Conference Preview: Big West

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage, CLICK HERE.

BIG WEST

For years the UC Irvine Anteaters’ basketball team has been the hard luck story of the Big West conference.  Despite being a member of the league since 1978 (back when it was known as the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference), UCI had never made the NCAA tournament.  Back-to-back conference regular season championships in 2001 and 2002 resulted in a pair of NIT bids when the team got upset in the conference tournament.  Three years ago, the Anteaters fell to Pacific in the Big West championship game.  Two years ago, they won the regular season title but got upset in the semifinals.  And for these reasons, when the Anteaters earned the 3 seed in last year’s tournament, we pretty much wrote them off.  When they knocked off second-seeded UC Santa Barbara in the semifinals and got a matchup with 5th-seeded Hawai’i in the Big West title game, we just knew it would be heartbreak again.  And yet, for the first time in school history, UCI broke through, defeating Hawai’i 67-58 and getting a ticket to the Big Dance.  The team received a 13 seed from the committee and played Louisville tough in the Round of 64, losing by only 2 points.  The Anteaters return their big man this year, 7-6 300 pound Mamadou Ndiaye, and have a great shot at earning a return trip.

While UC Irvine was dancing, UC Davis earned a bid to the NIT as the regular season champions in the Big West.  UC Santa Barbara also received a postseason invite, playing in the CBI.  Davis looks like it will be taking a step back this year with three key starters gone including Big West Player of the Year Corey Hawkins.  UCSB should be in the hunt for the title though, and could be joined by several other schools including Cal Poly, Hawai’i and a team that has never been discussed among the Big West’s upper division, the UC Riverside Highlanders.  In fact, UCR is the second choice in the conference this year, which would be noteworthy given that they have never finished higher than fourth and have only had one winning season in 14 years at the Division I level.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  UC Irvine – Mamadou Ndiaye’s 7-6 300 pound monster size is back (and he is only a junior).  The addition of freshman Jonathan Galloway will help down low and a pair of veteran guards, Luke Nelson and Alex Young, help round out a roster with a great chance to return to the Dance.

2.  UC Riverside – It may be surprising to pick the Highlanders this high, but they are led by a pair of seniors that both averaged over 15 points per game last season in forward Taylor Johns and guard Jaylen Bland.  They also added size in the offseason, bringing in 7 footer Menno Dijkstra from the Netherlands.

3.  Cal Poly – The Mustangs return their top five scorers from last season led by forward Brian Bennett and guard David Nwaba.  The experience that this senior-laden team has will give them a great shot at the league crown.

4. UC Santa Barbara – The Gauchos return three starters that averaged in double figures as guards Michael Bryson and Gabe Vincent plus forward John Green lead the way.  The problem is that the team will need to find a way to make up for the loss of Alan Williams who averaged a double-double last year.

5.  Hawai’i – Head coach Gib Arnold was terminated on the eve of the season last year and Benjy Taylor took over leading the Rainbow Warriors to 22 victories and a Big West championship game appearance.  It still remains a mystery why Taylor was not retained — but he wasn’t and Eran Ganot takes over this year.  The good news is that five of the top seven players from last year’s team are back and more experienced, giving the team a shot at challenging in a league race that should be fun to watch all season.

6.  Long Beach State – Dan Monson’s squad lost all five starters from last year’s 16-17 squad, but still should be somewhat competitive with the additions of Maryland transfer Nick Faust and USC transfer Roschon Prince.

7.  Cal State Fullerton – Four starters are gone from last season’s 9 win squad.  The good news is that Lanerryl Johnson averaged over 12 points per game last year and will step into a starting role this year.  The Titans also add in Air Force transfer Tre Coggins who averaged over 16 points per game two years ago in Colorado Springs.  Those two players alone should be enough to prevent things from getting any worse.

8.  UC Davis – Corey Hawkins led the Aggies to the regular season title and an NIT berth last season.  He is gone and the team must now rebuild without him, meaning that this year will see them take a major step backwards.  Josh Fox was the team’s top sixth man last season and should become a leader as a starter this year.

9.  Cal State Northridge – It is Reggie Theus’ third year in Northridge and therefore should be the year that his remake of the program begins to show through.  Instead, the Matadors lost their top three starters and will be hard pressed to just match last season’s 9 victories.

