Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews FGCU JR PF Antravious Simmons

Posted on October 26, 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 FGCU JR PF Antravious Simmons.  He is connected to 2 of the biggest Cinderella programs in recent memory: he began his career at VCU before transferring to the Eagles in December of 2014.  The defending Atlantic Sun champs will depend on him down low, as he was #2 on the team in REB and averaged 12 PPG/9.7 RPG in his 3 conference tourney games.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Antravious about facing the Tar Heels last March and his thoughts on the NCAA’s transfer rules (we also wish him a belated happy birthday!!). 

simmons

You were an OL on your high school football team: which sport were you best at back in the day, and which 1 did you enjoy the most? I was really good at basketball. I enjoyed football as a kid but ended up enjoying basketball the most.

After playing 3 games at VCU in the fall of 2014 you decided to transfer: why did you leave the Rams, and what made you choose FGCU? There were a lot of factors that went into my decision: I was not happy with my playing time and wanted to be closer to home. I felt welcome at FGCU and had known the coaches since high school so it was the right fit for me.

After transferring in December of 2014 and starting classes at your new school in January of 2015, NCAA officials were only able to clear you to play about 24 hours before the start of the season: what changes would you make to the NCAA transfer rules if you were in charge? I would let kids play right away. You only have a certain amount of time to play ball and enjoy college so I would give them as much time as possible.

You play for Coach Joe Dooley: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He taught me to never give up on anything. He pushes us to be the best that we can be.  He will not settle for “good” because he wants us to be “great” by going the extra mile to help our team on the court and better ourselves off the court.

In the 2016 Atlantic Sun tourney title game you set career-highs with 21 PTS/12 REB in only 23 minutes in a win over Stetson: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? A lot of it was due to emotion. When I was in high school we lost the lead in the 2nd half of our state championship game, which hurt a lot, so I wanted to do everything I could that day to help us win. We worked so hard during the year and went on a bit of a losing streak but I did not want to miss the chance to make it to the NCAA tourney.

In the 2016 NCAA tourney you had 14 PTS/6-8 FG in a loss to North Carolina: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you this year? It gave me a confidence boost (not that I was lacking any!) and let me know that we could play against any school in the country. If you do what you have to do then good things will happen.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Florida/Baylor/Michigan State: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I would have to say Michigan State: they are good every year and Tom Izzo is a great coach who will have his team well-prepared for whoever they face. I met him once and he seemed like a really good guy.

You are 1 of several transfers on the team in addition to guys who started at Michigan/Pitt/Texas Tech: what is the key to having everyone come together and bond as a team? When I arrived here everyone welcomed me and did not treat me like an outsider. It was great for the older teammates to welcome the newer guys.

You played on an AAU team with current Eagles teammate Zach Johnson: how have you enjoyed being reunited with him? It is really nice. We linked back up after I transferred here and shared a lot of good memories: now we can keep chasing our dreams together.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to pick up from where I left off last year and do whatever I need to do to help us win. I am not a young guy any more so I want to be a leader both on and off the court. As a team we want to win some titles, make it to the NCAA tourney, and then not lose in the 1st round. We will have a lot of new faces this year but we want to grow as the season goes and not make any excuses.

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We Finally Have Games!! (Sort of) Exhibition Games Begin Today!

Posted on October 25, 2016 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES (Wow, it feels good to say that again!!)

-For Chad Sherwood’s Patriot League Preview – CLICK HERE

-For All of Chad Sherwood’s Conference Previews, all of the Hoops HD Preseason Podcasts, and all of Jon Teitel’s Preseason Interviews and Articles – CLICK HERE

-We will be recording our Conference Preview Podcasts and Preseason Podcasts tonight beginning with the ACC.  It will be posted tomorrow so be on the lookout for it.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL IS HERE!

We’re still over two weeks away from the second Friday in November, which will mark the start of the regular season, which is when things really kick off  (SEE THE COLLEGE HOOPS COUNTDOWN CLOCK HERE).  There are typically more games that first day than on any other day of the season, and although many are not competitive or interesting, there will be enough exciting finishes on that first night to make it feel like college basketball is totally back.  Until then, we have exhibition games, the first of which is tonight between Carroll College and Idaho, which tips off at 10pm, EDT.  That game will be streamed on BIG SKY TV

It is not a game that counts, and it is a game that would be of very little interest even if it did count, and one of the teams is not div1, but for the first time since Villanova played North Carolina in the national title game last April, we will be able to watch two college basketball teams play each other.  It is also the point at which we have the longest expanse of college basketball ahead of us.  With the exception of November 10th, there will be at least one college basketball game every day until the Monday after Selection Sunday, and depending on how some of the other tournaments’ schedules work out, we may have a game that day as well.  So, college basketball is back!!  Sort of.

