Conference USA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 20, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

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

 

PRESEASON MEDIA DAY ALL-CUSA TEAM

Devon Andrews – Florida International
Jailyn Ingram – Florida Atlantic
DaQuan Bracey – Louisiana Tech
Antonio Green – Middle Tennessee
Xavier Green – Old Dominion
Zack Bryant – UAB
Jhivvan Jackson – UTSA
Keaton Wallace – UTSA
Taveion Hollingsworth – Western Kentucky
Charles Bassey – Western Kentucky

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  C-USA is definitely a UTR conference, but last year ended a four-year streak where the managed to put a team into the Round of 32.  So, it’s probably better than what it typically gets credit for.

Western Kentucky absolutely out-talented everyone else in the league last year, but an abundance of off-court distractions made it difficult for them to consistently play at a high level.  With four starters back, they once again probably have the most talent in the conference, and truth be told they should be good enough to make a splash on the national scene if they can hold it together, but inconsistency seemed to be one of the motifs from last season, and that will have to change this year if the Toppers want to end up inside the bubble.

What head coach Steve Henson has done at UTSA has been nothing short of remarkable.  This was a program that was routinely winning less than five games a year when he arrived.  They managed a winning record last year, tied for second place in the conference, and have four starters coming back.  They are no longer a doormat.  In fact, they are quite fun to watch, and if WKU can’t hold it together it wouldn’t shock me if this team finished in first place.

I’m a little shocked there isn’t more love for North Texas.  Those of you that follow UTR know that there was a point where they were 20-4, looked to be one of the best teams in the league, and there were even some rumblings of them landing on the bubble.  Injuries hurt them late in the year, but with three starters back, this team should do A LOT better than what the coaches and media are predicting.  Hell, if I had a vote, I’d have the Mean Green in THIRD place!!

LA Tech had a rather unspectacular season last year, but they did finish the season looking a lot better than they looked in November, and with four starters back they should be able to be one of the better teams in the conference last year.

Old Dominion won last year’s CUSA Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Purdue.  They are in somewhat a rebuilding mode with just two starters back, but they should get some help from a key JUCO transfer, as well as from some guys who saw quality minutes last year.

UTEP has already played an exhibition game against Texas Tech…and won it!  Now, the number one rule of exhibition games is to not take them into account, but still there is an indication that UTEP is no longer the dregs of the conference like they were in the final days of the Tim Floyd era.  Four starters are back from last year’s team.  The problem is they won just six D-1 games last season, so I’m a little surprised the media and coaches seem to like them as much as they do.  Then again, they already beat Texas Tech, so…

UAB won 20 games for the fourth time in five years last year (albeit not all of them were against D-1 teams).  But with just one starter back, the Blazers are kind of in rebuilding mode and may have trouble reaching that mark this year.

After a remarkable three-year run where Middle Tennessee made the Round of 32 twice, and cracked the top-25 late in the season in a third year, they won just 11 games a year ago and are seemingly a long way away from getting back to where they had it.  They were playing a little bit better at the end of the year and have three starters back, along with a couple of key transfers.

Florida International got off to a great start last year, and actually ended up winning 20 games.  With four starters back, I’m a little surprised they weren’t shown a little more love in the preseason polls.

Florida Atlantic has three starters back, but what they really need is an infusion of upgraded talent.  They were plagued with injuries last year, so they should be better if they stay healthy.

Marshall also returns three starters from a team that won 23 games.  Dan D’Antoni has done a fantastic job with this program and it wouldn’t shock me if they were once again playing at a high level down the stretch.  He’s also the best dresser in the conference, and perhaps in all of college basketball!

Charlotte, Rice, and Southern Miss will likely be battling it out just to make the C-USA Tournament.

