Jan. 30-Feb. 5, 2023
30 games on the docket this week, but no feature games, so we'll jump right into the weekly recap.
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 10-15, 4-8 T-6th America East.
2/3/23 vs. UMBC (L 75-73).
2/5/23 vs. New Hampshire (L 75-67).
2 more losses for the Hawks, who are currently in a 4 way tie for 6th in the conference. That is actually a tie for last place at the moment, not where Coach Ginsberg anticipated his team being.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 9-14, 6-5 T-5th American.
2/1/23 vs. UCF (W 85-69).
2/4/23 at Tulane (W 76-52).
2 dominating performances for the Huskies, who would like to have a lot more of those as the season goes on. They've got a chance. That win at Tulane was huge as Tulane is probably a bubble team right now.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 10-13, 6-4 T-3rd American.
2/1/23 vs. Houston (L 63-58).
2/4/23 at SMU (W 80-75).
A split for the Golden Hurricane, but it's a matter of what could have been against Houston, as they let it slip away late.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 15-7, 7-3 T-5th ACC.
2/1/23 vs. Virginia Tech (W 73-65).
2/4/23 at Clemson (W 63-52).
2 very important wins for the Blue Devils this week, important because they stay on the road next week to face 2 of the top 3 teams in the ACC currently. They really need to get at least 1 of those games, hopefully both.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 12-10, 4-7 T-7th Big 12.
1/30/23 vs. Oklahoma State (L 71-68).
2/4/23 vs. #16 Baylor (L 89-81).
2 losses for the Horned Frogs, which is what most people were expecting to happen both times they played these 2 teams, not just once. A feel good non-conference game next week as they start a stretch of 4 on the road.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 14-8, 5-5 T-6th Big Ten.
2/1/23 vs. Penn State (W 76-45).
2/4/23 at Maryland (L 87-80).
Another split for the Spartans, and does anybody want to hazard a guess on what their conference record might end up at? 9-9? Sounds about right to me, although they have more tough games coming up than they do easy games.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 14-7, 5-5 T-6th Big Ten.
2/1/23 vs. Nebraska (W 83-72).
2/4/23 vs. Iowa (W 79-62).
2 solid victories for the Wildcats this week to get back to .500 in conference play. They'll have to fight to stay there though, as they have 2 big tests next week.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 14-8, 4-5 T-4th Big West.
2/2/23 at UC Irvine (L 94-78).
2/4/23 vs. Cal State Northridge (W 74-63).
Another split for the Warriors, who might as well forget about that goal of winning the Big West this season. They are 5 games behind the leaders, with 7 to go. In fact, the best they might hope for is 3rd, because even 2nd might be tough, unless they go on a huge run. What does that mean for Coach Gunn? If they activity on firecoachgunn.com tells us anything, it'll be sayonara.
FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 17-4, 8-2 2nd Conference USA.
2/2/23 vs. South Dakota State (W 87-77).
2/4/23 at Southern Miss (W 105-85).
2 more wins for the Golden Panthers, as they get back on the right track after that upset loss at Marshall.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 9-12, 4-6 9th Conference USA.
2/2/23 at Old Dominion (L 81-64).
2/4/23 at Middle Tennessee (L 57-42).
2 more losses for the Owls, and they weren't very competitive this week, losing both by double digits. A chance to get back to .500 next week, as the schedule lightens up a little.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 15-7, 7-3 T-2nd Pac 12.
2/2/23 at Oregon State (L 71-64).
2/4/23 vs. California (W 82-68).
A split for the Buffaloes this week, and a wasted opportunity at Oregon State. The games against .500 or sub .500 teams are the games they have to win if they are going to win a conference championship.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 16-6, 8-2 1st Pac 12.
2/2/23 vs. Arizona State (W 65-55).
2/4/23 at #8 Arizona (W 73-71).
A big sweep through Arizona this week for the Cardinal, who now sit all alone at the top of the Pac 12. They control their own destiny now, and aside from a couple games that could be challenging, the schedule definitely falls in their favor.
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 10-12, 3-7 T-9th Pac 12.