In looking at the rules for exhibition games, teams are basically allowed to play two competitions, and have two different types of competitions they can choose from.  One is to play a regulation game that is open to the public against a non-div1 team (ie div2, div3, NAIA, etc).  The other is to have a closed practice or scrimmage with another team that’s div1.  Many schools do one of each.  Some do two open exhibition games.  Some do two closed scrimmages.

While I have no problems with those options, I do think there should be additional options.  One would be to play open exhibition games against against non-college teams.  This used to be allowed.  Organizations like Athletes in Action fielded teams of former college and pro players, and although they had many different teams, the top level team was actually pretty good.  I believe there was one year back in the 1990s (I forget which, and am too lazy to look it up) where the top AIA beat three teams that ultimately ended up making the Elite Eight.  The Harlem Globetrotters played in some of these games, and actually managed to beat some of the better college teams.  National teams and foreign teams would come over and play.  So, schools that wanted to (and I realize that not everyone did) could schedule a competitive and interesting game.  This was so much better for the players and the fans than watching a team crush a div2 team typically is.

Another option should be for schools to have open exhibitions against other div1 schools.  I’ve heard several reasons as to why this is a rule, and all of them are bad.  If Dayton and Marquette want to play a closed scrimmage then that’s fine, but if both Dayton and Marquette decide they want to play a game and open it to the public, that should be fine too.  Most other team sports (men’s soccer, women’s soccer, etc) allow for open exhibitions against other div1 teams.  The reason other sports do it is because it makes complete and total sense to allow schools to do it.  Yet, in basketball, it’s not allowed.

I have no problems with teams that want closed scrimmages.  I can see the advantages in that.  Teams get three hours and they can work on situational stuff.  You can play multiple games.  I’ve heard of teams playing three twenty minute games, or five twelve minute games, or whatever.  There is no rule as to how they need to be structured.  I have no problems with the open scrimmages against lower division teams.  It’s great for those lower division teams, and it gives schools a chance to maybe build up their bench and work on their weaknesses.  But, why should those be the only two options??  If two div1 schools want to play each other and want to open it to the public, shouldn’t they be able to??  If they want to schedule a game against a foreign team or a non-college team, shouldn’t they be able to??

But, the one thing I like about exhibition games, and it really is the ONE THING, is that for the first time in six-and-a-half months we finally get to see two college teams play each other.  It may be far less satisfying than when the actual regular season starts, but at least it’s something.  And yes, I will be watching Carroll College take on Idaho tonight.  Me, and probably a dozen others.

For a list of all open exhibition games – CLICK HERE

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Conference Preview: Patriot League

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Chad

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

PATRIOT LEAGUE

Heading into last year’s Patriot League Tournament, Holy Cross was 10-19 overall.  The Crusaders’ 5-13 conference record was worse than every team other than Lafayette, giving them the #9 seed in the tourney.  Oh, and on top of that, the Patriot League plays its tournament games at the home court of the higher seeded teams.  In other words, Holy Cross’s season pretty much looked to be done and over.  They went to #8 seed Loyola and won by 5.  Then they went to top seed Bucknell and pulled off an incredible double overtime 77-72 win.  Next up was a trip to West Point and 4 seed Army, a team the Crusaders demolished by 22 points.  Finally, 2 seed Lehigh was the fourth victim of this run, 59-56, giving Holy Cross one of the most improbably NCAA Tournament bids we have ever seen.  They weren’t even done, as the Crusaders proceeded to defeat Southern in a First Four 16 vs 16 game before Oregon finally ended their season.

This year, Holy Cross is one of four teams that should be contending for the regular season title.  They will be likely joined by Lehigh, Boston University and Bucknell.  Boston U (CIT) and Bucknell (NIT) both played in the postseason last year.  However, it is Lehigh, with four starters returning including two time Patriot League Player of the Year Tim Kempton, that is our pick to take the crown.  One team that advanced to the postseason last year but does not figure to be in the mix at all is Army.  The Cadets had arguably their best season since Bobby Knight was head coach, and played in the CIT.  Almost everyone from last year’s roster is gone, including coach Zach Spiker, and we expect a major step backwards this year.