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America East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 19, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Vermont
  2. UMBC
  3. Stony Brook
  4. Albany
  5. UMass-Lowell
  6. Binghamton (tied 6th)
  7. Hartford (tied 6th)
  8. Maine
  9. New Hampshire

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA EAST TEAM

Andrew Fleming – Maine, SR F
Cameron Healy – Albany, SO G
Anthony Lamb – Vermont, SR F
K.J. Jackson – UMBC – SR G
Christian Lutete – UMass-Lowell, SR G
Sam Sessoms – Binghamton – SO G

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID. No one in this league has made more noise over the course of a weekend than UMBC did when they knocked off Virginia two years ago, but the dominant program in this conference for the last several years has been Vermont, and the coaches and media seem to think that this will once again be the case.  Last year, the Catamounts won 27 games and were right there with Florida State in the Round of 64.  Just two starters return, but Vermont has shown us before that they are capable of reloading.  Anthony Lamb is one of the best players in the conference, and if some of the other guys are able to step up they should finish near the top again.

UMBC struggled with injuries last year, but they still managed to win 21 games, and with three starters back and some pretty good depth they should once again be able to make quite a bit of noise in league play.  Ryan Odom has done a fantastic job with this program.  It’s not just that he won a game in the NCAA Tournament as a #16 seed, it’s that the Retrievers were struggling to win as many as five games a year when he initially arrived.

Stony Brook once again has a new head coach, and although they have several contributing players coming back from a year ago, their best overall player is gone.  I currently have more questions than answers as to how good I think this team is going to be.

Albany has had some really good seasons in recent years.  Last season was not one of them.  Having said that, they were playing their best basketball down the stretch, and with all five starters back they should once again be one of the better teams in the conference this year.

UMass-Lowell, who only just recently completed their transition up to D-1, is poised to have one of their best seasons ever as a full blown D-1 program.  Four starters are back from a team that showed some signs of life last year.  If they can finish with an overall winning record and make a postseason tournament such as the CIT, it would be a huge step in the right direction for this program.

Binghamton won just 11 games last year, and doesn’t have much coming back in the way of talent.  They are still in a process of rebuilding.

Hartford is also starting completely over with no starters back from last year’s team.  Maine and New Hampshire will likely have an uphill battle as well.

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Big 12 Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 18, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Kansas
  2. Baylor
  3. Texas Tech
  4. Texas
  5. West Virginia
  6. Oklahoma State
  7. Iowa State
  8. Oklahoma
  9. Kansas State
  10. TCU

 

MEDIA DAY BIG 12 PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Udoka Azubuike – Kansas, SR C

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Chris Clarke – Texas Tech, SR G

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Oscar Tshiebwe – West Virginia, FR F

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM

Tristan Clark – Baylor – JR F
Tyrese Haliburton – Iowa State, SO G
Udoka Azubuike – Kansas, SR C
Devon Dotson – Kansas, SO G
Desmond Bane – TCU, SR G

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  This is a conference that routinely sends more than half its teams to the NCAA Tournament.  Last year was a bit of a down year.  They only sent 5.  But still, out of all the power conference the Big 12 is the only league that can call it a down year when half the teams still make it.

Kansas is the overwhelming preseason favorite after their seemingly century long streak of first place finishes ended a year ago.  They did lose some key players, but as always they are reloading with talent.  Three starters are back, including the Big 12 preseason player of the year in Udoka Azubuike, and another outstanding young guard in Devon Dotson.  They have outstanding guards, they have an outstanding center, and they have depth.  It is worth noting that Kansas has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA, and that will be hanging over them throughout the season as things develop.  We’ll see if it ends up being a distraction for them later on.

Texas Tech has started the last two seasons outside the rankings.  Two years ago they made the Elite Eight.  Last year they were the national runner-up.  Don’t you think it’s time that they finally got some preseason love??  Well, four starters are gone from last year’s team, but they do have several players who saw significant minutes last season returning and, if things go as I think they will, those players will embrace their new roles and Texas Tech will once again be on the national scene.

