2025 is on for the non P6

 Southern Conference action: UNCG outscored  Wofford 47-38 in the second half  for a  68-66 W. 

Mercer beat CHAT 99-94 in OT. T. Johnson scored 26 for the Bears. 

Jan 4, 2025

Chicago St got their first win of the season and it was in NEC play. Crawford scored 15 for CHS in a 64-52 win over Wagner.

It appears those ex-Sycamores are taking root in St Louis. SLU 73 JOES 57 in A10 action.

Mashburn Jr scored 24 in Temple's win over Wichita St in AAC action.

Jan 6, 2025

AAC: Big  68-64 win for Memphis over NTX. Haggerty -27 points for the Tigers

FAU outlasted ECU 78-76. Walker (21pts, 13reb) for the Pirates

ECU/MEM matchup on 1/11

Jan 9, 2025

On the Horizon: YSU beat NKU: Dynes (15REB) for the Penguins

CLEV beat RMU: T. Smith (10 reb, 5 asst) for Vikings

PFW beat MILW: J. Jackson (25pts, 9 reb) for Mastodons

Jan 12, 2025

Calmese scored 20 for Wazoo(3-2 WCC) in a loss to the Zags. ORST(3-2 WCC) blows out Pacific.

Looking local: . J. Theodosiou scored 27 for LOYMD in a 75-74 win over Navy in Patriot League action

Towson  outscored Drexel  17-6 in OT for CAA win.

Jan 14, 2025

Merrimack, formerly in the NEC,  is 5-0 in its first season in the MAAC. They beat Manhattan on Sunday.

UAB is  getting into gear. Blazers have won three straight  games in 2025. Lendenborg (22pts, 10reb, 7 ast) in win over FAU on Sunday.

Jan 15, 2025

Bamisile(23 points) for VCU  in a solid win over SLU.

Miami(OH), Akron , and Ohio remain undefeated in MAC action. Clayton 16.8 PPG for the Bobcats.

Jan 16, 2025

Rebels' upset USU with a solid team effort in MWC action.

Are Andy Kennedy's Blazers getting in gear for the Dance? Coleman (21pts, 8reb)  led UAB to a 92-83 win over USF.

Jan 17, 2025

Mild surprises. Oregon St beat Gonzaga in OT in WCC action.  Temple beat Memphis in AAC play.

Rataj (29 pts 7 reb) for the Beavers. Mashburn scored 21 for the Owls.

O5 Bowl games 2024-25 early ones

 Kind of weird to see bowl games on the same day as the Army/Navy game.

Two seesaw teams . South Bama will eke out a 24-21 win over WMU. Lopez won't toss an INT for the Jags.

Memphis 31 WV 30. Henigan will have a big  passing game for the Tigers.

Is Rich Rod going back to WV for 2025? Will he Coach JVU in the bowl game?

Dec 14, 2024

 Dan Mullen is the new UNLV HC which suggests the Rebels O will remain in high gear.

Dec 15, 2024

K. Bullock RB, (USA) 130 YDS 1TD in a 30-23 win over WMU. correct on this one.

Jason Eck leaves Idaho(1AA) to become HC at New Mexico. 

Vandals program has danced between 1A and 1AA for a long time.

Dec 16, 2024

Next two picks are difficult. 

UNLV had a solid season in the MWC while Cal rode a seesaw  all season but made it to .500 overall. Cal 27 UNLV 26

JMU 30 WKU 20. Dukes will bounce back from Nov 30 SBC loss to the #herd 

Sac St  with Mike Vick as HC to either the MWC or Pac 2+. Who are  all these $$$ folks backing the investments in NIL etc?  Well Vick is going to be the HC at Norfolk St

Dec 18, 2024

Correct pick on Memphis who won 42-37. WV scored 21 of the last 28 points in the game.

Dec 19, 2024

wrong on UNLV  , correct on JMU

Early  in the game Williams completed a 49 yard TD pass to Kayden McGee, and I felt like the Rebels were going to win. UNLV D blanked Cal 10-0 in the second half.  UNLV 24 Cal 13

JMU  won the second half 20-3

JMU 27  WKU 17

Sam Houston hires Phil Longo, former OC  at Wisky, to be the new HC. He worked at SHSU a few years ago.

SHSU beat GASO last night 31-26. French tossed 4 INTs  and the Eagles did not make it all the way back. I got it wrong on Bowl Mania

O5 title games -2024

Jacksonville State 24 Western Kentucky 21: Stewart  rushes for over 100 yards for Jax St.

Tulane 17 Army 16:  Just a gut feeling the Green Wave D recovers from the Memphis game.

Boise St  31 UNLV 20: Jeanty rides on!

Miami(OH) 34 Ohio 24:  Gabbert tosses a few TDs in the Red Hawks win.

Marshall 28 ULL 27: Coach Huff has rounded the Herd into shape.

Dec 7, 2024

Big games for RBs

Wrong on TUL as Udoh of Army rushed for 158 yards and a TD

Right about JVU and Boise St. Jeanty(BSU) and Stewart JVU each rushed for over 200 yards.

Dec 8 2024

Split yesterday. Correct on the Herd who rolled the Cajuns 31-3. Wrong on MO who were handled by Ohio.  Ohio's HC Tim Albin is likely headed to Charlotte(AAC).

Appy is hiring Loggains, the South Carolina OC, to be its next HC. 

Dec 10, 2024

O5 hires: Huff stays in Sunbelt, leaves Marshall for USM. Tony Gibson (NC St DC) replaces Huff.

Willie Simmos(Duke RB  coach) takes over at FIU.

Mendenhall stays in MWC, leaves UNM for USU

Jerry Mack (Jacksonville Jaguars RB coach) takes Kennesaw St  HC job.

Week 14 Turkey and more

Over the years, TX/TAMU or MissSt/ Ole Miss have been in the Thanksgiving night time slot. Tonight it's Tulane/Memphis in an AAC matchup. If Tulane wins tonight then beats Army in the title game, I doubt if it will be enough to get them in the F12.

Each team has decent QBs and starting RBs. Green Wave is on a roll. TUL 31 Mem 27

CUSA: Liberty wins and they're in the CUSA title game  against JVST. Cooley rushed for 100+ yards for the Flames in 24-13 win over SHSU.

MAC: Four teams left in the MAC title race. Buffalo won Tuesday but needs a ton of scenarios to occur to get in. Ohio has a shot  (Miami OH) and Bowling Green , the other two teams vying for a title game chance, will play Friday at Noon.

Fannin, the BG TE, is a game time decision to play. I'll roll the dice . BG 27 Miami(OH) 21.

MWC: UNLV wins and they're in cuz they have a higher CFP metric than Col St. They did not play H2H this season.

UNLV plays Nevada.  CSU  plays an improving USU.

CSU wins 17-14 with a late TD pass from Nicosi.

SBC: Ton of title game  scenarios  in a conference with divisions.South Alabama clinches with a win AND a loss by ULL.

USA will beat TX St  24-23 to keep the pressure on ULL who faces ULM. Bothwell rushes for 100 yards for the USA Jags.

Nov 29 2024

Wrong on Tulane who didn't score in the 2nd &3rd quarters. Mario Anderson rushed for 177 yards for Memphis. MEM 34 TUL 24

Continue to be wrong: Liberty lost to SHSU. BG lost to Miami (OH), and South Bama lost to TX St

Red Hawks were focused on slowing down Fanin 8 REC , 47 yards

CSU was my sole correct pick. Nicosi threw 4 TD passes and ran for the game winning TD late in the 4th. I predicted a game winning toss. CSU 42 USU 37

Dec 1, 2024

Tip my hat to the #herd on its big 35-33 OT win over JMU. In the second OT MU converted a two point play, JUM did not. MU has won 6 straight and faces ULL in the SBC title game.

