CAA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 1, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Delaware
  2. Northeastern
  3. Drexel
  4. James Madison
  5. Hofstra
  6. Elon
  7. Charleston
  8. Towson
  9. UNC Wilmington
  10. William & Mary

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-James Butler – Drexel
-Hunter McIntosh – Elon
-Dylan Painter – Delaware
-Jalen Ray – Hofstra
-Camren Wynter – Drexel

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM:

-Ryan Allen – Delaware
-Connor Kochera – William & Mary
-Vado Morse – James Madison
-Jahmyl Telfort – Northeastern
-Shaquille Walters – Northeastern

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Delaware has all five starters back, and I guess the preseason voters really value experience.  The Blue Hens weren’t bad by any means last year, and like everyone else had to deal with the constant stoppages, which certainly made things harder, but they were a modest 5-4 in conference play.  Still, they are experienced, and that could carry them far this year.  They backcourt is really strong and they have pretty good pieces all the way around.

-I really like this Northeastern team and with four starters back I think they can finish at the top of the standings this year.  They did lose their point guard, but everything else is back.  They are experienced, athletic, and have guys that can score.  It should be a fun team to watch.  It usually is.

-Drexel has a star in Camren Wynter and a pretty good supporting cast around him.  The Dragons finished below .500 in the league last year, but they were playing better in the latter part of the season and I think they can carry that momentum and those expectations into this year.

-I’m a little surprised that James Madison is only picked to finish 4th.  I know they lost their best player to the NBA in Matt Lewis but their other four starters are back.  I wouldn’t go so far to say that I expect JMU to run away from the conference, but I have to at least think they’ll be in the mix this year.

-Hofstra has a star in Jalen Ray, who averaged over 19ppg last year.  Two other starters are also back, and there is definitely reason for the Pride to be optimistic heading in to this season.

-Elon has three starters back and should be somewhat improved from last year.  They finished just 8th a season ago, but have been making improvements in recent years and could take another step forward this year.

-Charleston has a great program overall, but they have hit a bit of a rough spot recently.  Pat Kelsey takes over as head coach.  He did a fantastic job at Winthrop and will likely do a fantastic job in Charleston as well, but it may take a little bit of time.  They won just nine games a year ago and have only one starter back, so they are in a bit of a reset mode.

-Pat Skerry has done a tremendous job at Towson.  They were one of the worst programs in all of D1 when he took over and he has made substantial improvements.  Unfortunately, last year was a substantial setback.  They won just four games last season, and while they should be better this season they will likely struggle to finish in the top half of the standings.

-UNC Wilmington has four starters back and that experience should help them, but they were close to the bottom of the league a year ago and it wouldn’t shock me to see them end up there again.

-William & Mary also has four starters back but is also potentially in for a long and rough year.

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ACC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 31, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Duke
  2. Florida State
  3. North Carolina
  4. Virginia
  5. Virginia Tech
  6. Louisville
  7. Syracuse
  8. Notre Dame
  9. NC State
  10. Georgia Tech
  11. Clemson
  12. Miami FL
  13. Wake Forest
  14. Pittsburgh
  15. Boston College

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Buddy Boeheim – Syracuse
-Keve Aluma – Virginia Tech
-Paolo Banchero – Duke (Preseason ACC Player of the Year)
-Armando Bacot – North Carolina
-Isaiah Wong – Miami FL

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

Michael Devoe – Georgia Tech
-Kihei Clark – Virginia
-Prentiss Hubb – Notre Dame
-Mark Williams – Duke

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It’s never a surprise to see Duke at the top of the preseason poll.  They are always rich with talent and well coached, and this year is no different.  They once again have a strong roster with multiple NBA prospects.  This is to be Mike Krzyzewski’s last season as head coach.  You will hear that even more frequently than you’ll hear that Duke and North Carolina are just eight miles apart and that they have never met in the NCAA Tournament.  But, they will likely be ranked in the top-ten, end up as a protected seed, and go at least a couple of rounds into the NCAA Tournament.

