Non P6 tourneys early days

ASUN: I like Lipscomb who opens against N Bama. Jacksonville and Queens won last night and face respectively, EKU and Stetson today. N.Florida faces APU.

HorizonT starts today with Oakland, the conference winner, on a bye. Northern Kentucky is notorious for good tourney runs.

March 6, 2024

ASUNT:  Lipscomb falls to UNA and EKU falls to JAC while Stetson and APU advance.

MAC: Akron falls to EMU and into a tie with Toledo for first.

MWC: UNLV beat SDSU, NEV knocked BSU, and both winners trail USU by a half game.

March 7, 2024

I. Milicic (26 PTS,10reb) for Charlotte(AAC) in a win over Rice to stay in 3rd behind FAU who beat UNT.

Richmond's win over JOES wasn't pretty but it kept them ahead of LOYCH who beat DAV(A10).

Wagner upset Sacred Heart in rd1 of the NECT.

March 8, 2024

ASUNT: Stetson & PEAY advance to the final. Swenson scored 29 for STET in a win over JAC.

Warrick scored 35 for NKU in an OT win over Wright St. Norse magic back for March.

MVC: UIC upset SIU. Murray St only scored 35 in a loss to MOSU.

March 9, 2024

Conwell scored 20 for the Sycamores in a win over MOSU and faces UNI(MVC) next. BRAD/Drake in the other semifinal game.

UALR and MHST advanced to the OVC final.

Sloppy Akron lost to WMU and is limping into the MACT.

Boise ST beats the Aztecs(5th in MWC)in OT

March 10, 2024

UNCG(Southern) went from upsetting UK to no shot at the Dance after losing to ETSU yesterday. Morehead St upset UARL to get OVC ticket.

FAU(AAC) put MEM nearly in the NIT, USF lost to Tulsa. Appy(SBC) needed OT to escape GASO.

Indiana St/Drake. Can goggle guy Avila keep it going?

Towson U beat W&M to advance in the CAAT.

March 11, 2024

 Williamson scored 18 for Towson U in a win over UNCW and faces Co C in a CAAT semi-final.

Drake gets the MVC ticket. Does INST get screwed? STET survived PEAY for the ASUN ticket.

Omaha upset NDak in a Summit semi. Will we see two Nebraska teams at the dance?

March 12, 2024

Zags beat SF and face SMC in the WCCT final. SF likely to the NIT. JMU wins SBCT, Appy likely NIT. 

Denver, with the nation’s leading scorer, Tommy Bruner, beat Omaha and faces SDAK St in the Summit final. Fidler scored 27 for Omaha.

 Towson fell to CoC, who faces Stony Brook in the CAAT final.

March 13, 2024

Mahaney (23pts) for SMC over the Zags in the WCCT final. Oakland won the HorizonT-big night for Townsend(38pts, 11reb) SDAK St won the Summitt. CofC struggled but survived Stony Brook in the CAAT final.

March 14, 2024

WACT: SFA beat AB. Tchoukuiengo (21pts, 10ast) for Cal Baptist in OT win over UVU.

CUSAT: one seed SHS beat FIU, two seed La Tech lost to MTSU

Big WestT: AMitchell(36pts,9reb, 5ast) for UCSB in a loss to CSN.

March 15, 2024.

UTA blew out SFA in the WAC. MEM and SMU are toast in the AAC. Akron won. Toledo upset by WMU in the MAC. I wonder how Nevada's loss to CSU affects Dance tickets.

March 16, 2024

Wilson scored 28 for UTA who edged Tarleton to face GCU in the WACT final.

Freeman(24pts, 21reb) for Akron who held off Ohio to face Kent St in the MACT final.

Aztecs handled Utah St 86-70. UTEP upset SHS in the CUSA. UAB,FAU, UAB, & Temple remain in the AACT.

March 17, 2024

Greg Tribble makes both free throw for Akron after getting fouled in the backcourt court with 4 seconds on the clock. AKR 62 Kent 61.

UAB and Temple in the AACT final today. Few foresaw that one.

Lobos win MWCT. GCU beat UTA in the WAC.WKU over UTEP in the CUSA.

L Traore and Thompson each scored 25 points for Long Beach St in a win over UC Davis in the Big West. Dan Monson, who was fired by LBST on Monday, gets to coach a little longer this season. 

March 18, 2024

USF(AAC) and Indiana St(MVC), regular season champs, got hosed by the Dance committee.

June 20, 2024

I'm late on this one

Eastern Washington hired Dan Monson, the coach who led Long Beach State to the Dance, to replace David Riley, who takes over at Wazzoo.

Monson's HC resume  Gonzaga, Minnesota,  & Long Beach St. LBS told him he was done after the season and he took them to the Dance.

He takes over an EWU program that has won the last two Big Sky Conference regular-season titles.

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2024/02/non-p6-hoops-2024-part-3.html

Early Non-power conference tourneys March 2023

I'm not seeing a lot of hope for these regular season conference champs to make the Dance if they lose in their conference tourneys. 

SunBelt:  USM deserves to be Dancing regardless of how it does in its tourney, but the Lunardi's don't  have them on their radar. Marshall and ULL had great seasons, and South Bama has been hot and tips off against Appy at 12:30PM.

WCC- Santa Clara may need to win the tourney to Dance. Zags and St Marys are in. I can't get over Gonzaga playing Chicago St last night when the WCCT tips off today.

Horizon: Youngstown St, the regular season champ, has tough matchup today facing Detroit Mercy led by Antoine Davis, who is trying to break Pete Maravich's scoring record.

MVC: Bradley (16-4) and Drake(15-5) had decent seasons, but only the MVCT winner is going to the Dance.

March 3, 2023

 SunBelt:South Bama, Troy, Georgia Southern, and Tx St won yesterday. TX65 ODU 36 is a crazy score.

 Horizon: Davis missed a hurried pull-up 3-pointer in the final seconds of Detroit-Mercy's 71-66 season-ending loss to Youngstown State, leaving him three points shy of tying Pete Maravich’s NCAA career scoring record.

March 4, 2023

WCC: BYU beat Portland to move to rd2 against LMU and needs to build something as the Big 12 move nears. San Fran beat Pacific and faces Santa Clara.

MVC: Bradley got a scare from UNI led by Bowen Born's 34 points but hung on for a 72-66 and faces Indiana St today. Drake gets SIU.

Sunbelt gets back into action today: USM/USA. Marshall TX/ST. Troy/JMU. ULL/Georgia Southern

March 5, 2023

Sunbelt : USM and Marshall fall.  Big game for O. White, guard for South Bama 23PTS 6REB.  South Bama/JMU . TXST/ULL in Pensacola today.

MVC: Top teams, Bradley and Drake are in the MVCT final today.

WCC: Santa Clara's Dance chances look bleak after they lost to San Fran who faces Gonzaga next. R. Williams scored 23 PTS for BYU to defeat  LMU and  move on to face St Mary's.

Horizon: Monday slate: N.Kentucky/Youngstown St.  Milwaukee/Clev St

ASUN Championship - Final: Liberty(26-7 15-3)/Kennesaw State(25-8 15-3). Keep your eyes on D. McGhee for LU.

March 6, 2023

SunBelt: South Bama continues its march from the middle of the pack with a 77-66 win over JMU. They'll face ULL, a winner over TX St. , in the title game.

MVC:  Two-seed Drake blew out top seed Bradley 77-51 for the automatic Dance ticket.

ASUN: Kennesaw St edged Liberty 67-66 to punch its Dance ticket. You can't get any closer than the two teams who tied for the ASUN regular season title being separated by a point. I doubt if the Liberty gets an at large. LU goes to the CUSA next season.

March 7, 2023

I was switching back and forth between the SunBelt and the Horizon games. ULL was the better team last night. Jags were too dependent on Moore to create a shot.

