Conference Preview: SEC

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Chad

CLICK HERE for all of the Hoops HD Preseason Articles, Interviews, and Conference Previews

SEC

Three teams in the Field of 68.  Two teams in the Round of 64.  One team in the Sweet 16.  And no teams left after that.  That was the fate of the Southeastern Conference last season as 11-seed Vanderbilt was eliminated in the First Four, 4-seed Kentucky was knocked out by Indiana in the Round of 32, and 3-seed Texas A&M fell to Oklahoma in the Sweet 16.  Although the conference did place four teams in the NIT (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama), none of them advanced to the final rounds in New York City.  In all, it was a forgettable season in the SEC.  Given the conference’s commitment to upgrading its basketball and the coaching talent that has come into the league in the past few years, we may look back at seasons like last one as an aberration.  Unfortunately for the league, early signs heading into the 2016-17 season don’t point to doing too much better than three bids again.

One team that will definitely be good – very good – this season is (of course) Kentucky.  The Wildcats have once again reloaded with some of the top freshman talent in the nation who may all be household names by March.  Coach John Calipari should once again have his team contending for a top seed and the national championship.  It is beyond Kentucky that the questions arise.  Can teams like Georgia and Florida improve enough to make it to the Big Dance?  How will Bryce Drew do in his first season taking over at Vanderbilt?  Is this the year Bruce Pearl puts Auburn back on the college hoops map?  Can Frank Martin finally get South Carolina into the Field?  Will Texas A&M be able to keep up their momentum despite losing several key pieces from last year’s team?  Will Ben Howland (Mississippi State) and Rick Barnes (Tennessee) make some noise?  Will LSU find a way to develop even a drop of team chemistry?  Will Kim Anderson (Missouri) be employed this time next year?  There is talent throughout the SEC, it just remains to be seen which teams will come together and, even if they won’t challenge Kentucky for the top of the standings, be able to put enough together to claim an at-large bid.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Kentucky – With Jamal Murray, Tyler Ulis, Alex Poythress, Skal Labissiere and Marcus Lee all gone thing in Lexington should be . . . just fine.  Coach John Calipari has brought in five top recruits featuring guards De’Aaron Fox and Mailk Monk, big men Wenyen Gabriel and Sacha Killyea-Jones, and forward Edrice “Bam” Adebayo may end up being the best of the bunch.  Oh, and don’t forget about the players that do return from last year, like Isaac Humphries and Derek Willis.  The Wildcats should be the class of the SEC and a serious Final Four contender.

2. Georgia – The inside-outside combination of J.J. Frazier at guard and Yante Maten at forward will make the Bulldogs dangerous.  Keep an eye on a now healthy Juwan Parker in the backcourt and junior college transfer Pape Diatta in the frontcourt.

3. Florida – The Gators may be without Dorian Finney-Smith, but with KeVaughn Allen and John Egbunu back, plus the additions of College of Charleston transfer Canyon Barry (Rik Barry’s son) and redshirt freshman Keith Stone, they could be better than last year.  The Gators do desperately need to find a way to improve their free throw and three-point shooting percentages.

4. Arkansas – The Razorbacks have a chance to finish near the top of the league standings with Dusty Hannahs and Moses Kingsley back, plus the addition of three of the five highest rated junior college transfers in the nation: guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon and forward Arlando Cook.

5. Auburn – Despite 20 losses last season, the Tigers have a ton of talent, both new and old.  Keep an eye on senior T.J. Dunans, freshman Mustapha Heron and Houston transfer Ronnie Johnson in the backcourt.  Up front, red shirt freshman Danjel Purifoy and Bethune-Cookman transfer LaRon Smith both figure to be key contributors.

6. Vanderbilt – Head coach Bruce Drew has a few really good pieces, led by center Luke Kornet, forward Jeff Roberson and swingman Matthew Fisher-Davis.  If Riley LaChance can regain his form from two years ago, it will be a huge help, but depth will be a serious question.

