The Hoops HD Report: Big East Conference Preview

Posted on October 17, 2023 by David Griggs

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

CLICK HERE for our ACC Preview Podcast. It kind of got buried with all of the other conference previews.

A full Hoops HD Panel takes a look at the Big East this year, which is extremely top-heavy with Marquette, Creighton, and defending national champs UConn all looking like top ten teams. Kyle Neptune enters his second year at Villanova, and while his debut was a bit of a disappointment, he’s got a lot of talent this year and has a very good chance of getting them back to The Dance. Rick Pitino takes over at Saint John’s and has some high caliber players from UTR schools transferring in, and Kim English has a decent amount of talent for his first year at Providence. We discuss all that, and more!!

***NOTE FROM DAVID GRIGGS: During this show, I made a comment about former Iona coach Tim Cluess. It was meant to be a joke and playful in nature, but at the time I said it I had forgotten about his current health issues. Had I remembered, I probably wouldn’t have made the comment. But, we didn’t want to rerecord the whole thing. He’s someone that we all appreciate and that we used to have a sort of running joke with on the Under the Radar Podcasts. I certainly do wish him the best.

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Conference USA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2023 by David Griggs

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

CONFERENCE USA MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Liberty
  2. Middle Tennessee (tied in overall points but received fewer 1st place votes)
  3. Western Kentucky
  4. LA Tech
  5. UTEP
  6. Sam Houston
  7. FIU
  8. New Mexico State
  9. Jacksonville State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE USA:

-Arturo Dean – SO, G – FIU
-Isaiah Crawford – SR, F – LA Tech (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Kyle Rode – SR, F – Liberty
-Elias King – SR, G – Middle Tennessee
-Camryn Weston – SR, G – Middle Tennessee
-Cameron Huefner – JR, F – Sam Houston
-Tae Hardy – SR, G – UTEP
-Calvin Solomon – SR, F – UTEP
-Dontaie Allen, SR, G/F – Western Kentucky
-Brandon Newman – SR, G – Western Kentucky

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

Conference USA has been completely overhauled with several of the previously top programs bolting to join the American Conference, and four of the current nine members being brand-new to the league.

-Liberty is the preseason favorite and it is hard for me to see how it could possibly be anyone else. This was a team that finished in the top-50 in the KenPom rankings last year, and while the Atlantic Sun is not packed with bluebloods, it does have some good teams. With four starters back from a top-50ish caliber team, they have the kind of team that can not only win the league but blow through it and perhaps land near the bubble. They are tasked with replacing their best player, but virtually all of their other contributing players are back. They return enough to where guys can step into new roles and to where this could be a really strong team.

-Middle Tennessee is getting a lot of preseason love from the media. They were a modest 17-14 against D1 teams last year, and 11-9 in conference play. Three starters are back so they do have some experience. Their season ended with what was legitimately a great game and tremendous effort against Florida Atlantic in the semis of the conference tournament, and perhaps that is what has people so excited. I like them and think they will be much closer to the top of the league than the bottom, but I do not see them keeping pace with Liberty.

-Western Kentucky is starting completely over. They have a new head coach in Steve Lutz (who had a great two year run at TAMUCC and took them to two NCAA Tournaments) and will have five new starters this year since all the ones from last year are gone. I do like Lutz and think he will have some great years with the Toppers, but when I look at the pieces WKU has this year I just do not see it happening.

-After back-to-back 24-win seasons LA Tech digressed last season with just 15 overall wins and was a disappointing 7-13 in CUSA. They went 1-7 in their last eight regular season games after their leading scorer was dismissed from the team. Talvin Hester is in his second year as head coach and he has his work cut out for him. Just two starters are back but they did go into the transfer portal and have multiple players from P5 level programs coming in so I think they will be able to get things turned back around. I know this is a bit of a dark horse pick but I kind of like this team this year.

-UTEP is another team that was really bad in the last few weeks of the season, and even though three starters are back including Tae Hardy/Calvin Solomon (who received preseason all-conference honors), the expectations are not high.

-Sam Houston not only has a new conference but a new head coach in Chris Mudge who takes over after being an assistant with the program. The Bearkats had a great year last year with 26 wins including 1 in the postseason NIT, but just one starter returns from that team so there are a lot of unknowns about them. They do appear to have some decent transfers and freshmen coming in and it would not shock me to see them exceed expectations, but I cannot see them contending for a league title just yet.

