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? 

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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- 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.