7. Texas A&M – The Aggies have a ton of size available down low with Tonny Trocha-Morelos and Tyler Davis, but they need to find a way to replace their lost scoring from last season.  Lipscomb transfer J.C. Hampton could help a lot if he proves he can play against higher level competition.

8. South Carolina – A trio of guards (Sindarious Thornwell, Duane Notice and P.J. Dozier) will keep the Gamecocks competitive, but a lack of depth and size down low may prove to be serious issues.

9. Alabama – Three starters are gone, but point guard Dazon Ingram is back and healthy again.  The Crimson Tide don’t have much in terms of true star power, but Avery Johnson proved last season that he can coach at the college level and his team should not be overlooked.

10. Mississippi State – Sophomores Quinndary Waetherspoon and I.J. Ready will form the backcourt, but will also provide the majority of the Division I experience for the entire roster.  Head coach Ben Howland did bring in a Top 10 rated recruiting class nationally, but the team is probably a year away from making any serious noise.

11. LSU – Antonio Blakeney in the backcourt and Craig Victor II in the frontcourt give the Tigers some hope, but there is not much else here beyond those two for a team that proved to have almost no chemistry whatsoever last season.

12. Ole Miss – A pair of transfer will lead the backcourt with Deandre Burnett coming over from Miami and Cullen Neal coming from New Mexico.  Sebastian Saiz is a double-double threat down low, but the team has a lack of depth and probably will not be able to make up for the loss of Stefan Moody.

13. Tennessee – The top two players are gone from a team that lost 19 games, but a roster featuring a dozen freshmen and sophomores should help Rick Barnes as he continues to build the program back up.  Just don’t expect much this season.

14. Missouri – The talent just does not appear to be here to stay with the other 13 teams in the conference.  Barring what would be a shocking rise in the standings, this could be the end of the Kim Anderson era at Mizzou.

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The Hoops HD Report: Preseason Bracket Projections

Posted on November 8, 2016 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of the Hoops HD Preseason Articles, Interviews, and Conference Previews

This is our final, and perhaps most entertaining, interesting, and important, preseason podcast!!  For our next show, the season will be underway!!  As he does every year, Chad Sherwood has built a preseason bracket based on his preseason conference previews and rankings.  He is joined by a whole slew of people as he reveals the bracket line by line, and they discuss all the teams as they go.  As you would expect, the panel agrees with some stuff, and disagrees with more stuff.  

We also preview the notable games taking place this upcoming weekend as the season is set to open, and we reveal this year’s Team of the People!!

 

 

Chad’s completed Bracket is posted below, but you’re not allowed to look at it until you watch the show!!

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

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Conference Preview: Pac-12

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Chad

CLICK HERE for all of the Hoops HD Preseason Articles, Interviews, and Conference Previews

PAC-12

The Pac-12 set a conference record last season by placing seven teams in the NCAA Tournament.  All seven teams wore white uniforms in their first game (seeded 8th or better), and three of them were “protected seeds” (teams seed on the top four lines).  That was the good news.  The bad news is that all seven teams left the Tournament in a loss to teams seeded worse than them.  4 seed Cal, 6 seed Arizona, 7 seed Oregon State and 8 seeds Colorado and USC all fell in their opening games.  3 seed Utah won their first round game before falling to 11 seed Gonzaga in the Round of 32.  Oregon (1 seed) had the best performance, advancing all the way to the Regional Final, but losing there to 2 seed Oklahoma.  In all, one of the better regular seasons for the Pac-12 in recent years ended with disappointment almost across the board.