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Season preview: Pepperdine JR PG Jeremy Major

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

There is nothing “mid” about this Major.  Entering his junior year Jeremy Major is on pace to become Pepperdine’s all-time leader in career assists, and if he gets hot he might also end up #1 in career steals.  He was named to the WCC All-Freshman team in 2014, and last year he helped the Waves to a winning record and an appearance in the postseason for the 1st time in more than a decade.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jeremy about starting as a freshman and all the veterans he will have coming back this season. 

major

You grew up in Pasadena: what made you choose Pepperdine? It was in California: most of my family is out here so they can come to my games and can support me. I wanted to be close to my mother and now she is only about a 45-minute drive away. When I took my official visit I felt they were a great group of guys: it is like a brotherhood and we all get along with each other.

You play for Coach Marty Wilson: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He is very intense and pushes me to do my best. A lot of coaches are content but he expects a lot out of us. He is all about heart and is known as an aggressive guy so he has taught me to never settle for less than my all.

In 2014 you became the 1st Pepperdine freshman to start every game in almost 30 years and finished the year by being named to the WCC All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I came here during the summer and we had a lot of older guys on the team, so I wanted to prove myself at workouts and practice in order to gain their trust as an 18-year old PG. Once my coaches and teammates told me that they had trust in me it made everything much easier, and that year was a big step for us.

Last November you scored a career-high 21 PTS (9-13 FG) in a win over Fresno State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I had not felt that way since high school, which made it fun. It is hard to have that kind of night in D-1 basketball.  I was having a lot of fun and there were several of us who finished in double figures, and I look forward to having more games like that this year.

As a sophomore you were #3 in the WCC with 1.6 SPG: what is your secret for being a good defender? I am not the biggest guy but I am 1 of the quickest guys so I just try to anticipate. We watch a lot of film and learn a lot of our opponents’ tendencies. Sometimes you get beat so it depends how you adapt to the situation.

In the 2015 CBI you scored a team-high 9 PTS in a loss to Seattle: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? It was a tough game for all of us. We were down in numbers due to some injuries, so while we were happy to make the postseason we let it slip away from us. We will just use it as motivation this year: we have a lot of veteran leaders who know what to expect.  We cannot have games where we slack off and do not give 100%. We do not have time to wait around and let things happen so we will take more initiative and have a lot more passion because we are running out of time.

You are on pace to become the school’s all-time leader in career AST: what is the key to being a good PG? I watch a lot of film. As a freshman I had to react because everything was happening so fast on the court but I have been able to slow things down a lot. I try to see the floor and know when to spoon-feed certain teammates and get the shooters the ball as best I can. My cardio is a lot better this year so I think I can last longer and wear my opponents down: hopefully I can get a lot more assists in transition.

Your non-conference schedule includes a game in November against UCLA: will it be extra-special for you because you will have a lot of family/friends in attendance? UCLA is a local team so I have told my family/friends about it, but they can come catch me at Pepperdine anyway. It is more of a big deal for my teammates because we want to beat a Pac-12 team so we will give it our all. A lot of my friends live out of state so I am sure they will be watching on the Pac-12 Network.

You return each of your top-7 scorers from last year: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? Luckily a lot of us have been playing since we were freshmen, so our coaches expect a lot out of us, as we do of ourselves. It is a long season: everyone is amped up in the beginning, but after your body starts to ache it takes a good team to stick with it and take advantage of their experience. The past 2 years we have dropped a couple of games late in the season, so we will make sure that does not happen this year.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our biggest goal is to win our conference: we were right there last year and we obviously want to get to the Big Dance. We were happy to make the CBI but we have worked hard all summer to get to the NCAA tourney, so now it is time to just go out there and perform.

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Conference Preview: Big South

Posted on October 11, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason coverage, CLICK HERE.

BIG SOUTH

The race for the Big South regular season title last year was one of the more exciting conference battles in the entire nation.  At one point in February, almost the entire conference was separated by three or fewer games in the standings. The battle came down to the final week and in the end Charleston Southern and High Point tied for the championship, with the Buccaneers earning the top spot in the conference tournament.  Unfortunately, while in other leagues this exciting battle would have also had the stakes of determining who had home court advantage in the conference tournament, that was not the case in the Big South.  The tournament is held just outside of Myrtle Beach each year, on the home court of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.  Somewhat unsurprisingly, it was Coastal Carolina that rode their home court advantage to the automatic bid and a 16 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament.  Charleston Southern had to settle for an NIT bid, while High Point played in the CIT.  Gardner-Webb and Radford also received postseason invites, both playing in the CBI.