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Lehigh – Big man Tim Kempton has won two Patriot League Player of the Year awards and could make it three this season.  He had a very good collection of players around him too, including guards Austin Price, Kahron Ross and Kyle Leufroy.

2. Boston University – The Terriers are a deep and experienced team that gets Cedric Hankerson back after he missed last season with an injury.  Hankerson will be a huge addition, given that he averaged almost 16 points per game two years ago.  The pieces are certainly here to challenge for the title.

3. Bucknell – Even without star Chris Hass, the Bison could contend with a strong frontcourt pair of Nana Foulland and Zach Thomas, plus Stephen Brown at the point.

4. Holy Cross – Five of the Crusaders’ top six players from last year’s Cinderella team are back.  They also added an interesting piece on the bench as head coach Bill Carmody has brought in former Denver head coach Joe Scott as an assistant.

5. Colgate – Replacing Austin Tillotson’s 15.1 points per game will be tough, but almost everyone else is back.  Without any key seniors on the roster, the Red Raiders should be good this year and may be even better next.

6. American – Jesse Reed is gone, but Patriot League Rookie of the Year Delante Jones is back and should have an even bigger year this year than he did last one.  He will need to find some help from the rest of his team if the Eagles want to move up in the standings.

7. Loyola – With the combination of Andre Walker outside and Jarred Jones inside, the Greyhounds should be better than last year’s 21 loss team.

8. Lafayette – The Leopards return three double-digit scorers, but need to fix some serious defensive problems if they want to improve on last season’s last place finish and 6-24 overall record.

9. Navy – Shawn Anderson’s 13.2 points per game is back, but the majority of the other key players from last season are gone. This could be a tough season in Annapolis.

10. Army West Point – All five starters are gone.  Head coach Zach Spiker took the Drexel job.  The Black Knights may have had their best season in decades last year, but a return to the cellar is the most likely projection this one.

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Conference Preview: Ohio Valley

Posted on October 24, 2016 by Chad

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

OHIO VALLEY

With two games to go in the regular season last year, the Austin Peay Governors sat at 5-9 in OVC play and did not look like they would even qualify for the 8 team Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.  They won those last two games, however, and snuck into the league’s 8th and final spot.  With a double-bye system in the conference tournament, the Governors started with a 5 vs 8 game against a Tennessee Tech team that would end up in the Vegas 16 tournament.  They won by 20.  Next, the Governors got 4 seed Tennessee State, a team that had 20 wins and would end up in the CIT.  When they pulled off the 2 point upset, we started paying attention.  Of course, up next was the #1 seed in the conference, Belmont, who ended up in the NIT.  It was incredible, and the Governors won 97-96 in overtime to advance to the conference tournament finals and a matchup with #2 seed Tennessee-Martin.  Austin Peay then won their 6th straight game, and fourth in four days to capture the title and automatic bid, sending UT-Martin to the CIT.  The magic ended there as they wound up a 16 seed and lost by 26 to Kansas in the Round of 64.  But it was an absolutely amazing run through the conference tournament, and a run in which they faced the toughest possible road seed-wise.  In fact, the only OVC team that played in the postseason that the Governors did not defeat during their run was Morehead State, who played in the CBI, advancing to the Best-of-Three finals and losing in Game 3 overtime to Nevada.

This year, Austin Peay is one of four teams that could be in the mix to win the conference.  The Governors, along with a Murray State team that we expect to bounce back after a disappointing season, will be the top two contenders in the conference’s West Division.  In the East, Belmont is favored once again and should get their toughest challenge from Tennessee State.  If a dark horse candidate has to be picked, keep an eye on Southeast Missouri State in the West and Jacksonville State, under new head coach Ray Harper, in the East.  In the end, however, we expect Belmont to be the team representing the OVC in this year’s Big Dance.

Predicted Order of Finish

East Division

1. Belmont – Evan Bradds is back for his senior season after capturing last year’s OVC Player of the Year award.  He is complemented by guard Austin Luke who was among the nation’s best assist men, averaging 6.2 per game.  The Bruins have enough pieces to win the conference.

