SoCon Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2024 by David Griggs

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SOCON MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

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

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOCON TEAM:

-Quimari Peterson – SR, G – East Tennessee State
-Jaden Seymour – SR, F – East Tennessee State
-Pjay Smith – SR, G – Furman
-Donovan Atwell – JR, G/F – UNC Greensboro
-Collin Holloway – SR, F – Samford
-Rylan Jones – SR, G – Samford
-Honor Huff – JR, G – Chattanooga
-Trey Bonham – SR, G – Chattanooga (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Kyler Filewich – SR, C – Wofford
-Corey Tripp – SR, G – Wofford

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Bucky McMillan has just been sensational since taking over at Samford. When he was hired I thought it was a terrible choice due to what I thought was a lack of experience at the college level. Bucky has shut me up big time. Samford won 29 games a year ago, won the SoCon Tournament, and came very close to upsetting Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. The bad news is that four starters are gone from that team, as well as 7 of their top-9 scorers. Rylan Jones is the only returning starter, and while they do have some guys transferring in with some Power Conference experience, none have really been D-1 standout players before. Still, this is a team that has a tendency to overachieve. They have been so much fun to watch the last few years, and will likely be fun to watch again this year. We LOVE Bucky Ball!!!!

-After a really solid season a year ago, Chattanooga lost some of their key players to the portal. Having said that, they do have Trey Bonham back, who was voted preseason conference player of the year, and per Coach Dan Earl’s style they have loaded up on scorers again this season. I think they will be as good (and perhaps better) than they were a season ago and it would not shock me at all to see them win the league.

-East Tennessee State had what was mostly a blah season, and kind of fell apart in the last part of the regular season, but they did right the ship just in the nick of time and won their last five games before losing in the SoCon Championship game to Samford (and they actually played pretty well in that game). Based on that finish, the expectations are much higher this year for ETSU with three starters returning. Injuries also impacted them last year, so if they can stay healthy then we should see more wins.

-Wofford has not been quite the same since Mike Young left, but perhaps there is reason to hope this year. Four starters are back, which gives them more experience than most of the rest of the teams in the league, and Corey Tripp is one of the better players in the conference. It has been a while since they have managed to win 20 games, but this year they may have the pieces to break that mark.

-Furman had a so-so year last year going 17-16 overall and finishing in the middle of the conference standings. With three starters returning, they have a little bit more experience and we should see some improvement from a year ago. Bob Richey has had a pretty good run as head coach, and I think they may actually be a bit of a dark horse in the league this year. I do not think they will win it, but they should do a bit better than expected.

-UNC Greensboro won 21 games a year ago and was in a tie for 2nd place in the league. They do have to replace quite a bit this year, which is why they’re picked a little bit further down the standings. Donovan Atwell is a fantastic 3-point shooter, but other than him a lot of guys will have to step into bigger roles this year.

-Mercer is a transfer heavy team, and while Ahmad Robinson was a standout player at New Hampshire, most of their roster consists of guys who have not yet played at the D-1 level. It is hard to expect them to finish near the top of the standings when their D-1 experience is so limited.

-Over the last two years Western Carolina has shown substantial improvement, and their 22-win season last year was a big accomplishment. Here is the bad news: virtually everyone is gone and the Catamounts are basically having to completely reset. They do have some guys that were standout players at the JUCO level, but not much in the way of solid and proven D-1 experience.

-(ALLOW ME TO STEP OUT OF CHARACTER AND NOT BE THE PUPPET FOR A SECOND) Citadel vs. VMI is one of my favorite sports rivalries. I am not saying that to be funny: I am completely serious. I know neither team is good. But, have you ever actually watched them when they play each other?? It is GREAT!! I do the daily writeups every day throughout the season and I always feature this game. Unfortunately when they are not playing against each other they are not just bad, they are oftentimes exceptionally bad. VMI won just four games a year ago and their whole roster turned over. The Citadel did a little better with 11 total wins, but is also having to rebuild their roster. On top of that, it is hard for them to attract D-1 caliber players because of what attending these schools requires. I have nothing but respect for the individuals who play on these teams, and I ALWAYS find myself pulling for them whenever I watch them play. Having said that, they will of course almost assuredly finish 9th and 10th in the league, but WOW it is fun when they play against each other!!!

