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…
-Long Island basically blew through this league last year. They were 15-3 in conference play and it was kind of a surprise that they even lost three. No starters return from that team, but they are once again the favorites. Daquan Davis comes in after a solid year at Florida State and Vasean Allette averaged double-figures for TCU. Those two guys should be dominant players in a league like the NEC. They also have some solid-looking JUCO players, so the Sharks appear to be set up for success.
-Jake Lemelman is a player to watch for Mercyhurst. He averaged just under 14ppg and is a very solid outside shooter. They also return some guys who gave them key minutes off the bench and should be able to step into bigger roles this year. They are still a transitional program, but they are positioned to make some real noise in the league.
-Central Connecticut had a solid season last year going 12-6 in NEC play, which was good enough for a 2nd-place finish. While two starters do return, they are still tasked with having to replace a lot of their roster. Most of this year’s roster seems to consist of guys who have played limited minutes in the past, so they will have to step up if CCSU is going to be in the mix this year.
-Le Moyne was a very respectable 10-8 in NEC play last year and is eligible for the NCAA Tournament this year. Just one starter is back and the roster has a lot of guys who played limited minutes at the D-1 level last year, but who were productive in the minutes that they did play. They were picked to finish 3rd (in a tie) and that seems about right. I kind of have a feeling about them: I think they can have a decent year.
-Dwan McMillan enters his second year as Wagner’s coach and like a lot of schools in the NEC the roster consists of guys with limited D-1 experience. Freddy Hassan is a player to watch. He was a good scorer/rebounder a season ago. If some other guys can step up then Wagner should be able to contend for a spot in the top half of the standings.
-Fairleigh Dickinson won just 11 total games last year and went out of the conference tournament kind of early. The expectations are not all that much higher for this year. They have some guys transferring in who put up impressive numbers outside of D-1 last year and they will need to step it up in order for FDU to be successful this year.
-Stonehill was 8-10 in NEC play last year and seems to have a roster of guys who were solid players at non-D-1 schools a year ago. Not great players: just solid. Can they step up and be successful at the D-1 level? It may be a tough transition.
-Chicago State is a team that I always find myself rooting for, but that cannot seem to get it going. I am not sure why. It is one thing to not be able to break through nationally. It is another thing to not be able to finish above the bottom of the NEC. They are in Chicago. They should be able to at least recruit NEC-caliber players who are good enough to finish in the top half of the conference. Landon Bussie is in his second year as coach and he has just one starter back. It is a mixture of JUCO players and others who saw limited mintues at Under the Radar programs a year ago. I hope they have a good year, but I am not overly optimistic.
-New Haven is in their second year of the D-1 transition. They did not do bad last year going 9-9 in league play, which is pretty solid for a transitional program. They are relying on guys who were big contributors at non-D-1 programs a year ago to step up this year.
-Brendan Johnson – JR, G – Coppin State -Tafara Gapare – SR, F – Coppin State -Nehemiah Reedus – SR, F – Delaware State -Rahmir Moore – SR, G – Delaware State -Cam Gillus – SR, G – Howard -Cedric Taylor III – SR, G – Howard -Levi Beckwith – SO, F – UMES -Saadiq Moore – JR, G – UMES -Alfred Worrell Jr. – SR, G – Morgan State -Keith Richard – JR, G – Morgan State -Bahsil Laster – JR, G – Norfolk State -Jordan Skyers – FR, G – Norfolk State -Ryan Archey – SR, G – NC Central -Maurice Vassel – JR, F – NC Central -Mitchell Taylor – JR, G – South Carolina State -Noah Treadwell – SO, G – South Carolina State
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Howard was the dominant team in this league a year ago going 11-3 in MEAC play, finishing in 1st place, and then winning the conference tournament to advance to the NCAAs. They return four starters and that cohesion/experience should help them out again this year. Cedric Taylor is one of the better players in the conference and Cam Gillus was a double-digit scorer and a good outside shooter. Ose Okojie also returns to the lineup and they add some pretty good transfers as well. I like their experience, depth, and talent, and I do not think anyone else in the MEAC can stay with them.