2. Tennessee State – Tahjere McCall is one of the best guards in the conference, but his team will need to find a way to make up for the loss of Keron DeShields’ 16.5 points per game.

3. Eastern Kentucky – The Colonels bring back Nick Mayo, last year’s OVC Freshman of the Year, but do not bring back their top two scorers. Given that they were sub-.500 last year, even hitting that mark may be tough this one.

4. Morehead State – Three starters are gone from last year’s CBI finalist.  The Eagles will need Xavier Moon to lead the way, but there are probably not enough pieces here to challenge this season.

5. Jacksonville State – Ray Harper (formerly of Western Kentucky) takes over as head coach and, given his track record, should have the Gamecocks in contention in a few years.  He does have three starters returning this season, but don’t expect this season much from a team that lost 23 times last year.

6. Tennessee Tech – With three of the top four players gone and a serous lack of size and depth down low, this could be a very long season.

West Division

1. Murray State – Bryce Jones and Damarcus Croaker in the backcourt, plus having big man Bryan Sanchious healthy, should make the Racers better than last year’s disappointing 17-14 record.

2. Austin Peay – The Governors made an incredible run in last year’s conference tournament, and should be able to carry over some of that momentum this season.  Two of their top three scorers are gone, but returnee Josh Robinson can light up the scoreboard.

3. Southeast Missouri State – The good news is that four starters, including three double-digit scorers return.  The bad news is that the other 8 players on the roster are all newcomers.  If they can all develop and gel together, there is a chance that the Redhawks could surprise.

4. Eastern Illinois – 5-7 Cornell Johnston and backcourt mate Demetrius McReynolds are returning double-digit scorers, but the Panthers lack size, depth and experience down low.

5. SIU Edwardsville – The Cougars do return their top two scorers, but the team lost 22 games last year and was among the worst in the nation in shooting percentage.  The good news is that it probably cannot get much worse.

6. Tennessee-Martin – After back-to-back 20+ win seasons, the Skyhawks lost four starters and head coach Heath Schroyer left for an assistant job at North Carolina State.  This looks like it will be a long first year for new head coach Anthony Stewart.

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Exhibition Games Start This Week – Previews Will Also Resume This Week

Posted on October 23, 2016 by John Stalica

Regulation games for each season officially begin on the second Friday in November.  Teams are now allowed to begin practice 42 days before the start of the season, and in that time they are allowed to play two exhibition games that do not count as regular season games.  For these games, teams have two options.  They can have a three hour closed scrimmage with another Div-1 team, or they can have a regulation game that is open to the public against another college team that is outside of Div-1 (i.e. Div-2, Div-3 or NAIA).  Some schools will opt for two closed scrimmages.  Some schools will opt for two open exhibition games.  Some will opt for one of each.

Below is a list of this year’s exhibition games that are open to the public.  All times are Eastern.

Not only do the exhibitions start on Tuesday, but Chad Sherwood will resume his conference previews tomorrow. Also be on the lookout for preseason podcasts which will debut this week!

Tuesday, October 25th

-Carroll College @ Idaho, 9 PM

Wednesday, October 26th

-Eckerd College @ Florida, 7 PM
-Southern New Orleans @ Southeast Louisiana, 8 PM – Live Stats

Thursday, October 27th

-Southeastern University @ Florida State, 7 PM
-Keiser @ Drexel, 7 PM
-Northwood @ Michigan State, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Arkansas Monticello @ Arkansas State, 8 PM- EAS Red Wolves Sports Network

Friday, October 28th

-Virginia State @ Duke, 7 PM
-Bemidji State @ Northern Iowa, 8 PM – ESPN3
-Central Missouri @ Arkansas, 8 PM
-Shorter University @ Jacksonville State, 8 PM
-Pittsburg State @ Kansas State, 8 PM – Fox Sports Kansas City
-Lewis-Clark State @ Boise State, 9 PM

Saturday, October 29th

-Wabash @ Butler, 2 PM
-Husson @ Maine, 2 PM
-Cal State Los Angeles @ Cal State Northridge, 5 PM – Live Stats
-West Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia, 6 PM (neutral site game played in Beckley, WV)
-Wayne State-MI @ Detroit, 7 PM
-Carleton @ Providence, 7 PM
-Quebec-Montreal @ Vermont, 7 PM
-Master’s College @ Southern Utah, 8:30 PM
-Seattle Pacific @ BYU, 9 PM – Cougar IMG Sports Network
-Multnomah @ Portland, 10 PM