This year, the conference has a chance to be just as good and it would not totally shock us if seven teams ended up dancing again.  The way will be led by Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks, a team that is as loaded with talent as any team in the nation.  Not only do the Ducks return the majority of the key players that led them to a 1 seed last season, but they also add in a few pieces they did not have, including a now healthy Dylan Ennis, a prized freshman guard in Payton Pritchard, and one of the top JC transfers in the nation, Kavell Bigby-Williams.  The Ducks are deep and talented, and another 1 seed could be in the works.  However, the conference does not end its talent there.  Arizona has reloaded once again, UCLA has another roster filled with prized recruits (and a coach who may be out of excuses if they can’t perform this season), and teams like Colorado, Cal, Utah, USC and Oregon State could all contend for bids.  The dark horse pick to take a bid is Stanford, with a veteran roster and a solid new head coach (Jerod Haase) taking over.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Oregon – This team seems to have all the pieces, from great depth at guard (Casey Benson, Dylan Ennis, Tyler Dorsey and freshman Payton Pritchard) to a collection of some of the nation’s best shot blockers (Chris Boucher, Jordan Bell and junior college transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams).  Also, do not overlook forward Dillon Brooks who will be a star once again assuming he is able to recover from offseason foot surgery.

2. Arizona – Allonzo Trier should score a ton of points this year as he leads a strong group in the backcourt.  Freshman forward Lauri Markkanen could be one of the nation’s top rookies this year.  One of the biggest questions will be Ray Smith, who has had surgeries on both of his knees over the past two years and left the team’s exhibition game this past week with an injury.  If he is healthy, the Wildcats could go far.  If not, they may be pining for prized recruit Terrance Ferguson, who decided not to enroll and instead opted to turn pro overseas.

3. UCLA – There is no doubt that the Bruins are loaded with talent.  They return starters Isaac Hamilton, Bryce Alford and Thomas Welsh, and Prince Ali may be ready to show the talent that had him highly rated as a freshman last year.  If that was not enough, three 5-star recruits have been added in led by Lonzo Ball, who was rated the No. 3 overall prospect heading into this season.  If the Bruins do not finish near the top of the conference standings and advance to the Big Dance this year, odds are there will be a new head coach in town next season.

4. Colorado – The Buffaloes will be solid in the backcourt with Josh Fortune, George King and newcomer Derrick White, who was one of the nation’s top Division II players while playing for Colorado-Colorado Springs.  The team will need to make up for the loss of Josh Scott down low, but having a healthy Xavier Johnson should help somewhat.

5. California – The top three scorers from last season are all gone, but Ivan Rabb’s decision not to enter the NBA Draft was huge, especially with a pair of 7-footers on the roster to join him down low.  If Jabari Bird can finally become the player we thought he could be and Columbia transfer Grant Mullins is able to succeed against this higher level of competition, the Bears should find themselves back in the Big Dance again.

6. Stanford – All but one key player return from last year’s team, but that one was their best (Rosco Allen).  New head coach Jerod Haase could have this team flirting with a bid, given that Reid Travis is healthy and that he has brought in a pair of top 100 recruits in Trevor Stanback and Kodye Pugh.

7. USC – Six players left during the offseason either via declaring for the NBA Draft or transferring out.  Despite the losses, the Trojans should still be competitive with forward Bennie Boatwright and guards Jordan McLaughlin and Elijah Stewart back.  The biggest questions are the team’s depth down low and just how good former Louisville prized recruit Shaqquan Aaron is.

8. Utah – Matching last year’s success is doubtful this season given that only two regulars return from that roster.  The addition of Utah State transfer David Collette (who won’t be eligible until after the first semester) should help down low.  This is probably a rebuilding year while the new pieces all learn to play together; however, it is tough to ever count out a Larry Krystkowiak coached team.

9. Oregon State – The Beavers will likely take a small step backwards this season without Gary Payton II, but things are still looking bright here with Stephen Thompson, Jr. and Tres Tinkle both only entering their sophomore years.

10. Washington – Markelle Fultz may be one of the top freshman guards in the nation, but losing a pair of first round draft picks (Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray) and a player that averaged over 20 points per game (Andrew Andrews) off of a team that only made the NIT does not make one confident about this season.

11. Arizona State – The Sun Devils should be solid in the backcourt with Tra Holder, freshman Sam Cunliffe and Buffalo transfer Torian Graham.  However, there are huge questions down low with a lack of size and depth.

