Big East Media Day Recap and Response

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BIG EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Connecticut
  2. Creighton
  3. Xavier
  4. Marquette
  5. Saint John’s
  6. Providence
  7. Villanova
  8. Butler
  9. Georgetown
  10. Seton Hall
  11. DePaul

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST 1ST TEAM:

-Ryan Kalkbrenner – SR, C – Creighton (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Alex Karaban – JR, F – Connecticut
-Kam Jones – SR, G – Marquette
-Bryce Hopkins – SR, G/F – Providence
-Kadary Richmond – SR, G – Saint John’s
-Eric Dixon – SR, F – Villanova

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST 2ND TEAM:

-Pierre Brooks – SR, F – Butler
-Jahmyl Telfort – SR, F – Butler
-Deivon Smith – SR, G – Saint John’s
-Zach Freemantle – SR, F – Xavier
-Dayvion McKnight – SR, G – Xavier

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST 3RD TEAM:

-Aidan Mahaney – JR, G – Connecticut
-Steven Ashworth – SR, G – Creighton
-Jayden Epps – JR, G – Georgetown
-Wooga Poplar – SR, G – Villanova
-Ryan Conwell – JR, G – Xavier

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-UConn won an amazing 37 games last year, has won the National Championship each of the last two years, and is on an amazing stretch of 49 wins in their last 53 games. Four of those starters are gone and UConn will have to reload this year, but reloading is not an issue for them. Aidan Mahaney comes in from Saint Mary’s, and Liam McNeeley is a McDonald’s All-American. They are not quite as stacked as they were a year ago. I do not think they will win 37 games and repeat (again) as national champions, but this is still one of the best teams in the country.

-Up until recently I had been highly critical of Creighton and how they always seemed to tank out down the stretch. Well, I have stopped saying it because they have stopped doing it. They made it to the Sweet Sixteen or further in three of the last four seasons, and look to be good enough to do it again this year. Trey Alexander/Baylor Scheierman are big players to have to replace, especially Scheierman (because he was such a strong post player), but three other starters are back along with some solid transfers. I think they are good enough to win the Big East this year. They are exceptionally tough to beat at home, they tend to shoot well from the outside, they rebound well, and can score in the paint as well with Ryan Kalkbrenner at center. In short, they are good!

-Expectations are high for Xavier this year, and while they’ve already been hit with an injury to a key player (again), and while most of last year’s starters are gone, the roster does appear to be pretty stacked. Ryan Conwell/Dayvion McKnight make up a very solid backcourt, and Zach Freemantle is a huge contributor as well. Some pretty strong portal additions give Xavier a fair amount of talent and depth. While Xavier has had a lot of success throughout its history, they have actually missed five of the last six NCAA Tournaments, so they may be getting a little anxious in X-Land.

-I like this Marquette team. A lot. It seems a little nuts to me that they are being picked as low as 4th. I would personally have them…well…about four spots higher. Three starters return from a team that made it to the Sweet Sixteen, Kam Jones is one of the best guards in the conference and can hit from the outside, and while they may not have any players in the post that will likely end up on NBA rosters, their frontcourt is still solid enough. What makes this team so hard to beat is their pressure defense, and it is something that seems to get better and tougher the more they play together. Shaka Smart is a fantastic coach and this may be one of the better teams he has had in a while.

-Rick Pitino enters season #2 as the head man at Saint John’s, and the roster has been completely overhauled. No starters are back from a year ago. Deivon Smith is a solid player, and it looks to be a transfer-heavy roster. I will say this about Rick Pitino: he knows what he wants and he can usually get his guys to play together, so you never want to overlook the Johnnies.

-Kim English won a respectable 21 games his first year at Providence last year and once again has his work cut out for him. He has a high-caliber player in Bryce Hopkins who is a great scorer and rebounder, and they have some nice looking transfers coming in including Jabri Abdur-Rahim from Georgia, so the Friars have the pieces to take a step forward this year.

