Big Ten Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 3, 2021 by David Griggs

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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

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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

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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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Conference USA 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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. UAB
  2. Louisiana Tech
  3. Western Kentucky
  4. Marshall
  5. Old Dominion
  6. North Texas
  7. Charlotte
  8. Rice
  9. Florida Atlantic
  10. UTEP
  11. UTSA
  12. Southern Miss
  13. Florida international
  14. Middle Tennessee

 

MEDIA PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE HONOREES:

-Jahmir Young – JR, G – Charlotte
-Taevion Kinsey – SR, G – Marshall
-Kenneth Lofton JR – FR, F – Louisiana Tech
-Josh Anderson, SR, G – Western Kentucky
-Quincy Olivari – SO, G – Rice
-Tyler Stevenson – JR, F – Southern Miss
-Tavin Lovan – JR, G – UAB
-Thomas Bell, SR, F – North Texas
-Kalu Ezikpe – JR, F – Old Dominion
-Isaiah Crawford – So, F – Louisiana Tech

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Taking into account all of the conference realignment, this is the last time we’ll see Conference USA in this format, and it may be the last time we see the league at all.  I can’t help it.  I like this league, and I CERTAINLY love The Curtain at the conference tournament.  I really do hope it is able to hold on.  Meanwhile, as far as what we’ve got this year…

-UAB is the preseason favorite and it’s hard to argue with that.  Four starters are back, but more importantly they’ve got a ton of talent transferring in.  Coach Andy Kennedy has a history of being able to develop players and have the rosters gel, so if they can do that they may be more than just a good Under the Radar team: they may end up inside the bubble.  They are looking for their fourth 20-win season in the last five years, and from the way things are looking I’ll be surprised if they can’t make that happen.

-Louisiana Tech finished in a tie for first place last year and ended up winning the 3rd place game in the NIT.  With three starters back along with some really good looking transfers, expectations are once again high for LA Tech.

-Western Kentucky always seems to feature a talented roster, and that appears to be the case again this year.  Charles Bassey is gone, and replacing him won’t be easy, but with some key returners and incoming transfers WKU should once again be a strong force in the league.

-Marshall got off to a really good start last season, but like a lot of teams were knocked out of their flow with stoppages due to COVID.  With three starters back including Taevion Kinsey who (looks to be one of the better players in the league), Marshall could end up surprising some people this year.

-Old Dominion finished the season strong last year, but they lost multiple key players and could be in a bit of a rebuild mode this year.  Having said that, they do have some key guys back that came off the bench last year, so if they can step up then ODU has reason to be optimistic.

-North Texas had a really good year last year, but I don’t think many (including myself) were expecting to see them win the C-USA Tournament.  Once they did win the tournament, I don’t think many (including myself) were expecting them to win a game in the Round of 64, but both of those things happened.  The run in March put this program in the spotlight and gave it a big boost, but they did lose three key starters and have some big pieces to replace this year.  They do have some rather impressive looking incoming players, so if they can develop and produce the Mean Green can be successful again this year.

-Charlotte had a disappointing season last year, but we will likely see some improvement this year.  Jahmir Young returns to the roster, who will likely be one of the best players on the conference, and some key transfers were used to rebuild the roster as well.

-Rice, as a program, can’t really ever seem to get it going, and while all five starters are back from a year ago I’m not expecting them to have a breakthrough season this year.  They are projected to finish toward the middle of the pack, which feels about right as to what to expect out of them.

-Florida Atlantic is a long ways away from breaking through but they have managed three winning seasons in a row, which is a notable improvement.  They do lose some key players, but three starters are back and they do add some key transfers, so hopefully FAU can continue to improve.

-UTEP has four starters back and finished in the middle of the pack last year.  They also have a new coach in Joe Golding who did a fantastic job at Abilene Christian, so there are plenty of reasons for optimism in El Paso.  They did lose one of their top scorers, but with the pieces they have coming back I’m a little surprised there wasn’t a little more love for the Miners in the preseason polls.

-UTSA has shown noticeable improvement under Coach Steven Henson, but they may be in a bit of a rebuilding period this year.  The Roadrunners have just two starters back, but they do appear to have a solid backcourt and they also add some key juco transfers, which could help.

-Southern Miss has four starters back and that experience should benefit them, but they had a rough season last year and could be in for another long year this year.

-Florida International is likely in for a long year as well.

-Middle Tennessee is picked to finish last in this league.  A few years ago that would have seemed preposterous, but they just have not been the same since Kermit Davis left.  Not even close.

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CAA 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

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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