The end of October means that the regular season is right around the corner: FINALLY! We take this time to recognize the best players in college basketball from the 2026 exhibition season. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best performances from the past several weeks based on all-around stats for power conference/mid-majors/non-D-1 players. If you think that he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments.
POWER CONFERENCE G: Tylen Riley (Cincinnati): 23 PTS/6-12 FG in win over Ohio State, 31 PTS/3-6 3PM/13 AST in 9-PT loss to Illinois G: Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State): 10 PTS/13 AST/6 STL in win over Incarnate Word, 23 PTS/12-14 FT in 8-PT loss to Connecticut F: Pharrel Payne (Maryland): 26 PTS/10-18 FG/13 REB in 9-PT OT win over West Virginia F: Keyshawn Hall (St. John’s): 24 PTS/10-10 FT/14 REB in 53 minutes in 5-PT 4-OT win over Rutgers, 24 PTS/8-13 FG in win over Texas C: Michael Ruzic (LSU): 11 PTS/16 REB in 3-PT win at McNeese, 15 PTS/6-12 FG/13 REB in 4-PT win over UCF
MID-MAJOR G: Jake Hall (New Mexico): 31 PTS/6-7 3PM in 10-PT win at Oklahoma State, 22 PTS/8-10 FG in win over Washington State G: Cooper Noard (Samford): 30 PTS/6-12 3PM/10 REB in loss at Auburn F: Jalik Dunkley (Robert Morris): 26 PTS/9-9 FG/2-2 3PM/10 REB/3 STL in win over Canisius F: Matas Deniusas (Rhode Island): 20 PTS/9-12 FG/16 REB in win over Southern New Hampshire C: Cheick Sylla (UMass): 14 PTS/18 REB in win over Rhode Island
NON-D-1 G: Isaiah Gill-Wilson (University of the Virgin Islands): 26 PTS/3-8 3PM/15 REB/3 STL in loss at North Florida G: TJ Ford Jr. (Texas A&M-Kingsville): 22 PTS in 7-PT win at Houston Christian F: Anthony DeJohn (Endicott): 22 PTS/4-5 3PM in loss at Bucknell F: Jamarcus Brown (St. Leo): 20 PTS/3-5 3PM in loss at South Florida C: Wyatt Mowery (MIT): 17 PTS in loss at Boston College
HAPPY COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON EVERYBODY!!!! This season kicks off in what is perhaps the city with the richest history and deepest passion for college basketball in the entire world!! ROME, ITALY!!! If you’ve ever been to Rome, you know that everywhere you go all anyone is ever talking about is college basketball!! And that makes a lot of sense if you think about it. In a city like Rome, there really just isn’t much else to see or do there.
-The write ups at this point are making presumptions because…well…there’s no actual data to analyze yet. Regardless of what any of the write-ups say, technically speaking all the teams are starting off at zero and all of the team-sheets are blank. For all we know a conference like the NEC could blow up in the months of November and December and have 7 or 8 teams positioned to make the NCAA Tournament. It’s all (well…mostly all) decided on the court.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-NOTRE DAME VS VILLANOVA (Sunday) (Eternal City Tip-Off – Rome, Italy). Villanova was back in the NCAA Tournament last year after a three year absence and looks to be good enough to make it back this year. Notre Dame has really struggled in recent years and the expectations are not high this year, but a win in a game like this could instantly turn that around (at least for a little while). This is kind of a crazy game, but at the end of the day it counts as a neutral floor game on the team sheets and in the metrics just like any ohter game.
-LIBERTY VS HIGH POINT (Sunday) (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon – Rock Hill, SC). These are two of the better Under The Radar teams in the country and it’s actually a fascinating game that is worth staying up for. Both teams are good enough to make a run at the bubble, but both have a small margin of error, which makes this a pretty high stakes game right out of the gate.