Sunday, October 30th

-New Haven @ Connecticut, 1 PM
-Washington University @ Illinois, 3 PM – BTN Plus
-Southeastern Oklahoma State @ UTEP, 3 PM – Live Video
-Saint Martin’s @ Eastern Washington, 5 PM
-Wisconsin-Platteville @ Wisconsin, 6 PM
-Clarion @ Kentucky, 7 PM – SEC Network

Monday, October 31st

-Baruch @ St. John’s, 7 PM

Tuesday, November 1st

-Randolph @ Elon, TBA
-Hope College @ Indiana, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Mercy @ Notre Dame, 7 PM
-Southern Indiana @ Purdue, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Indiana-PA @ Syracuse, 7 PM
-Thomas More @ Austin Peay, 8PM – Video
-Indiana Tech @ Green Bay, 8 PM
-Auburn-Montgomery @ Alabama State, 8 PM
-Washburn @ Kansas, 8 PM – ESPN3 (JayhawkTV)
-Pittsburg State @ Oklahoma State, 8 PM – Fox Sports Southwest Plus
-Campbellsville @ Western Kentucky, 8 PM
-Dakota Wesleyan @ UNLV, 9 PM
-College of Idaho @ Arizona, 10 PM- Pac Twelve Networks
-Cal State San Bernardino @ Fresno State, 10 PM
-Pacific Union @ San Jose State, 10:30 PM
-Master’s University @ UCLA, 10:30 PM – Pac 12 Los Angeles

Wednesday, November 2nd

-Bellarmine @ Cincinnati, TBA – BearcatsTV
-Barry @ Miami-FL, 7 PM
-Saginaw Valley State @ Michigan State, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Virginia State @ Old Dominion, 7 PM
-Belmont Abbey @ Presbyterian, 7 PM
-Cedarville @ Wright State, 7 PM
-Southeastern Oklahoma @ Oral Roberts, 8 PM – Video
-Angelo State @ Texas, 8 PM
-Oklahoma Christian @ Tulsa, 8 PM
-LSU Alexandria @ Southeast Louisiana, 8 PM – Live Stats
-Southern Virginia @ Idaho State, 9 PM – 102.5 KMGI Pocatello
-Whitworth @ Montana, 9 PM
-Western New Mexico @ New Mexico, 9 PM
-Concordia Moorhead @ North Dakota State, 9 PM – MidcoSN
-Johnson & Wales @ Northern Colorado, 9 PM – WatchBigSky

Thursday, November 3rd

-West Virginia State @ Marshall, 6 PM
-Rose-Hulman @ Indiana State, 7 PM
-Ulndy @ Ball State, 7 PM
-Stonehill @ Boston College, 7 PM
-Lander @ Clemson, 7 PM
-Merrimack @ Fairleigh Dickinson, 7 PM
-Fort Valley State @ Georgia, 7 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Morehouse @ Ole Miss, 7 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Slippery Rock @ Tennessee, 7 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Berry @ Murray State, 7 PM – OVC Digital Network
-MIT @ Harvard, 7 PM – Ivy League Digital Network
-Assumption @ Holy Cross, 7 PM
-LaGrange College @ Savannah State, 7 PM
-Lees-McRae @ Georgia Southern, 7 PM
-Capital @ IPFW, 7 PM – Live Stats
-Kentucky Wesleyan @ Louisville, 7 PM – ACC Network Plus
-Voldosta State @ Florida State, 7 PM
-Lynn @ NC State, 7 PM – GoPack.com
-Southern Arkansas @ Louisiana Tech, 7:30 PM
-Jon Hopkins @ Loyola MD, 7:30 PM – Video
-Faulkner @ Alabama, 8 PM- SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Bemidji State @ Minnesota, 8 PM – BTN Plus
-Mississippi College @ Southern Miss, 8 PM
-Spring Hill @ Jacksonville State, 8 PM
-West Florida @ Louisiana Lafayette, 8 PM
-Missouri Saint Louis @ Southern Illinois, 8pm – ESPN3
-Auburn Montgomery @ Troy, 8 PM
-Loyola-New Orleans @ Tulane, 8 PM
-Carroll College @ Washington State, 8 PM
-Fisk @ Tennessee State, 8 PM – Live Stats
-Lincoln Christian @ Western Illinois, 8 PM
-Lindenwood @ UAB, 8:30 PM
-North Alabama @ Middle Tennessee, 8:30 PM
-Adams State @ Grand Canyon, 9 PM
-Chadron State @ Wyoming, 10 PM – Video
-UC San Diego @ San Diego State, 10 PM
-Pacific Union @ Sacramento State, 10 PM
-Western Washington @ Washington, 10 PM
-South Dakota Mines @ South Dakota State, 10:30 PM