This season, Coastal Carolina figures to be among the top teams in the conference again, and will have a chance to ride their home court to the automatic bid even if they don’t take the regular season title.  Luckily for those of us that disapprove of this format, things will have to change after this season as it will be the last for Coastal in the Big South.  The Chanticleers will move to the Sun Belt next year as they begin the process of upgrading their football program to the FBS level.  Although the regular season crown has less weight than some other leagues, the pick to take it this season is High Point, which returns a deep roster including John Brown, the best player in the conference.  Coastal Carolina and Gardner-Webb should also be factors, and keep an eye out for Longwood.  Last year’s co-champs, Charleston Southern, look like they will be taking a major step back with virtually the entire roster gone.

UPDATE (10/13/2015):  Due to Coastal Carolina’s departure from the conference on less than two years’ notice, they are ineligible to host the conference tournament.  The site of the tournament will be announced sometime in November.  (11/4/2015): It will be played on Campbell’s home court in Buies Creek, NC.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  High Point – The Panthers are led by the conference’s best player, John Brown, who is joined by three other seniors and two juniors at the top of the rotation.  On paper at least, this appears to be the team to beat.

2.  Coastal Carolina – The Chanticleers return four starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team and once again get to host the conference tournament.  They are led by Elijah Wilson outside and Badou Diagne inside.

3.  Gardner-Webb – The Bulldogs have a solid frontcourt led by Tyrell Nelson.  They also return four senior guards, so there is no reason why they will not be right in the mix of things.  Jerome Hill’s decision to turn pro after last season may end up hurting.

4.  Longwood – Even though the Lancers only won 11 games last year and lost top scorer Quincy Taylor, they have a chance to surprise this season.  The main reason for that is Lotanna Nwogbo, back from an injury that cost him half of last season.  Nwogbo is a double-double threat every time he takes the court.

5.  Winthrop – Guard Keon Johnson figures to lead the way for the Eagles, but it will be difficult for them to make up for the loss of two double digit scorers in Keon Moore and Andre Smith.

6.  Campbell – D.J. Mason leads three returning starters.  The Camels biggest weakness last season was a lack of size.  They may have found the answer this year with the addition of Jon Ander Cuadra from Spain.

7.  Radford – YaYa Anderson and Rashun Davis will need to step things up a lot to make up for the losses of Javonte Green and R.J. Price.

8.  UNC Asheville – The good news is that the Bulldogs return four starters from last season.  The bad news is that it was supposed to have been all five until their top player, Andrew Rowsey, elected to transfer to Marquette.  Without Rowsey, just matching last season’s 15 wins would be an accomplishment.

9.  Liberty – Ritchie McKay has returned to the sidelines for the Flames and does have a double-digit scorer back in senior Theo Johnson.  He probably won’t be enough to provide any serious early success to McKay.

10.  Charleston Southern – Despite sharing the regular season crown last season, the Buccaneers could be in for a long year as they lost virtually everyone from the roster.  Head coach Barclay Radebaugh will need to cobble together a team made up mostly of JC transfers, so a major step backwards is expected.

11.  Presbyterian – DeSean Murray should score a ton of points for the Blue Hose this season, but there simply are not enough other pieces here for any serious success.

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Season preview: Hampton SR SG Reggie Johnson

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

When you think of guys named Reggie Johnson who played basketball at Miami, your 1st instinct is probably the 6’10” center who played for the Hurricanes from 2010-2013.  However, option B is the 6’2″ guard who started his career at Miami (OH) before transferring to Hampton in 2013.  Last March he got to experience the thrill of victory by winning 4 games in 6 days to clinch the MEAC tourney title…followed by the agony of defeat after drawing an undefeated Kentucky team in the NCAA tourney.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Reggie about why he transferred and the large number of seniors on this year’s roster.

reggie

You were team captain during each of your 4 years of high school: what is the key to being a good leader? You have to lead by example. Leaders do a lot of talking but you also have to show guys what to do without saying anything. You need to carry yourself with good character.

You started 22 games as a freshman at Miami Ohio: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? The veterans on the team made it comfortable for me as a freshman. I was there all summer so by the preseason I had a good feel for the team.

