MEAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 29, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

MEAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Howard
  2. Norfolk State
  3. NC Central
  4. Morgan State
  5. UMES
  6. Delaware State
  7. Coppin State
  8. South Carolina State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MEAC 1ST TEAM:

-Shy Odom – SO, F – Howard
-Martaz Robinson – SR, G – Delaware State
-Marcus Dockery – JR, G – Howard
-Jelani Williams – SR, G – Howard
-Christian Ings – SR, G – Norfolk State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MEAC 2ND TEAM:

-Kamron Hobbs – JR, G – Morgan State
-Will Thomas – JR, F – Morgan State
-Brandon Stone – SR, G – Delaware State
-Jevin Muniz – SO, G – Delaware State
-Bryce Harris – JR, G – Howard

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MEAC 3RD TEAM:

-Jamari Thomas – JR, G – Norfolk State
-George Beale Jr. – SO, G – Norfolk State
-Chance Davis – JR, G – UMES
-Jordan Simpson – SO, G – SC State
-Fred Cleveland Jr. – SR, G – NC Central

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-Howard was the 1st-place team a year ago and then went on to win the conference tournament before falling to Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. This program has made unbelievable improvements under Coach Kenny Blakeney and is the consensus favorite to win the league again. Just two starters are back, but both Jelani Williams/Shy Odom are good all-around players and the Bison appear to be adding some nice pieces to fill out their roster.

-I always like Norfolk State, but with just one starter back from a year ago I can see this being a bit of a rebuilding year for them. They have had back-to-back seasons of 20+ wins and nearly made the NCAA Tournament last year, but lost to Howard by just 1-pt in the conference championship game. Christian Ings is the top returning scorer and he is a very solid player, but most of the rest of their roster seems to be made up of guys with limited D1 experience.

-NC Central lost all five of their starters from a season ago and has reached into the portal and the JUCO ranks to try and rebuild the roster. Like a lot of teams in this league they have a lot of new players and will need new guys to step up and contribute.

-Morgan State has just one starter back and is also adding what appear to be several good looking JUCO players. Myles Thompson is a an outstanding outside shooter and will be a key part of the roster.

-UMES lost all five starters and, like a lot of teams, has a mostly new roster. Only three players from last year’s team are back and, like a lot of teams in this league, they have a very transfer-heavy team.

-Delaware State has all five starters back from a year ago. The problem is that the Hornets won just 5 D1 games last season, so while they should improve some being that they are the only team with players who have experience playing together, will it be enough of an improvement for them to make some noise in this league? They do appear to have a pretty solid backcourt with two of their players receiving preseason all-MEAC honors. We will see if that can translate into more wins this year.

-Coppin State has won fewer than ten total games for the past three years and with no starters back from last year the expectations are once again rather low.

-South Carolina State won just five total games last year but they actually were not that bad of a defensive team. Three starters are back so if they can find a way to put the ball in the basket we may see a few more wins this year.

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Big East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 29, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

BIG EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Marquette
  2. Creighton
  3. UConn
  4. Villanova
  5. Saint John’s
  6. Xavier
  7. Providence
  8. Georgetown
  9. Seton Hall
  10. Butler
  11. DePaul

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

-Tyler Kolek – SR, G – Marquette

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST 1ST TEAM:

-Trey Alexander – JR, G – Creighton
-Ryan Kalkbrenner – SR, C – Creighton
-Bryce Hopkins – JR, F/G – Providence
-Joel Soriano – SR, C – Saint John’s
-Justin Moore – SR, G – Villanova

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST 2ND TEAM:

-Donovan Clingan – SO, C – UConn
-Baylor Scheierman – SR, G – Creighton
-Oso Ighodaro – SR, F – Marquette
-Kam Jones – JR, G – Marquette
-Eric Dixon – SR, F – Villanova

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

In glancing at the Big East just before the season starts, there appear to be three teams that are solid protected seeds and two that are top-ten-caliber teams. The rest of the league seems to drop off after that. Now, I always say you do not REALLY know anything about anyone until they actually start playing, but HOLY CRAP is Marquette good! HOLY CRAP is Creighton good! And UConn? Well, there is only one defending National Champion out there and it is them.

