Feb. 13-19, 2023
We have 27 games on the schedule this week, and 3 of them are feature games. We'll start in the Pac 12, where all 4 of our FOFC teams are involved in a feature game.
2/16/23-
UCLA (Tim Shepard) @
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 2 teams who are seeing their season go in different ways all of a sudden, and it continued tonight. The Bruins made 30 free throws and shot 88.2% from the line, while Colorado made just 51.7% of their free throws. UCLA also made 6 more three pointers than the Buffs did. All that led to another road win for the Bruins, who are hot right now.
Final Score: UCLA- 92, Colorado- 83
2/18/23-
#18 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- The Cougars had a chance to play spoiler in this game, and they didn't disappointed. Of course, I've always said this game had a huge discrepancy toward the home team when it came to fouls and free throws, and this game might be the worst I've seen. Stanford: 38 fouls committed, 20 free throws attempted. Washington State: 17 fouls committed, a whopping 57 free throws attempted. This game might have been blowout status had they not missed more free throws than the Cardinal attempted, but the fact they got so many chances was enough as Coach Sanchez let his displeasure be known after the game and will probably be in for a hefty fine.
Final Score: Washington State- 78, #18 Stanford- 73
Now for a trip to the American, where we have 2 struggling teams:
2/18/23-
UConn (Randolph Childress) @
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 2 teams that will probably finish under .500 overall for the season, as UConn continues to play their hot week/cold week game. Tulsa didn't help themselves by shooting a dismal 33.3% from the field and just 9.1% from three point land. Both teams took care of the ball, but it came down to shooting here.
Final Score: UConn- 69, Tulsa- 59
Now for the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 12-16, 6-9 T-6th America East.
2/15/23 at Binghamton (L 62-59).
2/19/23 at Vermont (W 62-53).
A road split for the Hawks, as they dropped a tough one late at Binghamton. They finish off the regular season in a big way next week as they take on the conference leaders at home. A loss, and they could end up in the cellar.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 11-16, 8-7 5th American.
2/15/23 vs. SMU (W 90-81).
2/18/23 at Tulsa- feature game, highlighted above.
Again, it's a win/lose pattern for the Huskies. They win both games this week, and are still fighting for a first round bye in the conference tournament.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 12-15, 8-6 T-3rd American.
2/15/23 at South Florida (W 82-69).
2/18/23 vs. UConn- feature game, highlighted above.
A split for the Golden Hurricane, who are also fighting for a first round bye in the conference tournament. Still a few conference games to play though.
Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 17-9, 9-5 5th ACC.
2/15/23 at Pittsburgh (W 79-67).
2/18/23 vs. Wake Forest (W 88-56).
The Blue Devils had a big week with a couple double digit wins. They get a top 10 Florida State team on the road next week, then 3 games against what are currently sub .500 teams, so a top 4 finish in the conference is still doable, but they need to win out.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 14-12, 5-9 T-7th Big 12.
2/13/23 at Kansas State (W 59-43).
2/18/23 at Texas (L 84-60).
A road split for the Horned Frogs, who also go into a 3 game stretch against sub-.500 teams. They still have a slight chance to get to .500 in the conference if they can win out.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 18-8, 9-5 T-3rd Big Ten.
2/15/23 at Michigan (W 80-71).
2/18/23 at #9 Ohio State (W 67-61).
The Spartans stay hot, winners of 4 in a row and 5 of their last 6, and they are definitely working themselves off the bubble. Still some tough games coming up, but their momentum has them going in the right direction.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 16-9, 7-7 T-6th Big Ten.
2/15/23 vs. Penn State (W 72-71).
2/18/23 at Indiana (W 80-61).
A great bounce back week for the Wildcats, who are probably back into big dance consideration with those performances. They also need to stay hot as they have a tough road swing next week.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 17-9, 7-6 T-3rd Big West.
2/14/23 at UC Riverside (L 69-59).
2/18/23 vs. Cal Poly (W 69-61).
A split for the Warriors, who fell in their battle against Riverside. That eliminates them from conference title consideration, but still 3 more games. If they can get to 20 wins this season, that might be enough to save Coach Gunn.
#21 FIU (Brett Hawkins) -- 19-6, 10-4 T-3rd Conference USA.
2/16/23 at #20 North Texas (L 84-62).
2/18/23 at Middle Tennessee (L 61-58).
Tough week for the Golden Panthers who have suffered their first 2 game losing streak since mid-December. Next week will be key, as they can't afford the type of late season slide that happened often when Coach Hawkins was at Troy.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 9-16, 4-10 T-11th Conference USA.