In December of 2013 you decided to transfer: why did you make that choice, and what made you choose Hampton? I just felt that Miami was no longer the perfect spot for me. It was sad because I wanted to stay, but I just had a gut feeling that I had to go elsewhere to have more fun with the game, which I never could have imagined. The longer that I was unhappy, the more it hurt me on the inside. I reached out to schools and schools reached out to me. 1 of the Hampton coaches went to the same high school I did. At first I thought that Hampton was too far away, but it was nice to go somewhere that had people I knew.

You play for Coach Ed Joyner: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He is a player’s coach: he will correct us when necessary but also allows us to correct ourselves. He genuinely respects our opinion: it is not a 1-way street of “my way or the highway”. It is not just the captains who he respects: he listens to the input that everyone has to offer, which has made me feel very comfortable playing for him. He is very laid back so when he tells us to do something it is because he wants us to get better.

In the 2015 MEAC tourney you were named to the all-tourney team after winning 4 games in 6 days to clinch the title: how exhausted were you by the end of that week, and what did it mean to you to win the title? I was definitely tired by the end of the week, but I was able to gain some energy every day that we kept winning. At that point in the season everyone is tired so you just get to see who wants it the most. Adrenaline takes over as soon as the ball is tipped and you only feel tired after the game.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney you had 4 STL in a loss to then-undefeated Kentucky: where does that Wildcat team rank among the best that you have ever seen? Kentucky was great: they had a lot of talent and a lot of hype, but it was great to see them play together. They were not worried about who was taking shots: it shows how Coach Calipari can do what he does. They were good people and not cocky at all, so it was a great experience.

You had 7 different players start at least 17 games last year: do you consider that a good thing (because it allowed a bunch of guys to get some experience), or a bad thing (because of the uncertainty of never knowing who would start from 1 game to the next), or other? It was very up and down last year with a lot of uncertainty. We were all over the place at first but we finally gained an identity late in the year with a steadier lineup, which helped us get to the postseason. It will carry over into next season: we know that we can just go out there now and do what we have to do without worrying about who is starting.

You are part of a huge senior class this year: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? It will be very crucial. We have 4 freshmen who are ready to play so it will be a nice mix of old guys who have been around the program and young guys who are capable. We want to defend what is ours, but we understand what we did right and wrong last year and we know the format for how we can succeed. We have to relay the message to the freshmen and make sure they are on-board.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against SMU/Colorado: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I would say SMU: I heard they might be a top-25 team. It will be fun for me personally because 1 of my close friends from home is Sterling Brown, who plays for the Mustangs. We do not have as many high-major teams on our schedule as last year, but Colorado will also be tough.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I expect that our team will have a great non-conference record so I think we can enter the conference tourney with 23-25 wins. I feel it is time to take responsibility and own the conference. Great teams win games that they are not supposed to even when they are struggling, and we need to be able to put teams away. I hope we can get back to the NCAA tourney and make a run: if we can get a higher seed, then we will not have to face a team like Kentucky. It is my last year here and I know that I can score, so I want to show my impact on defense and maybe win the conference DPOY award.

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Conference Preview: Big Sky

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason coverage CLICK HERE.

BIG SKY

Since 2009 the Big Sky has been dominated by Montana and Weber State.  In that 7 year span, at least one of those two teams has won the regular season, won the automatic bid, or at least advanced to the conference tournament championship game.  Last season, Weber State suffered a setback, finishing 8th in the conference and falling in the conference tournament quarterfinals (to Montana).  Montana did take the regular season title and advanced to the championship game where they were upset by Eastern Washington.  The Eagles captured the automatic bid and a 13 seed, losing in the Round of 64 to Georgetown.  Montana played in the NIT, while Sacramento State (making their first postseason appearance ever) and Northern Arizona were in the CIT.  Northern Arizona advanced all the way to the CIT title game, falling there to Evansville.

This season, things should be back to normal in the Big Sky as Weber State is the pick to rebound from last year and take the conference title.  In fact, the Wildcats appear to be a good measure better than the rest of the league, though if someone will knock them off Montana is as good a pick as any (Northern Arizona and Portland State being the other top contenders).  Winning the automatic bid in the Big Sky will take a different path this season as the conference has moved its tournament from the home court of the regular season champion to a neutral site in Reno, Nevada.  Additionally, for the first time in conference history, every team will be invited to play in the tournament.  In other words, the regular season is now only about seeding in the conference tournament, and no longer about qualifying for it and earning home court advantage.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Weber State – Joel Bolomboy down low and Jeremy Senglin in the backcourt lead a solid core that appears to have enough pieces to take the league title.

