Conference Preview: Ivy League

Posted on October 24, 2017 by Chad

IVY LEAGUE

The Ivy League became the last conference to add a postseason tournament to determine its automatic qualifier last season, but playing the four-team event may not have mattered.  Not only did Princeton go 14-0 in the regular season, but the Tigers then won both tournament games to advance to the Big Dance, losing a close first round game to Notre Dame.  Things are going to be a little different this season in the Ivy though.

Harvard has a lineup of players with enough experience and depth to be at-large bid worthy, though they will need to win games in November and December to get there.  Don’t expect conference play to be a cakewalk, however, as Yale, Penn and Princeton all have dangerous lineups and should push the Crimson all season long.  Below those top four, the bottom of the league should be better as well — as strides are being made at every school and enough talent exists that this has a chance to be a very fun season — especially with the eight teams playing for only four conference tournament spots.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Harvard – Despite only having two expected significant contributors who are juniors or seniors, the Crimson could be good enough to merit at-large consideration this season should they slip up in the Ivy League tournament.  Sophomores Bryce Aiken and Seth Towns are legitimate scorers, there are multiple 6-10 players on the roster, and highly touted freshman Rio Haskett could take over the point after the graduation of Siyani Chambers.
  2. Yale – The Bulldogs have a handful of dangerous guards with Makai Mason back healthy joined by Miye Oni, Alex Copeland and Trey Phills.  They probably have enough pieces in the frontcourt to contend as well, and should be the team to take the title if Harvard falters.
  3. Penn – The Quakers return four starters and get Antonio Woods back after he missed last season.  Steve Donahue is in his third season in Philly and this could be the year he makes some serious noise in this conference as his team is deep and gained a ton of experience last season.
  4. Princeton – The Tigers won every game they played against Ivy League foes last season, and do return the backcourt tandem of Devin Cannady and Myles Stephens.  However, they lost too many pieces in the frontcourt, including Spencer Weisz, to have that type of season again.
  5. Dartmouth – The Big Green should be much improved from last year’s 7-20 record, especially with junior Evan Boudreaux at forward and more experience and depth around him.  Boudreaux is a double-double machine who finished second in the Ivy in scoring and first in rebounding last year.  He could win both categories this time around.
  6. Cornell – The Big Red have a fascinating inside-outside pairing with Matt Morgan at guard and Stone Gettings at forward.  The two combined to average over 30 points and 10 boards per game last year.  Keep an eye on a freshman named Jimmy Boeheim too — his father is fairly well known in western New York.
  7. Columbia – The Lions will be a tough team to beat again this season, especially with Mike Smith in the backcourt, but it will be very tough for them to make up for the loss of Luke Petrasek up front.
  8. Brown – Despite having three starters back, the Bears lost their top two scorers from a team that only went 4-10 in Ivy League play.  They are a real longshot to qualify for the Ivy League tournament this season, and a finish at the bottom of the standings would not be a shock.
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Hoops HD Report: ACC Conference Preview

Posted on October 23, 2017 by David Griggs

Chad is joined by a full panel as we preview the ACC.  We begin by talking about Louisville’s spectacular offseason and how even though they are extremely talented we still expect them to struggle due to all the distractions.  Duke is a national title contender and the consensus favorite to win the league, but we also like Miami FL a lot as well.  Virginia, Notre Dame, and North Carolina are all teams that we feel are solidly in the mix for the NCAAs as well.  Georgia Tech appears to be trending up as a program, as does Boston College.  And, we have what we think as a horrendous Pitt team bringing up the rear.  All that, and much more as we discuss all 15 teams!!

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show….

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Conference Preview: Horizon League

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Chad

HORIZON LEAGUE

The Horizon League gave us one of the nation’s wildest conference tournaments last season when 9 seed Youngstown State and 10 seed Milwaukee shocked the top two teams (Oakland and Valparaiso) in the quarterfinal round.  Milwaukee then knocked off UIC (who themselves had upset 3 seed Green Bay) to make the finals against Northern Kentucky.  NKU pulled out a 6 point win, and ended up in the Big Dance in their first season eligible for it after transitioning up from Division II.  Crazily enough, the fourth-seeded Norse did not have to pull off a single upset to win the automatic bid.

