Hoops HD

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Thursday, Jan 1st

Posted on January 1, 2026 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Duke got a battle from Georgia Tech, but held on to win 85-79. The Blue Devils didn’t get control of the game until the final few minutes. I guess they started celebrating New Years Eve a little early. The Yellow Jackets actually led for most of the first half, but nobody saw this on the ACC Network because…

-Virginia and Virginia Tech battled it out in triple overtime with VA Tech finally getting the 95-85 win at home. It snapped a six game winning streak for UVA and gave VA Tech one of their bigger wins of the year both on and off paper.

-There were a couple of exciting games in the A10 as VCU held on to beat Saint Bonaventure 89-82 in a game that was close all throughout, and George Mason avoided a disastrous upset at La Salle and held on to win 80-75.

-NC State beating Wake Forest at home wasn’t in itself noteworthy, but Will Wade used a lot of colorful metaphors for the media in his postgame presser. A couple of weeks ago, he was throwing his team to the wolves (no pun intended) for not being a tough enough team. Yesterday, he threw the media to the wolves after some less than positive comments about Darrion Williams.

-Clemson picked up a big road win at Syracuse 64-61 in a game that had a pivotal feel to it for both teams. It was particularly big for Clemson because it was their first true road win of the season.

-Going into yesterday, I didn’t even highlight the Rhode Island-Loyola Chicago given that a)neither team was close to postseason aspirations and b)over 200 spots in the NET separated the teams. The Ramblers ended up winning at Rhody and suddenly look like a very dangerous trap game on Saturday when Dayton travels to Chicago to face Loyola.

-UConn wasted no time and jumped out to a 33-8 lead at the Cintas Center to land an early knockout punch at Xavier. By my Puppet math, the Musketeers have been outscored by 66 points in their first 61 minutes of Big East play at home.

-Villanova was in danger of losing at home to DePaul for the first time in Big East play, yet made a late comeback to survive with a 71-66 win.

-Saint John’s went on the road and knocked off Georgetown 93-85, which gave them a conference road win that they kind of needed. The Hoyas have the dubious distinction of losing to a father-son head coaching duo in back-to-back league contests.

NOTABLE GAMES:

-Bradley @ Belmont (Missouri Valley) – Belmont is looking to bounce back from their conference opening loss to Indiana State and should be able to hold serve at home

–Milwaukee @ Wright State (Horizon) – Wright State suddenly looks like might be a noisemaker in the league after throttling Oakland at home in their last game. Milwaukee is currently at the top of the Horizon and cannot be overlooking the Raiders on the road.

-Indiana State @ Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley) – Indiana State had a big win over Belmont in their last game, but going on the road against a very good Northern Iowa team is another tall order

-Hawaii @ UC Riverside (Big West) – Hawaii’s schedule has been light so far. In fact if they were to win this game it would arguably be their most impressive win of the season up to this point, so we should learn something about them today.

-Northern Colorado @ Montana State (Big Sky) – Northern Colorado is coming off a big win against Colorado. They need to get their feet back on the ground because they’ve got a tough road game tonight

-UC San Diego @ Cal Poly (Big West) – UCSD is trying to pick up their fourth true road win of the season and stay perfect in league play

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2025 (Part 2 of 2)

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Jon Teitel

The end of the calendar year means that it is time to recognize the best players in college basketball during 2025. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from each conference based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible with several exceptions, plus special awards for Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). If you think that he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments, and if you missed the other conferences yesterday in Part 1: https://hoopshd.com/2025/12/30/handing-out-the-hardware-all-conference-players-of-2025-part-1-of-2

MAAC
G: Jaden Winston (Manhattan)
G: CJ Anthony (Iona)
G: Kevair Kennedy (Merrimack)
F: Amarri Monroe (Quinnipiac)
F: Brandon Benjamin (Fairfield)
POYSF: CJ Anthony (Iona)

MAC
G: Daniel Freitag (Buffalo)
G: Tavari Johnson (Akron)
F: Delrecco Gillespie (Kent State)
F: Mohammad Habhab (Eastern Michigan)
C: Nathan Claerbaut (Central Michigan)
POYSF: Tavari Johnson (Akron)

