NEWS: St. John's is on the verge of a massive non-conference schedule during the 2024-25 season and is in advanced discussions to play Duke at Arthur Ashe Stadium and Alabama at MSG, according to Rick Pitino.
Coaching hires grades:
Matt McMahon, LSU: B
Jerome Tang, K State: A+
Todd Golden, Florida: C
Mike White, GA: C
Kenny Payne, LOU: B
Kevin Willard, Mary: B+
Dennis Gates, Mizzou: A
Sean Miller, Xavier: A
Archie Miller, URI: B
Eric Konkol, Tulsa: A-
Josh Hubbard, Riley Kugel, Kanye Clary and Claudell Harris Jr. to man the backcourt in Starkville.
That’s one dynamic backcourt Chris Jans has assembled.
Grand Canyon. Bryce Drew. Tyon Grant-Foster. Electrifying. We are blessed to see more of that on Sunday.
Also, this win marks Bryce Drew’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win as a HC. Great to see him break through.
One of my favorite coach quotes from The Almanac is from Steve Pikiell. “I didn’t lose anyone in the portal. I had opportunities to get another 4-man, but I like my young guys and was afraid to lose 1 or 2 of them if we did that…now it’s time to see what those guys can do.”
Excited to to see the development of Xavier’s Jerome Hunter.
The 6’7 F averaged 7.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG while averaging over 20 MPG last year. Had 24 points against Kennesaw State in R64.
He has the strength to a) pin, move & finish efficiently down low b) stay active on the glass.
Chris Beard is at it again.
Beard fills in the final missing gap at the point guard spot and grabs Saint Peter’s transfer Jaylen Murray.
This is a yet another tremendous pick up for the Rebels, who look all the part of a single-digit seed come March. (Including eligibilities)
Feels like Bobby Pettiford’s impact does not get enough attention. A selfless player who always seems to be one pass ahead of the game. Pettiford has great “feel” when going downhill.
Had a great game in Lubbock, finishing with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
TCU beats Georgetown 80-73 on the road. The Horned Frogs are quietly 9-1. We will see how Big 12 play plays out for Jamie Dixon & company, but the Horned Frogs look poised to be in the NCAA Tournament conversation throughout the remainder of the season.
Earl Grant has quietly and gradually improved Boston College’s win total from 13 to 16 to now 19 with their most recent victory over Clemson tonight.
Progress is being made in Chestnut Hill and they have solid pieces returning next year, too.
Incredible hire by Utah State.
At one of the most difficult jobs in the Horizon League, Calhoun established a winning culture with five-straight .500+ seasons from 2019 to 2024 -- a difficult feat considering the circumstances at YSU.
No doubt he will continue to win in Logan.
Sources: Utah State is finalizing a deal to hire Jerrod Calhoun as the school’s next head coach. He’s the head coach at Youngstown State, which he’s led to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.
An underrated storyline lies in the 414, as
@CoachBartLundy
has the Milwaukee sitting at 9-5 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon. The Panthers have done a great job offensively, placing in the top 16 percent in CBB in PPG, the top 13 percent FG%, and the top 11.5 percent in 3PT FG%.
Although there is a pretty sizable gap between Memphis, FAU and the rest of the AAC — UAB is one team to keep an eye out for.
Eric Gaines & JUCO transfer Christian Coleman will give Kennedy two high-upside scoring options.
Blazers should be in the top three/four of the AAC.
-15 for 34 on 3 pointers with a total of 54 points. That equals 44%.
-Jordan Lyons went 15 for 35 in the whole game.
-That is a boat load of threes. But hey, he dropped 54, Furman got the win, what can you complain about that.
Absolutely love this mentality. Trust your team, trust the guys you recruited, and build within the system. That is the type of style/mentality that will go a long way at a program like Rutgers.
Call me crazy, but I do believe Capel’s got a solid squad heading into the season. A guard heavy line up with Nelly Cummings, Dior Johnson, and Jamarius Burton to complement John Hugley. Do or die type of year for Capel.
@franfraschilla
@TexasTechMBB
@poppop_5
@Big12Conference
What makes Isaacs such a unique player is the fact that as a freshman, he was never afraid of taking the “big shot” and remained aggressive even when the team was struggling. Heck, you had to make sure your defense extended when he was on the floor or the shot was going up/in.