Other  notes:  Aztecs(MWC) lost 6 in a row to finish 3-9 for the season.

MAC title game in Detroit feature Ohio teams: Miami(OH) /Ohio.

WKU upset JVU  to gain the chance to play them again next week for the CUSA title. JVU hosts the game.

Dec 3 2024

Kittley, a year as the WKU OC , then 3 at Texas Tech  , is the new HC at FAU (AAC). TT's O was eighth in scoring in 2024.

Appy fires Shawn Clark, Rough season not sure this is the answer.

Week 13 early Mackin

 NIU has been up and down since beating Notre Dame  earlier in the season, and Miami (OH) is on a roll. Gabbert will toss two TD passes for MOH in a narrow 24-21 win over NIU.

Other 4 picks later this week.

Correct on MOH. Gabbert only tossed one TD but that was enough in the 20-9 win over NIU.

11/21/24

Nice methodical win by Ohio U over Toledo last night.

Now to the other 4 picks:

AAC: Rolling with ECU 24 NTX 20. Pirates are hot, NTX is not.

CUSA:  JAX St 28 SHSU 19. Stewart  rushes for 150 yards for the Gamecocks.

MWC:   Rams are hot , Bulldogs are struggling. CSU 21 Fresno St 17

SBC: Herd are galloping. ODU has had some close losses.  Nailbiter: MU 24 ODU 23

11/24/24

ECU roared back to beat NTX. Big games from two Pirates, Harris and Smith

SHSU slowed Stewart somewhat but the Cocks QB Huff TCOB

Braxton was great by air and land for the Herd in a 42-35 win over ODU

Wrong on CSU who blanked Fresno in the second half but couldn't come all the way back in a 28-22 loss.

11/25/24

Tulsa canned HC Kevin Wilson so that makes 6 AAC HC  vacancies to fill in the off-season.  Charlotte, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Rice, and Temple are the other openings. 

Ryan Switzer is the interim HC.at Tulsa.  Charleston, West Virginia kid.  Played at UNC and then a few years in the NFL.

Week 12 MAC on Tuesday, then more O5

 MAC: BGSU and WMU, two of the four teams tied for 1st place, play tonight. I'll go with the Bazelak to Fannin connection for the W.  BGSU 28 WMU 20.

Other four O5 picks  by Thursday.

Nov 13, 2024

Fannin Jr (10 REC 137YDS 2TD) for BGSU in 31-13 win over CMU. One correct.

How about that game in Buffalo? BUFF 51  Ball St 48

Nov 14, 2024

Ok, time for the other four picks:

AAC: Hughes has rushed for 1200 yards for Tulane, a hot team. TUL 31 Navy 21

CUSA: La Tech has been making strides, but they won't stop the WKU aerial show  led by Veltkamp. WKU 41 La Tech 30

MWC:  Cowboys O has showed signs of life,  and they 'll give  the Rams a scare but won't upset them. CSU 27 WYO 24

SBC:  ODU is a roller coaster ride, but this is an intrastate matchup with JMU. Barnett tosses two TDs for the Dukes. JMU 28 ODU 24.

Nov 16, 2024

CSU didn't have too much difficulty with Wyoming in a 24-10 win . J.Marshall rushed for 104 yards for the Rams.  Two for two, so far.

Nov 18, 2024

So wrong on WKU. LA Tech outkicks WKU 12-7

Tulane blanked Navy 35-0 and will face Army in the AAC title game.

JMU survived ODU 35-32. 

4-1 for the weekend

UNM over Wazoo and LIberty narrowly escaping  UMass  caught my attention.

Mendenhall has done a decent job with the Lobos.

ULL lost to USA. Jags were outscored 16-0 in the 4th but held on for 24-22 win

Temple fired Drayton after a win over FAU. You could see it coming after three bad seasons but it's still strange timing.

Nov 19, 2024

Associate HC Tim Brewster will serve as IC after  Biff Poggi was canned at Charlotte.His last HC  Job was Minnesota Gophers 2007–2010

Week 11 MAC on Tuesday

 I'm going to roll  with Fannin Jr., the TE for BGSU(66REC 947YDS 6TD), to catch two TD passes on the road. BGSU 28 CMU 24. 

Rest of the picks later in the week.

Nov 7, 2024

Fanin didn't find the end zone, but BGSU beat CMU so I nailed that one. BGSU 23 CMU 13

In other MAC news Ohio blanked Kent St 41-0.

Now to the other four picks:

AAC: AFA held Army to 20 points  and NTX can  score plenty of points. I'll go with Morris tossing a few TD passes. NTX 35 Army 31.

CUSA:  Cooley & Salter do enough for the Flames. LIB 24 MTSU 16

MWC: UNLV stayed close in a loss to Boise. Hawaii edged Fresno. Rebs will slow down Schager's aerial show enough for a 24-21 win.

SBC:  Interstate battle. CCU is coming off a bad loss to Troy and Appy looks like they've made some repairs. Aguilar  will toss two TD passes for Appy. APP 28 CCU 20

Nov 8, 2024

Wrong on Appy. CCU came out hot and rolled to a 38-24 win with Bennett rushing for 3 TDs.

Nov 10, 2024

Wrong on Army losing and the game being a high scoring one . Army 14 NTX 3

Correct on the Flames. Another big game for Cooley 14 CAR 138 yards, 1TD LIB 37 MTSU 17

Correct on Boise. More of the usual from Jeanty. I was damn close on the final score -28-21.

2-3 for the weekend.

 MWC: UNM beat  the slumping SDSU Aztecs. 

AAC: Tulane crushed Temple and is 6-0 in conference play.

SBC conference  ULL remains undefeated at 5-0 in the West. Marshall and GASO are tied at 4-1 in the East. Herd crushed USM and GASO was idle.

Nov 11, 2024

Four MAC teams tied at 4-1  Miami O, WMU, BGSU, and Ohio

WKU and Jax St tied at 5-0 in the CUSA. Is Rich Rod back?

Week 9 O5 Tuesday and more

 CUSA Tuesday time then the other 4 picks later this week.

SHSU stumbled against WKU, and FIU is having a rough season. Hunter Watson threw 2 TD passes in the loss to WKU but the rushing game was  weak.  Probably time to get McKinney 20 carries.  SHSU 24 FIU 16.

SHSU barely survived two missed FGs and being stuffed on 4th and goal at the end of the first half. SHSU 10 FIU 7. Bearkats need a healthy Watson back at QB ASAP.

Oct 24, 2024

Wow, Liberty loses to Kenn St. ODU blows out  GASO. SBC  is getting wild.

Ok on to the rest of my picks:

AAC: Navy has been sailing along nicely against team with weak defenses Notre Dame(Independent) will slow them down. ND 24 Navy 20

MAC: CMU has stumbled in  conference after beating  the Aztecs(MWC). Gabbert has put up some decent passing numbers for Miami(Ohio). MO 28 CMU 24.

MWC: Can the Rebels slow down Jeanty? Not enough to win! BSU 31 UNLV 27

SBC: SBC: South Bama got a much needed win over Troy last week ,but ULM will handle them. Hardy rushes for 100 yards ULM 34 USA 23

Oct 26, 2024

Got pretty close on the final score  guess . BSU missed a 2pt attempt after a Jeanty TD . BSU 29 UNLV 24

Jeanty rushed for a 128 yards.

Oct 27, 2024

Wrong on ULM who got 100 yards rushing from Hardy but were rolled by S.Bama 46-17.

