SWAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Prairie View A&M
  2. Texas Southern
  3. Grambling
  4. Alabama State
  5. Jackson State
  6. Southern
  7. Arkansas Pine Bluff
  8. Alabama A&M
  9. Alcorn State
  10. Mississippi Valley State

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON SWAC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Devonte Patterson – Prairie View A&M

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON SWAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jayveous McKinnis – Jackson State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SWAC 1ST TEAM

Maurice Howard – Alcorn State, G
Ivy Smith – Grambling, G
Eden Ewing – Texas Southern, F
Devonte Patterson – Prairie View A&M, F
Jayveous McKinnis – Jackson State, C

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SWAC 2ND TEAM

Jacoby Ross – Alabama State, G
Shaun Doss – Arkansas Pine Bluff, G
Troymain Crosby – Alcorn State, F
Gerard Andrus – Prairie View A&M, F
Terrance Banyard – Arkansas Pine Bluff, C

 

NOTES FROM DAVID.  For the past couple of decades, the SWAC has been one of the weakest, and perhaps THE weakest, conference in D-1 basketball.  All of the teams spend the majority of November and December playing on the road against higher-caliber programs in games that they have little to no chance of winning.  More often than not, the league lands in the First Four.  They really are playing with a lot of circumstantial disadvantages.

Prairie View did manage 21 wins a year ago, and went 17-1 in SWAC play before winning the conference tournament.  Only two starters are back, and they will have to replace one of the better players in the conference, but they should get some help from some JUCO transfers as well as guys who are ready to step in to bigger roles.

Texas Southern has been the top program in the conference in recent years, and they managed to win two huge OOC games a year ago by knocking off Baylor on the first night of the season, and also winning at Oregon, who went on to make the Sweet Sixteen.  They went 14-4 in conference play before losing to Prairie View in the SWAC Championship game.  Six players are gone from that team, but they have a quality JUCO player in Yahuza Rasas coming in, as well as some transfers who will be eligible to play after sitting a year ago.  It wouldn’t shock me if they ended up winning the league this year.

Grambling has three starters back from a team that finished 3rd just a season ago.  Most people don’t know this, but just before Donte Jackson arrived two years ago this program was among the worst in all of D-1.  He’s done a remarkable job in his two seasons there, and the improvements should continue this year.

Arkansas Pine Bluff has two quality players in Shaun Doss and Terrance Banyard.  They will also look to get some production out of three key JUCO transfers who are joining the roster.  I’m a little surprised the media didn’t pick them to finish a tad bit higher.

Jackson State finished in a three-way tie for third place, and with four starters back that experience should help them this year.

Alabama State has a pretty solid guard in Jacoby Ross, but others on the team will have to step up if they want to play at a level that can help them finish near the top of the league.

Southern was a team that used to reign supreme in this conference, but they’ve kind of fallen on rough times as of late.  They won only seven games a year ago, and with just one starter returning they appear to be in rebuilding mode.

Alabama A&M, who has been among the worst in D-1 in recent years, will undergo a complete overhaul of the roster to try and get things turned around.

Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State are in for long seasons.

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Ohio Valley Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

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

 

MEDIA DAY OVC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Terry Taylor – Austin Peay, JR G/F

MEDIA DAY ALL-OVC PRESEASON TEAM

Jomaru Brown – Eastern Kentucky, SO G
Tevin Brown – Murray State, SO G
Jr. Clay – Tennessee Tech, SO G
Darnell Cowart – Murray State, SR F
Quintin Dove – UT Martin, SR F
Grayson Murphy – Belmont, SO G
Nick Muszynski – Belmont, SO C
Craig Randall – UT Martin, SR G
Terry Taylor – Austin Peay, JR G/F
Jordan Walker – Morehead State, SR G
Josiah Wallace – Eastern Illinois, JR G

 

NOTES FROM DAVID.  Last year, the OVC had two really good top-40 caliber teams in Murray State (reached the Round of 32) and Belmont (earned an at-large bid and won a First Four game), two other pretty good teams in Jacksonville State and Austin Peay, and then eight more teams that were sub-200 caliber teams.  The cavern between 4th and 5th was pretty wide.  With those four teams once again picked in the top-four, we could see the same thing again this year.