 In the HorizonT N.Kentucky knocked off top seed Youngstown St and Clev St beat Milwaukee. 

In the WCCT St Mary's beat BYU and the Zags beat San Fran. which likely means they'll be the only two WCC teams getting Dance tickets.

March 8, 2023

NKY edged Clev St. Vinson is a sharp kid on the floor. Norse HC Darrin Horn has revived his career. He left WKU for S.Carolina and had a bumpy ride. 

Zags pummeled St Marys.

Quick look at the WAC: Cal Baptist beat Abilene Christian, and Tarleton, coached by Billy Gillepsie, beat UTRGV.

Shout out to Oral Roberts(30-4 18-0 Summit) who beat N Dak St to go dancing.

March 9, 2023

Colgate (Patriot) and Montana state (Big Sky) capped off decent seasons and punched their Dance tickets.

CUSA, MWC, AAC, A10 and MAC are in tourney mode.

AAC: Houston and Memphis are in, but Tulane needs a great AACT run to get an at-large invite.

MWC: San Diego St is in. Boise St and Utah St are on the bubble.

CUSA- FAU should be in regardless of the CUSAT results. Same goes for VCU in the A10.

MAC and WAC- Only one dance ticket reserved for each!

March 10, 2023

Quick takes due to so much action.

MAC: I'm not surprised that Toledo, Kent St, and Akron advanced, but I didn't think Ohio would beat Ball St by 20 points.

MWC:  I checked in and saw San Jose St hang on against Nevada despite the refs taking forever to  keep the game moving in the final minute. I think Nevada is NIT bound despite what Coach Steve Alford thinks.

CUSA: FAU, NTX, UAB advance. MTSU got a trey from Camryn Weston with 19 seconds remaining to nip Charlotte 66-65.

March 11, 2023

AAC: K. Cross(24PTS 13REB) led Tulane to win over Wichita St, and they'll face Memphis who beat UCF. Cincy, a winner over Temple, faces Houston who beat ECU, and the Bearcats have to keep winning to Dance.

CUSA: UAB needed that 22-2 first half start to beat NTX 76-69 and will face FAU in the title game.

MWC: Utah St 's win over Boise St should be enough to get them dance shoes, and they face SDST in the title game today.

MAC: KentSt /Toledo is the final and it's a damn shame one of these teams won't make the dance.

March 12, 2023

 Lopsided games could hurt some teams' Dance chances.

AAC Memphis beat Tulane 96-57 and will face Houston, who beat Cincy 69-48, today.

CUSA: FAU made sure they got a ticket by beating UAB 78-56.

MAC: M. Jacobs (18PTS 13REB 6AST) led Kent St to a 93-78 win over Toledo.

MWC: SDST 62 Utah St 57. Ags will be nervous during selection time tonight.

A10: VCU faces Dayton is the final today and should be Dancing regardless. Dayton, too but Fordham and St Louis are on the bubble

MAAC- Iona -Pittino Sr., Big West- UCSB , WAC : Grand Canyon punched tickets.

March 14, 2023

MWC got four tickets. Just remember Ryan Odom, the Utah St HC, was the UMBC HC in 2018 that knocked off # 1 UVA at the Dance. I'm amazed Nevada got in.

Also, surprised A10 only got one ticket, and AAC only got two tickets.

March 17, 2023

ULL gave Tenn a scare but lost. NKY hung around Houston but lost.

Tough day for MWC- Utah St lost to Missouri, Boise lost to NW, and the Aztecs needed clutch free -throw shooting to survive against Charleston.

(14) Kennesaw State 43 (3) Xavier 36 at the half

March 18, 2023

Xavier roared back to beat Kennesaw 72-67.  Tough loss, good job of representing the ASUN.

FAU upset Memphis 66-65: Rosado FAU 15 PTS , 3 REB , 1 AST

Fairleigh Dickinson upsets Purdue 63-58. Moore FDU (19 PTS , 5 REB). Northeast Conference is definitely one of the weaker conferences.  Big 10 gets too much respect annually.

March 20, 2023

 FAU has allowed Dusty May to build a decent program since 2018. Can they keep him or does a power conference team swoop in? FAU beat FDU to make the Sweet 16.

Ok, I've been remiss in talking about the two best O5 squads. Houston (AAC) faces a MIami (AAC) team that knows how to make deep runs at the Dance. Coach Larranaga has been doing it for a long time and took George Mason , a small school in Fairfax ,VA, to the the F4 in 1999.

Coach Dutcher, who came over from Michigan with will Steve Fisher in 1999 , will have San Diego St(MWC) ready for Bama(SEC). Let's see if a Bama /Houston final occurs or if more brackets get busted.

March 21, 2023

Iona(MAAC) hired Tobin Anderson from FDU to replace Pitino. TA left St. Thomas Aquinas, a Division II school, last offseason for FDU, and in one season he took FDU to the Dance, despite losing to Merrimack by one-point in the Northeast conference championship game. Merrimack was ineligible to compete in the postseason as a transitioning school from Division II. 

BTW, he's paid his dues as a D2 and D3 coach for over 20 years. Quite a story!

 Wichita State(AAC) plucked Paul Mills from Oral Roberts(Summit).

2003–2017 Baylor (assistant)

2017–2023 Oral Roberts

2023–? Wichita State

March 24, 2023

FAU watchout, the Big boys are coming for your head coach Dusty May. FAU 62 Tenn 55. He!! of a post season for the CUSA. 

 Zags pull out a huge win over UCLA. Timme 36 points, 13 rebounds for the victors.

March 25, 2023

In a very physical game, the Aztecs beat Bama(SEC).

 Houston lost to Miami(ACC). You could sense Houston was in trouble early when the Canes rebounders were tossing football passes to their guards for easy layups.

March 26, 2023

Zags got spanked hard in the second half of an 82-54 loss to UConn. 

Hope Dusty May likes Boca Raton or else someone is going to get him with big $$$. V. Goldin(14PTS 13REB) for FAU in a 79-76 win over KST.

March 27, 2023

 So 1 of the 2 non power schools will be in the final with SDST facing FAU on Saturday. Pac12 may need SDST to get through these TV talks.

Miami faces UConn. MWC/CUSA , Big East/ ACC. I'm kind of laughing now at all the Pundits.

March 29, 2023

Amir Abdur-Rahim leaves  Kennesaw St St(ASUN), after getting them to the Dance, for the Head Coaching Position at South Florida(AAC). That's a brutal gig.

April 2, 2023

Aztecs win at the buzzer 72-71 over FAU and faces UConn on Monday night. Tip my hat to FAU for a hell of a season.

A. Martin- FAU 26PTS 7REB

M. Bradley SDSU 21PTS 6REB

April 4, 2023

UConn 76 SDST 59.  Tough to lose but a great season for the Aztecs. Maybe they're headed for the Pac 12, but California may need to fix it's travel issue. Its prohibition which forces sports teams at public colleges and universities to find other ways to pay for road games to states with what California labels anti-LGBTQ legislation.

June 18, 2023

San Diego State is talking exit from the MWC. Main reason:  It needs to give a year of notice to withdraw next June. If it waits past June 30, the exit fee it would owe jumps from nearly $16.5 million to nearly $34 million.

June 24, 2023

 Non power conference draft picks: AAC and WCC each had three kids drafted.

AAC: Houston U: Jarace Walker (No. 8 to Pacers) Marcus Sasser (No. 25 to Pistons)

Central Florida: Taylor Hendricks (No. 9 to Jazz)

WCC: Santa Clara: Brandin Podziemski (No. 19 to Warriors)

Pepperdine: Maxwell Lewis (No. 40 to Lakers)

Gonzaga: Julian Strawther (No. 29 to Nuggets)

MVC: Belmont: Ben Sheppard (No. 26 to Pacers)

A10: Dayton: Toumani Camara (No. 52 to Suns)

MAC: Eastern Michigan: Emoni Bates (No. 49 to Cavaliers) Ann Arbor kid who went to MemphisU than EMU.