MEAC
G: Bryce Harris (Howard)
G: Elijah Davis (Morgan State)
G: Ponce James (Delaware State)
G: Elijah Jamison (Norfolk State)
F: Khouri Carvey (NC Central)
POYSF: Bryce Harris (Howard)

MVC
G: JaQuan Johnson (Bradley)
G: Jalen Quinn (Drake)
F: Connor Turnbull (Evansville)
F: Ian Scott (Indiana State)
C: Fred King (Murray State)
POYSF: JaQuan Johnson (Bradley)

MWC
G: Mason Falslev (Utah State)
G: Colby Garland (San Jose State)
F: Yaphet Moundi (San Jose State)
F: Kyle Jorgensen (Colorado State)
C: Drew Fielder (Boise State)
POYSF: Colby Garland (San Jose State)

NEC
G: Malachi Davis (LIU)
G: Skylar Wicks (St. Francis)
F: Jamal Fuller (LIU)
F: Darin Smith Jr. (CCSU)
F: Shilo Jackson (Le Moyne)
POYSF: Skylar Wicks (St. Francis)

OVC
G: Ismail Habib (Southern Indiana)
G: Jadis Jones (Lindenwood)
F: Ring Malith (SIUE)
F: Andrija Bukumirovic (UT Martin)
C: Milos Nenadic (Lindenwood)
POYSF: Ismail Habib (Southern Indiana)

Patriot
G: Austin Benigni (Navy)
G: Jalen Cox (Colgate)
F: Ben Defty (Boston University)
F: Andrew Alekseyenko (Colgate)
C: Aidan Kehoe (Navy)
POYSF: Jalen Cox (Colgate)

SEC
G: Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State)
G: Labaron Philon (Alabama)
F: Thomas Haugh (Florida)
F: Keyshawn Hall (Auburn)
C: Matas Vokietaitis (Texas)
POYSF: Labaron Philon (Alabama)

SoCon
G: Kahmare Holmes (Wofford)
G: Baraka Okojie (Mercer)
F: Justin Neely (UNC Greensboro)
F: TJ Johnson (VMI)
C: Armani Mighty (Mercer)
POYSF: TJ Johnson (VMI)

Southland
G: Keon Thompson (Stephen F. Austin)
G: Tahj Staveskie (Incarnate Word)
G: Jakevion Buckley (New Orleans)
F: Jordan Pyke (Incarnate Word)
F: Ronnie Harrison (East Texas A&M)
POYSF: Tahj Staveskie (Incarnate Word)

SWAC
G: Daeshun Ruffin (Jackson State)
G: Michael Jacobs (Southern)
G: Quion Williams (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
F: Jaquan Scott (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
F: Troy Hupstead (Texas Southern)
POYSF: Michael Jacobs (Southern)

Summit
G: Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas)
G: Lance Waddles (Omaha)
G: Tony Osburn (Omaha)
F: Jeremiah Burke (Denver)
C: Cameron Fens (South Dakota)
POYSF: Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas)

Sun Belt
G: Isaac Taveras (Southern Miss)
G: Chaze Harris (South Alabama)
F: Victor Valdes (Troy)
F: Tylik Weeks (Southern Miss)
C: Theo Seng (Troy)
POYSF: Victor Valdes (Troy)

WCC
G: Josiah Lake II (Oregon State)
G: Joel Foxwell (Portland)
F: Graham Ike (Gonzaga)
F: Elias Ralph (Pacific)
F: Paulius Murauskas (St. Mary’s)
POYSF: Paulius Murauskas (St. Mary’s)

WAC
G: Dominique Daniels Jr. (Cal Baptist)
G: Jackson Holcombe (Utah Valley)
F: Raysean Seamster (UT-Arlington)
F: Ethan Potter (Utah Tech)
F: Jaiden Feroah (Southern Utah)
POYSF: Dominique Daniels Jr. (Cal Baptist)

Posted in News and Notes | 1 Comment

Under the Radar – Week 9

Posted on December 31, 2025 by David Griggs

This week’s featured conference is the Horizon League, which saw a surprise yesterday as ~~Morehead~~ Wright State beat Oakland rather handily. Northern Kentucky is also showing signs of life, Green Bay is improving, Robert Morris looked strong out of conference but has also suffered and early loss, and we appear to have a lot more parity in this league than what we expected. (Note from Stalica – Wrong, Morehead had a big win against….Alice Lloyd?)

