News, Notes and Previews (Nov 12-13)

Posted on November 12, 2012 by David Griggs

WEEKEND RAMBLINGS

-We had one game postponed, and two others that were cancelled because the court on the air craft carrier had too much condensation on it. There are thousands of basketball games played every year, and college basketball has been around for over 100 years. To the best of my knowledge, these are the only two games in history that have been cancelled because the court on the air craft carrier was too wet. It is rather unfortunate because these were games of note. If Georgetown, Florida, Ohio State and Marquette all finish the season the way we expect them to, these were games the committee would have looked at.

The one air craft carrier game that was played between Syracuse and San Diego State, was postponed, and was poorly played at its rescheduled time. Syracuse got the win, and it will likely be a notable win because San Diego State appears to be very good, but it was a sloppy game, and the conditions of the game were more of a detriment than an asset.

I have a lot of respect for those in the Navy, but basketball and boats just don’t mix. Rather than play on the ship, I say in the future we invite the Navy to dock their boat and come into town to watch the game.

-Baylor’s win over Lehigh was the performance that impressed me the most. That’s not saying much because great teams are defined by the great things they do, and it’s hard to do something great in the first week of the season when most good teams are playing cupcakes. Still, Lehigh is a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year (albeit as a #15 seed), upset Duke in the Round of 64, and pretty much returned all their players (although they were dealing with injuries). Baylor crushed them. Isaiah Austin was hurt in the game, but he had over 20pts in just over one half of basketball. Lehigh isn’t a top 25 team, but they aren’t pushovers and Baylor beat them soundly. That’s more than anyone else was able to do.

-Connecticut looked impressive against Michigan State, but unfortunately for them it won’t help them make the NCAA Tournament. Still, this UConn team is nothing to sneeze at.

-UCF, another team that is ineligible for the postseason, looked very impressive in their season opening road win at South Florida. South Florida, who many feel is a tournament caliber team, sure didn’t look like it on Saturday.

-Perhaps the biggest surprise so far is South Alabama’s win at Florida State. The Seminoles were in the rankings, and I was among those that thought they were underrated. Well, it’s hard to argue that after they lost to what appears to be a middle-of-the-pack Sun Belt team. Everyone starts out at zero, and perhaps South Alabama is far better than what anyone currently realizes, but I doubt it.

We’ve seen shockers in the first week of the season before, and they often fade into the background. Santa Clara took down North Carolina the year the Tar Heels won the national championship. Gardner Webb, of course, beat Kentucky a few years back. Mercer has taken down heavyweights like USC when they were in the rankings. So, it could just be another early season hiccough that in a few weeks we’re not even talking about or thinking about anymore.

-Bucknell won at Purdue, but that isn’t too surprising. Some say it’s a bad loss for Purdue. I’m more inclined to think it is a good win for Bucknell. They finished first in the Patriot League a year ago (ahead of Lehigh, who advanced to the Round of 32), and have all their starters back, so they’re capable of putting together an at-large caliber resume.

A few results that were probably off the radar….

-Drexel, who I believed to be an at-large team, failed to win their opener at Kent State. Kent is not an easy place to play, but an at-large team should be able to win there.

-La Salle took down Delaware at home. Delaware finished the season very strong last year and pretty much had all their starters back, and is expected to finish at or near the top of the Colonial. That’s a nice start to the season for La Salle.

-George Mason took down Virginia at home. That is perhaps the nicest win by a Colonial team so far.

 

MARATHON ACTION (November 12th and 13th)

-WEST VIRGINIA AT GONZAGA. It’s the season opener for West Virginia. Gonzaga blew out Southern Utah in their first game, but it’s hard to tell too much from that. Many feel this is one of the better teams Gonzaga has ever had, so it will be interesting to see what they can do against a stronger opponent. For West Virginia, it would be a huge road win on their resume.

-DAVIDSON AT NEW MEXICO. Of all the games in the marathon, this is the one that intrigues me the most. It is between two tournament caliber teams that have limited chances at quality wins, which makes this a hugely important game for both teams. It should be a rowdy atmosphere at the Pitt.