Southern: Furman: Jalen Slawson (No. 54 to Kings)

Quick peek at Non P5 hoops standings

SunBelt : I was all set to give the #herd  a toast, but ULM behind Blackmon's 35 points beat them Thursday night in double OT. USM and ULL are 7-2. Marshall and ULM are 6-3 in conference play.

Sienna handled Iona(Pittino Sr) last night and sits alone atop the MAAC. Same can be said for San Diego St(MWC), Liberty(Atlantic Sun), and then there are a bunch of undefeated teams in conference play including these three, Charleston (Big South), FAU(CUSA), and Eastern Washington(Big Sky).

However, it's Saint Mary's(18-4, 7-0, WCC) with a one game lead over Gonzaga that has tongues wagging. Aidan Mahaney leads the team in scoring with 15.0 ppg. Their four OOC losses are all by single digits to UW, Houston, Colorado St, and New Mexico. The loss to CSU is the worst of that bunch. 

Jan 29, 2023

I thought Cincy was going to beat Houston after seeing part of the first half, but the Cougars roared back for the win. HOU 75 CIN 69. These two games caught my eye.

I'm keeping an eye on Memphis who beat Tulsa yesterday for its fifth straight W to stay in the AAC race with Temple and Houston.

Feb 2, 2023

AAC: Cincy(6-4) rebounded from the tough loss to Houston with an 81-55 blowout of Tulsa. Tulane(7-3) rode the Mustangs and cruised to a 74-52 win over SMU.

WAC- Wow, NM St has been ragged since Coach Heiar replaced Coach Jans who went to Miss St, but they beat Stephen F Austin 73-65 last night for their first conference win

The other new kids in town had nice nights. Abilene Christian beat Seattle. Southern Utah beat Cal Baptist. Sam Houston beat UTRGV.

 

Big 12 to discuss adding Gonzaga(WCC) to the conference tomorrow, per 

dennisdoddcbs

Feb 3, 2023

#herd got a solid game from Taylor in a win over Appy to remain a game behind USM and ULL who each won.

FAU didn't look like a team who had won 20 straight and lost to UAB in CUSA action.

St Marys(9-0) and Gonzaga(8-1) won in WCC action.

Feb 4, 2023

Ball St(7-3) eked out a 91-90 win over EMU. It was he!! of a battle. Akron(9-1) beat Kent St(8-2) to stay atop the MAC. 

 SDST(18-5, 9-2 MWC) is ready for Pac 12 hoops. Nathan Mensah scored 17 points for No. 22 San Diego State in a 72-52 win over Boise State. 

Feb 5, 2023

WCC: St Mary's beat the Zags and are in a solid spot for the WCCT one seed. BYU is showing a pulse with a win over Pacific and trails the Zags by a game.

CUSA: FAU bounced back from the loss to UAB with a win over Charlotte while UAB beat FIU and may be a threat in the CUSAT.

SunBelt: Two 10-2 teams won yesterday. ULL beat Marshall and USM beat GA St.

AAC: Speaking of GASt, man do they miss Coach Ron Hunter, whose Tulane squad gutted out an 82-81 win over Memphis yesterday and are 1.5 GB of Houston.

ASUN: Queens(6-6) edged Austin Peay. Liberty and Kennesaw sit at the top with 10-2 records. E.Kentucky trails them by a game.

Feb 6 2023

Houston beat Temple. Tulane moved into a tie for second in the AAC.

Feb 7, 2023

Freddy Hicks scored 22 for Tarleton(13-11, 6-5) in a WAC win over UTA(8-16, 3-8). Billy Gillepsie seems to be doing ok and staying out of trouble at Tarleton. UTA is struggling in its first WAC season since the Sunbelt kicked them and Ark-LR to the curb for not having football programs.

Feb 8, 2023

J. Cook(27PTS 14AST) led Tulane to a 101-94 win over Cincy in AAC action.

Houston 80 Tulsa 42- Sasser 25 points. Memphis beat USF and SMU knocked off Temple , who will probably slide more. It's looking more and more like it's HU, Memphis, and Tulane are heading to the Dance. 

WAC: Tough night for Cal Baptist who lost to UVU 71-55. Nice win for Seattle over Utah (Dixie) Tech to stay in the conference title race. 

MWC: M. Bradley - SDSU(18PTS 6REB 3STL) in the Aztecs W over Utah St.

Feb 10, 2023

WCC: Zags handled San Fran while St Mary's got tripped up by ULM. C. Shelton(G - LMU) scored 31 points in the 78-74 win.

SunBelt: USM beat ULL to take sole control of first place.  Andrew Taylor scored 33 points to help Marshall defeat Coastal Carolina 92-74 and move within a game of second-place ULL.

Feb 11, 2023

New Mexico State men's basketball canceled tonight's game at Cal Baptist and suspended its season indefinitely following "new allegations" within the program. Alleged hazing issues are the latest in the mess.

East Carolina won't play its men's basketball game at Tulane tonight after the death of Pirates radio announcer Jeff Charles(70) while with the team Friday in New Orleans.

 Dwayne Cohill scored 33 points for Youngstown State(12-3) who beat Purdue Fort Wayne 81-72 last night and moved into first place in the Horizon Conference

Kent St(10-2) moved into first in the MAC with a win over Buffalo and Akron's(9-3) loss to Ohio. 

Feb 12, 2023

WCC: St Marys took of care of Portland and the Zags beat BYU, who will need a serious boost to survive in the Big 12 next season. LMU was edged 71-69 by Santa Clara.

SunBelt: Taevion Kinsey scored 37 points for Marshall(10-4)  in 88-77 win over Georgia State. ULL(10-4) lost to Troy. JMU(9-5) beat CCU. USM(12-2) remains the top team with a win over ULM.

CUSA: Florida Atlantic(24-2, 14-1C-USA) keeps rolling with a win over La Tech, while NTX(21-5, 12-3C-USA) stays in the hunt with a win over Charlotte.

Feb 13, 2023

Just wondering if some of the culture at N Mex St predates Heiar, was hired from Northwest Florida State, a JC power. He previously worked as an assistant at ETSU, LSU, Wichita State, and S Miss.

 Chris Jans, the previous HC, is the Miss St HC.

Feb 15, 2023

Three of the four teams atop the MAC are from Ohio. Kent State 11-2, Toledo 11-2, Ball State 10-3 ,Akron 10-3.

Muncie, Indiana: Payton Sparks scored 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead Ball State to an 87-77 home victory over NIU.

Feb 16, 2023

I'll end this blog with this: NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu backed AD Moccia's firing of head coach Greg Heiar over the locker room hazing of a male basketball player and claimed that was not reflective of the athletic department or the school overall. You can bet the CUSA will want better answers than we're hearing, and I'm not surprised that Heiar was sacrificed.  However, I doubt this culture started as soon as Heiar arrived on campus.

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.

Lewis and Clark hoops somewhat 021822

 East Coast guy catching up. Here's some older blogs:

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/07/pacific-northwest-hoops-chatter-in.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/01/p5-pigskin-on-hardwood-january-2020.html

I don't think anyone saw this quick of a turnaround for Zona(Pac12) after Tommy Lloyd was named its head coach last April after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga(WCC) for the last 22 seasons. Zags have remained top notch w/o Lloyd and Saint Mary trails them by 3 in the conference. 

Arizona is up by three games on USC and UCLA and by four games over Oregon ASU is 5-9 in P12action and I wonder if Hurley will be hurled out of town.