Correct  on Navy losing to ND.

Correct on Miami (OH) winning. Mazee rushed for 120 of the Red Hawks 277 rushing yards in a 46-7 victory.

In other MAC news, Coleman Owen(WR- Ohio) ,Yds-Ru 22 TDRu 1

Yds-Rc 146 TD-Rc 2, has been putting up some numbers.  Ohio 47 Buff 16

Oct 28, 2024

You knew it was coming: Rice fires HC Mike Bloomgren after 2-6 start in his 7th season. Special teams coordinator Pete Alamar is the interim HC.

Week 8 in O5 conferences.

 WKU played well in 31-14 win over SHSU. Hunter Watson, SHSU QB, was hurt early in the game.

UTEP finally got a W with a win over FIU. CUSA is done for this week. Now to my picks.

AAC: Morris(NTX) has better stats  than Henigan(MEM) except in INTs.  NTX loses 28-24 @ Memphis.

MAC: Are the Buffalo Bulls back? I'm not sold. That 47-3 loss to UConn was bad.  WMU 30 BUFF 21

MWC: Both teams are hard to gauge. I'll go with S. Red rushing for over 100 yards for Nevada in a 31-30 win over Fresno. St.

SBC: Time to pay some attention to ULL, who beat Wake Forest and its only loss is to Tulane. Cajuns prevail at CCU 24-14.

Oct 19, 2024

Wrong on Nevada! S. Red rushed for 56 yards and a TD in the Wolf Pack's loss. FRES 24 NEV 21

In a game I didn't pick the Herd  stayed with Braxton at QB and got 177 yards rushing and 3 TDs from A.Turner in a 35-20 win over GA ST.

Oct 20, 2024

Wrong on NTX who lost a he!! of shootout to MEM. 

Right on WMU: Wolff  outduels Ogobanna  in another shootout. WMU 48-  Buff 41

Correct On ULL  who beat CCU34-24 and sit atop the SBCW.

2-2 this week.

Week 7 in O5 conferences

 CUSA: Veltkamp will toss 2TDs passes for WKU in a 28 to 20 win over UTEP. Hilltoppers need to keep pace with Liberty and Jax St who won this week. 

AAC: Coach Dilfer  needs a rapid improvement in his D. UAB will get a little better and stay close at Army. Army 24 UAB 19

MAC: Ohio loses a 17-16 nail-biter at CMU. 

MWC:  Both teams have  not impressed anyone this season. Cowboys win at home. WYO 20 SDSU 17.

SBC: Can the Herd contain French, the GASO QB?  Is Braxton, the Herd QB,  the answer . GASO 31 MU 27 in Statesboro, GA.

Oct 11, 2024

Veltkamp tossed 3TD passes for WKU in the 44-17 blowout. Jolly rushed for 119 yards for UTEP.

Oct 13, 2024

Army  rolled over UAB. Dilfer's program is not improving

MAC game was a nail biter, but I picked the wrong winner. CMU second  half comeback fell short  Ohio 27 CMU 25.

MWC: another close one that I predicted the wrong winner .Aztecs nipped the Cowboys 27-24

SBC: Dexter Williams came off the bench and sparked GASO to a 21-0 fourth quarter in a 24-23 win over the Herd. Two QB system backfired for MU. Earle's safety was costly. Braxton played well

3-2 this week.

Oct 14, 2024

They tossed an SBC game into the early week mix. Two struggling teams, Troy @ South Bama

Oct 16, 2024

Lopez , the USA QB, produced enough  O for South Bama(2-1 SBC) in a 25-9 win over Troy(0-3 SBC). MTSU beat  Kenn St 14-5 and NMSU survived La Tech 33-30 in CUSA action.

Week 6 in the O5 conferences

 MAC: We're heading into more conference games and I'm circling back to Bowling Green and their solid TE, Harold Fannin(37rec, 537 yards, 4 TDs). Falcons have struggled since giving Penn St a scare. BG 24 AKR 17

CUSA: Sam Houston St got spanked by UCF but have handled their other four opponents, UTEP hasn't won a game. SHSU 27 UTEP 20

AAC: Charlotte edged Rice last week , which may be just what Coach Biff needs to prevent another bad season. 9ers slow down Garcia, the ECU QB. CHAR 24 ECU 21

SBC:  ODU got it first win last week and CCU got spanked by UVA. CCU improves its weak rushing attack and  edges ODU 17-16.

MWC: Cooper rushes for 100 yards for the Aztecs to get a much needed win.  SDSU 23 Hawaii 17

Oct 4, 2024

D. McKinney,RB - SHSU 14CAR 138YDS 2TD in a 41-20 win over UTEP. First pick correct.  SHSU is 5-1.

Oct 5, 2024

No shortage of points for O5 teams last night .  UNLV scored 41 in OT loss to Cuse. Huff, the JVS QB, rushed for 176 yards and 3 TDS in a 63- 24 win over KENN

Oct 6, 2024

Wow Marshall scored over 50 in a win over Appy.  Braxton tossed 3 TD passes and rushed for two TDs for the Herd. 

ULM upset JMU, who failed ona 2PT conversion attempt to tie the game with four minutes left.

Now to the rest of my picks: went 5-0 for the weekend.

 CCU beat ODU. Charlotte pounded ECU. SDSU beat Hawaii.  Another big game for Fanin (9 rec, 135 yards) in  BG's 27-20 win over Akron.

Oct 8, 2024

Just noticed the CUSA is playing games on Tues &  Wednesday. Used to be just the MAC doing that. FIU/Liberty tonight.  NMSU/Jax St tomorrow night.

And Liberty got a scare from FIU . Cooley rushed for 174 yards for the Flames who won 31-24 OT

Week 4 O5 close matchups

 Both teams have struggled , particularly running the ball. Tulsa(AAC) 24  ULL 17 . K. Francis will have a decent game passing for the Hurricane.

The No D special: Rich Rod finally finds a way to win this season . Jax St(CUSA) 42 USM 41(SBC)

The Limited O special : Colorado St(MWC) 16 UTEP(CUSA) 13. Perhaps J Marshall scores a rushing TD for the Rams.

Ball St is coming off a 62-0 loss to Miami(FLA). Is a MAC match up against CMU, the Cure? Nah, Labas throws 2 TD passes  for the Chippewas. CMU 23 Ball St 16 

Sept 21, 2024

Coach Ken has done a great job,  but I didn't foresee  his Spartans giving Wazoo a hell of a scare  before losing 54-52. Too bad Chip Kelly's late move  didn't give UCLA a chance to promote Coach Ken

Sept 22 2024

Right on  Tulsa, Jax St,  & Colorado St, and CMU

Hughes rushed for 166 yards and a TD for Tulsa. Tulsa 41 ULL 33

Jax St got plenty of O and found some D in a 44-7 rout of USM.

Morrow rushed for 156 yards and 2TDs  for Colorado St. in a 27-17 win over  

Labas threw a  TD with 16 seconds left on the clock to lead CMU to a 37-34 win.

Tough loss for NIU getting upset by Buffalo

Herd  were leading the Buckeyes  7-0 after one quarter, but then it ugly for them. Ohio St 49 MU 14.  A Turner, the Herd's leading rusher, gained 32 yards.

James Madison  70-50 win over UNC   was a nice shot at the Power boys but also showed the Dukes haven't missed a beat so far  by hiring Chesney, from Holy Cross, to replace Cignetti.

Sept 25, 2024

Chatter about Sacramento St, a 1AA team in the Big Sky, leaping to the  MWC or PAC12.