-The days of being able to pencil Villanova into your top-10 and seemingly always seeing them make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament now suddenly seem like it was all a long time ago. I like Coach Kyle Neptune, and was particularly impressed with how he was seemingly starting to turn Fordham (of all places!) around. But, since arriving at Nova they just have not been that good. And, it does not look like they are going to be all that good this year. Wooga Poplar is a solid player out on the perimeter, but he will need some help.

-Preseason rankings really do not mean much. A week into the season no one will even care about any of this, so I normally do not try and get too deep into the weeds with it. I am really doing all this to help myself learn the teams rather than make any predictions. Having said that, Butler being picked to finish 8th seems over the moon insane to me. I am trying to figure out what I am missing. Pierre Brooks/Jahmyl Telfort are both very solid players, Pat McCaffery is transferring in from Iowa and can be a solid role player and provide some depth, Kolby King comes in from Tulane who is a fairly decent PG. I mean…perhaps they are not the deepest team, and I certainly do not think they’re as good as the top three/four teams in the league, but to pick them 8TH!!?? I actually think they can be an NCAA Tournament team this year! This is a pick I disagree with: they are better than this!

-Georgetown has been synonymous with awful for the last three or four years, and while they will probably be slightly less awful this year, I still do not see them being all that good. Malik Mack (who had a strong freshman season at Harvard)/Jayden Epps should make a pretty talented backcourt, and that alone will result in them being somewhat better than what we have seen.

-Seton Hall won the NIT last year, but given how much their roster is overturned they could be taking a step back instead of forward. I like Shaheen Holloway as a coach, and I think they did get a few decent players out of the portal, but I do think they will be closer to the bottom than the top this year. They will win both games against DePaul, though!

-DePaul might lose every single Big East game they play this year. It would be the second year in a row where that happened. Chris Holtmann takes over as head coach, and I think he is a phenomenal coach, and they are getting some guys in the portal that should make them a little better…but “a little better” is a very low bar.

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MAC Media Day Recap and Response

MAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Ohio U
  2. Akron
  3. Kent State
  4. Toledo
  5. Bowling Green
  6. Miami OH
  7. Ball State
  8. Central Michigan
  9. Eastern Michigan
  10. Western Michigan
  11. Northern Illinois
  12. Buffalo

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 1ST TEAM:

-Payton Sparks – SR, C – Ball State
-Anthony Pritchard – SR, G – Central Michigan
-VonCameron Davis – SR, F – Kent State
-AJ Clayton – SR, F – Ohio U
-Javan Simmons – SO, F – Toledo

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MAC 2ND TEAM:

-Isaiah Gray – SR, G – Akron
-Jalen Sullinger – SR, G – Kent State
-Shereef Mitchell – SR, G – Ohio U
-AJ Brown – SO, G – Ohio U
-Isaiah Adams – SR, G – Toledo

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Ohio U won their last 7 games before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament last year, and they return the bulk of the talent from that team. Jeff Boals is a coach that I have always thought a lot of and I think he may have one of his best teams in a while this year. AJ Clayton/Shereef Mitchell were both double-digit scorers a year ago, and both received preseason honors this year. They have experience, they have depth, and I think they can win the MAC this year.

-Akron is a regular 20+ game winner, but they do face some challenges this year as four starters are gone from last year’s team that made the NCAA Tournament. Isaiah Gray comes in from Cornell, and they do add several other players from power programs that are perhaps come to Akron wanting to play bigger roles, so the cupboard has probably been restocked and the Zips will likely be near the top of the standings again.

-Kent State had a subpar season last year and are looking to bounce back this year. VonCameron Davis received preseason honors, and he’ll be joined by Marquis Barnett (who comes in from Presby) and Anthony Morales (who comes in from Boston U). So, the Golden Flashes have some solid pieces and I think we will see a few more wins out of them this year.

