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

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 3 MWC /CUSA matchups

 Keene to Dalena gets Fresno a W. Fresno St 24 NMSU 20

Sam Houston has home field edge and pulls out a 17-13 win over Hawaii

I'm riding with the Spartans and Coach Ken at home. SJSU 27 Kennesaw St 16

Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, and Fresno State are the four football targets of the re-formed Pac 12. Hope they stay west  of the Mississippi river in their pursuit of two more teams.

Will California consider coming back to the Pac12 or are they tied too much by $$$ to the ACC.

Aztecs  will give Cal a fight but fall 27 -17

Sept 15, 2024

4-0 on Fresno, SJSU,Cal, and SHSU, but none of the games were as close as I predicted. Definitely did not foresee Fresno shutting out NMSU 48-0. Keene threw two TD passes, and Sherrod rushed for 113 yards on 15 carries for the Bulldogs. Coach Ken's Spartans keep winning.

BTW, CSU contained Neon's Buffs for a little over a quarter and lost 28-9.

Toledo 42 Miss St 17. -Wow

Sept 16, 2024

O5 Wrap up: Cheers to Memphis who beat the Noles.  Butch Jones' Ark St squad kept it respectable at Ann Arbor. Helluva battle:Appy nipping ECU.

NIU and UNLV are getting some respect. How about Toledo? Kyirin Heath, the Southern Miss TE, is having a solid season.

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 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-P6 hoops-it's that time of year.

 Procrastination on doing a blog ends with Davidson(A10) knocking off my Terps(B10). Troy(SBC) took Oregon St to OT before falling 81-80, while Marshall (SBC) falls to Radford(Big South). Bryan Antoine converted a four-point play with 1.5 seconds left for Radford in the win over # herd.

Monmouth(CAA) beat WVU(B12)

Interesting action in the MAC/SBC: Coach Groce's Zips beat USM. Akron 72 USM 54

And for my Mewe buddy Arkrazor:  Cal Baptist(WAC) 80 Jackson St(SWAC) 66. Daniels Jr scored 25 for the winners.

This was a good one in the MAC/SBC challenge: Ball St 73 ODU 68 

 C. Jenkins G - ODU 20PTS 6REB

J. Anderson G - BALL 29PTS 9REB

UAB(AAC) beat my Terps.

Nov 21, 2023

Checking back in: UNLV(MWC) gave Florida St(ACC) a scare before losing 83-75. D Thomas Jr of the Rebels is a fun player to watch.

St Josephs(A10)  took Kentucky(SEC) to OT but fell 96-88.

SMU(AAC) beat West Virginia(B12) 70-58 .  Mustangs need to use this season to get ready for ACC hoops next season.

Nov 25, 2023

FAU(AAC) beat TAMU(SEC) yesterday and is off to a 4-1 start coming off last season's Final Four appearance. The loss was to Bryant of the American East conference.

Marshall(SBC) is off to a bumpy 2-4 start including getting pasted by Kentucky(SEC) 118-82 yesterday

Nov 30, 2023

Bowlsby, former Big 12 Commish, will be the interim AD at Northern Iowa replacing David Harris, who left to become the athletic director at Tulane.

Northern Iowa(MVC) is 2-5 this season but they beat Stanford.

Tulane is 5-1. Its only loss was to Bradley(MVC).

How about St Joseph's(A10) beating Nova(Big East). Erik Reynolds II scored 24 points in a road win. 

Dec 5, 2023

Catching up: UNCW(CAA) coach Takayo Siddle steered his team to an 80-73 upset of No. 12 Kentucky(SEC) on Saturday. In 2007 he scored eight points for Gardner Webb in an upset of UK in Rupp Arena.

Appy(SBC) beat Auburn(SEC)

T. Joseph(27PTS 6REB 3STL) for Southern(SWAC) in an upset of Miss St(SEC)

SEC stumbled against non -power 6.

Dec 7, 2023

Big home win for Towson U(CAA).  C. May G 27 PTS, 7 REB in 81-71 win over UMass(A10). Tigers keeps getting better after starting the season losing to Wake Forest, North Texas, and S Dakota St. Towson U is just north of Baltimore City.

UIC(MVC) 55 Jax St(CUSA) 49 Illinois-Chicago is having a decent OOC start. JaxSt could have a bumpy ride in CUSA hoops.

Dec 13, 2023

Sam Houston St(CUSA) edged ULM(SBC) 63-62. Great football debut in 1A, and now their hoops are doing ok. The last time SHS went to the Dance was in 2010 as the Southland champ.

