Feb. 13-19, 2017
4 feature games this week, as we have 2 in the Pac 12 and 2 in the SEC.
2/15/17-
Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- Good effort from the Crimson Tide, but 34.5% shooting didn't help them although the three point line did keep them in it but it wasn't enough as the Wildcats just made way too many shots.
Final Score: #22 Kentucky- 85, Alabama- 75
2/16/17-
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) @
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- Easy going in this one for the Buffaloes, as the Cougars shot an absolutely dismal 25.5% from the field. Although Colorado had 15 turnovers, they rolled in this one.
Final Score: Colorado- 63, Washington State- 40
2/16/17-
#1 UCLA (Tim Shepard) @
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- The Cardinal were up to the challenge.. for one half. They led 33-31 at halftime then were outscored 49-25 in the second half as the shots stopped falling. For the game, Stanford shot 32.7% and were outrebounded 47-37 as UCLA pulled away to stay unbeaten in Pac 12 play.
Final Score: #1 UCLA- 80, Stanford- 58
2/18/17-
Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- It's been this kind of season for the Crimson Tide, who led by 9 at halftime but fell apart in the second half. Shot defense was dismal as the Gators shot 49.2% from the field. If Alabama could have just kept them behind the three point line, they'd have been alright as Florida was just 7-25 from behind the arc. But The Gators got the ball inside time and time again, and that was enough.
Final Score: Florida- 75, Alabama- 69
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 12-16, 7-8 T-5th America East.
2/19/17 at New Hampshire (L 65-47).
1 game this week for the Hawks as they were blown out on the road. 1 game next week to finish off the regular season.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 7-18, 5-9 8th American.
2/15/17 at Tulane (L 71-53).
2/18/17 vs. South Florida (W 68-67).
A much needed win for the Pirates, as that South Florida win broke a 5 game losing streak. It came at the perfect time too, because ECU's last 4 regular season opponents are, oh, you know, just a combined 81-22. No big deal.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 13-13, 8-6 T-5th Atlantic 10.
2/15/17 at UMass (L 70-53).
2/18/17 at St. Bonaventure (L 85-70).
It looked like the Wildcats were figuring it out, but 2 road losses this week brought them back down to earth. Good news is, their last 4 regular season games are all winnable, but which team will show up?
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 9-17, 3-11 9th Big 12.
2/18/17 vs. Iowa State (L 89-80).
Another respectable game for the Horned Frogs. It didn't translate to a win, but signs of a potential good team are there.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 15-11, 8-6 7th Big Ten.
2/15/17 vs. Nebraska (W 80-57).
2/18/17 vs. Maryland (W 66-63).
The roller coaster continues for the Wolverines, who seem to have a streak going of winning a couple, losing a couple, then winning again. This week they were on the winning side. Next week, who knows?
#4 Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 23-4, 11-3 1st Big Ten.
2/15/17 at Maryland (W 74-62).
2/18/17 at Illinois (W 67-56).
2 more wins for the Spartans, who have gotten it figured out after that brief 2 game losing streak to start the month.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 14-12, 9-3 3rd Big West.
2/14/17 at Oakland (L 63-54).
2/18/17 at Cal State Northridge (W 68-40).
A road split this week, and while both games were important, the non-conference loss isn't such a big deal, because the Warriors aren't going to the postseason unless the win the Big West regular season title anyways. Problem is, 3 of their next 4 games are against the other top teams in the conference.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 12-13, 8-6 T-5th Conference USA.
2/16/17 at UTEP (L 65-50).
2/18/17 vs. Western Kentucky (W 60-51).
A split for the 49ers, the conventional split as they lose on the road but win at home.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 10-15, 5-9 T-10th Conference USA.
2/16/17 vs. Southern Miss (L 80-52).
2/18/17 vs. FIU (L 68-45).
Ugh! The Owls might as well have not bothered to show up this week, as they were blasted in both games. Improving the team prestige may be tougher than Coach Shocker realizes.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 14-15, 11-9 T-4th MAAC.
2/17/17 at St. Peter's (W 50-47).
2/19/17 at Canisius (L 55-44).
A split for the Hawks, who finish off the regular season winning 2 of their last 3. They are done until the MAAC tournament, and depending on how the teams close to them finish, they could be anywhere from the 3rd to the 8th seed.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 13-14, T-3rd 8-5 MEAC.
2/13/17 at Bethune Cookman (W 64-57).
2/18/17 vs. Howard (W 57-50).
A couple more wins for the Spartans, who have now won 6 of 7, with the only loss being against NC Central who is undefeated in conference play. Norfolk has 3 games left, and all are winnable. We'll be honest here, winning the regular season MEAC title is out of the question, but if they show up to play in their last 3 regular season games, a #2 seed in the MEAC Tourney would be a real possibility.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 13-13, 8-6 T-5th Pac 12.