2.  Northern Arizona – The Lumberjacks lost their top two scorers from last season but still have enough pieces to contend with Kris Yanku at guard and Jordyn Martin and Ako Kaluna down low, plus a strong recruiting class.

3.  Montana – The Grizzlies have some questions in the backcourt with leading scorer Jordan Gregory gone and Mario Dunn coming off of surgery.  Martin Breunig figures to be the team’s leading scorer down low, but he is going to need some help.

4.  Portland State – The Vikings add Arizona State transfer Caleen Robinson and Georgia transfer Cameron Forte.  They also return some solid frontcourt payers such as Braxton Tucker and a solid wing in Bryce White.  Despite losing three starters, Portland State could surprise this year.

5.  Eastern Washington – The Eagles do return Venky Jois down low, but he is the only starter back.  It will probably be impossible to replace Tyler Harvey, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.1 points per game.

6.  Sacramento State – A return to the postseason will be difficult without Mikh McKinney and Dylan Garrity but there are enough solid pieces here to be competitive.

7.  Southern Utah – The Thunderbirds return all five starters.  Unfortunately, these are the same players that won just 10 games last season, and only 2 the year before.  Things are improving in Cedar City, but just having a winning overall record would be a huge success.

8.  North Dakota – Carson Shanks is 7 feet tall down low, but he will need help down there for UND to be successful.  The team does have some solid pieces in the backcourt — enough to at least keep them in games.

9.  Idaho State – Almost everyone is gone from a team that won only 7 games.  Head coach Bill Evans added a group of JC transfers that will all need to excel to avoid a finish at the bottom of the league standings.

10.  Northern Colorado – Five of the Bears’ top seven players are gone and there is virtually no experience in the frontcourt.  This could be a long year.

11.  Montana State – The Bobcats simply do not have enough pieces to avoid being among the league’s cellar dwellers.

12.  Idaho – Things look like they will be worse rather than better in the Vandals’ second season back in the Big Sky.  Only one starter returns from last season, and he only averaged 2.6 points per game.

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Season preview: Iowa SR F Jarrod Uthoff

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all the rest of our Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

Most players would get frustrated after having to redshirt for 2 straight years, but Jarrod Uthoff has made the most of this tough situation.  Off the court, he worked hard enough to graduate with a degree in economics last May and was named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District 1st Team.  On the court, he was named to the 2015 All-Big Ten 3rd Team and has already established himself as 1 of the best rebounders/shot-blockers in the entire conference.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jarrod about making 2 NCAA tourneys in a row and how often he checks the team’s schedule. 

jarrod

You began your college career at Wisconsin: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you pick Iowa? The main reason was the style of play. I was not a good fit in the Wisconsin system, but I got to see how Iowa played and I liked it.

You play for Coach Fran McCaffery: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He allows us the freedom on offense to do what we do.

In the 2014 NCAA tourney you scored 6 PTS in an OT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to winning the game in regulation, and what happened in OT (your team was outscored 14-1)? I do not really know: it was just 1 of those things where the tide turned in overtime.

Last February you scored a career-high 25 PTS (5-11 3PM) in a 5-PT OT loss at Northwestern: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Not necessarily: I have had some other games where I was making every shot, but I was not in a pure zone that night.

You finished the year by leading the team with 54 3PM: what is your secret for making shots from behind the arc? It is all about practice and confidence.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney you scored 20 PTS (10-19 FG) in a loss to Gonzaga: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? Gonzaga played as well as they could have so we learned that we need to bring our best every night to beat teams like that.

You have twice been named Academic All-Big 10: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I do all of my homework and go to all of my classes. It does not take a whole lot to get a 3.0 GPA: you just have to be diligent about it and be good at time management.

You lost 2 of your top-3 scorers from last year (Aaron White/Gabe Olaseni): how will you try to replace all of that offense? Offense will not be a problem for us.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Marquette/Dayton/Florida State/Iowa State: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I have not even looked at our schedule because I like to take it 1 game at a time. During the season I do not normally know who our next opponent is until we finish the previous game.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Every year we have the goal of winning a Big 10 title: anything less than that is accepting failure.

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