Cal Baptist(WAC)lost 76-55 at Oregon 

Dec 14, 2023

Headed toward conference play. FAU(AAC) has kept in stride after its F4 appearance in the spring. Loss to Illinois. Wins over VTech and TAMU. Now if they beat Zona Dec 23.....

GW(A10) intrigues me at 9-2, the losses were to South Carolina and UIC. They haven't been good in a while so maybe the record is a false positive. James Bishop IV leads the team with 16.9 PPG.

Dec 16, 2023

Zags got more work to do. UConn 76 Gonz 63. In other WCC OOC play San Diego Toreros beat Portland St(Big Sky). SD beat Ariz St (Pac12) a few days ago.

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.

MWC pigskin 2022 Utah St and more

 Utah State was picked to finish third in its division, behind Boise State and Air Force in pre-season media rankings. And on Thursday, the media voted no Aggies players into its preseason All-Mountain West football team

Same type of thing occurred last pre-season and the Ags pounded a one-loss San Diego State team 46-13 to win the MWC Championship and then coasted to a victory over Oregon State in the LA Bowl.

Realignment dominoes: You have to think San Diego St and Boise St are likely targets the Pac 12 pursues if the P5 doesn't become the P4

July 24, 2022

.Aztecs play Zona and Utah in September, and they don't face Utah St in the 2022 regular season. 

Ags face Bama on 9/3. Also, Utah State and BYU who have met 90 times since 1922 will discontinue their series but hope to schedule future meetings.

July 27, 2022

Boise State, who opens this season Sept. 3 at Oregon State(Pac12), is trying to recover from its worst season in a decade. Hank Bachmeier is the favorite to win the starting QB job for the fourth year in a row.

 He!! of an opener on 9/3 for Colorado St  @ The Big House in Ann Arbor. Two weeks later they in the wilderness @Wash St.

Hypothetical: if Klia can save the Pac 12, he'll need San Diego St(MWC) and Notre Dame(I)? Or who knows Newsom makes it too onerous for UCLA to exit for the Midwest.

August 28, 2022

I expected Wyoming to give ILL  a little better game. ILL 38 WYO 6

Utah St roared back from a 14-0 deficit to beat UConn 31-20 . It was HC Jim Mora first game coaching the Huskies.

Nevade beat New Mexico St

Hawaii got pummeled by Vandy 63-10

Mocked out- O5 possibles in NFL rd1 2022

 AAC: No surprise that two Cincy players, QB Desmond Ridder and CB Ahmad Gardner, are forecast to go in rd1.  Logan Hall, a DL from Houston, and Tyler Smith, an OL from Tulsa have high hopes.

MAC: Bernhard Raimann, OL from Central Michigan. Skyy Moore. WR from Western Michigan

MWC: Trey McBride, TE from Colorado St.

If there's an O5 rd1 hopeful, I've missed, add it here.

O5= non P5

April, 29, 2022

Only o5 players to go in rd1: Gardner(Cincy) to the Jets , Smith(Tulsa) to the Boys.

April 30, 2022

Cheers to the AAC who are third behind the SEC and B10 in drafted players through three rounds.

AAC (10)

Cincinnati — 5: Ridder to the Falcons in rd3

Houston — 2: Logan Hall who went to the Bucs in rd 2

Tulsa — 1 Memphis — 1 SMU — 1

Mountain West (3):Colorado State- McBride to the Cards in rd2  Wyoming — 1San Diego State — 1

MAC (3):Central Michigan — 2-Raimann to the Colts in rd3. Western Michigan - Skyy Moore to the Chiefs

Conference USA (2):UAB — 1Western Kentucky — 1

Sun Belt :South Alabama — 1

May 1, 2022

9 Bearcats drafted overall - that's impressive. 

As far as rds 4-7 ,O5 picks that caught my eyes. RD4 : Likely, a TE from Coastal Carolina, to the Ravens. Zappe ,a gunslinger from WKU, to the Pats. 

RD5: I'm stunned Jerome Ford Cincy RB was still around for the Browns and that D'Marco Jackson LB, App St was available for my Saints. 

RD6 Bills take a punter Matt Araiza from San Diego St. 

RD7 Nazeeh Johnson S, MRSHL to the Chiefs. 

May 2, 2022

O5 UFAs : Carson Strong, QB Nevada(MWC) Height: 6-foot-3. History of knee injuries- Eagles signed him.

