Chad and David reveal the Hoops HD Preseason Bracket Projections, which were taken from all 32 of Chad’s Conference Previews. They also discuss how they are adopting NJIT as the Under the Radar team of the year. They are the only div1 team that is not in a conference, but still have a reasonable chance of qualifying for a postseason tournament. After that, they look at the week’s upcoming UTR Match ups.
…….and for all of you radio lovers, the audio podcast is available below.
FRIDAY, NOV 14TH
-TEXAS SOUTHERN AT EASTERN WASHINGTON. At 11am in the east, it will officially be college basketball season!! This is an 11am local tip. All teams start at zero, but neither of these two are expected to do much. But, whoever wins will be the kings of college basketball…..at least for a few hours.
-YALE AT QUINNIPIAC. Yale is one of the better teams in the Ivy this year, but will have to either overtake Harvard or earn an at-large if they want to make the dance.
-BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO. I think USD could have a decent year this year with all the experience they have coming back. If Boise wants to make the dance, these are the kinds of road games they need to be able to win.
-TENNESSEE VS VCU. Tennessee has undergone a coaching change, and they may be undergoing another one very soon depending on how the NCAA’s investigation comes out. They have a tall order against a very good VCU team tonight.
-LONG BEACH STATE AT BYU. I know this is technically a buy game, but Long Beach may turn out to be halfway decent this year, and they’re at least good enough to give BYU the kind of game that should enable us to learn something about them.
-GEORGIA AT GEORGIA TECH. Georgia hasn’t gotten much love, but I think they may have something this year. Starting off the season with a road win against a rival would be great for them.
-SIENA AT UMASS. This is potentially a very dangerous opener for a UMass team that was good last year, but has some question marks this year. Siena is one of the teams that will challenge for the Metro Atlantic Title.
VIRGINIA AT JAMES MADISON. I gotta hand it to Virginia. They’re not afraid to go on the road and play against other regional teams.
-NJIT AT SAINT JOHN’S. This is a buy game, but NJIT is our adopted team, so all their games will get some attention from us. The Johnnies have been battling some eligibility issues, and may have some difficulty adjusting.
-MINNESOTA VS LOUISVILLE. It’s the Pitino Shootout!! Louisville looks like a legit top fifteen team. There is a lot of love for Minnesota because of how they finished the season last year winning the NIT, but I’m not quite convinced they’re a slam dunk for the NCAAs.
-AMERICAN AT TEMPLE. American has a lot of players back and should be one of the best teams in the Patriot. Are they good enough to upset a Temple team on the road that is trying to rebuild from a bad season last year??
-AIR FORCE AT ARMY. It’s worth a mention. Neither are likely NCAA Tournament teams, but we believe both will likely do better in their respective conferences than what most are expecting.
-DREXEL AT COLORADO. Drexel is always exciting. They can play up against good teams, and down against poor teams. I have more questions than answers about these two, so it’ll be interesting to see how this goes.
-HOUSTON AT MURRAY STATE. Murray State is very good this year, but has an extremely small margin for error. Houston isn’t great, but they may be one of the better teams that Murray places.
-INDIANA STATE AT IUPUI. IUPUI is awful, but this is our chance to see an Indiana State team who we think could end up close to the bubble when it’s all said and done.
-NORTH DAKOTA STATE AT TEXAS. I know this is technically a buy game, but it’ll be interesting to see how NDSU rebuilds after losing so much from the team that made the Round of 32 last year. It’ll also be a good glimpse to see if Texas is as good as their high preseason ranking.
-MICHIGAN STATE VS NAVY. It may not be a buy game, but it’ll probably ending up looking like one.
-NEW MEXICO STATE AT WICHITA STATE. New Mexico State won’t run away with the WAC, but they probably are the favorites to make the NCAAs. Wichita, again, looks to be a top ten caliber team.
-MILWAUKEE AT AUBURN. We highlight this one because of the return of Bruce Pearl, and he’s returning against his old team.
-WASHINGTON STATE AT UTEP. Many believe UTEP could be an NCAA Tournament team. We’ll see if they can dominate what appears to be a weak Wazzu team at home.