Sluka, , the UNLV starting QB, leaves the team to save his red-shirt season, because the Rebels did not  "honor" a promise.. $$$$$$

Miami (Ohio) started the season with high hopes  and played NW tough before losing 13-6. Then lost to Cincy and ND. I suspect Gabbert goes off on UMass this week.

Week 2 :some O5 close matchups

 Cooper of SDSU  and Griffin of Wazoo each had big rushing games in week 1.  Wazoo 24 SDSU 23

ODU is coming off a tough loss to South Carolina, and ECU cruised by Norfolk St ODU 27 ECU 20

Only second match up between these teams. CMU 20  FIU 17

I like how FAU played Sparty tough in a 16-10 loss. FAU 19 Army 17

Another one that intrigues me. Will Coach Ken Niumatalolo's experience coaching against the academy teams help him today. I say yes. SJSU 17 AFA 16

Sept 8 2024

My error SDSU lost to Oregon St., Wazoo played and beat Texas Tech.

Right on SJSU  and FIU

Wrong on ODU and FAU

MAC was a mixed bag yesterday but props to Bowling Green for giving Penn St a great battle before falling. Harold Fannin, the BG TE (Yds-Rc 137,TD-Rc 1), has NFL skills.

Then to NIU for edging Notre Dame 16-13

Sept 9, 2024

O5 surprises. ECU(AAC) at 2-0. Jake Garcia, decent so far. Ark St(SBC) at 2-0. Is Butch Jones back?

Sept 10, 2024

It's been a fun week at work ribbing the PennSt fans to beware of Kent St (MAC) next week. Flashes won't beat the Vols this week.

Week 1 O5 -four pack

 Vashko tossed for 249 yards and 2 TDs for CCU(SBC) in a 55-27 blowout of Jax St(CUSA).Time to pick a few O5 games this weekend.

Rice(AAC) handles a fiesty SHSU(CUSA) squad 23 -20. EJ Warner, Kurt's son and a transfer from Temple starts at QB for Rice

Feel like Helton's Panthers are ready to step up. GA Southern(SBC) 31 Boise St (MWC) 27

JMU, minus Coach Cignetti, survives Biff's boys. JMU(SBC) 24 Charlotte(AAC) 23

EMU(MAC) 22 UMass(I) 20. Big plays from Eagles D will make the difference.

Sept 1, 2024

Wrong on Rice and GA Southern. Correct on JMU and EMU.

Solid days for Hunter Watson , SHSU QB, in a win over the Owls.

I'm surprised at the high score: Boise St 56 GAS 45. Jeanty(BSU) rushed for 267 yards, he!l of jump in Heisman race

Sept 2, 2024

Chad Morris threw for 415 yards and 3 TDS, and also rushed for 2 TDS for North Texas in a win over South Bama.

SBC is the only 1A conference that kept divisions for football. I like it.

Non-P6 NIT action

 J Kent (35pts,9reb) for INST in a 101-92 win over SMU. St Joe's gave Seton Hall a scare but fell, while VCU beat NOVA.  San Fran edged by Cincy(B12) and Appy lost to Wake Forest(ACC). 

Noteworthy to see LOYCH(A10) lose to Bradley, its one-time MVC foe.

UNLV beat Princeton.

March 24, 2024

Reigning NIT champion NTX(AAC) fell to Seton Hall(Big East) 72-58. The Pirates will host the winner of UNLV/Boston College next week. Bradley(MVC) lost to Cincy(Big12), 74-57.  Jizzle James(what a first name) scored 25 for Cincy.

Looks like Coach May is leaving FAU for Michigan

March 25, 2024

 Indiana St vs Cincy - great regional matchup in the NIT. also upcoming: Seton Hall vs. UNLV . 

VCU vs. Utah, Ohio State vs. Georgia

March 26, 2024

Utah St loses Sprinkle to UW. Last year Sprinkle left Montana St to replaced Odom who took the VCU job.

Marshall promotes Cornelius Jackson to replace Dant0ni who was given a nudge out the door.

Vanderbilt hires James Madison’s Mark Byington.

Drake loses DeVries to WV.

March 27, 2024

Avila(22pts, 6ast) for Sycamores in a win over Cincy.  GA edged Ohio St. It was only the second time GA and OSU met in hoops.

 Buckeyes beat the Bulldogs 84-80 in OT Dec. 28, 1997, in the Louisville Holiday Classic.

March 28 2024

P6 schools have three of the NIT F4 slots. Seton Hall pounded UNLV and Utah handled VCU. 

Georgia vs. Seton Hall, Indiana State(MVC) vs. Utah

Louisville agrees to 5-year deal to hire Pat Kelsey from Charleston(CAA), as men’s basketball coach. Long time ago he was on Chris Mack's Xavier staff.

March 30, 2024

Siena(MAAC) hires Gerry McNamara, former Cuse PG and assistant coach.  When he played on Orange title team, I was inundated with questions of is he your relative and I'd say no, McNamara is a fairly common last name in most countries with English as a first language.

FAU(AAC) gets Baylor assistant John Jakus

Rice (AAC) Out : Scott Pera | In : Rob Lanier (just canned by SMU)

April 2, 2024

Does USC raid Non P6 to replace Enfield(headed to SMU) for Medved of CSU or Terada of St Mary's?  Or Hart(G League) who was an assistant at USC from 2013-2021.

Apr 3, 2024

Enfield says SMU being in the ACC made the difference.

How about Indiana St getting 27 points from Conwell and advancing to the NIT final to face Seton Hall who beat GA?

April 4, 2024

Ben McCollum of Div II NW Missouri State, takes the Drake job and has recruited in Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.

April 5, 2024

Sycamores came back to take a 7 point lead late in the game, but Seton Hall finished with a 9 point run  SH 79 Ind St 77

J. Larry G - INST (18PTS 6AST)

April 6, 2024

Utah St replaces Sprinkle with Faukner from YSU(Horizon). JMU hires Spradlin from Morehead St. EWU loses Riley to Wazzoo. INDSU(MVC) is likely losing Shertz to St Louis(A10).

 Is Wade leaving McNeese St to return to SEC, this time at Arkansas?

April 13, 2024

Is the College Basketball Crown, the Fox Sports/AEG launch next year, going to squash the NIT? And will it ignore non-P6 teams?

Josh Loeffler, a Bearcats assistant, takes the Loyola -MD (MAAC)job.  He was the Johns Hopkins HC(2017-23). ODU(SBC) hired Mike Jones off the Terps staff -he has strong DC area ties.

April 16, 2024

Long Beach State: Chris Acker replaces Monson and will reunite with athletic director Bobby Smitheran, who was at SDSU until the summer of 2023. So, it's about getting your own guy?

April 18, 2024

Mark Montgomery, an Izzo assistant, replaces Mike Davis at Detroit(Horizon). Definitely looks like a good hire. Detroit was 1-31last season.

May 15, 2024

Doug Gottlieb gets the UW-Green Bay(Horizon) HC job. His only coaching experience is being on Bruce Pearl's staff at the Maccabiah Games. His dad coached at UW- Milwaukee in the mid 1970s.

Sundance Wicks left Green Bay to take the Wyoming job.

June 13, 2024

Coach Josh Schertz got Avila and Swope to follow him  from INST to St Louis, and now the Billikens  are getting ink as a pre-season fave to win the A!0, Big leap?

July 25, 2024

Chris Mack  (278-133) landed at Charleston(CAA). That bumpy ride in Louisville took its toll.

I was surprised when Isaiah Crawford went undrafted, but the former La Tech  player is having a nice summer for Sacramento.

Most NIL movement is to or among the P6. However, Memphis (AAC) got Tyrese Hunter from Texas and Dain Danja from Illinois. 