2/2/23 vs. Gonzaga (L 97-74).
2/4/23 vs. Washington (L 77-66).
2 more losses for the Bruins who are just having an epic meltdown this season and are in serious danger of missing the postseason for the first time in this dynasty. The natives of Westwood are getting very restless and don't be surprised if we see a firecoachshepard.com page starting up soon.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 12-9, 5-5 T-7th Pac 12.
2/2/23 vs. Oregon (W 76-67).
2/4/23 at Arizona State (W 78-54).
2 wins for the Cougars this week, and a monumental win against Oregon, as that was career win #100 for Coach St. John! Congrats to him, as many people had doubts he would get there this season. Unfortunately, they are now into the brutal part of their schedule, as they might only be favored in 1 of their remaining 8 games.
#15 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 15-7, 6-4 T-5th SEC.
2/1/23 vs. Texas A&M (L 92-88, OT).
2/4/23 vs. #23 Ole Miss (W 73-68).
A split for the Crimson Tide, who missed a golden opportunity themselves with a heartbreaking OT loss to Texas A&M.
Now a look at the national top 25 heading into the week of Feb. 6-12:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Syracuse (72) 22-1 1800 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Notre Dame 19-3 1683 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Wisconsin 18-4 1674 2 Big Ten Conference
4. Arkansas 19-3 1610 5 Southeastern Conference
5. North Carolina 17-6 1492 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Louisville 17-5 1401 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
7. Florida State 18-4 1385 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Georgetown 17-6 1325 6 Big East Conference
9. Ohio State 16-6 1197 11 Big Ten Conference
10. Arizona 17-5 1095 8 Pacific-12 Conference
11. Virginia 17-5 1090 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Villanova 19-5 1065 13 Big East Conference
13. LSU 17-6 900 9 Southeastern Conference
14. Yale 20-4 828 20 Ivy League
15. UAB 18-4 653 25 Conference USA
16. Old Dominion 17-4 538 NR Conference USA
17. Alabama 15-7 465 15 Southeastern Conference
18. Davidson 17-5 465 14 Atlantic 10 Conference
19. Baylor 17-6 449 16 Big 12 Conference
20. UC Irvine 18-6 429 NR Big West Conference
21. Stanford 16-6 414 NR Pacific-12 Conference
22. FIU 17-4 339 NR Conference USA
23. North Texas 17-4 185 17 Conference USA
24. St. John's 17-6 172 19 Big East Conference
25. UC Riverside 18-4 151 18 Big West Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Saint Joseph's 17-5 147 Atlantic 10 Conference
Texas A&M 15-7 93 Southeastern Conference
Duke 15-7 83 Atlantic Coast Conference
Mercer 20-5 61 Southern Conference
Mississippi 16-6 44 Southeastern Conference
Wichita State 17-6 42 Missouri Valley Conference
Oklahoma State 18-6 34 Big 12 Conference
Gonzaga 15-7 31 Pacific-12 Conference
California 14-7 15 Pacific-12 Conference
Colorado 15-7 12 Pacific-12 Conference
Oklahoma 15-7 11 Big 12 Conference
BYU 17-8 6 West Coast Conference
Kent State 17-6 6 Mid-American Conference
Western Michigan 17-6 4 Mid-American Conference
Iowa State 15-8 3 Big 12 Conference
Richmond 16-6 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
Massachusetts 16-6 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
Alabama drops down 2 more spots after the split this week, while FIU is back in the top 25. Stanford is welcomed to the top 25 after a big win at Arizona, and Duke continues to gain ground while Colorado continues to lose ground.