-I like this Florida State team as much as I like anyone else in the ACC.  They have an outstanding frontcourt and some outstanding new players to mix in with the experienced guys that have come back.  Florida State isn’t really thought of as being a basketball blue blood, but two years ago they won the ACC regular season title and would have been at least a #2 seed going into the NCAA Tournament.  Since 2017 they have been a protected seed every year but once, and that was in 2018 when they actually went all the way to the Elite Eight.  This is a top ten caliber team who could win the conference.

-North Carolina had a down year last year.  That means they only earned an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and failed to get out of the first round.  Most programs would consider that an outstanding year.  With four starters back, and with some big pieces on top of that, the Tarheels should be back to their normal protected seed level of play this year.

-Virginia is picked to finish 4th and I guess that makes sense.  Just one starter is back, and while they were still really good last year they didn’t set the world on fire like they typically do.  Here is the thing about Virginia, though.  They always seem to end up being better than you expect.  So…I’m not counting them out.  Of anything.  Tony Bennett is a phenomenal coach who has been as successful as anyone else in the ACC, but yet still seems to always be underestimated.

-Mike Young enters his second year at Virginia Tech, and with three starters back should once again have a big year and end up safely inside the bubble.  They also add a key transfer in Storm Murphy, who was a fantastic player for Wofford last year.

-Louisville continues to be a soap opera off the court.  Coach Chris Mack will start the season off with a suspension.  The reason for this is because a former assistant coach (and presumably now a former friend) is accused of trying to basically extort Chris Mack.  So why is Chris Mack in trouble?  They say he didn’t properly report that he was being extorted.  Okay.  Whatever.  But, on the court Louisville should once again be safely inside the bubble and perhaps a top-25 caliber team.  Just two starters are back, but they have some key transfers and should be much improved from a season ago.

-Syracuse is in their typical preseason spot.  In the middle of the conference, and looking like they’ll make the NCAA Tournament, but that it’ll be close.  I actually like this Syracuse team this year and think they’ll finish in at least the top half of the conference and be safely inside the bubble come Selection Sunday.  They are coming off a Sweet Sixteen run (after barely getting in as a 11 seed), and have some key pieces back, and are still very tough defensively.

-Notre Dame has not been in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, and with just one starter back they appear to be in reset mode.  But, that may be what the Irish kind of need.  They do have a few decent looking transfers and a few exciting looking new players, so it will be interesting to see if they can develop.

-NC State was cruising last year until a key injury took their legs out from under them (no pun intended).  I believe Kevin Keatts is a really good coach, and I think they’ve got some good pieces, and they can certainly end up being in the mix come the end of the year.

-Josh Pastner has done an amazing job at Georgia Tech.  When he first got the job, I did not think he would, and I’m pleased to say that I have been proven wrong because on top of everything else, Josh Pastner is an easy guy to like and someone you want to see do well.  That being said, he’s got his work cut out for him this year.  Their two best players are gone, and while they do have some key pieces coming back, it’s questionable as to whether they have enough guys who can step up to the point of getting them back to The Dance.

-Clemson is another team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago who could have trouble getting back this year.  They do have some key transfers mixed in with their returning players, and will once again be a really tough defensive team, so it isn’t an impossibility.

-Miami FL struggled last year with just ten wins and a 13th place finish in the conference.  While I like Jim Larranaga as a coach, and expect him to build this program back up to being top 25 caliber some day, I don’t think that day is today.

-Wake Forest, Pitt, and Boston College also all look to be in for long seasons.

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Atlantic Ten Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 31, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Saint Bonaventure
  2. Richmond
  3. Saint Louis
  4. VCU
  5. Dayton
  6. Davidson
  7. Rhode Island
  8. George Mason
  9. UMass
  10. Saint Joseph’s
  11. Duquesne
  12. La Salle
  13. George Washington
  14. Fordham

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Hyunjung Lee – JR, G/F – Davidson
-Jacob Gilyard – SR, G – Richmond
-Grand Golden – SR, F – Richmond
-Osun Osunniyi – SR, G – Saint Bonaventure
-Kyle Lofton – SR, G – Saint Bonaventure
-Javonte Perkins – SR, G/F – Saint Louis

