Patriot League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 3, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Boston U
  2. Colgate
  3. Navy
  4. Army
  5. American
  6. Bucknell
  7. Lafayette (tied 6th)
  8. Loyola MD
  9. Holy Cross
  10. Lehigh

 

PRESEASON MEDIA DAY ALL CONFERENCE TEAM:

-Nelly Cummings – SR, G – Colgate
-Gerrale Gates – SR, F – Holy Cross
-Javante McCoy – SR, G – Boston U (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Walter Whyte – SR, F – Boston U
-Marques Wilson – SR, G – Lehigh

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Boston U finished a rather unspectacular 7th place last year and was just 6-10 in conference play, but with all five starters back the expectations with the preseason experts appear to be high.  Javante McCoy is the preseason player of the year, and with the experience around him it could be a big turnaround for the Terriers.

-Colgate is who clearly looks like the best team to me.  They won the league a year ago, lost just one conference game all year long, and in the NCAA Tournament made a fairly decent account of themselves against Arkansas.  Four starters are back, and with the pieces they have I think they can once again finish on top.

-Navy returns four starters from a team that went 12-1 in league play a year ago, and while the schedules weren’t balanced at all there is reason for the Midshipmen to be optimistic heading in to this season.  Unfortunately their top scorer is gone (Cam Davis) but the other four starters are back, so if they can step up it could be another good year for Navy.

-Army was a respectable 7-7 in conference play last year and with three starters back, including Josh Caldwell, who is an outstanding defender and can also score.  Army looks to be good enough to finish in the top half of the standings this year.

-American is in rebuild mode after a season where they won just four total games and experienced more than their share of challenges.  But, they appear to have some decent pieces back so we should see substantial improvement this year.

-After being the dominant program in the league for a stretch, Bucknell has gone through back to back losing seasons, and has their work cut out for them this year.  They do have three starters back, but more importantly they are adding some impressive lookin freshmen.  If they can develop over time, we may be seeing the Bison back at the top of the conference before too long.

-Lafayette lost some key players to graduation, and while they have a solid frontcourt we are expecting them to go through the pains of rebuilding this year.

-Loyola MD finished near the bottom last year and won just six games total.  They could also be in for another long season.

-Lehigh has four starters back, but they were also the last place team a year ago.  Their experience should translate into some improvement but I still think they’ll be closer to the bottom of the league than to the top of it.

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NEC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 3, 2021 by David Griggs

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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Wagner
  2. Bryant
  3. Mount Saint Mary’s
  4. Long Island
  5. Merrimack
  6. Sacred Heart
  7. Saint Francis Brooklyn
  8. Saint Francis U
  9. Fairleigh Dickinson
  10. Central Connecticut

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE:

-Ty Flowers – SR, F – Long Island
-Elijah Ford – SR, G – Wagner
-Peter Kiss – SR, G – Bryant
-Alex Morales – SR, G – Wagner
-Eral Penn – Sr, F – Long Island
-Tyler Thomas – JR, G – Sacred Heart

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-We at HoopsHD love the NEC!  The rivalries and the atmosphere at the venues is among the best in college hoops, even if it is on a much smaller scale than the P5.  With the conference tournament being played at campus sites, it means the conference standings really matter, which makes the regular season more meaningful and more fun.

-Wagner was last year’s first place team and played really well down the stretch before losing in the NEC Championship game. All five starters are back so they are understandably the frontrunners for this year.

-Bryant was right behind Wagner last year in second place.  They also had a very strong finish to the season, and while they finished behind Wagner in the standings they did manage to beat them twice.  With four starters back they are clearly in the race to win the conference this year.

-Mount Saint Mary’s is another team that returns a lot of experience and who will have higher expectations this year.  Four starters are back for the Mountaineers and they appear to have balanced scoring and are effective in both the frontcourt/backcourt.

-Long Island has two really good players underneath in Ty Flowers, who averaged over 17ppg last year, and Eral Penn, who averaged a double-double.  If some of the other guys can step up then the Sharks could have a really big good year this year.