12. Washington State – Josh Hawkinson averaged a double-double last year, but the Cougars don’t seem to have enough other pieces around him.  The good news is that it will be tough to be worse than last season’s 1-17 Pac-12 record.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Stephen F. Austin JR SG Ty Charles

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of the Hoops HD Preseason Articles, Interviews, and Conference Previews

We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Stephen F. Austin JR SG Ty Charles.  As a freshman he appeared in all 34 games and scored a team-high 14 PTS in the NCAA tourney against Utah.  As a sophomore he made 31 starts and helped the Lumberjacks with their 29th straight home game, which remains the longest streak in the nation.  As junior he will do his best to help the team win its 5th straight Southland Conference regular season title.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ty about upsetting West Virginia in the NCAA tourney last March and getting a new head coach a couple of weeks later.

ty

You grew up in Kennedale, TX: what made you choose the Lumberjacks? It is only a few hours away so it is close to home but not too far away. When I came to visit I loved the place and it felt like home.

You started 21 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had to work my way up until I got a starting spot.

Last January you scored a career-high 25 PTS/11-12 FG in a win over Abilene Christian: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Before the game I remember our PG telling me to attack and everything just went my way.

Take me through the 2016 NCAA tourney:
You played 12 minutes in a 14-PT upset of #3-seed West Virginia: how were you able to destroy 1 of the best teams in the nation while only shooting 30.9 FG%? We just kept the pressure on them and stayed poised. Our coaches told us not to rush anything.

You scored 9 PTS in a 1-PT loss to Notre Dame: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you this year? I learned that we have to play until the final buzzer goes off!

Your 29-game home-court winning streak is the best in the nation: has it reached a point where your fans just expect you to win every time you step onto the court? Yes, but we just go out there to do what we have to do and take care of business.

Last year your team was top-25 in the nation in both PPG and PPG allowed: how do you balance your offense with your defense? We are in straight attack mode on offense and put the pressure on people when we are on defense.

You have a new coach this year in Kyle Keller: what is he like, and how has the transition been so far? It has been a real good transition so far and he has been very good to us.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Kentucky/Arkansas/Tulsa: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? None of them: we will treat every game the same and just do our best.

 You only have 1 senior on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? It is a big change because we had a lot of senior leaders last year so I will just handle it the best way that I can.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We want to win our conference tourney to get another ring, and then hopefully get to that 2nd weekend in March.

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Conference Preview: Mountain West

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Chad

CLICK HERE for all of the Hoops HD Preseason Articles, Interviews, and Conference Previews

MOUNTAIN WEST

Here at HoopsHD, we generally group conferences into one of two categories.  The first is the “major conferences” which are regular multi-bid leagues, while the second is considered to be “Under the Radar.”  The Under the Radar conferences are ones that, in most years, are probably only going to put their automatic bid winner into the NCAA Tournament.  The Mountain West conference has been part of the former group and should remain so through this season, but after its performance last year, we have seriously questioned which group it actually belongs in.  Only automatic bid winner Fresno State got an invite to the Big Dance, where they were a 14 seed and lost by double-digits to Utah in the Round of 64.  Perhaps the only redeeming grace for the conference came in other postseason events, as San Diego State advanced to the semifinals of the NIT and Nevada cut down the nets as champions of the CBI.

This season, San Diego State again appears poised to be at or near the top of the league, as Steve Fisher’s squad is always one of the toughest teams in the country defensively.  However, the preseason choice is a bit of a surprise, as Nevada, despite losing three of their top scorers from last season, appears to have enough weapons to challenge and even claim the conference title.  The Wolfpack are clearly a team on the rise under head coach Eric Musselman.  We also expect big things from them on the recruiting trail, as Musselman has hired Dave Rice as an assistant coach.  Rice brought in some amazing recruiting classes at UNLV the past few years, though his failure to turn that talent into on-court wins led to his dismissal this past offseason.  Beyond San Diego State and Nevada, New Mexico and Fresno State should both be in the running for postseason bids, although likely not of the NCAA kind.  Finally, keep an eye on dark horse pick Air Force, a team with a ton of veterans that could surprise a lot of people.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Nevada – Despite losing three of their top scorers, the Wolf Pack do bring back Cameron Oliver, who should be on the short list of conference Player of the Year candidates after averaging close to a double-double last season (13.4 ppg, 9.1 rpg).  D.J. Fenner also averaged over 13 points per game last year and the coaching staff has brought in a group of talented transfers and freshmen that should help immediately.  For all the criticism that Dave Rice received as head coach in Vegas, he absolutely is able to recruit and his addition to the Eric Musselman’s coaching staff should pay dividends this year and in the future.