-Toledo finished atop the standings last year, but lost their conference tournament opener and ended up without a postseason invite despite having a really solid year. The Rockets have won 20+ games the last four years and have two key starters back from last year, including SO PG Sonny Wilson. They also add a couple of transfers that were double-digit scorers a year ago and should be able to step right in and help the Rockets. I could actually see them finishing higher than 4th. I do not like them as much as Ohio U, but I do think they could finish right behind them.

-Bowling Green was another team that won 20 games last season…but is also another team that is tasked with rebuilding its roster and replace four of their starters. Trey Thomas comes in from Vanderbilt and he should be a major contributor for Falcons this year. They also add some guys that were standout players at the D-2/JUCO levels, but it remains to be seen if they can contribute at the D-1 level.

-Miami OH showed some signs of improvement last year and finished a modest 9-9 in conference play in Coach Travis Steele’s second season. Three starters are back and that experience could result in this team seeing a few more wins this year and continuing their steady improvement.

-Michael Lewis had an impressive debut season at Ball State two seasons ago when he won 20 games. Last year, they took a step back and won just 15 and were a so-so 7-11 in conference play. Only two starters return from that team, but one of them is Payton Sparks, who is probably the best center/post player in the conference. They also add a high-caliber player in Jeremiah Hernandez, who averaged over 17ppg at Southern Indiana a year ago, so Ball State should be better this year. I think they can finish higher than they are being picked.

-Central Michigan was a big surprise last year with 18 total wins and a 4th place finish in the conference. This was a team that many (including myself) were expecting to be either at or near the bottom along with the other Directional-Michigan schools. Anthony Pritchard returns to the lineup and is one of the better guards in the conference. Jakobi Heady, who was a standout player at Bethune Cookman last year, transfers in and should be a big contributor. Can the Chippewas exceed expectations again this season?

-Eastern Michigan managed 13 wins a year ago, which is not good at all, but was still better than they had done the previous three years and perhaps better than what was expected. They did finish just 10th in the league and with three starters gone they do not appear to have a ton of experience or guys that have proven themselves as solid D-1 players yet. They could be in for a long year.

-Western Michigan could be in for an even longer year. They won just 12 games a year ago, which is not good, but was still an improvement, but with four starters gone from that team they are once again rebuilding. They also seem to be a little light on guys with solid D-1 experience.

-Northern Illinois has no starters back after several contributing players from last year jumped into the portal. Just four scholarship players return in total and the expectations are not high.

-Buffalo won just four games a year ago and the days of Nate Oats having this team in the NCAA Tournament, and winning tournament games, and in the top-25, now seem like it happened a long time ago. They are most likely in for another very long season this year.

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Big Sky Media Day Recap and Response

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BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:

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

BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL BIG-SKY TEAM:

-Trent McLaughlin – Northern Arizona
-Brian Goracke – Montana State
-Brandon Whitney – Montana
-Miguel Tomley – Weber State
-Brandon Walker – Montana State
-Julius Mims – Idaho

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Montana managed 25 total wins last year and are the preseason favorites (at least amongst the coaches) despite having just one regular starter back. They do have some solid grad transfers coming in as well as some guys that saw minutes off the bench. Brandon Whitney is a solid guard, and Money Williams is back in the lineup after missing all of conference play due to an injury. So, the Grizz have some pieces.

-Montana State was a modest 9-9 in Big Sky play last year, but expectations are higher this year with three returning starters and some other key additions to the roster. Montana State did win the Big Sky Tournament last year, so it makes sense they would be expected to carry that momentum into this season.

I like the next two teams better than the first two teams…

-Northern Colorado did kind of taper off in the last couple weeks of the season last year, but they still have a good year overall and with three starters back I would think they would be picked as one of the favorites to win the league. Jaron Rillie is a solid and experienced guard, Brock Wisne is a strong player in the frontcourt, and Taeshaud Jackson II actually averaged a double-double last season. This team has some solid pieces and I actually think they are one of the teams to beat.

