Hoop Night 3/3/2008

Tonight’s Big Game

Pitt (21-8) at West Virginia (20-9) - 7pm, ESPN. Both teams are now 9-7 in the Big East, and both are considered bubble teams. Some say Pitt is already in, so the onus is on the home team to make their case and simultaneously throw some doubt on a hated rival. To borrow one of the best blog names ever: We Must Ignite this Couch! (sad story, incidentally). Also one of the all-time great rivalry names, The Backyard Brawl.

Also On:

South Carolina State at Florida A&M - 8pm, ESPNU
Texas Tech at Kansas - 9pm, ESPN
Loyola Marymount at San Diego - 10pm, ESPNU
Santa Clara at Gonzaga - 11:30pm, ESPN2

Hoop Night 2/28/2008

Tonight’s Big Games

Notre Dame (21-5) at Louisville (22-6) - 7pm, ESPN. According to the Associated Press, Rick Pitino has no idea which defense to use against the Irish. If he wants to stop Luke Harangody, he may have to resort to a pitchfork-waving mob of villagers. The Beast continues to shore up his 20/10 average for the season, due in part to the speed and finesse of his teammates. Louisville is riding a seven-game win streak and playing at home, so this ought to be a doozy.

Michigan State (22-5) at Wisconsin (23-4) - 9pm, ESPN2. The Spartans gobbled up Penn State and Iowa in their past two games, but now it’s time to pick on someone their own size. Wisconsin, on the other hand, seems to be able to handle anyone in the Big Ten not named Purdue. This game is in Madison, where I’m pretty much expecting Steve Lavin and Brent Musberger to purchase a nice summer cottage together at this point.

Also On:

St. Louis at Saint Joseph's - 7pm, ESPN2.
Murray State at Tennessee Tech - 7pm, ESPNU
USC at Arizona - 9pm, ESPN

Wright State at Butler - 9pm, ESPNU. If Wright wins this, they sweep the Bulldogs and have the inside track for the #1 conference tourney seed, which means home court.

Hoop Night 2/27/2008

Tonight's Big Game

Again, I wasn't really feelin' it when it came to the significance of tonight's top 25 games. Instead, I went for a matchup that has a great deal of meaning in the at-large picture.

Miami (Fla.) (19-7) at Clemson (19-7) - Not Televised. Clemson's tournament profile looks pretty good at this point, but if they really want to lay the doubts to rest and solidify their third-place standing in the ACC, it really behooves them to win this home game against a possible contender. On the Miami side, this is their last chance to make a statement for the committee outside of the conference tournament. We're dealing with a lot of shit here.

Actually on TV:

Kansas at Iowa State - 7pm, ESPN. If Kansas loses this one, call and tell me to take my head out of the oven. Especially since it's electric.

Florida State at NC State - 7pm, ESPNU
Georgia Tech at Duke - 9pm, ESPN
St. John's at Georgetown - 9pm, ESPNU
West Virginia at DePaul - 9pm, ESPN2

Hoop Night 2/26/2008

Tonight’s Big Game

Tennessee (25-2) at Vanderbilt (23-4) - 9pm, ESPN. Man, things sure are hoppin’ in Tennessee. The Vols take their triumphant #1 ranking from Memphis to Nashville tonight, where they’ll take on the up-and-down Commodores. History suggests that this will be a close game, and that the Volunteers might have a tough time of things. They’ve lost three out of the four times they played in Memorial Gym.

Also On:

Ohio State at Indiana - 7pm, ESPN
Southern Illinios at Bradley - 7pm, ESPN2
Boston College at Virginia Tech - 7pm, ESPNU
Oklahoma State at Missouri - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoopnight 2/25

Game of the Night

Texas (23-4) at Kansas State (18-8) 9:00 p.m. ESPN

The hottest team in the Big 12 takes on the hottest player. Both of these teams have beat my alma mater this season, and I'm still psyched to see them play. Nobody knows who will step up for Texas tonight, but everybody knows who will come up big for the Wildcats. By the way, Beasley has passed Carmelo Anthony as the NCAA freshman with the most double-doubles. And counting.

