Feb. 15-21, 2021
We have 3 feature games this week, and we'll start in the Pac 12, which had 2 of the feature games.
2/18/21-
#16 UCLA (Tim Shepard) @
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- The Buffaloes battled in this one, sticking with UCLA stat line for stat line. The only difference is that UCLA made a few more free throws and a couple more three pointers. The Bruins were a perfect 15-15 from the line in pulling out a tough road victory.
Final Score: #16 UCLA- 72, Colorado- 69
2/20/21-
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- Stanford controlled the boards in this game, and shot the ball much better. They took 10 fewer shots, and made 1 more shot. This equated to a double digit victory.
Final Score: Stanford- 63, Washington State- 51
Now we move to the American Conference:
2/20/21-
UConn (Randolph Childress) @
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- A bit of a shocker here, as the Huskies led by 6 at halftime but completely fell apart in the second half. The telling numbers in this game? UConn committed 31 team fouls, and Tulsa was 32-47 from the line. Hard to beat a team that shoots 47 free throws.
Final Score: Tulsa- 69, UConn- 64
Now to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 18-9, 8-7 T-3rd America Eat.
2/17/21 vs. Albany (L 74-65).
2/21/21 at Maine (L 80-47).
2 more losses this week for the Hawks, as they've lost 3 in a row, and 4 of their last 5. They've got 2 games next week, and 1 is a non-conference game. They can't win the America East this season, the best they can do is 2nd place.
UConn (Randolph Childress) -- 13-14, 8-7 T-5th American.
2/17/21 vs. SMU (L 95-71).
2/20/21 at Tulsa- feature game, highlighted above.
Tough week for the Huskies, as the first season under the watch of Coach Childress has been disappointing, to say the least.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 14-11, 8-6 4th American.
2/17/21 vs. UCF (W 74-66).
Just 1 game for the Pirates this season, and it was a win, as they continue to break records and stay on the bubble for any postseason tournament berth.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 12-12, 6-8 7th American.
2/17/21 at South Florida (W 62-53).
2/20/21 vs. UConn- feature game, highlighted above.
2 more wins this week for the Golden Hurricane, who have fought back to .500. Next week will be a tough week though.
#17 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 20-6, 11-3 3rd ACC.
2/17/21 at Pittsburgh (W 76-75).
2/20/21 vs. Wake Forest (W 78-68).
2 more wins for the Blue Devils, who have now rolled off 8 straight victories. They have a chance to make a statement next week as they take on the conference leader.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 19-8, 10-5 2nd Big 12.
2/15/21 at Iowa State (L 79-52).
2/20/21 at Kansas (W 72-63).
The Horned Frogs split this week, winning at Kansas to break a 3 game losing streak. Man, how bad has Kansas gotten in this game? They are just 6-18 this season. Yikes. Back to TCU, as they have tied the team record for most wins in a season, a record that they set just last year and will probably break it this season. If Coach Mighty doesn't get some consideration for either national or Big 12 COTY, it's a shame.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 14-12, 6-8 T-9th Big Ten.
2/17/21 at Michigan (L 74-73).
2/20/21 at Ohio State (L 67-64).
2 tough losses for the Spartans this season, as they continue to struggle through what is easily their worst season since I started this dynasty.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 8-18, 4-10 13th Big Ten.
2/17/21 vs. #14 Penn State (L 69-64).
2/20/21 at Indiana (L 73-64).
2 more losses for the Wildcats, as they continue to play good, but not good enough basketball. Coach Vee could be on his way out after the season.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 13-13, 7-6 4th Big West.
2/18/21 at UC Davis (W 71-66).
2/20/21 vs. Cal State Northridge (W 76-75).
2 tough victories for the Warriors this week, including a buzzer beater over a solid Northridge team. Hawaii continues to play inconsistent basketball, and we'll see what next week brings.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 12-13, 5-9 T-11th Conference USA.
2/18/21 at #19 UAB (L 75-72).
2/20/21 at UTSA (L 76-71).
Heartbreaking week on the road for the Owls, as they had ranked UAB on the ropes for most of the game before fading late. Same situation at UTSA, although they weren't ranked. It's definitely a week of "What could have been".
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 12-14, 6-8 T-8th Pac 12.
