Top dogs in the 05 -week 10

 Ok, I covered the MAC so now I'll focus on conference leaders in the other four conferences.

AAC: Tulane may get a battle at Tulsa for a while, but Spears will rush for over 100 yards and keep the Green Wave undefeated in conference play. Tulane 34 Tulsa 24

CUSA: No team has slowed down UTSA(4-0 in CUSA) QB Frank Harris for long. UTSA 30 UAB 27

MWC:  Boise St  (5-0-MWC) plays an OOC game against BYU, who is desperate to beat someone. Taylon Green has been solid since becoming the starting QB. and I'd love to call this one a tie if they were still allowed.  BYU 26 Boise St 24 at the buzzer.

SunBelt: Coastal Carolina and Troy are each 4-1 and lead their respective divisions. Troy Trojans will march into ULL and come out with a 17-14 win with the help of a pick6.

CCU hosts App St and survives a scare 24-21. McCall looks solid again for the Chanticleers.

Nov 4, 2022

 Lot more points scored than I guessed in last night's CCU  35-28 win over Appy. McCall threw 2 TD passes and no picks.

Nov 5, 2022

5-0 for the weekend

Spears was a beast again for Tulane in a 27-13 win over Tulsa.

UTSA needed double OT to defeat UAB 44-38. Harris had another great game for the victors.

Hall to Nicau connection saved the day for BYU in a 35-28 win over Boise ST. 

Troy outscored ULL 16-0 in the 4Q for a 23-17 win.

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 Bowl Games Dec. 20-21, 2021

 Next three bowl games starts with afternoon kickoff on Monday Dec. 20

Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by TaxAct 

 Tulsa(AAC) 27 vs Old Dominion(CUSA) 23

Both teams had good Novembers , but I'll go with Brin and Brooks respectively, Tulsa's QB and RB, to lead them to victory.

Then two on Tuesday, Dec. 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl 

Wyoming(MWC) 20 vs Kent St(MAC) 17

I've been wrong on Kent St often so I'll go with Wyoming who beat Utah St last month.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl 

UTSA(CUSA) 24 vs. San Diego St(MWC) 16

Aztecs have a solid D but not enough O to stay with Roadrunners QB F. Harris(2906 YDS, 25 TD), and RB  Sincere McCormack(298 CAR, 1479 YDS, 15 TD)

Dec 21, 2021

Well, I got Tulsa correct. Brin and Brooks were solid, and J. Johnson(8 rec, 129 yards, and a TD), had a nice game catching passes from Brin.  TuL 30 ODU 17

Dec 22, 2021

I split on Tuesday: I didn't foresee the Aztecs scoring 38 points. SDST 38 UTSA 24.

Wyoming couldn't stop Crum and the Flashes in the first half, but Levi Williams, the Cowboys QB, went wild starting in the second quarter and check out his stat line: 

16 CAR, 200 YDS, 4 TD, 9-11 passes, 127 YDS, 1 TD

WYO 52 Kent St 38

O5/SEC showdowns and more

 I love rooting  for the O5 teams  against the P5 ,but my gut is screaming that Mississippi State quarterback Will Rogers , who passed  for 1,828 yards in five games, will  run Leach's offense better that Zach Smith runs the Tulsa O today. Miss St 24 Tulsa 22.

Same thing here as I'm taking JT and the Dawgs in a squeaker over Cincy. Bearcats will need to get its rushing attack in gear quickly to stay in this contest. UGA 28 Cincy 25.

A lot of deserved attention has been shown to the undefeated San Jose Spartans, but their O tends to sputter at times. I like the Ball St Cards who have been dealing some strong offensive Cards and Plitt will pass them to 30 23  victory.

So it's both Dawgs over AAC teams and those MAC cards.

Jan 1, 2021

2-0 yesterday, but never suspected that two Ints, one a  pick6, would be the key factors for a Leach -coached team. Miss St 28 Tulsa 26

Ball St had a pick 6 during its  to a 27-0 first quarter pouncing of San Jose St  and won 34-13

Jan 2, 2021

I thought Georgia was going down, but after the Dawgs D gave up a long rushing TD to Jerome Ford early in the third quarter, it held Cincy scoreless the rest of the game and scored a safety. The offense struggled in the red zone, and I'm still not sure why they turned down FG opportunities in the third quarter. Bearcats played a he!! of a game. UGA 24 Cincy 21

3-0 for this blog entry.

O5 championship week ending Dec 19

 AAC: Cincy(8-0, 6-0 AAC) hosts Tulsa(6-1, 6-0 AAC) and will need to shake off some rust from the month layoff to slow down Zach Smith's passing . I suspect the Bearcats will rely on a solid rushing attack more than Ridder's arm for a 23-21 victory.

CUSA: Marshall(7-1, 4-1 CUSA) hosts UAB(5-3, 3-1 CUSA). Rice  blanked  the #herd two weeks ago and the lost to UAB. Johnston, the UAB QB,  will toss two TD passes, in a 20-15 win . 

MAC:  Buffalo (5-0) led by Jared Patterson's 1625 rushing yards and 18 TDs faces Ball St  led by Plitt's 1674 passing YDS and  13 TDs at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. Last team with the ball wins. Buff 37 Ball St 36.

