Fewer Independents in NCAA sports

 I thought Army/BC series had more games. Army won the first nine games from 1917-1959. I'm trying to figure out why the series froze after the 1919 game and didn't return until 1959. BC leads Army 25-13 in the series. They have not played since 2013. I'll go with Castellanos and the Eagles winning 22-20 at Army. 

Oct 8, 2023

T. Castellanos QB - BC 31CAR 142YDS 4TD saved the day BC 24 Army 21

UConn beat Rice(AAC) despite the younger McCaffrey having 100yards receiving and 2 TDs .

Notre Dame lost to Louisville (ACC), and UMass got whacked by Toledo(MAC).

Oct 14, 2023

Troy is a tough SunBelt team and will escape with a narrow road victory of Army.

USC may lack a defense, but Notre Dame can't outscore the Trojans.

The Minutemen of UMass will be down by 24 at Penn St in the first 15 minutes.

Oct 15, 2023

Troy shutout Army 19-0, and UMass got blanked 63-0 by Penn St.

Wow was I wrong on Notre Dame who rolled USC 48-20. I guess all the Caleb Williams QB hype can slow down. His stats: 199YDS 1TD 3INT.

Oct 21, 2023

UConn /USF will be close, and it would be a tie in the old days. USF has regressed since hanging tough with Bama in a loss.

Army visits LSU and hopes it's not a 60-10 loss.

In hoops Chicago St, the last 1A independent, opens at Bowling Green on Nov 6.

Oct 22, 2023

USF survived 24-21, and I got darn close on that Army score. LSU 62 Army 0.

Oct 27, 2023

New England flavor in Independents. UMass is the right tonic for Army coming off the blowout loss to LSU. Army 21. UMass 16

Mora JR's Huskies are going in reverse after showing some promise last season. BC 27 UConn 20

Notre Dame should handle Pittsburg but won't cover the line of 20.5. ND 31 Pitt 20

Oct 29, 2023

Two out of three ain't bad. Wrong on Army and its anemic O.

UConn stayed in the game but lost to BC. Neither team looked good. 

Notre Dame crushed Pitt 58-7.

Nov 3, 2023

Notre Dame by 6 over Clemson.  Does Dabo have any tricks left?

UConn won't stay with Tennessee past the first quarter.

Army /AirForce. Army gets strafed by the Boys in the sky.

UMass plays Merrimack and should win over a lower division opponent. I'm looking for Jack Kerouac's(RIP) hunch. He mentioned the mighty Merrimack River in his early notes and novels about Lowell.

Nov 5, 2023

Dabo has some tricks left: Clemson 31 ND 23. I changed my mind just before kickoff and took Clemson in a Yahoo pickem but was wrong in this blog.

My other incorrect pick was AFA. Army brought them back to earth Army 23- AFA-3 

Tenn 49 UConn 3

UMass 31Merrimack 21

Nov 7, 2023

Rough start for Chicago St Cougars hoops: Bowling Green(MAC) 70  Chicago State 41.

Wesley Cardet Jr.posted 12 points and four assists for the Cougars.

Nov 16, 2023

Who knows what to make of an Army team that lost to UMass but beat Air Force? Coastal Carolina(SBC) 24 Army 17.

UMass can't handle Liberty O. Liberty(CUSA) 34 UMass 13

Notre Dame 38 Wake Forest(ACC) 27

UConn 30 Sacred Heart 10.  

Hoops: Cardet scored 23 for Chicago St in a win over S. Indiana. Cougar are 1-3 . Losses to Bowling Green, Mercer, and CS- Northridge.

Nov 19, 2023

Wow, Army beat CCU 28-21. Incorrect on that, right on the rest.

Nov 24, 2023

Minutemen up 38-36-2 in the series with UConn. I thought Mora Jr would have made more progress at UConn. UMass 31 UConn 30

 Fighting Irish remember being upset last year by Stanford. ND 35 Stanford 23. Perhaps NND listens to Rockne audio during pre-game.  Rockne started a plan of ending every season with a game in CA to aid West Coast recruiting efforts.