From there we run through the other 21 UTR leagues and talk about how strong the Missouri Valley is with five teams who appear to be possible formidable opponents in the Round of 64. Both McNeese and Yale suffered blowout losses, but we still think they are among the best UTR teams. We discuss all that, and more. And, as we do very week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

Posted in Podcasts, Under the Radar, Videocasts | Tagged Horizon League | Comments Off

Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Wednesday, Dec 31st

Posted on December 31, 2025 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Louisville had struggled on the road prior to last night’s game at California, but they did not struggle last night. They won easily 90-70, which gives them their first true road win of the season.

-Seton Hall struggled at Marquette and trailed most of the game, but in the latter part of the game Marquette’s wheels fell off (again) and Seton Hall was able to get the 79-73 win on the road.

-Miami OH remains unbeaten after an impressive 93-83 win at Bowling Green where they basically controlled the game from tip to buzzer.

-Creighton is starting to show signs of life again. They’ve strung together some wins and beat a decent Butler team last night 89-85.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). It’s a conference game, it’s a rivalry game, and it’s a resume boosting opportunity for both these teams. So this one is kind of big. Virginia has won six straight and is looking pretty strong. VA Tech has also strung together some wins, but their resume isn’t quite as impressive so this would be a big win for them both on and off paper.

-CLEMSON AT SYRACUSE (ACC). Both teams have shown signs of having a high ceiling, and both teams have positioned themselves where the NCAA Tournament is within reach if they can perform well in conference play, but both still have work to do and both could use this one today.

OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:

-Wake Forest @ NC State (ACC) – Both teams have work to do, especially Wake Forest. Both are good enough to land inside the bubble, but they need to have a strong showing in conference in order to get there.

-Saint Bonaventure @ VCU (Atlantic 10) – both teams have big records, but both have played weak schedules for the most part. They both have small margins for error and could really use this one today

-George Mason @ La Salle (Atlantic 10) – George Mason is 12-1 overall, but none of those wins were true road wins, so they need to hold serve today

-Rice @ Tulsa (American) – it’s a conference game, but it may as well be a buy game for Tulsa

-Georgia Tech @ Duke (ACC) – Duke should cruise

-Saint Joseph’s @ Saint Louis (Atlantic 10) – SLU is a respectable 12-1 on the year, but they’ve built that record against a weak schedule and have a small margin for error in conference play

-George Washington @ Richmond (Atlantic 10) – it’s my two A10 sleeper teams! Both are off to decent starts, but while they may have exceeded preseason expectations so far, I still feel like they’ve underperformed. In order to make a run at the bubble they’ll need to dominate in conference play.

-Connecticut @ Xavier (Big East) – this should be a rather routine road win for Connecticut. Xavier has had some good moments this season, and they do seem to be improving, but I don’t think they’ve improved so much that they can knock off UConn. Not even at home.

-DePaul @ Villanova (Big East) – Nova is having a solid year and should be able to hold serve in this one.

-Saint John’s @ Georgetown (Big East) – both teams have fallen behind, both have a lot of work to do, and both could really use this win

–Winthrop @ Longwood (Big South) – We at Hoops HD love the Winwood Cup!

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

Like Mike: HoopsHD interview Bucknell legend Mike Muscala

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Jon Teitel

There is no shortage of Patriot League players who have not only succeeded in college but also taken their talents to the next level: Kermit Washington (American) was an NBA All-Star in 1980, CJ McCollum (Lehigh) has averaged 20+ PPG for most of the past decade, and Bob Cousy (Holy Cross)/David Robinson (Navy) made it all the way to the Hall of Fame. Mike Muscala did a little of everything ay Bucknell (Academic All-American/2-time All-American), then spent 11 years in the NBA before becoming an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns this year. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Mike about playing in the NCAA tourney and his favorite NBA memory.

You were born/raised in Minnesota: what made you choose Bucknell? 1 of their assistant coaches (Dane Fischer) is from Minnesota, just like I am. He called me and I knew about the program from when they upset Kansas in the 2005 NCAA tourney (www.youtube.com/watch?v=woYjcnqIxSk). I got along with Coach Dave Paulsen and wanted to go to a good school that also had a good basketball program. I visited the campus with my parents and fell in love with it.