-MIAMI FL VS FLORIDA (Tampa, FL). Florida is the preseason #1 ranked team and Miami FL is in the top 15. Both are stacked with talent, both are potential protected seeds, and both get the chance to pick up a win that would be huge in their resumes tonight. Even though it’s the first day of the season, the committee is closely watching and these games will be discussed come March.
-MIAMI OH AT JAMES MADISON. We are highlighting this because I think Miami OH might have a better team this year than they had last year, but their margin for error is once again very small and this is not an easy road game to win. If they are good enough to be inside the bubble, then they need to be good enough to win games that are not easy to win.
-GONZAGA VS PURDUE (Las Vegas, NV). Both of these teams are likely NCAA Tournament teams. People are saying Purdue doesn’t look to be quite as good as they’ve been in recent years, and I agree with that, but if they win tonight that will completely change my mind. Gonzaga once again has a highly talented roster that should contend for a protected seed and they can pick up a really notable win tonight.
-OHIO STATE VS BYU (Salt Lake City, UT). Ohio State looks to be a solid NCAA Tournament team and they can really make a statement tonight if they can beat a nationally ranked BYU team in what isn’t a true road game, but is an environment that will definitely favor BYU. For both teams this is an opportunity at a quality win.
-ARIZONA VS UCLA (Las Vegas, NV). The rivalry resumes!!! Sort of. It’s not quite the same as the long time Pac 10/12 series, but at least they still play. Both are in the rankings, I think UCLA could have a really big year this year, and if they somehow take down an Arizona team that’s starting off ranked in the top 5 I believe many people will start to agree with me.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
–Winthrop vs Queens (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon – Rock Hill, SC) – These are two solid UTR teams that will likely be near the top of their conference standings
–Murray State vs Tennessee State (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon – Sioux Falls, SD) – these are two super talented UTR teams, both of whom are the preseason favorites to win their conferences
–UAB vs McNeese (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon – Rock Hill, SC) – UAB has a solid roster and a good coaching staff, so I’m a little surprised they haven’t gotten more respect in the preseason. None of that matters, though. This is a good McNeese team they are facing and it will be a good win for whichever team can pull it off
-Memphis vs Iowa State (Sioux Falls, SD) – Memphis is talented, but I’m not a huge believer in them this year. Having said that, my mind will instantly change if they’re able to pull of a win (or even just play well) in this game tonight.
–Howard @ Yale – It’s not likely that either team will be inside the bubble, but there is a very good chance that both will be in the field. This is just a really good early season game between two solid UTR teams
–Toledo @ Arkansas State – neither team will likely be inside the bubble, but both are solid UTR teams and Arkansas State is good enough to win the Sun Belt
-Montana State @ Colorado State – this is a sneaky good game between a Montana State team that is one of the better teams in the Big Sky and a Colorado State team that I think is undervalued and has a shot at making a run at the bubble.
-Illinois State @ Saint Mary’s – another really interesting game between Illinois State who should be one of the better teams in the MVC and Saint Mary’s who is having to adjust to life without Randy Bennett.
–Seattle U @ Hawaii – I like this Seattle team. I think they can win the WCC. This is not an easy road game, but it’s one that they should win if they’re as good as I think they are.