MWC: Boise St(5-1, 5-0 MWC) faces San Jose St (6-0) in Vegas. Most folks expect a Bachmeier/Starkel shootout but I'll go with  a huge rush game from Tyler Nevens giving SJST a 24 -20 victory of Boise St

SunBelt: The QBs, McCall of CCU(11-0, 8-0 SUN) and Lewis of ULL(9-1, 7-1 SUN), will  entertain us, but McCall will toss late TDs to keep his guys undefeated . CCU 31 ULL 27

dec 19

Sunbelt game was cancelled, and AAC and MWC games are today. I split on the other two. Wells, the #herd QB, matched Johnston's 2 TD passes for UAB with 2 TD passes, but Marshall's D couldn't stop Spencer Brown who rushed for 149 yards. UAB 22 Marshall 13

I didn't foresee Ball St knocking off Buffalo  38-28 and holding Patterson to 47 yards rushing. Blitt tossed three TD in for the Cards victory.

dec 20

Correct on both games yesterday: Cincy eked out a 27-24 win over Tulsa. SJST used some rugged D, and an aerial attack led by Starkel to defeat Boise St 34-20 for the MWC crown.

Slim conference options in the O5 Dec 4-5

 All the schedule shuffles makes it difficult to find games that matter inside conferences but here I go.

Tulsa(5-0 AAC) trails Cincy, who they faces next week,  by a half a game in the AAC . They may have to rely on back QB Brin Collins to eke out a win at  Navy team and remain undefeated. Tulsa 25 Navy 22

Marshall(7-0, 4-0 CUSA)  the so-so Rice Owls and should take care business with Knox rushing for over 100 yards. #herd 30 Rice 17

Western Michigan (4-0 MAC) should handle EMU and keep pace with Buffalo(5-0 MAC) . The E & E , Eleby and Eskridge, show will lead the way to 29 -22 WMU win.

Nevada suffered its first MAC loss to Hawaii last week while Fresno St has been on a roll. Jalen Cropper is a hot receiver for Fresno so I'll gamble he gets two TDs in a win Fresno St 36 Nevada 33

The national media is high on ULL, but I suspect App St isn't too happy after a tough loss  to CCU. Zac Thomas roars back and throws two TD passes for APPY in a 31-30 win over ULL in Sunbelt action.

Dec 5

ULL 's snapper  tried to give Appy the game, but the Cajuns hung for a 24-21 win and gave me  an incorrect pick.  Mountaineers' Chandler Staton missed a 30-yard FG with 2 seconds left that would've sent the game to OT.

Dec 6

 I was certainly wrong on Marshall who got blanked 20-0 by Rice yesterday. The Owls D was stellar with five INTs, one of which was a pick6.

And lets keep rolling on my poor day yesterday. Eleby threw 4 TD passes for WMU, but EMU got three TD passes from P. Hutchinson and  a great rushing performance from Daruis Boone (148 yards, 1TD) in a 53-43 win yesterday.

Carson Strong threw 5 TD passes for Nevada in a 37-26 over Fresno and its D kept.Jalen Cropper out of the end zone.

My sole correct pick was Tulsa who got a key 3rd quarter 66-yard touchdown pass from Zach Smith to Josh Johnson to earn a 19-6 victory.

dec 7 2020

An addendum due to a Sunday night CUSA game . #wku (5-6) has improved a great deal while Charlotte (2-4) has had a bouncy pandemic ride. Pagrome and Gaej Walker had solid games in the Hilltoppers' victory. wku 37 CHAR 19.

 Nice 20-3 win for G Southern over an FAU team that usually scores a lot of points.

aug 7 2024

RIP  Coach Kragthorpe(59) died from Parkinsons. He went to three bowl games in four years with Tulsa when they were in the CUSA

Ge also was the HC at Louisville and an assistant with the Buffalo Bills.

Midweek pigskin in week ending Nov 21

 A battle of two (2-0) MAC, WMU and CMU, teams kicks off tomorrow tonight at Central Michigan. WMU will need  more than the fake spike TD that saved them against Toledo last week. Richards to Dixon passing game will take  the home team to a narrow victory. CMU 20 WMU 18.

I'm taking field goals as the winner in the FIU/WKU game in the CUSA.  The tossed coin landed on FIU 12 WKU 9

Tulsa reached the top 25 and I don't see Tulane slowing down Zach Smith, who has tossed 10 TD passes, in this AAC matchup. Tulsa 27 Tulane 22

It's hard to resist to the MWC matchup of San Jose St (4-0) and Fresno St (3-1). I'll take the Starkel to Gaither connection to keep SJST undefeated. SJST 31 Fresno St 26

 Coastal Carolina (7-0, 5-0 Sun Belt) hosts AppSt(6-1, 4-0 Sun Belt) and the home team Chanticleers will ride McCall's passing to 34-19 victory over AppSt..

Nov 18, 2020

Props to #JerotPatterson  for this stat line 31 carries for 301yards, 4 TDs in his Buffalo Bulls  42-17 win over Bowling Green. 

Nov19

Wrong about the QBs and the game . It was Eleby, WMU QB, who stole the show by tossing 5 TD passes in a 52-44 win over CMU.

Nov 20

I got damn close on the final score  and was correct on Tulsa, who needed OT to put away Tulane 30-24. Davis Brin, the Tulsa  QB , had  solid night: 18-28, 266 YDS, 2 TD 

Nov 22

 I was wrong on WKU who  outscored  FIU 28-8 in the second half  for a 38-28 victory 

CCU got a hell of a battle from App ST in scrapping out a 34-23 win. McCall is a gamer and Isaiah Likely ( 3 REC, 118 yards, 1 TD) shows a lot of promise and may keep the Chants undefeated this season.

SJST /Fresno ST was cancelled. 2-2 this weekend

Tuesday football and five O5 picks week ending Nov 14

 I'll take Mayer's passing to lead Miami O to a 31-27 win over Buffalo, who will get a 100 yard rushing game from J. Patterson tonight's MAC matchup.

