Dec. 11-17, 2017
2 feature games this week, and they both involve Alabama.
12/14/17-
Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
#9 Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- The Crimson Tide led this one by 6 at halftime, but totally fell about in the second half, scoring just 23 points. They had 24 turnovers for the game, and although they outrebounded Kansas 46-35, the Jayhawks got a lot more scoring opportunities and that was the difference.
Final Score: #9 Kansas- 73, Alabama- 64
12/16/17-
Rice (Charlie Shocker) @
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- The Crimson Tide made darn sure they weren't losing their lead in this one, as they put up 55 second half points and shot 46.7% from the field. Still too many turnovers, as 17 is too many. Rice couldn't stop fouling, committing 29 fouls and sending Bama to the line for 37 free throws. The result was an easy, easy victory for Alabama.
Final Score: Alabama- 92, Rice- 55
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 6-5, 0-0 America East.
12/11/17 at Northeastern (W 89-81).
12/13/17 at St. Joseph's (L 61-53).
12/15/17 vs. Temple (L 82-78, OT).
12/17/17 at Brown (W 80-59).
A heavy week for the Hawks, who split their 4 games. They can be proud of the fact that they took a very good Temple team to overtime, but almost only counts in horseshoes, or so I've been told.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 3-4, 0-0 American.
12/13/17- Las Vegas Classic First Round vs. (4) LSU (L 94-62).
Short week for the Pirates as they get blasted in the first round of their season tourney. The schedule doesn't get any easier as they get ready to start conference play.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 6-4, 0-0 American.
12/12/17 at Fairleigh Dickinson (L 61-58).
Oof! Even though it was on the road, those are not the kind of games the Golden Hurricane need to be losing if they want to be considered for the postseason. They start conference play next week.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 5-3, 0-0 Atlantic 10.
12/15/17 vs. North Carolina Central (L 72-68).
A huge letdown for the Wildcats in their only game of the week, especially after an upset win the week before. They play their season tournament next week.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 4-4, 0-0 ACC.
12/11/17 at # 1 Ohio State (L 73-45).
Blast city for the Tigers in their only game of the week. They weren't even close against Ohio State.
#25 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 7-1, 0-0 ACC.
12/12/17 vs. #3 Baylor (W 71-55).
12/16/17 vs. Colgate (W 83-58).
The string of good play continues for the Blue Devils, who have won 6 in a row. They've got a test with #1 next week.
#9 Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 8-1, 0-0 ACC.
12/12/17 at San Diego State (W 67-58).
12/14/17 vs. Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
Consistency for the Jayhawks as they win both their games this week by the same margin, 9 points. They've got 3 more what should be fairly tough non-conference games before they get into Big 12 play.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 6-3, 0-0 Big 12.
12/12/17 at Army (W 84-63).
12/14/17 at Cal State Fullerton (W 69-58).
12/16/17 vs. McNeese State (W 82-53).
Call it an easy schedule if you want, but the Horned Frogs have won 4 in a row after starting 2-3. The schedule gets A LOT tougher now though.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 6-3, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/11/17 vs. Louisville (W 77-75).
Solid win for the Wolverines in their only game of the week. Next week they go on the road for 1 then return home for a couple.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 8-1, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/13/17- Las Vegas Classic First Round vs. (16) Alabama State (W 76-63).
12/15/17- Las Vegas Classic Quarterfinals vs. (8) Stony Brook (W 86-69).
The Spartans win 2 more this week, moving into the semifinals of their season tournament. That game will be played next week.
#18 Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 9-0, 0-0 Big Ten.
12/16/17 vs. Eastern Illinois (W 75-58).
Coach Vee and the Wildcats are still undefeated, but let's be honest, their schedule has pretty much been filled with cupcakes. They've got a couple more before they get into conference play, where we'll find out a lot more about them.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 3-7, 0-0 Big West.
12/17/17 at Kent State (W 71-68).
Just 1 game this week for the Warriors, and I really feel like they are turning the corner. They've won 2 of their last 3, and the loss was to a very good team, and even it was only by 2 points. Their next 3 games are very winnable, and 1 of those 3 is a feature game.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 3-6, 0-0 Conference USA.