Belmont won 27 games a year ago, which was good enough for an at-large bid and a trip to the First Four.  They lost their best player in Dylan Windler due to graduation, and their legendary coach due to retirement, but they should still be one of the best teams in the league.  Three starters are back, and Casey Alexander, the long time assistant and former Lipscomb head coach, takes over.  Throughout the years, this is a program with a history of players being able to step in to new roles and immediately contribute.  That will likely be the case again this year, and it won’t shock me to see them finish on top.

Murray State is coming off a fantastic year where they won 28 games and made the Round of 32.  Ja Morant is gone, and lottery picks are simply not routinely replaced, but three starters are back, and their frontcourt may actually be a little bit better than it was a year ago.  They add some pretty talented freshmen to the roster that should contribute as well.  Will they make the Round of 32 again?  That may be a stretch, but it’s not an impossibility.  Head coach Matt McMahon has exceeded expectations seemingly every year he’s been there.

Jax State has just one starter back, but they once again have some solid JUCO tranfers coming in, as well as Elias Harden who transferred in from Xavier.  Ray Harper is a fantastic coach and he’s good at getting his guys to play together despite the loss of contributing players from year to year.  Don’t be shocked if they are once again near the top of the league.

Austin Peay is once again dealing with a lot of changes to their roster, but they have two starters back and some solid transfers to go along with it.  Head coach Matt Figger did an unbelievable job in his second season last year.  They were picked to finish 11th in the conference.  They were in contention for first place all the way up until the end.

UT Martin is another school that seems to have an infusion of talent transferring in.  They also have a really solid player returning in Quintin Dove.

Eastern Kentucky has missed the conference tournament the last two years, but they still looked noticeably better under first year head coach A.W. Hamilton last season.  With three starters back and some quality transfers joining the roster, the Colonels should be much improved this year.

Eastern Illinois has all five starters back from a team that appeared to be on a roll about half way through conference play, and then totally crashed out at the end of the year.  Injuries had a lot to do with, and they should be a lot better this year if they can stay healthy.

Morehead State saw significant improvement last year after missing the OVC Tournament two years ago, but still has a long way to go before they can contend for the top of the league.  Still, three starters are back, and like seemingly all OVC teams, the will look to get some production out of transfers who are joining the roster.

SIUE has three starters back from a team that tied for 7th and made the OVC Tournament.  They have a new coach and will look to get contributions out of some of their new players.

Tennessee State is in complete rebuild mode with all of their starters being gone from a year ago.  SEMO and Tennessee Tech are potentially in for long seasons as well.

 

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Patriot League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

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

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON PATRIOT LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Sa’eed Nelson – American, SR G

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAM

Sa’eed Nelson – American, SR G
Max Mahoney – Boston U, SR F
Jordan Burns – Colgate, JR G
Rapolas Ivanauskas – Colgate, SR F
Andrew Kostecka – Loyola MD, SR G

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  Colgate was last year’s first-place team, and with four starters back they are once again the consensus favorite to win the league.  They have two of the better players in the conference, are solid in both the frontcourt and the backcourt, and after a 24-win season it wouldn’t surprise me if they were even better this year.

Bucknell, who’s been one of the better teams in the league in recent years, comes in right behind them.  They only have two starters back, but we said the same thing about them a year ago and they still finished near the top.  They always seem to have guys that are ready to step up and take on bigger roles.

American has a fair amount of talent coming back from a year ago, and that includes the conference preseason player of the year.  Nelson is probably the best player in the league, and American, who exceeded expectations last year, is looking to do so again.

I always think Boston U is going to be better than they end up being.  Four starters are back from a team that was unimpressive a year ago, but that also won four of their last five before losing in the conference tournament, so there is some reason to expect them to be better.

Loyola MD won just seven games a year ago, but all five starters are back and that experience should help them do a little better than they did a year ago.

Year after year, it seems like Army loses a lot of close games.  Last year, they lost seven games by five points or less.  With three starters back they should be better this year.

Lehigh won 20 games last season, but with just two starters back they look to be in a bit of a rebuilding mode.

Lafayette returns all their starters, but they won just ten games a year ago.  Still, the experience factor should help them out.

It’s going to be rough for Navy and Holy Cross.  Holy Cross used to dominate this league.  Last year, they finished in last place, and they don’t appear to be a whole lot better this year.  They could finish last for the second year in a row, which seemed next to impossible just a few years ago.