Sincere McCormick RB UTSA(CUSA)- He had some huge rushing games. I'm unsure why he hasn't been signed.

Sterling Weatherford  S Miami (OH) (MAC) signed with Colts

May 19, 2022

Saints sign UDFA Joel Dublanko who recorded 113 total tackles in 2021 for Cincy(AAC).  His 40 yard dash time was 4.75, but he was a he!! of a college linebacker.

July 16, 2022

D'Vonta Price, who signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent RB from FIU(CUSA) on April 30, 2022, is doing well in camp. He had a decent senior season at FIU.

Sept 10, 2024

2022 draft: Araiza is the Punter for Chiefs. McBride, TE for the Cards, needs more targets.

O5 post -op on March 15

 I'm rooting big time for the Cowboys to rope the Hoosiers in during a Dance play in game today because the Big 10 doesn't deserve 9 tickets. Wyoming had an erratic finish to the season and as usual will rely heavily on Hunter Maldonado and Ike Graham.

NIT games:

 Interesting intrastate battle in Texas for teams who thought they'd be Dancing. TX ST(Sunbelt) faces NTX(CUSA). Mean Green of NTX looked lean in CUSAT so I'll roll with  the Bobcats to scratch out a win in Denton.

I'll hang with former with UMBC Head coach Odom, who may remind his Utah St Ags that he was the coach who took  down the 1 seed UVA Cavs in the Dance a few years ago. USU(MWC) 67 Oregon 65 as the Ducks descent continues.

List of HC openings in the O5: Ball St, ECU, Western Michigan, and Tulsa. I've heard rumors that Mike Anderson will leave St Johns for Tulsa but not sure at this point if anyone can get SJU back to its glory days of Chris Mullen and Walter Berry.

March 16, 2022

Maldonado had a solid night but it wasn't enough for the Cowboys. IU 76 WYO 68

In the NIT ,NTX beat TX St and Oregon beat Utah St.. Tonight  Toledo(MAC) faces Dayon(A10) and SMU(AAC) faces Nichols(Southland)

march 17, 2022

Toledo got crushed by Dayton  and SMU beat Nichols in NIT play.

I like UAB upsetting Houston, Boise St beating Memphis, and Colorado St beating Michigan in rd1 of the Dance.

March 22, 2022

O5 has Houston left in the Dance and no teams remaining in the NIT.

Tulsa(AAC) hires La Tech's HC Eric Konkol.  ECU (AAC) hired Mike Schwartz, ex Associate HC at Tennessee. In the MAC, Ball St and WMU are looking for  new head coaches.

I didn't see this coming.  SMU's Tim Jankovich retires. Well, we know the next coach won't be Larry Brown.

MARCH  26, 2022

UCLA assistant coach Michael Lewis is the new HC at Ball St (MAC). He played for Bobby Knight at Indiana and coached under Brad Stevens at Butler.

March 27, 2022

Houston lost a low scoring game to Nova 50-44 so no F4 for the Cougars

Allegations of major violations have been levied against the Memphis. They stem from the recruitment and short stint(3 games) of former top recruit James Wiseman. It looks bad but how tough has the NCAA enforcement been recently so Penny may not be dropped from coaching quickly.

March 28, 2022

SMU named Rob Lanier as HC after he took Georgia State(Sunbelt) to the Dance this season.

He was 53-30 in his three seasons at Georgia State. He took Siena(MAAC) to the Dance in 2002 and had been an assistant for Billy Donovan and Rick Barnes. I recall his Sienna team giving Loyola of Baltimore fits in his MAAC days. I'm still a bit surprised at the hire.

March 31, 2022

Talvin Hester, an ex asst at Texas Tech, is the new HC at La Tech

April. 6, 2022

Jonas Hayes, interim coach who led Xavier to its first NIT championship in 64 years, is the new Georgia State's HC.

I thought WMU(MAC)  forgot they had an opening. After 19 seasons as an assistant at Michigan State, Dwayne Stephens is the new W. Michigan HC.

April 12, 2022

Transfer portal gets nuttier: SMU Mustangs guard Kendric Davis, AAC Player of the Year, is in the portal. He played at TCU before joining SMU.

 Lofton is leaving La Tech.

April 14, 2022

Nate Oats looks toward his former conference, the MAC, and signs Former Ohio U point guard Mark Sears, who averaged nearly 20 points a game last season. Sears is from Muscle Shoals, ALA

June 2, 2022

O5 guys leaving 2022 NBA draft pool: Sasser returns to Houston U. DeAndre Williams will return to Memphis U.