Tulsa (3-1, 3-0 American) hosts SMU(7-1, 4-1 American) and I don't think the host team can slow down these Mustangs Buechele, Bentley IV, and Rees Rice. SMU 34 Tulsa 26

Sincere McCormick will get back on track and rushed for over 100 yards in UTSA 22-19 win over UTEP in a battle of two erratic CUSA  teams.

#carsonstrong (96-131, 1181 YDS, 9 TD) will keep Nevada undefeated in a MWC win over New Mexico.

App St((5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) needs to keep pace with undefeated Coastal Carolina so I look for their D to have a big day in 20-9 win over Georgia St

Nov 11

Pass me the dunce cap on the Miami(OH) pick. Buffalo 42 M(O)10. Vantrease, the Bulls QB, threw for 353 yards and 4TDs.

Nov 15

Another wrong pick with SMU. Tulsa outscored SMU 21-0 in the second half to earn a 28-24 AAC win. Tulsa's QB, Zach Smith, threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns . Then I got the last three picks, UTSA, Nevada, and App St correct.

Brendan Brady picked up the rushing slack for McCormick who sat for personal reasons  and Harris threw three TD passed  for UTSA in a 52-21 win over UTEP  Carson Strong threw for 336 yards and 3tds for Nevada in a 27-21 win over UNM. The APP St didenough in a 17-13 win over Georgia St.

On a side Marshall rolled  MTSU 42-14 and is looking like the best team in the CUSA,

Four O5 picks for the Halloween weekend

 AAC-  It's not the marquee matchup, but Tulsa is a team worth watching. After a tough 16-7 loss to OK St , they've had impressive wins over UCF and USF and will stay hot with a 34  -22 win over ECU behind Zach Smith's passing.

CUSA- Don't look now but UTSA(4-3, 2-1 C-USA) has been playing decent with Sincere McCormick(155 CAR, 867 YDS, 7 TD). FAU(1-1, 1-1 C-USA) has been erratic. UTSA 27 FAU 17.

MWC- Boise St  will get enough passing from Bachmeier to survive the Air Force rushing attack  and win 30-29

Sunbelt- Undefeated Coastal Carolina  will stay that way with a 24-22 win over Georgia St. regardless of  McCall being able to start at QB.

Oct 30

I didn't select this game but Kennedy III rushed for two TDs for Georgia Southern in the 4th quarter in a 24-17 win over South Bama.

Oct 31

Tulsa scored 34  and won , as I predicted, TUL 34 ECU 30. Ahlers , the ECU QB, put up betters stats than Zane Smith of Tulsa, but a late rushing TD by Wilkerson gave  Tulsa the W.

Nov 1

FAU's D held UTSA to three points so  I was got that one wrong.  Sears, not Bachmeir, led BSU to a 49-30 win over AFA. Coastal Carolina 51 GSU 0. WTH happened. Mccall passed for 4 TDs and 280 yards, Georgia St passed for 30 yards. 

CUSA Note: Rice 30 USM 6. Southern Miss is on its third HC this season. #ScottyWalden , the interim HC , left for the job at Austin Peay few days ago

Force four O5 picks for Oct 3

 I'm unsure as to how Air Force gets to start it's season against Navy(AAC) when it's conference, the MWC, doesn't start  play until Oct 24 and hasn't produced a schedule. Navy should win by 10 against the rusty Falcons.

 Arkansas St  lost to Memphis and beat Iowa St(Big12) while CCU beat Kansas(Big12) this season. Jamal Jones will rush for a 100 + in a 24 19 Ark St win over CCU in Sunbelt action.

Can any team slow down UAB RB Spencer Brown? I don;'t think UTSA will this week in a CUSA matchup. UAB 34 UTSA 22

App St gave Charlotte a reality check two weeks ago and will rely on Chris Reynolds, their QB, to shift into high gear against Taggart's crew at FAU in a CUSA matchup. This will be the Owls first game this season. CHAR 24 FAU 16

Oct 4

UAB win over UTSA was my sole correct pick.  Navy was the rusty military crew and were held to under a 100 yards rushing by Air Force. McCall(20/29 for 322 yards and 4 TDs) had a great game at QB for CCU in a 52-23 win over Ark St. Nick Tronti rushed for a TD and tossed two TD passes in third quarter for FAU in a 21 -17 win over Charlotte.

I didn't pick the game or see it coming but props to Tulsa for a huge AAC victory over UCF.

AAC 2020 pigskin and hoops memos

NCAA rejected former basketball coach Kevin Ollie’s appeal over UConn violations. Here's one violation that appears to be petty when you see all other big time scandals in college sports: improper pickup games at which student managers kept statistics for coaches. This occurred before UConn left the AAC for the Big East in hoops.

Some NBA mock drafts have JAMES WISEMAN who played in a few games for Memphis going first overall to the Golden State Warriors. And his Memphis teammate Precious Achuwa going to the Spurs as the 11th overall pick.

Notre Dame / Navy(AAC) football game is being moved from Dublin ,Ireland to Annapolis, MD at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. It will the first time the rivalry game will be played in this venue.

I'm curious as to how Jeff Scott, former  Clemson OC, does in his first season as the USF HC .

June 6, 2020

Oklahoma’s Ryan Jones is fifth P5 transfer added by East Carolina this spring, but not all of the transfers have been regular starters. Jones, a native of Charlotte, NC, played LB  the last two seasons , but he's joining the Pirates to play in a WR/TE role; a position that he was originally recruited for by OU.