Also Intriguing

Marquette at Villanova 7:00 p.m. ESPN

The Wildcats have seemingly risen from the dead and now back into bubble discussion. A win tonight over a hot Marquette squad tonight and the Wildcats are probably right on the cusp of the bracket. A loss? Back to the coffin...

San Diego at Saint Mary's 10:00 p.m

Quick turnaround for the Gaels, who will be looking to avoid dropping any further down the bracket against a Toreros squad that beat them in January. Can't look ahead to upcoming showdown with Zags.

Hoop Night 2/20/2008

Tonight’s Big Game

The Top 25 isn’t really giving us any meat tonight, as ranked teams are playing also-rans across the board. So I’m going deep for games that actually mean something.

Houston (19-5) at UAB (17-8). Houston has made a habit of running up early leads on Memphis before folding in the second half, and UAB nearly derailed the perfect season just a few days ago. The battle for second place in C-USA is worth a mention, eh? Eh?

Unfortunately, that game won't be on TV, so here's what will be:

North Carolina at NC State - 7pm, ESPN
Marquette at St. John's - 7pm, ESPN2
South Florida at Cincinnati - 7pm, ESPNU
Kansas State at Nebraska - 9pm, ESPN2
Eastern Michigan at Western Michigan - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 2/19/2008

Tonight’s Big Game

Purdue (21-5) at Indiana (21-4) - 7pm, ESPN. Aargh. All of the plots and subplots will drive a guy mad. I’m ready for this one to hit on the hardwood. Still, it’s worth noting: Indiana coach = under indictment. Indiana star forward = kinda sorta injured. Purdue = eleven wins in a row, and counting. This is the only time the two Indiana-based Big Tenners will meet this regular season, so let’s get it awn.

Also On:

DePaul @ UConn - 7pm, ESPNU
UNC-Greensboro @ Davidson - 7pm, ESPN2
Georgia @ Kentucky - 9pm, ESPN
Missouri State @ Creighton - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 2/13/2008

Tonight's Big Game

Notre Dame (18-4) at UConn (18-5) - 7pm, ESPNU. Neither team was ranked when the Irish pulled out a six-point win in South Bend earlier this season. What a difference a handful of days make. Luke Harangody is averaging a double-double, and Hasheem Thabeet is UConn's rising star. Should be a thriller in Storrs.

Also On

Maryland at Duke - 7pm, ESPN
St. John's at Cincinnatti - 7pm, ESPN2
Kansas State at Texas Tech - 9pm, ESPN2

Hoop Night 2/12/2008

Tonight’s Big Games

Michigan State (20-3) at Purdue (19-5) - 7pm, ESPN. Purdue’s silly early losses to the likes of Wofford and Iowa State have kept them in the “Also Receiving Votes” ghetto for a long time, but the win over Wisconsin is undeniably great, and gets them a number next to their name. Michigan State is ranked in the top ten, but nobody really has much to say about them. Including me.

Kentucky (12-9) at Vanderbilt (20-4) - 9pm, ESPN. This game is like a harmonic convergence. It’s the classic tale of two seasons. Kentucky stumbled around and peed their pants in the early going, but have recently built up a sprightly 6-2 conference tally. Vanderbilt strode with purpose and remained continent until the second season, and now look like they’ve been hustling us, at 5-4 in the SEC. I’m interested to see who really has the goods.

Also On

North Carolina at Virginia - 8pm, ESPN2
Butler at Wisconsin-Milwaukee - 7pm, ESPNU
Louisville at DePaul - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 2/11/2008

Tonight’s Big Game

Kansas (23-1) at Texas (19-4), 9pm, ESPN. Bill Self will get a stern test in Austin after his boys laid triple digits on Baylor two days ago. May be forced to one day explain to Darrell Arthur that Slim Shady is white, but is keeping that information in reserve for right now. The Longhorns are 11/2 games back of the Jayhawks, but would welcome this chance to make up some ground on their home court.

Also On

Villanova at Georgetown - 9pm, ESPN
St. Mary's at Santa Clara - 11pm, ESPN2
Howard at Delaware State - 7:30pm, ESPNU
Hampton at Maryland-Eastern Shore - 9pm, ESPNU
Southern at Jackson State - 7pm, ESPNU

I don't know how there can be two games on ESPNU at the same time, but that's what the ESPN schedule says.

