. Still, if Stanford wants to dance in March, losses to teams like Youngstown State won't work.
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 10-0, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/12/18 vs. Kansas State (W 83-59).
12/16/18 at Eastern Illinois (W 57-49).
The Bruins remain undefeated, but that game at Eastern Illinois wasn't easy. It was tied at halftime.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 4-3, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/11/18 at Valparaiso (L 81-62).
12/13/18 vs. Utah (W 95-86).
12/16/18 at Portland (L 86-74).
The Cougars lose 2 of 3 this week against pretty good Non-Power 5 competition, but they haven't done anything to prove they'll be a competitor in the Pac 12 this season.
#18 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 8-1, 0-0 SEC.
12/12/18 vs. UMBC (W 83-69).
12/14/18 vs. Northwestern- feature game, highlighted above.
12/16/18 at Kansas- feature game, highlighted above.
No shame in having your first loss in 9 games be to Kansas. This is still a good Crimson Tide team with an already impressive resume.
#14 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 7-2, 0-0 SEC.
12/11/18 at New Orleans (L 58-53).
12/14/18 vs. Clemson- feature game, highlighted above.
12/16/18 at Georgetown (L 60-59).
The Gators also lost 2 of 3 this week, and those losses were by a combined 6 points. 1 of those losses could prove to be costly come March.
Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 5-3, 0-0 SEC.
12/10/18 vs. #20 Creighton (W 79-60).
Good win for the Wildcats who only had the 1 game this week.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 3-3, 0-0 Sun Belt.
12/12/18 at Mississippi State (W 72-69).
12/15/18 at Sam Houston State (L 86-73).
A split for the Trojans this week, who win at Mississippi State, who if you remember is now in the Atlantic 10.
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. Virginia (71) 7-0 1798 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Iowa State 7-0 1707 2 Big 12 Conference
3. San Diego State 7-0 1612 3 Mountain West Conference
4. UCLA (1) 10-0 1543 5 Pacific-12 Conference
5. North Carolina 6-0 1524 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Illinois State 8-0 1442 8 Missouri Valley Conference
7. LSU 8-0 1310 7 Southeastern Conference
8. Syracuse 7-0 1280 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Gonzaga 8-0 1274 6 West Coast Conference
10. Baylor 10-0 1202 12 Big 12 Conference
11. Texas A&M 7-0 1087 13 Southeastern Conference
12. Pittsburgh 8-1 965 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
13. Cincinnati 8-1 858 23 American Athletic Conference
14. Ohio State 4-1 823 16 Big Ten Conference
15. Northern Iowa 9-1 748 NR Missouri Valley Conference
16. St. Bonaventure 7-0 710 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Butler 7-1 703 NR Big East Conference
18. Manhattan 7-0 499 25 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
19. Toledo 6-0 474 24 Mid-American Conference
20. Vanderbilt 5-1 409 NR Southeastern Conference
21. Wisconsin 5-2 325 NR Big Ten Conference
22. Mount St. Mary's 7-0 293 NR Northeast Conference
23. Iowa 5-2 221 11 Big Ten Conference
24. Minnesota 8-1 157 NR Big Ten Conference
25. Notre Dame 7-2 116 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Alabama 8-1 94 Southeastern Conference
Duke 6-1 78 Atlantic Coast Conference
Rutgers 8-1 42 Big Ten Conference
Maryland 5-2 40 Big Ten Conference
Georgetown 4-2 19 Big East Conference
Oakland 8-1 17 Horizon League
Niagara 8-1 13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
UC Santa Barbara 6-1 9 Big West Conference
North Carolina Central 7-1 4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Marquette 4-1 2 Big East Conference
Purdue 5-1 2 Big Ten Conference
UCLA stays put after 2 easy wins, and they lose a FPV. Alabama and Florida both fall out of the rankings. Florida loses all their votes while Bama is still receiving a fair amount and is just out. Right behind them is Duke, who continues to impress.
Now for the mid-major top 25 heading into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. San Diego State (64) 7-0 1792 1 Mountain West Conference
2. Illinois State (7) 8-0 1717 3 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Gonzaga (1) 8-0 1673 2 West Coast Conference
4. Cincinnati 8-1 1519 5 American Athletic Conference
5. Northern Iowa 9-1 1511 7 Missouri Valley Conference
6. St. Bonaventure 7-0 1483 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Manhattan 7-0 1354 9 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
8. Toledo 6-0 1328 8 Mid-American Conference
9. Mount St. Mary's 7-0 1228 12 Northeast Conference
10. Oakland 8-1 1096 13 Horizon League
11. Niagara 8-1 1028 6 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
12. UC Santa Barbara 6-1 946 16 Big West Conference
13. Massachusetts 7-1 922 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. Buffalo 7-2 912 NR Mid-American Conference
15. North Carolina Central 7-1 861 22 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
16. Saint Louis 6-1 742 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
17. Florida Atlantic 4-1 691 NR Conference USA
18. Wichita State 5-2 419 NR Missouri Valley Conference
19. Belmont 6-2 413 NR Ohio Valley Conference
20. South Florida 6-2 284 17 American Athletic Conference
21. Green Bay 6-2 271 NR Horizon League
22. Army 6-2 155 24 Patriot League
23. Old Dominion 6-2 126 14 Conference USA
24. Milwaukee 5-2 119 NR Horizon League
25. Colorado State 4-2 76 NR Mountain West Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Portland 5-2 76 West Coast Conference
UTEP 4-2 74 Conference USA
Dayton 5-2 62 Atlantic 10 Conference
William & Mary 5-2 62 Colonial Athletic Association
North Dakota State 7-2 54 Summit League
Saint Joseph's 4-2 51 Atlantic 10 Conference
New Mexico 4-2 46 Mountain West Conference
Nevada 5-2 44 Mountain West Conference
UAB 5-2 41 Conference USA
Quinnipiac 5-2 39 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
UC Davis 5-2 33 Big West Conference
Howard 6-2 28 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Robert Morris 5-2 22 Northeast Conference
USC Upstate 5-2 22 Atlantic Sun Conference
Fordham 5-2 20 Atlantic 10 Conference
Sacramento State 4-2 17 Big Sky Conference
UNC Wilmington 3-2 12 Colonial Athletic Association
Western Michigan 5-2 11 Mid-American Conference
Oral Roberts 6-2 8 Summit League
Central Connecticut 5-2 5 Northeast Conference
Pacific 4-2 5 West Coast Conference
Youngstown State 4-2 2 Horizon League
Both Charlotte and Rice lose all their mid-major votes. No big surprise.