Under (and On) the Radar: Season Preview, Nov 10th

Posted on November 10, 2015 by David Griggs

For the rest of our extensive Preseason Coverage, including interviews with players and coaches, conference previews, and video podcasts – CLICK HERE

 

UNDER (AND ON) THE RADAR: Season Preview, Nov 10th

Chad is joined by David, Jon, and Joby as they run through all of the non-major conferences.  They begin by talking about Gonzaga and Wichita State, who they feel are legitimate top ten caliber teams.  They also look at BYU, Loyola Chicago, and Evansville as teams from the WCC and MVC that have a good chance of landing inside the bubble and making the NCAA Tournament.  Old Dominion is another team that they really like out of Conference USA.  They run through all the rest of the Under the Radar leagues, pick who they think will win the leagues, and reveal the first UTR Top Ten of the season.

 

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Conference Preview: Pac Twelve

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason coverage, CLICK HERE.

PAC TWELVE

The days when the Pac-12 was struggling just to put its regular season champion into the NCAA Tournament feel like ancient history.  The conference has righted itself and is clearly still on the upswing.  Last season, four schools represented the conference in the Big Dance and all four of them won at least one game.  Arizona led the way as a 2 seed advancing to the Elite Eight, while 5th-seeded Utah and 11th-seeded UCLA both made appearances in the Sweet 16.  Oregon got in as an 8 seed and won a game before falling to top seed Wisconsin.  And to add to the conference’s postseason resume, Stanford cut down the nets as champions of the NIT.  Arizona State (NIT) and Colorado (CBI) rounded out the league’s postseason roster.

This year, the Pac-12 looks even stronger as all four of last year’s Tournament teams appear poised to make return trips, though none of them are the current pick to win the conference.  That honor goes to California.  The Golden Bears, in Cuonzo Martin’s second season at the helm, have added a stellar group of newcomers to a stacked returning lineup and may prove to not only be the team to beat in the Pac-12, but could be playing games at least into the second weekend of the Tournament.  Another coach in his second year at the helm, Oregon State’s Wayne Tinkle, also has his team looking like they have a chance to dance (for the first time in 25 years!), as does first year head coach Bobby Hurley at Arizona State.  Although seven bids may be a stretch, an increase from last year’s four seems to be almost a given.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  California – The Golden Bears are loaded.  Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird and Jordan Mathews form the nucleus of a deadly backcourt, while freshmen standouts Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb will have a chance to dominate down low.  Once the veterans and newcomers gel, the conference and maybe the entire nation better watch out.

2.  Arizona – Losing four double-digit scorers would have most teams in rebuild mode, but not here.  The Wildcats have simply reloaded with another strong group of freshmen recruits, plus Boston College transfer Ryan Anderson and JC transfer Kadeem Allen.  If Cal is not the best in the conference, Arizona will be.

3.  Utah – The Utes have one of the nation’s strongest frontcourts led by Jakob Poeltl, who himself is among the best bigs in the country.  If the team can find a way to make up for the loss of guard Delon Wright, they will be in contention for the league crown again.

4.  Oregon – The Ducks should be dancing again with top prospect Tyler Dorsey and Villanova transfer Dylan Ennis in place to make up for the loss of Joseph Young (or at least ease the pain of losing a guy that scored over 20 points per game).  Down low, Elgin Cook and Dillon Brooks are both returning double-digit scorers who should improve off of last year’s numbers.

5.  UCLA – Bryce Alford is joined in the backcourt by a pair of notable recruits, Aaron Holiday and Prince Ali.  If Tony Parker can finally put things together in his senior season, the Bruins will not need to sweat things out on Selection Sunday again.

6.  Arizona State – Bobby Hurley takes over in Tempe and has some solid pieces to work with including guards Gerry Blakes and Kodi Justice plus forwards Savon Goodman and Eric Jacobsen.  Of course, the most important thing the Sun Devils have going for them is the best X-Factor in all of college basketball — the Curtain of Distraction (google it if you don’ know what it is — it will be worth the effort).