Hoop Night 2/6/2008

Tonight's Big Game

Nothing really catches my eye. Maybe we should all just plan on watching “Moment of Truth” and give college hoops a rest for an evening. Deal?

Alright, alright already.

Duke (19-1) at North Carolina (21-1) - ESPN, 9pm.

Alright, not like we really need to add any hype to tonight's Carolina-Duke game, but honestly, this one is even bigger than usual. While it’s always a big game when Duke and North Carolina play, tonight's match-up gets even more of a national boost from the return of Dickie V and unexpectedly good play of Blue Devils. While we ruled against a live-blog (if you are watching it already, why do we need to tell you what’s going on?) so we’ll leave this post up as kind of a live comment. Just drop a comment if you got something to say. STF is based on passion for college basketball, and few teams bring out more passion than Carolina and Duke.

And as an adding bonus, some picks! Feel free to make fun of the loser in the morning!

Marco: Duke 85 Carolina 80

Eric: Carolina 72 Duke 70

Also On

Texas at Oklahoma - 7pm, ESPN2
UConn at Syracuse - 7pm, ESPN
Maryland at Boston College - 7pm, ESPNU
Texas Tech at Baylor - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 2/4/2008

Tonight's Big Game

Gonzaga (17-5) at Saint Mary’s (18-3) - ESPN2, 11pm.

When was the last time Gonzaga played a WCC foe that was ranked in the top 25, while they weren’t? The Gaels have been strong all season, riding the skills of Freshman and Indigenous Australian Person Patty Mills (15 ppg). Mills is backed up by able scorers Diaman Simpson and Omar Samhan. Gonzaga you likely know a little about already. Oddly, if St. Mary’s wins this one, they’re only in a tie with the Zags atop the conference.

Also On

Bracket Busters Selection Show - 6:30pm, ESPNU
(Look for our analysis of the matchups tomorrow)

Louisville at Marquette - 7pm, ESPN
Missouri at Kansas - 9pm, ESPN
Grambling State at Mississippi Valley State - 7pm, ESPNU
Hampton at North Carolina A&T - 7pm, ESPNU
Portland at Santa Clara - 11pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 1/31

Don’t Miss

Indiana at Wisconsin ESPN 9pm

Huge Big Ten ramifications are on the line in Madison. This will also mark the first wacthable Big Ten conference game of the season. Both teams are coming off unexpected losses last weekend and trying to keep pace with streaking Michigan State. The key might be the health of Eric Gordon, who is going to play in this despite a wrist injury.

Watch If You Just Can’t Get Enough Boston Sports

Boston College at North Carolina ESPN 7pm

For those of you hoping that Boston’s sporting dominance wouldn’t extent into the world of college basketball, the BC Eagles are somehow in third place in the ACC. UNC should correct problem tonight.

Tivo and Watch the Season Premire of Lost

NC State at Duke ESPN2 9pm

Somehow, the Blue Devils have been flying under the radar behind the likes of Memphis, Kansas and UNC. And to think, the Dukies are just a late Pitt three pointer away from being undefeated. Wolfpack could sure use this one to reverse a disappointing season.

Also On:

Providence at Notre Dame 7pm ESPN2

Temple at Fordham 8pm CSTV

Fresno State at Nevada 10pm ESPN-FC

Hoop Night 1/30

**Update Live-Blogging Kansas at Kansas State tonight (8pm). I know this update is coming a whole two hours before the game, but better late than never for a great match-up you can't get on TV.


Hoopnight 1/30

Don’t Miss

Kansas at Kansas State 8pm ESPN-FC

This one is going to be a dandy….too bad 80% of people won’t see it because it’s on ESPN Full Court. Manhattan is going to be rocking and we'll know alot about the rising Wildcats and unbeaten-but-untested Jayhawks. Beasley is going to need to score 35+ to make up for KU's huge depth advantage.


Watch If You’re Into That Whole “Perfection” Thing

Memphis at Houston CSTV 8:00 pm

Another unbeaten gets a tough road challenge and the masses won't be seeing it is This is the biggest game in decades at Houston, so expect Tigers should be up for this one. Cougars actually have enough speed to hang with Memphis for awhile, but you aren't going to beat the Tigers by out-gunning them.