2/18/21 vs. #16 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
2/20/21 at Arizona State (W 71-63).
A split for the Buffaloes, who had a golden opportunity for another marquee victory, but fell short against UCLA. They are in a great position to win out in the regular season, which just might put them in contention for a postseason tournament. However, they have to play the level of basketball Coach Nielsen knows they are capable of playing.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 14-12, 8-6 T-4th Pac 12.
2/18/21 vs. Oregon State (L 78-58).
2/20/21 at Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
The Cardinal didn't show up against Oregon State, but bounced back nicely on the road, splitting this week.
#16 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 18-8, 9-5 T-2nd Pac 12.
2/18/21 at Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/20/21 at Arizona (L 72-66).
A split for the Bruins, and once again, it is that pesky Arizona team that even in a bit of a down year is causing UCLA fits.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 15-11, 6-8 T-8th Pac 12.
2/18/21 vs. Arizona (L 62-55).
2/20/21 vs. Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2 more losses for the Cougars, who are really hurting their NCAA chances. They need to figure out a way to win late in the season.
Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 11-15, 4-10 12th SEC.
2/17/21 vs. Missouri (L 92-78).
2/20/21 vs. LSU (W 78-57).
A split for the Crimson Tide, and signs of life as well, with a 21 point win over LSU. Hopefully that'll spark something, but let's be honest, the schedule is pretty brutal to end the season.
#24 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 18-7, 11-3 T-1st SEC.
2/17/21 at Ole Miss (W 99-64).
2/20/21 at Auburn (W 93-71).
The Wildcats are rolling again, as they win 2 games this week by 20+ points. This is what we're used to seeing. They have some tough games coming up and are going to need to continue this type of offense pace.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 13-13, 8-8 T-5th Sun Belt.
2/18/21 vs. Samford (L 89-81).
2/20/21 vs. UL Lafayette (W 58-56).
The Trojans split this week, but get the win in their conference game, which is ever so important. The last 3 seasons, Troy has finished 7-13 in the conference. Not this season, they'll top that, even if by just 1 game. Hopefully they can win a couple more though.
Let's take a look at the national top 25 heading into the week of Feb. 22-28:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Baylor (47) 24-3 1764 3 Big 12 Conference
2. Wisconsin (1) 22-4 1704 1 Big Ten Conference
3. Louisville (24) 23-5 1700 2 Atlantic Coast Conference
4. Florida State 22-4 1536 5 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. Wichita State 25-4 1505 8 Missouri Valley Conference
6. San Diego State 23-3 1444 7 Mountain West Conference
7. Illinois 21-5 1394 4 Big Ten Conference
8. Syracuse 20-4 1321 10 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Villanova 21-6 1213 9 Big East Conference
10. Boise State 21-5 1167 6 Mountain West Conference
11. Memphis 20-4 1069 12 American Athletic Conference
12. Providence 20-6 954 15 Big East Conference
13. Fresno State 22-4 871 11 Mountain West Conference
14. Penn State 20-7 816 14 Big Ten Conference
15. Kentucky 18-7 793 24 Southeastern Conference
16. Rutgers 20-6 792 18 Big Ten Conference
17. Rhode Island 21-5 621 13 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. UAB 21-5 586 19 Conference USA
19. Duke 20-6 456 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Harvard 22-5 435 21 Ivy League
21. Middle Tennessee 21-5 349 25 Conference USA
22. Missouri 19-7 291 NR Southeastern Conference
23. Tennessee 19-7 173 NR Southeastern Conference
24. Virginia 17-9 141 NR Atlantic Coast Conference
25. UCLA 18-8 84 16 Pacific-12 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Georgetown 18-9 64 Big East Conference
Mercer 21-6 33 Southern Conference
UC Irvine 20-6 31 Big West Conference
SMU 19-7 22 American Athletic Conference
Vanderbilt 18-8 21 Southeastern Conference
Quinnipiac 22-6 15 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Georgia State 21-7 8 Horizon League
Buffalo 18-8 7 Mid-American Conference
Oklahoma 16-9 6 Big 12 Conference
Western Michigan 20-7 5 Mid-American Conference
Florida 17-9 4 Southeastern Conference
TCU 19-8 4 Big 12 Conference
William & Mary 20-7 1 Colonial Athletic Association
So after 2 big wins this week, Kentucky moves up 9 spots. Meanwhile, Duke, even after 2 victories this week, drops 2 spots. UCLA also drops, but theirs was much more significant, as they fall 8 spots after splitting this week. TCU continues to receive votes, but another split will probably see those votes gone.