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-James Bishop – JR, G – George Washington
-Tyler Burton – JR, F – Richmond
-Jaren Holmes – SR, G – Saint Bonaventure
-Taylor Funk – SR, F – Saint Joseph’s
-Jordan Hall – SO, G/F – Saint Joseph’s
-Vince Williams – SR, F – VCU

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 3RD TEAM:

-Luka Brajkovic – SR, F – Davidson
-Mustapha Amzil – FR, F – Dayton
-Toumani Camara – SO, F – Dayton
-Josh Oduro – JR, F – George Mason
-Jeremy Sheppard – SR, G – Rhode Island
-Hason Ward – JR, F – VCU

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It’s been a long time since the expectations for Saint Bonaventure have been this high.  All five starters are back from a team that finished in first place and won the conference tournament.  They will actually begin the season ranked in the top-25, and by the end of the year they could be ranked in the top-ten.  How??  Well, why wouldn’t they??  The majority of the A-10 is decent enough to not be considered under-the-radar cupcakes, but no one appears to be as good as the Bonnies.  By the time conference play starts, there really isn’t anyone that would be favored to beat the, so like we’ve seen in the past with teams in that situation, they just continue to move up and up and up in the rankings each week as the teams in front of them do get beat.  All five starters are back, all can score, and they’ve got enough depth to where others can step up  The Bonnies could REALLY be going on an exciting ride this year!

-I was big on Richmond going into last season, and things appeared to get off to a great start with some big early season wins, but all of the interruptions made it difficult for them to get into a rhythm.  Pretty much all of their key players are back, they have a ton of experience, and it’s hard for me to not like them again.  This is a fun team to watch, I like Chris Mooney as a bench coach, and I this team will be dancing come March.

-Saint Louis has some really good pieces, and I don’t want to completely write them off from having a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, but they appear to have had some bad luck in terms of staying healthy, and that will certainly make the road for them much more difficult.

-VCU had a good season last year where they were selected for the NCAA Tournament, but unfortunately didn’t get to play their game due to COVID protocol.  They also lost one of their best players from last year and those will be some big shoes to fill.  On top of that, injuries appear to also be something they’re going to have to deal with early on.  You want to root for this team because of how last season ended, but it’s certainly going to be tough.

-After only making the NIT last year, Dayton is in reset mode with just one starter back.  All the key players from their top five team two years ago are gone.  Most of their current roster just haven’t played big minutes or produced big results at the D1 level.  This is another team that you want to root for because of how they were robbed of the chance to strut their stuff in the NCAA Tournament two years ago, but it may be a bit of a building year for the Flyers.

-Davidson looks to have lost their top two players from a year ago, but with the other three starters back there is some reason to be optimistic.  That, and Davidson seems to have a good history of developing players as they step into new roles.

-Rhode Island has four starters back, and there is reason for the expectations to be higher than they were a year ago.  Having said that, last year’s results weren’t exactly stellar.  They finished the season losing seven of their last eight, and their days of being a fixture in the top-25 seem like a distant memory right now.

-Kim English takes over as head coach at George Mason and there is some excitement around seeing what he can do.  Unfortunately, he really has his work cut out for him.  Just one starter is back from last year so it could turn in to a rebuilding year.  They will be relying on several transfer players this year to get it going.

-UMass has made noticeable improvements over the last two years.  They are still a long way from being considered an NCAA Tournament caliber team, but they are no longer a sub-200ish team in the ratings either.  While their best player did transfer out, they have three starters back, a pretty solid backcourt, and could once again make a big stride forward this season.

-Saint Joseph’s has four starters back!  The bad news is that they won just five games a year ago.  The experience should result in at least some improvement, but I still think the Hawks will be closer to the bottom of the league than they will be to the top.

-I still like Keith Dambrot as a coach, and while Duquesne hasn’t broken through and become a program that commands national respect, I do think he’s done some things that have made them better.  This year, though…it’s gonna be rough.  Just one starter is back, most of their top scorers are gone, a lot of their better bench players are gone, and Duquesne is basically starting completely over.  They have guys that could end up developing, but just haven’t been proven yet.