June 16, 2022

While reading a list of International players and others who removed themselves from  early entry in the 2022 NBA draft , I found  Dhieu Deing, who played for UTSA(CUSA)  last season  . Wise move ! He's a 6'5 guard with this stat line from last season     PTS13.6 ,REB  5.3, AST1.5, FG% 34.5 .

June 24, 2022

AAC (2) Memphis — (2): Jalen Duren (13), Josh Minott (45) both to the Hornets

Mountain West (1) Colorado State — 1:David Roddy (23)  to the 76ers

MAC (1)        Toledo — 1:Ryan Rollins (44)--to the Hawks

Duren got traded to Knicks then Detroit. Rollins was traded to GSW.

O5 tourney time in March 2022

 Sunbelt tournament tipped off in Pensacola, FLA last night with some mild upsets. Ark-LR(3-11) knocked off South Bama(9-7) 75-71 and Georgia Southern (5-11) knocked off CCU(8-8) 70-64.  In other action ULL beat UTA and Ark St beat ULM.

No upsets in AAC action as its tourney nears Memphis, Houston, SMU, and Tulane won last night.

NTX beat UTSA and should be the 1 seed in the CUSAT.

San Diego St needed two OTs to edge Fresno St 65-64 and will not catch Boise St for the top seed in the MWCT.

March 5, 2022

Heading toward the MACT: I was impressed at how Kent St held off a hot Buffalo squad. Toledo rolled Bowling Green, and I haven't forgotten Akron who edged CMU last night.

March 6, 2022

And just like that, TX St ain't Dancin. Jordan Brown scored 31 to lead ULL to an upset of TX St. The other SBCT winners yesterday were: Troy over Ark-LR, App St over Georgia Southern, and GA St over Ark St. Today's matchups Ga St/ULL, App St/Troy.

In the CUSA North Texas was upset by UTEP yesterday, but they 'll still be the top seed in the CUSAT ahead of UAB.

March 7, 2022

Penny has the Memphis Tigers in high gear. They owned Houston yesterday and their only loss in the last eleven games is to SMU who now sits on the bubble.

March 8, 2022

Georgia St is the Sunbelt Dance ticket holder. Corey Allen scored 29 points for GA St in an 80-71 win over ULL.

March 11, 2022

MACT: I'm surprised that CMU(7-23) took Toledo to the brink before losing 72-71. Others advancing: Ohio, Akron, and Kent St

CUSA: LA Tech beat WKU which is a minor upset. NTX, UAB, and MTSU advance.

MWCT:  Boise St survived a battle with Nevada(13-17). Colorado st, Wyoming, SDST keep playing.

March 12, 2022

CUSA: What a difference in games. UAB 102 MTSU 98 in 3OTs. NTX only scored 13 points in the 1st half and lost 42-36 to LA Tech.

MAC:  I've been tracking Akron who beat Toledo and thought it would be interesting to see Coach Cooper face his former team Ohio in the MACT final, but Kent St knocked off Ohio.

MWC: SDST knocked off # 23 Colorado St and Boise St beat Wyoming. I don't see the MWC getting four Dance tickets.

AAC:  Houston vs Tulane. Memphis vs SMU. I think Memphis and Houston are Dancing, but Tulane and SMU need to win the AACT for a Dance ticket.

March 13, 2022

"Jelly'' Walker sunk 11 of 11 from the free-throw line and scored 27 points for UAB in an 82-73  win over La Tech  in the CUSAT final

Freeman (23 PTS 8 REB 2 AST) led Akron to a 76-55 win over Toledo in the MACT final and a Dance ticket.

Boise St edged SDST 53-52 in the MWCT final

In the AACT Houston rolled Tulane and Memphis beat SMU 72-63 setting up a Houston/Memphis game today. SMU hung tough and may be on the bubble but  it depends on how deep the Dance Committee goes in the SEC and Big 12. Plus Va Tech upset Duke in the ACC final. 

Frank Haith resigned from Tulsa and Dooley is out at ECU.

March 14, 2022

Jax St (future CUSA) gets Auburn in an intrastate matchup. UAB(CUSA) gets Houston(AAC).

March 25, 2022

The chip is getting bigger for Houston who beat Zona last night. Man was I wrong on them in the Dance. Picking UAB over HOU in rd1 haunts me.