-FIU had a stretch early in the first half of conference play where they won five out of six and beat some pretty notable teams. After that they just absolutely fell apart down the stretch. Three starters are back including Arturo Dean, who was the freshman of the year in the conference last season, so they do have some pieces and some potential.

-I am not going to get into the specifics because you probably know them already, but New Mexico State had to twice deal with extreme off-court issues last year which resulted in several games being cancelled, and they now have a new coach in Jason Hooten and almost an entirely new roster. They are heavy on transfers, including multiple grad transfers, and the likelihood of seeing them be highly successful is highly unlikely. At this point it is probably more important to reestablish their culture, rebuild a positive identity, and start to get their program back on track. This was a team that 2 years ago won 27 games including a game in the Round of 64, so the opportunities to build a successful program certainly exist.

-Jacksonville State is joining their third conference in the past four years! It is once again a transfer-heavy team, and while they appear to be bringing in a couple of quality JUCO guys I am inclined to think it will be a long year for the Gamecocks.

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Atlantic Sun Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2023 by David Griggs

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

A-SUN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:

  1. Eastern Kentucky
  2. FGCU
  3. Stetson
  4. Kennesaw State
  5. Lipscomb
  6. Bellarmine
  7. North Alabama
  8. Austin Peay
  9. Jacksonville
  10. Queens
  11. North Florida
  12. Central Arkansas

A-SUN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Eastern Kentucky
  2. Kennesaw State
  3. Lipscomb
  4. FGCU
  5. Bellarmine
  6. Stetson
  7. North Alabama
  8. North Florida
  9. Queens
  10. Jacksonville
  11. Austin Peay
  12. Central Arkansas

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL A-SUN

-Devontae Blanton – Eastern Kentucky
-Terrell Burden – Kennesaw State
-Jacob Ognacevic – Lipscomb
-DeMarcus Sharp – Austin Peay
-Garrett Tipton – Bellarmine
-Camren Hunter – Central Arkansas
-Isaiah Cozart – Eastern Kentucky
-Isaiah Thompson – FGCU
-Jacari Lane – North Alabama
-AJ McKee – Queens
-Jalen Blackmon – Stetson

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

I need to begin by saying there were some huge discrepancies amongst the voters in both the coaches and media polls. In both cases, the team that ultimately ended up 11th in the poll also received first place votes. So I guess that means this league is wide open!

-The consensus favorite to win the league is Eastern Kentucky, and that is my pick as well. The Colonels have four starters back from a team that won 20 games and advanced to the finals of the CBI last year. AW Hamilton enters his fifth year as head coach and this looks like it could be his breakout year. “Tae Tae” Blanton is one of the best players in the conference and he has a really strong supporting cast. They like to play up-tempo, are really athletic, are able to score, and are a ton of fun to watch.

-Kennesaw State had an absolutely incredible year last year. For a program with almost no basketball history or culture they were packing their arena in the latter part of the season, finished in a tie for first place, won the A-Sun Tourney, and then had Xavier on the ropes in the Round of 64 before losing in the final minute of play. Antoine Pettway takes over as head coach after Amir Abdur-Rahim left to take the job at South Florida, and while the did lose a substantial amount of talent, Terrell Burden/Demond Robinson are two double-digit scorers who stuck around. The team does appear to lack depth and that could be an issue. I do not expect them to win 26 games again this season, but I also do not expect them to return to the bottom of the standings either. The culture and expectations have changed in Kennesaw.

-FGCU had a rather unspectacular season last year so it is a little surprising to see them so high up in the preseason media polls. They were just 16-15 overall and were absolutely atrocious in the second half of conference play, although to be fair injuries played a big role in that. They do have a really good coach in Pat Chambers (at least I believe him to be good), and I do think this program will be back at the top of the league some day…but I do not see it happening this year. Three starters are back including Isaiah Thompson, who is one of the better players in the conference, so if they can stay healthy they should be noticeably better this season.