–NORFOLK STATE AT SETON HALL. I know this is a buy game, but Seton Hall may want to be on upset alert. They’re not very good, and Norfolk won decisively in their opener against Rhode Island.

-RHODE ISLAND AT VIRGINIA TECH. Tech can improve to 2-0.

-HOUSTON BAPTIST AT HAWAII. Not much is expected out of either team, but both come into the game at 2-0.

 

TUESDAY

-DUKE VS KENTUCKY. Kentucky won their opener against Maryland, but it was a very sloppy affair. I think Kentucky will end up having a great year, but right now they’re not playing cohesively due to having so many new players. Duke, on the other hand, looked pretty solid. Both these teams will likely be protected seeds, so it’s a chance at a quality win.

-STONY BROOK AT RIDER.  Neither team is expected to be an at-large caliber team, but at the moment neither has lost a game.

-NORTHERN ILLINOIS AT VALPARAISO. Valpo is the hands down favorite to win the Horizon League, but has little margin for error if they want to be in the at-large picture.

-HARVARD AT UMASS. This game would have been much more intriguing had two of Harvard’s best players not left school. UMass will likely be a force in the Atlantic Ten. This is their season opener.

-DETROIT AT SAINT JOHN’S. Season opener for Saint John’s. Detroit is a dangerous opponent.

-BUTLER AT XAVIER. Both teams are in the Atlantic Ten, but this will not count as a conference game. The game was scheduled for the marathon prior to Butler joining the league. The two will meet again in the final game of the season. Both come in at 1-0.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT KANSAS. Two highly ranked teams that are likely to be protected seeds, so it’s an opportunity for a quality win.

-VERMONT AT UCONN. I’ll throw this one on there because Vermont won their first game, and if they win this one they’ll be on the map…..for now.

-GEORGE MASON AT BUCKNELL. I talked about these teams above. They face each other tonight in what is a big early season game for both teams.

-WICHITA STATE AT VCU. Huge game between two tournament hopefuls, and in VCU’s case, a soon to be top 25 team.

-GEORGIA STATE AT BYU. As it has been mentioned, Georgia State cannot play in the Colonial Tournament, so their only hope for the NCAAs is an at-large. They looked fairly decent against Duke. A win at BYU would be big on their resume.

 

BUY GAMES

-FORDHAM AT PITT (Monday)

-BUFFALO AT FLORIDA STATE (Monday). Hopefully the Noles do better this time around.

-PRESBY AT CLEMSON (Monday)

-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT INDIANA (Monday). Both teams come in at 1-0. North Dakota State is no match for the Hoosiers, but they should be able to make quite a bit of noise in the Summit League.

-MONMOUTH AT NOTRE DAME (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-YALE AT SAINT JOSEPH’S (Monday).

-FAIRFIELD AT VIRGINIA (Monday). Fairfield may give Virginia a fight. They don’t want to start the year 0-2.

-YOUNGSTOWN STATE AT GEORGIA (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-SACRED HEART AT RUTGERS (Monday). Rutgers is looking for their first win.

-NORTH FLORIDA AT MEMPHIS (Monday). Season opener for Memphis.

-MOREHEAD STATE AT MARYLAND (Monday). Maryland will try and bounce back after losing to Kentucky.

-LAMAR AT KANSAS STATE (Monday)

-COPPIN STATE AT TEXAS (Monday)

-TOLEDO AT MINNESOTA (Monday). Minny can improve to 2-0.

-SFNY AT ILLINOIS (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-ALABAMA A&M AT IOWA STATE (Monday). Both teams 1-0

-TROY AT TEXAS A&M (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-UC SANTA BARBARA AT ILLINOIS STATE (Monday). They’re below the radar, but I think this is a good Illinois State team.

-IUPUI AT MICHIGAN (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-PORTLAND STATE AT OREGON (Monday). Both teams 1-0.