-Weber State really caught fire in the second half of conference play last year. They did lose their first conference tournament game, but they were 8-2 in their last ten regular season games. With three starters back this year, this is another team that can make some noise in the league. Miguel Tomley, who was a standout player at Idaho State last year, also transfers in and joins the roster. So, this is a team with experienced players that can produce. I would not be shocked to see them win the league this year either.

-Northern Arizona returns four of their top-five scorers and perhaps returns more of their key pieces than anyone else in the league. Having said that, they won just 14 total games last year and finished 7th in the conference, so while that experience may result in a few more wins this year, I do not see them finishing much higher than the middle.

-Portland State struggled last year and with just one starter back those struggles will likely continue into this year. They did win 17 total games, which was an improvement over the previous 3 years, but it will be hard to keep building on that now that they have had to overhaul their roster.

-Idaho has just been so bad for so long. But, slowly (albeit VERY slowly) they may be showing signs of getting better. They won 11 total games a year ago, and while they were just 9th in the conference, they did manage 5 total conference wins. Three starters are back, Julius Mims is a solid forward who can score and go to the glass, and they may be able to continue to build on that win total and finish a little higher in the standings this year.

-Idaho State had an unspectacular 14-20 season last year and with four starters gone they are tasked with rebuilding. Or…perhaps just building, I suppose. They do have some guys transferring in that were standout players at non-D-1 schools, so if they can step up then this team should win at least a few games.

-It seems a little crazy seeing Eastern Washington this low in the preseason polls, especially since they have won 20+ games each of the last two years and were the 1st place team a year ago. The problem is that most of last year’s team, including the coach, is now at Washington State. Dan Monson takes over as head coach, and he had a nice run at Long Beach State. I do think he can get this program back to the top of the conference if he is given a little bit of time…but not this year.

-Michael Czepil takes over as head coach at Sacramento State. They were the last place team a year ago and are not expected to do much better this year. They do not have a lot of guys who have experience as solid contributors at the D-1 level.

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Southland Media Day Recap and Response

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SOUTHLAND MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. McNeese
  2. Stephen F. Austin
  3. Nicholls
  4. TAMUCC
  5. Lamar
  6. SELA
  7. Incarnate Word
  8. UTRGV
  9. Northwestern State
  10. TAMU Commerce
  11. New Orleans
  12. Houston Christian

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SLC 1ST TEAM:

-Christian Shumate – SR, F – McNeese
-Garry Clark – SR, F – TAMUCC
-Jamal West Jr. – SR, F – Nicholls
-Quadir Copeland – JR, G – McNeese
-Joe Charles – SR, F – McNeese

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SLC 2ND TEAM:

-Javohn Garcia – SR, G – McNeese
-Keon Thompson – JR, G – Stephen F Austin
-Robert Brown III – SR, G – Nicholls
-Jalin Anderson – SR, G – Incarnate Word
-Brandon Murray – SR, G – McNeese

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-McNeese won 30 total games last year after winning just 11 the year before and lost just 1 conference game. 12 of their 17 conference wins were by double-digits, and they blew through the conference tournament. Although they do have to replace their top scorer, three starters are back, and five of their players received preseason SLC honors. This is a team that should once again run away from the rest of the conference and could potentially make some noise on the national stage. Coach Will Wade knows how to use the portal and NIL to build a talented and dominating roster.

There is a pretty big gap between McNeese and everyone else.

-Stephen F. Austin returns to the Southland after spending three years in the WAC. It does not seem like that long ago when they were making noise on the national stage. While they should be competitive in this league, I don’t think they will be able to keep up with McNeese, and I am a little surprised to see them picked as high as 2nd. Having said that, two starters return, and Keon Thompson transfers in from UMass as a strong addition, so there are a few things to like.

-Nicholls was looking pretty strong at the end of the year, and won 7 of their final 8 before losing in the SLC Championship Game. With three starters back, including Jamal West Jr. (who is a solid frontcourt player who can score/rebound), Nicholls should be able to finish at least in the top-3 of the league, and perhaps in the top-2. I actually like them a little more than SFA.