-Southeastern Baptist (nonD1) @ West Florida – Welcome to D1 West Florida!! That is the only reason we are mentioning this. It’s their first ever official game as a D1 program
BUY GAMES/PASTRY CART (The home teams will get virtually ZERO credit for winning):
-UMBC @ George Mason -Oakland @ Michigan -Army @ Duke -Monmouth @ Saint John’s -Loyola MD @ Georgetown -Quinnipiac @ Michigan State -Jackson State @ Texas Tech -Bellarmine @ Vanderbilt – I like Bellarmine’s team, but they’re likely overmatched tonight -Niagara @ West Virginia -FGCU @ UCF – this is a fun inner-state match-up, but UCF is likely far superior -Little Rock @ VCU – Little Rock has some talent, but VCU should cruise -Stetson @ Clemson -Bucknell @ Maryland -Eastern Illinois @ Indiana -Western Carolina @ North Carolina -American @ Cincinnati – I like this Bearcats team this year -Charleston Southern @ South Florida -NJIT @ Dayton -New Haven @ Syracuse -Rider @ Pittsburgh -Mount Saint Mary’s @ Xavier -Maine @ Providence -Morehead State @ Western Kentucky – WKU is good enough to make a run at the bubble -Denver @ Wisconsin -Saint Peter’s @ Seton Hall -Le Moyne @ Nebraska -Campbell @ NC State -Navy @ George Washington – GW should win, but they better not completely overlook Navy -Mercyhurst @ Marquette -Tennessee Tech @ Mississippi State -NC Central @ Georgia -Fairleigh Dickinson @ Illinois -Fordham @ Kansas -Binghamton @ Northwestern -Lindenwood @ TCU -Southern @ SMU -Lehigh @ Saint Louis -UMES @ Wake Forest -West Georgia @ DePaul – I like DePaul’s team this year and think they’ll be much improved -Kansas City @ Creighton -East Texas A&M @ Oklahoma -Alcorn State @ Ole Miss -Florida A&M @ Florida State -Gardner Webb @ UConn -Chicago State @ Texas -La Salle @ Houston -Chattanooga @ Louisville -Utah Tech @ New Mexico -Incarnate Word @ Oklahoma State -North Dakota @ Minnesota -Texas Southern @ Grand Canyon – The Lopes are good enough to land inside the bubble -Idaho State @ Utah State -Northwestern State @ Baylor -Montana @ Oregon -East Tennessee State @ Arizona State – The Randy Bennett Era begins! -Radford @ San Francisco – The Dons should be a force in the WCC -Towson @ Santa Clara -Robert Morris @ Nevada -Milwaukee @ USC
It’s our first Bracket Rundown of the year!!! Sort of. The bracket is a straight up media bracket. The seedlist was determined by the two main preseason polls, and the auto bids were determined by each conference’s Media Day picks to win the league. We reveal it line by line and show you what it looks like in a bracketed format, and we debate, discuss, and assess each team as we go. We also talk about who we think is overrated, who is underrated, and who missed the field that should have been included.
Below is a final copy of The Bracket, but don’t look at it until you’ve watched the show!!
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
We are less than 5 days away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Auburn assistant coach Corey Williams, who talked about winning the NIT with his son last April and his expectations for this season.
Take me through your 2 Sweet 16 appearances as a player at Oklahoma State: In the 1991 Sweet 16 against Temple, you scored 17 PTS including an apparent game-winning jump shot from the top of the key with 2 seconds left in regulation, but the referees said you stepped on the line, and you ended up losing by 9 PTS in OT: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? Very high, and maybe #1. I remember it distinctly: Byron Houston was the stud on our team so the play was designed for him, but he could not get open so the ball came to me. When I made the shot, I thought that I would end up on “1 Shining Moment”, but they reviewed it and said my toe was on the line. Every time I see Ted Valentine (1 of the referees that night), I remind him that he screwed us!
In the 1992 Sweet 16 against Michigan, you scored 25 PTS in a 3-PT loss: what was it like to face the legendary “Fab 5”? They had an unbelievable young team, but we had a senior class with a lot of experience. I had to guard Jalen Rose, which was a big test for me. The game was in Rupp Arena, and our coach Eddie Sutton was back in Kentucky where he had been their head coach, so I knew what it meant to him. It was a battle of 2 good teams, but not all of our pieces showed up that night.
Take me though the TWO(!) leagues that drafted you in the spring of 1992: In April of 1992 you were selected by Kansas City in the NFL Draft despite not playing football since the 8th grade: were you surprised, and how close did you come to signing with them? I will give you an idea of how surprised I was: when the draft was going on I was asleep! My brother was with me in my dorm, and I gave him instructions that no matter who called I was not in because I was resting that day. Someone called and my brother told him I was not in…but when the caller said he was Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer, my brother woke me up. Marty asked if I was interested in playing for him, and when I said yes, he said he would call back after he drafted me. I called my mom and told her to turn on ESPN because I was going to get drafted: she thought I was lying! That year our football team went 0-10-1, so when people asked me how we did I would say, “Oh, 10 and 1!” Marty was a big Kansas basketball fan, and when he saw me play against the Jayhawks, he thought that he could convert me to a DB because I was very fast: I ran a 4.28 40-yard dash.