12/11/17 at N.C. State (L 87-57).
12/15/17 vs. Savannah State (L 67-54).
Ugh! Pitiful loss for the 49ers this week. The N.C. State loss can be forgiven, but losing to Savannah State, generally one of the worst teams in college basketball? Unforgiveable, and the schedule doesn't get any easier.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 4-4, 0-0 Conference USA.
12/14/17 at Stephen F. Austin (L 80-71).
12/16/17 at Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
Not a good week for the Owls, who at least were competitive at SFA, but not at Alabama. Next week they play teams with a combined 2-14 record, but one of those teams is an SEC team.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 4-6, 2-3 MAAC.
12/15/17 at Siena (L 73-66).
12/17/17 at Manhattan (L 64-53).
That 2-0 start in conference play seems like a long time ago for the Hawks, who at least kept both road games close this week. But as I said, close only counts in horseshoes.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 4-5, 0-0 MEAC.
12/12/17 vs. Mt. St. Mary's (L 75-59).
12/14/17 vs. Ohio (W 62-50).
A split for the Spartans this week, and hopefully they can build on that because the schedule is favorable, and as always, the MEAC looks pretty weak.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 4-3, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/12/17 at Northern Iowa (W 65-57).
1 game this week for the Buffaloes, but it was a good one, as they beat a very good team. They'll have their hands full next week though, as they play #1, and their next 2 opponents are a combined 17-1. Yikes!
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 8-1, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/14/17 vs. Loyola Marymount (W 60-47).
The Cardinal get another win, recovering nicely for their first loss. A feature game upcoming next week, as well as a battle with a winless team.
#13 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 8-1, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/11/17 vs. James Madison (W 74-38).
12/16/17 vs. Loyola Marymount (W 77-50).
A couple more blowouts for the Bruins who haven't been tested in a while. Don't look for that to stop anytime soon, as they have 3 more very winnable games coming up before conference play.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 6-3, 0-0 Pac 12.
12/11/17 at Texas-Rio Grande Valley (W 68-58).
12/15/17 vs. Portland (L 69-66).
12/17/17 vs. Chicago State (W 99-56).
2 out of 3 for the Cougars this week, and the loss was tough. They can't be losing to teams like Portland if they want to be taken seriously. Yes, Portland has a winning record currently, but they also have an RPI of 268. More winnable games next week before conference play starts.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 4-5, 0-0 SEC.
12/14/17 at #9 Kansas- feature game, highlighted above.
12/16/17 vs. Rice- feature game, highlighted above.
A split for the Crimson Tide this week, but they are definitely kicking themselves for letting that halftime lead at Kansas slip away. 3 more non-conference games, and none of them will be easy.
#10 Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 8-1, 0-0 SEC.
12/12/17 vs. Elon (W 84-60).
12/15/17 vs. George Mason (W 71-58).
12/17/17 vs. North Carolina (L 71-63).
The Gators shouldn't feel bad about losing to North Carolina, a lot of teams do. That was their first loss, and next week they have a feature game and a game against a team currently undefeated.
#2 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 7-1, 0-0 SEC.
12/14/17 at #14 Miami (L 100-94).
A shootout in the Wildcats' only game of the week, unfortunately it was on the road and Miami was too strong. Kentucky loses their first game of the season and has 4 non-conference games left before conference play. 3 of the 4 could be a little troubling, but they should be ok in all of them.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 4-5, 1-1 Sun Belt.
12/14/17 vs. Texas State (W 80-67).
12/16/17 at Georgia Southern (L 73-62).
A split for the Trojans to open up conference play. A normal split as they win at home, lose on the road.