-I really like this Lipscomb team. They were a modest 11-7 in league play a year ago, but (for the most part) they were really strong in the second half of conference play and with four starters back I think they can make quite a bit of noise and even challenge Eastern Kentucky for 1st place. Depth will be an issue. They retained their key starters but lost several guys who contributed off the bench. Despite that, I think they have enough depth that guys can come off the bench and give them quality minutes.

-If you follow our Under the Radar podcasts you know that we often feel that Stetson is on the verge of a breakthrough season. It has not happened yet but we continue to think it will, and once again I am saying that I think this will be a good year for the Hatters. They were just 17-14 a season ago, but were a very respectable 12-6 in conference play and were looking pretty good down the stretch. They return three starters including Jalen Blackmon, who is one of the better players and shooters in the conference. Stephan Swenson is another guy that can put it in the basket. I like this team this year!

-Bellarmine is entering their final season as a transitional program and is positioned to make some noise in the league. They were rather unspectacular as a whole last year but were looking better toward the end of the year, and with four starters back that improvement should continue. This team loves to move the ball and is a lot of fun to watch. They will be a solid A-Sun program once they complete the transition, and I think will be able to compete with the top of the league.

-North Alabama is now full blown D1! As a whole, they were not that good last year, but they finished the regular season by winning six of their last eight, and with four starters back (and seven of their top eight rotation guys back) they can hopefully take some of that momentum into this season. I do not think North Alabama will contend for the top of the league, but I do kind of like them as a dark horse and think they will exceed expectations this year.

-The days of North Florida being a frontrunner in this conference now seem like it was a very long time ago. Coach Matt Driscoll has had some great seasons but the last three have ranged from mediocre down to terrible. Just one starter returns from last year’s team and they are having to rebuild with guys who do not appear to have a lot of experience.

-Austin Peay was the last place team a year ago and they are starting completely over with a revamped roster. Corey Gipson takes over as head coach after the program battled some off-court issues last year, and he does bring with him two standout players from Northwestern State (DeMarcus Sharp/Ja’Monta Black) so we could see some improvement from the Govs this year.

-The Dolphins of Jacksonville are another team that has to rebuild after a rough season last year. They have just one starter back and it is likely that they will be closer to the bottom than they are to the top.

-As a first-year transitional program Queens had an exceptionally good year last year going 15-15 overall against D1 competition. The second/third years of transitioning are usually the toughest so we could see a decline this year. Once they finish the transition I think they will be regular contenders in this conference…but they may be in for an uphill climb for the next two years.

-Central Arkansas is the consensus last place team. They won just 9 total games last year and were especially bad in the last few weeks of the season, but three starters are back including Camren Hunter, who is one of the better players in the conference. The problem is his supporting cast is somewhat lacking. We may see some improvement given their experience but it is still going to be a long year.

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West Coast Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2023 by David Griggs

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

WEST COAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Saint Mary’s
  2. Gonzaga
  3. San Francisco
  4. LMU
  5. Santa Clara
  6. Portland
  7. Pepperdine
  8. Pacific
  9. San Diego

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL WEST COAST:

-Alex Ducas – SR, G/F – Saint Mary’s
-Graham Ike – Jr, F – Gonzaga
-Keli Leaupepe – SR, F – LMU
-Aidan Mahaney – SO, G – Saint Mary’s
-Houston Mallette – JR, G – Pepperdine
-Ryan Nembhard – JR, G – Gonzaga
-Jevon Porter – SO, F – Pepperdine
-Tyler Robinson – SR, G/F – Portland
-Mitchell Saxen – SR, C – Saint Mary’s
-Anton Watson – SR, F – Gonzaga

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It seems crazy, and almost surreal, to see anyone atop the preseason standings other than Gonzaga. Saint Mary’s tied the Zags for 1st place last year, but prior to that you wouldd have to go all the way back to 2016 for the last time Gonzaga was not the outright first place finisher, and all the way back to 2012 for when they did not win at least a share of first place. That being said, the Gaels of Saint Mary’s are your preseason WCC favorites! They won 27 games last year and advanced to the Round of 32 before losing to the eventual national champions. Three key starters are back, including Alex Ducas/Aidan Mahaney, both of whom were double-digit scorers and part of a really strong backcourt. They add to that a very strong freshman class that should make up a very strong frontcourt as well. This is a top-25-caliber team that should cruise to the NCAA Tournament and challenge Gonzaga for the top spot in the WCC. Speaking of Gonzaga…

