November 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: Dayton did what it needed to do on Saturday. After falling behind early, Chris Wright led the Flyers to victory over Creighton in a crucial early-season matchup for the Flyers and their conference. Phil Martelli got his St. Joseph’s Hawks off on a positive start with an overtime victory over Philly foe Drexel. UMass had an ugly showing in Orlando, losing to UCF by 17. Meanwhile, Fordham is stretching the definition of mid-major after a pair of opening-weekend losses.
Team of the week: Dayton. On Friday, I openly wondered if Dayton’s offense would be good enough for the Flyers to become an elite team, rather than just a very solid top-40 team. Early returns are propitious. Last season, only two NCAA Tournament teams — Cleveland State and Morgan State — had worse team eFGs than Brian Gregory’s club, and Dayton was also poor at taking care of the ball, but both of those numbers turned around on Saturday.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| Creighton |
73 |
1.10 |
0.552 |
0.178 |
0.254 |
0.276 |
| Dayton |
73 |
1.23 |
0.558 |
0.123 |
0.364 |
0.188 |
There’s a caveat. Creighton is not a very good defensive team, ranking 113th in the nation in defensive efficiency last season. It is strange, though, that the two defensive areas where Creighton is most proficient — forcing turnovers and holding opposing shooters to low percentages — were where Dayton flourished. The Bluejays were primarily a good 3-point defense team last year, and they did hold Dayton to just 33.3 percent. On the other hand, the Flyers still made nine 3-pointers and 59.5 percent of 2-pointers. Chris Wright shined with 26 points on 83.3 percent eFG. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Alabama, Atlantic-10, Boston College, Brian Gregory, Central Florida, Chris Wright, Cleveland State, Cornell, Creighton, Dayton, Dereck Whittenburg, Derrick Favors, Devin Downey, Drexel, Duquesne, Fairfield, Fordham, Gani Lawal, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Holy Cross, Iowa, La Salle, Maine, Massachusetts, Mid-Majors, Morgan State, Nebraska, Phil Martelli, Rhode Island, Siena, South Carolina, St. Bonaventure, St. John's, St. Joseph's, St. Louis, Temple, Villanova
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November 15, 2009 –
by Brendon
In sum: Central Florida got the Conference USA’s season started off right with an impressive victory over UMass, but SMU missed a chance to knock off a Big East team later on Friday night. Memphis had no problems with Jackson State in the debuts of Josh Pastner and Elliott Williams. Also notable is Ben Braun and Rice going 3-0 on the weekend to match its entire win total from just two seasona ago. As a whole, the league went 13-4 across the opening weekend.
Team of the week: Central Florida. In the first game since Jermaine Taylor’s graduation, the Knights got to the line a ton and made a much higher percentage of shots than the Minutemen. That’s often a good recipe for success, and it was in the 17-point win.
|
Poss |
PPP |
eFG |
Turn |
Reb |
FTR |
| UMass |
73 |
0.92 |
0.420 |
0.164 |
0.330 |
0.130 |
| UCF |
73 |
1.15 |
0.609 |
0.219 |
0.328 |
0.309 |
Individually, Isaac Sosa was the story. He shot 45 percent on 126 3-point attempts last season, and he hit 6-of-7 on Friday night. If we were wondering who would soak up some of the possessions that Taylor left behind, we’ve surely found part of our answer. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Arizona, Auburn, Ben Braun, Central Florida, Conference USA, Elliott Williams, Georgia, Houston, Isaac Sosa, Jackson State, Jermaine Taylor, Josh Pastner, Kansas, Massachusetts, Matt Doherty, Memphis, Miami (Fla.), Mid-Majors, Nevada, Rice, SMU, Texas A&M, Tulane
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November 13, 2009 –
by Brendon
Let’s face it — Sunday’s slate isn’t very interesting, but there is an upset watch in Providence as well as an intriguing scheduling trend for teams looking for an RPI boost.
Mercer at Providence (2:30 p.m. ET): The World Vision Invitational may not compete with the Maui Invitational or the NIT Season Tip-Off in terms of attracting marquee programs, but it does offer us one of Sunday’s intriguing matchups. This three-day “tournament,” which has four teams play a round-robin format, features Providence as the host. Mercer, Bryant and Bucknell fill out the field.