Here's a look at the national top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Ohio State (72) 9-0 1800 1 Big Ten Conference
2. Syracuse 9-0 1711 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
3. Gonzaga 10-0 1579 5 West Coast Conference
4. Baylor 9-1 1553 3 Big 12 Conference
5. Marquette 9-1 1472 6 Big East Conference
6. Kentucky 7-1 1453 2 Southeastern Conference
7. Kansas 8-1 1352 9 Big 12 Conference
8. Wisconsin 7-0 1306 7 Big Ten Conference
9. Virginia 7-1 1250 8 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Villanova 7-1 1131 12 Big East Conference
11. Miami 9-1 1070 14 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Illinois 10-0 1069 11 Big Ten Conference
13. UCLA 8-1 962 13 Pacific-12 Conference
14. Richmond 9-1 841 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. La Salle 8-0 789 15 Atlantic 10 Conference
16. Duke 7-1 609 25 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Florida 8-1 599 10 Southeastern Conference
18. VCU 6-1 567 19 Southeastern Conference
19. Northwestern 9-0 530 18 Big Ten Conference
20. Cincinnati 7-2 415 22 American Athletic Conference
21. Oakland 9-0 357 21 Horizon League
22. Wichita State 9-2 282 23 Missouri Valley Conference
23. Michigan State 8-1 276 NR Big Ten Conference
24. Nebraska 6-1 223 24 Big Ten Conference
25. Illinois State 9-1 72 NR Missouri Valley Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Memphis 10-1 42 American Athletic Conference
Stanford 8-1 37 Pacific-12 Conference
Colorado State 10-1 22 Mountain West Conference
Duquesne 9-1 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
Louisiana Tech 7-1 12 Conference USA
Oregon 6-1 3 Pacific-12 Conference
So Kentucky moves down 4 spots after their loss to Miami, while Kansas jumps up 2 spots. UCLA stays the same, and Duke jumps up 9 spots? Wow! I guess the pollsters were really impressed with that win over Baylor. Florida drops 7 spots after their loss to UNC. Seems harsh to me. Northwestern, despite still being undefeated, drops a spot. And welcome back Michigan State, who is back in the top 25! Stanford is receiving lots of votes and is very close to being in the top 25 as well.
Now for the mid-major top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Gonzaga (72) 10-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Cincinnati 7-2 1641 3 American Athletic Conference
3. La Salle 8-0 1640 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
4. Richmond 9-1 1594 4 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Wichita State 9-2 1531 6 Missouri Valley Conference
6. Oakland 9-0 1482 5 Horizon League
7. Illinois State 9-1 1342 7 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Colorado State 10-1 1292 8 Mountain West Conference
9. Duquesne 9-1 1212 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Memphis 10-1 1203 12 American Athletic Conference
11. Louisiana Tech 7-1 1095 16 Conference USA
12. Massachusetts 7-2 985 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
13. Temple 9-2 841 9 American Athletic Conference
14. Middle Tennessee 8-2 789 10 Conference USA
15. Northern Iowa 9-3 648 11 Missouri Valley Conference
16. UC Santa Barbara 8-2 616 NR Big West Conference
17. American 7-2 601 NR Patriot League
18. Boise State 5-2 578 NR Mountain West Conference
19. USC Upstate 8-2 464 NR Atlantic Sun Conference
20. San Diego 6-2 438 14 West Coast Conference
21. Rider 8-2 294 NR Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
22. UC Irvine 6-2 290 19 Big West Conference
23. UAB 6-2 194 NR Conference USA
24. UTEP 7-2 128 NR Conference USA
25. Northern Arizona 7-2 108 17 Big Sky Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Air Force 6-2 101 Mountain West Conference
Sam Houston State 6-2 93 Southland Conference
Southern Miss 7-2 72 Conference USA
Florida Atlantic 6-2 65 Conference USA
North Texas 7-2 53 Conference USA
Western Kentucky 5-2 45 Conference USA
Cal Poly 5-2 41 Big West Conference
Tulane 6-2 39 American Athletic Conference
Montana 6-2 30 Big Sky Conference
Old Dominion 6-2 27 Conference USA
Tennessee Martin 7-2 24 Ohio Valley Conference
UNLV 6-3 4 Mountain West Conference
The run of having an FOFC team receiving votes in the mid-major poll is over. Davidson sees their votes go bye bye after losing this week.