-Gonzaga did what they normally do a season ago. They won more than 30 games and advanced to the Elite Eight. That is a typical season for them, and it would not shock me to see them do the same thing again. Three starters are gone who were a big part of their scoring, most notably Drew Timme/Julian Swarther, and replacing those two is no small task. But they are getting some help from the portal, namely Steele Venters who was a standout player at Eastern Washington, and Graham Ike who averaged just under 20ppg at Wyoming last year, so the Zags do have a lot of weapons. They will be in the top-25. They will win a lot of games. They will make the NCAA Tournament, and they will likely go several rounds into it. Again. It is just what they do.

-San Francisco had been irrelevant for pretty much several decades on end, but all of a sudden they have managed to win 20+ games in four of the last five seasons and made the NCAA Tournament two years ago. They are rebuilding this year with just two starters back from last season and have to replace some of their top scorers, but they are adding some key transfers and have what look to be a couple of really strong freshmen coming in so we may not see them take a huge step back.

-LMU is coming off their best season in a while, but they are losing some of the key pieces from that team including Cam Shelton, who averaged over 21ppg a year ago. Nevertheless, they should be good enough to finish in the top half of the conference. They are adding some key transfers, a couple of whom were key players at P5-level programs a year ago, so they have some nice pieces and we should see their improvement continue into this season.

-I have been big on Santa Clara for the last couple of years and think that Coach Herb Sendek has done a fantastic job building them up. They have had back to back 20+ win seasons and have been in the top-100 in most of the major metrics. Having said that, all five starters are gone from last year and they have to start completely over. Now, they do have several guys transferring in with D1 experience. Jalen Benjamin (Mount Saint Mary’s), Johnny O’Neil (American), and Tyeree Bryan (Charleston Southern) were all double-digit scorers a year ago, so they have managed to put a few things into the cupboard, but it could still be a bit of a transitional year for the Broncos.

-Portland’s program has shown steady improvement since Coach Shantay Legans took over two years ago, but they still have a long way to go and it looks like they will have a hard time finishing in the top half of the standings this year. They lost one of their top players to the portal, and while Tyler Robertson is back as one of the better players in the conference, the question is how good his supporting cast is.

-Pepperdine has been abysmal the last two years. Lorenzo Romar has had success as a head coach, most notably during his time at Washington, but he has not gotten it done at Pepperdine, especially during the last couple years where they failed to win ten games either season. The Wave also lost Maxwell Lewis, who was their top player. He is still in the Los Angeles area…but is playing for the Lakers. They do have a couple of double-digit scorers back, and they are adding a couple of freshmen that look pretty good, so perhaps we will see some improvement.

-I am a little surprised Pacific is picked this low. I do not think they will be anywhere close to the top of the league, but I think they will be closer to the middle than the bottom. They were 7-9 in league play last year, which certainly is not great but also is not the worst. They did lose one of their top scorers, but three other starters are back and they have some guys returning who can contribute off the bench as well.

-San Diego has just one starter back, and while I like Steve Lavin as a coach and think he will improve this program over time, any finish this year that is higher than last year will be an accomplishment. I do not mean that as faint praise. They do not have a lot of experience and do not appear to have a lot of potential.

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The Hoops HD Report: ACC Conference Preview

Posted on October 16, 2023 by David Griggs

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

A nearly full Hoops HD panel convenes to preview this year’s ACC. Duke and Miami FL are who we believe the top teams to be. We discuss Duke’s tremendous talent and experience, and whether or not the Canes are bringing back enough pieces to repeat as the first place team. We also discuss Virginia’s and Clemson’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament, whether or not Florida State will struggle again this year, and whether or not Wake Forest can have a breakout year. All that, and more!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Mountain West Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 16, 2023 by David Griggs

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

MOUNTAIN WEST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. San Diego State
  2. Boise State
  3. New Mexico
  4. Nevada
  5. Colorado State
  6. UNLV
  7. San Jose State
  8. Fresno State
  9. Utah State
  10. Wyoming
  11. Air Force

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL MOUNTAIN WEST:

-Tyson Degenhart – JR, F – Boise State
-Isaiah Stevens – SR, G – Colorado State
-Jaelen House – SR, G – New Mexico
-Jamal Mashburn Jr. – SR, G – New Mexico
-Lamont Butler – SR, G – San Diego State