7.  Oregon State – Other than Northwestern (a team that has never been to the NCAA Tournament), the Oregon State Beavers have the longest current Tournament drought among all Power Five conference teams, last having made the field in 1990, well before any of their current players were even born.  Although they are a longshot to make the field this year, the mere fact that we are discussing them as a team with a shot at all shows how far the program has come in just its second year under Wayne Tinkle.  Gary Payton II and Malcolm Duvivier lead a solid backcourt and are joined by a strong recruiting class that includes Stephen Thompson, Jr., Tres Tinkle (Wayne’s son), and Drew Eubanks.

8.  USC – The good news for the Trojans is that everyone returns from last season.  The bad news is that this same group of players lost 20 games last year.  Head coach Andy Enfield has still not proven that he can coach at this level, and if he does not turn things around this year, he may need to start sending out his resume.

9.  Colorado – Askia Booker is gone and Xavier Johnson is out with an offseason Achilles’ tendon tear (though he could return later in the year).  The Buffaloes were a sub-.500 team last season that only played in the postseason by buying an entry into the CBI.  That opportunity probably will not even be available this year.  The only good signs are that Josh Scott appears to be healthy heading into the season and that the addition of Providence transfer Josh Fortune should help in the backcourt.

10.  Washington – Everyone of note other than Andrew Andrews is gone from last year’s squad.  However, head coach Lorenzo Romar brought in one of the nation’s top recruiting classes led by guard Dejounte Murray.  This team should get better as the newcomers gain experience.

11.  Stanford – The Cardinal won the NIT last season, led by the trio of Chasson Randle, Anthony Brown and Stefan Nastic.  All three players are gone now and this season will be a rebuilding year for head coach Johnny Dawkins

12.  Washington State – Josh Hawkinson averaged a double-double last season and will be worth watching.  However, with top scorer DaVonte Lacy gone from a team that had a losing record, not much is expected here.

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Season preview: Temple coach Fran Dunphy

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Jon Teitel

Most of the season preview interviews that I do are with players/coaches who I only know from watching them on TV, but Coach Fran Dunphy holds a special place in my heart.  When I showed up to Penn as a freshman in the fall of 1992, I did not have high hopes for a basketball team that had gone 37-41 during the 3 previous seasons.  However, the Quakers proceeded to go 48-0 in conference play over the next 3 years, made it to 3 straight NCAA tourneys, and even beat Nebraska in the 1994 NCAA tourney, which remains their only tourney win in the past 35 years.  As much as I like to think that I was the lucky charm, I know that it was simply a matter of being in the right place when a coach and his players happened to click at the right time.  After recording the 2nd-most victories in Ivy League basketball history and winning 10 Ivy titles in a 14-year span, he replaced Coach John Chaney at Temple and made 6 straight NCAA tourneys from 2008-2013.  With 7 more wins this year, he will join an elite list of coaches with 200+ wins at multiple schools, including legends such as Jim Calhoun, Eddie Sutton, and Roy Williams.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Dunphy about playing for 1 Hall of Famer and replacing another.

dunphy

You played for Hall of Famer Tom Gola at La Salle: what made him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from? He saw the abilities of the players in front of him and their experience level and just trusted us to play the game. The guys ahead of me had even more trust, but he was good at reading the situation and putting a team together. He asked us to give our best on defense and the freedom on offense was nice.

As a junior you went 23-1 (with only a 3-PT loss to South Carolina), but your team was barred from the NCAA tourney due to some violations committed by an alum: how close did you come to an undefeated season, and how frustrating was it to miss out on the tourney? We were on probation due to some infractions the year before so it was frustrating knowing that we would be missing out on the tourney. We just did not get it done against South Carolina but it was still a magical season.