-Merrimack is still transitioning, but what they’ve done in their first two years hasn’t just been incredible: it has been historic.  They were the first place team two years ago, which I believe is the first time that a transitional team ever finished in first place.  Last year they finished in a tie for 3rd place, and with four starters back from that team they should once again be a force in the league.

-Like a lot of teams in this conference, Sacred Heart has a lot of experience coming back, including all five starters from a team that tied for third place a year ago.  They look to have a strong backcourt, and like a lot of teams in this league they have reasons to be optimistic.

-Saint Francis Brooklyn has just two starters back, but with Michael Cubbage, who was a double-digit scorer at Marist transferring in, they still have some weapons this year.

-Saint Francis U has all five starters back from a year ago, but with so many other teams having so much experience, and with the fact that they ended last season losing seven of their last eight games, the frustrations from last season could continue in to this year.

-Fairleigh Dickinson has a really good outside shooter in Brandon Rush, who shot over 42% from beyond the arc last season.  The problem is that they don’t appear to have much else and could really struggle this year.

-Central Connecticut has seen better days, and will hopefully see better days again, but this year could be a building year.  They do look to be adding some talented freshmen, so if they can develop over time we could see this program improve rather quickly.

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Big Ten Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 3, 2021 by David Griggs

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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Michigan
  2. Purdue
  3. Illinois
  4. Ohio State
  5. Maryland
  6. Michigan State
  7. Indiana
  8. Rutgers
  9. Iowa
  10. Wisconsin
  11. Nebraska
  12. Northwestern
  13. Penn State (tied 12th)
  14. Minnesota

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE:

-Kofi Cockburn – Illinois
-E.J. Liddell – Ohio State
-Hunter Dickinson – Michigan
-Jaden Ivey – Purdue
-Trayce Jackson-Davis – Indiana

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Michigan is crazy talented this year.  Although they lost three starters from last year’s Elite Eight team, they have completely reloaded and as good, or even better, than they were a year ago.  They’ve got depth, they’ve got shooting, and they have a ton of weapons both in the backcourt and frontcourt.

-It’s hard to not like this Purdue team.  With all five starters back from a team that earned a protected seed, the ceiling could really be high this year.  The loss to North Texas is the last impression that people have of them, and since they didn’t see them deep into the tournament I think some people may be overlooking them, but this is a dangerous Boilers team who should end up with a protected seed again this year.

-After a long absence from the NCAA Tournament, Illinois busted down the door last year finishing the regular season ranked #2 and earned a #1 seed.  Although they were upset in the second round by Loyola-Chicago, it completely reset the expectations for this program, and they are once again looking at being a solid protected seed this year, and perhaps again winning the Big Ten.  They did lose their leading scorer, but I think they’ve got enough pieces back to once again be a really strong team.

-Ohio State is another team with a ton of talent back that people may be slightly overlooking because of their first round loss in the NCAA Tournament last year.  They ended up with a #2 seed, and four starters are back.  That is the ingredients for an absolute monster team.  They did lose their top player, but so much is back, and Chris Holtmann is such a good coach, that I think they’re going to once again end up having a monster season.

-Maryland has a lot of talent back from last year’s NCAA Tournament team, and should end up safely inside the bubble again this year.  The roster has been overhauled somewhat, but the pieces they have coming back and the pieces that they’ve added are reasons for the Terps to be optimistic.

-Michigan State had huge expectations heading in to last year that went largely unfulfilled.  They barely made the NCAA Tournament, and then they lost in the First Four.  On top of that some of their top players are gone, but Tyson Walker transfers in after being an outstanding player at Northeastern and should be able to give them a boost.  They also add some talented freshmen, so they should be a force.  I’m inclined to think last year was just a glitch, and that the Spartans will be solidly in the top-25 this year.

-Indiana welcomes in a new coach in Mike Woodson and at Indiana the expectations are always going to be high.  The question is whether or not the expectations are realistic.  They finished 10th in the Big Ten last year and finished with a losing record overall.  They do have some nice pieces back, but at least for now it looks like they are a long way away from being as good as the teams in the top half of the league.

-Rutgers had a fantastic season last year where they made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 and lost to Houston in the Round of 32 in a close game.  Houston, of course, went on to the Final Four so this Rutgers team was for real.  With three starters back along with some experienced upperclassmen and some good looking editions, I’m a little surprised there hasn’t been more preseason love for this year’s team.

