Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 2019
We have a host of feature games this week, 5 to be exact. We'll start in the Big Ten.
1/30/19-
Northwestern (Ess Vee) @
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- There would be no upset this time, as the Spartans broke open a 2 point halftime lead by outscoring Northwestern 46-22 in the second half, holding them to just 37% shooting. Now this is the Sparty team we're used to seeing.
Final Score: Michigan State- 80, Northwestern- 54
Now to the Pac 12 for 3 games:
1/31/19-
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) @
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- The Bruins led by 18 at halftime, thanks to 55.9% shooting on the entire game and rolled to an easy home victory.
Final Score: #5 UCLA- 91, Washington State- 67
1/31/19-
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) @
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- An absolutely embarrassing performance all around for the Buffaloes, who were held to 13 first half points, were 9-36 from the field for 25%, missed all 14 of their three point attempts, and committed 21 turnovers. The result? I'll just put it to you this way, Stanford scored more points in the first half that Colorado did all game!
Final Score: Stanford- 52, Colorado- 28
2/2/19-
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) @
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- A battle of teams that are now fairly even in the standings, and the Bruins couldn't slow Stanford down. The Cardinal shot 52.4% for the game and despite being outrebounded by 9, Stanford steals one on the road.
Final Score: Stanford- 71, #5 UCLA- 61
And finally, to the SEC we go:
2/2/19-
#18 Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- Based on the final score, you'd have never thought that this game would have went an extra 5 minutes, but it did. Alabama absolutely controlled the overtime period, picking up a key road victory.
Final Score: #18 Alabama- 82, Florida- 70 (OT)
Now, finally, to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 4-17, 3-6 T-6th America East.
1/30/19 at New Hampshire (L 79-64).
Just 1 game this week for the Hawks, but they fall well short.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 4-17, 1-8 11th (last) American.
No games this week for Coach Hutt and the Pirates, who are still looking for their first road victory of the season.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 9-12, 4-4 6th American.
1/28/19 vs. New Mexico (W 61-53).
2/2/19 vs. Tulane (W 72-63).
2 home wins for the Golden Hurricane this week, including a non-conference win over a New Mexico team that could see postseason play.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 11-9, 6-2 T-3rd Atlantic 10.
1/30/19 vs. Duquesne (W 69-59).
2/2/19 at UMass (W 78-76, OT).
Good week for the Wildcats who get a big OT road victory at UMass.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 5-16, 2-7 14th ACC.
1/30/19 at #7 Pittsburgh (L 62-53).
2/2/19 vs. #6 Syracuse (L 91-75).
Tough going for the Tigers this week, who are in the midst of a brutal schedule. They are playing better basketball, but not good enough to win.
#16 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 17-4, 8-1 1st ACC.
1/30/19 vs. Louisville (L 79-64).
2/2/19 vs. #7 Pittsburgh (W 66-63).
A bit of a surprise here, with the Blue Devils losing to Louisville who is having a down season. Still though, Duke is back. Not only have they already matched last seasons overall win total, they've also eclipsed last seasons conference win total.
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 13-7, 5-4 T-5th Big 12.
1/28/19 vs. #21 Oklahoma State (W 84-50).
2/2/19 vs. #4 Baylor (W 72-62).
Looks like the Jayhawks may be figuring it out as they got by a tough 2 game stretch with ease and keep their undefeated record at home in tact.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 7-13, 1-8 10th (last) Big 12.
1/28/19 at West Virginia (L 75-73).
2/2/19 at Texas Tech (W 59-56).
The Horned Frogs are starting to play better basketball, as evidenced by their first conference victory. They still have a big hole to get out of, but they could win a few more conference games before all is said and done.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 10-10, 4-4 T-6th Big Ten.
1/30/19 vs. Purdue (W 76-69).
2/2/19 vs. #9 Wisconsin (L 72-69).
Give the Wolverines credit, they gave Wisconsin everything they had, just fell a little short as their win one, lose one start to conference play continues.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 11-8, 4-4 T-6th Big Ten.
1/30/19 vs. Northwestern- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 vs. Rutgers (W 70-68).
2 important wins for the Spartans as they try to get back on track, especially coming up on a tough road stretch where they face a couple ranked teams.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 5-15, 3-5 T-10th Big Ten.
1/30/19 at Michigan State- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 vs. Penn State (W 65-55).
Good recovery for the Wildcats after that blowout loss at Michigan State. Their upcoming schedule also is a doozy.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 10-9, 4-3 T-4th Big West.
1/31/19 vs. Cal State Northridge (L 74-64).
The Warriors only had 1 game this week, and they really needed to win. They didn't, and now people are starting to talk again.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 7-12, 3-5 T-10th Conference USA.