Baylor is a team that the media and coaches are obviously big on, and they have been picked second.  I really like this Baylor team, but I still can’t see them finishing ahead of Texas Tech if for no other reason that Texas Tech is always a lot better than people think they are going to be.  Still, Scott Drew has done a sensational job and he returns three starters from a team that made the NCAAs 1 year ago.  This is a team that, like Texas Tech, ended up being a lot better than they were expected to be a year ago.  They are good in both the frontcourt and backcourt, and should get some help from their bench as well.

Texas missed the NCAA Tournament last year, but did win the NIT and are looking to get back to The Big Dance this year.  Only two starters are back, but they do have a nice core of players who saw significant minutes last year, and like most Shaka Smart teams they look to be strong at the guard position.

West Virginia fell flat last year.  It was easily one of the worst teams they’ve had since Bob Huggins arrived on campus.  They struggled with injuries and just couldn’t get in a regular routine.  Expect to see a huge improvement this year, especially if everyone is healthy.  It wouldn’t shock me at all to see this team back in the rankings and in the top half of the bracket before the season is over.

Kansas State tied for first place last season!  They’ve got three key starters back!  And they are picked to finished….9th??  What am I missing.  Okay, I realize that they lost two huge contributing players to graduation, but still they’ve got Xavier Sneed back, a few other players who saw significant minutes, two really good freshmen players coming in, and a solid JUCO player.  They’re not my pick to win the league, but I think they’re going to be a hell of a lot better than 9th!!

Oklahoma State finished in 9th last season.  All five starters are back, and just based on experience alone they should be an improved team.

I’m a little surprised there isn’t a little more love for Iowa State.  They did lose some big pieces, but they will be aided by a key transfer and the return of their starting point guard.  But, they did lose a lot.  Still, it wouldn’t shock me to see them hovering around the bubble come March.  Or, they’ll just win the Big 12 Tournament again.  They’ve gotten in the habit of doing that.

Both Oklahoma and TCU return multiple key starters from teams that won 20 or more games a year ago.  TCU barely missed the NCAA Tournament.  But, that just goes to show you how strong this league may be this year.  The bottom of this league is far better than the bottom of nearly every other power conference.

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Missouri Valley Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 18, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Missouri State
  2. Bradley
  3. Northern Iowa
  4. Loyola Chicago
  5. Drake
  6. Indiana State
  7. Illinois State
  8. Evansville
  9. Valparaiso
  10. Southern Illinois

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Cameron Krutwig – Loyola Chicago, JR C

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 1ST TEAM

Darrell Brown – Bradley, SR G
Tulio Da Silva – Missouri State, SR F
AJ Green – Northern Iowa, SO G
Tyreke Key – Indiana State, JR G
Cameron Krutwig – Loyola Chicago, JR C

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 2ND TEAM

Jordan Barnes – Indiana State, SR G
Elijah Childs – Bradley, JR F
Keandre Cook – Missouri State, SR G
Ryan Fazekas – Valparaiso, SR G/F
Javon Freeman-Liberty – Valparaiso, SO G

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 3RD TEAM

Zach Copeland – Illinois State, SR G
Gaige Prim – Missouri State, JR F
Lamont West – Missouri State, SR F
D.J. Wilkins – Drake, SO G
DeAndre Williams – Evansville, SO F
Lucas Williamson – Loyola Chicago, JR G

 

NOTES FROM DAVID.  The Valley wasn’t quite as strong as what we’re used to seeing last year.  I don’t think we were expecting them to put a team back in the Final Four, but I also don’t think we thought that the only NCAA Tournament representative would wind up as a #16 seed.  Part of the reason for that was parity.  The two teams that tied for first place (Drake and Loyola Chicago) each lost six games, and Bradley (who went on to win the conference tourney) had eight losses.  This is usually one of the better UTR leagues, so hopefully it’s a little stronger this year.

Missouri State is the preseason favorite according to the coaches and media.  They return just two starters from a team that went 10-8 in league play last year and tied for 3rd place, but they do add a couple of transfers and a rather strong recruiting class.

Brian Wardle is entering his 5th season at Bradley, and while it hasn’t been easy he did manage to win Arch Madness and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament last year.  They return their top three scorers, and a fantastic outside shooter in PG Darrell Brown, so the Braves should be one of the favorites to win the league.