-Marquette has been very good before. We have seen them in the top-25 and we have seen them make NCAA Tournament runs. But even by their standards this Marquette team is INSANELY good this year! Four starters are back from a team that won 29 games a year ago: guys like Kam Jones give them a ton of talent at the guard position and Oso Ighodaro gives them both experience/talent in the post. They are ranked in the top-ten in both major polls to start the season and are playing a really strong OOC schedule to go along with a very tough Big East, so this team should be super battle tested by the time March rolls around. Oh yeah, and Shaka Smart? He is a HELL of a head coach!

-For years (decades really) I have picked on Creighton and Coach Greg McDermott for being a great team and coach in the months of November/December/January and the first half of February…and then falling apart. I can no longer say that and will never say that again. Creighton is coming off an Elite Eight run last year where they nearly made the Final Four before falling 57-56 to San Diego State. They have three starters back who all deservedly received preseason all-conference honors, and are adding Steven Ashworth who is another outstanding player that is transferring in from Utah State. I have gone back and forth between Creighton and Marquette. I really like both of them but I think I like Creighton a little more. It is a cold day in Hell: I am picking Creighton! A team that is coached by Greg McDermott, to not just win the Big East but to MAKE THE FINAL FOUR!!! And…why not?? They damn near got there last year and they look to be even better this year!

-Last year in the months of November/December UConn was the best team in the country. Then, they started off the new year (New Year’s Eve actually) by going 2-6. They were an ABYSMAL team in the month of January!! Then in February they were good again, and then in March/April they were VERY good and won the National Championship. John Stalica will have to research this but I believe they are the first team to ever go 2-6 in the month of January and then win the National Title. Anyway, they are going to be good again this year: they always are. They are losing three starters including Adama Sanogo/Jordan Hawkins, and that is a lot to lose, but UConn is just able to reload with a really highly-rated recruiting class and some big-time transfers coming in. I am not going to go so far as to pick them to repeat as national champs but I do think they will end up as a protected seed once again.

-Kyle Neptune’s debut as Villanova head coach fell short of a lot of peoples’ expectations but injuries were a big part of why the team struggled. I for one think Neptune is an OUTSTANDING coach and that he will get Nova rolling this year. I do not think they are top-ten-good like the three teams that are picked ahead of them but they are definitely NCAA-Tournament-good and, as a program I think they will remain nationally-relevant under Neptune. Three starters are gone, and replacing Caleb Daniels/Cam Whitmore will not be easy, but TJ Bamba (a key player at Washington State last year) joins the roster as a good all-around player with a pretty good outside shot. Tyler Burton also comes in as a grad-transfer from Richmond so they have the talent/experience they need to be a really good team.

-Saint John’s has been a so-so team for the past several seasons and I guess they felt that they needed to make a change to inject some energy into the program. So…they went out and hired Rick Pitino. Chances are Pitino will get his 725th win this year as a college head coach. The Johnnies have just one starter back so they are having to rebuild, but whenever Pitino takes over a program rebuilding is his specialty. This is a transfer-heavy team. Daniss Jenkins (Iona), Jordan Dingle (Penn), and Chris Ledlum (Harvard) were all hugely talented players who averaged over 15ppg so there is no lack of talent with the Johnnies. It would not shock me at all to see them improve significantly right away and end up inside the bubble this March.

-Sean Miller’s return to Xavier exceeded most expectations as the Musketeers won 27 total games and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Just two starters are back from that team so repeating that level of success probably is unlikely…but then again I was not expecting them to be that good at the beginning of last year so what do I know? Xavier is tasked with replacing three really strong backcourt players, but they have hit the portal and gotten Abou Ousmane (North Texas)/Dayvion McKnight (Western Kentucky) who are both really strong guards. They also have some new players in the frontcourt who look rather promising so Xavier may be a dark horse in this conference…again!

-It seems like every year we undervalue Providence in the preseason, and every year we are proven wrong. But this year Coach Ed Cooley left to take the Georgetown job and just two starters are back. One of them, though, is an exceptionally good player in Bryce Hopkins, but the Friars have just lost too much and are unlikely to make any noise this year. Or…can they?? Like I said, we seem to say that about them every year and every year they surprise us.

