Feb. 4-10, 2019
There are 2 feature games this week, and they are both very key matchups. We'll start in the Pac 12:
2/9/19-
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) @
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- The Bruins were looking for revenge after Stanford upset them last week, and they got it. UCLA outrebounded Stanford 29-21 and shot 60.4% and rolled to an easy victory.
Now to the SEC for an even bigger game:
2/9/19-
#20 Alabama (Roy Rogers) @
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- The Wildcats were determined not to fall any farther in the SEC, and they did it in a big way. Alabama committed 24 turnovers and Kentucky shot 60.3%. The Wildcats led by 27 at halftime and never looked back.
Final Score: #22 Kentucky- 105, #20 Alabama- 73
Now on to the rest of the weekly recap:
Hartford (David Ginsberg) -- 5-19, 3-8 T-8th America East.
2/4/19 vs. Holy Cross (W 58-56).
2/6/19 at Binghamton (L 70-65).
2/10/19 at UMBC (L 75-70).
A wild week for the Hawks, and a busy week. They won their non-conference game, but lost both their conference games on the road.
ECU (Al Hutt) -- 4-19, 1-10 11th (last) American.
2/6/19 at Tulane (L 62-52).
2/9/19 vs. Cincinnati (L 65-50).
2 more losses for the Pirates who have now lost 5 in a row.
Tulsa (Will Brown) -- 9-14, 4-6 8th American.
2/6/19 vs. Memphis (L 60-54).
2/9/19 at Temple (L 70-61).
Looks like the Golden Hurricane haven't turned the corner after all, as they lose 2 this week.
Davidson (Randolph Childress) -- 12-10, 7-3 T-2nd Atlantic 10.
2/6/19 at Dayton (W 73-60).
2/9/19 vs. Mississippi State (L 69-63).
A split for the Wildcats, and it may take a while before they get over the fact of being swept by Mississippi State.
Clemson (Charles Johnson) -- 5-18, 2-9 14th ACC.
2/6/19 at N.C. State (L 92-71).
2/9/19 at Wake Forest (L 82-79).
The Tigers came close to breaking their losing streak, but not quite.
#18 Duke (Dean Hoo) -- 19-4, 9-1 1st ACC.
2/6/19 vs. Georgia Tech (W 77-57).
2/8/19 at Marist (W 67-57).
2 more wins for the Blue Devils, including a non-conference win.
Kansas (Dave Johnson) -- 15-7, 6-4 T-5th Big 12.
2/7/19 vs. Hofstra (W 78-69).
2/9/19 vs. Oklahoma (W 64-54).
2 home wins for the Jayhawks who are starting to figure it out again.
TCU (Bee Mighty) -- 7-15, 1-10 10th (last) Big 12.
2/4/19 at Oklahoma State (L 73-54).
2/9/19 at #14 Baylor (L 58-47).
2 more losses for the Horned Frogs after getting their first conference win. They played decent against Baylor, but not great.
Michigan (Cillian Tribble) -- 12-10, 6-4 T-5th Big Ten.
2/6/19 vs. Nebraska (W 72-64).
2/9/19 vs. Indiana (W 65-52).
The Wolverines tried something new this week. Instead of splitting, they won 2 games in a row. Hopefully they won't lose 2 in a row next week.
Michigan State (Al Mighty) -- 11-10, 4-6 T-9th Big Ten.
2/6/19 at Illinois (L 77-70).
2/9/19 at #6 Wisconsin (L 97-69).
Yikes! The Spartans are definitely down this season, as evidenced by that 28 point loss at Wisconsin. It's a strong possibility, unless they heat up quick, the Michigan State might miss the postseason.
Northwestern (Ess Vee) -- 6-16, 4-6 T-9th Big Ten.
2/6/19 at Indiana (W 88-78).
2/9/19 vs. #21 Ohio State (L 78-68).
A split for the Wildcats this week, as they are definitely playing better ball, but still have a ways to go.
Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 11-10, 5-4 T-3rd Big West.
2/7/19 at UC Davis (L 93-85).
2/9/19 vs. Cal State Fullerton (W 78-69).
Another split for the Warriors. Thankfully, nobody is exactly pulling away in the conference, and they are just 1 game behind the leaders.
Charlotte (Timmy Tribble) -- 7-14, 3-7 T-10th Conference USA.
2/7/19 vs. Old Dominion (L 58-57).
2/9/19 at Marshall (L 92-81).
The 49ers lose 2 more this week, including a heartbreaking loss to Old Dominion in which they had several chances to win. Their losing streak is 5 now.
Rice (Charlie Shocker) -- 12-9, 5-5 T-8th Conference USA.
2/7/19 vs. Florida Atlantic (W 72-67).
2/9/19 at Old Dominion (L 85-80).
A couple 5 point margins for the Owls in a split. Old Dominion was not kind to our FOFC teams this week, beating 2 of them.
Monmouth (Thomas Carrano) -- 16-9, 9-8 T-6th MAAC.
2/4/19 at Howard (W 64-62).