-NORTHERN ARIZONA AT UNLV (Monday).

-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE AT CINCINNATI (Tuesday).

-UNC WILMINGTON AT RICHMOND (Tuesday). Both teams 1-0.

-COASTAL CAROLINA AT OLE MISS (Tuesday). Both teams 1-0

-MCNEESE STATE AT LSU (Tuesday). Both teams 1-0.

-TEXAS SOUTHERN AT NORTHWESTERN (Tuesday)

-ALCORN STATE AT MISSOURI (Tuesday).

-SELA AT MARQUETTE (Tuesday)

-ALBANY AT WASHINGTON (Tuesday)

-LONG BEACH STATE AT USC (Tuesday). Both teams 1-0. LBSU was strong a year ago, but pretty much lost everyone from that team.

-PEPPERDINE AT CAL (Tuesday)

-SAN DIEGO CHRISTIAN (nondiv1) AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Tuesday)

-UC IRVINE AT UCLA (Tuesday). Both teams 1-0

Griggs

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Bracket Racket – Nov 12 2012

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Johnny Basketball

On this edition of the Bracket Racket, we evaluate the first three days of the season and discuss the notion that there’s no dominant team in college basketball this year. We also look at the problems that certain teams had on the court, and the problem that college basketball has with these Carrier games — along with the larger issue of third party tournaments and decentralization. We also take a look at the key games for this upcoming week, including the the Duke – Kentucky, Michigan State – Kansas, and Wisconsin – Florida games, and the key mid-major matchups for the week.

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Free Video Streaming 2012-13

Posted on November 10, 2012 by Chad

As the season is starting to get moving, here is the current update on sources for FREE video streaming of games:

1) espn3.com has a huge number of games every day, including every game available on the Full Court package and a ton of espn3 exclusive games.  While the site is free, it may not be available on some internet carriers (though at this point I believe almost everyone carries it).

2) horizonleague.org offers free streaming of every home game involving a Horizon League team that is not on National television or espn3.

3) mac-sports.com similarly offers free streaming of all non-televised, non-espn3 home game for MAC teams.  Note that so far the first few days of the season, the links for the webcasts have not been appearing until the morning of the games.

4) bigskyconf.com has links to free streaming of all home Big Sky games.  I believe you have to register with the site in order to get the feeds, but it is a free registration.

5) bigwest.tv is the newest addition to free streaming this season, offering streaming of all Big West home games.  For University of Hawai’i games, you will actually be re-directed to UH’s own streaming service, but it appears that even these games will be free this season (in previous years all UH streaming was Pay Per View)

6) ovcsports.com has a ton of free streaming of Ohio Valley Conference home games that are not being nationally televised.

7) pac-12.com offers streaming video of all games on the Pac-12 network, including games produced regionally that may not be available on your local feed.  It is only available to subscribers of cable carriers that carry the PAC-12 Network (and not necessarily all of those).

8) btn2go.com offers some web-stream only coverage of Big Ten games.  However, like the Pac-12, it is limited by your cable carrier, and some carriers (most notably Comcast) that carry the Big Ten Network still do not allow this service.

Beyond these sites, a few individual schools do offer limited free streaming of their non-televised games.  The best best is to check out that school’s website and see what is available.  For example, Rutgers offers a free webstream of their 3 or 4 games that are not being picked up for TV coverage.  In the past, Central Arkansas, Utah Valley, Longwood, and Seattle have all had free streaming video but I have no confirmation yet if those services will continue this year.

Obviously, several other conferences and schools do offer a Pay-per-view streaming package.  If anyone knows of any other conferences or schools that offer free (and legal) streaming, please let us know in the comments!

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It’s Opening Weekend!!! Highlighted Match-ups for November 9th, 10th and 11th

Posted on November 9, 2012 by David Griggs

FRIDAY, NOV 9TH

-ROCHESTER (nondiv1) AT EASTERN MICHIGAN. This game gets mentioned for one reason, and one reason only. It is the first official game of the season that involves a div1 team.