June 7, 2020

Here's one possible reason James Madison football didn't  move up to 1A and join the AAC:  It didn't want to be erratic in the way  Old Dominion(CUSA) has been since moving up to 1A. Plus moving from the CAA to AAC in hoops would've been a huge move.

June 10, 2020

I saved a list from a print newspaper of interesting non -conference battles in 2020. This one could be a barn-burner. Cincy (AAC) visits Nebraska (B10) on 9/26/20.  Nebraska beat Cincy in 1906 for 1-0 series edge. JD Spielman, Nebraska's leading wide receiver from the 2019 season will enter the transfer portal. He's been dealing with a "personal health matter" , whatever that means. Cincy will need to fill the void of Michael Warren III moving on to the NFL.

June 13 2020

Memphis(AAC) and Mississippi State(SEC) have added more future matchups. Miss St has won 12 in a row and leads the series 27-10.  Memphis won at 45-35 at Miss St in 1993 under Coach Chuck Stobart and were in the CUSA Conference. Jackie Sherill was the Miss St HC.

Isaac Bruce  was a WR on that Memphis St squad and went on to a long NFL career with the Rams. 

june 18, 2020

 Fran Dunphy, who retired from coaching hoops at Temple in 2019, is back working for the school as acting AD  after Patrick Kraft left the post to become the new AD at BC.

June 28, 2020

Syracuse(ACC)  visits Independent UConn for a football game in in 2022. In 2012 they were  members of the Big East, but Cuse moved to the ACC, and UConn became a part of the AAC in 2013.

July 8, 2020

 Ruffin McNeal, who was the HC of East Carolina from 2010-15 during its move from the CUSA to the AAC, has been hired as a special Asst at NC St.

July 15, 2020

 I found this in a article about starting Tulsa safety Cristian Williams ,who was  popped for  a DUI and suspended In bringing back Head Coach Montgomery for a sixth season,  Tulsa made it clear that it’s a bowl game or bust in 2020.  I haven't read of a change in that thinking since the pandemic started.

July 16, 2020

Moussa Cisse, a power forward regarded as a potential first-round pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, committed to Memphis . Last season he moved from NYC to Memphis to play high school ball. Did Coach Hardaway keep his distance. Is this another possible "Wiseman" scandal?

July 18, 2020

Army and Navy(AAC) ADs: ‘If there’s only one game we’re going to play, it’s the Army-Navy game’. This needed to be said.

Oct 9, 2020

 The investigation  of Gregg Marshall's Wichita State(AAC) basketball  program, which started after seven players transferred out is nearly over. He's been accused of shoving some players, particularly Shaq Morris, and of not being a nice guy around campus. I bet he survives for this season but faces a huge hurdle in recruiting.

Nov 18, 2020

Gregg Marshall resigned from Wichita St and agreed to a settlement of $7.75 million to be paid over the next six years. Assistant coach Isaac Brown will be the interim HC.

Nov 19, 2020

 Wiseman from Memphis of the AAC goes 2nd overall to GSW in the NBA draft. Edwards from Georgia(SEC) went 1st.

Jan 21, 2022

I started this blog mentioning Kevin Olie, former UConn hoops coach when they were in the AAC, and yesterday an arbitrator awarded him 11M from UConn for improper firing. His membership in the American Association of University Professors union was a factor in the decision.

May 7, 2022

I pulled up this old blog when I saw that Wichita State(AAC) fired its athletic director Darron Boatright. My initial reaction was it must be tied in some way to the sloppy way hoops Coach Marshall left there in 2020. However , most of the chatter is about how Boatright was slow to get on the NIL "fundraising" train. Funny world.

AAC HOOPS 2019/20 predictions

Houston guard DeJon Jarreau leads a solid squad but that BYU loss stings
Memphis: Wiseman(suspended til January) but a successful return should keep the Tigers in the Dance picture. Quinones is a decent guard
Cincinnati has a new HC, John Brannen, and Jarron Cumberland is still a Bearcat
Temple-New HC  McKie inherits guard Quinton Rose and some other solid players
USF is led by guard Laquincy Rideau and is receiving a lot pre-season hype. I'll wait and see.
Wichita St needs a lot from Dexter Dennis early in the season
UConn-  Bouknight and Gilbert form a dynamic backcourt.
UCF is going to miss Tacko
Tulane -New HC Ron Hunter has a lot riding on incoming transfer KJ Lawson
Tulsa- DO or die time for Coach Haith
ECU- A lot rides on the JUCO transfers
SMU- Erratic team. Darius McNeil has the potential to be a solid lead guard

Nov 23

 I posted the blog in the morning and by nighttime Houston lost to Oregon . Cincy barely survived Illinois St. UConn lost to Xavier, a team they'll face more often when they return to the BigEast next season. And East Carolina blew out the same Evansville squad that beat Kentucky earlier this season. Also Coach Hunter, formerly of GA St, Tulane squad beat MTSU. Temple beat USC.

dec 28

 Fabian White Jr. and Caleb Mills scored 19 points each in Houston's (AAC) rally to a 75-71 win over No. 21 Washington(PAC12) in the  Diamond Head Classic. It could be an important part of the Cougars resume for March Madness

jan 4, 2020

Houston took care of business with a 78-63 win over UCF, but the WTH happened to Temple last night. They only scored 17 in the first half of  70-44 loss to Tulsa, who was led by
J. Horne( 23 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST)

jan 5

 Yesterday's results from the new SEC/AAC SCHEDULING Alliance of four games a season. Hammond had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Georgia in a surprise 65-62 win over Memphis. Wichita St crushed Ol Miss 74-54. Kendric Davis scored 24 points and Tyson Jolly added 21 for SMU in a 92-81 win over Vandy. On Dec 8 Houston beat South Carolina 76-56. AAC 3 SEC 1 this season

jan 12

AAC standings tighten with Tulsa's big 63-61 win over Houston. Coach Ron Hunter's move from Ga St of the  Sunbelt to Tulane and  has been erratic. In their last five games they've defeated Cincy and Temple but lost to Memphis, Uconn, and Towson(CAA).
Wichita St is the lone undefeated team in AAC play