2/16/23 at Southern Miss (L 78-69).
2/18/23 at UTEP (L 91-80).
2 more losses for the Owls, 7 in a row now. They are just falling apart since late January. Next week doesn't look promising to break that streak.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 16-10, 8-6 T-4th Pac 12.
2/16/23 vs. UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/23 at Arizona State (W 80-61).
A split for the Buffaloes, who break a 3 game losing streak but have still lost 5 of their last 8. More tough tests next week, with a trip through Gonzaga and Oregon.
#18 Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 19-7, 11-3 T-1st Pac 12.
2/16/23 vs. Oregon State (W 63-46).
2/18/23 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
If Stanford misses out on the Pac 12 regular season title, they will definitely look back at the 3 officials who worked the game at Washington State. Just an ugly game that was definitely one sided in many ways. They can't afford any slip-ups now, if they can win out they'll guarantee a share, but any slip-ups may cost them.
UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 13-13, 6-8 9th Pac 12.
2/16/23 at Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/23 at #10 Arizona (L 86-79).
The Bruins are a little hot right now, but Arizona cooled them off. That was the game they really wanted, but being at .500 right now after the way they started this season, Coach Shepard will take it. Next week is big, as they face the other Pac 12 co-leader in Stanford, and it'll be a feature game, of course.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 14-11, 7-7 T-6th Pac 12.
2/16/23 vs. #10 Arizona (L 83-48).
2/18/23 vs. #18 Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
Considering how bad the Cougars played against Arizona, they'll be the first to tell you they didn't deserve the home cooking they got against Stanford, in a game that could be talked about for years to come. Don't get me wrong, Coach St. John will take the win and run with it, but it's one everybody knows they shouldn't have had.
#15 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 19-7, 10-4 T-3rd SEC.
2/15/23 vs. Missouri (W 84-78).
2/18/23 vs. #17 LSU (W 81-70).
A good week for the Crimson Tide as they got a nice win over LSU. Their schedule doesn't get any easier though, a rematch with Arkansas next week. Win that one, and an SEC title becomes a consideration.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into the week of Feb. 20-26:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Syracuse (71) 25-2 1799 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Notre Dame (1) 23-3 1712 3 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Wisconsin 22-4 1673 2 Big Ten Conference
4. Arkansas 22-4 1578 6 Southeastern Conference
5. Louisville 21-5 1503 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
6. Georgetown 21-6 1398 7 Big East Conference
7. North Carolina 19-7 1398 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. Arizona 21-5 1309 10 Pacific-12 Conference
9. Florida State 19-7 1182 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Ohio State 19-7 1176 9 Big Ten Conference
11. Virginia 20-6 1105 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. North Texas 21-4 902 20 Conference USA
13. Yale 23-5 858 13 Ivy League
14. UAB 21-5 749 14 Conference USA
15. LSU 19-8 694 17 Southeastern Conference
16. Alabama 19-7 686 15 Southeastern Conference
17. Baylor 20-7 548 23 Big 12 Conference
18. Stanford 19-7 435 18 Pacific-12 Conference
19. Mercer 23-5 429 22 Southern Conference
20. Wichita State 20-6 392 NR Missouri Valley Conference
21. Villanova 20-7 351 12 Big East Conference
22. Davidson 20-6 329 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
23. Kent State 21-6 258 NR Mid-American Conference
24. BYU 21-8 203 NR West Coast Conference
25. Western Michigan 21-6 153 NR Mid-American Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
UC Riverside 21-5 146 Big West Conference
Saint Joseph's 20-6 98 Atlantic 10 Conference
Old Dominion 20-5 79 Conference USA
Massachusetts 20-6 70 Atlantic 10 Conference
UC Irvine 20-8 66 Big West Conference
Duke 17-9 40 Atlantic Coast Conference
Oklahoma State 21-7 28 Big 12 Conference
Mississippi 18-8 22 Southeastern Conference
Gonzaga 18-8 9 Pacific-12 Conference
Vanderbilt 18-8 8 Southeastern Conference
FIU 19-6 6 Conference USA
Iowa State 17-9 4 Big 12 Conference
Michigan State 18-8 4 Big Ten Conference
I'm a bit stunned by the polls this week (what a shock, I disagree with them). Alabama drops a spot, while LSU, who lost to the Crimson Tide this week, jumps 2 spots? No way. Stanford stays put at #18. Nothing against Washington State, but most see that win over the Cardinal as a fluke that was given to them. Duke retains and adds a few more votes, while FIU drops out of the national top 25 after 2 losses this week, but still receives a few votes. And Michigan State with their strong performance at Ohio State, receives a few votes.