-In 2021 Georgetown had one very good week, and it was a good week to have a good week. They won the Big East Tournament and earned the auto-bid to the NCAAs. Outside of that, this team has been so bad that they have become a running joke over the past three years. Ed Cooley takes over as head coach and that alone should bring some new energy to the program. Just one starter is back and they have gone into the portal to try and rebuild the roster. The easy prognosis is to say that we will see some improvement, but that they do not appear to be good enough to make a run at the NCAA Tournament. Having said that, Ed Cooley has a history of taking teams with rebuilt rosters that do not appear good enough to make a run at the NCAA Tournament…and ending up in the NCAA Tournament.

-Shaheen Holloway begins his second year as Seton Hall head coach, and while they were a modest 17-16 last year they really were not anything special. He has also gone into the portal and landed some guys who were contributing D1 players a year ago, so while I do not think they will be anywhere near the bubble, I could see them ending up around .500 again. I think they will do a little better than 9th.

-Butler is a program that I do not really get. They should be better. They HAVE been better: MUCH better! Thad Matta is a good coach, they have great fan support/resources/history. Yet, they have had three straight losing seasons and expectations again are not all that high. Just three players return from last year so it is practically a brand new roster, and while the recruiting class appears to be promising I find myself agreeing with the low expectations for this season.

-I have never understood how DePaul is always so bad. You would think that given their location and the size of their alumni base in that area that they would at least be able to put together a good team every few years even if it was just by accident. More often than not they are outside the top-100 of pretty much every major metric. Just one starter is back from a year ago and they do not appear to have a ton of talent this year.

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The Top Five Early Season Bracketed MTE’s

Posted on October 28, 2023 by David Griggs

By David Dorman, Senior Staff Writer

The college basketball season is right around the corner. There are many great early season tournaments across the country but I have picked 5 that you do not want to miss.

#5 The Empire Classic 

Location:  Madison Square Garden, New York City

When: November 19 & 20

This should be a great doubleheader in NYC as the defending champ UConn Huskies battle with the Indiana Hoosiers in game 1. Look for UConn to have the Garden rocking with supporters as the Husky faithful always pack MSG when UConn comes to the Big Apple. Last year Louisville had as bad a year as the program has been through possibly ever. This will be a tough test against a loaded Longhorns roster under now permanent head coach Rodney Terry. 

1st Round Matchups:

UConn vs Indiana

Texas vs Louisville

My pick for the championship game: UConn vs Texas

My pick to win it: UConn

#4 Shriners Children’s Charleston Classic

Location: Charleston, South Carolina

When: November 16,17,19

This year’s edition of the Charleston Classic might be the best yet. Rick Pitino is the head man at St. John’s and his roster is ready to win now. Houston again this year is a national title contender under Coach Kelvin Sampson and the Wake Forest program is headed in the right direction under Steve Forbes. North Texas in the American Conference and Dayton in the Atlantic 10 both believe they have the rosters to win conference crowns. 

1st Round Matchups:

St. John’s vs North Texas

Dayton vs LSU

Houston vs Towson

Utah vs Wake Forest

My pick for the championship game: St. John’s vs Houston

My pick to win it: St. John’s

#3 ESPN Invitational

Location: Lake Buena Vista, Florida

When: November 23,24,26

Last year’s March darling and Final 4 participant Florida Atlantic heads this talented field. This year’s tournament includes my favorite to win the SEC in Texas A&M, a talented and well coached Iowa State squad and another one of my preseason conference picks in Boise State. Virginia Tech and VCU will not be easy to beat and have the talent to win 3 games in a row in Disney World.

1st Round Matchups:

Penn St. vs Texas A&M

Florida Atlantic vs Butler

Iowa State vs VCU

Boise St. vs Virginia Tech

My pick for the championship game: Texas A&M vs Boise St.

My pick to win it: Texas A&M

#2 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis

Location: Paradise Island, Bahamas

When: November 22,23,24

Every game of this tournament should be fantastic basketball. If you’re a fan of one of these teams and you happen to lose a game don’t worry because your next game will be just as important. Remember every game is a data point for the NCAA Selection Committee come March and they don’t care if you win a game in the consultation side or the championship side of these early season tournaments. Teams in this tournament will have 3 opportunities to pick up quality wins. Arkansas, North Carolina and Villanova all have visions of the Final 4 and every team in the Bahamas have their sights on a bid to the NCAA Tournament come March.