As a senior you were co-captain, averaged 18.6 PPG, and led the team in AST: how did you balance your scoring with your passing? 1 of my teammates was All-American Kenny Durrett, who was 1 of the best players in the history of Philly. I had good players who gave me the opportunity to get some assists.

Beginning in 1992 you won 48 straight conference games as coach at Penn: did it reach a point where the fans just expected you to win every time you stepped onto the court? Probably: those are healthy expectations. We had 3 guys who eventually made it to the NBA, which is pretty impressive for an Ivy League team.

In the 1994 NCAA tourney future Penn coach Jerome Allen had 18 PTS/10 AST in a 10-PT upset of Nebraska: how big a deal was it to get the Quakers’ only NCAA tourney win since 1980? It was very important after coming close against UMass the year before (a 4-PT loss). We could have played with a lot of good teams in the country.

In the 1995 NCAA tourney you had a 6-PT OT loss to Alabama: what made Antonio McDyess so unstoppable (39 PTS/19 REB)? His athleticism and wonderful play: he was just an extraordinary talent so it was a bit of mismatch.

You won 10 Ivy titles in 17 years at Penn, and your 310 wins are 2nd-most in Ivy history (Princeton’s Pete Carril has 514): how were you able to be so successful for such a long stretch of time? The history/tradition of the Penn program gave us a step up on many other teams in the league so we were able to recruit well.

In 2006 you became head coach at Temple: why did you take the job, and how much pressure did you feel in replacing legendary coach John Chaney? They tell us to not succeed a legend but I guess I did not get the memo! John is a terrific guy and made it very easy for me. I got to meet with him and receive his blessing and made me feel good about what I was doing. I just wanted the challenge of running another program after being lucky enough to run the program at Penn.

Take me through the 2011 NCAA tourney:
Juan Fernandez scored 23 PTS including an off-balance 18-footer in the final second of a 2-PT win over Penn State: where does that rank among the most clutch shots you have ever seen, and how important was it for you personally to get a win after 11 straight tourney losses? It was important to me, but more so for the kids. Juan made a great shot, which many of our students were appreciative of.

Billy White had 16 PTS/13 REB in a 7-PT 2-OT win by San Diego State: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? If we could have gotten that win it would have been even more fantastic. I do not consider it devastating but rather “disappointing” because we played so well: we just ended up playing a great team.

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Conference Preview: Mountain West

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage, CLICK HERE.

MOUNTAIN WEST

Putting three teams into the NCAA tournament would be a stellar year from some conferences, though maybe not the Mountain West.  Putting three teams in when one of them only gets in via the automatic bid and another gets sent to Dayton in the First Four is definitely not the type of season the MWC was looking for in 2014-15, but that is exactly what they got.  Wyoming won the conference tournament and was given a 12 seed, Boise State got an 11 seed, but was sent to play Dayton in Dayton in the First Four, and San Diego State got in with an 8 seed, winning their first game before falling to Duke by 19 points in the Round of 32.  To make matters worse, only one other team, Colorado State, played in the postseason, as the Rams received a bid to the NIT.

The Mountain West will look for more success, especially in the postseason, this year as up to five different teams appear to be in the race for the league title and NCAA tournament bids.  While Wyoming and Colorado State look like they will fall in the standings, Boise State and San Diego State should be right back up among the league leaders, joined by UNLV and Fresno State.  However, the team being picked to win the conference is the Utah State Aggies under new head coach Tim Duryea.  The Aggies were a solid 18-13 last season and have the talent to move up the ladder.  With almost every other team in the league having question marks, this could be the year they win their first Mountain West championship (albeit this is only their third year in the league).

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Utah State – Picking the Aggies to win the league may be a bit of a surprise, but they should be able to light up the scoreboard with solid 3-point shooters and the always dangerous Jalen Moore.  The key to their season will be just how good David Collette is down low and whether they have enough another pieces down there to complement him.  UPDATE (11/12/2015): Collette has announced he will transfer and not play for the Aggies this season.  They may not be able to make up for his loss and I would probably drop them to 5th on this list, behind Fresno State, without him.