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

I have always loved this conference.  I have loved it ever since it split off from the old bloated WAC, and I liked a lot of those original Mountain West schools even before then.  It is a league that’s rich with passionate fanbases, intense rivalries, and an abundance of exciting games throughout the season.  I do not care what our colleague Joby Fortson says: this is a great league!!  I wish this league got more national attention/appreciation than what it typically does.  The one criticism of this conference, which was totally fair, was its lack of success and deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.  Hopefully San Diego State’s run to the championship game a year ago will help change that perspective.  Speaking of San Diego State…

-The Azetcs are losing three key starters from last year’s national runner-up team, but they are so balanced and had a decent amount of depth which should help them transition rather smoothly into this year.  Predicting another run to the National Title game is a bit of a stretch, but I do think they will be a solid top-25-caliber team throughout the season.  Lamont Butler is one of the most talented guards in the conference and he has a very experienced supporting cast around him.

-Boise State returns several key players, including three starters, from a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year and now seems in position to get back for a third straight year.  Tyson Degenhart is a solid frontcourt player, and Chibuzo Agbo can really shoot the ball.  They have some weapons, they have experience, and I expect to see them dancing again come March.

-New Mexico could be a bit of a dark horse this year, and it is no surprise to see them picked as high as 3rd at Media Day.  They did fall apart in the latter part of last season, and were really bad in the month of February after starting off with a very impressive 18-2 record.  While they floundered down the stretch, the season was still a huge overall improvement for the program, and with the return of Jamal Mashburn Jr./Jaelen House this team has as much talent as anyone in the conference.

-Nevada was one of the last teams selected for the NCAA Tournament last year, and they ended up losing their First Four game rather decisively to Arizona State, which meant they ended the season with four straight losses and caused people to question whether or not they should have been selected at all.  Nevertheless, it was still a good year overall, and three starters are back from that team, including Jarod Lucas/Kenan Blackshear, so this a team with guys who are both experienced/talented.  I would not be surprised to see them back inside the bubble this year.

-Colorado State had a rather unimpressive season last year where they were 6-12 in conference play and finished just 8th, so I am a little surprised to see them picked as high as 5th, but they do have three starters back and that experience should result in some improvement.  Josiah Strong also returns after missing much of last season with an injury so there are reasons for the Rams to be optimistic.

-Coach Kevin Kruger begins his third season at UNLV, and while they are not getting a lot of love from the media right now, it would not shock me if this is the year where they took a big step forward and were at least in a position to make the NIT.  Just two starters are back, but they do have some good looking transfers coming in and I think this is a team that can make some noise if they stay healthy.

-Prior to last season the last time San Jose State won more than ten games was in 2016-2017.  Last year they won 21 and finished with a conference record of 10-8, which is an outstanding improvement.  Coach Tim Miles is the greatest coach ever: that is indisputable!  Despite his greatness, the Spartans do lose three key starters, and while I do not expect them to be as bad as they were prior to last year, I do not expect them to be better either.  They were picked to finish 7th in the preseason media poll…and I have to say that feels about right.

-Fresno State did lose four key players from last year’s rotation, but Isaiah Hill is back, and they also add some experience via the transfer portal with Isaiah Pope who was a key player at Utah Tech (formerly Dixie State) a year ago.  I think this team is being a little undervalued and could actually finish at or near the middle of the league.  I am a little surprised that they are picked to finish as low as they are.

-Utah State had a fantastic season last year: they won 28 games and made it to the NCAA Tournament!  The problem is that everyone from that team is now gone, including their coach.  It is a complete reset mode for the Aggies as Danny Sprinkle takes over.  He brings with him some key players from Montana State and they will likely be key contributors this season, but it is still looking like an uphill climb.

-Wyoming and Air Force!!  Two Front Range teams battling it out with teach other for a top ten finish in the league!!  We at Hoops HD Love the Front Range!!!!  Air Force has four returning starters, and while they only finished 10th a year ago I think with that experience and how hard they can be to play against they will finish higher than last year.  As for Wyoming…NO ONE GETS HIGHER!!!  But, it will likely be a long year for the Cowboys.

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