2. San Diego State – The Aztecs should be suffocating on defense once again, but they will need to find a way to put the ball through the hoop.  Guards Trey Kell and Jeremy Hemsley will need to lead the way in backcourt scoring, while Malik Pope could be poised for a breakout year down low.

3. New Mexico – The inside-outside combination of Elijah Brown and Tim Williams will make the Lobos tough to beat and keep them in contention, but the team needs to show vast improvements defensively if they want to seriously contend for an NCAA bid.

4. Air Force – This may be a bit of a wild pick this high in the standings, but the Falcons return a veteran and experienced lineup led by Hayden Graham and a healthy Trevor Lyons.  A lack of size will be their biggest challenge, but in a conference that only put one team in the NCAA Tournament and three teams in the postseason last year, there is a chance for the team from Colorado Springs to make some noise.

5. Fresno State – The Bulldogs have some strong pieces, led by forwards Karachi Edo and Cullen Russo, plus Colorado transfer Jaron Hopkins at guard.  Unfortunately, this probably won’t be enough to make up for the offseason losses, most notably conference Player of the Year Marvelle Harris.

6. Utah State – Jalen Moore will be a standout again at the swing position, but the Aggies probably don’t have enough other pieces around him to be a serious threat for the top of the league.

7. Wyoming – Josh Adams and his 24.2 points per game are gone, but the majority of the remaining players return and Jason McManamen has a chance to be the Cowboys’ next star.

8. Boise State – This looks like a rebuilding year in Boise, with James Webb III, Anthony Drmic and Mikey Thompson all gone.  However, Nick Duncan is a great shooter and the Broncos have a ton of size down low, so we won’t be too surprised if they finish higher than this.

9. Colorado State – The Rams lost a lot of scoring talent from a middle-of-the-pack team.  Gian Clavell is healthy and big man Emmanuel Omogbo should help, but don’t expect any serious improvement from last season’s 18-16 record.

10. UNLV – Only three scholarship players return from last season, so new head coach Marvin Menzies will need to cobble together a rotation filled with freshman, junior college transfers and graduate transfers.

11. San Jose State – Head coach Dave Wojcik has things slowly moving in the right direction here, but there is still a long way to go for the Spartans whose four conference wins last season was their most in five years.

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Bracketology – Preseason Media Bracket (Updated)

Posted on November 7, 2016 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with new SFA head coach Kyle Keller – Click Here

For Chad Sherwood’s Big 12 Preview – Click Here

For all written and podcast previews – Click Here

The bracket below represents a combination of the preseason AP and USA Today Top 25 polls and other under-the-radar conferences that have announced their preseason picks to win their respective conferences.  For ranking all of the under-the-radar teams (along with any tiebreakers among at-large caliber teams), we took the highest rated team from the comprehensive 1-351 list from CBSSports.com (click here).  If you’re also wondering why the Midwest Region says 32 and the South Region says 36, that is a sampling of the total composite score of the top 4 seeds of each region (a variance of up to 5 is permitted).

Potential 2nd-round matchups like Michigan-Purdue and Arizona-Colorado are also permissible as long as they do not play each other in their respective conference tournaments. The only “soft” bracketing rule that I did not consider were rematches from the past two NCAA Tournaments; I will leave it to our rules expert Chad to note any potential conflicts.

Tonight, be on the lookout as we announce Chad Sherwood’s preseason bracket based on all of his conference previews.

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*Also note that the bracketing rules dictate that the Clemson/Pittsburgh and Michigan/Mississippi State play-in games had to be flipped with each other.

Posted in Bracketology, CBB, Conference Preview | Comments Off on Bracketology – Preseason Media Bracket (Updated)