2.  San Diego State – There is no doubt the Aztecs will play great defense, but they need to find a way to average more than 61.8 points per game, which ranked 299th in the country last year.  Malik Pope, Winston Sheppard and top recruit Jeremy Hemsley will be looked on to turn around the offensive woes.  Hopefully, recent rumors of potential NCAA violations will not translate into any on-court issues.

3.  Boise State – The Broncos have some solid pieces in place to complement Anthony Drmic and James Webb III.  If Nick Duncan, Chandler Hutchison and freshman Paris Austin can all pan out into solid players, there is no reason why they will not be dancing.

4.  UNLV – Head coach Dave Rice has, once again, brought in a stellar group of newcomers.  Once again, the question is whether he can actually coach these potential stars into a Tournament team.  Freshmen Stephen Zimmerman and Derrick Jones, Oregon transfer Ben Carter, and Mercer transfer Ike Nwamu are among the players that have the ability to put up great numbers every night.  If they can actually gel into a team instead of a bunch of individual players, they Rebels will be the best group in the conference, perhaps by a lot.

5.  Fresno State – The Bulldogs have the potential to have a very good season with all of their key players from last year returning.  Marvele Harris may arguably be the best guard in the conference.

6.  New Mexico – Although the Lobos will gladly welcome Cullen Neal back from his injury, there are too many questions marks and holes for them to be a contender.

7.  Wyoming – Josh Adams proved, especially in the Mountain West tournament, that he has the ability to star for the Cowboys.  There are just not enough another pieces here to make up for their offseason losses.

8.  Colorado State – The Rams lost their top three payers from last year’s NIT team and a return to that tournament would probably be an overachievement this year.  They simply have too many question marks down low, even though their backcourt should be solid.

9.  Nevada – The good news for Nevada is that the majority of last year’s team is back.  The bad news is that it was a team that went 9-22 and probably does not have the talent level to improve much on that.

10.  Air Force – The Falcons simply do not have enough pieces to compete for much more than avoiding the conference basement.

11. San Jose State – A couple of solid newcomers, including top recruit Cody Schwartz, will help to begin the long, slow rebuild.  But it will be long and slow for one of the worst teams in Division I last season.

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Season preview: Lafayette women’s coach Theresa Grentz

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Jon Teitel

There are plenty of athletic players who can succeed on the court, and plenty of brilliant coaches who can succeed on the sideline, but it takes a special person to succeed at both. Theresa Grentz is such a person: the 1974 national POY won 3 AIAW titles at Immaculata, then won another title as coach of Rutgers in 1982 before being named national COY in 1987. She won more than 650 games as a coach, and now that she is back on the sideline at Lafayette she has a good shot at getting #700. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Grentz about becoming the 1st full-time women’s coach in the nation and ending up in the Hall of Fame.

grentz

You planned to go to college out of state but after your family’s house burned down you decided to stay in Pennsylvania: how did your life change as a result of the fire, and why did you pick Immaculata College? We lost everything in the fire. My mom had wanted me to go to Immaculata but I had a full scholarship to go to Mt. St. Mary’s. I had arranged for an interview at Immaculata the day of the fire and after rescheduling it I decided to go there. It took my life in an entirely different direction.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Cathy Rush: what made her such a great coach, and what was the most important thing you ever learned from her? At the time she was married to NBA referee Ed Rush, so she was looking for something to do while Ed was on the road. There was an opening at Immaculata and she decided to take the job. She was ahead of her time and very organized: she was a student of the game and taught us about promptness and attention to detail.

Your Mighty Macs won 3 straight AIAW national titles from 1972-1974 and were later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014: what made your team so dominant, and where does it rank among the best teams in women’s basketball history? You are always biased about your own team. We had virtuous friendships that lasted the test of time, which is what made our team great. When we get together for reunions we think back several decades to a team for the ages. It was a neat night when we were inducted: we felt very fortunate.