Aug 21, 2024

Michigan(B10), Oakland (Horizon) will play a Hoops. charity exhibition at Little Caesars Arena on 10/20. Oakland is 1-8  in the series.

Non P6 hoops 2024 part 3

 USF keeps its great season going with a win over Tulsa and extends it's AAC lead to 1.5 games over FAU.

UMASS upsets Richmond who falls a half game behind idle Dayton and LOYCH, a winner over JOES.

Utah St beat Wyoming to stay atop the MWC.

NKU upset Green Bay, Horizon Leader. Another late season run for the Norse? 

.

Feb 17, 2024

Ledee scored 23 for the Aztecs in an 81-70 win over the Lobos and now trail USU by a half game in the MWC.

VCU beat SLU to stay in the A10 race.

Appy is one game up on Troy and JMU in the SBC.

Feb 18, 2024

CSU handled USU easily which knocks the Ags into a tie with the Aztecs for first place(MWC). BSU and NEV won.

Akron beat Buff to remain atop the MAC.

Zags(WCC) beat Pacific and look like they're coming full force but trail St Mary's by 2 games.

Feb 19, 2024

S.Miguel scored 25 for USF in a 90 - 86 win over FAU. SMU blew out Memphis. Charlotte and UAB also won in AAC action.

Alston(21pts, 10reb) for LOYCH in a win over URI which moves them into a tie for first with Dayton(A10)

Feb 20, 2024

William & Mary is a nice campus to visit filled with history. Now to hoops: Policelli scored 15 for first - place Charleston in a CAA win over visiting W&M. UNCW & Drexel are each a half game behind.

Feb 21, 2024

S Wilson scored 18 points for Toledo in a win over Akron which leaves them tied for 1st in the MAC

MWC- USU beat SDSU and takes sole possession of first place. Boise and Nevada won, too.

Feb 22, 2024

AAC: USF keeps winning. Rice 96 UAB 71 wow. 

Freidel(19pts, 9reb) for JMU(SBC)in a blowout win over Marshall.

UNCG grinds out a tough win over W.Carolina to stay close to Samford.

Feb 23, 2024

Goldin scores 21 to lead FAU to an 80-70 win over SMU in AAC play.

TAR 77 GCU 74. Tarleton won its seventh straight game and moves to 1.5 gb of GCU in the WAC.

Feb 24, 2023

Akron(MAC) beat Kent St and moved a game up on Toledo who lost to Bowling Green. Freeman(24pts, 14reb) for the Zips.

Green Bay fell a game behind Oakland(Horizon) after losing to PFW.

Feb 25, 2024

MWC

10-4: Utah State, SDSU, Boise State beat CUSU

9-5: Nevada, UNLV beat CSU

9-6: New Mexico lost at home to AFA and is near the bubble. Pitino Jr - another late season slide.

AAC - Charlotte looked rough in a bad 81-79 loss to Tulsa.

WCC: looking like SMC, GONZ, and SF will be dancing.

SBC: Appy beat the # herd and stays one game ahead of JMU, a winner over GASO.

CUSA: SHSU and La Tech each won to remain tied for first.

Feb 26, 2024

AAC: USF beat SMU to maintain its 3game lead. Memphis beat FAU. Lendeborg(26pts, 12reb) for UAB in a win over Tulane.

Horizon: NKU beat IUPUI. Another Norse late season run?

Feb 27, 2024

Rough 2OT loss for UNCW who falls 1.5GB of COFC. Campbell 105 UNCW 100 Looks like CAA will be a one Dance ticket conference. A. Dell'Orso(34pts,11reb) for CAMP.

Feb 28, 2024

Top five in MWC are no more than a game apart. Boone (24pts, 12reb, 2ast) for UNLV in an OT win over WYO.

 MAC: Akron lost to Ohio, who've won 3 in a row.

Feb 29, 2024

Spillers (18pts, 16reb) for Appy in a 89-64 trouncing of ODU. Ark St, which hasn't lost in 3 weeks, beat CCU and is 4th in the SBC.

March 1, 2024

WCC: SMC crushed PEPP and still leads the Zags by 2 games. G. Ike scored 26 for the Zags in a win over 3rd place SF. WAC: Tarleton beat UTU for its 9th straight win and trails GCU by a half game.

March 2, 2024

Lipscomb(W4) may be the fave to win the ASUNT after beating EKU(L2) last night. APPY(W7) and JMU(W10) won last night and look impressive heading into the SBCT.

March 3, 2024

UNCW got back on track with a win over Towson but needs to win the CAAT to Dance.

WCC: Zags beat SMC - both teams will be dancing.

A10- VCU lost a close one to Richmond.

AAC: USF keeps rolling with a win over Charlotte and FAU gets a win over Tulane and moved into second place. What's going on with SMU(L3) lost to UTSA who got 33 points from Ivy-Curry.

Southern: Keeping my eyes on W. Carolina(W3) who beat CHAT last night.

March 4, 2024

Indiana St beat Murray St and won the MVC regular season. Conwell(24pts, 12reb)

June 10, 2024

Kennesaw St leaves the ASUN  for the CUSA formally this summer. Coach Pettway replaces Rahim, who took the USF job, and will face a more difficult path getting to the Dance

June 23 2024

Upcoming NBA draft: DaRon Holmes II, a center from  Dayton(A10), is stirring some rd1 chatter.  38.6% percent shooting treys last season.

Dillon Jones, G Weber State, Enrique Freeman, F Akron  Jonathan Mogbo, San Francisco 

Ajay Mitchell, G UCSB. Freeman did it all for the Zips. !8.6 ppg, 12.9 reb

June 27, 2024

Nuggets trade draft picks to the Suns to get  the 22nd pick and take  DaRon Holmes II from Dayton(A10). Hopefully he gives Jokic some support in the paint.

June 28, 2024

RD2: Freeman to the Pacers. Mitchell to OKC. I didn't see this one coming . Anton Watson(Gonzaga) to the Celtics. I guess they liked his D and passing ability.

UDFA: Alex Ducas, a guard from Saint Mary's, signed with OKC. Max Fiedler(Rice) signed with 76ers and could be Embid's backup.

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/

Non P6 hoops 2024 part 2

 Horizon: Robert Morris continues a slow climb out of basement. Hastings 31 pts , 15 reb led RMU to a 102 Detroit 99 (OT)win.

OAK 70  YSU 67, IUPUI 85 PFW 79

SunBelt: ULL 86 TXST 68, USM 69  ARST 66,  APP 76 GAST 68

Appy and Marshall are keeping pace with Troy.

MWC: San Diego St beat Nevada to keep pace with Utah St

 Jan 19, 2024

ODU gets its first SBC win, rolling over Marshall. Allete scored 27 for the Monarchs. Budding regional rivalry.

WCC: O'Neil scored 23 for Santa Clara in a win over Pacific. Zags won, too but both trail San Fran, a winner last night over LMU. 

Jan 21, 2024

MWC: Boise edges the Aztecs  67-66 . BSU, SDST , and UNM are nipping at USU's heels.

Summit: Fidler's PPG continues to decrease for Omaha. I guess more teams are focusing on him. UMKC 74 Omaha 72. UMKC made a wise regional move out of the WAC in 2020. HC Billy Donlon, who was 19-12 in the 2021-22 season, left UMKC to become the Associate HC at Clemson. Current HC Marvin Menzies has struggled since replacing Donlon. Menzies resume.

2007–2016 New Mexico State

2016–2019 UNLV

2019–2020 Grand Canyon (assoc. HC)

2022–present Kansas City

Jan 22, 2024

AAC: . UTSA forces FAU into OT but falls 112-103. Davis scored 34 for the victors and Ivy Curry scored 38 for UTSA.