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Missouri Valley Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2024 by David Griggs

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MISSOURI VALLEY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Bradley
  2. Northern Iowa
  3. Murray State
  4. Illinois State
  5. Drake
  6. Belmont
  7. Southern Illinois
  8. Indiana State
  9. Evansville
  10. Valparaiso
  11. Missouri State
  12. UIC

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 1ST TEAM:

-Duke Deen – Bradley
-Tytan Anderson – Northern Iowa
-Darius Hannah – Bradley
-Johnny Kinziger – Illinois State
-Cooper Schwieger – Valparaiso
-JaCobi Wood – Murray State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 2ND TEAM:

-Trey Campbell – Northern Iowa
-Nick Ellington – Murray State
-Jacob Hutson – Northern Iowa
-Zek Montgomery – Bradley
-Malachi Poindexter – Illinois State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 3RD TEAM:

-Kennard Davis Jr. – Southern Illinois
-Ali Dibba – Southern Illinois
-Cam Manyawu – Drake
-Filip Skobalj – UIC
-Bennett Stirtz – Drake

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Brian Wardle has done a great job since taking over at Bradley, and it looks like this could be one of the better teams he has had. Duke Deen is a very strong guard that gives them a solid backcourt presence, and Darius Hannah gives them a strong presence at the forward position. Zek Montgomery is also transferring in from Rhode Island and should help make up a very strong backcourt.

-I need to preface this by saying that I know I overvalue Northern Iowa every year…but I really like this Panthers team coming in to this season. They have three starters returning from a team that won six out of their last seven before losing in the MVC semis, and they also add four impressive-looking transfers on top of that. I like Ben Jacobson as a coach and think this is a team that can win the league, and perhaps do a more than just that.

-Expectations are high for Murray State after they won just 12 games a year ago. They do return their two best players and add Kylen Milton (who transfers in from Arkansas Pine Bluff). Terence Harcum from Appalachian State also joins the roster, so they do appear to have some better players this year. It should result in more wins, but I am still a little surprised they are being picked this high.

-Illinois State is another team that was rather unimpressive throughout last season, but who did show a few signs of life at the end, and with three starters returning should be a little better this year. Boden Skunberg is also transferring in from North Dakota State and should be another asset to their lineup, so we could see some improvement for the Redbirds this year.

-For the last several years Drake has been among the best teams in the conference and also made an impact at the national level. This year, they are having to start completely over. Darian DeVries took the job at West Virginia and Ben McCollum now takes over as head coach. He is tasked with replacing the entire starting lineup. It does seem a little unfair whenever a team is a victim of its own success, but that seems to happen a lot these days. Players and coaches who have success look to move on and sometimes there is nothing left at the place they were at before.

-Belmont has managed to win 20+ games each year they have been a member of the MVC, so you cannot call them a bust, but at the same time they haven’t been NCAA Tournament regulars or finishing at the top of the conference. This year the Bruins are in complete reset mode with all five starters being gone from a year ago. I like Casey Alexander as a coach…but he has his work cut out for him this year.

-Southern Illinois is another team that now has a new coach and entirely new starting lineup. Scott Nagy takes over, and has proven that he can be successful with a good run at South Dakota State and a decent one at Wright State. They do have some solid-looking transfers in Elijah Elliott who averaged over 16ppg at UTRGV last year, and Ali Dibba who was a strong player at Abilene Christian. It does at least look they are not starting completely from scratch.

-Indiana State won 32 games a year ago and made it all the way to the NIT Championship game after some would (correctly) say they were snubbed out of an NCAA Tournament bid. They are yet another team that is a victim of their own success. Coach Josh Schertz is gone, and so are all the top players. The Trees are having to start completely over. Matthew Graves takes over as head coach, and he has tried to go into the portal and piece together a team of guys who have some solid D-1 experience.