-La Salle has four starters back, but it’s hard to be all that optimistic considering that they lost sic of their last seven last year, and didn’t really show any signs of being able to perform at a high level at any point.

-George Washington has been really bad for four straight years, and has all the signs of being really bad again this year.  They had a good player last year in James Bishop (despite being a really bad team), but I don’t see them being any better this year.

-Fordham is perhaps the most consistently disappointing program that is not classified as an Under the Radar Program.  They are terrible.  It’s hard to imagine how a school that’s located in New York City, and has the alumni presence that it does, could be as bad as they are as often as they are.  If Fordham were to move to the Northeast Conference, or the Patriot League, or the Metro Atlantic, I’m pretty sure they’d fail to finish in the top half of it.  They won just two games last year.  Perhaps they can improve upon that this year, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

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Big South Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 31, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY NORTH DIVISION PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Campbell
  2. Longwood
  3. NC A&T
  4. Radford
  5. Hampton
  6. High Point

MEDIA DAY SOUTH DIVISION PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Winthrop
  2. UNC Asheville
  3. Gardner Webb
  4. Presbyterian
  5. Charleston Southern
  6. USC Upstate

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-I used to think one of the great things about this league was that the regular season determined the site of the conference tournament.  That gave it a whole lot of meaning and created some great storylines for late season conference games.  That’s gone now.

-Winthrop has been the best team in this league for a while, and I think they will be again this year.  They do have a new coach in Mark Prosser but I think it will be a smooth transition.  DJ Burns, who was the player of the year in the conference last year, returns along with two other starters.  They should get some key contributions from some transfer players as well.  I don’t know if Winthrop is good enough to land inside the bubble, but they do look to be good enough to run away from the rest of this league.

-Campbell has all five starters back and is the pick to win the other division.  The Camels were 11-6 in league play last year, but played really well down the stretch and made it all the way to the championship game against Winthrop.  They got their doors blown off in that game, but it was an impressive way to end the season and with all five starters back they should be even better this year.

-Longwood has the potential to be a good story.  They have a history of being really bad, but they have have been improving in recent years and could take another big step forward this year.  Three starters are back and they appear to have a solid backcourt.  The fact that they’re picked to finish second in their division goes to show you that the expectations for this program have risen.

-UNC Asheville has all five starters back from a year ago, and that experience should be a strength for them.  They had kind of a so-so season last year, but the expectations appear to be higher.

-NC A&T comes over from the MEAC where they had a successful run, but the quality of competition is going to be higher in the Big South.  Having said that, I expect them to win more games than they lose and maybe pull off some surprises at home.  Three starters are back from a team that finished in a 1st place tie in the MEAC and they add some key transfers as well.

-Gardner Webb has three starters back from a team that was in the middle of the pack last year, and while they lost their top player to the transfer portal, they added some nice pieces of their own and I they can once again finish in the top half of the league.

-I’m a little surprised Radford isn’t getting more preseason love.  They return four starters from a team that tied for 2nd place last year.  I’d say they are one of my dark horses in this conference, but when a team returns four starters after finishing 2nd can you even call them a dark horse??

-Hampton returns three starters and appears to have a pretty solid backcourt.  They also have some good incoming players to go along with that.

-Presby has all five starters back and that gives them some reason to be optimistic and have some higher expectations.  I still think they have a lot of work to do to compete with the top half of the conference, though.

-When Tubby Smith got to High Point, I really expected him to get them going and that we’d be seeing them at the top of the conference on a regular basis.  That just hasn’t happened and it’s not looking like it’s going to happen this year either.  They do have a fantastic player in John-Michael Wright, who averaged over 20ppg last year, but they need to get him a little bit more help if they’re going to be successful.

-Charleston Southern and USC Upstate are showing all the signs of being in for long and frustrating seasons.