-WOFFORD AT STANFORD. I know this is a buy game, but Wofford is one of the better teams in the SoCon and it’ll be interesting to see what they can do on the road against a good Stanford team.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH
-SAINT FRANCIS COLLEGE AT GEORGETOWN. SFC is picked to win the NEC, and Georgetown has a tendency to be inconsistent. I know this is technically a buy game, but it may be one that turns out to be worth watching.
-BOISE STATE AT LMU. This is a chance for Boise to pad their road wins.
-NORTHERN ARIZONA @ TOLEDO. Toledo may dance this March, but they can’t afford too many missteps in games like this.
-UMASS AT BOSTON COLLEGE. We should know something about UMass by the end of the weekend. They’ve got two challenging games, including this one that is on the road.
SUNDAY, NOV 16TH
-FORDHAM AT PENN STATE. Some have indicated that Fordham may actually end up being a force in the Atlantic Ten. I don’t agree, but if they manage to win this one they’ll at least have my early attention.
-HARVARD AT HOLY CROSS. Harvard should be able to pick this up, but it’s not the easiest game in the world to win.
-GEORGE WASHINGTON AT RUTGERS. If GW is a tournament team, then this is the kind of road game they should be expected to win.
-COASTAL CAROLINA AT UCLA. This is technically a buy game, and it’s a game UCLA can easily win. All I will say is that Coastal is good enough to win this game if the Bruins overlook them entirely.
BUY GAMES, brought to you by Hostess
-Presby @ Duke (Friday)
-William & Mary @ Florida (Friday). Bill & Mary is one of the better teams in the Colonial, but they’re overmatched tonight.
-Florida A&M at Clemson (Friday)
-Bryant at UConn (Friday). Bryant is a halfway decent NEC team, but they’re overmatched in this one.
-Alabama A&M @ Dayton (Friday)
-Grambling State @ George Washington (Friday)
-MIT (nondiv1) @ Harvard (Friday).
-Mississippi Valley State @ Indiana (Friday)
-Howard @ Miami FL (Friday)
-UMass Lowell @ Ohio State (Friday)
-Niagara @ Pitt (Friday)
-Fairleigh Dickinson @ Saint Joe’s (Friday)
-Kennesaw State @ Syracuse (Friday). Why bother??
-Monmouth @ West Virginia (Friday)
-Northern Arizona @ Xavier (Friday).
-Wagner @ Maryland (Friday)
-Radford @ Richmond (Friday)
-UMBC @ Akron (Friday). I like this Akron team and think they’ll make some noise this year.
-Mount Saint Mary’s @ Arizona (Friday)
-Saint Francis U @ Cincinnati (Friday)
-Oakland @ Iowa State (Friday)
-Grand Canyon @ Kentucky (Friday). Grand Canyon is not eligible for the postseason because they are a transitional team, but they are one of the better teams in the WAC. Still, they’re very much overmatched in this one.
-NCCU @ North Carolina (Friday). NCCU is one of the better teams in the MEAC, and they did upset NC State last year, but they’re probably in over their heads in this one.
-SELA @ Oklahoma State (Friday)
-Mississippi College (nondiv1) @ SFA (Friday). SFA cannot afford to lose this game. Period.
-Northwestern State @ Texas A&M (Friday). A lot of people are big on TAMU this year, but I’m not sold yet.
-Lehigh @ Villanova (Friday)
-Sacramento State @ Gonzaga (Friday)
-Georgia Southern @ Illinois (Friday)
-Southern Utah @ Kansas State (Friday)
-UMKC @ Missouri (Friday)
-Binghamton @ Notre Dame (Friday)
-Northern Kentucky @ Wisconsin (Friday)
-McNeese State @ Baylor (Friday)
-Hampton @ Iowa (Friday)
-Tennessee Martin @ Marquette (Friday)
-Lamar @ SMU (Friday)
-Chicago State @ Arizona State (Friday)
-Alcorn State @ Cal (Friday)
-Cal St. Northridge @ San Diego State (Friday)
-Ball State @ Utah (Friday)
-South Carolina State @ Washington (Friday)
-Morehead State @ UNLV (Friday)
-Coppin State @ Oregon (Friday). The Ducks aren’t as good as they’ve been the last two years, but they should start off with a win tonight.