1st Round Matchups:

North Carolina vs Northern Iowa

Villanova vs Texas Tech

Michigan vs Memphis

Arkansas vs Stanford

My pick for the championship game: Villanova vs Arkansas

My pick to win it: Arkansas

#1 Maui Jim Maui Invitational

Location:

This year’s Maui Invite will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The Maui Invitational is usually played at the Lahaina Civic Center but this year is being moved because the Civic Center is serving as a critical hub for Maui wildfire recovery efforts. This year’s Maui field includes 5 teams that will start the season in my top 12. Those teams are Kansas, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Purdue and Marquette. Many of the matchups that this tournament will provide could be Final 4 previews. Two other teams heading to the Islands will be Syracuse and UCLA, two very proud and championship programs that could win some games over Thanksgiving week in Maui. Rounding out the field will be the tournament host, the Silverswords of Chaminade. While we will love the action on the court, our thoughts will be with all the beautiful people of Hawaii. Maui is going through a horrible disaster with these fires and the tournament committee has done a wonderful job raising money through tournament activities to help with the destruction. 

When: November 20,21,22

Every year I say “this is a loaded Maui field” but this year is RIDICULOUS. We could very well be seeing 7 teams  in Maui headed to the NCAA Tournament.

1st Round Matchups:

Tennessee vs Syracuse

Purdue vs Gonzaga

Kansas vs Chaminade

UCLA vs Marquette

My pick for the championship game: Purdue vs Marquette

My pick to win it: Purdue

When the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Committee gathers to put the bracket together in March remember that we are told every game is considered for selection. Games in November are just as important as games in February and March. These early season tournaments provide teams with incredible opportunities to pick up neutral site victories over high quality opponents. Neutral site wins and road wins give a team a huge boost on their team sheets come March. 

Enjoy these great tournaments as college basketball gets rolling! 

The off season is almost over and the games are right around the corner.

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Horizon League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 27, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

HORIZON LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Northern Kentucky
  2. Milwaukee
  3. Wright State
  4. Cleveland State
  5. Youngstown State
  6. Oakland
  7. Robert Morris
  8. Purdue Fort Wayne
  9. Detroit Mercy
  10. IUPUI
  11. Green Bay

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-HORIZON LEAGUE 1ST TEAM:

-Tristan Enaruna – Cleveland State
-BJ Freeman – Milwaukee
-Marques Warrick -Northern Kentucky
-Trey Townsend – Oakland
-Trey Calvin – Wright State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-HORIZON LEAGUE 2ND TEAM:

-Jlynn Counter – IUPUI
-Sam Vinson – Northern Kentucky
-Tanner Holden – Wright State
-Brandon Noel – Wright State
-Brandon Rush – Youngstown State

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-Northern Kentucky is, understandably, the preseason favorites to win the league. They won the HL Tournament last year after finishing just one game out of first, and Marques Warrick (who led the conference in scoring last year) is back along with two other starters. Cade Meyer is also transferring in from Green Bay, who was a double-digit scorer a year ago and knows this league. The Norse clearly look like the team to beat this year.

-Milwaukee is another team with four starters returning including BJ Freeman, who averaged over 18ppg. This is another team that could be dangerous: they would have actually tied for first place last year had they not inexplicably lost to Green Bay, who was just 3-29 on the season. In fact, a lot of their league losses came against some of the weaker teams. If they can just be more consistent this year they should be able to keep pace with the Norse.

-We are used to seeing Wright State at or near the top of the standings but they were just 10-10 in league play a year ago and finished down in 6th place. They do have two really strong players in Trey Calvin and Brandon Noel (who was a standout freshman last year). Two other guys also received preseason all-conference honors. As talented as they are, and as much as they appear to be able to score, they struggled last year (especially during the final few weeks of the season). Hopefully their experience will result in more consistent play and they can be in the hunt for first place this year.

-Cleveland State has won 20+ games the last two years and has three starters back from a year ago so they are not a team that should be overlooked. Daniyal Robinson had a great year in his first year as head coach, and Tristan Enaruna/Tae Williams make up one of the stronger frontcourts in the conference. Where they may struggle, and what probably gives a lot of people pause, is the backcourt. They do not appear to have any proven guards and that could be an issue when competing against the top of the league.