-FLORIDA A&M AT HOUSTON. This game gets mentioned for one reason, and one reason only. It is the first game of the season that involves two div1 teams. Hey, everyone starts at zero. The winner is catapulted to the top.

-OHIO STATE VS MARQUETTE. Two NCAA Tournament caliber teams. Ohio State appears to be a Final Four contender. A win would look good on either team’s resume.

-LEHIGH AT BAYLOR. A great game for the first day of the season. Lehigh upset Duke in the Round of 64 a year ago, and has pretty much all their contributing players back. They could really make a splash on the national scene and pick up what should be a quality road win on their résumé if they can pull off the win at Baylor.

-BUCKNELL AT PURDUE. Lehigh made the Round of 32 last year, but Bucknell finished first in the Patriot League standings, and with most of their players back, one could easily reason they are as good as Lehigh. This is a chance for them to pick up a notable road win.

-MARYLAND VS KENTUCKY. Kentucky has a ton of young talent, and Maryland appears to be headed in the right direction. A win today would to a lot to jumpstart a Maryland team that has lacked its pulse in recent years.

-MICHIGAN STATE VS CONNECTICUT. This game is being played in Germany, and would be a notable win right out of the gate for Michigan State’s resume. It would be a notable win for UConn as well, if they’re resume mattered.

-SOUTH DAKOTA STATE AT ALABAMA. South Dakota State returns most of their contributing players from a season ago, and is the clear cut favorite to win the Summit League. This would be a big time road win for them if they can pull it off. It is hard to say how good Alabama will be this year, but either way it is something SDSU could use on their profile.

-GEORGETOWN VS FLORIDA. Two Solid NCAA teams looking to pick up what should be a quality win away from home.

-GEORGIA STATE AT DUKE. Georgia State cannot play in the Colonial Tournament, so they’ll need an at-large if they want to dance. A win here would go a super long way. Although I think Georgia State is good and is definitely trending up, I think they’re in over their heads in this one.

-VIRGINIA AT GEORGE MASON. This is a very intriguing match-up between two teams that appear to have potential.

-DREXEL AT KENT STATE. I really like this Drexel team. This is a dangerous game. Kent is not the easiest place to play, and although winning there is notable, it isn’t the kind of win that is likely to floor the selection committee.

-NORTH TEXAS AT CREIGHTON. North Texas appears to be way overmatched, but they are one of the better teams in the Sun Belt and should put up some sort of a fight.

-INDIANA STATE AT UCLA. Indiana State was disappointing a year ago, but they are not a team that you can just overlook. UCLA was infinitely more disappointing a year ago, but appears to have the talent in place to bounce back this year.

-MONTANA AT COLORADO STATE. Montana should make some noise in the Big Sky. It will also be interesting to see if Colorado State can continue trending up without Tim Miles.

-WOFFORD AT COLORADO. Very curious game here between a very young Colorado team and a Wofford team that appears to be trending up.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT STANFORD. Very interesting Bay Area match-up. Stanford is another team that appears to be trending up, and San Francisco is looking to get out of the gates early.

-HOLY CROSS AT OLD DOMINION. Not too sure what to expect out of either team this year. I wouldn’t be surprised to see ODU in the mix for the Colonial.

-DENVER AT IONA. Another game of curiosity between two teams that were good a year ago.

-MISSISSIPPI STATE AT TROY. Mississippi State should have little trouble getting an early road win on their resume. Whether or not it turns out to be a quality win is yet to be determined.

-FRESNO STATE AT TEXAS. I know this is a buy game, but it is at least a semi-interesting match-up.

-ORAL ROBERTS AT UTEP. Not sure if ORU is at-large material yet, but if they are they need this one.

-LOUISIANA TECH AT TEXAS A&M. Will they score as many points as the football game??

-MIT AT HARVARD. It’s just too cool of a match-up not to mention.