(Brief digression: World Vision is a terrific Christian charity that is often among the first responders with support after a natural disaster — like the recent floods in the Philippines. World Vision is also on the vanguard of preventing cases of malaria in the third world. I encourage you to check it out.)
Bryant has just recently become a Division I team, and, while Bucknell is a solid opponent capable of pulling off the upset, Mercer’s reputation as a giant-killer continues to grow. The Bears famously knocked off O.J. Mayo and Southern Cal in the teams’ opener two seasons ago. Last year, the Atlantic Sun program defeated Alabama and Auburn in a four-day span. With six of his top eight players back, head coach Bob Hoffman will hope to add a Big East scalp to his collection. Read More »
Posted in ACC, Big East, Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged ACC, Alabama, Atlantic Sun, Auburn, Big East, Bilal Dixon, Bob Hoffman, Brian McKenzie, Bryant, Bucknell, Delaware, Duke Mondy, E.J. Kusnyer, East Carolina, Georgetown, James Florence, James Still, Jamine Peterson, Johnnie Lacy, Kadeem Batts, Keno Davis, Kyle Wright, Marshon Brooks, Mercer, Mid-Majors, Monmouth, O.J. Mayo, Providence, RPI, Russ Permenter, San Diego, Seton Hall, Sharaud Curry, Southern Cal, Stanford, Temple, Tulane, Vincent Council, Wake Forest, World Vision
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November 13, 2009 –
by Brendon
The best games on Saturday’s slate give us looks at two teams expected to be among the best mid-majors this season as well as a two-time defending conference champion attempting to bring its shooting form south of the Mason-Dixon against an opposing coach making his debut with a new school.
Creighton at Dayton (1 p.m. ET): I feel comfortable calling this the best matchup of the weekend in terms of the quality of the two teams. The problem is injuries. For Dayton, guard Rob Lowery is out, greatly diminishing the Flyers’ backcourt depth. Creighton will be without starting forward Justin Carter. The 6-foor-4 senior has a torn MCL. Casey Harriman and Chad Millard, who are expected to be key cogs in a small Creighton frontcourt may also be out.
Have I diminished the spectacle of this matchup enough yet? Let me rebuild it. Even without those players, this is a game featuring the coaches’ preseason pick to win the Atlantic 10 and finish second in the Missouri Valley. Read More »
Posted in Mid-Majors, Reviews/Previews, SEC
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Tagged Alabama, Alex Ruoff, Anthony Grant, Atlantic-10, Booker Woodfox, Brian Gregory, Casey Harriman, Chad Millard, Chris Wright, Chris Wroblewski, Chuck Davis, Cornell, Creighton, Dayton, Geoff Reeves, Ivy League, JaMychal Green, Jeff Foote, Jermareo Davidson, Josh Dotzler, Justin Carter, Kenny Lawson, Larry Sanders, London Warren, Louis DAle, Luke Fabrizius, Marcus Johnson, Mark Gottfried, Mid-Majors, Mikhail Torrance, Missouri Valley, P'Allen Stinnett, Penn, Princeton, Richard Hendrix, Rob Lowery, Ryan Wittman, SEC, Senario Hillman, Steve Donohue, VCU, West Virginia
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November 9, 2009 –
by Brendon
Feel free to jump to the conference of your choice by clicking on one of the links below:
• ACC
• Big 12
• Big East
• Big Ten
• Pac-10
• SEC
• Mid-Majors
With the first games that count coming up on Monday night, I figured I’d get my predictions in for all the major conferences and a few select mid-majors. Here are the conference-by-conference predictions with projected league record and postseason fate. It’ll be another four-plus months before I find out how wrong I am — sooner than that with some teams. Though I don’t officially make Final Four and Sweet 16 picks, you can infer them from the seedings.