-Montana State @ UCLA (Friday)
-Manhattan @ Florida State (Saturday)
-Gardner Webb @ LSU (Saturday)
-Hillsdale (nondiv1) @ Michigan (Saturday)
-North Dakota @ Northern Iowa (Saturday). I like this UNI team and think they can make the NCAAs. They can’t afford to stub their toes, though.
-Maine @ Butler (Saturday)
-Albany @ Providence (Saturday)
-Fairfield @ Duke (Saturday)
-Buffalo @ Kentucky (Sunday)
-Samford @ Pitt (Sunday)
-Chattanooga @ Wisconsin (Sunday)
-Northern Kentucky @ Nebraska (Sunday)
-Navy @ Notre Dame (Sunday)
-SELA @ Oklahoma (Sunday)
-Prairie View A&M @ Oklahoma State (Sunday)
-Lafayette @ West Virginia (Sunday)
-Hampton @ Syracuse (Sunday)
-Coppin State @ Illinois (Sunday)
-Valpo @ Missouri (Sunday)
-Robert Morris @ North Carolina (Sunday)
-South Dakota @ Stanford (Sunday)
-Norfolk State @ Virginia (Sunday)
-Cal St. Northridge @ Arizona (Sunday)
-Kennesaw State @ Cal (Sunday)
-Alcorn State @ Texas (Sunday)
As we move deeper and deeper into the 21st century, we get closer and closer to the day when we will be able to watch every single college basketball game either on television, a computer or a mobile device. Each season more and more live webstreaming sites become available for college basketball games, and the existing sites continue to upgrade. The vast majority of these sites are free, though some holdouts still charge fees to watch their content. Below is a conference-by-conference breakdown of the video streaming available this year. Please note that this does not include, unless otherwise noted, streaming of games that are also on TV (such as WatchESPN, FoxSportsGo, BTN2Go or the like). Also note that when the phrase “all games” is used, it means all non-televised home games. Some televised home games may end up being streamed as well, but that seems to be on a case by case basis.
America East: All home games other than Vermont’s are streamed for free at the conference website. Vermont home games are streamed for free at the school’s own website (due to an existing contract issue when the America East began their free streaming last year).
American: All non-televised games are on espn3.
ACC: All non-televised games are on espn3.
Atlantic Sun: Almost every home game is available through espn3 which has taken over all webstreaming for the conference.
Atlantic Ten: The A10 offers webstreaming of the vast majority of games on its website. About half of the games are free while the other half require a premium subscription. I have yet to be able to figure out any rhyme or reason behind which games are free and which are not.
Big East: All games are televised.
Big Sky: All games are streamed through the conference website.
Big South: All games are streamed through the conference website.
Big Ten: A few non-televised games are on espn3. The rest are available through the subscription BTNPlus package for streaming.
Big 12: Almost every game is televised. A few may still be available only through the individual team’s website for a charge.
Big West: All games are streamed for free through the conference website.
Colonial: A new streaming service has started this year with the vast majority of games streamed for free through the website. A few schools my not be hooked into the site yet, most notable Delaware and UNC-Wilmington. Their games may require you to go through the school website (also free).
Conference USA: All games are streamed for a subscription package fee only.
Horizon: As with the A-Sun, espn3 now runs the streaming which covers all conference home games.
Ivy League: All games are streamed, but there is a subscription package that must be bought.
MAAC: It appears that the MAAC has finally gotten its streaming for conference games running, but there is a subscription fee for the games.
MAC: espn3 now owns the rights here as well. A few schools are still getting their production facilities up to ESPN standards and may not have some early season games shown, but by the end of the season every game should be available.
MEAC: No conference package exists. Some individual schools have Pay packages available.
MVC: No conference package exists. Most of the schools have a Pay package available.
Mountain West: All games are available through the conference website for free.
Northeast: All games are available through the conference website for free.