In January of 2011 you scored 17 PTS including a turnaround jumper at the buzzer in a 1-PT win at Richmond (scroll 55 seconds into the following link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLTRG2FhnU): did you think your shot was going in, and what was the reaction like after you made it? I did think it was going in after a hell of a pass from Joe Willman, and my reaction was excitement!

In the 2011 NCAA tourney you scored 14 PTS in a loss to eventual national champ UConn: what was it like to face Jim Calhoun/Kemba Walker in the postseason? They had a hell of a team that year and were riding hot. After they beat us I felt they were good enough to win it all…and sure enough they did.

You led the conference in BLK/defensive REB for 4 straight years and were named conference DPOY in 2013: what is the key to being a great defender? Being 6’11” and a decent jumper helped, as well as having good coaches.

You were a 2-time All-American as well as an Academic All-American in 2013: how were you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It goes back to my coaches/professors: I wanted to be held accountable. I remember preparing for the draft during my senior year and there were no shortcuts. Coach Paulsen preached the mantra of “22 & 2”: you can be a student and have a life outside basketball for 22 hours/day…but for those other 2 hours we focused only on basketball.

You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history and in 2020 the school retired your #31 jersey: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is up there and I am honored by it. I had several teammates come back to support me. I am sure that I will reflect on it more in the future, but looking back on it now, it was about the people I was fortunate to play with/for, and I hope I can pay that forward now that I am an assistant coach. If everyone else around me had not cared as much as they did, my career never would have happened. It is nice to see my jersey up in the rafters, but I wish that we could have won some more games in the NCAA tourney, as that was always our goal.

In the spring of 2013 you were drafted 44th overall by Dallas and then traded to Atlanta: what did it mean to you to get drafted, and what did it mean to you to get traded? I worked out for Atlanta twice: they were my very last workout the day before the draft. I never felt that I got drafted by the Mavericks because they traded me right away. The main thing I felt that night was exhaustion because I had gone through 16-17 workouts over the course of the previous month while trying to be seen by as many teams as possible. I am grateful to both my agent and the Hawks for giving me the opportunity.

You were swept by Cleveland in the 2015 and 2016 playoffs: what was it like to keep running into LeBron James in his prime? I was just thinking about that because I am walking around beautiful Cleveland today, and even staying in the same hotel a decade later! They beat us pretty handily but it was a great experience as a young player to learn from the veterans. I have great memories here but LeBron was amazing: he also had great players around him like Kevin Love/Channing Frye.

You retired in 2024 after an 11-year career with 7 different teams: do you have a favorite memory from your playing career? I recall my time in Boston fondly. I did not handle being traded well early in my career, but joining the Celtics allowed me to embrace the journey and I felt at peace with that. I also recall my time in OKC because they let me go through some tough times to find myself again as a player.

Last August you were hired by the Phoenix Suns as an assistant to Jordan Ott: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I have been wanting to coach for several years now. My mother got sick so I had something to fight for, and it was tough for our entire family after she passed. I eventually got my masters’ in sports administration and was offered a chance to go back to Bucknell, but DeMarre Carroll called me out of nowhere and said he was helping Jordan fill out his staff in Phoenix. I wanted to go somewhere that I could be of assistance so I met up with some of the Suns staff during the Vegas Summer League and signed a contract a few days later. Every day I wake up super-grateful for the chance to stay around the game and learn from the other coaches and their expertise.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged Bucknell, Mike Muscala | Comments Off

Handing out the Hardware: All-conference players of 2025 (Part 1 of 2)

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Jon Teitel

The end of the calendar year means that it is time to recognize the best players in college basketball during 2025. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed all the numbers and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from each conference based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible with several exceptions, plus special awards for Player of the Year So Far (POYSF). If you think that he has overlooked anyone then feel free to tweet us your comments and check back tomorrow for the remaining conferences in Part 2.