ACC
Duke (predicted conference record 11-5; possessions returned — 63.8 percent*): There are concerns at point guard, but they were there last year as well, and while Jon Scheyer isn’t a natural at the position, he’s good enough to get by considering his talent and that of those surrounding him. The loss of Elliott Williams does hurt, but the combination of Scheyer and Kyle Singler plus emerging youngsters should keep Duke at or near the top of the ACC. NCAA No. 2 seed. Read More »
Posted in National Perspective
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Tagged 2009-10 season preview, A.J. Ogilvy, ACC, Al Skinner, Al-Farouq Aminu, Alabama, Alonzo Gee, Andy Kennedy, Anthony Crater, Anthony Grant, Arinze Onuaku, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Atlantic-10, Auburn, Augustus Gilchrist, Austin Freeman, Avery Bradley, Baylor, Ben Braun, Ben Howland, Big East, Big Ten, Bill Carmody, Bill Self, Bo Ryan, Bobby Gonzalez, Boston College, Brad Tinsley, Brandon Triche, Brigham Young, Bruce Pearl, Bruce Weber, Butler, California, Carleton Scott, Cashmere Wright, Chandler Parsons, Chase Budinger, Chinemelu Elonu, Chris Johnson, Chris Warren, Chris Wright, Cincinnati, Clemson, Colorado, Conference USA, Connecticut, Cory Higgins, Courtney Fortson, Craig Brackins, Craig Moore, Craig Robinson, Creighton, Damion James, Dante Cunningham, Dar Tucker, Darryl Bryant, David Huertas, Dayton, DeJuan Blair, DeMarre Carroll, Demetri McCamey, Demontez Stitt, Denis Clemente, Deon Thompson, Deonta Vaughn, DePaul, Derek Glasser, Derrick Favors, DeShawn Sims, Devan Downey, Dexter Pittman, Doc Sadler, Dominique Jones, Duke, Dwayne Anderson, Dwight Lewis, Ed Davis, Elliott Williams, Ernie Kent, Evan Turner, Florida, Florida State, Frank Haith, Frank Lickliter, Frank Martin, Fred Hill, Gani Lawal, Gary Williams, Georgetown, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Greg Echenique, Greg McDermott, Greg Monroe, Greivis Vasquex, Herb Pope, Herb Sendek, Horizon, Howard Thompkins, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iowa State, Isaiah Thomas, J.T. Tiller, JaJuan Johnson, Jake Kelly, Jamelle Cornley, James Anderson, James Harden, JaMychal Green, Jarvis Varnado, Jeff Bzdelik, Jeff Capel, Jeff Leo, Jeff Pendergraph, Jeff Peterson, Jeffrey Taylor, Jeremiah Rivers, Jermaine Beal, Jerome Dyson, Jerome Randle, Jerry Wainwright, Joe Mazulla, John Beilein, John Henson, John Jackson, John Pelphrey, John Riek, John Thompson III, John Wall, Johnny Dawkins, Jon Brockman, Jon Scheter, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Josh Owens, Jrue Holiday, Junior Cadougan, Justin Dentmon, Kalin Lucas, Kansas, Kansas State, Keaton Nankivil, Kemba Walker, Ken Bone, Kenny Boynton, Keno Davis, Kentucky, Keon Lawrence, Kevin Coble, Kevin O'Neill, Kevin Stallings, Klay Thompson, Kyle Singler, LaceDarius Dunn, Lance Stephenson, Landry Fields, Lazar Hayward, Leo Lyons, Leonard Hamilton, Lorenzo Brown, Lorenzo Romar, Louisville, LSU, Luke Harangody, MAAC, Manny Harris, Marcus Thornton, Mark Fox, Mark Turgeon, Marquette, Marshon Brooks, Maryland, Memphis, Miami (Fla.), Michael Dunigan, Michael Snaer, Michigan, Michigan State, Mid-Majors, Mike Davis, Mike Montgomery, Mike Rosario, Mike Singletary, Mikhail Torrance, Minnesota, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Mouphtaou Yarou, Murphy Holloway, Nebraska, Niagara, Nic Wise, Nick Calathes, Norm Roberts, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Northern Iowa, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oliver Purnell, Oregon, Oregon State, Pac-10, Pat Knight, Patrick Christopher, Patrick Patterson, Paul Gause, Paul Hewitt, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Purdue, Quincy Pondexter, Raymar Morgan, Renardo Sidney, Rick Barnes, Rick Jackson, Rick Stansbury, Rihards Kuksiks, Robbie Hummel, Roy Williams, Rutgers, Samardo Samuels, Scoop Jardine, Scott Drew, Scott Martin, Sean Miller, SEC, Senario Hillman, Seth Greenberg, Seton Hall, Sharaud Curry, Sidney Lowe, Siena, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Cal, St. John's, Stan Heath, Stanford, Stanley Pringle, Stanley Robinson, Sylvan Landesburg, Syracuse, Talor Battle, Tennessee, Terrico White, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Theo Robertson, Tim Abromaitis, Tim Floyd, Tom Crean, Toney Douglas, Tony Bennett, Travis Ford, Trevor Booker, Tubby Smith, Tulsa, Ty Abbott, Tyler Smith, Tyler Zeller, Tyrese Rice, Tyrone Nash, UCLA, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Vernon Macklin, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, WAC, Wake Forest, Washington, Washington State, Wayne Chism, Wesley Johnson, West Coast, West Virginia, Willie Warren, Wisconsin, Xavier, Zaire Taylor