-Jim Shaw had a very good debut season as TAMUCC’s head coach. The team won 21 total games and finished 2nd in the conference standings. With four starters back, expectations for them should be high again. Garry Clark is a solid scorer and rebounder, Leo Torbor is a solid guard and a very good defensive player, and the rest of the players look like they can step up and contribute. I am a little surprised they are picked as low as 4th. The Islanders would have been my 2nd place pick.

-Lamar saw a huge improvement last season under Coach Alvin Brooks. The Cardinals won 19 total games after winning just 9 the year before, and they won four straight down the stretch before losing in the semifinals of the conference tournament. They have three starters coming back, some balanced scoring, and are adding some decent looking transfers to the roster as well. They should be able to continue to build and perhaps end up with a few more wins this year.

-SELA is sort of starting over. They are tasked with replacing four starters from a team that struggled for most of the year but was actually pretty solid in the second half of conference play. Most of their roster appears to have limited experience at the D-1 level, so their players will have to step up into new roles in order to compete with the teams in the top half of the league.

-Incarnate Word, as a program, has struggled since transitioning up to D-1 and coming off probation. They have managed to win more than 10 total games just once in the last seven seasons, but we may see some signs of improvement this year. Three starters are back, which gives them some experience, and they also add two very solid transfers in Jalin Anderson/Davion Bailey, who should give them more talent than they have had in quite some time. I do not think they will finish in the top half of the conference, but I do think they will be more competitive than what we have seen in recent years and will show noticeable improvement.

-UTRGV has a new head coach in Kahil Fennell…and boy does he have some work to do!! They won just 6 total games last year and were a rather abysmal 2-18 in conference play. Just one starter is back, but since the roster needed overhauling that may not be the worst news in the world. They went into the portal and have what appears to be a lot of guys who were solid role players at previous D-1 schools, so if some of them can step up then we should see some improvement this year.

-Northwestern State is having to replace their entire starting lineup after a 9-win season last year. Like UTRGV, it seems to be some D-1 role players, but they also add some solid players from lower divisions.

-TAMU Commerce is still transitioning to D-1 and enters their 3rd season. It is always a tough process, and all things considered I think they have done fairly well. They have won 13 total games in each of their last two seasons, but they may struggle to hit that mark this year. All five starters from a year ago are gone, and they are entering what is perhaps the toughest stretch of the transition process. Key players want out because they do not want to play on a team that is on probation, and it is hard to recruit new players because if they have other opportunities they will take those rather than come play for a school that is on probation. It could be a very long year for the Lions.

-Stacy Hollowell takes over as head coach at New Orleans and faces a steep uphill climb. They won just ten games a year ago and lost most of their starters. They do not seem to have much in the way of players who have played key roles at the D-1 level yet.

-Craig Doty takes over at Houston Christian. This is a team that we have a soft spot for, especially with their uniquely small (but awesome!) arena and the retro uniforms they will sometimes roll out. Having said that, just because we like them does not mean they are good. This could end up being one of the worst teams in all of D-1 this year. They seem to be quite limited on…well…solid D-1-caliber players.

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Big 12 Media Day Recap and Response

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BIG 12 MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Kansas
  2. Houston
  3. Iowa State
  4. Baylor
  5. Arizona
  6. Cincinnati
  7. Texas Tech
  8. Kansas State
  9. BYU
  10. TCU
  11. UCF
  12. Arizona State
  13. West Virginia
  14. Oklahoma State
  15. Colorado
  16. Utah

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 1ST TEAM:

-Caleb Love – Arizona
-LJ Cryer – Houston
-J’wan Roberts – Houston
-Tamin Lipsey – Iowa State
-Hunter Dickinson – Kansas (Preseason Player of the Year)

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 2ND TEAM:

-Norchad Omier – Baylor
-Jeremy Roach – Baylor
-Keshon Gilbert – Iowa State
-Dajuan Harris Jr. – Kansas
-Coleman Hawkins – Kansas State

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

Simply put, the top of the Big 12 is stacked. It is half of the preseason top-10, and it looks like as many as five teams could end up as protected seeds.