America East
G: Amir Lindsey (Albany)
G: Jeremiah Quigley (Binghamton)
F: Austin Green (UMass-Lowell)
F: Belal El Shakery (New Hampshire)
C: Demetrius Lilley (Binghamton)
POYSF: Amir Lindsey (Albany)

American
G: Rowan Brumbaugh (Tulane)
G: Jordan Riley (ECU)
G: Devin Vanterpool (FAU)
F: Izaiyah Nelson (South Florida)
C: Giovanni Emejuru (ECU)
POYSF: Rowan Brumbaugh (Tulane)

A-10
G: Kory Mincy (George Mason)
G: Dejour Reaves (Fordham)
F: Frank Mitchell (St. Bonaventure)
F: Rafael Castro (George Washington)
C: Robbie Avila (St. Louis)
POYSF: Frank Mitchell (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G: Markus Burton (Notre Dame)
G: Kevin “Boopie” Miller (SMU)
F: Caleb Wilson (North Carolina)
F: Cam Boozer (Duke)
C: Henri Veesaar (North Carolina)
POYSF: Cam Boozer (Duke)

Atlantic Sun
G: Kamrin Oriol (North Florida)
G: Rahmir Barno (FGCU)
F: Jack Karasinski (Bellarmine)
F: JR Konieczny (FGCU)
F: Shelton Williams-Dryden (West Georgia)
POYSF: Jack Karasinski (Bellarmine)

Big 12
G: Christian Anderson (Texas Tech)
G: PJ Haggerty (Kansas State)
F: JT Toppin (Texas Tech)
F: AJ Dybantsa (BYU)
C: Massamba Diop (Arizona State)
POYSF: AJ Dybantsa (BYU)

Big East
G: Jason Edwards (Providence)
G: Chase Ross (Marquette)
F: Michael Ajayi (Butler)
F: Zuby Ejiofor (St. John’s)
C: Tarris Reed Jr. (Connecticut)
POYSF: Michael Ajayi (Butler)

Big Sky
G: Money Williams (Montana)
G: Quinn Denker (Northern Colorado)
F: Jeremiah Cherry (Sacramento State)
F: Terri Miller Jr. (Portland State)
C: Tre-Vaughn Minott (Portland State)
POYSF: Quinn Denker (Northern Colorado)

Big South
G: Dennis Parker Jr. (Radford)
G: Brycen Blaine (Charleston Southern)
F: Cam’Ron Fletcher (High Point)
F: Toyaz Solomon (UNC Asheville)
C: Logan Duncomb (Winthrop)
POYSF: Dennis Parker Jr. (Radford)

Big 10
G: Bruce Thornton (Ohio State)
G: Cade Tyson (Minnesota)
F: Chad Baker-Mazara (USC)
F: Nick Martinelli (Northwestern)
C: Pharrel Payne (Maryland)
POYSF: Bruce Thornton (Ohio State)

Big West
G: Peter Bandelj (Cal Poly)
G: Joshua O’Garro (CSUN)
F: Hamad Mousa (Cal Poly)
F: Osiris Grady (UC Riverside)
C: Isaac Johnson (Hawaii)
POYSF: Hamad Mousa (Cal Poly)

CAA
G: Cruz Davis (Hofstra)
G: Tyler Tejada (Towson)
F: Dovydas Butka (Campbell)
F: Chandler Cuthrell (Elon)
F: Lewis Walker (North Carolina A&T)
POYSF: Chandler Cuthrell (Elon)

C-USA
G: Teagan Moore (Western Kentucky)
G: Christian Bliss (Delaware)
G: Mostapha El Moutaouakkil (Jacksonville State)
F: Corey Stephenson (FIU)
F: Keith Palek III (Missouri State)
POYSF: Corey Stephenson (FIU)

Horizon
G: Brody Robinson (Oakland)
G: Mikale Stevenson (Purdue Fort Wayne)
F: DeSean Goode (Robert Morris)
F: Dayan Nessah (Cleveland State)
F: Isaac Garrett (Oakland)
POYSF: Brody Robinson (Oakland)

Ivy
G: Kenny Noland (Columbia)
G: Robert Hinton (Harvard)
F: Brandon Mitchell-Day (Dartmouth)
F: Nick Townsend (Yale)
F: TJ Power (Penn)
POYSF: Nick Townsend (Yale)

Posted in News and Notes | 2 Comments