Tulane(3-3 AAC) gets a big 81-79 win over Memphis to stay relevant.

USF gets by Wichita St 82-78.

Jan 24, 2024

MWC: Boise St beat Fresno while Aztecs handled Wyoming. 

Zips keep cruising in the MAC with a 67-58 win over Ohio. Freeman (19pts, 14 reb) for the winners.

Jan 25, 2024

Herd got 22 from Killen in a win over GA St, but Troy and JMU also won. Appy, the top dog in the SBC, plays GA Southern tonight.

Jan 26, 2024

 Ike scored 22 in a big win for the Zags over San Fran. Saint Mary's beat Pacific to remain atop the WCC. 

Appy beat GA Southern to remain atop the SBC.

Goodrick (14pts, 12reb) for Cal Baptist in a win over UTRGV which moves them into a three- way tie with SFA and Tarleton for second in the WAC. SFA lost to Grand Canyon, the conference leader. Tarleton lost to SUU.

Jan 28, 2024

Catching up with the MVC. Conwell scored 22 points for Indiana St in a 95-86 OT win over Bradley. Three ISU losses: Bama, Sparty, and Drake, which trails them by a game in the conference.

SBC: Appy, Troy, and the Herd won. CUSA: LA Tech and Sam Houston are tied for first. LT beat NMST and SHSU beat UTEP yesterday.

Jan 29, 2024

AAC: Lendeborg(23/16/4) for UAB over Memphis. FAU edged UNT and is tied with CHAR for1st. Wichita St over SMU. ECU needed OT to beat Temple.

Jan 31, 2024

Akron and Toledo won last night to remain tied for 1st in the MAC

Zags crush LMU in the WCC.

Dayton, SBON, LOYCH, won in the A10. Holmes(25/12/4) for the Flyers who trail Richmond by a half game.

Feb 1, 2024

UNCG beat VMI and sits a game behind Samford in the Southern Conference. They've been on a bumpy ride since upsetting Arkansas in December.

M. Rice scored 35 points for Boise St in a win over UNM to keep things tight in the MWC. Both teams trail Utah St.

Richmond beat Fordham and sits atop the A10 with an 8-0 record.

St Marys(17-6,8-0) beat Santa Clara and is a game ahead of the Zags in the WCC.

Feb 2, 2024

Appy(1st) and Troy(2nd) keep winning. JMU scores105 in a rout of CCU. Herd lose at home to cellar dweller ODU.

Feb 3, 2024

Akron(MAC) keeps rolling with a 77-70 win over Toledo. Holmes(34pts, 7reb) leads Dayton(A10) to a 76-71 win over the Bonnies. Sure looks like Nevada(MWC) is getting into gear with a 90-60 win over SJST.

Feb 4, 2024

San Diego St and FAU, half of the last season's F4, are playing like they want to be there again.

  LeDee(16pts,8reb) for San Diego St(7-3) in a big win over USU(8-2), who is tied for with Boise St for the MWC top spot.

Davis scored 24 points for FAU in 102-70 blowout of Tulsa in AAC action. They share first place in the AAC with Charlotte and USF.

Feb 5, 2024

Langley scored 30 for UNCG in a narrow 89-87win over Furman and trails Samford by a game in the Southern Conference.  

UNCG is an older section of Greensboro that intrigued me when I lived in that town briefly in 2005.

Feb 6, 2024

J Johnson scored 24 for New Orleans in a blowout of Houston Christian in a Southland Conference matchup of two teams not doing well.

McNesse St (20-3, 9-1) is in first place.

Feb 7, 2024

MWC: Utah St and Boise St lost.  Aztecs and Lobos won. All four are tied (7-3) for first.

A10: Santos scored 21 for Dayton in a 94-79 win over St Joseph. I heard some gambling geeks predicting an upset of Dayton yesterday afternoon, and I laughed at the TV screen.

AAC: USF edges Charlotte and takes a half game lead on FAU.

Feb 8, 2024

WCC BEWARE: Zags take the top spot with a 96-74 win over Portland, also San Diego beat LMU.

CUSA: McHenry(20pts, 3 ast) for WKU in a big win over LaTech

MVC: Avila (27pts,8reb) for Indiana St in a blowout win over VALP.

Feb 9, 2024

Wow, the AAC gets more interesting. Lendeborg(17pts, 21reb) for UAB in an OT win over FAU.

In the WAC, Cal Baptist edged UTA to stay in the race with Tarleton and Grand Canyon.

Feb 10, 2024

A10: VCU 49 DAY 47. Dayton falls out of first place.

MWC: NEV 70 SDSU 66.CSU won and these three teams are not in first place.

Feb 11, 2024

 G Ike scored 23 in a big win for the Zags over Kentucky(SEC). Zags are 2.5 games behind St Mary's and a half game behind San Fran in the WCC.

CUSA: Liberty beat La Tech and WKU beat JVST. WKU sits a half game behind LA Tech and Sam Houston, who are tied for first at 6-3.

SBC/MAC -Solid wins for JMU over Akron and Appy over Toledo. Only two MAC wins, CMU over ODU & BUFF over GASO.

Feb 12, 2024

MVC:  C: Jones scored 24 for UIC in a win N.Iowa.

AAC: Getting mighty crowded in AAC. USF remains in first.  FAU, SMU, UAB, Memphis, and Charlotte won.

Feb 13, 2024

T. Tejada scored 17 points for Towson in an 80-55 win over Elon in CAA play. TU(8-4) is a game behind UNCW and Charleston.

Feb 14, 2024

UNM holds off NEV 83-82.  SDSU cruises past CSU 71-55. Both winners trail Utah St in the MWC.

Kinzinger scored 31 points for ILL St in an upset of Indiana St, who now holds only a game lead on Drake in the MVC.

Non P6 hoops 1

Non p-5 baseball tournament time in 2023

 A ton of activity yesterday in the tournaments so I'll focus on the surprises and spankings.

A10: St Louis 23 St Joseph's 8. The Billikens are 2-0 and face Richmond next.

AAC: ECU lost to USF but bounced back to beat Cincy,

CUSA: Dallas Baptist beat Rice 13-2 and faces WKU today.

Summit: S. Dakota St beat N Dakota St 17-3 and faces Oral Roberts next.

SunBelt: Some tough wins and more battles to come. USM beat JMU 7-1 and faces Troy, a winner over Appy, next.  CCU edged GA St and faces ULL, a winner over TX St, next.

May 26, 2023

CCU and USM , the top dogs in the SunBelt won.

 DBAP spanked WKU 10-2. ORU 15 S Dak St 2.

In WAC play  UTA beat Seattle, then Grand Canyon later in the day.

May 27, 2023

Elimination phase is nearly over. Since I spent a few months in the area in 2005, I'm paying attention to UNC Greensboro, which is located in an old section of the city. If UNCG beats Samford in the first game, they face Wooford later in the day for the SoCon title. Kennedy Jones leads the Spartans with .357 AVG, 14 HR, 42RBI 

 Nichols and New Orleans play today for the Southland title. Tulane is still alive in the AACT.

May 28, 2023

Sunbelt: Cajuns take 2 from CCU to make it the conference final against USM. Is the SunBelt going to get three tickets?

AAC: Tulane makes it to final against ECU.

CUSA: Charlotte faces DBAP

Colonial:: Winner of Elon/Northeastern takes on UNCW in the final. 

Horizon: Wright St won two games over Oakland yesterday by scores of 9-8 and 14-0 to get the AQ for the 3rd year in a row.