This year, Northern Kentucky is one of three teams that are likely to battle for the conference title, along with Oakland and UIC.  Oakland, however, is our pick to win it with three players that could all contend for first-team all-Horizon League honors — Martez Walker, Jalen Hayes and Kendrick Nunn.  In fact, this Grizzlies team could be good enough to knock off someone in the first round of the NCAAs, and will leave whatever team draws them in the Round of 64 sweating things out.  One team that will not contend for the Horizon League title this year is Valparaiso.  That is because the Crusaders are now in the Missouri Valley Conference, taking Wichita State’s former place there.  The Horizon does welcome in IUPUI as Valpo’s replacement, but not much should be expected of the Jaguars in their first season here.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Oakland – The Golden Grizzlies may be the team to beat in the Horizon League this season, as they not only return two of the conference’s top players, guard Martez Walker and forward Jalen Hayes, but also add in Illinois transfer Kendrick Nunn, who averaged over 15 points per game for the Illini two years ago and is hopefully far removed from the off-court issues that led to his dismissal from that team.
  2. Illinois-Chicago – Four starters return.  Dikembe Dixson, potentially the best player in the entire conference, also returns, after averaging over 20 points per game early last season before going down with a knee injury.  And would you believe that only one of those five players is a senior?  This team is not only going to make noise this year, they may be around for several more to come.
  3. Northern Kentucky – The Norse won the Horizon League tournament last season, advancing to the Big Dance in their first season eligible to do so.  They have a real chance to make it back-to-back trips with four starters back led by Lavone Holland II and Drew McDonald.  The two players combined to average over 30 points per game last season.
  4. Wright State – The Raiders are coming off 20 wins in head coach Scott Nagy’s first season, but will likely take a step back with three starters gone, including Mark Alstork who averaged 19 points per game.  They do have a deep backcourt though, led by returnees Justin Mitchell and Grant Benzinger, and will remain competitive.
  5. Detroit – The Titans should find a way to improve on last season’s 8-23 record, especially if freshman Jermaine Jackson, Jr. proves to be the answer at point guard.  The biggest (and best) offseason news was the sudden late decision of Jaleel Hogan to return to Detroit instead of transferring.  He led the team in scoring and was second in rebounding last year.
  6. Youngstown State – Jerrod Calhoun takes over as head coach after leading Fairmont State to 34 wins and the D2 national championship game last year.  Although there will be a lot of new players on the roster, his senior backcourt pairing of Cameron Morse and Francisco Santiago should keep them in a lot of games.  They combined to average over 34 points per game last year, almost 23 of them from Morse.
  7. Milwaukee – The Panthers lost 24 games last season (despite the run to the conference tournament title game) and then saw Butler nab their head coach in the offseason.  Pat Baldwin, who was an assistant at Northwestern last year, takes over but has a lot of work ahead of him.  He does return four starters, but probably does not have a roster capable of avoiding a lower division finish.
  8. Cleveland State – Dennis Felton has led two teams (Georgia and Western Kentucky) to the NCAA Tournament, so there is a lot of optimism that he can build the Vikings into a contender in the Horizon League.  It will take a few years though, especially with only one player back this season that averaged more than 10 points per game.
  9. IUPUI – The Jaguars join the Horizon League after Valparaiso’s departure to the Missouri Valley Conference.  The combination of a new (and tougher) league plus losing their top three scorers from last season will probably leave IUPUI battling to avoid the conference basement this year.
  10. Green Bay – Only one of the Phoenix’s top nine scorers from last season returns, meaning that this looks like it will be a long rebuilding year in Green Bay.
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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Louisiana head coach Bob Marlin

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon’s interviews, and the rest of our extensive and continuous preseason coverage

Bob Marlin begins his 25th year as a head coach next month and is only 24 wins away from 500 for his career.  After winning his last 6 regular season games last season and beating Little Rock in the Sun Belt tourney before losing to Georgia State, then only losing 1 senior of note during the summer, you can expect the Cajundome to be rocking for the home opener on 11/14 against Louisiana College.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Marlin about winning a national title and having a high-scoring offense.