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March 2, 2009 –
by Brendon
Printable Version of Bracket »
Bracketing challenges: One of the toughest decisions in this bracket actually came all the way down on the No. 5 seed line, where I had one more team I wanted to put in than spots to fill. I was tempted to drop Marquette to a No. 6 seed after two straight losses and without Dominic James, but, in the end, I moved Florida State to the top of the No. 6 seed line. FSU has the profile of a higher seed, but, if there is a team near the top of the field that I would pick to drop a line or two from its earned seed, it might be FSU for its general lack of buzz. That’s obviously very subjective.
Bubble: The bubble continues to be a source of great consternation. Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida all had disappointing losses — either at home or to a team lower in the standings. The loss drops Kentucky further out and moves South Carolina and Florida closer to the cut line, but I’m keeping them in for now. The SEC is the conference I’m most interested in seeing how the committee brackets. Read More »
Posted in Bracket Junkie
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Tagged ACC, Atlantic-10, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, Conference USA, Horizon, MAAC, Mid-Majors, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, Southern, WAC, West Coast
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February 27, 2009 –
by Brendon
Printable Version of Bracket »
Bracketing challenges: The most difficult spot on the bracket to fill out — and that has been the case for many of these projections — is the last No. 2 seed line. Louisville and Kansas both passed Villanova with impressive road wins, so it came down to those two teams for that last spot. I’ve heard some people suggest that Louisville might soon be in line for a No. 1 seed, but the Cards will need to keep winning to secure a No. 2. The competition — Duke, Memphis, Michigan State, Kansas — is pretty stiff.
Bubble: The two teams I’m least comfortable leaving out of the bracket are Kentucky and Penn State, which are the two teams that our model has in but which I moved out. Both have weak RPIs, weak non-conference RPIs and are coming off convincing losses. Of the teams not in the field, they have the fewest obstacles to getting back in the field and could do so with a win over the weekend. UK hosts LSU, while PSU hosts Indiana. Read More »
Posted in Bracket Junkie, National Perspective
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Tagged ACC, Atlantic-10, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, bubble, Conference USA, Mid-Majors, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC
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February 18, 2009 –
by Brendon
Of the 65 teams that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi listed on his most recent bracket projection and the eight teams he listed as the closest teams to the field who are not in the field, I found the most glaring omission to be Creighton.
After the Bluejays’ 89-84 win over Evansville on Tuesday night, Dana Altman’s team has won seven straight to move to 22-6 overall and 12-4 in conference. If Creighton wins its last four conference games and advances to the Missouri Valley title game before losing, the Bluejays will sit at 27-7 with a 14-4 conference mark. Will that be enough to get them in? None of those subsequent wins would be against a team currently in the RPI top 50, so is it possible for the Bluejays to turn any committee members’ heads? Read More »
Posted in ACC, Mid-Majors
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Tagged Arizona State, Creighton, Drake, George Mason, Illinois State, Joe Lunardi, Massachusetts, Mid-Majors, Missouri Valley, Ohio State, St. Mary's, UCLA, Utah, Virginia Tech, Wichita State
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