Southland : Nichols beat New Orleans to get the AQ.

May 29, 2023

Tulane's defeat of ECU probably threw a wrench into teams like ULL, who lost to USM in the SunBelt final, getting at an at-large. Teo Banks (Tulane) hit three home runs and 11 RBI on his way to the MoP of the AACT. 

ECU and CCU had great regular seasons and I'll be shocked if they 're not in field of 64. 

Charlotte beat DBAP to win the CUSAT. UNCW beat Samford to win the CAA.

May 30, 2023

Well, the selection committee shut my mouth. Sunbelt got more tickets than the Big 10.

Sun Belt 4 (Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, Southern Miss., Troy)

Big Ten 3 (Indiana, Iowa, Maryland)

And the cold states did better than I guessed.

American 2 (East Carolina, Tulane)

Big East 2 (UConn, Xavier)

Colonial 2 (Northeastern, UNCW)

Plus, they treated the CUSA right

Conference USA 2 (Charlotte, DBU)

Tulane plays LSU. Northeastern gets my Terps

Aug 3, 2023

One more baseball comment before football takes control.  UC Irvine outfielder Caden Kendle, who agreed to a $175,000 bonus with the Cardinals as a 10th-rounder but later backed out of the deal, was the only player taken in the first ten rounds to not turn pro.

Jan 27, 2024

On 08/18/23, Nolan Schanuel was selected to the Angels' major league roster directly from AA, only 40 days after he was drafted from FAU(then CUSA).

Non P5 hoops, Dance is next month

 This is a slow way to get into to swing for The Dance. San Diego State Aztecs (21-5, 12-2 MWC) 45 Fresno State Bulldogs (9-16, 5-9 MWC) 43. 

Boise State (20-6 10-3 MWC) escaped Colorado State 80-78 in a much- needed win for its Dance chances.

Bad loss for Cincy (17-10 8-6AAC) to East Carolina (13-12 4-8AAC). Ben Jonson scored 16 points for ECU in a 75-71 win.

I'm curious about the SunBelt slate tonight and also the Youngstown St/Milwaukee showdown of the top dogs in the Horizon.

Feb 17, 2023

USM, the Sunbelt leader, got walloped by South Bama 85-54 which allowed ULL and Marshall to move within a game of them. Andrew Taylor hit a shot late in Marshall's comeback 84-83 win over GA Southern, and ULL beat ULM  84-67.

CUSA: MTSU made the free throws down the stretch to hang on and upset FAU 74-70

WCC: St Marys beat San Diego to remain a game ahead of Gonzaga who crushed LMU.

Youngstown St crushed Milwaukee 87-58 to take sole possession of first in the Horizon.

Feb 19, 2023

Sunbelt: USM and Marshall won to stay in the same positions, but JMU's win over ULL leaves those two teams tied for third. FYI: USA has moved to 8-8 in conference play after back to back blowout wins over USM and ULM.

CUSA: North Texas(14-3) beats UTEP 80-72 in OT for eighth straight win and moved a half game of idle FAU(14-2)

AAC: J. Cook(30PTS 7AST 4STL) had a solid night for Tulane(10-3) in a win over USF which moved them into a tie with Memphis for second place.

WCC: St Marys and Gonzaga keep winning while Santa Clara handled Portland and remains a distant third.

Big Sky: Eastern Montana is 15-0 in conference play.

Horizon: Youngstown St crushed Green Bay and Milwaukee lost to Robert Morris. Cleveland St and Northern Kentucky are tied for second behind YSU.

Feb 20, 2023

Most of the AAC  games were televised yesterday but I couldn't find the big dogs. Houston beat Memphis which fell to 3rd place.

Clev St edged NKU 63-62 to gain sole possession of second place in the Horizon. D. Johnson CLEV ST(16PTS 10REB)

MWC: Boise St beat UNLV 73-69 and is 1GB of SDST.

MVC: Bradley edged SIU and Drake beat Belmont which keeps the winners tied for first.

Feb 21, 2023

Houston is ranked first overall, but it doesn't seem appear to be getting the rest of the AAC much respect in Dance talk.

I've been ignoring the Big West. Hawaii(11-5) beat Cal Bakersfield to move into a tie for third with UC-Santa Barbara who lost to Cal St Fullerton(11-5). They trail UC-Riverside(12-5) and Cal Irvine(13-3).

Feb 22, 2023

San Diego St keeps rolling with a win over Colorado St. I doubt if the Aztecs will have trouble adjusting to the Pac 12 in hoops. I'm not sure if Apple TV is the answer for the Pac 12.

Feb 23, 2022

AAC- Houston 89 TUL 59. Big wake up call for second place Tulane. J. Roberts had a solid night for the Cougars (26PTS 7REB)

MWC: Boise St(12-3) handled New Mexico(7-8). Pitino Jr's Lobos have fallen fast after a nice early season start.

SunBelt: Marshall(13-4) moved into a tie for first with USM. Kinsey scored 31 for MU in a win over JMU while USM (13-4) lost to ODU(10-7). I'm keeping my eye on those hot Jags(9-8) who've won 7 of  their last 8 conference games. Isaiah Moore's scored 22 points for South Alabama in a 76-67 win over TXST(6-11).

WCC: St Mary's and Gonzaga remain 1-2 and will play each other on Feb 25. Santa Clara is hanging tough to get a Dance ticket.

CUSA: FAU(15-2) crushed UTSA, and Charlotte upset NTX(14-4)

Feb 25, 2023

Some shake-up before the Sunbelt T begins at Pensacola Bay Center on February 28. USM won the regular season with a win over TX State. Marshall and ULL tied for second after MU lost ODU and ULL beat USA last night.

Feb 26, 2023

AAC- Houston handled ECU. SMU fell to USF and continues to sputter on its way to the Pac12.

CUSA: Florida Atlantic(26-3 16-2C-USA) 75 UTEP(13-16 6-12C-USA) 49

WCC: Zags deliver a dose of reality to St Marys and the teams are tied for first. GONZ 77 SM 68. Santa Clara (23-8 11-5WCC) has to be a bubble team.  SC 81 San Diego 63

Feb 27, 2023

Stephen F. Austin (19-10 11-5 WAC) 80 California Baptist (15-14 7-9 WAC)  58. WAC was televised on ESPN U yesterday.

Memphis beat Cincy and remains in second a game ahead of Tulane in the AAC.

Feb 28, 2023

 Zags host Chicago St tomorrow, and St Mary's regular season is over, and they get the top seed. The tiebreaker was determined by the NCAA Evaluation Tool. The Gaels (25-6, 14-2 WCC) are No. 7 in the NET, while the Zags (25-5, 14-2 WCC) are No. 9. However, the Zags are ranked higher in the polls. It keeps getting goofier. Just toss a coin! 

Queens won its rd1 game against FGSU in the ASUNT, but if they win the tourney, they won't dance for the same reason, the transition to 1A process, Jax St didn't Dance last season.

March 1, 2023

MWC: Aztecs(14-3) were outscored 14-0 over the final 14:47 in a 66-60 loss to Boise St(13-4). Nevada(12-5) lost  to Wyoming(4-13) on Monday and needs to beat UNLV(6-10) to keep their Dance chances alive. SDST finishes against Wyoming, and Boise St ends with UtahSt(11-5)

MAC:  Toledo(15-2) blew out CMU and will win the conference regular season with a win over Ball St or a Kent St(14-3) loss to Akron.

I'll try to do a blog on the early conference tournaments tomorrow.

 

 

Non- power confernce teams circling the top 25

 I reviewed some of the major polls and stories and added some comments. Football has most of my attention, but I'm slowly shifting into hoops gear.