In June of 1992 you were selected 33rd overall by 2-time-defending champ Chicago in the NBA Draft (8 spots ahead of Popeye Jones): did you see that as a validation of all your hard work, or the realization of a lifelong dream, or other? It was a dream that I had even though I did not play the game to get drafted: I played basketball because I loved it and always gave 110%. The other part of it is that Michael Jordan was my favorite player, so it was an easy decision to join the GOAT.
You won an NBA title in 1993 during your 1 year with the Bulls: what is your favorite memory from that “3-Peat” season? After we won the title Michael was at the podium and said he was looking for “Pee Wee”, which was the nickname they gave me. He thought enough to mention me even though I was the last guy on the bench: I replay that in my mind all the time.
You spent 6 years as head coach at Stetson from 2013-2019: what is the biggest difference between being a head coach and being an assistant coach? There is a lot on your plate so you must juggle a lot of basketballs. Everything comes back to the head coach so you must take the bullets. I was a family coach, but you must also be a leader and feel secure in what you believe. If you love the guys on your team, then they will run through a wall for you. I was in it for the right reason and they knew that I cared: I still get text messages from some of my former players.
You have as impressive a list of coaching mentors as anyone I have seen, including Eddie Sutton/Phil Jackson/Bill Self/Leonard Hamilton/Eric Musselman/Bruce Pearl: is there a most important piece of advice from 1 of them that has helped you the most either on/off the court? Leonard gave me some great advice: do not let anybody outwork you. He was a genius in recruiting, and his players love him to this day. Eddie taught me discipline: it was his way or the highway. He would call me on my birthday and sing “Happy Birthday” to me because he cared so much! Bill was a player’s coach: we knew even back when he was an assistant that he was going to be great because he knew the game and could relate to people. Nolan Richardson also had a profound impact on my life: he won titles on so many different levels, but his main prerequisite was that someone had to be tough, regardless of whether they were a 5-star player.
Last April in the NIT title game as an assistant to Steven Pearl at Auburn you had a 6-PT OT win over Tulsa: how special was it to win a title with your son CJ on the roster, and what do you think your team learned from that remarkable run that will help them this year? It was 1 of my crowning moments to have CJ on the roster so I am eternally grateful that Bruce/Steve Pearl let me coach my son. What people do not realize at this level is how hard it is to get guys to play in the NIT when the standard/goal is to make the NCAA tourney. I talked to Coach Hamilton right before the title game and he told me to tell them to play their butts off because how many times do you get to finish a season by winning a championship?
Not only did you have a brutal exhibition schedule this month including neutral site games against Florida State/Alabama, but your non-conference schedule later this year includes games against Arizona/Clemson/Wisconsin as well as a trip to the Players Era 8 in Vegas: is there any 1 game that you feel will be your biggest test or that you are most excited about? I used to want to win by double-digits…but 1 thing I learned as a head coach was that it does not matter how many points you win by. Every game is important so we cannot look past anybody and we must be at a high level for every opponent. Arizona is always a good team, but we think we have some pieces to compete with anyone in the country. I try not to look too far ahead: I am just concentrating on our next game.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The goal is always to improve every day, get to the NCAA tourney, and compete for a championship. That is the standard that Steve has set for our players, so we must play together and show a level of toughness if we want to cut down some nets.
The regular season is ALMOST here as Notre Dame and Villanova will tip things off from Rome this Sunday. The Villanova alumni showed out last spring as New York won an NBA title thanks in large part to the trio of former Wildcats known as the “Nova Knicks”: Mikal Bridges/Jalen Brunson/Josh Hart. However, Notre Dame has a proud basketball tradition as well including Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley, 2-time NBA champ Bill Laimbeer, and 3-time All-American Luke Harangody. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel recently got to chat with Luke about his incredible college career and the significance of the ” Eternal City Tip-Off” this weekend.