-After season after season of complete crap two years ago, Evansville managed 17 wins a year ago. They won just 5 the previous year, so it was a huge improvement. The bad news is that four of those starters are gone and Coach David Ragland (who has done a phenomenal job) will be forced to rebuild. It could be another long year for the Aces.

-Valparaiso always seems to be at the bottom of the league, and this year is not looking to be any different. They won just 7 games a year ago, and as Roger Powell enters his second season as head coach he could be in for another long season. Having said that, the top-three scorers are back, and they are adding some notable transfers. I do not think Valpo will be at the top of the league, but I also do not think they will be quite this close to the bottom either.

-Cuonzo Martin is back at Missouri State!! I really do like him as a coach and think he will do well with the Bears. He experienced quite a bit of success when he was there before. Having said that, virtually no one else is back. They appear to be relying on JUCO transfers this season to fill out the roster.

-UIC…oh boy. They actually have not been the worst team in the country since joining the league, but this year could be rough. Jordan Mason is a solid transfer from Texas State, but they will need some other guys to step up if they are going to be competitive at all.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews McNeese coach Will Wade

Posted on October 23, 2024 by Jon Teitel

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We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with McNeese coach Will Wade, who talked about having a great defense and his expectations for this season.

You went to college at Clemson: what was the best part of being a student manager for the basketball team? The fun part was being able to experience being part of a high-level team in the ACC. I got to do a lot of different things and see how the guts of a program operate.

In 2011 as an assistant to Shaka Smart at VCU you became the 1st team to ever reach the Final 4 by winning 5 tournament games: what is your favorite memory from that remarkable run? There were so many great memories. 1 thing I will never forget off the court is our drive to the airport and seeing the whole community supporting us. As far as on the court, my favorite memory is Rob Brandenburg’s block at the buzzer in our OT win over Florida State in the Sweet 16 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-Pcd2lfN9o).

In the 2021 SEC tourney title game as coach at LSU you had a 1-PT loss to Alabama: how close did you come to winning the title? Very close: we missed a tip-in off a missed shot at the buzzer. It remains 1 of the better games I have ever been involved with.

After missing the 1st 10 games last season as head coach at McNeese last year you finished 22-2: what did you do during those 1st 10 games, and how big a deal was it to make the school’s 1st NCAA tourney in 22 years? It was great for the school/community that we finally made the NCAA tourney. Those 1st 10 games were tough: I was able to be around the team at practice but would watch the games from far away. My assistants did a great job keeping everything together and won a bunch of games.

Last February you signed a 5-year contract extension: what did it mean to you to receive such strong support after everything you have been through over the past several years? The timing was right: McNeese gave me a 2nd chance by hiring me and I wanted to remain loyal to them and make sure they were well-positioned if I ever do leave.

You were named conference COY last spring: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It means that we have good players! I stay out of the way and let them do what they do: it is not about me. I was happier that we had the conference POY/Newcomer of the Year (Shahada Wells) and conference DPOY (Christian Shumate).

Last year you were top-6 in the nation with 10.3 SPG/38.9 FG% allowed/62.2 PPG allowed: what is the key to playing great defense? We switch a lot of stuff and do some unique things that are difficult to prepare for. You need length/athleticism: our guys pay attention to detail by sticking to our scheme.

Your roster has players from 1 foreign country (Canada) and 10 different states (FL/GA/IL/IN/LA/MD/NJ/OH/PA/TX): what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We recruit where we have relationships that we have developed over the years. Our roster reflects those relationships and a lot of kids want to come experience our program/Lake Charles.

Providence transfer Alyn Breed tore his meniscus last month: how is he doing post-surgery? He is doing very well: he has been practicing full-steam ahead and should be full-go for our 1st game.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We just want to continue to progress/improve and build off last year. We need to get better with our details and have a top-30 defense/top-25 offense. We cannot control a lot of things…but 1 thing we can control is what we do every day.