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The Hoops HD Report: Pac-12 Conference Preview

Posted on October 22, 2019 by David Griggs

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Last year, the Pac 12 didn’t have a single team wearing home white uniforms in the Round of 64, and the year before last the league failed to get a single team past the Round of 64.  The panel takes a look at this year’s league, and feels that it will be significantly stronger than what we’ve seen the last couple of years.  Oregon has a lot of talent and could contend for a protected seed.  Colorado finished strong last year and has all five starters back.  Washington lost a lot of talent, but has a lot of talent coming in.  Arizona brings in a strong recruiting class, and Oregon State is a potential dark horse.  We discuss all that, the new coaches in the league, and more…

HOOPS HD TOP FIVE

  1. Oregon
  2. Colorado
  3. Washington
  4. Arizona State
  5. Arizona

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

CLICK HERE for our Pac-12 Media Day Recap and Response

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Big Sky Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 21, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

  1. Eastern Washington
  2. Montana
  3. Weber State
  4. Southern Utah
  5. Northern Colorado
  6. Portland State
  7. Montana State
  8. Northern Arizona
  9. Sacramento State
  10. Idaho State
  11. Idaho

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL

  1. Montana
  2. Weber State
  3. Eastern Washington
  4. Northern Colorado
  5. Southern Utah
  6. Portland State
  7. Montana State
  8. Northern Arizona
  9. Sacramento State
  10. Idaho State
  11. Idaho

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jerrick Harding – Weber State, SR G

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG SKY TEAM

Jerrick Harding – Weber State, SR G
Sayeed Pridgett – Montana, SR G
Harald Frey – Montana State, SR G
Holland Woods – Portland State, JR G
Mason Peatling – Eastern Washington, SR F
Jacob Davison – Eastern Washington, JR G

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  Eastern Washington should have been better than what they were a year ago, but injuries absolutely killed them.  With a (hopefully) healthy roster, they should finally be set up to compete for a first place finish and a spot in the Big Dance.

Northern Colorado won 21 games last year, and has four starters back.  I’m a little surprised that the coaches and media didn’t show them a little more love.  They finished second a year ago, and they return most of the pieces from that team.

Portland State is another team that just looks a lot better to me than where the coaches and media have them.  I know they lost three starters and were just .500 a season ago, but they have one of the better players in the conference in Holland Woods along with some experienced players who return, and a couple of really strong JUCO transfers that should help them out.

Montana is another team that the coaches and media seem to like.  They return Sayeed Pridgett, but the other four starters are gone.  They do have some talented freshmen and a key NAIA transfer joining the roster, but as an outsider I can’t help but think they’ll suffer some setbacks this year.

Weber State finished just 11-9 in league play and really struggled down the stretch.  Three starters are back, and they should benefit from that experience.  They should also be strong at the guard position with a player like Jerrick Harding.

SOUTHERN UTAH!!  Is being picked 4th or 5th in the Big Sky anything to get excited about??  Well, it is if that school was a recent Centenary Award Winner (the award HoopsHD gives out to the worst team in D-1 basketball).  Four starters are back from a team that finished with a .500 record last year, and that experience should propel them to one of their better seasons in recent memory.  I do not say that as a backhanded compliment.  I am sincerely impressed with how much this program has improved under coach Todd Simon in the three years he’s been there.

Montana State has three starters back form last year’s team that tied for fourth place, and will look to get some help from some JUCO transfers this year.

Northern Arizona won just 10 games a year ago.  All five starters are back, though, and that experience should help them out some.

Sacramento State, Idaho State, and Idaho should all make the conference tournament this year!!  But…only because the league now takes all 11 teams.

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The Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Conference Preview

Posted on October 21, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

Chad and the panel take a look at what is a very deep Big Ten.  Michigan State is the unanimous favorite to win the league, and will likely begin the season ranked #1.  Maryland, Ohio State, and Purdue are all strong teams who could end up as protected seeds, while the Badgers also look strong.  Other topics we discuss are whether or not Indiana can crack the field for the first time under Archie Miller, if Minnesota can once again exceed all preseason expectations, if Illinois’s experience could result in them having success, and how Michigan will do under first year head coach Juwan Howard.

HOOPS HD TOP FIVE

  1. Michigan State
  2. Maryland
  3. Ohio State
  4. Purdue
  5. Wisconsin

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

CLICK HERE for our Big Ten Media Day Recap and Response

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