-Iowa is in a bit of a rebuild mode.  Just two starters are back, and Luka Garza is not one of them.  After a year where they won just seven games, they probably need to rebuild a bit.  Fran McCaffery is a good coach who has proven himself and I think he’ll get the Hawkeyes rolling again.  Just maybe not this year.

-Wisconsin is way further down the list than what we are used to seeing.  Just one starter is back for Coach Greg Gard, and with this much of a roster overhaul people seem to have more questions than answers when it comes to this year’s edition of the Badgers.

-Nebraska finished in last place last year, and won just seven games overall.  Fred Hoiberg is an outstanding coach, and the Huskers do look to have some really talented players coming in, so as they develop this team should improve.  I don’t think it’s quite their this year, but I don’t think they’ll be the worst team in the league again either, and I do think this program is going in the right direction.

-Penn State welcomes in a new head coach in Micah Shrewsberry and is looking for a fresh new start.  The bad news is that he just doesn’t seem to have all that much to work with this year, and it could be a long season for the Nittany Lions.

-Minnesota is one of the worst non under-the-radar teams in the country and one of the frontrunners to win the Stallings Award this year.

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SEC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 2, 2021 by David Griggs

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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Alabama
  3. Arkansas
  4. Tennessee
  5. Auburn
  6. LSU
  7. Florida
  8. Mississippi State
  9. Ole Miss
  10. Missouri
  11. South Carolina
  12. Texas A&M
  13. Vanderbilt
  14. Georgia

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Jaden Shackelford – Alabama
-Jahvon Quinerly – Alabama
-Colin Castleton – Florida
-Sahvir Wheeler – Kentucky
-Iverson Molinar – Mississippi State
-Scotty Pippen Jr. – Vanderbilt (preseason player of the year)

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-Davonte Davis – Arkansas
-Jabari Smith – Auburn
-Keion Brooks Jr. – Kentucky
-Kellan Grady – Kentucky
-Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky
-Darius Days – LSU

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Kentucky is coming off a rare disappointing season where they failed to make the NCAA Tournament.  As it seems to every year, the roster has been overhauled after four players left for the NBA (despite going just 9-16 as a team).  Instead of reloading almost exclusively with McDonald’s All-Americans, Kentucky has gone into the transfer portal and brought in a quite a few experienced players.  That means that expectations are once again very high, and if these guys can gel they can be a very dangerous team.

-Alabama is a team that many are picking to win the SEC, and I believe they are my pick as well.  They are losing some key players, but they are adding some extremely talented freshmen to go along with a few key transfer players.  Nate Oats is also a phenomenal coach, so the future is very bright for the Tide.

-Arkansas advanced to the Elite Eight last year so the excitement around this program is extremely high.  They did lose three key starters, but like several other teams in this league they are adding enough talent to make up for what they’ve lost.  They’ve got a solid shot at ending up as a protected seed and playing past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

-Tennessee is another team with very high expectations that will begin the season high in the rankings.  I really like the Vols this year but am not quite as high on them as many others seem to be.  I definitely think they’re top-25 good.  I’m just not so sure they’re top-10 good.  Having said that, Tennessee has proven me wrong before and put together some outstanding teams.  I’m not ruling out that possibility this year.

-Auburn struggled a season ago, but they’ve revamped the roster with some talented incoming freshmen and should be back in the NCAA Tournament picture this year.  Expectations are really high despite the fact that they finished just 10th in the league a season ago.

-LSU has just one starter back and the roster has been overhauled, but expectations are still high for Will Wade and company.  Why wouldn’t they be?  They always seem to deliver.  They do have a couple of big transfers coming in who they will be relying on this year.  I don’t think LSU is in the protected seed range but I do think they’ve got a very good chance of landing inside the bubble.

-Not as much love for the Gators as I would have expected.  They return three starters and have some very talented players coming in (as per usual).  I don’t see them contending for a conference championship but I do think they’ll be in the top half of the league and safely inside the bubble.