Now for the mid-major top 25 going into the week of Feb. 20-26:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
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1. Wichita State (43) 20-6 1758 3 Missouri Valley Conference
2. Yale (12) 23-5 1648 1 Ivy League
3. UAB (9) 21-5 1584 2 Conference USA
4. Western Michigan 21-6 1453 9 Mid-American Conference
5. BYU (6) 21-8 1443 7 West Coast Conference
6. Saint Joseph's 20-6 1420 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
7. Kent State 21-6 1405 5 Mid-American Conference
8. Davidson (1) 20-6 1355 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. North Texas 21-4 1237 13 Conference USA
10. Mercer 23-5 1112 14 Southern Conference
11. UC Riverside (1) 21-5 1081 16 Big West Conference
12. Old Dominion 20-5 1007 6 Conference USA
13. Massachusetts 20-6 998 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
14. UC Irvine 20-8 923 8 Big West Conference
15. FIU 19-6 790 4 Conference USA
16. Portland 19-8 685 19 West Coast Conference
17. St. Bonaventure 18-8 669 22 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. Bradley 18-9 575 17 Missouri Valley Conference
19. Drexel 20-7 420 23 Colonial Athletic Association
20. Richmond 18-8 383 12 Atlantic 10 Conference
21. Tulane 18-8 319 18 American Athletic Conference
22. Loyola Chicago 18-9 316 NR Missouri Valley Conference
23. Oakland 18-8 176 20 Horizon League
24. San Diego State 17-10 154 NR Mountain West Conference
25. Cincinnati 18-9 146 21 American Athletic Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
New Mexico 16-8 118 Mountain West Conference
Southern Illinois 18-10 93 Missouri Valley Conference
Illinois State 18-12 55 Missouri Valley Conference
VMI 20-7 31 Southern Conference
Green Bay 18-10 21 Horizon League
Hawaii 17-9 13 Big West Conference
Northern Iowa 17-10 5 Missouri Valley Conference
UNLV 16-10 4 Mountain West Conference
Florida Gulf Coast 18-8 2 Atlantic Sun Conference
Manhattan 19-10 1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Huge drop for FIU after 2 losses this week, and Hawaii does lose some votes as expected, but stays in the mix with a few votes.
Time for this weeks edition of the Bubble Watch, and we'll start with the Overall Bubble Watch which sees 2 of our teams again mentioned.
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Richmond 18-8 .551 (64) 3-4 1-2 6-1 8-1 152 In
Mississippi 18-8 .578 (31) 2-2 6-2 5-2 5-2 49 In
Northern Iowa 17-10 .564 (46) 4-7 3-0 5-2 5-1 61 In
Portland 19-8 .572 (37) 0-2 7-2 5-4 7-0 79 In
Hawaii 17-9 .565 (44) 3-1 2-4 7-3 5-1 101 In
UC Riverside 21-5 .550 (65) 4-2 2-1 6-1 9-1 255 In
St. Bonaventure 18-8 .589 (23) 0-6 3-1 9-0 6-1 31 In
Davidson 20-6 .555 (56) 0-1 5-1 4-2 11-2 235 In
Green Bay 18-10 .577 (33) 2-1 5-3 9-4 2-2 40 Out
Cleveland State 18-11 .559 (52) 4-2 2-2 6-6 6-1 112 Out
Colorado 16-10 .579 (30) 2-4 4-4 6-2 4-0 11 Out
Baylor 20-7 .547 (68) 3-2 5-3 6-1 6-1 169 Out
Tulane 18-8 .564 (47) 1-1 3-1 10-3 4-3 102 Out
San Diego State 17-10 .555 (58) 1-1 5-3 6-4 5-2 74 Out
Indiana 17-9 .546 (70) 2-3 4-1 6-4 5-1 118 Out
Again it's Hawaii and Colorado, as both teams drop a little bit. Hawaii is now in the Last Four In, as that loss to UC Riverside really hurt them. They can solidify their spot in the tournament by finishing strong.
Colorado meanwhile, is now projected out. Still on the bubble but projected out, as their season as taken a bit of a turn for the worse. Would really be a shame to see a team with that good of an RPI shafted, but Coach Nielsen is already fearing the worst.
Now for the rest of the Bubble Watch:
Locks:
Duke,
Michigan State,
FIU,
Stanford,
Alabama
In:
Northwestern
A couple changes this week, as Northwestern is back to being projected in, and Duke is back to being a lock. Otherwise, everything looks to have stayed the same.