Ohio Valley: All games are available through the conference website for free.
Pac 12: All games are televised (those games shown regionally by the Pac 12 Network are available outside their region via the Pac 12 Network streaming service).
Patriot: All games are available through the conference website for free.
SEC: All games are available through SEC Network+, which is part of WatchESPN. These games are only available if your cable operator has the SEC Network.
Southern: A new addition this year, all games are available through the conference website for free.
Southland: No conference service exists, though individual schools may have their own packages. Lamar, Houston Baptist, Stephen F Austin and Incarnate Word’s packages are all free.
SWAC: The conference has a “SWAC Digital Network” which is scheduled to show 4 games all season. A couple of the schools have their own packages, all requiring fees.
Summit: No conference packages exists but individual schools have pay packages available. IUPUI has a free package.
Sun Belt: No conference package exists. Most of the schools have their own packages but they all require fees to be paid.
West Coast: Almost every game is available. All conference and most non-conference games are on thew.tv website. Individual schools carry most remaining non-conference games for free on their own websites. BYU games may also appear on the BYU TV network, which is streamed for free as well.
WAC: The WAC just this week started a brand new WAC Digital Network that will have the majority of games for free. It is just starting up and it may be a few weeks until games make it on there. Until then, some teams are running their own streaming, notably Grand Canyon and Texas-Pan American.
NJIT: The lone independent does stream all of its home games, but you will have to pay for the subscription. Hey, with no conference they need the money!!!
There is bad news and good news for the SEC. The bad news is that the last time the conference had more than five teams in the NCAA tournament was 2008. Further, since ’08, the SEC had five teams in the field just once, in 2011. Last season the SEC only placed three teams into the Big Dance, 1 seed Florida, 8 seed Kentucky and 11 seed Tennessee which was sent to Dayton to play in the First Four. In short, top to bottom, the SEC has certainly struggled in recent years.
All that having been said, the good news is that the SEC has remained a major factor in Division I. Florida rode their 1 seed into the Final Four last year before losing to national champion Connecticut in the semifinals. Kentucky did even better, making it all the way to the national championship game before falling to UConn as well. Even Tennessee succeeded, turning a First Four appearance into a Sweet 16 spot before losing to Michigan. The SEC also placed four teams into the NIT (LSU, Arkansas, Georgia and Missouri) and one team into the CBI (Texas A&M). Thus, while the SEC has not been putting teams into the tournament, there are still programs here that have had success, and the teams that make the field are as dangerous as any team in the country.
This season the SEC may struggle again to get more than a small handful of teams into the Big Dance, but the projected conference champion, Kentucky, could very well be back in the national championship game again this year. Florida should also be in the NCAA picture along with a rising Arkansas program. If the SEC is to get more than three bids this year, teams such as Auburn, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and/or Georgia will need to step it up. Auburn is our pick at the moment from this group, as Bruce Pearl has brought in arguably the best crop of transfers in the nation as part of his return to the college coaching ranks.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Kentucky: John Calipari has such a deep and talented team that he intends to use hockey-style line shifts during games. If the players can all mesh together, the sky is the limit for the Wildcats.
2. Arkansas: The Razorbacks need to learn how to win on the road, but if they do, with talented players such as Bobby Portis, Michael Qualls and Ky Madden, they may prove to be the second best team in the conference.
3. Florida: Michael Frazier II is the only returning starter, but Dorian Finney-Smith should be able to step into a starting role and the Gators have reloaded with the likes of Rutgers transfer Eli Carter. There is no reason why they will not be near the top of the conference race again.
4. Auburn: Bruce Pearl has energized the fan base at Auburn already, and the pieces are here for him to be successful in his first year. Niagara transfer Antoine Mason, New Mexico State transfer K.C. Ross-Miller, JC transfer Cinmeon Bowers and leading returning scorer K.T. Harrell should all be huge helps in turning this team into a legitimate NCAA tournament contender.
5. LSU: The combination of Jarell Martin, Jordan Mickey and 7-1 freshman Elbert Robinson III give the Tigers a very tough frontcourt. The backcourt will be the question mark with JC transfer Josh Gray and freshman Jalyn Patterson both being needed to perform at high levels if the Tigers want to dance this year.