1/31/19 at Western Kentucky (L 61-53).
2/2/19 at UAB (L 71-67).
Tough week for the 49ers who drop a couple road games. They played well, but they've now lost 3 in a row.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 11-8, 4-4 T-7th Conference USA.
1/31/19 vs. North Texas (W 68-62).
2/2/19 at FIU (W 75-49).
2 home victories for the Owls, and much needed victories at that. They have 2 of their next 3 at home and need to take advantage.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 14-8, 8-7 7th MAAC.
2/1/19 at Rider (W 68-67).
1 game for the Hawks this week, but it was a very important one, on the road against a pretty solid team. They stay on the road next week.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 7-13, 2-6 T-10th MEAC.
1/28/19 vs. Morgan State (L 63-60).
2/2/19 vs. Delaware State (L 67-65).
2 agonizing home defeats for the Spartans this week, as they can't quite get over the hump.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 9-11, 3-5 T-9th Pac 12.
1/31/19 at Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 vs. Washington (L 73-68).
A week to forget for the Buffaloes, especially the Stanford game. They need to shake it off and get back on track next week.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 14-6, 5-3 T-2nd Pac 12.
1/31/19 vs. Colorado- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 at #5 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
Great week for the Cardinal, who steal a road victory against a top 5 team. Next week is crucial though, as they take on both Arizona and UCLA. A split would be big, a sweep would be grand.
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 17-3, 5-3 T-2nd Pac 12.
1/31/19 vs. Washington State- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 vs. Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
A split for the Bruins, who have now lost 3 of their last 4 after winning their first 16 to start the season.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 11-8, 4-4 T-7th Pac 12.
1/31/19 at #5 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
2/2/19 at Oregon State (W 74-60).
The Cougars are still playing better basketball, winners of 3 of their last 4, but they would have liked to be more competitive against UCLA.
#18 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 17-4, 7-1 1st SEC.
1/30/19 vs. Auburn (W 86-77).
2/2/19 at Florida- feature game, highlighted above.
2 more wins for the Crimson Tide who are having a dream season so far.
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 9-11, 2-6 T-13th SEC.
1/30/19 vs. Vanderbilt (L 60-52).
2/2/19 vs. #18 Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
2 more losses for the Gators who are having their worst season in a long time and have lost 6 of their last 7 and 10 of their last 12.
Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 15-5, 6-2 T-2nd SEC.
1/30/19 at Missouri (W 78-65).
2/2/19 vs. Arkansas (W 75-65).
Good comeback for the Wildcats who have won their last 3 and are starting to get their groove back.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 9-11, 4-7 8th Sun Belt.
1/28/19 vs. Colorado State (W 69-56).
2/2/19 vs. Louisiana Lafayette (L 79-68).
Same story as last week for the Trojans. They spent so much energy winning a non-conference game early in the week, then couldn't get it done in conference later in the week. It should be all conference games from here on out, so hopefully now they can get on a roll.
Here's a look at the national top 25 heading into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Virginia (61) 19-1 1789 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (11) 22-0 1739 2 West Coast Conference
3. Iowa State 17-4 1646 3 Big 12 Conference
4. Pittsburgh 17-4 1477 7 Atlantic Coast Conference
5. UCLA 17-3 1420 5 Pacific-12 Conference
6. Wisconsin 15-5 1376 9 Big Ten Conference
7. Illinois State 19-4 1350 15 Missouri Valley Conference
8. Providence 19-2 1271 10 Big East Conference
9. Syracuse 18-2 1225 6 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Northern Iowa 19-4 1176 12 Missouri Valley Conference
11. Notre Dame 15-5 1166 13 Atlantic Coast Conference
12. Texas A&M 18-3 1105 8 Southeastern Conference
13. Iowa 15-5 805 11 Big Ten Conference
14. Baylor 18-3 796 4 Big 12 Conference
15. Arizona 16-5 617 14 Pacific-12 Conference
16. North Carolina 15-6 572 18 Atlantic Coast Conference
17. Georgetown 15-5 494 19 Big East Conference
18. Duke 17-4 472 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
19. Oakland 20-3 472 20 Horizon League
20. Alabama 17-4 464 22 Southeastern Conference
21. Ohio State 13-5 409 17 Big Ten Conference
22. Kentucky 15-5 373 NR Southeastern Conference
23. Vanderbilt 15-5 332 NR Southeastern Conference
24. San Diego State 15-5 328 23 Mountain West Conference
25. Maryland 14-6 289 25 Big Ten Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Minnesota 16-4 104 Big Ten Conference
Villanova 15-6 96 Big East Conference
St. Bonaventure 16-4 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
Oklahoma State 15-5 9 Big 12 Conference
Saint Mary's 16-5 9 West Coast Conference
Manhattan 17-4 5 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
North Carolina Central 17-4 3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Despite the split, UCLA stays at #5. Duke wasn't so lucky, their split cost them 2 spots. Alabama, unbelievably also dropped 2 spots after winning both games this week. No respect I tell ya! Kentucky is back in the top 25 after 2 wins this week.