And I remember the grumblings from Illinois fans after they had 2 tough years to start out his tenure in Champaign.
2 years later, he leads Illinois to a
#1
seed in the NCAA Tournament with a Big Ten Tournament Championship.
We continue to hear waiver appeal decisions being made, but still no initial waiver decisions from:
- Primo Spears (Florida State)
- Brandon Murray (Ole Miss)
- Moussa Cisse (Ole Miss)
- Efton Reid (Wake Forest)
- Adam Miller (Arizona State)
The Lobos are arguably one of CBB's most slept-on teams heading into November.
-Jamal Mashburn & Jalen House is a deadly backcourt.
-Donovan Dent = breakout season.
-Baker, Amzil, Junior Joseph & Mushila = experienced transfers.
-
#45
overall ranked freshman class, per 24/7.
New Mexico is bringing back their full backcourt trio & Donovan Dent’s sophomore leap will be a huge part of their success 🐺💪
Similar style to Mashburn & House, flies down the floor, great defender, aggressive on both ends. Played 18.5 mpg as a freshman but will be relied on
The AP Top 25 is a good thing due to its ability to nationally recognize certain teams.
But, a certain AP voter didn’t even RANK Kansas in their AP top 25
So today is a reminder that the AP 25 doesn’t hold any value on the selection committee and it means, literally, nothing.
As the calendar turns to September, fall practices begin to start and the dust from the transfer portal has settled, it is time to start looking at 10 teams that seem to be flying under the radar heading into the 2023-2024 NCAA Basketball season.
Mark Madsen has been on fire in the transfer portal.
-Mike Meadows (Portland)
-Fardaws Aimaq (Texas Tech)
-Jalen Cone (VT & Northern Arizona)
-Keonte Kennedy (Memphis)
-*Maybe* Jaylon Tyson? (Texas Tech)
The question is: who will step up consistently for the Golden Bears?
The 2018-19 non-conference schedule is official. The Cowboys will potentially face ...
9⃣ postseason participants
8⃣ RPI top-100 teams
8⃣ 20-game winners
➡️
Under the radar game today: UTEP beat New Mexico State 65-50 today in El Paso. UTEP also beat Texas Tech in a scrimmage this year too. Rodney Terry has something brewing in El Paso.
Jeremiah Fears can be one of the Big Ten’s most impactful freshmen come the 2025-26 season.
Deep range, smother jumper and an elite playmaker — all of which bode well in Underwood’s system.
Jeremiah Fears did it ALL today in Team USA’s 150-54 win over Belize in the AmeriCup:
17 Points
8/16 FG
6 Assists
7 Steals
0 Turnovers
+48
Illinois got a special one 👀
Five potential candidates for the Ohio State opening:
-Pat Kelsey, Charleston
-Darian DeVries, Drake
-Mick Cronin, UCLA
-Dusty May, FAU
-Greg McDermott, Creighton
As
@trillydonovan
pointed out, it’s extremely possible that a high-major coach would entertain OSU given NIL.
Lots of names here…
-North Carolina
-Villanova
-Wisconsin
-Clemson
-Oregon
-Colorado
-Ohio State
-New Mexico
-Florida
-St. John’s
Most likely to bounce back out of this group? Give me UNC followed by Villanova & Wisconsin, respectively.
My projected seed list before the top-16 seed reveal on Saturday (in order):
1.) Purdue, UConn, Houston, Arizona
2.) Tennessee, Marquette, North Carolina, Iowa State
3.) Kansas, Baylor, Alabama, Duke
4.) Auburn, Illinois, Wisconsin, Clemson
Just missed: Creighton, Dayton
The top three in the Big East (Marquette, UConn, Creighton) are legitimate top ten/Final Four teams.
St. John’s and Villanova are both in or near the top 25.
Xavier and Providence are both tournament teams.
The Big East is DEEP.
Nebraska, Seton Hall and Wake Forest have made a statement this week, cementing themselves in the NCAA Tournament conversation.
Should you buy or sell each team as conference play gets going?
Cougs Post the Largest Margin of Victory in the Country's Longest-Running Rivalry!!!
WSU scores the 48 pt victory over Idaho in the ICCU Arena!!!!