Now for the mid-major top 25 going into the week of Feb. 6-12:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Yale (31) 20-4 1714 2 Ivy League
2. UAB (8) 18-4 1633 4 Conference USA
3. Wichita State (17) 17-6 1615 9 Missouri Valley Conference
4. Saint Joseph's 17-5 1531 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Davidson (4) 17-5 1483 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. UC Irvine (11) 18-6 1435 12 Big West Conference
7. FIU 17-4 1429 6 Conference USA
8. Old Dominion 17-4 1236 15 Conference USA
9. Kent State 17-6 1179 8 Mid-American Conference
10. Western Michigan 17-6 1094 3 Mid-American Conference
11. UC Riverside 18-4 1075 7 Big West Conference
12. Mercer 20-5 953 18 Southern Conference
13. BYU 17-8 937 17 West Coast Conference
14. North Texas 17-4 845 11 Conference USA
15. Bradley (1) 16-7 837 14 Missouri Valley Conference
16. Indiana State 16-8 760 16 Missouri Valley Conference
17. Richmond 16-6 630 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Tulane 17-6 613 13 American Athletic Conference
19. Oakland 16-6 504 20 Horizon League
20. Massachusetts 16-6 471 24 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Cincinnati 16-7 396 NR American Athletic Conference
22. Illinois State 16-10 304 21 Missouri Valley Conference
23. Green Bay 16-9 141 22 Horizon League
24. St. Bonaventure 14-8 114 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Portland 15-8 113 23 West Coast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Drexel 17-7 100 Colonial Athletic Association
New Mexico 13-7 66 Mountain West Conference
Loyola Chicago 15-8 49 Missouri Valley Conference
San Diego State 14-9 45 Mountain West Conference
VMI 17-6 44 Southern Conference
Akron 15-7 17 Mid-American Conference
Southern Illinois 15-9 12 Missouri Valley Conference
Holy Cross 16-8 8 Patriot League
Northern Kentucky 16-7 6 Sun Belt Conference
Campbell 17-7 5 Big South Conference
Saint Mary's 15-9 4 West Coast Conference
Fresno State 14-9 2 Mountain West Conference
Despite 2 convincing wins this week, FIU drops 1 spot in the mid-major poll.
And now it's time for our first bubble watch of the 2022-2023 season. We'll start with the overall bubble watch, which sees 2 of our teams in.
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Illinois State 16-10 .593 (22) 6-5 3-1 5-3 2-1 6 In
Loyola Chicago 15-8 .564 (46) 4-4 2-2 2-0 7-2 109 In
California 14-7 .596 (19) 1-5 4-0 6-1 3-1 27 In
Michigan State 14-8 .551 (62) 4-2 4-5 5-1 1-0 103 In
Western Michigan 17-6 .581 (33) 0-2 1-1 11-3 5-0 99 In
Tulane 17-6 .563 (48) 1-1 3-2 6-1 7-2 152 In
Portland 15-8 .560 (52) 0-2 5-3 6-3 4-0 76 In
Southern Illinois 15-9 .557 (57) 3-5 2-3 5-1 5-0 79 In
Tennessee 14-8 .571 (43) 3-4 4-1 5-1 2-2 67 Out
Richmond 16-6 .547 (68) 3-2 3-2 3-1 7-1 205 Out
Holy Cross 16-8 .576 (38) 0-0 2-2 8-5 6-1 54 Out
St. Bonaventure 14-8 .580 (35) 0-6 3-1 9-1 2-0 26 Out
Massachusetts 16-6 .549 (65) 1-1 2-3 7-1 6-1 182 Out
Baylor 17-6 .543 (75) 3-2 2-2 6-1 6-1 177 Out
Hawaii 14-8 .548 (66) 1-1 4-3 6-3 3-1 139 Out
2 teams that we're surprised to see on here, for differing reasons. Michigan State has had a very inconsistent season, and to be honest, their last few seasons have been. They really need to go on a nice winning streak to get off the bubble and confirm themselves as a lock. Meanwhile, Hawaii is the last team on the list, a surprise to see them there as they look for their first NCAA Tournament berth, and that might be the only thing that saves Coach Gunn's job at this point. Again, it's going to take a nice winning streak though, as they probably need to get to that 20 win threshold.
Now for the rest of our FOFC teams, and remember, if a team isn't listed, that means they are projected out. I'm only mentioning locks and teams projected in. This is only for the NCAA tournament, not other tournaments.
Locks:
Duke,
Northwestern,
FIU,
Colorado,
Stanford,
Alabama.
Nice to see so many of our FOFC teams as locks, almost half of them. Let's hope that trend continues.