Atlantic Sun News and Notes

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-So, if the Atlantic Sun had a Media Day, I apologize for not seeing it.  But, I didn’t see it.  So I’ll just share a few quick thoughts about the league…

-Lipscomb has been at or near the top of the league for the past several years and it appears to me that they will be again this year.  I don’t think they’re dangerous enough to be a serious threat to get out of the Round of 64 like I have in years past, but I do think they are one of the better teams in the league.

-Liberty was expected to do big things last year after making the Round of 32 the year before and returning most of their players.  They lost a lot from a year ago, but they will still likely be dangerous.

-North Florida is another team to keep an eye on despite losing most of their starters from a year ago.  Matt Driscoll has done a fantastic job as head coach and should be able to build them up again.

-Stetson is someone that our colleague Chad seems to like, and while it sounds crazy (and while I hate to ever admit that Chad might had a point), they do return all five starters, they do add some new talent on top of that, and they made a huge improvement last season that could continue in to this season.

-Bellarmine begins their transition this year!!  This was a top ten D2 program that should have little trouble being competitive right away.  They aren’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament, but we could be seeing them in the CIT this year (if it is played).

-Gulf Coast is another team that we could see hosting a conference tournament game in the quarterfinals.

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SoCon Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:

  1. UNC Greensboro
  2. Furman
  3. East Tennessee State
  4. Mercer
  5. Wofford
  6. Western Carolina
  7. Chattanooga
  8. Samford
  9. VMI
  10. The Citadel

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Furman
  2. UNC Greensboro
  3. East Tennessee State
  4. Mercer
  5. Wofford
  6. Western Carolina
  7. Chattanooga
  8. Samford
  9. VMI
  10. The Citadel

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE TEAM:

-Ledarrius Brewer – JR, G – East Tennessee State
-Ty Brewer – JR, F – East Tennessee State
-Mike Bothwell – JR, G – Furman
-Noah Gurley – JR, F – Furman
-Clay Mounce – SR, F – Furman
-Ross Cummings – SR, G – Mercer
-Jeff Gary – JR, G – Mercer
-Isaiah Miller – SR, G – UNC Greensboro
-David Jean-Baptiste – SR, G – Chattanooga
-Mason Faulkner – SR, G – Western Carolina
-Storm Murphy – SR, G – Wofford

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-I am a huge fan of this Furman team.  Like, really big.  Like, not only is this a potential at-large team, I think it is a potential top-25 team.  Four starters are back from a team that won 25 games a year ago and finished the regular season winning 10 of their last 11 with the only loss being at East Tennessee State before losing in the conference tournament.  Coach Bob Richey has done a phenomenal job with this program, and he probably has his best team yet this year.  They have a frontcourt that I would put up against almost anyone, and a solid backcourt as well.  This is gonna be a fun team to watch!

-UNC Greensboro won 23 games a year ago despite being plagued with injuries.  Only two starters are back, but this is a team that goes deep into its bench so the have a lot of solid pieces who can step up this year, including Isaiah Miller, who is one of the best guards in the conference.  This is another team that I think has the potential to land inside the bubble.

-East Tennessee State won the conference last year, won 30 games, and would have probably been seeded inside the bubble on the 11-line had we had the NCAA Tournament.  Unfortunately they never got that opportunity, and virtually everyone from last year’s team is gone, including all five starters and the head coach.  While they are in complete rebuilding mode they do have some solid transfer players who could make an impact right away.

-Mercer has three starters back from a team that saw quite a bit of improvement this year, but lost what were probably their two best players to graduation, so it is hard to imagine them finishing near the top of the league.

-Western Carolina did not get a whole lot of love at Media Day, but they are probably worth paying attention to.  They won 19 games last year after winning just 7 the year before, and while they did lose who was seemingly their best player they still have some good pieces coming back, including Mason Faulkner, who is one of the better guards in the league.

-Wofford seems to still be adjusting to life without Coach Mike Young and the great teams that they had a few years ago.  They have three starters back from a .500-ish team last year, and once again look to be a middle-of-the-league-.500-ish team this year.

-Chattanooga has just one starter back and appears to be in rebuilding mode.  They had their best season in several years last year, but have gone through an overhaul of the roster and will rely heavily on transfer players this year.

-Samford is starting completely over with a new head coach in Bucky McMillan and very few returning players.  They had seemed to be improving as a program up until last season and it was kind of a surprise that they struggled as much as they did.