-Mississippi State finished last season on a bit of a high note as they were the NIT runners-up, and three starters are back from that team so the expectations are higher this year.  Garrison Brooks has transferred in from North Carolina and can definitely give this team some experience.  I can see them exceeding expectations this year.

And after that there is a bit of a drop off…

-Missouri did make the NCAA Tournament a year ago but it’s been a bit of a rough stretch for Coach Cuonzo Martin.  They won just 15 games in each of the two previous years, and with just one starter back from last year’s tournament team they could be in for another rebuilding year this year.

-Since South Carolina’s Final Four run it’s been a frustrating stretch.  The Gamecocks won just six games a year ago and some are starting to wonder if Frank Martin (who is  a fantastic coach, IMHO) is on the hot seat.  Two key players are back but it’s hard for me to think that is enough to get them over the hump.

-UNCLE BUZZ!!!!  We at Hoops-HD love Uncle Buzz!!  The problem is that it looks like his Texas A&M team is gonna be kind of lousy this year.  They do get a couple of big transfers in Marcus Williams/Jordan Hall, who were key players at Wyoming and La Salle respectively, which will definitely help, but as good as Buzz is at developing talent I still think he has a ways to go before the Aggies are back to being a tournament-caliber team.

-Vanderbilt and Georgia…I’m just not expecting much out of.  You kind of have to wonder if Tom Crean may be on his way out at Georgia after this year.

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Under the Radar: Preseason Podcast

Posted on November 1, 2021 by David Griggs

Chad, David, and Rocco look at all 22 Under the Radar conferences.  We begin in the Missouri Valley, which may not be Under the Radar for very long.  There are four or five teams that could be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament, so it may be a lot stronger than just a one bid league this year.  We look at how good Louisiana Tech and UAB appear to be out of Conference USA, what should be a very exciting year in the Summit League, discuss Belmont’s at-large chances out of the OVC, look at how competitive the MAC could be, and much much more!!

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

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MEAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 1, 2021 by David Griggs

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

MEAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

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

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Nendah Tarke – SO, G – Coppin State
-Myles Carter – SR, G – Delaware State
-Malik Miller – SR, G – Morgan State
-De’Torrion Ware – GR, G – Morgan State
-Joe Bryant – SR, G – Norfolk State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-Kyle Cardaci – SO, G – Coppin State
-Dontarius James – SR, F – Howard
-Lagio Grantsaan – SR, F – Morgan State
-Jalen Hawkins – SR, G – Norfolk State
-Randy Miller Jr. – SR, G – NC Central

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 3RD TEAM:

-Steve Settle – SO, F – Howard
-Da’Shawn Phillip – JR, G – UMES
-Sherwyn Devonish – SR, G – Morgan State
-Trevor Moore – SR, G – Morgan State
-Rahsaan Edwards – JR, G – SC State

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Norfolk State returns just one regular starter but the expectations are still high for this group.  They are a consistent frontrunner in this conference and likely will be again.  They do pick up some key transfers, which should help them this year.

-Morgan State has four starters back and that experience has lead to some heightened expectations.  They really played well down the stretch last year winning nine out of twelve before losing in the conference championship game, so expect to see them near the top of the standings again this year.

-NC Central has just one regular returning starter and has undergone quite an overhaul of the roster.  That overhaul does include quite a few transfers and that has some believing they can have a strong year this year.

-Coppin State has also had to overhaul their roster and has just one returning starter.  It’s always difficult to forecast a team that has so many new players so we’ll see how they do once the year begins.

-All five regular starters are back for Howard.  The story for them last year, unfortunately, revolves around what DID NOT happen.  They signed Makur Maker, who was a top-20 player and way beyond the talent level that we normally see in the MEAC, but he played in just two games before getting injured.  He has left for the NBA.  Howard was also unable to complete their season last year due to so many COVID stoppages.  But, in looking at the positives for this year they do have some experience, and if they can stay healthy they may be able to make quite a bit of noise.

-Delaware State finished pretty much at the bottom of the league last year, and while we should see some improvement, chances are they’ll end up in the bottom half of the league.

-South Carolina State could also be in for a very long and difficult season.

-UMES is picked to finish last this year, but at least they will get to play.  They opted out of their entire season in 2020-2021 so it will be fun to get to see them back on the court.

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