6. Missouri: Kim Anderson takes over head coaching duties and everything says that he will be able to succeed. Mizzou has brought in a strong recruiting class this season, but these kids will need to mature in a hurry with the majority of last year’s team gone.
7. Ole Miss: Life after Marshall Henderson begins this season for the Rebels. Jarvis Summers should excel this year and keep an eye on Aaron Brown down low.
8. Texas A&M: Billy Kennedy has turned to Rick Stansbury as an assistant coach, but he will need a lot more than that if the Aggies want to get into the bubble discussion this year. This team does have a lot of experience on the roster with Alex Caruso, Kourtney Robinson and more — enough to potentially be a surprise team in the SEC standings.
9. Georgia: The Bulldogs would be picked higher if they hadn’t lost Brandon Morris in the offseason. Still, they have the talent to rise in the standings with the likes of Kenny Gaines, Charles Mann and Cameron Forte.
10. Alabama: The Crimson Tide have a solid backcourt but also have some significant issues down low with sophomore Shannon Hale as the only proven player.
11. South Carolina: Frank Martin actually has this program slowly moving in the right direction, especially with Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Johnson in the backcourt, plus some experience down low. However, the Gamecocks may still be a year away from making a serious run at an NCAA bid.
12. Tennessee: The Vols will have a solid backcourt with Josh Richardson, Kevin Punter and Robert Hubbs III. They also look like they will have a lot of problems down low.
13. Vanderbilt: Damian Jones should be the star for the Commodores. Unfortunately, there are not very many other proven players on the roster. Kevin Stallings has brought in a Top 30 recruiting class, and with Jones only being a sophomore, things should be looking up for Vandy this time next year.
14. Mississippi State: The good news is that all five starters return for the Bulldogs. The bad news is that they just don’t appear to have the talent level to avoid being near the bottom of the conference standings.
In 2012, the Pac-12 put only two teams into the NCAA tournament, receiving an 11 seed and a 12 seed. The regular season champion, Washington, was not one of those teams and ended up in the NIT. The conference has certainly come a long way from that low point, with six teams making the field in 2014, including 1 seed Arizona, 4 seed UCLA, 7 seed Oregon, 8 seed Colorado and 10 seeds Stanford and Arizona State. The conference made noise in the tournament as well with three Sweet 16 teams, including surprising Stanford, and Arizona advanced to the Elite 8. Postseason appearances were also made last year by California and Utah in the NIT and by Oregon State in the CBI.
This year, the Pac-12 should continue its success as it could see at least six bids in March. Arizona leads the way as not only the top team in the conference but also as a legitimate contender for the Final Four and the national championship. Utah, Colorado, UCLA, Stanford, California, and Arizona State could all be in the NCAA tournament conversation as well. Oregon looks like it will fall off the pace this season as off-court issues have swirled around the program. However, the conference looks as strong and deep as any in the nation as we head into the new season.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. Arizona: The Wildcats appear to be stacked and are a contender to cut down the nets at the end of the season. A key to their success could be Kadeem Allen, a top junior college transfer who has a chance to be a big time scorer.
2. Utah: The Utes beefed up their non-conference schedule this season as they bring back every key player from last year’s 21 win team. Delon Wright will be the team’s star.
3. Colorado: Askia Booker, Josh Scott and Xavier Johnson are all back to lead this experienced squad. The only key offseason loss was Spencer Dinwiddie, but the Buffaloes proved at the end of last season that they could win without him.
4. UCLA: While Norman Powell is the only returning starter, the addition of Colorado State transfer Jon Octeus and a strong recruiting class should have the Bruins right back among the league leaders.
5. Stanford: Anthony Brown and Chasson Randle give the Cardinal a great backcourt. If they can make up for offseason losses down low, a return to the NCAAs is likely.
6. California: If Jabari Bird can step up his game and freshman Kingsley Okoroh is the real deal, the Golden Bears may give Cuonzo Martin a tournament bid in his first season at the helm.