Friday, November 4th 

-Missouri Western State @ Texas Tech, TBA
-Queens (NC) @ VCU, TBA
-North Greenville @ The Citadel, 3 PM
-Capital @ Bowling Green, 5 PM
-Lock Haven @ Penn State, 6 PM
-Alvernia @ Central Connecticut State, 7 PM
-Covenant @ Chattanooga, 7 PM
-Allen @ College of Charleston, 7 PM
-Belmont Abbey @ Davidson, 7 PM
-Findlay @ Dayton, 7 PM – Audio Link
-Bridgeport @ Fairfield, 7 PM
-Saint Joseph’s IN @ IUPUI, 7 PM – Live Stats
-Georgia Southwestern @ Kennesaw State, 7 PM
-Armstrong State @ Michigan, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Virginia Wesleyan @ Old Dominion, 7 PM
-USC Aiken @ Georgia State, 7 PM – Twitter Channel
-Bob Jones @ Furman, 7 PM
-Farmingdale State @ Stony Brook, 7 PM
-Piedmont International @ Wake Forest, 7 PM
-UNC-Pembroke @ North Carolina, 7:30 PM
-Huston-Tillotson E @ Stephen F Austin, 7:30 PM – ESPN3
-Emporia State @ Arkansas, 8 PM
-Sewanee @ Austin Peay, 8 PM – Video
-Wayne State @ Creighton, 8 PM – 1620 AM Omaha
-Augustana @ Duke, 8 PM
-Lewis @ Illinois, 8 PM – BTN Plus
-Regis @ Iowa, 8 PM – BTN Plus
-Wilmington College @ Northern Kentucky, 8 PM
-Illinois-Springfield @ Northwestern, 8 PM – BTN Plus
-Central Missouri @ Missouri, 8 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Greenville @ Saint Louis, 8 PM
-Mobile @ South Alabama, 8 PM
-Saint Edwards @ Texas A&M, 8 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Texas Tyler @ UTRGV, 8 PM – Live Stats
-Daemen @ Buffalo, 8:30 PM
-La Verne @ Southern Utah, 8:30 PM
-Colorado Christian @ Air Force, 9 PM
-New Mexico Highlands @ UNLV, 9 PM
-Montevallo @ Auburn, 9 PM- Audio Link
-Rockhurst @ DePaul, 9 PM
-Lewis-Clark State College @ Idaho, 9 PM
-Washburn @ Kansas State, 9 PM – Fox Sports Kansas City
-Montana Western @ Montana State, 9 PM
-Eastern New Mexico @ New Mexico, 9 PM
-Southern Virginia @ Utah State, 9 PM
-Sonoma State @ LMU, 10 PM – The W TV
-San Francisco State @ Nevada, 10 PM
-Corban @ Oregon State, 10 PM
-Bristol @ Pacific, 10 PM – Live Stats
-Evergreen State @ Portland, 10 PM
-Linfield @ Portland State, 10:30 PM