-Kansas will begin the season ranked #1, and when you look at how stacked with talent they are it makes sense. They only made it as far as the Round of 32 a year ago, but three starters are back. Zeke Mayo, who is a very-high-caliber player, transfers in from South Dakota State and Hunter Dickinson returns as a 2-time All-American. If I were allowed to pick one team in the preseason to win it all…well…it would not be Kansas. Having said that, if I were allowed to pick up to four teams, Kansas would definitely be on the list of four. They are stacked, and they absolutely can go all the way this year. Now having said that

-I like Houston more. They won 32 games a year ago, and while they will need to replace Jamal Shead at the PG position, pretty much everyone else is back. Milos Uzan will take over at the point, and he will have LJ Cryer around him for a very strong backcourt. But what really makes this team tough is their defense. They are also just so tough in general: they can go into tough road environments and win. I said that if I had four picks to win it all this year, Kansas would be one of my four picks. If I had just ONE pick to win it all this year…that pick would be the Houston Cougars. They’re not starting off ranked #1, and I understand why they are not, but they would be the team I would vote as #1.

-Iowa State is another preseason top 10 team. They are having to replace two solid starting forwards, but Tamin Lipsey is back at the point, and Curtis Jones, Milan Momcilovic, and Dishon Jackson are all double-digit scorers who make up a very strong frontcourt. Another thing that makes this team so dangerous is their depth. They have eight guys that can score. There is also the “Hilton Magic” to contend with!! It is as hard to win at Iowa State as it is pretty much anywhere in the country.

-Baylor has some reloading to do as just one starter returns, but when Jeremey Roach transfers in from Duke, VJ Edgecombe (who is a probable lottery pick) comes in as a freshman, and Norchad Omier (who was one of the top players in the portal) comes in from Miami FL, it is safe to say that the Bears have reloaded. They have high-caliber players, and Coach Scott Drew has shown that he can get talent to gel together.

-It is Arizona’s first year in the Big 12, and it is crazy to see them to only picked 5th in the league when we are so used to seeing them ranked in the top-10 of the nation. Here is the thing: while they are picked to finish 5th, they are STILL ranked in the top-10 in the nation! Like Baylor, they had to reload, but also like Baylor, they absolutely have reloaded. Jaden Bradley returns at the PG position, and Caleb Love will join him in the backcourt: that is one hell of a backcourt!! Trey Townsend (who was a star at Oakland and who the country fell in love with after their big NCAA tourney win over Kentucky) also transfers in, so this team is loaded with talent.

-I was actually a little surprised to see Cincinnati ranked in the preseason top-25. I thought the Bearcats would be good this year, and would have pegged them as a likely NCAA Tournament team, and I think Wes Miller is a great coach who has them going in the right direction. I just did not think they were so good that they would be a top-25 team. But…maybe I am wrong. Three starters are back from a year ago, and Dillon Mitchell also joins the squad as he transfers in from Texas. There is a lot to like here!! I just do not think they are quite a top-25 caliber team, and I certainly do not think they are on the same level as any of the top-five teams in the league.

-Texas Tech made the NCAA Tournament in Grant McCasland’s first year, which was a pretty nice improvement from the previous year. Like a lot of teams they are having to reload their roster. Two starters return, JT Toppin is transferring in from New Mexico as both a good scorer/rebounder, and they have some promising-looking freshmen coming in that should be able to improve over time. If they can make it back to the NCAA Tournament this year, I think it would be a hell of an accomplishment.