I know I say this every year, but Northern Iowa is a team that I’m really big on.  Ben Jacobson hasn’t been consistently dominant, but he has put together some fantastic teams at UNI, and has four starters back from a team that finished 9-9 in league play a year ago and won six of their last eight before losing by 3 PTS to Bradley in the MVC Championship game.  The media and coaches have them as 3rd, but I think they’re wrong.  They’re my pick to win the league.

Loyola Chicago came back down to Earth after their Final Four run.  While they did tie for first place and make the NIT, they failed to win 20 games against a schedule that was, quite frankly, not that tough.  They do have Cameron Krutwig, who is one of the best players in the conference, and with two other starters back they should be able to compete in this league.

Not a whole lot of love for a Drake team that won 24 games a year ago, and has four starters back.  I can’t say that I totally understand what some of the media and coaches are looking at.  They were poised to be one of the more intriguing stories in college basketball last year, but lost their point guard to an injury and just weren’t the same after that.  They return quite a bit of experience and if they can stay healthy they should be one of the better teams in the conference.  Yet, the coaches and media picked them 5th.  Whatever!

Indiana State also returns four starters, and experience alone should help them improve on just a 7-11 conference record from a year ago.

Evansville, Valpo, and Southern Illinois will likely all be playing in the opening round of Arch Madness this year!  Southern Illinois, sadly, no longer has Barry Hinson as their head coach.  He was entertaining!  His barbecue sauce was awesome!  We will certainly miss him!

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SEC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

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

 

MEDIA DAY SEC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kerry Blackshear – Florida

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 1ST TEAM

Kerry Blackshear – Florida
Anthony Edwards – Georgia
Ashton Hagans – Kentucky
Breein Tyree – Ole Miss
Reggie Perry – Mississippi State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 2ND TEAM

Kira Lewis Jr. – Alabama
Isaiah Joe – Arkansas
Andrew Nembhard – Florida
Tyrese Maxey – Kentucky
EJ Montgomery – Kentucky
Skylar Mays – LSU
Lamonte Turner – Tennessee

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  Last year (if I counted correctly) the SEC put 7 teams into the NCAA Tournament, 7 teams on the top five lines, two into the Elite Eight, and one into the Final Four.  That’s not a bad year!!  As for this year, the SEC is once again looking like one of the best conferences in the country.

Kentucky is the preseason favorite, which seems to be becoming a birthright for the Wildcats, but one that they’ve certainly earned.  Stop me if you’ve heard this before.  They lost a ton of talent from last year’s team with four starters gone, but they replace it with a ton of talent that’s coming in and a monster recruiting class!  Next year when we write up Kentucky, that will once again be the case.  Ashton Hagans returns at point guard, and he’s joined by Tyrese Maxey, who was a highly recruited freshmen, as well as some guys who saw quality minutes last year like EJ Montgomery and others.  Now, something to keep in mind about Kentucky is that they are rarely playing their best basketball at the beginning of the year.  That was certainly the case last year when Duke blew their doors off.  But, they seem to improve throughout the year and are really firing on all cylinders by the time March rolls around.  They will probably start off in the top-five, and if they lose a game then people will freak out, even though we’ve seen it happen before.

Florida has three starters back from a team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and a lot of people are high on them as well.  I certainly think the Gators can be good, but I may be in the minority when I say this: I’m not ready to put them into the top-ten just yet.  They do have one of the best players in the conference in Kerry Blackshear, and he’s joined by a good mix of experienced returners and a strong recruiting class.  The Gators will be much improved, and have a great chance of ending up as a protected seed.

LSU had a big year last year despite some off-court distractions late in the season.  The coaches and media seem to like them again despite the fact that they lost three starters and that some of the allegations from last year are still hanging over the program.  They do have a strong recruiting class coming in, and if they can set aside the distractions they should once again have a strong team.