New Mexico St(11-2) remains a #WAC powerhouse, but the infusion of new teams has shaken up the top top tier. Seattle(11-2) is finally having some success, and newcomer Sam Houston (11-3) has been a revelation. Darrion Trammell leads with Seattle with a16.3 PPG, and Savion Flagg leads SHS with a 19.5 PPG. Exploration of small conferences forthcoming.

Feb 20, 2022

Bennedict Mathurin(24 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST) helped the Cats survive the Ducks AZ 84, OR 81. UCLA crushed UW 76-50

Zags beat Santa Clara to remain undefeated in WCC play, and St Mary's beat BYU, who have one more season to get in gear for a Big 12 schedule.

NMST, SHS, and Seattle won WAC games yesterday. Riley Grigsby(23 PTS, 5 REB, 1 STL) had a solid game for Seattle in 67-64 win over Cal Baptist.

In Big West action Ajay Mitchell scored 20 points for UC Santa Barbara in an 84-71 win that snapped Long Beach State's 11-game winning streak.

Feb 22, 2022

I don't know if it's good enough for the NCAA committee's NET tool but keep your eyes on San Fran in the WCC. Khalil Shabazz had 21 points as San Francisco(22-7,9-5) rolled past Pacific 104-71.

NMST beat Seattle and remains the WAC boss.

Feb 25, 2022

I tuned into the start of the Gonzaga/San Francisco, game and the Zags didn't miss a shot in the first few minutes and went on to a 89-73 win. St Mary's handled San Diego and will remain in the top 25.

In Pac 12 play Oregon upset UCLA, USC beat Oregon St, and Zona beat Utah to reach 15-1 in conference play.

Feb 27, 2022

St Mary's upset of Gonzaga kept them firmly in the bubble picture. San Fran, Santa Clara, and BYU won WCC matchups to maintain a pulse for Dance hopes.

I'm unsure what to make of Zona 's loss to Colorado, and USC survived Oregon in Pac 12 news.

Chicago St has been horrible for years, however yesterday's 61-59 win over NMST(WAC) on Brandon Betson's game-winning layup with 2.4 seconds fits into yesterday's pattern of big upsets. Some chatter about Chicago St joining the Summit Conference, which is a better geographical fit.

March 5, 2022

In the WCC, Zags and St Marys will be dancing but other teams need big wins and probably to win the WCC tourney. BYU rolled LMU and will face San Francisco while Portland beat San Diego and will face Santa Clara.

March 6, 2022

Shabazz (22 PTS 4 REB 2 AST) lead SANFRAN over BYU and faces the Zags next

Santa Clara rolled Portland 91-67 and plays St Marys

Ducks are sinking under water. They got crushed 91-71 by Wazzoo and are in a three way tie for 5th with Wazzoo and UW in the Pac 12.

March 8, 2022

WCC final at Orleans Arena in Vegas has its top two teams, Gonzaga/St Marys  which will likely mean these are its two Dance ticket teams.

March 9, 2022

Zags were ready to play last night and beat St Marys 82-69. 

Former WAC member Cal St Bakersfield beat CSU Northridge in rd1 of the Big West T. Both teams have had bad seasons. 

Cal Baptist beat UTRGV in rd1 of the WACT.

March 12, 2022

Big West: CSU Fullerton beat Hawaii and Long Beach St beat UCSB to make it the final tonight.

WAC: Well, we have an all southwest flavor to the WACT final. New Mexico St beat GC, and Abilene Christian beat Seattle last night. AC(Southland Conference) beat Texas in rd1 of the 2021 Dance , which was  the final straw for Shaka in Austin,TX, and also led to Joe Golding leaving AC for the UTEP HC job.

Pac12: Zona beat Colorado and UCLA beat USC to reach the Pac12 final. Both these teams are dancing, and USC will slide in and possibly CU, but I think the Ducks played their way out.

March 13, 2022

Before I get to tournament. title games, it appears that Grand Canyon(WAC) HC Bryce Drew is headed back to the SEC. He coached Vandy from 2016-19 and is high on the list to replace Will Wade at LSU.

Big West: E.J. Anosike scored 22 points for CSUF to escape with a 72-71 win over Long Beach in the title game.

Pac 12 : Zona beat UCLA 84-76

Big Sky: X. Bishop(19 pts, 8 assists) led Montana St to an easy 87-66 win over Northern Colorado.

March 18, 2022

WAC: I didn't pick them and good for NMST upsetting UConn. Allen NMST (37 PTS 6 REB 3 AST)

WCC: Zags  rolled Ga St. ,St Mary's crushed Indiana and  San Fran got close but fell in OT to Murray St.

Pac 12- UCLA got a scare from Akron but prevailed.

March 19, 2022

USC lost a tough one to Miami (FL). Trojans didn't have consistent go to guy on offense. Zona got a battle from Wright St before pulling away in the second half.

It didn't take long: Florida hired San Francisco's Todd Golden to be its men's basketball coach just hours after SF lost to Murray St 92-87 in OT of rd1. He was an assistant at Auburn (2014-16) 

March 20, 2022

 Tigers had no answer for Timme of Gonzaga. Arkansas contained New Mexico State's Teddy ''Buckets'' Allen and survived 53-48. NMST represented the WAC well in this Dance. UCLA beat Saint Marys 72-56 .

I forgot that Larry Brown was on the Memphis staff.

March 21, 2022

Zona survived OT and beat TCU. Two Pac 12 teams and a WCC team in the Sweet 16.

Jans leaves NMST for Miss St (SEC)

March 26, 2022

St Peters knocks out Purdue. Nine Dance tickets for the Big 10, zero spots in the E8.  ACC(3) , SEC (1), B12(1), MAAC (1), Big East(1) AAC(1)

March 29, 2022

Wazzoo(Pac12) is in the F4 of the NIT and will face TAMU(SEC) tonight, and that winner faces the Xavier(Big East)/St Bonaventure(A10) winner on Thursday.

New Mexico State(WAC) hired former Northwest Florida State coach Greg Heiar to replace Jans who took the Miss St job. Heiar led NFS to a NJCAA Division I national championship in 2021.

March 30, 2022 NIT

Xavier 84 St. Bonaventure 77

Texas A&M 72 Washington State 56

April 5, 2022

For the second year in a row, Dana Altman will need to replace one of his assistant coaches and top recruiters. Last season Stubblefield left for the Depaul HC gig. And now, Chris Crutchfield will be the next head coach at Nebraska- Omaha(Summit) after spending just one year in Eugene and recruiting Dior Johnson , a five star player, to Oregon for 2022. Johnson says he's staying with the Ducks. Hectic is a mild description of how it is to run a big time program.

April 7, 2022

I guess dusting off Fran Dunphy to take over as HC at Lasalle has started a trend. San Diego(WCC) hired  Steve Lavin who last coached at St Johns in 2015. Let's see if he can get the Toreros to compete with the Zags.

June 2, 2022

Timme pulled his name from the NBA draft pool and will be back with the Zags. Jules Bernard(UCLA) is rolling the dice  by staying in. Most folks see him in the G League. 

WAC news: Chicago St hasn't found a conference since it's WAC exit. Dixie St changed it's name to Utah Tech.

July 30, 2022

Gonzaga(WCC) will play Michigan State(Big10) on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln off the coast of San Diego for Veterans Day 2022. Humidity has forced cancellations in the past for some hoops games on carriers. 

Aug 3, 2022

Kentucky(SEC) and Gonzaga(WCC) agree to home-and-home series starting in Spokane. WA in 2022.

BTW, St Marys(WCC) will play Houston in Fort Worth TX and also has games versus San Diego St, and Vandy which could help its Dance resume.

Nov 3, 2022

 Gonzaga has been transparent with the WCC about its conversations to join the Big 12.

Bill Walton hopes UCLA's move to the Big 10 is rescinded.

Nov 8, 2022

Per Dan Patrick: San Diego St is Pac 12 bound.