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America East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 30, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Stony Brook
  2. Vermont
  3. New Hampshire
  4. Hartford
  5. UMBC
  6. UMass Lowell
  7. Albany
  8. NJIT
  9. Maine
  10. Binghamton

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Stony Brook was just 7-9 in league play last year and won just 9 games overall, but they were pegged as the preseason favorites this year.  I’m not sure that’s who I would have voted for, but with four starters returning along with six new transfers the expectations are high.  They were a terrible shooting team last year so if they can improve on that it would be a huge step in the right direction.

-Vermont seems to always be at or near the top of this league, and with four starters back from a team that tied for 1st place the expectations are again high.  Ryan Davis returns as one of the best players in the conference and he’ll have a pretty good supporting cast around him.

-New Hampshire also has some good experience returning with four starters back.  This program struggled a year ago, but they still managed a 3rd place finish and have some key pieces back this year.  They have two guys that can score in the frontcourt in Jayden Martinez and Nick Guadarrama and a really good guard in transfer Marco Foster, so the Wildcats have something going this year.

-Hartford is the Team of the People!!  We’ve already named them so they’re going on top!  This is a team that won the conference tournament last year and made the NCAAs for the first time ever.  It’s also a program that may be transitioning down to div3 if the leadership at the head of the university gets their way.  Their stated reasons for wanting to transition down are questionable at best and there has been a huge groundswell of support around this program.  They have also made huge strides in recent years and could be in position to take another big step forward this year.  With three starters back and some strong transfers coming in we could see this team back in The Dance this March!

-UMBC has some rebuilding to do after a first place tie last year.  They also have a new coach in Jim Ferry, who has some big shoes to fill after Ryan Odom left for Utah State.  The Retrievers have had a good run over the past several seasons, but they look to be rebuilding this year.

-UMass Lowell had a so-so season last year where they finished 7-8 in league play.  They’ve got three starters back and some key transfers so we may see some improvement out of this team this year.

-Albany has had their roster overhauled.  Just one starter is back and while they have added some transfers they may have trouble keeping up with the top half of the league.

-NJIT has had a rough couple of years, and could be in for another rough year this year.  They’ll look to get some production out of three returning starters and some of the transfers that they’ve added.

-Maine and Binghamton are typically at the bottom of the league and that’s where they’re likely to end up this year as well.

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Metro Atlantic Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 30, 2021 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Iona
  2. Saint Peter’s
  3. Marist
  4. Monmouth
  5. Rider
  6. Fairfield
  7. Manhattan
  8. Siena
  9. Quinnipiac
  10. Niagara
  11. Canisius

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-It was a crazy year last year with Iona playing just nine regular season games under first year coach Rick Pitino, but they won the conference tournament and the auto bid before losing to Alabama.  They did lose two starting guards, but they have some key transfers coming in and should once again have strong guard play and play intense pressure defense.

-Saint Peter’s has all five starters back and that experience could lead to a successful season and another big step forward for the program.  This is another team that can play really tough defense and that should help with their success this year.

-Marist is another team with a lot of experience coming back.  Four starters return for a team that was playing fairly well down the stretch, and if they can carry that momentum into this year they should once again be able to finish in the top-three or top-four of the league.

-Coach King Rice has done a fantastic job at Monmouth, but he’s tasked with replacing what was probably their best player in Deion Hammond.  Fortunately three starters are back and they did get some key transfers so chances are they’ll still finish in the top half of the league.

-Rider really struggled last year and won just six games, which is way below what we are used to seeing out of them.  They do add a few key transfers to the roster and that should help them improve this year.

-If you’re looking for a dark horse then you may want to consider Fairfield.  They have all five starters back, and while they certainly had an unspectacular season a year ago they actually weren’t all that bad down the stretch.  They actually advanced all the way to the MAAC Championship game before losing to Iona, so they should at least have some confidence with all the starters back.

-Manhattan had a rough year last year, but four starters are back along with some key transfers, so we should see some improvement this season.

-Siena finished in a tie for first place a year ago, but they also lost most of their key players and are in reset mode right now.  The long term health of this program is pretty solid, but this may be a long year for the Saints as they try to rebuild.

-Quinnipiac, Niagara, and Canisius are all teams that return quite a bit of experience, but they’re also all coming off the kinds of seasons where you wonder if the experience they’re returning is going to help them.

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