2/16/17 vs. Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 at Washington (W 69-53).
Good week for the Buffaloes who get a pair of much needed wins. They've still got some work to do though if they want to play in a postseason tournament.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 17-9, 8-6 T-5th Pac 12.
2/16/17 vs. #1 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 vs. Oregon (L 73-55).
Not a good week for the Cardinal, who really have not played great ball in the last few weeks. That win over Arizona to start the month of February may be the difference between the NCAA and the NIT.
#1 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 25-1, 14-0 1st Pac 12.
2/16/17 at Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 vs. Utah (W 74-61).
2 more wins for the Bruins who remain perfect in Pac 12 play, but haven't clinched the Pac 12 title yet. They can do it next week with a pair of wins though.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 9-17, 4-10 10th Pac 12.
2/16/17 at Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 at Arizona (L 57-56).
The Cougars were just a few inches away from pulling off a monumental upset at Arizona, but it wasn't to be as a half court buzzer beater was just left of the rim (ok, so I made that up, I have no idea how far off the shot was, I just know it was a missed buzzer beater. I just like to add a little bit of drama to this every now and then).
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 8-18, 6-8 T-11th SEC.
2/15/17 at #22 Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 at Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
It's been that kind of season for the Crimson Tide, they just can't get a big win either in conference or out of conference. OK so there was the win over Baylor in non-conference play, but way too many tough close losses.
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 19-7. 9-5 T-2nd SEC.
2/15/17 vs. Tennessee (L 57-42).
2/18/17 vs. Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
The Gators missed a golden opportunity to be in a 1st place tie as they lost to the other 2nd place team, Tennessee. Fortunately, Tennessee lost their next game and the Gators won, so they remain tied for 2nd.
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 19-7, 10-4 1st SEC.
2/15/17 vs. Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
2/18/17 vs. Georgia (W 85-59).
I don't think the Wildcats liked being on the bubble going into the week, as they took care of business in a big way, but they've still got both 2nd place teams on the schedule before the season ends, so an SEC title is not a sure thing yet.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 12-14, 7-9 T-5th Sun Belt.
2/16/17 at Northern Kentucky (L 75-62).
2/18/17 vs. Arkansas Little Rock (L 70-50).
Not a good week for the Trojans who lost all momentum of those 2 wins last week. That loss at Northern Kentucky is just embarrassing as they have an RPI of 328. Northern Kentucky does that is.
Now let's look at the national top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Cincinnati (62) 26-0 1790 2 American Athletic Conference
2. UCLA (10) 25-1 1734 1 Pacific-12 Conference
3. Michigan State 23-4 1660 4 Big Ten Conference
4. Baylor 23-5 1484 5 Big 12 Conference
5. La Salle 24-2 1484 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Kansas 22-5 1482 3 Big 12 Conference
7. Virginia 22-5 1349 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
8. VCU 22-4 1346 10 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Georgetown 22-5 1200 9 Big East Conference
10. North Carolina 22-4 1192 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
11. Villanova 22-5 1035 13 Big East Conference
12. San Diego State 22-5 981 14 Mountain West Conference
13. Wichita State 24-4 897 8 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Iowa 20-6 860 16 Big Ten Conference
15. Miami 20-6 782 12 Atlantic Coast Conference
16. Stephen F. Austin 24-2 662 19 Southland Conference
17. BYU 23-4 572 20 West Coast Conference
18. Wisconsin 20-7 528 17 Big Ten Conference
19. Syracuse 20-6 425 25 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Gonzaga 25-3 407 21 West Coast Conference
21. Kentucky 19-7 364 22 Southeastern Conference
22. Murray State 26-2 285 23 Ohio Valley Conference
23. New Mexico State 23-3 285 NR Western Athletic Conference
24. Duke 18-7 238 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
25. Marquette 21-6 194 15 Big East Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Arizona 19-7 68 Pacific-12 Conference
Oklahoma 18-9 39 Big 12 Conference
Florida 19-7 26 Southeastern Conference
Ohio State 19-8 16 Big Ten Conference
Boise State 21-5 8 Mountain West Conference
Akron 21-5 7 Mid-American Conference
So UCLA drops a spot even after winning twice last week. Not sure what the mindset of the pollsters was, other than Cincinnati being undefeated for the season. Michigan State and Kentucky each move up a spot, and Florida is still getting some votes, but not many.