Nov 10, 2022

A decade after Enfield coached Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16, his USC squad lost to his former team, 74-61, in LA on Monday night in the season opener for both teams. Enfield played hoops at Johns Hopkins U in Baltimore city.

Nov 11, 2022

I used to enjoy complaining about Tobacco Road hoops in North Carolina when Terps were in the ACC, now I just miss it.  Typical November FGCU loses to San Diego(WCC) after beating USC. UCLA hosts Illinois and visits MD in OOC play.

March 25, 2023

Jason Hooten joins New Mexico St after 13 seasons as the HC at Sam Houston State(WAC). He's got a tough task ahead after ex HC Heiar was fired in mid-season due to the numerous scandals on /off the court with the hoops squad. NMST and SHS will be in the CUSA in July 2023.

Circling back to Enfield, the USC HC who will soon be coaching regularly in the Big 10. He was an assistant at Maryland a long time ago.

April 8, 2023

Utah St(MWC) hires Montana State(Big Sky) HC Danny Sprinkle as Ryan Odom’s replacement.  Sprinkle led Montana State to back-to-back Big Sky tournament championships the past two seasons.

July 1, 2023

Pac12 stumbling and bumbling toward a media contract to save it's a^s has San Diego St stuck in limbo, and they will be a great addition, particularly for hoops to the Pac12. Yes, I think the Aztecs will land in the Pac12.

All the neon shining on Deion's football hopes has me wondering if Colorado basketball get some better players out of all the media attention.

Wacky WAC blogs floats toward 2022

 An early looks at WAC hoops shows some positive signs in OOC play. New Mexico St beat Davidson(A10) and UC Irvine(Big West)  and UTEP(CUSA). Cal Baptist beat SJST(MWC). SF Austin beat MTSU(CUSA). 

 Abilene Christian  took TAMU(SEC) to the limit before falling 82-81. Then a reality check, Gonzaga (WCC ) routed Dixie St by 34.

In football Sam Houston St joined the CUSA so they 'll be brief WAC members, and NMST will likely take all its sports programs to the CUSA.

Prior WAC blog

Nov 25, 2021

TX 68 CBU 44: It appears TX jumped on CBU early and never let go. I watched most of the first half of  MICH 65 TAR 54 on the B10N, and the Wolverines were a mess. Montre Gipson TAR - G (17 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST). 

Nov 30, 2021

Is Tarleton with HC Billy Gillepsie improving quickly or are the Zags rebuilding?  GONZ 64 TAR 55. Tahj Small scored 25 for Tarleton.

Jan 9, 2022

Wow, Brandon Betson made a jumper with three seconds left to give Chicago St a 58-56 home win over Cal Baptist

Freddy Hicks(23 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST) led Tarleton St over SFA to keep the Texans within a half game of WAC leaders, NMST and Grand Canyon.

Jan 16, 2022

WAC roundup: NMST and Grand Canyon remain undefeated in conference play after the Aggies beat Abilene Christian and GC rolled Tarleton.

Cal Baptist edged UVU for its first WAC win this season.

Chicago State (6-13, 2-4 WAC) beat Lamar for its first conference road win in five years.

Feb 3, 2022

Abilene Christian is having a solid debut season in the WAC. Chicago St is playing better in its final WAC season and hasn't found new conference yet. They're not ready for the MVC. OVC and Horizon are prospects, but I suspect it will be the Summit Conference.

June 15, 2024

Floating into 2024 sports season. Billy Gillispie returns to HC job from health issues to coach Tarleton at UTEP on Dec 16 as part of WAC/CUSA Alliance matchups. BillyG was HC of the 2003-04 UTEP NCAA Tournament team.

Wacky WAC blog lands in 2021

 The WAC grabbed my attention in the early 90's, however it started in 1962 with these six-teams. Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.  It's most well known recent star is #PascalSiakham,  former #NMST player and budding NBA star with the Toronto Raptors. Grand Canyon  has moved to the top of the league this season, and new coach Bryce Drew has been a big reason  for their success. ASBJORN MIDTGAARD leads the team with a 14.6 ppg. Meanwhile  New Mexico St, the perennial league leader, has fallen to the middle of the pack.

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2019/11/wac-hoops-201920-hunches.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2018/11/wac-hoops-201819-hunches.html

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2020/07/pacific-northwest-hoops-chatter-in.html

march 7, 2021

 Tarleton (10-10, 5-7 WAC) has won its last three games but Coach Billy Gillispsie's squad will not get a chance to vie for a Dance ticket  WACT left Tarleton and Dixie St out because they are transitioning to 1A, and are ineligible for the Dance, but is moving forward with a six team tournament in Las Vegas.  Chicago State canceled their season. 

MARCH 12, 2021

Seattle beat Cal Baptist 83-66 and will face Grand Canyon while NMST beat UTRGV to face UVU. NMST. 3 seed NMST doesn't want to lose their annual hold on the WAC dance ticket.

March 14, 2021

Grand Canyon beat NMST in the WACT to make it to its first Dance and on the 23rd anniversary(3/13/98) of  their head coach, Bryce Drew, hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Valparaiso to beat 10th-ranked Mississippi in the Dance.

March 16, 2021

Grand Canyon faces Iowa in rd1 and have ASBJORN MIDTGAARD , a 7' center, but I don't know if he can handle Garza.

March 21, 2021

Both centers had solid games, but the Hawkeyes shot better as a team in 86-74 win over GC

A. Midtgaard GC(18 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST)

L. Garza IOWA(24 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST)

March 25, 2021

I missed this story in February. Lew Hill, the head men’s basketball coach at UTRGV(WAC), died at the age of 56,  after suffering through a variety of medical difficulties. He was an assistant on the Oklahoma staff that reached the F4 in 2016. They haven't hired a permanent replacement.

April 8, 2021

 #MattFigger, who compiled a 76-51 (.598) in four seasons at Austin Peay (OVC) ,is  the new men's basketball head coach at #UTRGV. For my buddies in Alabama he was an assistant at South Alabama (2003-07)

May 18, 2021

#WAC travel (Texas to Seattle ,WA) will get longer in 2022 with the addition of  four teams, Sam Houston, Abilene Christian, and Stephen F. Austin from the Southland Conference, and Southern Utah from the Big Sky. 

July 9, 2021

#FardawsAimaq ,the 6-11 Utah Valley(WAC) center who, averaged a double-double (13.9 ppg, 15.0 rpg) last season,  withdrew from the NBA Draft and will return to UVU for the 2021-22 season. Smart move!

July 10, 2021

Jeff Hurd, who helped bring Lamar University and three other Texas schools into the WAC for 2022, will step down as Commissioner at the end of this year. He joined the WAC in 1985 as Director of Conference Relations, then worked various jobs before taking over as commissioner in 2012. That 's a long stint in one conference.

Aug 8, 2021

Coach Billy Gillispsie's Tarleton St squad visits Kansas on Nov 9. The last time  he coached against KU was during the 2011/12  Big 12 season when he was HC at Texas Tech. Last year's matchup was canceled.  

WAC Officially Welcomes ‘Texas Four’ to Conference .  

Abilene Christian University, Lamar University, Sam Houston State University and Stephen F. Austin State University  

Aug 9

it doesn't  appear that WAC  football will be 1a soon , but they just formed a schedule  alliance with the ASUN . 

 New Mexico State, a WAC member competes as an FBS 1A football independent, IS WATCHING THIS CLOSELY.

 The invitations of membership stated that during the first year of  WAC membership, “football-playing institutions will commit to an analysis of all implications of a move to FBS.” 

 Oct 6, 2021

New Mexico St , whose favored by many to win the WAC despite Grand Canyon winning the WAC 2021 title has a nicer travel schedule with the new Texas teams in the conference this season.