 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH

-EVANSVILLE AT NOTRE DAME. Evansville is a team that’s under the radar, but that is capable of being dangerous. A win at Notre Dame would certainly boost them up onto the radar.

-DELAWARE AT LA SALLE. Delaware finished very strong last year and is expected to challenge Drexel for the Colonial title this year. La Salle is a team that could be dangerous as well. This game will generate very little excitement, but it is between two teams that I can easily see having big years.

-UCF AT SOUTH FLORIDA. UCF looks to be a tournament caliber team. The problem is that they’re not eligible for the tournament. South Florida danced last year and is looking to do so again. This is a rivalry game that in twelve months will be a conference game.

-WESTERN KENTUCKY AT SOUTHERN MISS. These are two teams that are way below the sightline right now, but could play their way up there. Like I said, everyone starts out at zero, and the winner gets boosted to the top of the RPI….at least for now.

 

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH

-SYRACUSE VS SAN DIEGO STATE. I’ve always accused Syracuse of never wanting to leave New York. Well, they’re leaving the continental United States for this one and playing on an air craft carrier. It should be a great match-up as well between two teams that, according to the preseason rankings, could contend for protected seeds.

-MARSHALL AT VILLANOVA. These are two teams that have the potential to dance.

-DUQUESNE AT GEORGETOWN. Duquesne has been trending up, and if they were to win this it would be a huge catapult for them right out of the gate.

-WISCONSIN MILWAUKEE AT SOUTH CAROLINA. It will be interesting to see Angry Frank Martin’s debut with the Gamecocks.

-LOYOLA, MD AT WASHINGTON. Loyola should be among the frontrunners in the MAAC, so it will be interesting to see what kind of a fight they put up against Washington.

-NEW MEXICO STATE AT OREGON STATE. NMSU appears to be one of the better teams in the WAC, and Oregon State is a program that is trying to turn the corner.

 

BUY GAMES

-MIAMI, OH AT NC STATE (Friday). This is a mismatch, but it may not be quite as outrageous a mismatch as some of the games listed below.

-TOWSON AT COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (Friday). I know it’s not a Buy Game, but it might as well be.

-BRYANT AT INDIANA (Friday).  Indiana is ranked #1, and I believe Bryant finished last year somewhere around #330. 

-ALABAMA STATE AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (Friday). Middle Tennessee is a solid team, but with a weak schedule they have no margin for error.

-SOUTH ALABAMA AT FLORIDA STATE (Friday)

-GARDNER WEBB AT NORTH CAROLINA (Friday)

-FLORIDA GULF COAST AT VCU (Friday)

-EMORY (nondiv1) AT DAVIDSON (Friday). Davidson has a strong schedule, but that is not evidenced today.

-FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON AT XAVIER (Friday)

-KENNESAW STATE AT TENNESSEE (Friday). I do like this Tennessee team.

-STETSON AT MIAMI, FL (Friday)

-MOUNT OLIVE (nondiv1) AT PITTSBURGH (Friday)

-LIBERTY AT RICHMOND (Friday)

-JACKSONVILLE AT GEORGIA (Friday)

-LONGWOOD AT MARSHALL (Friday). Marshall has NCAA Tourney hopes

-SAINT PETER’S AT RUTGERS (Friday)

-COLGATE AT ILLINOIS (Friday)

-SC UPSTATE AT SAINT LOUIS (Friday)

-SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AT KANSAS (Friday)

-SOUTHERN AT IOWA STATE (Friday)

-SLIPPERY ROCK (nondiv1) AT MICHIGAN (Friday)

-BRECIA (nondiv1) AT MURRAY STATE (Friday)

-UT PAN AMERICAN AT IOWA (Friday)

-TENNESSEE STATE AT BYU (Friday)

-NORTH DAKOTA AT KANSAS STATE (Friday). K State is now Frank Martin-less.

-NIAGARA AT OREGON STATE (Friday). Are the Beavers turning the corner??