Your 1974 AIAW title game win over Mississippi College was 1 of the 1st-ever live TV broadcasts of a women’s basketball game in the US: how big a deal was it at the time? It was very fun and a step in the right direction: we played a style of basketball that people enjoyed watching.

You were a 3-time 1st-team All-American and the 1974 national POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I really had no idea what it meant. There was not as much publicity back then so most people were watching John Wooden’s UCLA teams featuring Bill Walton. It was nice to be compared to a star like Walton but the AIAW did not like giving out awards: perhaps they did not want the runners-up to get their feelings hurt. The key to our success was not any 1 person: what made it great was that we won as a team.

In 1975 you were hired by Rutgers to become the 1st full-time women’s basketball head coach in the nation: why did they decide to make it a full-time job, and how much competition was there for the position? I coached part-time at St. Joe’s for a couple of years before going to Rutgers. At the time I arrived in New Jersey I coached 2 separate practices: 1 for the JV and 1 for the varsity. When you look at the 7-figure coaching salaries today and compare it to my $13,500 salary at Rutgers it is hard to believe! I never did it for money because that would have been no fun.

In 1982 your team had a 6-PT win over Texas in the last-ever AIAW national title game: what did it mean to you to win a title, and was it extra-special to win it in Philly? It was definitely special because most of my team was from Philly and knew the Palestra well: some of them had even attended high school right down the street! It was phenomenal to win the title over a prestigious school like Texas and an amazing coach like Jody Conradt. I got a letter from Rutgers alum Sonny Werblin who said that he was thrilled that we won…but he never thought that Scarlet Knights’ 1st title would be in women’s basketball.

In the 1992 Olympic semifinals as head coach of team USA you had a 6-PT loss to the eventual-champion Unified Team before beating Cuba for the bronze medal: how did a team with superstars such as Cynthia Cooper/Teresa Edwards/Teresa Weatherspoon end up with what remains the only loss by a US Olympic women’s basketball team since 1976? The other team scored more points! We shot very poorly that night from the floor as well as from the FT line.

In 2001 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That was a fun evening because it was the very same day as my parents’ 50th anniversary. Anytime you receive those kind of honors you appreciate it the most when you look back on it later in life, but now that I am coaching again I have decided not to look back on it just yet.

You retired as a head coach in 2007 and spent many years running your own basketball academy: what made you decide to get back on the sideline when you were hired by Lafayette in April to become their new head coach? I really had not planned to do that: I had originally agreed to go to Lafayette for 6 months to replace an assistant coach who had left. After the season they asked me to help find a new coach…and  then they asked me if I wanted to become the head coach. I interviewed with the president of the school and the next thing you know I got the job. I feel that I can offer a lot from the teaching side. People say that attendance/viewership of women’s basketball is down but we have proven that people enjoy watching that kind of basketball. It is a great academic school and we can recruit some great players so I am glad to be doing it. I was the 1st full-time women’s coach and now I am the 1st women to get back into coaching after retiring for 7 years.

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Conference Preview: Big Ten

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason coverage, CLICK HERE.

BIG TEN

Of the seven Big Ten teams that earned NCAA tournament bids last season, only two advanced past the first weekend of the tournament and into the Sweet 16.  The good news was that those two teams, Wisconsin (1 seed) and Michigan State (7 seed), both also advanced to the Final Four, with the Spartans falling in the national semifinal to eventual champion Duke while Wisconsin knocked off the previously undefeated Kentucky Wildcats before falling to Duke as well.  Joining the two Final Four teams in the Big Dance last season were Maryland (4 seed), Iowa (7 seed), Purdue (9 seed) and Indiana and Ohio State (10 seeds).  Illinois also earned a postseason invite, playing in the NIT.