 Jan. 13: vs. Tarleton

Jan. 15: vs. Abilene Christian

Jan. 20: @ Sam Houston State

Jan. 22: @ Stephen F. Austin

In OOC play they face  Washington St  of the Pac 12  this season. 

Pacific Northwest hoops chatter in the summer of 2020

Gonzaga center Filip Petrusev signed with Mega Bemax, a pro team in Serbia. He led the Zags in scoring (17.5 points) and rebounding (7.9 boards) in 2019/20 and was WCC Player of the Year I've read some articles claiming that it's not that big of a loss. I call bullsh^t on those opinions.

The Zags are in Spokane which is over 200 miles from Seattle, but Portland U is  right in the heart of the mess.

If the current civil unrest persists, a few members of the WAC, particularly Chicago St and Seattle U may not be cool places to play.

In the Pac12 Wash St is far away from Seattle but UW is nearby. Both Oregon schools are about 90 minutes by automobile from Portland.

In the NBA, the Trailblazers are in the Orlando , Fla bubble for the finish of the 2019/20season, but could be affected for the start of the 2020//21 season.

july 30, 2020

Maybe Seattle is waking up and it will be safe for UW to play sports.: "Defunding the police is a radical experiment that will hurt the vulnerable.” This is what some callers to the Seattle City Council meeting said, and also 20K of signatures have been collected to Stop the defunding.

Aug 1

WAC shortened the eligibility period from four years to two years for transitioning teams to participate in tournaments. This allows California Baptist to be eligible for the 2021 tournaments at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. Dixie State and Tarleton State will be eligible in 2023.

Aug 4

The Russell Rule received a blessing from it's namesake Bill Russell. WCC members will be required to include a minority among the pool of final candidates for every athletic director, senior administrator, head coach and full-time assistant coach opening within their athletic departments.

Aug 13, 2020

 The Pac-12 will consider a return to  hoops play after Jan. 1, 2021. If they play it will probably be conference only games.

Aug 14, 2020

WAC: Men's and women's basketball and men's will be postponed through the end of October pending Board discussion on winter athletics competition.

 

Aug 19, 2020

And now more mixed signals as the pre-season top-two teams Gonzaga and Baylor make an agreement to schedule a game for 2020-21 season.

Feb 3 2021

#tarletonst 's only WAC win is against Utah Valley. Cal Baptist is 3-3 in  conference  play.

Feb 4, 2021

For now, Grand Canyon (6-0 WAC) with new coach #BryceDrew has supplanted NMST(0-2 WAC) as top dog in the conference.  So far they haven't missed Dan Majerle.

Sept, 10, 2021

An interesting bi-product of the Big 12's football move to bring in BYU could change WCC hoops. BYU football may be able to join the B12 as soon as 2022  since it is an independent for football that plays the rest of its sports in the WCC. If/when BYU leaves WCC hoops, will they recruit from the WAC to remain at  10 teams? Perhaps, they'll pursue Seattle U.

Oct 6, 2021

 New Mexico St , whose favored by many to win the WAC despite Grand Canyon winning the WAC 2021 title has a nicer travel schedule with the new Texas teams in the conference this season.

 Jan. 13: vs. Tarleton

Jan. 15: vs. Abilene Christian

Jan. 20: @ Sam Houston State

Jan. 22: @ Stephen F. Austin

In OOC play they face  Washington St  of the Pac 12  this season. 

Feb 8, 2022

I don't think anyone saw this quick of a turnaround for Zona after Tommy Lloyd was named its head coach last April after serving as an assistant coach at Gonzaga(WCC) for the last 22 seasons. Zona upset UCLA a few days ago and is #4  overall.

Feb 11, 2022

I caught some Pac 12 action last night. Zona beat Wazzoo. Oregon beat Stanford. Man, I hate the color scheme of the Ducks hardwood. 

Zags better keep their eyes on USF, Bill Russel's old school. The Dons beat Pepperdine 105-61 in WCC action.

June 6 2024

Wazzoo: Early Apple Cup(WSU/UW) on Sept 14 for football. Wondering whether the schools will continue playing  each other in hoops.

WAC hoops 2019/20 hunches

A little twist on this season's prognostications. Who's the next #PascalSiakham,  former #NMST player and budding NBA star with the Toronto Raptors. It's #MilanAcquaah  of California Baptist.
NM State:  Jabari Rice may be  the scorer the Aggies need to repeat as WAC champ.
Grand Canyon: Majerle's kids went the trey way  in a bruising loss to Illinois (B10). Isiah Brown  Jovan Blacksher Jr are players to watch.
California Baptist: #MilanAcquaah , a guard who's been averaging nearly 20 PPg and doing a solid dishing assists and grabbing rebounds, will lead the Lancers closer to the top of the WAC.
Utah Valley- Is Havsa, the guard from Turkey, a potential solid guard who can assist and rebound?
Seattle U:  Terrell Brown is the Redhawk to watch this season
CSU Bakersfield: DeMonte Buckingham is  far way from his  hometown of Richmond VA, but he'll be a major factor in the Roadrunners' on-going improvement improvement.
UT Rio Grande Valley- Tyson Smith and Terry Winn III are Vacqueros  worth watching.
UM Kansas City: McKissic remains the key player
Chicago State:  Cougars won't get out of the basemnt this season but  Xavier Johnson  opened the season scoring 37 points in a win against a non 1A team
Nov 13: Cal Baptist hung  with Texas most of last night before losing 67-54  MILAN ACQUAAH (17pts, 7 reb , 3 assists)
Dec 15: Cal Baptist has the best OOC record among WAC teams and UVU , the worst. I don't catch many televised WAC games but did get to UTRGV lose to Creighton 89-58 the other night.

dec 22

 Quinton Johnson II led the UTRGV Vaqueros (4-8) with 17 points and seven rebounds in a 69-59 loss to Texas Tech, who madeit to the final game of the Dance last season.

dec 25

 Terrell Brown had 17 points, eight assists and four steals in a 79-57  Seattle win over Long Beach St(BIG West). Redhawks needed this win to shake off a rough OOC December heading into WAC play.

 dec 29

Seattle turned around and gets crushed by St Mary's 80-58.  I'm getting an education on school names from the WAC OOC schedule. Cal Baptist beat Ottawa University Arizona 92-75, and UVU beat Antelope Valley 80-65.

dec 30

 Back to more recognizable names: CS Bakersfield was within 3 points (44-41) of Texas Tech with 12:54 left but lost 73-58 last night.

jan 3, 2020

WAC play is underway and nothing changes for Chicago St who lost Utah Valley. UMKC beat Seattle, and  #brandonboyd (25 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST ) led Cal Baptist to a 76-67 victory of UTRGV.

jan 12

 Brandon Boyd had 16 points as Cal Baptist edged past Grand Canyon 61-57  and trail NMST, who barely beat UMKC last night, by a half a game in the WAC. In other games Seattle beat UVU and UTRGV beat Chicago St.

jan 17

Grand Canyon beat Chicago St 78-64, but either they're low on talent or Chicago St is improving.  Rajeir Jones scored 19 points in the Cougars' loss. NMST(4-0) beat UVU to stay a game up on idle Cal Baptist(3-1) and Seattle (3-1) who beat UTGRV. Bakersfield beat UMKC.

jan 27 

Franck Kamgain registered 16 points and six rebounds for UMKC in a win over Cal Baptist(4-2) who fell two games behind NMST (6-0) , a winner over UTRGV yesterday.

 jan 30

 #De'jonDavis tallied 19 points and 17 rebounds for Cal Baptist in a win over UVU. Big win that keeps them 2GB of NMST .

feb 2

 Milan Acquaah had 18 points and eight assists as Cal Baptist defeated Seattle 72-65 to remain 2GB of NMST, a winner over Grand Canyon, in the WAC. UMKC beat Chicago St. UTRGV beat Bakersfield.