Jan 16

Quinton Rose scored 19 points for Temple who handed Wichita St its first AAC loss this season.
Brandon Rachal scored 21 points for Tulsa in a 65-49 win over ECU. Houston beat SMU 71-62. wICHITA, tULSA, and Houston are tied at 3-1 with Cincy atop the AAC.

 jan 23

WTH to Memphis?  Jeriah Horne (21 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST)  led Tulsa to an 80-40 rout of Memphis.
Cumberland cousins helped Cincy beat Temple 89-82. SMU crushed ECU  84-64. Tulsa is in first place, ahalf game up on Cincy and Houston.

jan 29

Jarron Cumberland (28 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST)  led Cincy in a 65-43 pounding of SMU.

feb 2

 The Bearcats moved into a tie with Houston for second place in the AAC after coming back from fifteen point deficit to beat the Cougars 64-62. Both teams trail first place Tulsa who defeated Wichita St 54-51 thanks to a solid game from  Elijah Joiner (22 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST).

Feb 9

Cincy(8-3) lost an OT game to UConn while Houston(9-2) crushed Wichita St to take over first place.Tulsa(7-3) was upset by UCF.(4-7) was led by Darin Green Jr. (26 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST) .

feb 17 

Tre Scott (14 PTS, 12 REB, 1 AST) was key factor in Cincy's OT win over ECU and UConn put a damper on Memphis Dance hopes with a 64-61 win. Wichita St handled Tulane. SMU's upset of Houston on Saturday allowed Cincy to move into a tie for first.

 feb 20

Yes, the Cincy loss to UCF hurts them some, but SMU has to be off the bubble with a loss to cellar dweller Tulane.  Tulsa fell to third place with 76-43 loss to Houston. Memphis edged ECU.

feb 23

Memphis upset of Houston(11-4)  made the battle for first more interesting. Tulsa (10-4)   and Cincy 10-4) are .5 GB. Martins Igbanu scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds for Tulsa in its 79-57 blowout of SMU. Cincy plays Wichita St today

feb 29

How is it that Cincy is being considered  an out for the Dance. The AAC is a decent hoops conference and deserves a minimum of three Dance tickets. Cincy , Houston , and Tulsa are tied for first in the AAC at 11-4.

Week 7 Other five Conference time

CUSA: It appeared that  ODU was turning the corner after hanging tough in a loss to UVA but then they lost to ECU and WKU. Marshall will increase Knox's workload and edge  the visiting Monarchs 17-12
MAC: MIAMI(ohio) is coming off a solid conference win over Buffalo and will need a big game from rushing game from Jaylon Bester to win at WMU, led by the big arm of J. Wassink. Miami(O) 31 WMU 30.
Sunbelt: ULL hosts App St in a battle of two teams off to nice starts. Ragas/Mitchell lead a potent rushing attack for the home team, but I'll roll with Zac Thomas  to have a300 yard passing game in an App St 34 -32 win.
MWC: I'm taking Josh Love and the Spartans  to get a home win over the sluggish Wolfpack. San Jose St  29 NEV 22
AAC: Navy looks like they're back in  contention and Tulsa has been erratic. Tulsa will feed Brooks more carries and win a close one at home 23 20
Oct 9-  San Diego St football coach Rocky Long opinion on  JJ Justice, the son of former MLB star David Justice,  placing his name into the NCAA transfer database.  "He’s got a full-ride scholarship, he doesn’t have to play for it and he gets to finish out the semester."
Oct10- I was correct on App St but it was a low scoring game. Zac Thomas had two rushing TDs in the 17-7 App St win over ULL. 

Oct 13

I was way off on Tulsa, wrong on  Miami O  and San Jose St, and spared from going 0fer for saturday by  Marshall.
 Tulsa couldn't contain M.Perry, Navy's QB, who rushed for 218 yards and three TDs in a 45-17 win over Tulsa.
Gabbert threw three INTs, including a pick 6, in the Miami O 30-16 loss to W.Michigan. Bellamy rushed for two TDs and Wassink tossed two TDs for the Broncos.
Love threw for 405 yards but the his Trojan teammates rushed for only 34 yards in a 40-37 last play, Talton's 40 yard FG, loss to Nevada who were led by Taua's 160 rushing yards.
Knox rushed for 104 yards and a TD in the #herd's win over  ODU.
Here's what caught my eye in some other games. W.Kentucky(CUSA) held Army to 8 points in a 17-8 win..The MWC is definitely a rocky road. Wyoming got tripped by SDST, FresnoSt couldn't handle Air Force, and UNLV pounded Vandy of the SEC.
NIU got a game ending field goal in a wild 4th quarter to edge Ohio 40-37 in MAC play.
oCT14:   MWC geography and caliber of opponents fits AFA. ODD COMMENT from Air Force coach,Troy Calhoun,  who questions Air Force’s placement in the Mountain West: “I don’t know if it’s really a match”