-If you did not have Penguin Fever last year then you simply are not a college basketball fan!! Youngstown State, who had never really been relevant in the conference in recent memory, was 15-5 in conference play last year, finished 1st in the standings and won 24 total games: it was incredible!! The problem is that just one starter is back so the Penguins appear to be at the bottom of their talent cycle right now. Brandon Rush is the lone returning starter and a solid player, plus they have some guys transferring in who were key players at D1 programs last year, so I do not think the Penguins will fall all the way back down to the bottom, but I do not think we are going to see them near the top either.

-Oakland struggled last year going just 12-19 overall, and while three starters are back it looks as though they may struggle again this year. Greg Kampe is a fantastic coach and Tre Townsend is a fantastic player, but the rest of the roster will need to step up if the Grizz are going to improve from a season ago.

-Robert Morris was a modest 16-17 overall last year, and while they return three starters their top-two scorers are gone. This was a team that was inconsistent for much of the season last year but they did look strong down the stretch. The question is whether or not they have enough talent/experience to carry that momentum into this year and make a big improvement.

-After two years of failing to win ten games, Purdue Fort Wayne was noticeably improved last year with a 15-15 record against D1. They were really bad in the last few weeks of conference play, but I guess that does not matter because all five starters are gone so Coach Jon Coffman is looking to rebuild the roster.

-Detroit Mercy Coach Mike Davis has certainly seen a lot of success in his career but has had trouble getting the Titans turned around. Last year the story was not so much their wins but rather the play of Antoine Davis, who was on pace throughout much of the season to become the all-time leading NCAA scorer. This year they are having to completely rebuild the roster. No starters are back so it could be another year of frustration for UDM.

-IUPUI has struggled mightily these past two years. Two years ago they only had five available players for their last game and won just three games all season. Last year was not much better as they posted just five total wins. Four starters return for this year: Jlynn Counter is a standout player and they have some other guys who can score as well. While IUPUI certainly will not be in the top half of the league, this is hopefully a year where they can take a big step forward and maybe finish closer to the middle than to the bottom. I am not going to call them my dark horse…but I think they will do better than 10th this year.

-Green Bay won just three games a year ago and was amongst the worst teams in all of D1. Just one starter is back and perhaps an overhaul of the roster is what they needed. I think they will win more than three this year but it is still going to be a long year for the Phoenix.

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Ivy League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 27, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

IVY LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Yale
  2. Princeton
  3. Cornell
  4. Brown
  5. Penn
  6. Harvard
  7. Dartmouth
  8. Columbia

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

Something I like about the Ivy League, especially now in the current climate of college athletics, is that it will seemingly always remain unchanged by all the conference realignment, and the rivalries/excitement/quality of play are as good now as it has ever been. In the days of the portal and in all of the conferences shuffling their lineup every year the Ivy League is still the Ivy League. Most schools (although not all) were able to retain their key players that have yet to graduate…and last year we saw Princeton make the Sweet Sixteen! It can still collectively compete at the same level it always has.

-Yale is this year’s preseason favorite, and understandably so. They tied for 1st place last year, earned a bid to the NIT after coming up just short of making the NCAA Tournament, and played a good game against Vanderbilt. With four starters back from a year ago, all of whom can seemingly shoot/distribute the ball/defend, this is going to be a very fun/dangerous team to watch this year. They are good enough to not just get to the Round of 64 but to really make someone sweat: we may even see them make a run at the bubble. Princeton was a Sweet Sixteen team a year ago, and while Yale lost to them in the Ivy League Championship game they beat them twice during the regular season, so this is a team that can play! Speaking of Princeton…

-Princeton was in the race for 1st place all last year and got it done in the conference tournament, but the real surprise came in the NCAA Tournament where they knocked off Arizona/Missouri to advance to the Sweet Sixteen as a 15-seed. They only have two starters back, and while the Tigers should be good this year I do not think they’re quite on the same level as Yale. Matt Allocco is back and is a really good outside shooter so the Tigers will be depending on him quite a bit. Regardless of who is in the lineup this is a fun team to watch, especially on offense as they still run a lot backdoor cuts and also work to create open shots from beyond the arc.