-Morgan State finished just one game behind Howard last year, but all five of their starters have moved on and they are having to rebuild their roster with guys with limited D-1 experience and playing time and guys from outside of D-1.
-Norfolk State kind of struggled last year, winning just 15 total games after winning more than 20 in each of the previous four seasons, but I think they will bounce back this year. Robert Jones is a solid coach, they have two key starters back including Anthony McComb (who was the conference player of the year) and Elijah Jamison (another productive scorer). I do not like them quite as much as Howard, but I do think they can have a big year and finish 2nd.
-NC Central is having to replace their entire roster after a 3rd-place finish last year. They did pick up some guys with D-1 experience but it is very limited. They will be relying on some guys that were solid at the D-2 and JUCO levels to step up this year.
-South Carolina State won just 10 total games last year and has just one starter back. Noah Treadwell is a player to watch and they appear to have a solid freshman in Clayton Everett, but most of the roster is lacking in proven D-1 experience.
-Delaware State won just two conference games last year and finsihed 362nd in the NET. That is…not good. They do pick up several guys who put up big numbers in D-2 programs last year and we should see a few more wins this year if those guys can step up.
-It has been a long and frustrating run of really bad basketball for Coppin State. They have failed to win ten games in 11 of the last 12 seasons and expectations are not high this year. When you start going down the roster there just is not much there.
-UMES went 5-9 in MEAC play last year, which is not good but it is also far from the worst. Just one starter is back and they are picked to finish last because they just do not appear to have much in the way of D-1 talent and experience.
-McNeese has been the flagship program in this conference for the last three years and is the preseason favorite to win it again this year. They recruit the portal well and have adapted to the modern NIL/Portal era as well as any Under the Radar program has. They won 28 games a year ago and it still felt like they should have won more. Larry Johnson is back and he is good enough to start for most of the current P-4-level teams. They did lose some key players and most of the returners saw limited minutes last year, so we may see them take a step back, but this is still an outstanding program.
-Stephen F. Austin was actually last year’s 1st-place team. Unfortunately they still had to play the championship game on McNeese’s home floor and did not win it. What’s also unfortunate is that none of their starters are back. Narit Chotikavanic was a key player off the bench and MJ Russell put up big numbers for UL Monroe, so they do have a couple of really solid pieces. Coach Matt Braeuer had a great debut season last year and this team should be good again this year.
-TAMUCC ended last season with a near upset of SFA in the Southland semifinals, but with just one starter back there is not a whole lot of carryover into this season. Sebastian Robinson was a solid portal pickup from NJIT and Dan Mukuna put up big numbers in D-2 last year, so they may have the horses to keep themselves near the top of the standings this year.
-Lamar is in a reset mode after a frustrating 12-19 season a year ago. Jordan Fee takes over as coach and he has been tasked with rebuilding the roster. Quante Berry was a solid role player at Memphis last year and he will be joined by some other guys who were standout players at non-D-1 programs, but they do not appear to have much in the way of solid D-1 experience.
-Coach Jim Shaw has had a pretty solid run in his three years at UTRGV and is coming off a respectable 18-15 season. Look for them to once again be a good defensive team. They looked to NAIA/JUCO to build their roster and picked up some guys that put up some really impressive numbers. I actually like UTRGV to be a bit of a dark horse this year.
-LSU New Orleans has been rebranded. They have also been re-rostered as all five starters from last year’s Privateers team are gone. They did invest in NIL last year and seemed to have a talented roster, but went just 15-18 on the season. This year they have some good pieces as Nick Jones comes over from Wagner where he averaged nearly 15ppg and Kahlil Singleton transfers in after being a key player for Canisius. They have some good pieces. The question is can those pieces fit together to actually build something?