feb 9

Cal Baptist's(7-3) comeback  against an improving Grand Canyon(5-4) squad fell short in 103-98 loss . NMST(10-0) remained undefeated in WAC play witha 67-61 win over UMKC, Seattle(5-4) beat UVU(3-6). Chicago St(0-10) got closer to it's first conference win in a long time, but Lesley Varner II made 4 of 5 treys and 9 of 10 free throws to score 23 points for UTRGV(5-5) in a comeback 75-64 win.

feb 15

Coach Majerlie has Grand Canyon getting into gear for a late season run . They beat UMKC 71-66 to move to 6-4 in WAC play but NMST beat Seattle to move to 11-0. Second place Cal Baptist (7-3) played an OOC game against Westcliff.  UTRGV beat UVU and  Bakersfield beat Chicago St.

feb 21

Seattle(6-6) put the brakes on Grand Canyon's(7-5) recent run with a 95-89 win. Terrell Brown SEA - G(31 PTS, 6 REB, 10 AST) had a big night. UVU(4-8) beat Bakersfield (5-7). NMST (12-0) has 4.5 games lead on second place Cal Baptist(7-4).

feb 23

Yes, Chicago St is a bad team but  they were handed one of their worst defeats this season by Cal Baptist who hit 18 treys in a 95-53 victory. NMSt beat remained undefeated in WAC play with a win over UTRGV. Seattle continued to improve with a win over Bakersfield, while Grand Canyon lost to UVU.

feb 27

 Milan Acquaah scored 24 points and De'Jon Davis added a double-double for California Baptist(20-8, 9-4 WAC) in a 73-66 win over UVU

March 1

 De'jon Davis scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds and Milan Acquaah added 27 points  for Cal Baptist(10-4) in a narrow win over Seattle. UMKC crushed Chicago St and UTRGV beat Grand Canyon.

mARCH 4

i THINK Chicago St men's hoops may be working its way out of the WAC and 1A hoops  the men's team would not travel to Seattle or Utah Valley for WAC games  this week, and the woman's team won't be hosting the same teams . And also may not attend the WACT. tHE REASON: coronavirus . No response yet from the WAC.

March 6

  Wow, Cal Baptist got a taste of the big dog. NMST 83 CB 50. UMKC beat UVU

March 13

 Tarleton St near Dallas TX, and Dixie St  in Utah are joining the WAC in 2020.
 CAL St Bakersfield is leaving the WAC for the Big West.  UMKC is leaving for the Summit League which leaves Chicago St, the lone member from the Midwest section of the USA. All of these moves were scheduled a few years ago.

March 17

Jerry Colangelo, Grand Canyon strategic advisor,said this after the school  fired Dan Majerle  "GCU has become a premier mid-major basketball destination with its resources, facilities, and student and community support." Just a bit of overhype. So much for Phoenix Suns alumni hanging tough.

March 28

Looking back to 1962:  The WAC’s  original six-team league: Arizona, Arizona State, Brigham Young, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. AZ and ASU exited the Pac 10 in 1978. 

March 31

look who's back: Tarleton St who's moving to 1A and the WAC hired #BillyGillispie , who had decent stints at the first two schools: UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech. He 's been a coaching at Ranger College, a community college in TX, since 2015.

may 7 2020

  I was kind of surprised Chris Jans, the NMST HC, considered replacing Forbes, who took the Wake Forest job, at E Tenn St (Southern Conference). At best it would've been a lateral move with maybe a few more $$$$. ETSU elevated Shay an asst to the HC job.

may 20, 2020 

#WAC hoops stays in the off-season spotlight. Dan Majerle, ex GC HC,  is suing Grand Canyon for waging a campaign to disparage him as part of its effort to avoid its severance obligation. He was replaced by  former Valparaiso and Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew.

May 26, 2020

#terrellbrown (PTS 20.7  REB 6.2 AST 4.9 last season), a native of Seattle , used the grad transfer portal and left Seattle U for Arizona.

July 10, 2020

Is hiring ex NBAers to be  college head coaches a growing trend?  Mark Madsen had a rough season(11-18, 5-11) at UVU(WAC) replacing Mark Pope who went 24-8 at BYU(WCC) and was probably going to get the Cougars to a No. 6 or No. 7 seed.

dec 10, 2020

 #BillyGillispie , who had decent stints at the first two schools: UTEP, Texas A&M, Kentucky and Texas Tech has  Tarleton (WAC) off to a 2-2 start including battling Texas A&M hard before falling 73-66.e slated to play Kansas on Dec 13.

Chi-town area Saturday (Jan 13) hoops

Last weekend I watched St Johns beat Georgetown in OT as two 80's stars now head coaches,  Chris Mullen and Patrick Ewing, are trying to revive their programs and rivalry games. Yesterday, DePaul((10-5, 2-2 Big East) which hasn't had much success since the Meyer/Aguirre days of the 80s beat the Johnnies behind #FemiOlujobi (27 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL). GTown got 33 points from Govan in an OT win over Providence.
Last season's Madness Cinderella Loyola-Chicago held off Illinois State 67-64 with Marques Townes scoring 21 points.- in an MVC matchup . Also in MVC play SIU lost Valpraiso 65-61.
WAC doormat, Chicago St, is showing signs of recovery as they nearly took down Cal Baptist but fell 77-75 despite   (24 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL) from #AnthonyHarris . 
UIC (Horizon) hit 17 treys in a 73-56 win over Cleveland St.
 St Louis (12-4, 3-0 A 10) got a solid game from Goodwin (12 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST) in a 71-64 win over LaSalle.

jan 17, 2019

#depaul  fell back to earth as Butler outscored them 51-29 in the second half.  Butler 87 Depaul 69. Ill St hung on Tuesday night for a 59-58 win over SIU in MVC play.
Northwestern's loss to Michigan on Sunday left them at 1-5 in B10 play.
Jordan Goodwin scored 20 points in the Saint Louis (4-0 in A10) win over Fordham 63-60 on Tuesday night.

Jan 19,2019

NW looked ragged but broke a two game losing streak with a 65-57 win over Rutgers.   St Louis won its sixth straight as Dion Wiley and Javon Bess scored 20 points apiece in a 68-57 St Louis(14-4, 5-0 A 10) win over St Joseph. Travis Ford , who was fired from OK St, is in his third season as HC. ST Louis exited the CUSA in 2005 for the Atlantic 10 , and I still feel like it wa san odd geographical move.

Jan 20, 2019

Loyola-Chicago  (12-7, 5-1 MVC) led by Cameron Krutwig 16 points and 10 rebounds spoiled Indiana St  celebration of the 1979 "Bird" team. L-C 75 ISU 67. Milik Yarbrough scored 27 points to lead Illinois State (4-2 MVC) over Evansville 78-70. Max Strus scored 22 points in DePaul's 67-63 (3-3 Big East) win over Seton Hall.

Jan 24, 2019

Tough night for Chicago's Catholic  teams: Depaul lost to Marquette  and Loyola- Chicago was pounded  70-35 by Missouri St.. #CameronKrutwig scored 15 of L-C 35 points.  Saint Louis

(14-5, 5-1 A 10) lost to Duquesne in A10 play.

Jan 28

 Cameron Krutwig scored 22 points in L-C (6-2 MVC)  75-50 win over SIU and took over the MVC top spot. Depaul lost to Providence and Northwestern was pounded by Wisconsin.

jAN 30

Terps got healthy beating up Northwestern last night. Fernando had a great night. DePaul
(11-8, 3-5 Big East) hosts a hot Villanova (16-4, 7-0 Big East) team tonight.

Jan 31, 2019

Depaul lost to Nova 86-74 and descended toward its old spot in the Big East cellar.Cameron Krutwig
(22 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST) led Loyola of Chicago to big  61-60 win over N.Iowa in MVC action. St Louis was upset by Richmond in A10 action.