-VMI and The Citadel are rivals who will likely be fighting it out for a 9th place finish in the league.  Both teams have a fair amount of returning players and should be more experienced, but given how much they struggled last year I am not sure if that is a good thing.

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Ohio Valley Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Murray State
  2. Austin Peay
  3. Belmont
  4. Eastern Kentucky
  5. Eastern Illinois
  6. Tennessee State
  7. Jacksonville State
  8. Morehead State
  9. Tennessee Tech
  10. UT Martin
  11. SIUE
  12. Southeast Missouri

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE TEAM:

-Jordyn Adams – SO, G – Austin Peay
-Tevin Brown – JR, G – Murray State
-Jomaru Brown – JR, G – Eastern Kentucky
-Jr. Clay – JR, G – Tennessee Tech
-Tre King – JR, F – Eastern Kentucky
-Carlos Marshall – JR, G – Tennessee State
-Grayson Murphy – JR, G – Belmont
-Nick Muszynski – JR, C – Belmont
-Mack Smith – SR, G – Eastern Illinois
-Parker Stewart – JR, G – UT Martin
-Terry Taylor – SR, F – Austin Peay (Preseason Play of the Year)
-Josiah Wallace – SR, G – Eastern Illinois
-KJ Williams – JR, F – Murray State

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Murray State is consistently at or near the top of this league, and in all likelihood that will be the case again this year.  Tevin Brown is back, who is one of the best players in the conference, and they return a lot of other experience as well from a 23-win team that tied for first place and advanced to the conference championship game.  Not only could this be one of the better teams in the league, but I think they could really be dangerous in the NCAA Tournament.

-Austin Peay is getting a lot of preseason love, which makes sense.  They won 21 games a year ago, have a lot of pieces back including Terry Taylor who is one of the best players in the conference, and Coach Matt Figger continues to build up this program.  They also appear to be adding some talented newcomers, so they may be able to challenge Murray State this year.

-Belmont, like Murray State has been a regular standout team that has been at or near the top of the league.  They tied for first last year and ended up winning the conference tournament, but were denied the chance to play in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year due to COVID.  Three starters are back, and while they did lose a key player to transfer they still have a solid, experienced, and balanced lineup.  They play excellent half-court offense, rebound well, and are a decent outside shooting team.

-After the top three there is a bit of a drop-off, but Eastern Kentucky is still a team to watch.  Head coach A.W. Hamilton has made improvements every year he has been there, and with four starters back that should continue into this year.  I still do not think they are to a point of being as good as the top-three teams, but they are certainly heading in the right direction.

-Eastern Illinois was a .500-ish team last year that looks to be a .500-ish team again this year.  They do look to have a fairly decent backcourt and have been improving in recent years.

-Tennessee State is a team to keep an eye on.  Coach Penny Collins finished with 18 wins last year, which was double what they had the year before, and three starters are back so we could see that improvement continue into this year.

-Jacksonville State is a program that has relied heavily on transfers since Coach Ray Harper arrived, and that appears to be the case again this year.  Last year was a disappointment where they finished with just 13 wins.  Once again the roster has gone through an overhaul so we will see if this year’s group can do better.

-Morehead State has had four straight losing seasons and with just two starters back it is looking more likely than not that the number will go up to five after this year.

-Tennessee Tech, UT Martin, SIUE, and SEMO will all have to fight just to get into the conference tournament.

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SEC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

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

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-John Petty – SR G – Alabama
-Keyontae Johnson – JR F – Florida
-Brandon Boston – FR G – Kentucky
-Trendon Watford – SO F – LSU
-John Fulkerson – SR F – Tennessee

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-Olivier Sarr – SR F – Kentucky
-Javonte Smart – JR G – LSU
-Dru Smith – SR G – Missouri
-AJ Lawson – JR G – South Carolina
-Yves Pons – SR G/F – Tennessee
-Savion Flagg – SR G/F – Texas A&M

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this year’s Tennessee team.  Two years ago they were a top-5 caliber team and while they took a step back last year, they are once again looking at being a potential top-10 team this year who has a good chance of winning the SEC, earning a protected seed, and perhaps challenging for the Final Four.  Four guys who saw significant minutes are back this year, they have some really good newcomers going in, they will likely be able to go deep into their bench, and are solid in both the frontcourt and the backcourt.