2/8/19 at St. Peter's (L 77-51).
2/10/19 vs. Canisius (W 60-54).
3 games for the Hawks this week, as they win 2 of them. Their loss was a big one though, but that 16th win of the season is a season best so far, with more games to go.
Norfolk State (Payten Carrano) -- 7-15, 2-8 T-12th MEAC.
2/4/19 vs. South Carolina State (L 61-54).
2/9/19 at Florida A&M (L 65-56).
The slump continues for the Spartans, who lose 2 more and continue to be less than competitive in the conference. This will be Coach Carrano's worst season by far.
Colorado (Rob Nielsen) -- 11-11, 5-5 T-5th Pac 12.
2/7/19 vs. California (W 75-62).
2/9/19 at Oregon State (W 66-50).
Good week for the Buffaloes who get back to .500 overall and in conference play with 2 double digit wins.
Stanford (Benito Sanchez) -- 14-8, 5-5 T-5th Pac 12.
2/7/19 at #15 Arizona (L 64-43).
2/9/19 vs. #5 UCLA- feature game, highlighted above.
The Cardinal came down to earth this week after shocking UCLA last week. Fortunately, they won't have to see either Arizona or UCLA again in the regular season.
#5 UCLA (Tim Shepard) -- 19-3, 7-3 2nd Pac 12.
2/7/19 at Oregon State (W 80-72).
2/9/19 at Stanford- feature game, highlighted above.
Much better week for the Bruins, who get 2 road victories, including a revenge win over Stanford.
Washington State (DeShawn St. John) -- 11-10, 4-6 T-9th Pac 12.
2/7/19 vs. Utah (L 69-55).
2/9/19 at California (L 80-69).
2 losses this week for the Cougars, as they've lost 3 of their last 4.
#20 Alabama (Roy Rogers) -- 17-6, 7-3 T-2nd SEC.
2/6/19 vs. VCU (L 56-50).
2/9/19 at #22 Kentucky- feature game, highlighted above.
2 losses this week for the Crimson Tide, and they'll want to put that Kentucky loss behind them quickly.
Florida (Noah Oppenheimer) -- 10-12, 3-7 T-12th SEC.
2/6/19 at South Carolina (W 62-57).
2/9/19 vs. VCU (L 58-50).
A split for the Gators, and those 12 losses are a season high so far in Coach Oppenheimer's tenure here. That will not make the board happy.
#22 Kentucky (Patrick Hutt) -- 17-5, 8-2 T-2nd SEC.
2/6/19 at Ole Miss (W 87-69).
2/9/19 vs. #20 Alabama- feature game, highlighted above.
2 big wins for the Wildcats, and the win over Ole Miss was win #100 in the career of Coach Hutt. Congrats to him, he is the 2nd FOFC coach to reach the 100 win mark.
Troy (Brett Hawkins) -- 9-13, 4-9 T-9th Sun Belt.
2/7/19 vs. Appalachian State (L 65-47).
2/9/19 at South Alabama (L 91-74).
The Trojans suffer 2 more losses and just can't quite get over that hump.
Here is a look at the national top 25 going into next week:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Virginia (48) 20-2 1775 1 Atlantic Coast Conference
2. Gonzaga (24) 23-1 1752 2 West Coast Conference
3. Iowa State 19-4 1645 3 Big 12 Conference
4. UCLA 19-3 1553 5 Pacific-12 Conference
5. Illinois State 20-4 1348 7 Missouri Valley Conference
6. Providence 21-2 1347 8 Big East Conference
7. Wisconsin 17-5 1346 6 Big Ten Conference
8. Syracuse 20-2 1312 9 Atlantic Coast Conference
9. Notre Dame 17-5 1237 11 Atlantic Coast Conference
10. Iowa 17-5 1114 13 Big Ten Conference
11. Vanderbilt 17-5 1098 23 Southeastern Conference
12. Northern Iowa 21-4 1040 10 Missouri Valley Conference
13. Kentucky 17-5 964 22 Southeastern Conference
14. Ohio State 15-5 778 21 Big Ten Conference
15. Georgetown 17-5 763 18 Big East Conference
16. Texas A&M 19-4 756 12 Southeastern Conference
17. Baylor 19-4 690 14 Big 12 Conference
18. Maryland 16-6 628 25 Big Ten Conference
19. Duke 19-4 589 17 Atlantic Coast Conference
20. Oakland 22-3 459 19 Horizon League
21. Arizona 18-5 346 15 Pacific-12 Conference
22. Alabama 17-6 191 20 Southeastern Conference
23. North Carolina 16-7 178 16 Atlantic Coast Conference
24. Saint Mary's 18-5 164 NR West Coast Conference
25. Pittsburgh 17-6 129 4 Atlantic Coast Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Creighton 16-7 78 Big East Conference
Kansas 15-7 36 Big 12 Conference
SMU 18-5 22 American Athletic Conference
North Carolina Central 19-4 20 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Manhattan 19-4 14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Rhode Island 17-5 11 Atlantic 10 Conference
San Diego State 15-7 7 Mountain West Conference
Villanova 16-7 4 Big East Conference
Wichita State 18-5 3 Missouri Valley Conference
Belmont 18-6 2 Ohio Valley Conference
St. Bonaventure 17-5 1 Atlantic 10 Conference
So UCLA moves up 1 spot after a 2 win week, while Kentucky jumped up 9 spots! Big jump for them. Duke and Alabama each drop 2 spots, and here comes Kansas! Still a lot of points away from making the top 25, but they are definitely starting to show they belong there.