AAC: Houston plays good D, which borders on mugging, and this may affect them this season depending on how closely the referees call the games. However, Bama went small ball and handed the Cougars their first loss. Memphis(8-3) Coach Penny recruits well.

MWC: San Diego State  (8-3) New Mexico (10-0); Utah State( 9-0) UNLV  10-0. Conference play will change some of this attention

WCC: Gonzaga(8-3) Saint Mary's (9-3). I added Santa Clara(9-3) because they upgraded their OOC schedule.

CAA: College of Charleston (11-1) I guess they're got a mention because they beat Virginia Tech.

I peeked at the Atlantic Sun and was surprised to see Liberty and Jacksonville off to slow starts. Also, Queens University Royals(9-2), a small private school in Charlotte who moved up from DII, is off to a nice start but isn't eligible for post season play until the 2026-27 season.

Dec 18, 2022

Nice day for AAC members Houston who won at UVA(ACC) and Memphis who beat TAMU(SEC).

Gonzaga was in top form in a 100-90 win over Bama(SEC), and San Francisco handed UNLV (MWC) its first loss in a decent day for the WCC.

Dec 22, 2022

Kinyon Hodges scored 22 points and Caleb Donaldson added 16 for the Eastern Illinois Panthers in a 92-83 upset of Iowa(Big 10). EIU (Ohio Valley) is 4-9 in OOC play, which includes blowout losses to Ohio St and Illinois of the Big 10.

No. 11 Gonzaga beat Montana for its 72nd straight home win.

Dec 27, 2022

Coach Ladner has S.Miss (11-2) fans feeling good with the additions of Mercer big man Felipe Haase, and Ol Miss transfer, Austin Crowley, but one of those two losses was to NW St.  The SunBelt season is about to get in gear so we'll see if the Golden Eagles' talk about Dancing has staying power.

Dec 30, 2022

WCC: Santa Clara beat San Fran last night and is on a nice roll which makes its Jan 7 matchup with Gonzaga interesting.

SunBelt: Marshall handled visiting Appy, and James Madison rolled Georgia St in Atlanta last night. Nothing like a VA/WV interstate battle tomorrow as #Herd host the JMU Dukes in Huntingdon,WV on.

Oops, I missed this one: Reggie Bass drilled a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left for Central Michigan(MAC) in a win over in-state rival Michigan 63-61. Coach Juwan Howard needs more than Anger MGT.

Jan 1, 2023

James Madison led 40-29 at halftime and hung on for a72-66 win over Marshall U. Edwards had 16 point and 6 rebounds for JMU, while Kinsey had 18 points, seven assists and two steals for the Herd.

New Mexico (14-0 2-0 MWC) nipped Wyoming 76-75 last night. Coach Pitino Jr is on a roll. Jamal Mashburn Jr, who followed his coach from Minnesota to UNM, scored 20 for the Lobos. His dad Jamal played at UK for Pitino Sr.

Jan 4, 2023

Mashburn scored 22 for the Lobos, but it was not enough to keep UNM from losing its first game this season and probably falling out of the top 25. Fresno St 71 UNM 67

Jan 6, 2023

AAC- Houston crushed SMU 87-53

WCC- Zags edged San Fran, an erratic team that beat Ariz St this season.  Conference looks like it's stronger this season. Keep your eyes on Santa Clara!

ASUN: Liberty is off to a 3-0 start in conference play with 75-41 win over Jax St. Queens is 2-1with a 75-74 win over Bellamine last night.

Jan 8, 2023

Queens Royals are getting a taste of conference play. They lost to Kenesaw last night. EKU survived C. Arkansas.

ASUN players get quite an education in the geography of the South. Every school is located in a state that was in the Confederacy except for EKU and Bellamine. Kentucky was a border state.

Jan 11, 2023

San Diego St is off to a 4-0 start in the MWC with a win over Nevada last night.

Life in the A10 has been rough for Loyola of Chicago who lost a home game to VCU last night.

Dayton 4-0 - 12-5

VCU 3-1 -       12-5

LoC        0-4   -       6-10

Jan 12, 2023

Houston(17-1 5-0 AAC)  83  USF(7-10 0-4 AAC)   77.  Cougars stay at #1, and USF appears to be showing improvement.

Jan 13, 2023

BYU 's crowd was fired up but the Cougars fell short against the Zags . GONZ 75 BYU 74.  

Nice team effort by Marshall in an 89-67 blowout of USM. Kinsey is a smooth member of the Herd.

Jan 14, 2023

Akron(11-6 3-1MAC) 104 Eastern Michigan(4-13 1-3MAC)  67. Coach Cooper keeps rolling in the MAC

VCU was down 33 -19 at halftime and looked ragged, but roared back to defeat Dayton 63-62 in an A10 matchup.

Kenan Blackshear scored 25 for Nevada in a big MWC win over Utah St. 

San Diego State 4-0

Nevada 5-1

Jan 15, 2023

Riley Battin's 18 points and seven rebounds helped Cal Baptist(11-8, 3-3 WAC) defeat Grand Canyon(12-6, 3-2 WAC) 79-74 on Saturday. Seattle (5-0) sits atop the WAC.

Kinsey scored 24 for the #herd in a big win over ODU to remain in a six way tie(4-2) for first in the SunBelt.

Jan 17, 2023

MLK day was a busy with hoops, and I watched a little of  Florida Atlantic(17-1, 7-0 CUSA) road win over WKU when I got home from work. Boyd led the Owls with 16 points. They've stuck with HC Dusty May, and it appears to be working.

Charleston (19-1,7-0 CAA) handled William & Mary easily.

Hawai'i (14-4, 5-1Big West) are off to a decent start. Bernardo da Silva had an interesting stat line (PTS11, REB 12, Blocks 3) in the Rainbows win over Cal St Northridge.

Jan 20, 2023

Cam Shelton banked in a go-ahead runner with 13 seconds left for Loyola Marymount in an upset 68-67 victory of  # 6 Gonzaga which knocked the Zags out of first in the WCC.

 Saint Mary's 6-0 17-4

Gonzaga 5-1 16-4

Santa Clara 4-2 16-5

Loyola Marymount 4-3 14-7

BYU 4-3 14-8

Sunbelt gets tighter. Marshall, USM, JMU, ULM, and ULL, won games that keep the standings tight at the top.

Jan 21, 2023

It doesn't take long to come back to reality in the MAC. Kent State(16-3 6-0MAC) 86 Ball State (13-6 4-2MAC) 65. I tuned into the game early but didn't stay. Toledo handled Buffalo in other MAC action. 

Mashburn Jr scored 25 for the Lobos. New Mexico 81 Boise St 79 in OT in MWC action.

Jan 22, 2023

Some Horizon news: Detroit Mercy's Antoine Davis scored 42 in a win over UIPUI and  is No. 2 on NCAA D-I scoring list with 3274 points, but he'll need a big finish this season to catch Pistol Pete(3667). They are 3.5 GB of Milwaukee and N. Kentucky in the conference.

Florida Atlantic(19-1, 9-0 CUSA) remains hot with a 67-59 win over UTEP. Their only loss this season is to Ole Miss (SEC).

Cal Baptist rolled Tarleton in WAC play, and Andrew Taylor led Marshall to a SunBelt win over Ark St.

Jan 23, 2023

Temple(12-9, 6-2 AAC) 56   Houston(18-2, 6-1 AAC) 55   Coach McKie's Owls get a huge W. Damian Dunn scored 16 points and made the go-ahead free throw then Kur Jongkuch blocked Houston’s go-ahead shot attempt in the final seconds.