You grew up in the Midwest: what made you choose Notre Dame? I grew up in Indiana about 90 minutes outside South Bend. My parents/brother went to Indiana University but everything at Notre Dame was a perfect fit for me. I liked my visit there and never looked back.
You played for Coach Mike Brey: what made him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He is a player’s coach and our personalities meshed very well together. If you look at the players he has recruited, there were a lot of overachievers. He instilled confidence in me on an ongoing basis and always trusted me, which was huge for the trajectory of my career.
After your freshman year you improved everything from your diet to your workouts to your leadership skills: how did that summer change your life either on and/or off the court? I would say both. I recall sitting down with our strength coach about where I was trending. I was at a crossroads and had to make a choice: either go out and enjoy college as a student or consider basketball to be my job. I changed a lot of things in my life, and losing weight was great for my motor.
You were the 1st man to lead the Big East in both scoring/rebounding in consecutive seasons (2008/2009), and you remain the only man to ever average 20+ PPG/10+ RPG in Big East play for your career: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? I had a lot of individuals surrounding me who allowed me to do that. I brough some energy/ferocity to the court and Coach Brey put me in a place on the court to score/rebound.
You were 2008 conference POY and a 3-time All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? Never in my life would I have imagined receiving those accolades. You can see the recurring theme is the guys around me both on/off the court. Once I reached that level where things started to take off, a lot of it was due to my network in the Notre Dame community. Just to hear you say that out loud: I must pinch myself! I never thought I would have been able to do all that, but my teammates and I challenged each other on a day-to-day basis…and it showed during our games.
In the summer of 2010 you were drafted 52nd overall by the Celtics: did you see that as a validation of all your hard work, or the realization of a lifelong dream, or other? It meant a lot. 1 of the biggest reasons I went to Notre Dame was for my education, and never did I think I would get paid to play basketball, so that night was 1 of the most memorable moments of my life.
You later spent several years playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US and basketball in other countries? I would have loved to play 10+ years in the NBA, but due to my height/athleticism the European game fit me better. In the NBA there is a lot of length, but overseas it is more a game of chess that fits my personality. It was a great experience and I enjoyed my time both on/off the court.
Your father Dave/brother Ty both played football at Indiana: who is the best athlete in the family? I would have to give that moniker to myself because of how competitive I am: you can print that! When we were growing up it was a humbling experience to face my brother in any sport, but he helped me become the player I turned out to be. It was great to be in such a competitive household.
You are currently VP/Head of Enterprise Solutions for a financial company called GeoWealth: how do you like it, and what do you hope to do in the future? After 10 years in the NBA/overseas I made a significant pivot. I always wanted to do something in financial services and entered this sector at age 32. I have been here about 6 years, and it is great because our company has a lot of people from Notre Dame. I jumped into it headfirst and really enjoyed it, so I want to keep doing this for many years to come. I will always miss basketball, but this job challenges me and the people are great, so I enjoy it.
Your alma mater will tip-off its season next weekend against Villanova in Rome: is it just a neat gimmick or is it something that everybody is talking about? Being Catholic and getting the chance to play on a stage like that in front of the Pope: you cannot beat that! It is great from a marketing standpoint, and I wish I could be there in person, but it is not in the cards for me to fly to Rome with 3 kids at home and a 4th on the way.
Chad is joined by David Griggs and John Stalica for the Preseason Under the Radar Special! We run through all 22 UTR conferences and discuss who the preseason favorites are and which teams we feel are worth paying attention to. Miami OH once again looks really strong and we talk about whether or not they can make it back inside the bubble this year. High Point, UC San Diego, and UC Irvine are other teams that we feel could be dangerous. We discuss all that, and much more.
And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…