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Ivy League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2024 by David Griggs

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IVY LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Princeton
  2. Yale
  3. Brown
  4. Cornell
  5. Colombia
  6. Harvard
  7. Penn
  8. Dartmouth

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-After 22 wins a year ago, Princeton is the unanimous favorite to repeat as the 1st-place finisher this year, and I think the Tigers may be good enough to land inside the bubble. Caden Pierce/Xaivian Lee are high caliber players: not just by Ivy League standards, but by national standards. Lee averaged over 17ppg as a freshman last year, and Pierce nearly averaged a double-double. Princeton does lose two starters, and some guys will have to step into bigger roles this year, but they have the makings of a very strong team.

-Yale made the NCAA Tournament a year ago and got a big win against Auburn in the Round of 64. Just two starters are back, and while Bez Mbeng/John Poulakidas are both solid players, they will need guys to step into bigger roles if they want to be able to keep pace with Princeton and repeat the success they had a year ago.

-For most of last season, Brown had a rather unspectacular year, but they caught fire at the right time and won seven straight, which allowed them to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament, and then they nearly won it had it not been for a crazy finish in the championship game against Yale. This year three starters are back, including Nana Owusu-Anane (NOTE: Owusu-Anane is out indefinitely after left shoulder surgery) and Kino Lilly, who were both very solid players a year ago and form a strong nucleus for Brown this year. Considering how well they were playing down the stretch, I think they can make quite a bit of noise this year.

-In the past Cornell was always a fun team to watch because their fast-paced style was such a contrast to the rest of the league. Jon Jaques takes over as head coach, so you have to wonder if their style of play will change some. The Big Red had a great season last year finishing just one game out of 1st place and making the NIT, but a lot of their scoring is gone. That being said, they do return some guys who saw quality minutes and made key contributions of the bench, so it is not entirely hopeless. They are definitely going through a transition, but they could still have a big year.

There seems to be a pretty big drop off between the top-4 and the bottom-4:

-Columbia does have three starters back, and that experience should help them. Their 13 wins last year was the most they have had in a while so there are signs that they are getting better. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is a standout player who is fun to watch, so they do have some things going for them. I just do not think they are quite as good as the teams in the top-half of the league.

-It feels strange seeing Harvard picked as low as 6th, but it has been a while since the Crimson have had a solid team. They were a modest 5-9 in league play a year ago, they have just two starters back, and it looks like they are going to struggle again this year.

-Penn is a program with a rich basketball history…but a very poor basketball present. They won just 11 total games a year ago and finished 7th in the conference, which is where they have been picked to finish again this year. Steve Donahue is a very proven coach, but he just has not been able to get it going in recent years.

-Dartmouth won just six games a year ago, finished dead last in the conference, and from all accounts may be heading back to yet another last-place finish.

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Horizon League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2024 by David Griggs

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HORIZON LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Milwaukee (tied 1st)
  2. Purdue Fort Wayne (tied 1st)
  3. Northern Kentucky
  4. Oakland
  5. Wright State
  6. Youngstown State
  7. Cleveland State
  8. Green Bay
  9. Robert Morris
  10. IU Indianapolis
  11. Detroit Mercy

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-HL 1ST TEAM:

-Trey Robinson – Northern Kentucky
-Sam Vinson – Northern Kentucky
-Rasheed Bello – Purdue Fort Wayne
-Jalen Jackson – Purdue Fort Wayne
-Brandon Noel – Wright State

MEDIA DAY PRESESON ALL-HL 2ND TEAM:

-AJ McKee – Milwaukee
-Erik Pratt – Milwaukee
-DQ Cole – Oakland
-Quinton Morton-Robertson – Purdue Fort Wayne
-Alex Huibregtse – Wright State

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Expectations are high for Milwaukee. They struggled for much of the season last year, but really turned it on down the stretch winning 8 of their last 9 before losing in the HL Championship game to Oakland. With four starters back, and AJ McKee who transfers in from Queens, Milwaukee appears to be stacked. The frontcourt and backcourt are both solid, they have good balance, and it would not shock me at all to see them Panthers win the league.