#GoCougs
|
#BackHome
Eric Musselman has it rolling in Fayetteville. He does a great job with connecting to the fanbase and utilizing resources to merge the gap between players and coaches. Truly a players coach. The energy at Bud Walton Arena will be crazy this year. Expect a big year for the Hogs.
Thank you to all the fans who showed up for the first glimpse of
@RazorbackMBB
today at Barnhill arena!
Ticket update less than 5 season tickets remain in BWA 👀
#SeasonSELLOUT
Per Coach Hurley’s statement, Adam Miller— a two-time transfer from Illinois & LSU — has had his waiver for immediate eligibility denied.
There has to be more transparency with the waiver process. Feels like the NCAA is just picking names out of a hat to determine eligibility.
Really, really impressed with Nevada so far. They are have slowed down Washington’s offense immensely and has gotten some really strong play from Kenan Blackshear.
The Huskies, on the other hand, find themselves down 15 and have shot a woeful 5 for 15 from the line.
The decision to fire Derek Kellogg this late in the off-season is simply unfair to the student athletes & the family of Kellogg. Why make the decision THIS late? Long Island’s season ended on March 5th. That was 116 days ago.
Mick Cronin pointed to Sebastian Mack gambling for a steal that sparked an Oregon run, a habit Cronin has been trying to break in practice: "On a veteran team he’d play about five minutes a game, but I gotta play him."
Interesting
#MarchMadness
HC facts
- Dana Altman has never lost in the Round of 64 as the HC at Oregon.
- Scott Drew has gone to the NCAA Tournament 12 times. He has been a three seed six times.
- Steve Lutz has been a HC for three years. He's in his third NCAAT appearance.
In a blink of an eye, the 2023-24 college basketball season comes to a close.
Thanks to all who have made it so special to cover
It was an incredible four months of hoops — and nothing more fitting than crowning the back-to-back champions.
The offseason officially begins!
@Fieldof68Freak
Love New Mexico this year. Guard play is just so strong with House & Mashburn Jr at the 1 & 2. Pitino will have plenty of scoring options.
Just how impressive has Indiana State's start been so far?
-Taking out preseason bias, Indiana State ranks 26th in the nation, according to BartTorvik.
- A 61.7 eFG% places them at 1st in the nation.
- Transfers Isaiah Swope & Ryan Conwell have been excellent.
Two-bid MVC??
2022 ESPN Invitational has quietly fielded a solid bracket. Most of the teams in this bracket have a high upside featuring some intriguing matchups. Love the Memphis/Seton Hall draw.
Florida State/Siena
Ole Miss/Stanford
Oklahoma/Nebraska
Memphis/Seton Hall
The coaching carousel is starting to spin.
Early names to watch at Washington — an attractive job given its move to the Big Ten, location, & NIL (
@MattNorlander
).
Danny Sprinkle, Utah St
Kyle Smith, Washington St
Russell Turner, UC Irvine
Amir Abdur-Rahim, USF
Niko Medved, CSU
One name to keep an eye on in the upcoming coaching carousel is Josh Pastner.
If Rice's Scott Pera is let go (which seems likely at this point), it would be an ideal/logical landing spot for Pastner.
He hails from Houston + he has grassroots connections galore in Houston area.
Ryan Ridder is one of the up-and-coming coaches to keep tabs on in future college cycles.
- Two .500 or better seasons at Bethune Cookman.
- Increased UT-Martin’s win total from eight to 19 to 21.
- Now with a really strong staff at Mercer, winning ways await in Macon.
New Mercer head coach Ryan Ridder has hired Davis and Elkins head coach Daniel Mondragon, source told
@TheFieldOf68
.
Ridder's staff is currently Jonathan Mitchell (G-League), Reed Ridder (UT Martin), Ben Witherspoon (UCF) and Daniel Mondragon (Davis and Elkins head coach).
@CBKReport
I’ve always said this: something is wrong with the system if you lose to a 16 seed then win the championship the next. Now you lose a 13 seed for back to back years. (Excluding 2022 NIT)
Their offensive execution hinders them from really putting teams away. We saw that today!
Sorting Torvik to take out preseason bias and here are some interesting, yet deserving, results:
-Nevada at
#8
-Utah at
#20
-Butler at
#26
Kenan Blackshear is tremendous, Thad Matta's portal work has payed dividends this offseason and Craig Smith + veterans = success.