Week 4 Other5 OOC matchups

Wyoming(MWC) @ Tulsa(AAC) Two solid RBs ,Brooks of Tulsa and T.Smith of Wyoming, will each go over 100 yards rushing. Home team will win 24-23 and hand the Cowboys their first loss this season
South Alabama(SunBelt) @ UAB(CUSA) This intrastate matchup may turn into an aerial show beat the Jags Johnson and the Blazers Johnstston.  UAB 41 USA  33
Toledo(MAC) @Colorado St (MWC). Rams  get in gear and win 20 17 at home. look for Collin Hill to have a big aerial day for CSU at home.
sept 19- I'll stick with #CSU rams despite just learning that Hill suffered his third torn ACL since 2016 during last week's loss to Arkansas. Coach Bobo  will likely start Patrick O’Brien, a transfer from Nebraska.
sept 20: Meanwhile in AAC play Tulane stunned Houston  38-31 on a 53 yard reception by Mcleskey. 

sept 21 review

Tulsa blew a 17 point lead but got it together late with a Brooks' 19-yard touchdown run and a fumble recovery at the 3-yard line during the final minute in a 24-21 win over Wyoming. 
Johnston threw for 313 yards and 3 Tds in the Blazers 35-3 win over South Bama.
OBrien threw for 405 yards and 1TD and Marvin Kinsey Jr. rushed for 246 YDS, 2 TD
but it wasn't enough to stop Toledo who got  228 rushing yards, 3 TD from Bryant Koback and 119 rushing yatds and 1TD from Mitchell Guadagni. TOL 41 CSU 35

sept 23

 How about San Jose St grabbing five INTs and  winning 31-24 at Arkansas? The last time SJST beat a power conference opponent was in 2006 when the Spartans beat Stanford. 

Week 2 Three OOC Other5 matchups

Tulsa (AAC), particularly Shamari Brooks, was throttled by Sparty last week, and this week's Spartans, San Jose St(MWC), looks like the cure, but it may be tough. Tulsa ekes out a 16 - 13 road win
Ark St (SunBelt) @ UNLV(MWC): Bonner had a solid passing game in the Red Wolves' loss to SMU. Charles William rushed for 142 yards in the Rebels win over S.Utah (1aa). UNLV survives  24 -22 at home
UAB(CUSA) @ Akron(MAC): A TD kickoff return saved UAB from an embarrasing loss to Alabama St last week while Akron was demolished at Illinois. Tyler Johnston tossed two TD passes in 19 -16 UAB road.
Feel free to comment and/or mention an OOC matchup between non-power five 1A conferences  that intrigues you
Sept 7:  In a game I didn't mention #herd  jumped to a 7-0 lead but fell to Boise St(MWC) 14-7. Only 56 yards passing for Marshall (CUSA)
Sept 8: Tulsa 34 SJSU 16  Brooks woke up and rushed for 140 yards and a TD in the Tulsa win.
Bonner had a sold game passing and Ark St D had a pick six in the 43-17 win over the Rebels who got a great ground game from Charles Williams , 168 yards , 1 TD.
UAB survived the aerial show 31-20 over Akron.
Two of three for the weekend
 

K. Nelson Akron

25/44

359

2

0

Johnston III UAB

15/24

319

4

1

2019 AAC Football hunches

American Athletic East Division
UCF Knights - Coach Heupel has QB battle between Winbush, the ND transfer, and Darriel Mack.
Cincinnati Bearcat will be nipping at the Knights' heels led by 1k yards rusher Michael Warren.
South Florida Bulls-Big year for Taggart. Has he lost his touch?
Temple Owls will rely heavily on a solid D.
East Carolina Pirates: Rebuild continues
Connecticut Huskies- The Edsels are descending to AA.
West Division

Houston Cougars-Coach Holgorsen will have these guys scoring 40 plus points a game
Memphis Tigers will miss RB Darrel Henderson 
 SMU Mustangs- Dykes herd take a big step up. D appears solid.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane may not be so golden.
Tulane Green Wave D is decent but may not get them into the West race.
 Navy Midshipmen will slightly improve from a poor 2108 season
Aug 15:  #houston /OK game will be on in prime time Sunday Sept 1.
Aug 22:  UConn schedules home and home with BC for 2022/23 They've met 14 times previously. BC leads the series 12-0-2. The Eagles took the most recent meeting 39-16 in 2017.
Aug 24:  #Tulsa tailback Corey Taylor II thinks he and his teammates will rush for over 200 yards against Michigan St.. High hopes indeed!
Aug 28: Arkansas (SEC) will host Cincinnati(AAC) on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 in Fayetteville, AR. It's a one game deal and the first football matchup between the schools. AAC needs more  games against P5 teams. 
Aug 30: Big  Bearcats win over UCLA (Pac12) : Mildly surprised Warren rushed for less than a hundred yards.  Tulane Green Wave buried FIU (CUSA) 42-14. McMillan tossed two TD passes and Dauphine rushed for two TDs.
Sept 2: Yes, I know OK is a good team but Holgorsen's team , as usual, lacks Defense. King , the Cougars QB, was their offense.