-Houston Christian has had more struggles than successes over the years and it looks like that will continue into this year. They have added some solid JUCO players, but do not have anyone who is a proven standout player at the D-1 level.
-Northwestern State was just 10-22 last year, and two of those wins were non-D-1, but I think we may see some improvement this year. They will not run with the teams at the top of the league, but they should be able to hold their own with everyone else. Izzy Miles is a player to watch. They also added some solid JUCO talent so Coach Rick Cabrera may be in a position to make some improvements this year.
-SELA is coming off their worst season in a while where they won just 9 total games and finished near the bottom of the league. Things may not be that much better this year. They do have some guys with D-1 experience, but we probably will not see them put up the win totals that they had been prior to last season.
-Darion Brown takes over as coach at Nicholls. The Colonels really took a step back last year winning just 14 games after winning 20 in the previous two years. From a roster standpoint, no one really jumps out as being a prolific scorer, and with so many new players and a new coaching staff it is just hard to gauge just what kind of team they are going to have.
-After a very solid 19-win season two years ago, Incarnate Word struggled last year winning just 12 total games and going 7-15 in SLC play. Coach Shane Heirman is having to replace his roster and they just do not have much in the way of proven D-1 experience and production.
-East Texas A&M had a rough year last year where they failed to make the SLC Tournament and are starting over this year after all five starters moved on. The expectations are not high. What is interesting about them is that they do bring in several international players. Most people, and this absolutely includes myself, are not familiar with international players because…yunno…they play in another country and I just never get to watch them. But, they appear to have at least put up good numbers and they may turn out to be better than what most people are anticipating. This team was picked to finish last, but they are at least worth keeping an eye on! I am more optimistic about them about ETAMU than I am the majority of teams that were voted into the bottom half.
-The Pac-12 released no preseason poll or awards, so the following are just notes on each of the member schools in a semi-order of finish…
-The Pac-12 is back!!!! But…the Pac-12 Network does not appear to be. Had the Pac-12 Network gotten the proper distribution the league may have never gone away in the first place…
-Gonzaga is the preseason favorite to win the league despite having to replace its entire starting lineup, but it is easy to understand why. They are one of the programs that can simply reload their talent every year. Having said that, they are not completely stacked with players who have averaged double-figures at big time programs. Xaivian Lee is a solid PG, but Isiah Harwell saw limited action last year, as did Davis Fogle in the frontcourt. But Braden Huff/Massamba Diop make up a strong post presence and the Zags are always able to have guys step into new roles.
-Utah State is coming off a 29-win season where they made it to the Round of 32, but only one starter returns from that team. They did get some solid pickups in the portal, though. AJ Bates comes over from Louisiana Tech after averaging just under 13ppg last year, Solomon Callaghan was a double-digit scorer and solid outside shooter for Wright State last year, and they have some talented looking freshman as well. They also pick up Ben Jacobson, who is a proven head coach. I do not know if Utah State will be quite as good as they were a year ago, but I do think they will be safely inside the bubble.
-I like this Colorado State team. I think they have a shot at making a run at the bubble. They finished last season winning nine of their last ten games before losing in the quarters of the MWC Tournament, and it was a really solid first year under Coach Ali Farokhmanesh where the team improved as the season went on. They return three starters, including Josh Pascarelli who was a solid backcourt player last year and a terrific outside shooter. Justin Menard, who averaged double-figures at Marist last year, also transfers in to complete the backcourt. Kyle Jorgensen is another player to watch who has both size/range. I think the Rams could have a really solid year this year.
-San Diego State is coming off a 22-win season where they made it to the Mountain West Championship game, but failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Only one starter, and four players total, are back from last year, but they added some big players from the portal. Latrell Davis (San Jose State), Chance Gladden (Boston U), Nick Anderson (Rice), and Isaiah Sy (Oregon State) were all double-digit scorers last year and can all hit from range. If they can gel together, San Diego State will likely be dancing again come March.