Amarion Nimmers has announced his return to Iowa after entering the portal in early August.
Nimmers, a redshirt freshman, adds depth to Iowa’s backcourt although his role this upcoming season remains unclear.
Will be a pivotal piece for the program in the upcoming year(s).
Today’s slate includes..
- Tennessee @ South Carolina
- UConn @ Marquette
- BYU @ Iowa State
Bubble games
- Villanova @ Seton Hall (double bubble)
- Michigan State vs Northwestern
- Texas A&M vs Mississippi State
- New Mexico vs Fresno State
Naithan George’s freshman campaign continues to roll thanks to the game-winning layup over UNC.
The Yellow Jackets have been a tough out in year one of the Damon Stoudamire era.
The wins may not have all strung together this year but the toughness in this team is evident.
Minnesota’s non-conference slate so far, per
@TheD1Docket
. Evident the Gophers are putting together a more challenging slate this time around.
Vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
@ Missouri
Vs. Yale
Orlando X2 (Florida, Wake Forest, fourth team TBD)
@dbyrd4
@JonRothstein
It would have been the “easy way” if he stayed at Texas Tech. He had unlimited job security there. Now he has to replicate what he did at Tech in Austin with immense pressure and expectations. I agree though, not much loyalty being shown.
Big East Twitter is unmatched yet *maybe* there is truth to
#theresignation
?
For reference, many reports and sources have indicated that Ed Cooley makes around $6 million per year, making him one of CBBs highest-paid coaches.
He finished year one just 9-23 (2-18).
One more week...
With that in mind, we are still awaiting notable immediate-eligibility waiver decisions from:
Moussa Cisse (Ole Miss)
Brandon Murray (Ole Miss)
Primo Spears (FSU)
Jalen Cook (LSU)
The SEC is now 0-3 in the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky, gone.
Mississippi State, gone.
South Carolina, gone.
Not the strongest of starts considering the quality of the league this year.
I have hope for you tonight,
@Vol_Hoops
.
Look out for Longwood.
@GriffAldrich
and
@LongwoodMBB
are poised for a big year. Justin Hill, DeShaun Wade, and Zac Watson are three players to keep an eye on.
And there it is.
Cal, Stanford and SMU will be joining
ACC starting in 2024-2025.
The PAC-12 is officially dead. Would imagine Washington State & Oregon State will look to merge within the likes of the Mountain West of some sort.
Saint Mary’s has played a total of 5 games against Q1 & Q2 teams. 25 out of their 28 wins fall under Q3-Q4. Not impressive at all. Yes, they win the games they should win, but any NCAA tourney contender could and should win those games
Oh... and they almost lost to Pepperdine.
Virginia Tech projected starting five per
@jeffborzello
of
@espn
.
Storm Murphy (17.8 PPG, 4.3 APG at Wofford)
Hunter Cattoor (8.5 PPG)
Nahiem Alleyne (11.1 PPG)
Justyn Mutts (9.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG)
Keve Aluma (15.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG)
A lot to like about this squad. High ceiling IMO
Jaedon LeDee, who else would it be?
LeDee wins it at the buzzer for San Diego State as the Aztecs come back from down 12 and avoid a near-catastrophe against UC San Diego on the road.
Aztecs prevail 63-62.
Barring an unforeseen run through the Big 12, it looks as if the end is near for Mike Boynton.
For Texas Tech, they show no let down from their win at Texas and McCasland quietly has the Red Raiders standing at 13-2 (2-0) — winners of eight straight.
Tony Skinn with a splash in the portal, landing Auburn transfer KD Johnson.
Johnson molded into the sixth man role to the past two seasons at Auburn. A fierce competitor and a high-energy player.
Ben Johnson lands his (presumed) starting PG with Charlotte transfer Lu’Cye Patterson, who will play alongside the high-scoring Caleb Williams from Macalester at the PG spot.
Replacing Hawkins is a tough deal, but Patterson brings some offensive pop that should bode well for MN.
BREAKING: Charlotte transfer PG Lu'Cye Patterson has officially committed to the
#Gophers
.