-Kentucky has obviously been the class of the league, and it once again appears that they have a deep and talented team, will be high in the rankings, will contend for the SEC title, and have a good shot at a protected seed.  If that ever changes we will let you know.  All five starters are gone from a year ago, but this is a team that just reloads with top-notch talent every year.  They replace NBA caliber players with NBA caliber players.  While it may take them a while to gel as it does every year, but the end of the year they will likely have as good a shot as anyone at making the Final Four.

-Florida had a solid year last year, but it was nowhere near as strong as what most were expecting.  It was, for the most part, a young team and now that the Gators have a little more maturity we could see them surpass expectations and surprise some people.  I think this is a team that we will see in the rankings before it’s all said and done.

-There is reason to be excited in Tuscaloosa with four starters back.  Head coach Nate Oats is entering his second season and it could be one where the Tide really break out.  They did lose Kira Lewis, who was perhaps their best player, but all the other starters are back along with some very impressive looking newcomers.

-LSU has some off the court issues hanging over the program, but they are once again expected to do well in the conference and will most likely be dancing this March (pending no NCAA sanctions).  They did lose three starters, but they have a lot of key players back, appear to have a really strong backcourt, and have some guys that can step in to new roles.

-I kinda like this South Carolina team.  They are not getting a whole lot of preseason love, but four starters are back and they seemed to be playing pretty well down the stretch last year.  They’re my dark horse pick in this conference.  Frank Martin is a phenomenal coach who is good at developing talent, and it would not shock me at all to see this team dancing in March.

-Eric Musselman is a solid coach who I expect to do well at Arkansas, but I also think this is a bit of a rebuilding year and that they still have a long ways to go.  It appears as though they have ten new players, and with that much roster turnover we have more uncertainties than certainties in regards to how good they are likely to be.

-Auburn is also rebuilding after two straight very solid years.  I don’t think it will be too long before we see the Tigers back in the top-25, but I do not think this is the year for them.  A lot of returning players did not see significant minutes last year.  They do have some good looking newcomers, but it may take some time for them to click.

-Kermit Davis is entering his third year at Ole Miss, and while I do think he’ll get the Rebs program going eventually, I don’t think this is the year.  They were .500-ish last year and were a really unimpressive 6-12 in SEC play.  I think they will be better this year, but not so much better that I think we will see them inside the bubble.

-I keep waiting for Missouri to be good.  They have a good coach in Cuonzo Martin, but they cannot seem to become a regular NCAA Tournament caliber program.  Four starters are back this year including Dru Smith who is a very good all-around player, so that experience could lead to more wins this year, but I do not think we will see them dancing this March.

-Texas A&M had an exciting start to the season last year, but that excitement did not last long.  If we know anything about Buzz Williams is that he can build and he can coach.  He will get this program to a very high level before he is through, but this will not be the year.

-Mississippi State lost a lot of key pieces from last year, and appears to be in rebuilding mode.

-Tom Crean might be down to his last strike at Georgia, and all signs seem to be that a finish near the bottom of the league is likely.

-Vanderbilt has had some good teams in the past, but right now it feels like it is going to be a long time before we see them have another one.

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Pac-12 Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. UCLA
  2. Arizona State
  3. Oregon
  4. Stanford
  5. Arizona
  6. USC
  7. Colorado
  8. Utah
  9. Washington
  10. California
  11. Washington State
  12. Oregon State

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Timmy Allen – JR, F – Utah
-Matt Bradley – JR, G – California
-Oscar da Silva – SR, F – Stanford
-Chris Duarte – SR, G – Oregon
-Remy Martin – SR, G – Arizona State
-Evan Mobley – FR, F – USC
-Will Richardson – JR, G – Oregon
-Chris Smith – SR, G – UCLA
-Ziaire Williams, – FR, F – Stanford
-McKinley Wright IV – SR, G – Colorado

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-Isaac Bonton – SR, G – Washington State
-Tyger Campbell – SO, G – UCLA
-Josh Christopher – FR, G – Arizona State
-Ethan Thompson – SR, G – Oregon State
-Alonzo Verge – SR, G – Arizona State

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-UCLA is the preseason favorite to win the league, and I cannot say I disagree too much since they would have been my pick to win the Pac-12 Tournament last year based on how well they were playing at the end of the season.  All five starters are back, and they could make quite a bit of noise this year under second-year Coach Mick Cronin.  The combination of experience and talent should make the Bruins a top-25 team this year, and perhaps even more than that.