-Purdue Fort Wayne also returns four starters and also played well down the stretch making it all the way to the CIT Championship game. They were not quite as good in conference play only finishing in 7th place, but the pieces appear to be there for them to be much better this year. Rasheed Bello/Jalen Jackson give PFW what is probably the strongest backcourt in the conference.

-Northern Kentucky was a bit of a disappointment last season, but they got things turned around in the second half of conference play. With three key starters back, as well as a few solid transfers, they have the potential to be at or near the top of the standings. Sam Vinson is back after missing part of last season due to a knee injury, so the Norse should be much improved. I think this league is a three-horse race…with them being the third horse.

-Oakland had a magical run last year, and it was great to see Greg Kampe (who is simply one of the better coaches in all of college basketball), finally win an NCAA Tournament game as the Grizzlies got a big win against Kentucky in the Round of 64. It capped off a 24-win season and was a high water mark for this program as a whole. They do have some rebuilding to do as just two starters are back from that team. Trey Townsend and Chris Conway both transferred out. Part of me really hates that: imagine if they were back!! Oakland would probably be looking at a top-25 ranking had they returned. If not in the preseason, then as the season played out. But, in the modern era of the transfer portal and NIL it is hard to build anything from year to year, because once the Oaklands of the world start to develop those kinds of players, they will often leave for what they feel is a better opportunity. Anyway, as for this year, Jalen Jones returns, and they also add some solid-looking JUCO transfers that should be able to contribute right away. While they lost some key players, Oakland should still be a solid team.

-Clint Sargent takes over at Wright State, which is a program that has seen a fair amount of success in recent years, but that may be in a bit of a rebuild mode now. Brandon Noel/Alex Huibregtse both return, and both saw a lot of minutes last year, but some other guys will have to step up in order for the Raiders to compete with the top of the league.

-Penguin Fever!! We at HoopsHD were all impacted by it!! We all love it!! And now, after back-to-back 20+ win seasons for a Youngstown State program that has seemingly never been that good, I fear that Penguin Fever is over. All five starters are gone from last year’s 2nd place team, and Coach Jerrod Calhoun is gone as well. Ethan Faulkner takes over, and he will be relying on a transfer heavy roster. The good news is they do have guys with D-1 experience that are used to playing key roles, so maybe finishing in about the middle, which is where they have been picked, is not too far out of the question.

-After three straight 20+ win seasons for Cleveland State, the Vikings may take a few steps back this year. Just one starter returns from a year ago, and it was a team that only finished 7th in the conference, so they do not appear to have a whole lot of momentum or experience heading in to this upcoming season.

-Green Bay welcomes new Coach Doug Gottlieb. It is an interesting hire and he has his work cut out for him: we certainly wish him the best!! The Phoenix finished in 3rd place a year ago, but this year they just do not seem to have much experience at all on the roster and they could go through their share of growing pains.

-Very little excites me about Robert Morris. They won just 10 total games a year ago and their roster is being overhauled. They do not appear to have much in the way of standout players at the D-1 level.

-IU Indianapolis won more games last year than they had the previous two years. The problem was that they still only won 6 total games. No starters are back, and new Coach Paul Corsaro has a lot of work to do to get this program back on track.

-It’s hard to be worse than IU Indy…but Detroit Mercy probably is. Mark Montgomery takes over as head coach and he is tasked with trying to rebuild what is now one of the worst prograsms in all of D-1.