You spent the 1989-90 season as an assistant to Dana Altman at Marshall: how happy were you to see him finally make the Final 4 last spring with Oregon? We were there 1 year and I know that he has been close a couple of times so I was glad they got in this time. He has done a really good job everywhere he has been.

In the 1993 NJCAA title game as head coach at Pensacola JC you had a 5-PT win over Butler CC: what did it mean to you to win a title? It was very rewarding and I am certainly proud of our guys. 9 of our 13 players were from the state of Florida and it was an exciting time for our college.

You were also named national JC COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It means that you have good players! We achieved our goal that we were striving for and had 2 great games to finish it. It was like a home game for Butler. It also helped that I had the national POY in Paul O’Liney.

You later spent 12 years as coach at Sam Houston State, where you broke the school record for career wins: do you think that anyone will ever break your record? I am sure that it will be broken at some point in time. 1 of my assistants (current head coach Jason Hooten) replaced me and if he stays there he will get it eventually.

In the 2014 Sun Belt tourney title game as coach at Louisiana-Lafayette, Xavian Rimmer scored 27 PTS (7-12 3PM) in a 1-PT OT win over Georgia State: how were you able to overcome a 10-PT deficit with less than 5 minutes to play in regulation against a team that had won 22 of its past 23 games? 1 of their guards who transferred from NC State (Ryan Harrow) was scoring at will and we just could not stop him. With 5 minutes to go we switched to zone, which was the best thing that could have happened. We had a great player in Elfrid Payton who made some key plays for us down the stretch: it was an exciting time for us.

Last year you won 21 games (including a pair of 7-game winning streaks against D-1 competition) but did not play in any postseason tournament: did you consider the season to be a success (due to all the wins) or a failure (due to not making the postseason) or other? We overachieved after losing the 2016 conferene POY in Shawn Long. We struggled defensively in the middle of conference play but I was really proud that we finished strong. We got a CIT bid but declined it due to injuries: we only had about 7 healthy guys left on the team. Making the postseason does not matter to me: it was an option but it is about the students first.

Your team’s 81.9 PPG was top-20 in the nation: what sort of philosophy do you have on the offensive end? All my teams have always played fast. We play outside the box and put our players in positions to be successful. I believe this was the 5th year in a row that we led the league in scoring.

You lost your leading scorer from last year (Jay Wright) but return each of the next top-7 scorers on the roster: how crucial do you think all of that experience will be to your team’s success this season? It should be very instrumental in our depth. Last year we had 2 players who made heavy contributions as freshmen (Justin Miller/PJ Hardy). We added a really good high school player in Cedric Russell as well as 3 guys who sat out last year as high-major transfers.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Mississippi/Iowa/Clemson: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Probably the game in Ruston against Louisiana Tech because it is our oldest rivalry. We did not play them for a couple of years and then Mike White agreed to play us (before being hired at Florida in 2015). Coach Eric Konkol does a good job and it will be a tough game.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We expect to win our home games: we have won at least 12 games in the Cajundome for the last several years. We want to win the conference tourney, make it to the NCAA tourney, and then advance. There are usually only a couple of games that make the difference between the 1 and 8 spot in the league so it should be very competitive again this year.

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Conference Preview: Conference USA

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Chad

CONFERENCE USA

Although it would be highly unlikely for Conference USA to put more than one team into the 2018 NCAA Tournament, the level of play and competition in the conference could make this a very fun season to watch.  Middle Tennessee, which has won the last two automatic bids, must recover from losing 2 of their best 3 players from last season.  Although the Blue Raiders will still be right in the mix, up to five other teams enter the season with legitimate NCAA aspirations.