If you followed us last year, you know I was rough on Auburn all year long.  The truth was, they weren’t winning games against tournament-caliber teams away from home, and until they showed they could do that I wasn’t ready to crown them a top-20 caliber team.  Well, starting with the SEC Tournament, and then continuing all the way to the Final Four, they certainly started doing that.  It was an amazing March for the Tigers that ended controversially in the Final Four against the eventual national champions.  Only two starters are back, and the possibility of a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA is hanging over them, but with some strong incoming freshmen the expectations are high once again.  If this team does struggle at the beginning of the year and doesn’t seem to get those big wins away from home, I’ll remind myself of last season and how much they improved as the season went along.

Tennessee is also coming off a magical year where they reached #1 in the polls at one point, and had a run to the Sweet Sixteen that ended in exciting fashion against Purdue.  Rick Barnes has done an amazing job with this program.  In the past we liked to pick on him a little bit, but his overall body of work at Clemson, Texas, and now Tennessee is nothing short of outstanding.  The problem is the Vols have lost a ton.  Just one starter is back, so they’ll have to rely heavily on some of the incoming freshman, and guys who came off the bench last year will need to play a bigger role this year.

The Nate Oats era is underway at Alabama!  He did a fantastic job at Buffalo, and he takes over an Alabama program that actually has some things going for it.  Three starters are back, and they have an outstanding freshman in Jaden Shackelford who joins the roster.

Mississippi State was a tournament team a year ago, and four starters are back.  They did lose Quinndary Weatherspoon, but return pretty much everyone else.  I’m a little surprised the media and coaches didn’t pick them higher.  I think I like them more than Alabama, and perhaps even LSU.

Kermit Davis took over an Ole Miss team that everyone was picking to finish at the bottom.  He won 20 games, and took them to the NCAA Tournament.  It’s not hyperbole when I say this, but that was one of the best coaching jobs in the nation.  With three starters back and some much needed added depth, Ole Miss should be even better this year.

Tom Crean enters his second year at Georgia.  The Bulldogs won just 11 games last year, and with four starters gone are in the process of rebooting this year.  They do appear to have some talented young players coming in, and the pieces could be in place for this team to improve over time, but I think this year is going to be another building year.

Angry Frank has won huge at South Carolina.  He took them to the Final Four.  The one thing is that it’s hard to win year after year after year at South Carolina, and right now they seem to be at the bottom of their talent cycle with four starters gone from a year ago.  They should get a lot out of their guards, but it may be another year before they’re once again a solid NCAA Tournament caliber team.

Eric Musselman takes over at Arkansas after a fantastic run at Nevada.  He has four starters back from a team that went 8-10 in SEC play a year ago.  It may take a little bit of time, and Arkansas needs to give him that time, but I think he can get this program going in the next few years.

Missouri has had issues staying healthy in the last few years.  I like Cuonzo Martin as a coach, and with some of the experience they’ve got coming back they could do a little better than expected this year IF they can stay healthy.

UNCLE BUZZ!!!!!  He takes over at Texas A&M after a phenomenal run at Virginia Tech.  He took them from being very-sub-NIT-caliber to a Sweet Sixteen.  It was fun watching them improve under his guidance.  Can he do the same thing at Texas A&M?  I don’t foresee them being very good this year, but there should still be some noticeable improvement.

Vanderbilt returns four players from a really bad team, and is being coached by a guy who was a great player for North Carolina, but has no real pedigree as a head coach.  We shall see…

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Hoops HD Report Special: Interview with Selection Committee Member Mike O’Brien

Posted on October 17, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

Chad, David, and Rocco got to chat with Mike O’Brien, who is Toledo Athletic Director and current member of the selection committee.  We discuss his experience of being on the committee, talk about how teams from conferences like the MAC (which he works in) and other non-power leagues get looked at by the committee, and once again learn about all the work that goes into the process and all the data they have at their fingertips.  If you want to really know what goes on with the selection committee, then the best people to talk to are those that are on the selection committee!!

 

This podcast is audio only.  CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN AND/OR DOWNLOAD

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