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Big West Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 22, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

BIG WEST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. UC Irvine
  2. UC Santa Barbara
  3. UC San Diego
  4. UC Riverside
  5. UC Davis
  6. Cal State Northridge
  7. Hawaii
  8. Long Beach State
  9. Cal State Bakersfield
  10. Cal State Fullteron
  11. Cal Poly

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-BIG WEST TEAM:

-Barrington Hargress – SO, G – UC Riverside
-Justin Hohn – SR, G – UC Irvine
-Ty Johnson – SR, G – UC Davis
-Keonte Jones – SR, F – Cal State Northridge
-Stephan Swenson – SR, G – UC Santa Barbara
-Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones – SR, G/F – UC San Diego

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-UC Irvine was the 1st place finisher a year ago, but failed to make the NCAA Tournament after losing in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament. Still, they were pretty clearly the best overall team, and with four starters back there is every reason in the world to think they will once again win the league. They are led by Justin Hohn out on the perimeter, and Andre Henry is an excellent outside shooter who will also be a big contributor. This is a fun team to watch, and if anyone in the conference is going to make a run at the bubble it will be the Eaters.

-I am a little surprised to see UCSB as high as 2nd in the poll. They’ve had some great seasons in recent years, but last year was not one of them and they return just two key players. Having said that, injuries did impact them a year ago and just being healthy this year should result in more wins. They also add two key transfers in Stephan Swenson (Stetson) and Deuce Turner (San Diego) who should be able to contribute. I do think the Gauchos will be better this year. I am just unsure if they will be THIS much better.

-UC San Diego won 21 games last year, and was a very impressive 15-5 in Big West play, which placed them 2nd in the conference. More good news for UCSD is that they have completed their transition and are now eligible for the NCAA Tournament. Only two starters return from last year’s team, but Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones and Tyler McGhie are both standout players. McGhie in particular is a very good outside shooter, so there is reason to be excited in San Diego this year!

-UC Riverside is a team to watch this season. They were very strong in the second half of conference play a year ago going 7-2 in their last 9 regular season games, and with four starters back there is reason to think that momentum will carry through into this year. This is a program without a rich history, but they have been getting noticeably better in recent years and may be poised for a breakout season this year. Mike Magpayo has done an outstanding job as head coach, and with the experience and balance they have coming back I think they can make quite a bit of noise in this league.

-UC Davis is coming off a 20 win season where they finished 3rd overall in the conference, but they are having to replace three starters from that team, so we could see a bit of a setback. I think Jim Les is a fantastic coach who has done a great job the last two years. Ty Johnson gives them a lot of talent and experience out on the perimeter, and with the addition of some key transfers, as well as some guys that can step into new roles, UC Davis will likely be competitive again this year.

-Cal State Northridge won 19 games last year, which was by far their best season in quite some time. Coach Andy Newman did a great job in his first year, and will look to build on that this year. He is tasked with replacing three starters, but with Keonte Jones back, as well as some good looking transfers, it seems like CSUN is turning the corner and can continue that improvement this year.

-Hawaii has won 20+ games the last two years, but with only one starter returning the Rainbow Warriors are probably in a rebuild-mode. Marcus Greene had a fantastic season at Houston Christian last year, and he should be able to give them a boost, but I do not know if they have the depth to contend for a spot at or near the top of the standings this year.

-After a blah season where they were just 10-10 in conference play, Long Beach State ended up winning the Big West Tournament and earning the automatic bid to the NCAAs. It was a great way for Dan Monson to go out as head coach. Chris Acker takes over this year and he has his work cut out for him. He needs to replace all five starters and has gone into the portal and JUCO ranks to try and put some pieces together.

-Cal State Bakersfield was an unspectacular 9th in the conference last year, which is where they are picked to finish again last year. There is perhaps some reason for hope as four starters from that team are back, and they were showing a few signs of life down the stretch. They also add one of the top JUCO players in the country from last season in Jemel Jones, so we could see some improvements from Bakersfield this year.

-Cal State Fullerton looks to rebuild after a frustrating season last year. They have undergone a roster overhaul as just one starter is back and will be depending on a mix of transfers from lower divisions as well as returning players who will need to take on bigger roles this year.

-Cal Poly won just 4 total games a year ago, lost all 20 conference games, and was just terrible all around. Their expectations are not all that much higher this year.

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