I am under the belief that he will be the frontrunner to start at PG next season for Ben Johnson and Gophs. Only one open scholarship remains.
-The best overall adjD recorded in a Final Four team from 2017-2022 are the 2019 Texas Tech Red Raiders, with an 84.1 adjD rating. That was the top recorded rating from 2017-2022.
Significant loss for the Xavier Musketeers. With no timetable available, it will be interesting to see if he will be ready come November.
Did a film segment (recently) about his potential impact. Such a skilled big who can pin his man down low and stay active on the glass.
It will be Charleston vs. UNC Wilmington to take home the 2023 Colonial Athletic Tournament Championship.
Does 30-win Charleston get in even with a loss? It’s quite possible. Heck of a job by Pat Kelsey with this squad.
Bubble teams will be fans of the Cougars tomorrow.
Remember the Canadian team that was beating up on power-five Division I teams in preseason exhibitions?
That was under Dave Smart (photo via Carleton Newsroom).
Sources: Texas Tech's Dave Smart is finalizing an agreement to be the next head coach at Pacific.
Smart was previously the head coach at Carleton University in Canada.
Vermont’s John Becker.
- .712 overall winning percentage (.845 in conference)
- Zero losing seasons in 12 years.
- Averaging 23.3 wins per season (Including COVID year which didn’t start until late December)
- Five NCAAT appearances
How has he not gotten a bigger job?
Really excited to Nebraska play with actual expectations this year. Palmer Jr is poised for an even better year, but is Nebraska poised for a better year in a much improved Big Ten? We will have to see
#Nebraska
#palmer
#Cornhuskers
Prediction: 10-8/11-7 in Big Ten play
Final from Madison --
#BadgerMBB
81 Michigan State 66.
A game in which the Badgers never trailed from start to finish, it was an impressive performance for Wisconsin behind 28 points from AJ Storr.
Michigan State with work to do resume-wise despite strong predictive metrics.
If/when Stanford opens,
@jeffborzello
pointed out two potential candidates:
- Kyle Smith (Washington State)
- Mitch Henderson (Princeton)
A. Both have won given difficult circumstances at current jobs.
B. Both have won at an Ivy League -- familiar with academic "constraints."
As rumored earlier, Kevin McCullar will be the PG for Tech this year. Love this move by Mark Adams. McCullar is a team player and can be trusted with the ball in his hands. And can’t forget, he can score the ball too. Will be interesting to see where Tech places Warren now.
Upset in Evanston!
Top-ranked Purdue falls to Northwestern 92-88 in OT behind 31 points from Boo Buie.
What a win for Chris Collins. What a win for Northwestern.
The story of the game stems from turnovers. Purdue committed 17 meanwhile Northwestern only committed three.
In the past two seasons, the MWC sent four teams to the NCAAT.
Five is doable this year with SDSU, Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado State all having teams capable of making deep, second-weekend postseason runs. Utah State not that far behind as well.
East Coast hoops junkies better prepare for INSOMNIA this winter. The Mountain West is on FIRE. Nevada wins the Diamond Head Classic and goes 4-0 in Hawaii. Wolf Pack are 3-0 this season against power conference opponents.
@JimPolzinWSJ
Not an easy move, but one that seemed eminent. In my opinion, this is McIntosh’s test to see if Wisconsin should go with Leonhard or look beyond the Wisconsin coaching tree/connections.
Although Auburn was unable to hold on tonight, I genuinely feel there are far more positive takeaways than negative.
1. Aden Holloway is the real deal.
2. Elite rim protection
3. Playing a tough, talented Baylor squad in the first game of the season = learning experience.
Such a solid field, but Penn State vs Texas A&M NCAA Tournament rematch is tremendously exciting.
Penn State & VCU are on other sides of the bracket, but could still eventually play each other.
Rhoades WILL have to face VCU (H&H) per contractual obligations in the near future.
Wisconsin lands PG Camren Hunter from Central Arkansas.
Hunter averaged 16.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 3.7 APG in 2022-23 in a high-volume role offensively. Hunter did not play last season due to a foot injury.
#BadgerMBB
gets their point guard.
This is a big-time get for Fran McCaffery.
Traore averaged 11.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG as a freshman last year at Manhattan and brings in defensive upside, too.
Now if Iowa returns Payton Sandfort...