-Boise State has won 20+ games last season for the last five years, but in that time never advanced beyond the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. Leon Rice has done a solid job (regardless of what Joby Fortson says about their former conference!), but I do not look for them to be within reach of the NCAA Tournament this year. All five starters from last year are gone, and while they have a few players that put up impressive numbers at Under the Radar schools, they just do not seem to have the pieces to run with the teams at the top of this league. They are projected to finish in the middle and I think that is where they will end up.
-Washington State is back in the Pac-12!!!! Ummm…yay?? They had a miserable season last year where they won just 12 games, which was their worst one in a while. David Riley enters his third year as coach and he will need to replace the entire starting lineup. Lazerek Houston was a big time scorer in D-2 last year and Fraser Roxburgh put up solid numbers at Manhattan, but they do not have anyone who is really proven at this level. It could be another long year for Wazzu.
-Texas State comes in after being long time members of the Sun Belt. I believe they were one of about 37 teams in a tie for 2nd place last year. They won 19 games and were competitive in a pretty solid league. I think they will be able to hold their own against the bottom half of the league, but are a long way from the teams at the top. DJ Hall is a player to watch: he averaged over 15ppg last year. He will need some help, though.
-Oregon State is back in the Pac-12!!!! Umm…yay? They were a modest 9-9 in the WCC last year and lost most of the key players off that team. Josiah Lake was a solid player for them a year ago, and DeShawn Gory is a solid portal pickup from Fresno State. Legend Smiley comes in from San Francisco and was a fantastic outside shooter last year, and Jackson Rasmussen averaged double-figures at Idaho, so they have some pieces and could finish higher than where they have been picked.
-Fresno State has struggled for a while and with all five starters gone it looks as though the struggles will continue. Coach Vance Walberg is entering his third season and has a couple formidable players transferring in in Dragos Lungu/Ross Candelino, but they do not appear to have much depth and it could be another frustrating year.
-Mohammad Habhab – SO, F – Eastern Michigan -Evan Ipsaro – SR, G – Miami OH -Javan Simmons – SR, F – Ohio U -Luke Skaljac – JR, G – Miami OH -Chansey Willis Jr. – SR, G – Kent State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 2ND TEAM:
-Sean Jones – SR, G – Toledo -Evan Mahaffey – SR, F – Akron -Austin Parks – SR, C – Toledo -Jackson Paveletzke – SR, G – Ohio U -Tahj Staveskie – SR, G – Akron
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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Miami OH had a magical season last year where they posted a record of 32-2 overall, finished in 1st place in the MAC standings, and then went on to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament before losing in the Round of 64. Travis Steele has done a remarkable job with this program since taking over as coach and that success should continue into this season. The question is whether or not they can take another big step forward. Despite the 32 wins, the Redhawks were just barely inside the bubble due to a weak schedule. That could be an issue again this year. While they do face some very solid Under the Radar opponents in High Point, James Madison, and UIC, their margin for error will once again be small. The Redhawks have a talented and experienced backcourt with Luke Skaljac and Evan Ipsaro. Almar Atlason provides a strong presence in the post and he can also hit from distance. Stevie Elam was a strong player at Milwuakee last year and he transfers in. This is a very good, very talented, and very deep Redhawks team. I think they can once again finish in 1st place and land back inside the bubble.
-Toledo was subpar for most of the year, but they played well down the stretch, winning six of their final seven before falling in the MAC Championship game in a very close loss to Akron. They do not return a whole lot from that team, but two starters are back and they also add Angel Montas Jr. from UMass Lowell, who averaged just under 16ppg last season, so they do have some experience and some proven talent and will once again be a team to watch.
-While Miami OH was the national story last year, Akron was…at least arguably…the better team. Their only regular season loss was at Miami OH, and they went on to win the conference tournament after winning 29 total games. Dustin Ford takes over as coach this year and while they did lose a lot of key pieces from last season, Evan Mahaffey is back and they picked up two solid transfers in Tahj Staveskie from Incarnate Word and Ty Pence from Illinois State. Akron is consistently one of the best teams in this conference and this year likely will not be any different.