UAB is the pick to win the conference, thanks to the return of Nick Norton and “The Mayor of Blockingham” William Lee.  However, UTEP should be right in the picture after an amazing second half turnaround last season and the addition of SMU transfer Keith Frazier.  Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee and Marshall could all contend, along with Western Kentucky, a team whose offseason (thanks to Mitchell Robinson) seemed more like a soap opera than a basketball program.  CUSA may once again be a one bid league, but whoever that one team is will make someone very nervous in March, as the conference has advanced a team to the Round of 32 each of the last three years.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. UAB – Despite huge hopes last season, the Blazers season fell apart in their very first game when star point guard Nick Norton went down for the season with an ACL tear.  He is back this year, and joined by a pair of the best frontcourt players in the league, William Lee and Chris Cokley.  With their leader back, UAB has the pieces to win the league crown and return to the NCAA Tournament.
  2. UTEP – The Miners apparently played two different seasons last year, starting off a dismal 2-13, before turning red hot to end the year on a 13-4 run, including being the only CUSA team to defeat Middle Tennessee.  If head coach Tim Floyd’s team can play an entire season the way they played the second half last year, they could contend for the league crown.  Leading the way will be the inside-outside combo of guard Omega Harris (over 17 points per game last year) and 7-1 center Matt Willms, who also averaged double digits.  The late addition of SMU graduate transfer Keith Frazier could be the piece that puts this team over the top.
  3. Louisiana Tech – The Bulldogs may have the league’s best trifecta of guards with Jacobi Boykins, Jalen Harris and DaQuan Bracey.  However, there are a lot of questions down low, where players like Joniah White will need to step up.  If they can get the frontcourt help, La Tech has a strong chance to make the Big Dance for the first time since 1991.
  4. Middle Tennessee – The backcourt will be strong again, led by Giddy Potts.  However, there could be issues low with both JaCorey Williams and Reggie Upshaw gone.  Alabama transfer Nick King could be the key to whether this team makes it to the Big Dance for the third straight season.
  5. Western Kentucky – A team that is next to impossible to predict, the Hilltoppers basically welcome in an entire new slate of players to join star forward Justin Johnson this season.  The newcomers include some serious talent though, including Buffalo transfer Lamonte Bearden at the point and star freshman recruit Josh Anderson.  Mitchell Robinson should have been joining Anderson, but a decision to transfer-then stay-then skip school and focus on next year’s NBA Draft left the Hilltoppers without what may have been their best recruit ever.
  6. Marshall – The Thundering Herd should be a fun team to watch with head coach Dan D’Antoni’s run-and-gun style, plus junior guard Jon Elmore, who averaged almost 20 points per game, back to lead the team.  The biggest problem is a lack of much proven depth beyond Elmore and guard C.J. Burks.  The good news is that the team has no key seniors, and next season should be the one for fans to key on, assuming Elmore returns for his senior year.
  7. Charlotte – Jon Davis, Andrien White and Austin Ajukwa give the 49ers a tough three-headed monster on the outside that many teams will be unable to stop, especially because a group of new low-post players should allow everyone to play in their natural positions this season.
  8. Old Dominion – The Monarchs ranked 330th in the nation in scoring last season, yet still managed to win 19 games, thanks in part to one of the 10 best scoring defenses in the country.  They need to find a way to shoot better (310th in shooting percentage, 291st in 3-point percentage and 333rd in free throw percentage) to have any chance to contend this season.
  9. UTSA – The Roadrunners improved from 5 wins two years ago to 14 last season, and did so thanks in part to a pair of freshmen – Byron Frohnen and Giovanni de Nicolao.  Both players should only get better this season, and with a few more talented newcomers added to the roster, this is certainly a program to keep an eye on over the next few seasons.
  10. North Texas – Grant McCasland coached only one season at Arkansas State, but led the Red Wolves to 20 wins last year.  Repeating that type of success at North Texas this year seems unlikely, though he does have a solid backcourt with Ryan Woolridge and A.J. Lawson.  The Mean Green only won 2 conference games last season.  This year will at least be better than that.
  11. Southern Miss – The Golden Eagles only won 9 games last season, and leading scorer Quinton Campbell is gone.  That simply is not a recipe for success, and should lead to another long season in Hattiesburg.
  12. Rice – Mike Rhoades did an amazing job over the past few seasons bringing Rice basketball back from obscurity to the verge of a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1970.  However, Rhoades is now coaching at VCU, and more players than can be counted on one hand transferred out in the wake of his departure.  The Owls are now in complete rebuild mode under new head coach Scott Pera, and it may be a while before they return to the status of contender.
  13. Florida Atlantic – The Owls only won 10 games last season.  Unfortunately, the talent just does not appear to be here and they may be hard-pressed just to match that mark this time around.
  14. Florida International – The Panthers were 7-24 last year.  Their entire starting lineup from that team is gone, and the best returning players averaged just over 5 points per game.  Need we say more?
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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Northern Kentucky G Lavone Holland II