AAC 2018-19 HOOP Predictions

1. Houston: Corey Davis Jr-it's your time.
2. Cincinnati minus Clark but the Bearcats are still solid. #jarroncumberland 's time
3. Memphis- Coach Hardaway here we go !
4. UCF- Will Coach Dawkins finally get the Knights in gear
5. UConn- Hurley-time . Is #jalenadams another Kemba?
6. Wichita State- A bit of a shock as they need to replace eight players who played in 30 games last season
7. Tulsa- Coach Haith- where's the D?
8. Tulane- Can Coach Dunleavy summon up some D?
9. SMU- off to a shaky start
10. Temple- Rebounders please apply
11. East Carolina-  Freshmen Center Roci Quinton may help them climb out of the cellar.
12. South Florida- David Collins scored 21 in a narrow loss to Georgetown. Maybe there will a Bulls rush?

dec 9, 2018

#tulsa hung on last night for a 47-46 win over #16 KSt. Earlier in the week they beat OK St giving them a 2-0 week over the Big 12. Houston beat OkSt last night, but Oklahoma (B12) pounded Wichita St.

dec 21, 2018

#houston is 11-0. Last night they beat Utah St  (MWC) 60-50 in matchup that doesn't occur often. Cincy (9-2) will probably be the Cougars toughest foe when AAC  starts soon. Bearcats lost to Miss St then crushed UCLA this week.

jan 6, 2019

 Aubrey Dawkins scored  23 points to lead UCF over UConn. Curran Scott hit a trey as the buzzer sounded giving Tulsa a 78-75 victory over USF.  And, I had to read this one a few times, Obasohan's last-second block on Saturday helped #ecu hold off Cincy 73-71

jan 10, 2019

Some of my cellar picks are playing well.  #quintonrose (22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST) led Temple over over Houston and USF beat Tulane.

Jan 17, 2019

Both head coaches got tossed in Tulsa's win over Uconn. Wichita St got by UCF for it's first AAC win . Houston and Temple  moved to 4-1 in AAC play with wins over respectively, SMU and ECU.

Jan 28, 2019

My pre-season top 3 are doing  ok. Cincy came back to beat Temple  while Houston beat Tulsa to keep them tied for first at 7-1. Memphis moved to 5-2 pounding UCF.

feb 3, 2019

Cincy moved to 8-1 in AAC play with a 73-68 win over SMU. #JarronCumberland scored 24 points for the victors.Temple (6-3) stay in contention with a 75-67 win over Tulane.

feb 8

Houston  beat  Memphis 69-64 and Cincy beat UCF(6-3) to remain tied for first at 9-1 in the AAC.  David Collins hit two  3-pointers in the final 72 seconds for USF in its win over SMU.

feb 11

Houston(10-1) held Cincy (9-2) to 33% FG shooting in  a 65-58 win. Aubrey Dawkins scored 26 points for Central Florida(7-3) in a 71-65 win over SMU. USF (7-4) beat ECU in OT.

feb 15

D. JARREAU (18 PTS, 3REB, 7 AST) led Houston to a win over UConn while Tulsa pounded Tulane. Top four teams get a rd1 bye in AACT.

Houston    11 1 .
Cincinnati    9 2
UCF 8 3
Temple 8 4
South Florida  7 5
Memphis  7 5
Wichita St. 5  6
Tulsa     5 7 .
Connecticut 4 8
SMU     4 8
East Carolina 2-10
Tulane     0 11 

feb 20 

Houston 12- 1 .Cincinnati 10- 2 UCF 9 3 Temple 9 4.My gut says the AAC IS ONLY GETTING THREE dance tickets and Houston and Cincy are in regardless of AACT results

FEB 24

UConn made a he!! of a late run at Cnncy but lost 64-60  and UCF pounded SMU 95-48. Meanwhile Memphis has moved up to bubble status for the Dance.
Houston    13 1 .Cincinnati    12 2 UCF 10-4 Temple 10 4 Memphis  9-6 South Florida  7-7

feb 28

Top three teams won. Cincy(13-2) barely survived SMU 52-49 while Houston(14-1) rolled over ECU 99-65. UCF(11-4) got 18 points from Fall in a 75-63 win over USF.

March 3

UCF (22-6, 12-4 American) moved a step closer to a dance ticket with a 69-64 win over # 8 Houston.  Collin Smith had a solid night for UCF: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST. # 24 Cincy beat Memphis(18-12, 10-7 American) 71-69.

March 8

BJ Taylor(22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST) led UCF to a big 58-55 win over Cincy while Houston beat SMU. I think Temple , a winner over UConn, is still on the bubble while UCF earned a Dance ticket last night. Houston   15-2 .Cincinnati    14-3 UCF 13-4 Temple 12-5 

March 17

Memphis gave Houston a battle but fell while Cincy beat Wichita St setting up today's AACT title game. 
Temple remains on the bubble and UCF should get in the Dance.
March 17 evening
Great game from Cumberland in Cincy's stunner over HU. UCF got in and Temple plays Belmont in a play-in game

March 25

  #AAC has had a decent post-season. Houston advanced to the Sweet 16 and UCF was a tip-in away from beating Duke to make the 16. Cincy's rd1 loss was surprising and Temple's play-in loss to Belmont wasn't. Wichita St beat Clemson to make the final 8 of the NIT.
April 1: Depaul lost game 1 to USF 83-81 in the best of CBI final series three series.


Eli Cain DEP - G 19 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST


David Collins USF - G 23 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AST


April 3: Wichita St lost to Lipscomb 71-64 in the NIT. D Dennis led the Shockers with 13 points


aPRIL 4: #depaul survived some sloppy play at the end of regulation to defeat USF 100-96 in OT. Paul Reed was big for the Blue Demons ( 28 PTS, 16 REB, 2 AST), usf (aac) PLAYS GAME 3 ON THE ROAD IN cHICAGO - Big move by Houston:  Kelvin Sampson  signed a 6yr, 18m contract extension to remain with the Cougars through the 2024-25 season. He  had been the primary candidate for the Arkansas job.
april 6  DePaul played sloppy ball in stretches and lost  77-65 at home to USF(AAC) in the final game of the 2019 CBI.  David Collins led the Bulls with 19 points.
 

april 10

 Here's some potential candidates to replace Cronin: Matt McMahon, Murray State head coach. Erik Martin, former Bearcat and assistant on Huggy's staff. Darren Savino, associate head coach for UC since 2010. John Brannen, Northern Kentucky University HC. And then there's Nick van Exel former Bearcat star and an assistant with the Memphis Grizzlies (NBA).

april 15

Cincy didn't look to far to replace Cronin.  #JohnBrannen had been the Northern Kentucky HC for four seasons, leading the Norse to two NCAA Dances and two regular-season Horizon League titles over the past three seasons.