-Cornell has four starters back from a team that went 7-7 in the league a year ago, and with that experience come some raised expectations. Like a lot of Ivy League teams the Big Red are fun to watch! They have a fast-paced style, which is very unique to this conference, and they got off to a very impressive-looking 12-2 start last year. They did sort of fall apart down the stretch, and I can understand how that would give people some pause in picking them to finish ahead of either Princeton/Yale.

-Brown is another team that has a lot of experience returning. They were also 7-7 in the Ivy League last year, and with four starters back the expectations have been raised a little bit. They did lose three of their last four games, but two of those losses were to Princeton/Yale, who were the class of the league, so I would not read too much into that. Only four teams make the Ivy League Tournament and Brown just missed it a year ago, so they are hoping to at least finish in the top-four this year.

-Penn lost their top player (Jordan Dingle) to the transfer portal, and with just two starters coming back it is going to be hard for them to repeat their 3rd-place finish from a year ago. They do appear to be in a little bit of a rebuild mode this year.

-Harvard is a team that we are used to seeing at or near the top of the standings, and going into the COVID year they looked to be exceptionally good. Unfortunately no one in the Ivy League played that season, and since then Harvard has not managed an overall winning record. It will be a struggle again this year with just two starters back from a team that went just 5-9 in league play. Tommy Amaker is a really good coach who has had some outstanding seasons with the Crimson. I think he will get them back to the top of the mountain some day…but not this year.

-Dartmouth got off to a fairly decent start to Ivy League play a year ago but was not good at all down the stretch and is understandably picked to finish toward the bottom again this year.

-It seems rare that Columbia ever wins more than ten total games and they are often at the bottom of the Ivy League standings. They do have all five starters back and Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is a really good guard. Hopefully with that experience they are able to manage a few more wins this year…but the expectations are still very low.

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Hoops HD Preview: Chicago State

Posted on October 26, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

No program in all of college athletics faces the challenges that Chicago State currently faces. Its’ not just their basketball program, but their entire athletic department. They are the only D1 college basketball Independent. Without the benefit of a built in conference schedule it makes scheduling and playing games in the second half of the season extremely challenging, and perhaps damn near impossible. Being an Independent probably also makes recruiting exceptionally challenging. While Chicago State isn’t on probation like the transitional schools are, they also don’t have the opportunity that literally EVERY OTHER DI1 PROGRAM HAS of playing in a conference who’s champion automatically qualifies for the NCAA Tournament and who’s first place team automatically qualifies for the NIT.

You know what, though? Having said all that, the value of this program has been growing since the arrival of Head Coach Gerald Gillon two years ago. In the season prior to Gillon’s arrival, they won zero games, and they had not won more than 6 since the 2013-2014 season. An 11-20 overall record may not seem that exciting, but for a program that I would have ranked at the very bottom of all of D1 just 24 months ago AND who has to face challenges that no other D1 program has to face, that’s actually a REMARKABLE improvement. They don’t get to play many home games, they have to front-load their schedule because teams aren’t available once conference play gets going, but despite all that they’ve been able to improve. They were a top 300 team in the metrics last year. That means they outperformed over 60 programs who two years ago were better than they were and that have far bigger advantages than they do.

As for this year’s team, three starters are back! That’s a good retention rate for a team in their situation! Wesley Cardet averaged over 16ppg and is a good outside shooter. Jahsean Corbett was also a double digit scorer. Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley are twins who make up a pretty solid frontcourt. This is a program that is getting noticeably better and whose expectations are getting noticeably higher!!! We will likely see more improvement from them this year!!

So let me step up onto my soapbox for a second…

When you look at the Under the Radar conferences that are in their geographic area, I would argue that Chicago State would be an asset to anyone who would invite them to join. They’re a D1 program in the Chicago market. They’re a D1 program that has improved over 60 spots in the KenPom metrics and in the NET over the past two years, and is giving every indication that they will continue to improve. The Summit League, the Ohio Valley, the Horizon League, and even the Missouri Valley ALL have MULTIPLE teams that Chicago State is currently outperforming. To say that they would be an anchor that would bring down the overall level of play in the conference would be incorrect. Perhaps that was the case two years ago, but it is NOT the case anymore!! They would be an ASSET to those conferences, especially the OVC, Summit, and Horizon Leagues. I hope they get the chance to become members of an AQ conference.

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