Now for the mid-major poll for the week of Feb. 22-28:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference test test test test
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Wichita State (68) 25-4 1796 1 Missouri Valley Conference
2. San Diego State (4) 23-3 1731 3 Mountain West Conference
3. Boise State 21-5 1646 2 Mountain West Conference
4. Memphis 20-4 1589 4 American Athletic Conference
5. Rhode Island 21-5 1450 5 Atlantic 10 Conference
6. Fresno State 22-4 1431 6 Mountain West Conference
7. UAB 21-5 1391 7 Conference USA
8. Middle Tennessee 21-5 1277 11 Conference USA
9. SMU 19-7 1177 8 American Athletic Conference
10. Harvard 22-5 1171 12 Ivy League
11. Georgia State 21-7 1055 9 Horizon League
12. Buffalo 18-8 974 10 Mid-American Conference
13. Western Michigan 20-7 944 13 Mid-American Conference
14. UC Irvine 20-6 899 15 Big West Conference
15. William & Mary 20-7 713 20 Colonial Athletic Association
16. Kent State 19-7 702 14 Mid-American Conference
17. Pepperdine 19-8 587 22 West Coast Conference
18. Quinnipiac 22-6 563 17 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
19. Mercer 21-6 527 19 Southern Conference
20. Illinois State 19-9 503 18 Missouri Valley Conference
21. Detroit 21-9 321 23 Horizon League
22. Akron 18-9 274 NR Mid-American Conference
23. Northern Kentucky 20-6 174 NR Sun Belt Conference
24. Massachusetts 18-8 172 21 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Richmond 18-8 141 16 Atlantic 10 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Davidson 17-9 63 Atlantic 10 Conference
UTEP 16-8 44 Conference USA
Lehigh 19-8 25 Patriot League
FIU 17-8 21 Conference USA
George Washington 16-9 19 Atlantic 10 Conference
Cincinnati 17-10 8 American Athletic Conference
Evansville 16-9 4 Missouri Valley Conference
Northeastern 19-9 4 Colonial Athletic Association
USC Upstate 20-7 4 Atlantic Sun Conference
Just as it has been for weeks now, nothing for our FOFC Mid-major teams.
Now for this weeks edition of the bubble watch, as none of our FOFC teams are in the Overall Bubble Watch. Let's take a look anyways:
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIU 17-8 .579 (31) 2-3 4-1 2-1 9-3 92 In
William & Mary 20-7 .555 (58) 2-0 0-0 5-5 13-2 195 In
Arkansas 16-10 .562 (43) 3-7 2-3 7-0 4-0 76 In
UTEP 16-8 .566 (39) 0-4 2-2 8-1 6-1 67 In
Virginia 17-9 .549 (67) 4-6 2-0 8-3 3-0 83 In
Evansville 16-9 .550 (63) 0-3 4-2 3-3 9-1 139 In
Davidson 17-9 .555 (59) 1-2 2-2 5-2 9-3 82 In
Columbia 16-10 .560 (46) 3-3 1-2 6-2 6-3 60 In
Oregon State 17-9 .550 (65) 2-2 3-5 5-1 7-1 129 Out
Marshall 16-10 .553 (60) 3-4 1-0 6-3 6-3 117 Out
Cal State Northridge 16-10 .552 (61) 0-3 2-3 9-3 5-1 88 Out
Cincinnati 17-10 .548 (68) 2-6 0-1 5-0 10-3 101 Out
Texas A&M 17-9 .543 (76) 2-6 5-0 7-2 3-1 104 Out
Illinois State 19-9 .545 (73) 1-4 4-3 5-1 9-1 160 Out
Oklahoma 16-9 .544 (74) 1-3 3-1 5-5 7-0 113 Out
Let's take a look at where are FOFC are projected, as far as the NCAA Tourney goes:
Locks:
Duke,
TCU,
UCLA,
Kentucky
No changes from last week, as it's exactly the same.