-SOUTHERN UTAH AT GONZAGA (Friday)

-UC DAVIS AT OKLAHOMA STATE (Friday)

-WARTBURG AT NORTHERN IOWA (Saturday).

-EAST TENNESSEE STATE AT VIRGINIA TECH (Saturday)

-ELON AT BUTLER (Saturday)

-ARKANSAS STATE AT DAYTON (Saturday)

-PORTLAND AT OHIO (Saturday). With all five starters back from a Sweet Sixteen team, it is amazing that Ohio isn’t getting more attention.

-NICHOLLS STATE AT VANDERBILT (Saturday)

-MORGAN STATE AT OLD DOMINION (Saturday)

-CENTRAL ARKASNAS AT ARIZONA STATE (Saturday)

-EASTERN WASHINGTON AT WASHINGTON STATE (Saturday). Decent regional match-up.

-NORTHERN ARIZONA AT OREGON (Saturday)

-NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL AT WICHITA STATE (Saturday)

-ALBANY AT OHIO STATE (Sunday)

-SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AT WISCONSIN (Sunday)

-UT MARTIN AT CINCINNATI (Sunday)

-HOFSTRA AT PURDUE (Sunday)

-TX SAN ANTONIO AT OLD DOMINION (Sunday). Next year this will be a conference game.

-FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT NORTH CAROLINA (Sunday).

-LOUISIANA MONROE AT OKLAHOMA (Sunday)

-ALABAMA STATE AT FLORIDA (Sunday)

-MANHATTAN AT LOUISVILLE (Sunday)

-COLGATE AT MARQUETTE (Sunday)

-WEST ALABAMA (nondiv1) AT ALABAMA (Sunday)

-JACKSON STATE AT BAYLOR (Sunday).

-CHARLESTON SOUTHERN AT ARIZONA (Sunday). Charleston Southern is one of the favorites to win the Big South this year, but they should be little match for Arizona.

-CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD AT CALIFORNIA (Sunday).

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Bracket Racket – Nov 5 2012

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Johnny Basketball

it’s our regularly scheduled college basketball show, the Bracket Racket. We tackle the slate of games coming up this Friday and give you our picks for the most intriguing contests. Then we focus on the teams in the Big 12, SEC, and Pac 12, and see if there’s anything of note coming out of those conferences. Our Issue of the Week focuses on the NCAA’s institution of new rules designed to hold coaches more accountable for violations within their program, which may help but likely just introduces larger issues. Finally, we talk a little mid-major basketball, focusing specifically on the Missouri Valley, WCC, and the paucity of strong conferences below them.

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Preseason Conference Notebook, pt 3

Posted on November 8, 2012 by David Griggs

BIG TEN

-The Big Ten appears to be a half-way decent conference this year. Indiana and Ohio State are national title contenders, and Michigan is also a top five team. Michigan State and Wisconsin (who will have to deal with injuries) are in the rankings as well. Iowa has been trending up and could end up in the NCAA Tournament, and Minnesota is another team we could see in there. I wouldn’t be surprised if eight Big Ten teams ended up dancing.

Then of course there is Nebraska, who single-handedly cancels out all the strength in this conference. But even the Huskers can be tough to beat at home.

 

 

BIG EAST

-Like the Big Ten, the Big East has a half way decent league this year. They just aren’t quite as half way decent as the Big Ten is. They do have a national title contender in Louisville, who was a Final Four team a year ago and who returns most of their key players.

Cincinnati isn’t starting off that high in the rankings, but I think they’re a team to pay attention to. They seem to have a tendency to finish better than where they start as of late.

Syracuse and Notre Dame are also teams that could contend for protected seeds, and Marquette should be strong again as well.

Last, and probably not least, South Florida is an up and coming program that made the NCAAs last year and advanced to the Round of 32.

 

 

BIG TWELVE

-Baylor has to replace quite a bit of talent, but they have their backcourt back, and freshman Isaiah Austin should be a force in the frontcourt. The Bears have been to two Elite Eights in the past three years and will likely be strong again.