Now a look at the mid-major top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Gonzaga (72) 22-0 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Illinois State 19-4 1728 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Northern Iowa 19-4 1652 3 Missouri Valley Conference
4. San Diego State 15-5 1563 5 Mountain West Conference
5. Oakland 20-3 1519 4 Horizon League
6. SMU 16-5 1256 9 American Athletic Conference
7. Cincinnati 15-6 1245 22 American Athletic Conference
8. St. Bonaventure 16-4 1234 6 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Rhode Island 15-5 1130 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
10. Eastern Michigan 16-5 1066 15 Mid-American Conference
11. Boise State 13-6 1063 18 Mountain West Conference
12. Saint Mary's 16-5 1045 14 West Coast Conference
13. Wichita State 16-5 996 7 Missouri Valley Conference
14. Buffalo 14-7 916 16 Mid-American Conference
15. Manhattan 17-4 915 10 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
16. North Carolina Central 17-4 715 12 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
17. Saint Joseph's 15-5 681 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
18. UTEP 15-5 501 24 Conference USA
19. Bucknell 16-6 491 NR Patriot League
20. Belmont 16-6 476 13 Ohio Valley Conference
21. Georgia State 16-7 380 23 Horizon League
22. Harvard 14-6 311 NR Ivy League
23. American 17-5 222 25 Patriot League
24. Green Bay 16-6 201 NR Horizon League
25. Dayton 15-5 95 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
William & Mary 15-6 48 Colonial Athletic Association
Massachusetts 15-5 35 Atlantic 10 Conference
Eastern Kentucky 16-5 34 Ohio Valley Conference
Stony Brook 16-6 31 America East Conference
Utah State 14-7 18 Mountain West Conference
UC Santa Barbara 14-6 11 Big West Conference
Valparaiso 14-8 10 Horizon League
Robert Morris 16-5 7 Northeast Conference
USC Upstate 15-6 3 Atlantic Sun Conference
Air Force 13-6 1 Mountain West Conference
Stephen F. Austin 14-5 1 Southland Conference
No FOFC teams in the mid-major top 25, as expected. I have a feeling though, that it won't be long before Gonzaga earns a conference promotion. Based on their region, their most likely destination would be the Pac 12. I'm sure that UCLA, Colorado, Stanford, and Washington State, as well as all the other Pac 12 teams, are thrilled about that. Not!
Well, we've come to February, and that means it's Bubble Watch time. The first edition of the overall bubble watch sees none of our FOFC teams in, but let's take a look at it anyways.
Code:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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Nebraska 13-7 .582 (41) 4-2 2-1 4-4 3-0 41 In
Saint Mary's 16-5 .588 (37) 0-3 3-0 7-1 6-1 86 In
Syracuse 18-2 .557 (65) 1-0 4-1 6-0 7-1 327 In
Bucknell 16-6 .601 (23) 0-3 4-2 4-1 8-0 49 In
Wichita State 16-5 .578 (46) 1-3 2-0 3-1 10-1 170 In
South Carolina 13-7 .560 (58) 4-4 1-0 6-3 2-0 105 In
Buffalo 14-7 .586 (39) 1-3 1-3 7-1 5-0 33 In
North Carolina State 13-7 .560 (60) 3-3 3-1 3-3 4-0 85 In
Howard 15-6 .559 (61) 0-1 3-3 3-2 9-0 125 Out
Valparaiso 14-8 .601 (21) 3-3 6-1 3-1 2-3 13 Out
Rutgers 13-7 .573 (50) 1-4 3-1 4-2 5-0 75 Out
Indiana 13-7 .560 (59) 1-6 3-0 3-1 6-0 91 Out
Stony Brook 16-6 .547 (78) 2-3 1-1 6-0 7-2 206 Out
Butler 13-8 .586 (40) 2-5 1-3 6-0 4-0 24 Out
Cincinnati 15-6 .518 (122) 1-2 2-2 3-1 9-1 272 Out
As for our FOFC teams, let's take a look at where they stand.
Lock: Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Stanford, Alabama, Kentucky,
So 6 of our teams are projected to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament. The other 18 teams are projected out. Remember, this bubble watch is only for the NCAA Tournament. There might be some of our other FOFC teams that would be projected into some of the smaller tournaments.