Posted on October 22, 2017 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon’s interviews, and the rest of our extensive and continuous preseason coverage

Kentucky has a rich basketball tradition: the Wildcats and Cardinals have each won multiple NCAA titles, Western Kentucky made the Final 4 in 1971, and Murray State has made the NCAA tourney 13 times in the past 30 years.  The new kid on the block is Northern Kentucky: they only joined D-1 in 2012 and proceeded to have 4 straight losing seasons, but last year the Norse galloped to a 24-win season including a single-digit loss to Big Blue in the NCAA tourney.  The key in March was G Lavone Holland II (from Ballard High School in Louisville): a game-high 20 PTS against Milwaukee to clinch the title and be named Horizon League tourney MVP, followed by a game-high 22 points in a 9-PT loss to Kentucky.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Lavone about winning a title and returning 8 of his team’s top-9 scorers.

You grew up in Louisville: what made you choose Northern Kentucky? When I came out of junior college NKU was my only offer and it felt like home.

You play for Coach John Brannen: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? His work ethic and being a pitbull. I have also learned that it is important to have trust if you want success.

Last December you scored a career-high 28 PTS/6-10 3PM in a win over Eastern Illinois: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I just felt prepared because I had put in the work to succeed. When I mixed that in with my confidence, it was the formula for a great game.

You finished the season in the top-5 in the conference in AST/STL: how are you able to balance your passing with your defense? It is one of those things that I have to do when I am on the court…otherwise I will see less minutes.

In the 2017 Horizon tourney title game you scored a game-high 20 PTS in a 6-PT win over Milwaukee en route to being named conference tourney MVP: what did it mean to you to win the title, and how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? To win the title was a very special thing, especially when I look back on it now. For me to play my best when it mattered the most was due to everyone in the organization believing in me and Coach Brannen giving us freedom on the offensive end.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney (the 1st appearance in school history) you scored a game-high 22 PTS in a 9-PT loss to #2-seed Kentucky: which of their guys do you think is going to become the best NBA player (Bam Adebayo/De’Aaron Fox/Malik Monk/other)? I am not really sure who will become the best NBA star and I do not think my opinion makes a difference, but I do wish them all the best of luck.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Memphis/Texas A&M: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I am not really familiar with either team’s roster yet but will be better prepared once we get closer to those games and start receiving scouting reports.

You are 1 of 3 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this season? Not much at all: I feel it is a role that I fall into naturally. Being one of three allows me to split the role with a few other guys so I think that it is going to be a breeze.

You return 8 of your top-9 scorers from last season: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? It will be very crucial. That experience mixed with our talent is a great recipe both for a great season and to build up our dynasty.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? To win the Horizon League regular-season title, make it to the Sweet 16, and go undefeated at home for the amazing crowd that I know we are going to have this year!

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