-Kent State won 24 games for the second straight year last year, but they are starting over this year as all five starters have moved on. Coach Rob Senderoff is not someone you want to doubt, though. Quinn Woidke is back after a very good freshman season and he is a solid outside shooter. They also picked up Cameron Williams as a transfer who averaged double-figures for Portland last year. A lot of guys will need to step into bigger roles this year, and Kent State may not be as good as Akron or Miami OH, but they can still have a big year.
-Ohio U coach Jeff Boals is someone who I think is a fantastic coach. Having said that, the last two years have been struggles, winning just 16 and 15 games respectively and going 9-9 in MAC play last year. That is not exactly tearing it up. This year they have just one returning starter but it is Javan Simmons, who is perhaps the best player in the conference. They also have a few impressive transfers in Kyler D’Augustino from IU Indy (who averaged over 18ppg last year, albeit in a very fast-paced offensive style) and Kolton Mitchell (who was a key player on Idaho’s NCAA Tournament team last year). The Bobcats are another team that I routinely overvalue in the preseason, but I cannot help it. I like them again this year and think they are a potential dark horse.
-Frank Martin has been at UMass for four years now and has yet to have the kind of year we were expecting when he started there. I love him as a coach. It is hard to not admire his success at Kansas State/South Carolina. But, I do not see this as being the Minutemen’s year either. Two starters return, but they do not have much in the way of prolific scorers and seem to be lacking in experience overall.
-Bowling Green was a modest 9-9 in conference play last year and is expected to be in the middle of the pack again this year. Josiah Shackelford returns and is a player to watch. Jayden Johnson also transfers in from South Carolina State and Juan Cranford Jr. comes in from Eastern Kentucky, both of whom were double digit scorers a year ago. I like this Bowling Green team and think they can do a little better than where they have been picked to finish.
-Western Michigan has had eight straight losing seasons and first-year coach Kahil Fennell has turned to the portal and added senior transfers to try and break that streak. Jaylen Washington comes in after averaging double figures at UTRGV and Julien Gomez was a very solid outside shooter last year. Rob Lee Jr. averaged 16ppg at Lamar and can also hit from the outside, Mason Bendinger was a double-digit scorer at USC Upstate, and Tanner Hayhurst comes in after averaging double-digts at Southern Utah. Could this approach work? Could all this experience and production mesh together to turn Western Michigan around? This is one of the most interesting teams to keep an eye on.
-Eastern Michigan finished last season by losing 12 of their final 13 and (as shocking as this is) they decided to make a coaching change after that! Billy Donlon takes over and he has his work cut out for him. Two starters are back, but Donlon has gone the JUCO route to try and get things jumpstarted. He has added some guys who were highly-productive at that level, so we may see some improvement this year.
-Expectations are not high for Buffalo this year and I must say that I think they are being overlooked. They were a modest 17-15 last year, but with no key players back I can see why nobody would pick them to contend for the league title, but they should do a little better than 10th. Mikkel Tyne transfers in from Richmond, who did not score a lot but was a good outside shooter. Drew Steffe comes in from Southern Illinois, Dylan Ducommun was a dependable score at Northern Illinois, and Antoine Lorick III was a solid player for Tennessee State. They have some pieces! I think they will be closer to the middle than to the very bottom.
-Ball State has a new coach in Chris Capko. They won just 12 games last year and are looking for a fresh start. None of the starters are back. They do have a couple of solid players who transferred in (Sean Blake/K’Jei Parker), but those two alone probably cannot carry the Cardinals.
-Central Michigan won just 10 total games last year and was 6-12 in MAC play. Two starters are back and they will be joined by Jayson Petty who averaged double-figures at Kansas City. They also added some players who were productive outside of D-1 last year, but it could be a long season for the Chippewas.