-Kansas State lost most of their starters from a team that only made it as far as the NIT. I like Jerome Tang as a coach, but it is hard to keep up with the rest of the league when it is as strong as it is. The Wildcats did hit the transfer portal and got Coleman Hawkins from Illinois and Dug McDaniel from Michigan. They are also adding a few guys who were standout players from Under the Radar schools, so I think K State has plenty of talent, and may be undervalued a little bit.

-Welcome to Year #2 in the Big 12 BYU! One thing I will say about the Cougars is that while I think conference realignment has damaged more than it has improved, it is a lot of fun watching some of these Big 12 blueblood schools play at BYU. It is one of the more rabid fanbases in the country. The Marriott Center is huge, it is always packed, and the student turnout is incredible. They fit right in with Iowa State, and Kansas, and K State, and the likes of this league. Kevin Young takes over as head coach after Mark Pope departed for Kentucky. Just two starters are back, but several other players who saw key minutes and were able to contribute off the bench return, so the cupboard is not entirely bare. Keba Keita transfers in from Utah (I was not even sure that was allowed given the rivalry those two have!), and Mawot Mag comes in from Rutgers, so BYU has some pieces. Can a first-year coach step into this position and start winning in a conference that is 1 of the best in the nation?

-TCU is also having to replace several key players after an NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago. Vasean Allette had a fantastic 19 games at Old Dominion last year before being dismissed due to “misconduct unbecoming of a Monarch” and transfers in to TCU this year. Frankie Collins also put up some good numbers at Arizona State, Trazarien White was a big-time scorer for UNC Wilmington, and Noah Reynolds was a standout player at Green Bay. So TCU has reloaded with some pretty good talent. I also like Jamie Dixon as a coach: this will not be an easy team to beat this year.

-UCF was a respectable 7-11 in their first season of Big 12 play a year ago. With Jordan Ivy-Curry transferring in from UTSA, they should at least have a solid backcourt. “‘Solid'” probably is not good enough to compete with the majority of teams in this conference, and certainly not good enough to compete with the five teams that are starting off ranked in the top-10. I do not see them finishing any higher than where they have been picked.

-Arizona State has failed to post a winning record in 3 of the last 4 years. Coach Bobby Hurley has certainly had some successful teams, but in recent years they have fallen off. They struggled in the Pac-12. They are likely to struggle much more in the Big 12 because the league is, quite frankly, much better overall. Two starters return, and Adam Miller was a fairly solid player for them a year ago. Basheer Jihad put up amazing numbers at Ball State and should be able to help them as well…but once again I think Arizona State will likely lose more than they will win.

-Darian DeVries, who is an outstanding head coach, takes over at West Virginia. Having said that, “outstanding” is not the word I would use to describe the team they will probably have this year. Basically no one is back. Darian’s son Tucker follows his dad over from Drake, and Javon Small comes in from Oklahoma State. Both are solid players, and just having those two will probably make the Mountaineers a little better than they were a year ago. Jayden Stone, who put up ridiculous numbers for an otherwise awful Detroit Mercy team, joins the roster as well. I know this may be foolish, but given how much I like Coach DeVries, and given how their talent actually appears to be a little better than it was last year, I think West Virginia finishes higher in the standings than this. I do not think they will make the NCAA’s, but I could see them finishing as high as 9th or 10th in the Big 12.

-Oklahoma State is also rebuilding with a new coach and a mostly new roster. Steve Lutz takes over after being at Western Kentucky…and he may end up wishing he had stayed where he was. They did go into the portal to pick up some guys who were standout players on some less-than-outstanding teams, but I just do not think they have the kind of guys who can play with most of the teams in this conference.

-I have been very supportive of Colorado over the years, and think Tad Boyle is largely underappreciated as a coach. Colorado has had some fantastic years. They have actually won 20+ games in five of the last six years, made the NCAA Round of 32 twice, and were ranked in the top-20 for part of last season…but for whatever reason no one ever seems to think of them as being good at basketball. When I tell people, “They won 26 games and made the Round of 32 last year,” the typical response is “They did?? I had forgotten that.” Having said all that, Colorado has nobody left from last year’s team, and much of their roster is made up of freshmen and guys who were standout players at non-D-1 schools. As much as I like this program, and as chronically overlooked as I think it normally is, even I cannot say that I expect them to do much better than next-to-last this year.