May 1

 SEC and AAC have agreed to a scheduling alliance in men's basketball beginning in the 2019-20 season.  Four schools from each conference will participate in two-year, home-and-home series,and no matchups have been scheduled yet. How about Houston/LSU ?
Aug 14- Follow-up on Kevin Ollie The arbitrator in the dispute between UConn and Kevin Ollie has ruled that the former basketball coach is protected by a union contract. UConn argument that Ollie’s personal contract superseded the union deal has been nixed and its case has become tougher.

• 
  

AAC 2017-18 hoop predictions.

Last night #smu beat Zona, Uconn beat Oregon, and #ucf beat Nebraska so its the right time  for my selections. #wichitast was nipped by Notre Dame.
Cincinnati: Clark and Washington lead a strong Cats' squad

Wichita State: McDuffie's return from injury will keep  the Shockers near the top all season

Connecticut: Terry Lanier leads a solid group of Huskies

SMU: Ben Emelogu II and the Mustangs will be tough

Temple: Shizz Alston Jr. and the Owls may creep into the top

Houston: Rob Gray is a big time scorer

UCF: Big man Tacko Fall  will need DeJesus or another Knight to increase his scoring.

Tulane: Coach Dunleavy continues the slow turnaround with Melvin Frazier, a solid guard.

Memphis : Coach Tubby has an uphill battle

East Carolina: Pirates will need to steal a few wins

Tulsa: Etou is a solid player.

South Florida : lost to Morgan St ???
dec 16, 2017 snap #AAC hoops snapshot
Wichita St only loss is to Notre Dame and they beat Baylor.. Cincy has stumled but to good teams.Florida and Xavier. Tulane has three losses. I get the losses to UNC and Florida St, but #gerogia st ?
1/2/18: Catching up  AAC hoops: .Houston is 2-0 in first place. #wichitast beat Uconn 72-62 in itsdebut AAC game . #landryshamet scored 16 for the Shockers.
1/9/18: #wichitast and #cincy  are undefeated in conference play atop the AAC. #Temple is winless. How about Tulane (2-1) wins over SMU and Temple and a loss to Tulsa. Reynolds and Frazier are each averaging nearly 17 PPG.
1/14/18- Don't look now but the #aac has some exciting hoops. #tulsa nearly upset #wichitast . #cincy  took a nap early then crushed #usf. Tubby's Tigers are  slowly getting the message Memphis 75 Temple72.  UConn edged Tulane, not sure if Olie's guys got the message or Tulane's wave has ebbed.
1/21/18: Honeymoon is over for #WichitaSt . #houston led by Rob Gray (24 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST) beat them 73-59.Cincy remains undefeated in AAC play with an easy win over ECU.
Cincinnati 6-0
Houston         5-2
Wichita State 5-2

1/29/18

Cincy, Houston, and Wichita keep winning. Right mow these three should be going to the Dance.  Maybe the AAC gets a fourth ticket but it ain't looking like UConn who lost 76-50 to Temple.
#Cincy ranks second in the country allowing only 56.6 points a game.

2/2/18

Cincy keeps finding away to not lose.  The hot #temple Owls gave Wichita St it's third AAC loss.

Josh Brown TEM - G 15 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST. .  Junior Etou 17 PTS, 15 REB, 1 AST led #tulsa to a win over SMU and kept them in  the bubble talk.

2/7/18

#cincy crushed UCF and is rolling toward  a 2 seed at the Dance. 

A. Reaves WICHST (22 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST) beat Memphis by 20. Perhaps a 5 seed

2/12/18

@cincy crushed  SMU and have to be considered a  2 seed at the Dance. Houston crushed Tulane and UCF edged Memphis.Is Tubby headed for an exit from Memphis? It may be down to just three AAC teams getting in Cincy, Houston, and Wichita St.
2/16/18 update: #houston tried to foul the game away but a big home W over Cincy..I don't know why they were playing on Texas Southern's court. Shaquille Morris (23 PTS, 13 REB, 1 AST) led Wichita St  big second half surge for a 93-86 win over Temple. Sterling Taplin (30 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST) led Tulsa to a won over UConn and may have them back in the Dance mix.
feb 19 update. Temple Owls are off the Dance limb after #houston  beat them easily yesterday. Bearcats lost to Wichita and #tulsa  kept their slim dance hopes alive with a win over #usf
2/23/18 update. Cincy is back in gear. Did #memphis prick Houston's bubble?
3/3/18 update.Top AAC 3, Cincy, Wichita St, & Houston should be dancing, but does #tulsa have a way in other than winning the AACT?
3/8/18:  rumors that Penny Hardaway is going to replace Tubby next season at Memphis U.
March 10 update: Tubby has #Memphis  playing well  as Brewton Jr hit a buzzer beater in their win over Tulsa. The top 3 AACteams advanced yesterday and should be dancing. Here's how today looks. Memphis/Cincy. Houston/Wichita St
4/5/18-  Memphis new head coach Penny Hardaway has hired Mike Miller, longtime NBA player , as an assistant ,and is also making waves by trying to get #larrybrown involved with the program.