Tivo It and Head To a Bar Showing KU-KSU

Texas at Texas A&M 9PM ESPN

The reason that you won’t be seeing the battle of Kansas. Not a bad game in it’s own right, just not as interesting as Kansas-Kansas State with Acie Law and Kevin Durant. Aggies badly needs this one to boost their tournament resume.

Also On

West Virginia at Cincinnati ESPN2 7:00pm
Virginia at Maryland ESPN 7:00pm
Mississippi State at Arkansas 8:05 ESPN-FC
Illinois at Michigan State BTN 9:00pm

Hoop Night 1/28

Don't Miss

Louisville at UConn ESPN 7pm

In true 2008 Big East fashion, the Huskies became one of the hottest teams in America when they suspended leading scorer Jerome Dyson. Without Dyson, the Huskies traveled to Bloomington, shut down Gordon and shocked the Hoosiers. They are the hot team coming off the major upset, which they'll most likely lose at home to Louisville tonight, the previous hot team in the Big East.


Watch If You Are Feeling A Little Bedlam Tonight

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma ESPN 9pm

We featured him in Monday Madness, now take the time to sit down and watch Blake Griffin, the highly underrated frosh for the Sooners. The Pokes are down this season, but you can always expect a highly competitive game in this series.


Tivo It and Kick Some Stallions

Alabama State at Southern ESPNU 9pm

You've heard much about Chief at this point, now see if he has any game....


Also On....

Cal Poly at Pacific ESPN2 11pm

Hoop Night 1/24/2008

Don’t Miss

Dayton at Xavier CSTV 8:00 pm

It’s a battle for mid-majority supremacy, Atlantic 10 supremacy , Ohio supremacy and the right to be the official 2008 “sleeper” Final Four pick. So yeah, it’s a pretty big game tonight. Interested to see how the Musketeers respond to back-to-back poor showings against Temple and GW as well as how Dayton plays without Chris Wright and big man Charles Little. This one should be fun.

Watch If Like Contrasting Styles and Not Sleeping

UCLA at Oregon 10:30 pm FSN

Curious to see how the Bruins respond to the USC L as well as how bad the Oregon crowd gets on Kevin Love, who spurned the home state Ducks for LA. Anyone who hears or sees any good chants/signs, shoot us an email. If the Ducks can win this one, they are right back into the Pac-10 race.

Skip It Only To Get Mentally Prepared for Lost

Duke at Virginia Tech ESPN 7:00 pm

I suspect that the Dukies are actually slightly underrated so far this season and should have no problems in against the down Hokies in Blacksburg, which has been a house of horrors for the Blue Devils lately. Greg Paulus will be happy as long as he doesn't get a facefull of Hokie pelvis again.

Also On….

Seton Hall at Providence 7:00 pm ESPN2

Michigan State at Northwestern 9:00PM ESPN2

Hoop Night: 1/22/2008

Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA hoops action. When I ask for a two orders of dumplings, why do they come in one container? Is it that obvious that both orders are for me?


Don't Miss

#5 Tennessee at Kentucky - 9pm, ESPN
Tennessee is really hitting their stride now, With four starters averaging double figures, and players like Chism (6rpg) settling into their roles without much fuss. Their bench is long, and they should relish this rare opportunity to stomp a mudhole in arch-nemesis Kentucky.


Watch if you Feel You Need to act more Butch

Michigan at #11 Wisconsin - 7pm, ESPN
Look out, kids, the Badgers are rolling. Forward Marcus Landry has found his way into the third scorer's spot, which was a clear deficiency early in the season. Joe Krabbenhoft is also bringing his averages up across the board, and now sits at 8ppg and 6.3rpg.


Tivo it and Ask Yourself Why So Many Michigan Schools are on ESPN Tonight

Central Michigan at Western Michigan - 7pm, ESPNU
Sometimes, don't you just wish some wealthy alumnus would come along and give these directional schools so much money they'd have to name the whole joint after him? I'm hoping Western Michigan Guard David Kool (13.6ppg) is that man. Because Kool University has a nice ring to it.