-I do not expect Utah to be good, but I am a little surprised they are being picked to finish last. Two starters are back from a team that won 22 total games and went to the NIT. That is not bad: hell, some would even say that is decent. I know they have to replace a lot, but I do not think they will finish dead last.

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America East Media Day Recap and Response

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AMERICA EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Vermont
  2. UMass Lowell
  3. Bryant
  4. Maine
  5. UMBC
  6. Binghamton
  7. UAlbany
  8. NJIT
  9. New Hampshire

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AEAST TEAM:

-Marcus Banks Jr. – SR, G – UMBC
-Shamir Bogues – SR, G – Vermont
-Max Brooks – SR, F – UMass Lowell
-TJ Long – SR, G – Vermont
-Earl Timberlake – SR, G – Bryant

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Vermont blew through this league a year ago, losing just one conference game during the regular season and then winning the conference tournament to advance to the NCAAs. With four starters back from that team, which won 28 total games, they are the hands-down favorites to win it again, and one cannot help but ask if they’re good enough to do a little more than just win the conference. Shamir Bogues gives them a strong presence in the frontcourt, TJ Long is a solid guard who can hit from the outside, and overall this team is both experienced and balanced.

-UMass Lowell has won 20+ games the last two seasons and once again looks to have a solid lineup. It has been fun to watch this team build themselves up over the years, and they are now among the conference frontrunners. Pat Duquette has done a great job as head coach, and he has three starters back, including Max Brooks/Cam Morris who make up a solid frontcourt, and Quinton Mincey who actually averaged over 14ppg last year coming off the bench. I do not know if they are quite as good as Vermont, but I do think they can be a solid 2nd-place team in the conference and should be better enough than most of the rest of the league to keep pace with them in the standings.

-Phil Martelli Jr. had a good year in his first year as head coach of Bryant with 20 total wins at a 2nd-place finish. This year they are expected to be one of the better teams in the league again. Earl Timberlake returns, who is one of the better guards in the conference. The problem is they do not seem to have much else in the way of experience. I think they will do okay…but I do not see them being as good as the top-two teams.

-I never remember Maine being picked this high! They are actually expected to finish in the top-half of the league! And, if you look at them in recent years, their win total has improved in each of the last three seasons, so they have shown steady improvement. Just two starters return for the Black Bears, but they appear to have a solid backcourt in Kellen Tynes/Jaden Clayton, so they do have some pieces. Can Chris Markwood take this program another rung up the ladder in his third year as head coach?

-UMBC was pretty unremarkable last year, but they did show signs of improvement in the last few weeks of the regular season winning 4 of their final 6 regular season games before losing in overtime in the conference tournament. With three starters back including Marcus Banks (who is one of the better players in the conference), we could see some improvement out of the Retrievers this year.

-Binghamton showed some signs of improvement last year, and they do return a really strong player in Tymu Chenery, but I do not know if they have quite enough to finish in the top-half of the conference standings. If some of the incoming transfers can step up then we could see some more wins from them this year.

-UAlbany has just been down for the last four or five years, and while they did show signs of improvement last year, all signs this year point to them being down again. Amar’e Marshall is a standout player, but for a team that lost 9 of its final 11 games there just does not seem to be a whole lot of forward momentum going into this season.

-NJIT has won just 7 total games in three of the last four years, and finished pretty far outside the top-300 in most of the metrics the last three seasons. This was a program that showed a fair amount of promise not that long ago. but they have seemingly done nothing but lose since. Tariq Francis is a solid guard, but he will need some help from his teammates if they are going to have any success at all this year.

-New Hampshire only returns three scholarship players from a year ago and will have to rely on a lot of players who don’t have a whole lot of D-1 experience this year.

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