Saturday, November 5th

-Washington & Lee @ Radford, TBA
-Maine-Fort Kent @ Maine, TBA (30 minutes after Maine’s football game)
-Southeastern Oklahoma State @ Texas State, TBA
-IUP @ Villanova, 12 PM
-Southern Connecticut State @ Connecticut, 1 PM
-Slippery Rock @ Central Michigan, 1:30 PM
-Penn State-Behrend @ Youngstown State, 1:30 PM
-Henderson State @ Arkansas State, 2 PM- EAS Red Wolves Sports Network
-Mansfield @ Duquesne, 2 PM
-Carleton @ La Salle, 2 PM
-Rockhurst @ Marquette, 2 PM – TWC Sports Channel Wisconsin
-Catawba @ Maryland, 2 PM – Live Audio
-Rio Grande @ Ohio, 2 PM
-Ohio Dominican @ Toledo, 2:30 PM
-Concordia Wisconsin @ Milwaukee, 3 PM
-Kalamazoo College @ Western Michigan, 3 PM
-Augusta @ Wichita State, 3 PM – COX
-Alaska-Fairbanks @ UTEP, 3 PM – Live Video
-Mars Hill @ East Tennessee State, 4 PM – Live Stats
-Judson @ Illinois-Chicago, 4 PM
-Pittsburgh-Johnstown @ Pittsburgh, 4 PM
-Bloomsburg @ Rider, 4 PM
-Hood @ Mount Saint Mary’s, 4 PM
-Alfred @ St. Bonaventure, 4 PM
-Ferris State @ Xavier, 4 PM
-Hampden-Sydney @ Longwood, 5 PM
-Tougaloo @ Mississippi Valley State, 5 PM
-Sonoma State @ UC-Irvine, 5 PM – Live Video
-Missouri S&T @ UMKC, 5 PM
-Northwest Christian @ Boise State, 6 PM
-Concordia @ Drake, 6 PM
-Virginia State @ Norfolk State, 6 PM
-Saginaw Valley State @ Butler, 7 PM
-Bellarmine @ Indiana, 7 PM – BTN Plus
-Cal Tech @ Long Beach State, 7 PM
-Montreat @ UNC-Asheville, 7 PM
-St. Michael’s @ Vermont, 7 PM
-Black Hills State @ Weber State, 7 PM
-Shorter @ Georgia Tech, 7:30 PM – 91.1 FM Atlanta
-UNC-Pembroke @ Houston, 8 PM
-McKendree @ SIU Edwardsville, 8 PM – Video
-Our Lady of the Lake @ Rice, 8 PM
-Missouri Baptist @ Missouri State, 8 PM
-Concordia @ TAMUCC, 8 PM – Live Stats
-Hillsdale @ Valparaiso, 8:30 PM
-St. Martin’s @ Cal State Fullerton, 9 PM – Live Stats
-West Georgia @ Gonzaga, 9 PM
-Kentucky Wesleyan @ Western Kentucky, 9 PM
-Life Pacific @ Santa Clara, 10:30 PM

Sunday, November 6th

-Charleston-WV @ Marshall, 2 PM
-Mount Olive @ UNC Wilmington, 2 PM
-Georgetown College @ Eastern Kentucky, 2 PM
-Cincinnati Christian @ Morehead State, 2 PM
-UW La Crosse @ Bradley, 3 PM
-Walsh @ Ohio State, 4 PM –BTN Plus
-Quincy @ Illinois State, 4 PM – ESPN3
-Newberry @ South Carolina, 4 PM – SEC Network Plus (WatchESPN)
-Fresno Pacific @ UC Santa Barbara, 4 PM
-Eureka College @ Eastern Illinios, 4 PM
-Cal State East Bay @ San Jose State, 5 PM
-Cal State Chico @ Arizona, 7 PM- Pac Twelve Networks
-Sioux Falls @ Iowa State, 7 PM – Cyclones.TV
-Asbury @ Kentucky, 7 PM – SEC Network
-Emporia State @ Kansas, 8 PM – ESPN3 (JayhawkTV)

Monday, November 7th

-Ryerson @ Canisius, 6 PM
-Ferris State @ Detroit, 7 PM
-Point University @ Georgia State, 7 PM – Twitter Channel
-Bellarmine @ Louisville, 7 PM – ACC Network Extra
-Barton @ NC State, 7 PM – GoPack.com
-Catholic @ Notre Dame, 7 PM
-Grand Valley State @ Oakland, 7 PM
-Nova Southeastern @ South Florida, 7 PM – 1040 AM Tampa
-Christian Brothers @ Memphis, 7:30 PM
-Missouri S&T @ Southeast Missouri State, 7:30 PM
-Armstrong State @ Savannah State, 8PM
-Chadron State @ Nebraska, 8 PM – BTN Plus
-Reinhardt @ LSU, 8 PM – SEC Network Plus (Watch ESPN)
-Louisiana College @ Louisiana Monroe, 8 PM
-Champion Christian @ Prairie View A&M, 8 PM
-Huntingdon College @ Alabama State, 8PM
-William Carey @ Southern Miss, 8 PM
-Arkansas Tech @ Texas-San Antonio, 8 PM
-Northeastern State @ Tulsa, 8 PM
-Transylvania @ UT Martin, 8:30 PM
-Western State Colorado @ Utah Valley, 9 PM
-Northwest Christian @ Oregon, 10 PM – Pac Twelve Networks
-Cal State San Marcos @ San Diego State, 10 PM