Feb 2

 Marcus Ottey and Tarkus Ferguson scored 17 points each and Illinois-Chicago (5-5 Horizon) beat Wright State (6-4 Horizon) 67-53. Northern Kentucky Norse sits atop the Horizon with an 8-2 record

feb 3

#PaulJorgensen scored the game-winning basket on a goal-tending call in Butler's win over Seton Hall, and Depaul beat Providence in Chicago area Big East action. Yarbrough scored 21 in Illinois St. victory over Loyola-Chicago 65-57 that left both teams at 7-3 in the MVC. Illinois beat Nebraska and continuing its  climb out the B10 basement . #ChicagoSt  (3-20, 0-8 WAC), one of the worst teams in 1a hoops was beaten 83-39 by N Mex St.

feb 4

 #TarkusFerguson had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the UIC  69-67win over Northern Kentucky, the Horizon leader.

feb 5

#Northwestern (3-8) lost it's third game in a row and moves closer to joining Penn St (1-10) in the B10 cellar. Penn St 59 NW 52 

feb 6

90 miles from Chicago ,  #10 Marquette  was upset by  a St Johns' team who was just blown out by Duke. Ponds led the Johnnies with 28 points.  Illinois upset #9 Sparty. NIU was edged 73-72 by Ball St in MAC play. In MVC action Ill St lost 53-69 to Valparaiso and
M. Townes LOY CHI (32 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST) led  the Ramblers in a blowout of Drake.

feb 10

 Markus Howard (38 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST) led #Marquette (9-2 BE) to a big 66-65 win over Nova(10-1) while Paul Reed (15 PTS, 8 REB, 2 STL) led #Depaul (5-6) out of the Big East cellar win a win over Xavier. Marcus Ottey  scored the winning layup with 26 seconds to lead #UIC (7-5) to to its third Horizon win in a row.   Giorgi Bezhanishvili (35 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST) led  #illinois to a win  over Rutgers, its fourth win in the last five B10 games.

feb 11

Northwestern blew a huge lead to Iowa and lost 80-79/ In MVC play Townes scored 18 for  Loyola-Chicago (9-3) in its win over Valparaiso and Jarred Dixon banked in a half-court shot just before the final buzzer as Missouri St edged Illinois St 66-65.

feb 13

#marquette pounded depaul  Markus Howard (36 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST) had another huge night for Marquette. Butler lost to St Johns (18-7, 6-6 Big East) I'm guessing the Big East gets five dance tickets so the Johnnies needed this one . #siu lost to Drake in MVC play.

feb 14

Northwestern lost to Rutgers .and is down in B10 basement with Penn St. Javon Bess had 26 points as Saint Louis (A10) topped Gw 73-58. In MVC play Loyola of Chicago fell to Bradley while Missouri St beat Evansville, and N. Iowa beat ILL St. L-c (9-4) has a one game lead over Drake  and Missouri St in the MVC.

feb 17

UIC lost  81-73 to Youngstown St who were led by #DariusQuisneberry 's 37 points in an Horizon matchup.Tough night for other Chi-town teams: NW lost to Nebraska and Depaul lost to Butler. In MVC play Loyola of Chicago lost to Bradley while SIU beat Indiana St. A little further away St Louis defeated La Salle 62-49 behind Tramaine Isabell's  23 points and 10 rebounds.

feb 18

 Tulio Da Silva  (16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks) led Missouri State(9-5) to a 65-61 win over Loyola of Chicago (9-5)  and moved into a three way tie for first in the MVC with L-C and Drake.

Feb 21

Marques Townes had 21 points as Loyola of Chicago (10-5-MVC) defeated Evansville 70-58. Ill St (7-8)lost to Indiana St(6-9) and  SIU(7-8) lost to Valparaiso. Depaul (5-9) lost to Creighton(5-9) and is back in the Big East cellar

Feb 23

In Horizon league play #UIC (8-7) was nipped by Green Bay (9-6) 63-62 . Sandy Cohen III had 20 points for GB, who moved to with two games  of N. Kentucky and Wright St , both 11-4.

Feb 24

In MVC play  L_C lost to  SIU(8-8) to and remains in a three way (10-6) tie for first with Drake and Missouri St. In Horizon play Godwin Boahen had 22 points for UIC in a 74-59 win Milwaukee.

feb 28

Marques Townes registered 16 points and eight rebounds for Loyola of Chicago in a one point over UNI that kept them tied with Drake, a winner over Indiana St., for first .in the MVC. Missouri St  fell to second with a loss to Ill St. SIU beat Evansville.
Paul Reed registered 16 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST for DePaul in its loss to GTown

march 3

Are the L-C "Nuns"  gearing up for another Dance visit? #MarquesTownes had 26 points as Loyola-Chicago topped Bradley 81-68  to win a share of the MVC regular-season title with #drake , a 73-62 winner over Missouri St. In Horizon play Tarkus Ferguson had 20 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh double-double this season, for #UIC(10-8)  who rallied  to beat Detroit 80-71, but don't have a chance of catching N.Kentucky.

march 6

#UIC fell 82-77 to Green Bay in rd1 of the HorizonT.  Ferguson had 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists for UIC

march 7

 #depaul 101-69 blowout of Georgetown ended the Hoyas' slim Dance chance unless GT wins the Big East tournament.

march 8

 MVCT: Loyola Chicago faces Valparaiso who beat Indiana St last night while Drake gets Illinois St, a winner over Evansville.

March 9

Sister Jean's team, Loyola of Chicago, moved a step closer to a return to the Dance with a 67-54 win over Valparaiso in the MVC quarterfinals and faces Bradley, a winner over Missouri St. The other matchup is Drake/Northern Iowa. #TremellMurphy had a season-high 26 points for Drake in a 78-62 win over  Illinois State while WyattLohaus scored 21 points for UNI in a 61-58 squeaker over SUI Southern Illinois 61-58.

March 10

  No. 1 seed Loyola-Chicago lost to Bradley and No. 2 seed Drake lost to NIU in the MVC semifinals. I'm not sure if  L_C loses a Dance ticket. St Louis lost to St Bonaventure in A10 PLAY. Depaul lost to Creighton and finished the season in a three way with Providence and Butler for the Big east cellar spot. Northwestern lost to Purdue  and sits alone in the B10 basement.

March 14

DePaul  fell 82-74 to a the Johnnies, who are desperate to get off the bubble. Eli Cain had solid night for the Blue Demons (23 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST).  Giorgi Bezhanishvili scored 26 points andTrent Frazier added 21for Illinois in a comeback win over Northwestern.

March 15

Another long season ends for Chicago St(3-29, 0-16 WAC) , an 86-49 loser to NMST in rd1 of the WACT.
March 20:Loyola of Chicago lost to Creighton in rd1 of the NIT. Another solid game for Krutwig.
March 21- Depaul scored 100 points in a CBI win over Central Michigan.

March 30, 2019

 Max Strus and Paul Reed scored 24 points apiece for the Blue Demons in 92-87 win over Coastal Carolina to advance to best 2 of 3 CBI final series against #USF (AAC)
April 1 Depaul lost game 1 to USF 83-81 in the best of three series.

Eli Cain DEP - G 19 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST
David Collins USF - G 23 PTS, 3 REB, 6 AS

April 4, 2019

#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)

april 6

DePaul played sloppy ball in stretches and lost  77-65 at home to USF in the final game of the 2019 CBI.

april 18

#portermoser, the Loyola of Chicago HC, has turned down job offers from UNLV and St Johns this off-season
july 24: #depaul 's  climb out of rough seasons may be ending. The Blue Demons were 19-17 last season , but  he NCAA suspended DePaul(Big East) men’s basketball coach Dave Leitao for three games next season and placed the team on  three years probations for various infractions.