-Like seemingly every year, I am really big on this Oregon team.  I know they lost three starters, but Coach Dana Altman always seems to surpass his preseason expectations.  The Ducks did lose Payton Pritchard, but they have a lot of newcomers that should be able to step up right away and this should once again be a top-25 team, and perhaps even a protected seed by the time the year is over.

-Arizona State is another team that the media really likes.  It seems like the MO for the Sun Devils is to start off huge early in the season, but then taper off as the season progresses.  They jumped out to an 8-2 start last year, but then went just 12-9 the rest of the way.  They should have a tremendous backcourt with Remy Martin and Alonzo Verge and should easily land in the top half of the bracket, and probably be in the top-25 for most of the season.

-Stanford seems to be a dark horse for a lot of people, which raises the question: if they are everyone’s dark horse, then are they really a dark horse?  Four starters are back from a team that won 20 games a year ago and they should have a really strong frontcourt, so there is reason to be optimistic.

-USC is rebuilding, but PG Ethan Anderson is back and they appear to have some pretty good newcomers that could give them a boost.  Coach Andy Enfield is another guy that always seems to surpass the preseason expectations.

-Colorado could be a bit of a dark horse this year.  Three starters are back, including McKinley Wright IV, and if some of the transfers can step up this year we could see them competing for a spot in the NCAA Tournament come March.

-Utah has four starters back from a team that at moments showed some signs of life, but it is hard to say if they have enough pieces to put them in the NCAA Tournament picture.

-Arizona is dealing with a lot of off-court issues that we will not get into, but they seem to have their share of on-court issues as well.  All five starters are gone from a year ago, and it could be a long year both on and off the court for the Wildcats.

-Washington is coming off a somewhat surprisingly miserable season, and could be in for another long season this year.

-If I had to guess, I would say that Cal, Wazzu, and Oregon State are three teams that we will not be seeing in the Pac-12 Quarterfinals this year.

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Northeast Conference Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 23, 2020 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

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

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE TEAM:

-Damian Chong Qui – JR, G – Mount Saint Mary’s
-Ty Flowers – SR, F – Long Island
-Chauncey Hawkins – SR, G – Saint Francis Brooklyn
-Jahlil Jenkins – SR, G – Fairleigh Dickinson
-Elyjah Williams – SR, F – Fairleigh Dickinson

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-If you are a regular follower of HoopsHD, and you watch the Under the Radar shows, you know how much we love this league!

-They are not getting the most preseason love but we have to start with Merrimack.  They were one of the great stories in college basketball last year as they finished in first place even though they were a transitional team.  They were not eligible for the NCAA Tournament, but would have almost undoubtedly been invited to the CIT had it not been cancelled.  The bad news is they lost a lot from last year’s team and have just two starters back, so they will likely be in a rebuilding mode, but I still do not think they will end up as the doormats.

-Everyone seems to be big on Fairleigh Dickinson this year, which makes sense considering they have four starters back from team that had a strong finish to the season.  They are also balanced with solid players in both the frontcourt and the backcourt.

-Long Island is another team with four starters back, and while they were kind of blah last year and finished in the middle of the pack, their experience should help them improve going into this season.

-Saint Francis U won 22 games a year ago before losing to Robert Morris (who has since left the league) in the conference championship game.  They are losing quite a few pieces, but they appear to once again have a strong frontcourt and if they could have some guys step up at the guard position that came off the bench last year it wouldn’t surprise me if they exceeded their preseason expectations.

-Bryant won just three games two years ago, so there has been steady improvement and I look for that to continue into this season.  Three starters are back along with what look to be some promising newcomers.  Head coach Jared Grasso has this program going in the right direction.

-Mount Saint Mary’s also has a lot of experience back, but it is from a team that had a rather unspectacular year last year so it is hard to conclude that they have a high ceiling.

-Saint Francis Brooklyn also has four starters back, including a very strong guard in Chauncey Hawkins who is among the best in the conference.  They really struggled down the stretch last season so it is kind of hard to be all that high on them as a league contender despite all of the experience they have back.

-Sacred Heart won 20 games last year, but with so much gone from that team they appear to be in a complete rebuild mode.  Wagner and Central Connecticut also have a long way to go and it could be a three-way fight amongst these three teams for that last spot in the NEC Tournament.

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