Now for the mid-major top 25:
Code:
# Team FPV Record Points Prv Conference
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1. Gonzaga (72) 23-1 1800 1 West Coast Conference
2. Illinois State 20-4 1728 2 Missouri Valley Conference
3. Northern Iowa 21-4 1656 3 Missouri Valley Conference
4. Oakland 22-3 1561 5 Horizon League
5. SMU 18-5 1378 6 American Athletic Conference
6. San Diego State 15-7 1370 4 Mountain West Conference
7. Saint Mary's 18-5 1308 12 West Coast Conference
8. Rhode Island 17-5 1240 9 Atlantic 10 Conference
9. Boise State 15-6 1209 11 Mountain West Conference
10. Buffalo 16-7 1175 15 Mid-American Conference
11. Wichita State 18-5 1155 13 Missouri Valley Conference
12. Manhattan 19-4 1046 14 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
13. North Carolina Central 19-4 862 16 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
14. St. Bonaventure 17-5 826 8 Atlantic 10 Conference
15. Cincinnati 16-7 802 7 American Athletic Conference
16. UTEP 17-5 725 18 Conference USA
17. Bucknell 18-6 708 19 Patriot League
18. Belmont 18-6 646 20 Ohio Valley Conference
19. Harvard 16-6 540 22 Ivy League
20. Green Bay 18-6 466 24 Horizon League
21. Massachusetts 17-5 377 NR Atlantic 10 Conference
22. Georgia State 17-8 281 21 Horizon League
23. Eastern Michigan 16-7 204 10 Mid-American Conference
24. Saint Joseph's 15-7 113 17 Atlantic 10 Conference
25. Dayton 16-6 71 25 Atlantic 10 Conference
Others Receiving Votes:
Utah State 15-7 43 Mountain West Conference
UC Santa Barbara 16-6 34 Big West Conference
Eastern Kentucky 17-6 29 Ohio Valley Conference
Stony Brook 17-7 15 America East Conference
Robert Morris 17-6 12 Northeast Conference
American 17-7 10 Patriot League
Niagara 16-8 4 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
USC Upstate 16-7 4 Atlantic Sun Conference
Stephen F. Austin 15-6 2 Southland Conference
Not surprisingly, none of our teams are there.
And now we check out this weeks edition of the Bubble Watch. We have 1 FOFC team in our Overall Bubble Watch:
OVERALL BUBBLE WATCH
Code:
Team Record RPI vs. 1-50 vs. 51-100 vs. 101-200 vs. 200+ SOS Projected
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St. Bonaventure 17-5 .548 (67) 2-1 3-1 9-3 3-0 247 In
Howard 16-7 .555 (60) 0-1 2-3 5-3 9-0 117 In
Eastern Michigan 16-7 .563 (54) 2-1 1-2 6-1 7-3 139 In
Niagara 16-8 .552 (63) 1-2 1-3 6-2 8-1 110 In
Stony Brook 17-7 .543 (74) 2-3 0-1 6-1 9-2 207 In
LSU 14-8 .548 (66) 1-4 5-3 3-1 5-0 119 In
Butler 14-9 .588 (35) 2-5 3-4 5-0 4-0 24 In
Green Bay 18-6 .545 (70) 0-4 1-0 6-1 11-1 236 In
North Carolina State 14-8 .543 (72) 2-3 3-3 6-2 3-0 131 Out
Utah State 15-7 .541 (77) 0-3 2-0 7-3 6-1 162 Out
Valparaiso 14-9 .569 (49) 3-3 5-1 6-1 0-4 36 Out
Monmouth 16-9 .544 (71) 0-3 2-1 8-2 6-3 164 Out
Illinois 15-8 .521 (121) 2-5 0-2 6-0 7-1 211 Out
Massachusetts 17-5 .490 (198) 1-0 2-2 5-1 9-2 346 Out
American 17-7 .532 (94) 1-1 1-3 3-1 12-2 221 Out
Even I was shocked to see Monmouth in the First Four Out for the NCAA Tournament. If they can string together a few wins in a row, they'd put themselves in a really good position. Their RPI is 71, which is much higher than I expected. They are 2-4 against the RPI top 100 which isn't that bad for a mid-major team. With this being said, I have to say I'm surprised they aren't getting some votes in the mid-major poll.
Now for the rest of the teams and where they stand.
Locks: Duke, Kansas, UCLA, Kentucky, Alabama
In: Stanford