7. Arizona State: On paper this looks like a rebuilding year for the Sun Devils, but junior college transfers Willie Atwood, Roosevelt Scott, Gerry Blake and Savon Goodman should all help this team reload quickly.
8. Southern California: Andy Enfield does not return much from last season in his second year at the helm, but a solid recruiting class gives hope for a quick rebuild.
9. Washington: Nigel Williams-Goss is a solid player and an NBA prospect. Unfortunately for the Huskies, there does not appear to be much else here beyond him.
10. Oregon: With all the off-court issues, Joseph Young is the only noteworthy player back from last year’s NCAA tournament team.
11. Washington State: Ernie Kent returns to the Pac-12, taking over for Ken Bone. DaVonte Lacey will lead this team and could lead the conference in scoring this season, but there are not enough other pieces here yet.
12. Oregon State: Wayne Tinkle takes over in an attempt to rebuild the Beavers program, but this looks like a long season. He did add Gary Payton II to at least bring back memories for OSU fans of his father.
The Mountain West is a conference in the middle. It is clearly not a “mid-major” or “small conference,” yet it is not a power conference either. However, while the Atlantic Ten was placing six teams into the NCAA tournament last season, the MWC only had two. New Mexico received a 7 seed and lost its first game while San Diego State got a 4 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Arizona. UNLV and Boise State both won 20+ games last year, but the NIT did not come calling for either and the schools opted not to play in the CBI or CIT. Wyoming and Fresno State both accepted CBI bids, with Fresno losing in the best-of-3 championship series to Siena.
This year, the MWC will look for better representation in the postseason in order to further distance themselves from the mid-majors. Four or more bids is clearly a possibility. San Diego State is the team to beat with a good portion of last year’s team returning and a top recruiting class being added in. UNLV, Boise State, Wyoming and Fresno State should all factor in the hunt for NCAA bids as well. UNLV is particularly worth watching as their recruiting class this season has been ranked as one of the Top Ten in the entire nation. New Mexico is likely to slide off the pace after losing their top three players from last season. One team that will definitely not be in postseason contention is San Jose State as the Spartans have been hit with an APR postseason ban.
Predicted Order of Finish:
1. San Diego State: Winston Sheppard, Dwayne Polee II and Angelo Choi give the Aztecs a formidable frontcourt. Steve Fischer has a top recruiting class as well, especially if Malik Pope is healthy.
2. Boise State: Anthony Drmic and Derrick Marks will score a lot of points. A strong group of young players added in should give the Broncos the best shot at knocking San Diego State out of the top spot.
3. UNLV: The Rebels have put together one of the top recruiting classes in the nation led by Rashad Vaughn. They have also loaded up with a killer non-conference schedule. This team will take its lumps early but if the young talent comes together, they could be very formidable by March.
4. Wyoming: Riley Grabau and Josh Adams form one of the conference’s best backcourts. Larry Nance Jr. is returning from injury and could help lead this team to an NCAA berth.
5. Fresno State: Cezar Guerrero, Paul Watson and Marvelle Harris all return to lead the CBI runner-ups as they will try to get into the NCAA conversation this season. Julien Lewis is a huge addition as well, having started at Texas for two seasons before transferring.
6. Air Force: Tre’ Coggins was the Falcons best player last season and he is gone now. However, everyone else is back including Max Yon and Kamryn Williams. This could be a surprise team.
7. New Mexico: Hugh Greenwood and Cullen Neal will need to step up this season, but the Lobos appear to have lost too much from last year to be back in the tournament discussion again.
8. Colorado State: Daniel Bejarano and J.J. Avila are going to score a lot of points, but there are not enough other pieces for the Rams to be among the top teams.
9. Utah State: The Aggies have a good young core, but this could be a long season as they rebuild after losing three double-digit scorers from a team that lost 14 times last year.
10. Nevada: The Wolf Pack lost their top three players from a sub-.500 team. This could be a tough year in Reno.
11. San Jose State*: Rashad Muhammad is a legitimate player, but the Spartans appear to be bound for another last place finish.
* San Jose State is ineligible for postseason play due to low APR scores.