-Kansas is strong, but that’s not news.

-Texas is another team that should end up dancing.

-West Virginia, who is new to the conference, is an NCAA Tournament regular and should be able to get back there again.

-Not sure what to make of a Frank Martin-less Kansas State team.

-Iowa State was in the Round of 32 last year, but has gone through some roster changes and it’s hard to get a gage on them.

-Rumor has it that Oklahoma is also trending up.

 

 

ACC

-The conference appears to be good, but not as dominant as the Big Ten, Big East, Big Twelve, or even the SEC this year.

-North Carolina and Duke, as always, will be strong, but there is another Tobacco Road team in the mix, and that’s NC State. They begin the season ranked #6. I know they had a good showing in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and not only have most of their contributing players back, but have also made some great additions, but prior to the run to the Sweet Sixteen they were a bubble team. I think the #6 ranking is a little too lofty, but they’ll certainly have their opportunities to prove me wrong.

-Florida State is another team that I think is very good. They certainly have quite a bit of size.

-Other than those four, I’m having a hard time getting overly excited about anyone.

 

 

ATLANTIC TEN

-The league welcomes Butler and VCU, as it goes to a sixteen team format this year.

-I really like this VCU team. They are having issues with eligibility, but still return a ton of their contributing players from last year who advanced to the Round of 32 and nearly beat Indiana.

-Butler, who advanced to the national championship game in back to back years, struggled last year, but appears to be back on pace and should be another NCAA Tournament caliber team.

-Saint Louis was another team that was in the Round of 32 a year ago, and although they have most of their players back, they do not have their head coach back. I don’t have nearly as much confidence in Jim Crews as I do Rick Majerus, so it will be interesting to see how that effects them this year.

-Temple is seemingly always in the mix.

-Not a whole lot of buzz about Richmond, but they are very well coached and always seem to exceed expectations.

-We’re used to seeing Xavier at or near the top of the league. Since they lost pretty much everyone, I would not be surprised if they failed to finish with a winning record in league play this year.

 

 

COLONIAL

-The league has lost VCU, and Georgia State and Old Dominion will not play in the conference tournament due to them leaving the conference, so if either of teams wants to dance they’ll need the at-large.

I love this Drexel team. I feel they were good enough to be an NCAA Tournament team a year ago and really feel the committee should have taken them, but understand how their weak overall schedule held them back. This year, they return all their key players, and have beefed up the schedule, so I’m expecting them to make a splash.

Delaware is another team that is expected to do well. They finished the season on a nine game winning streak and have most of their core players back this year.

George Mason and Old Dominion are always tough and they could be a force this year as well.

 

 

BIG SOUTH

-The league is now at a twelve team format and is going to divisions this year. Coastal Carolina and UNC Asheville are the teams that we’re used to seeing on top, but Campbell and Charleston Southern have been voted the favorites this year.

 

 

BIG WEST

-Long Beach has run away with the regular season the last two years, and is picked to win it again this year. They were an at-large caliber team a year ago, but won the conference tournament and didn’t need the at-large bid. They lost most of their contributing players and aren’t likely to be nearly as good overall, but I guess they’re still good enough to contend for the conference title.

 

 

AMERICA EAST

-Vermont won the league last year, and is favored to do so again this year. Stony Brook is right behind them.

-Binghamton was a last place finisher last year who just missed winning the Golden Seat Centenary Award. Had it not been for an opening round win against UMBC in the conference tournament, it would have been theirs. They are early favorites who take home the golden crapper this year, though.

 

 

ATLANTIC SUN

-Belmont has been a good team the last two years, but Belmont is no longer in the conference. The remaining teams are likely destined for the play in game.

-The league welcomes NKU, who is not just new to the Atlantic Sun, but new to div1.

-I’ve been looking for the preseason favorite on the website, but can’t find out who it is. I know Mercer was strong last year and has four starters back, including Langston Hall, who is perhaps the best player in the league, so I’m going with them as my preseason favorite.

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