Tuesday, November 8th

-Methodist @ Appalachian State, 7 PM
-Tiffin @ Cleveland State, 7 PM
-Le Moyne @ Syracuse, 7 PM
-Washburn @ Oklahoma, 8 PM
-Regis @ Colorado State, 9 PM

Wednesday, November 9th

-BYU-Hawai’i @ BYU, 9 PM – Cougar IMG Sports Network
-Master’s University @ CSU Bakersfield, 10 PM – Live Stats

TEAMS NOT PLAYING OPEN EXHIBITION GAMES:  Abilene Christian, Akron, Alabama A&M, Albany, Alcorn State, American, Arizona State, Arkansas-Little Rock, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Army, Baylor, Belmont, Bethune-Cookman, Binghamton, Boston U, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, California, UC Davis, UC Riverside, Cal Poly, Campbell, Central Arkansas, Central Florida, Charleston Southern, Charlotte, Chicago State, Colgate, Colorado, Columbia, Coppin State, Cornell, Dartmouth, Delaware, Delaware State, Denver, East Carolina, Eastern Michigan, Evansville, Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida International, Fordham, Gardner-Webb, Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Grambling, Hampton, Hartford, Hawai’i, High Point, Hofstra, Houston Baptist, Howard, Incarnate Word, Iona, Jackson State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Kent State, Lafayette, Lamar, Lehigh, Liberty, Lipscomb, LIU Brooklyn, Loyola Chicago, Manhattan, Marist, Maryland-Baltimore County, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Massachusetts, McNeese State, Mercer, Mississippi State,, UMass-Lowell, Miami-OH, Monmouth, Morgan State, Navy, New Hampshire, New Mexico State, New Orleans, NJIT, Niagara, Nicholls, Northeastern, Northern Arizona, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, North Dakota, North Florida, Northern Illinois, North Texas, Northwestern State, Omaha, Pennsylvania, Pepperdine, Princeton, Quinnipiac, Rhode Island, Richmond, Robert Morrs, Rutgers, Sacred Heart, Samford, Saint Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis University, Saint Joseph’s, Saint Mary’s, Saint Peter’s, Sam Houston, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Seton Hall, Siena, South Carolina State, South Carolina Upstate, South Dakota, Southern, Southern Methodist, Stanford, Stetson, TCU, Temple, Tennessee Tech, Texas Arlington, Texas Southern, Towson, UNC Greensboro, USC, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Virginia Tech, VMI, Wagner, William & Mary, Western Carolina, Winthrop, Wofford, Yale

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off on Exhibition Games Start This Week – Previews Will Also Resume This Week

Bracket Projections: Friday, October 21st

Posted on October 21, 2016 by David Griggs

Okay folks, this is it!!  Selection Sunday is less than six months away!!  We are down to crunch time!!

Posted by John Stalica…

The bracket below represents a combination of the preseason USA Today Top 25 poll and other under-the-radar conferences that have announced their preseason picks to win their respective conferences.  For conferences that haven’t made their selections yet, we took the highest rated team from the comprehensive 1-351 list from CBSSports.com (click here).  We will also update the bracket when we get the preseason AP Top 25 Poll and will update in the event that a preseason pick to win a conference is not listed below.  If you’re also wondering why the Midwest Region says 31 and the other regions say 35, that is the total composite score of the top 4 seeds of each region (a variance of up to 5 is permitted).

Editor’s Note – The East and the West Regions should be paired up together since Duke is the #1 overall team and Kentucky is #4. As for the Midwest and South Regions, Kansas is #2 overall and Villanova is currently #3 overall.

Why did we do this??  Well, we got sick of just having a blank BRACKETOLOGY PAGE that’s why!!

10-20-16-show-bracket-part-1

10-20-16-show-bracket-part-2

 

 

*Also note that the bracketing rules dictate that the Michigan/Pittsburgh play-in game had to be flipped with Chattanooga. Not only could Maryland and Michigan could not play in the first round, we couldn’t resist a potential first-round Backyard Brawl!

Posted in Bracketology | Comments Off on Bracket Projections: Friday, October 21st