Now for the always painful mid-major top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Cincinnati (72) 26-0 1800 1 American Athletic Conference
2. La Salle 24-2 1717 2 Atlantic 10 Conference
3. San Diego State 22-5 1631 4 Mountain West Conference
4. VCU 22-4 1609 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
5. Wichita State 24-4 1515 3 Missouri Valley Conference
6. BYU 23-4 1445 6 West Coast Conference
7. Stephen F. Austin 24-2 1320 8 Southland Conference
8. Gonzaga 25-3 1298 7 West Coast Conference
9. New Mexico State 23-3 1171 9 Western Athletic Conference
10. Boise State 21-5 1096 11 Mountain West Conference
11. Akron 21-5 1056 15 Mid-American Conference
12. Murray State 26-2 1053 10 Ohio Valley Conference
13. Cleveland State 20-7 932 14 Horizon League
14. Valparaiso 22-6 875 17 Horizon League
15. Harvard 20-6 798 12 Ivy League
16. Memphis 21-5 770 13 American Athletic Conference
17. SMU 19-6 662 16 American Athletic Conference
18. Northern Iowa 22-6 551 21 Missouri Valley Conference
19. North Dakota State 24-4 394 24 Summit League
20. Vermont 23-5 283 NR America East Conference
21. Mercer 22-5 277 20 Southern Conference
22. Illinois State 19-8 272 22 Missouri Valley Conference
23. Green Bay 19-7 242 23 Horizon League
24. Georgia State 17-10 120 18 Horizon League
25. Portland 21-6 111 NR West Coast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Southern Miss 20-5 108 Conference USA
UC Irvine 20-6 100 Big West Conference
Eastern Kentucky 22-6 58 Ohio Valley Conference
North Carolina Central 22-5 42 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Stony Brook 21-6 25 America East Conference
New Mexico 19-7 23 Mountain West Conference
North Florida 22-5 20 Atlantic Sun Conference
UTEP 18-6 13 Conference USA
Massachusetts 17-9 7 Atlantic 10 Conference
Louisiana Tech 19-7 4 Conference USA
Northeastern 19-8 2 Colonial Athletic Association
Par for the course, no FOFC mid-majors represented.
It's bubble watch time, and while Kentucky is off the bubble, 2 new FOFC teams have entered. Let's take a look.
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Seton Hall 17-9 .594 (35) 4-6 0-1 10-1 3-1 39 In
Florida State 18-8 .580 (44) 1-4 5-1 7-3 5-0 84 In
Stanford 17-9 .581 (42) 3-5 1-2 9-2 4-0 70 In
Miami 20-6 .560 (68) 4-5 1-1 8-0 7-0 202 In
Northeastern 19-8 .573 (52) 1-2 5-2 9-2 4-2 130 In
Georgia State 17-10 .581 (43) 2-3 3-4 5-2 7-1 72 In
Middle Tennessee 18-8 .578 (49) 1-2 3-2 5-1 9-3 87 In
Missouri 15-9 .579 (48) 2-1 4-5 5-2 4-1 54 In
SMU 19-6 .562 (66) 1-3 3-3 3-0 12-0 183 Out
New Mexico 19-7 .561 (67) 2-2 0-3 8-1 9-1 168 Out
Oakland 17-11 .563 (64) 2-5 3-3 3-2 9-1 69 Out
Florida 19-7 .553 (77) 3-2 4-2 7-2 5-1 160 Out
Butler 15-10 .611 (18) 5-7 0-1 7-2 3-0 10 Out
Southern Miss 20-5 .553 (78) 0-0 1-2 7-3 12-0 252 Out
UTEP 18-6 .554 (76) 0-3 4-1 4-0 10-2 211 Out
I wasn't kidding when I said Stanford's win over Arizona on Feb. 2nd may be the difference between the NCAA and the NIT. The Cardinal are just 4-7 against current teams in the top 100, but with their SOS being at 70 and their RPI at 42, the committee has them in, for right now. Fortunately for them, they don't have another team with a winning record on their schedule. Finishing off the regular season with 4 wins would give them 21 which would surely be enough.
As for Florida, while they are 7-4 over the top 100, their SOS is just 160 and their RPI is 77. Losing at Mississippi State is by far their worst loss of the season, but they do have some quality wins (home vs. Vanderbilt, home vs. Kansas, home vs. Duke). The problem is, beating up on teams like Furman, Stetson, Loyola Chicago, and squeaking out a win over FIU won't do a lot to help your RPI. Considering they still have to play at Arkansas, at Missouri, and home vs. Kentucky, I hate to say it but losing any 2 of those games will probably send them to the NIT.
Now for the rest of the bubble watch, Michigan State and UCLA are still locks, and I told you that Kentucky had moved off the bubble with the 2 wins last week? That's because for some inexplicable reason, they are projected OUT. Yes, you heard me, OUT. If you don't believe me, here is the screen shot:
Code:
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE BUBBLE WATCH
Kentucky 19-7 .557 (71) 4-3 4-3 4-0 7-1 187 Out
I'm at a complete loss on this one. I realize SOS is awful, but to have the conference leaders projected out?? Wow.
All other teams other than Michigan State, UCLA, and Stanford are projected out. Craziness.