Although Wisconsin paced the way in the Big Ten last season, the Badgers lost a ton of pieces in the offseason, enough that it is almost surprising that Bo Ryan elected to coach for this one last season and not go retire on the high note of a Big Ten championship and Final Four.  Just making the Big Dance may be a struggle this year for the Badgers.  That does not mean that the Big Ten does not have Final Four capable teams — just that this season that mantle passes to Maryland and Indiana.  Michigan should also be back in the Dance this year, and along with Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin, be among up to 10 teams with legitimate tournament aspirations.  The others in the hunt will include Purdue, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Iowa and…yes, you heard it here first, even the Northwestern Wildcats!

Predicted Order of Finish

1. Maryland – The Terps are loaded this year.  If freshman standout Diamond Stone, Duke transfer Rasheed Sulaimon, Georgia Tech transfer Robert Carter Jr. and JC transfer Jaylen Brantley can gel in with returning stars such as Melo Tremble and Jake Layman, there is no limit to how far this team can go.

2.  Indiana – With Yogi Ferrell and James Blackmon Jr. in the backcourt and Troy Williams and freshman standout Thomas Bryant inside, the Hoosiers appear to be title contenders this season.  If coach Tom Crean cannot succeed with this group, his days in Bloomington may be numbered.

3. Michigan – The Wolverines should be one of the better teams in the Big Ten with the returns of Caris LeVert and Derrick Walton, Jr. from injury coupled with the experience gained last season by their young frontcourt players, such as Zak Irvin, Ricky Doyle and Aubrey Dawkins.

4.  Purdue – A.J. Hammons and top recruit Caleb Swanigan will be forces down low.  The Boilermakers have backcourt talent as well but look like they will have to rely on Texas-Arlington transfer Johnny Hill at the point.  If he can run the offense, they will be successful.

5.  Ohio State – The Buckeyes are young but very talented and should have the pieces to make up for the loss of D’Angelo Russell.  Keep an eye on freshman JaQuan Lyle at guard and returnees Jae’Sean Tate and Marc Loving down low.

6.   Michigan State – The Spartans will be strong in the backcourt again with Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes and Eron Harris.  In order to be among the top teams in the conference, Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello will need to step up their play down low.

7.  Wisconsin – Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes both had solid seasons last year, but they are the only two significant pieces of the national runner-up to return this season.  It would not be a shock if Bo Ryan spends his final season on the bubble.

8.  Illinois – The Illini should get by at the guard position despite Tracy Abrams going down with a season-ending injury for the second straight year due to the presence of Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn and top recruit Jalen Coleman-Lands.  The biggest question is whether Charlotte transfer Mike Thorne Jr. will be enough down low.

9.  Iowa – The Hawkeyes return four starters from an NCAA tournament team, but the one player not back was their best, forward Aaron White.  If the team can find a way to make up for his departure through newcomers, they have a chance to be in the Dance again.

10.  Northwestern – It will not be long until Northwestern finally earns that elusive first-ever NCAA tournament berth, and head coach Chris Collins should be the man to lead them there.  Although he is still building the program, Tre Demps and Bryant McIntosh are both solid in the backcourt while Alex Olah and Virginia Tech transfer Joey van Zegeren should lead the way down low.  Making the NCAA tournament this year would be a longshot, but not a crazy one.

11.  Nebraska – Coach Tim Miles will need to rebuild this year, though senior Shavon Shields will score a ton of points.  There is hope for the future though with a strong recruiting class that features Edward Morrow Jr. and Glynn Watson Jr.

12.  Penn State – The combination of sophomore Shep Garner and a solid recruiting class has things looking up for the Nittany Lions — just not this year.

13.  Minnesota – The Golden Gophers did not play in the postseason last year and then lost three of their top players in the offseason.  That is not a recipe for improvement.

14.  Rutgers – The Scarlet Knights have not won a game since their huge home upset of then #4-ranked Wisconsin back in January.  Things are not looking any better this year and avoiding last place would be an accomplishment.

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