Hoop Night 1/21/2008

Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA action. Saturday I realized my own version of hell - watching an intense Kansas/Missouri game with my enthusiastic, but clueless, mom and mother-in-law.


Don't Miss

Syracuse at #9 Georgetown - 7pm, ESPN
In STF terms, this is the battle of Ted and Jameson. Taking a slightly more worldy view, it's an Orange team that is struggling to stay relevant in the Big East after a rash of injuries, and a bunch of Hoyas hoping to stay on top for the rest of the season. Will Senior leadership win out over explosive youth? Watch and find out.


Watch if you Remember the Triple-OT Cowboy Win

#12 Texas at Oklahoma State - 9pm, ESPN
Last year this game was epic - two eye-bleedingly orange fan bases screaming their guts out and, finally collapsing in either agony or triumph as the third OT finally played out. Odd fact: OSU only played eight players in the 105-103 victory. This year? Probably not quite as good without Durant and James On Curry, but still interesting.


Tivo It and Watch Eddie Sutton's Wrinkles Grow Deeper

San Francisco at Gonzaga - Midnight, ESPN
This is one of those situations where I'm kind of torn. I'm actively rooting against the uber-crooked Sutton's drive to 800. But he's still coaching a team full of student-athletes who deserve better. Considering that they weren't winning anything before the mercenary Sutton came along, I guess I feel OK rooting for their futility to continue. Go Zags.


Also On

Howard at South Carolina State - 7pm, ESPNU
Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff - 9pm, ESPNU
Pepperdine at Santa Clara - 11pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 1/17/2008

Hoop Night is your daily preview of televised NCAA hoops action. Word to the wise: you're not Arizona Reid - keep your shirt on when you storm the floor.


Don't Miss

#14 Vanderbilt at #7 Tennessee - 7pm, ESPN2
It's not often you can find a game this big inside the borders of the state of Tennessee. Vandy was a surprise entrant into the top 25 (I saw it, but then, I'm a visionary), and Tennessee has long been tabbed as a Final Four participant this season. Let's quit asking what's wrong with Chris Lofton and figure out what's right about Chris Lofton!!! (This game will also be live-blogged on CSTV's Posting Up Blog)


Watch if you Miss the Constant References to Stanford on "Chuck"

Arizona at Stanford - 11pm, FSN
This game looks so plain in the listings without top-25 rankings next to the name of each school, but it should be of that caliber regardless. Arizona has the potent one-two punch of Bayless and Budinger, with Jordan Hill kicking in the extra that usually gets the Wildcats over the hump. Stanford has six players averaging more than 20 minutes per game, which makes it difficult to pick out who the third scorer will be behind Brook Lopez and Anthony Goods.


Tivo it and Watch the Other Games

#13 Marquette at Louisville - 7pm, ESPN
We're still hoping to see someone gain separation from the pack in the Big East, and Marquette seems like a pretty safe bet to pull it off. Which means that Louisville will probably win.


Also On

George Mason at Hofstra - 7pm, ESPNU
#10 Indiana at Minnesota - 9pm, ESPN
Ohio at Akron - 9pm, ESPNU

Hoop Night 1/16

Hoopnight is a daily preview of what to watch in the world of college basketball, as if the title didn't give that away by this point.



Don’t Miss (If you have ESPN Full court) 8pm ESPN Full Court

Florida at Ole Miss

The battle to be the SEC Sleeper. It’s hard to argue the value of this game for both squads. The Rebels need to win this one at home in their quest for respect. Florida needs to win it to prove that the 15-2 isn’t just a result of the easy schedule.


Watch If You Like Bubbles

Duke at Florida State ESPN 7pm

I’ve got a great theme for Florida State’s media guide next season. “Florida State Basketball – On The Bubble”. Why not just make it official for a team always seems to be just short of the NCAA Tournament.


Tivo It And Get Prepared For Lost

Texas A&M at Texas Tech 9:30 ESPN2

I’m curious about this game just because I’ve yet to see Texas A&M play this season. By far the biggest unknown in the Top 25. Freshmen DeAndre Carter continues to amaze with his 75% fg percentage and 36% ft percentage, but Josh Carter is also worth the price of admission.

Also on

UNC at Georgia Tech 9pm ESPN
DePaul at Villanova 9pm - ESPNU