Nov 26, 2023

ND crushed Stanford yesterday. UConn beat UMass: C. Edwards

RB - CONN 19 CAR 102YDS  2TD

A. Simpson WR - MASS 6REC 107YDS

In Hoops: Chicago St (2-6) beat Morgan State 84-83 on Nov 22. Jahsean Corbett cored 18 points for Chicago State in a 84-83 win over Morgan State in the third-place game of the Mayan Division of the Cancun Challenge.

Dec 9, 2023

Since Army upset Air Force they've been on a roll. I'm taking them to beat Navy 20-19 today at Gillette Stadium and win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Tysun Riley rushed for 112 yards in the win over CCU. Look for more of the same from him today. If Navy, who lost to AFA earlier this season, wins then it's a three-way tie.

Navy leads the all-time series 62-54-7

Dec 10 2023

Army 17 Navy 11. Army LB Kalib Fortner scored on a fourth-quarter strip sack and then helped keep Navy QB Tai Lavatai out of the end zone with 3 seconds left.

Belichick spoke to the Midshipmen on Friday night and pulled on a Roger Staubach-era Navy helmet for a TV pregame show to predict the winner.

Dec 12, 2023

Chicago St. hoops beat Stetson and lost to St Thomas. Now a win over Northwestern tonight would be wild. 

They play at UTEP in January at the Don Haskins Center, El Paso.

Dec 23, 2023

Well, Chicago St upset NW(Big10) on Dec 12, then beat UTRGV(WAC) and Bethune (MEAC), but Wisky was too much for them last night. WIS (Big10) 80 CHIC St 53. Badgers held Wesley Cardet Jr to 10 points.

Jan 1, 2024

Chicago St hoops lost to California Baptist(WAC) 74-62 and then to DePaul(BigEast) 70-58 last week.

Notre Dame cruised past Oregon St 40-8 in the Sun Bowl.

Jan 11, 2024

Cougars showing some plus signs. Still think they should apply to join the Summit Conference.

 Jan 2: loss to Kansas State 62-55

Jan 3: loss to Oklahoma State 72-53

Jan 7: loss to UTEP 74 69

Jan 10: win over FDU(NEC) 75-74 w/o Wesley Cardet. A Neal led Chicago St with 14 points.

Feb 10, 2024

J Corbett(21pts, 11reb) was not enough for Chicago St in a 65-60 loss to Duquesne(A10) on Jan31. Today's opponent: S.Carolina St(MEAC).Time to join the Summit or OVC.

Feb 26, 2024

MAC board voted to add UMass as an all-sports member beginning in 2025-26, Well, I've been saying it for about 7 years in various blogs.

UMass was in the MAC as a football-only member from 2012-15. They remained in the A10 for other sports.

UMass Ice hockey plays in the Hockey East Association, separate from any A-10 to MAC move. 

March 23, 2024

I thought the CIT had faded into oblivion after Marshall won it in 2019 Sorry gang,  but it's the CBI occurring. Chicago St got invited to the CBI and faces UC -San Diego (Big West) today. Will Cardet leads the Cougars with 18.1 PPG

Wednesday, December 13, 2023

 C ST 75 Northwestern 73

March 24, 2024

W. Cardet (30pts, 4ast) for the Cougars in a 77-75 win over UCSD and plays the winner of Fairfield(MAAC)/Ark LR(OVC).

march 25, 2024.  : W Cardet scored 25 for Chicago St but they they lost to Fairfield 77-74

June 4, 2024

Gillion leaves Chicago St  and joins Rod Strickland's staff at LIU. Scott Spinelli gets promoted up after being an assistant at CSU last season. 

Chicago State is leaving its independent status and joins the NEC on 7/1/24.

June 18, 2024

UMass last  regular season game as an Independent will be against UConn

July 19, 2024 

Providence hoops gets commitment from Wesley Cardet, 6'6" Chicago St guard. Cougars will miss having him in their first NEC season.

Aug 13, 2024

Notre Dame football opens with TAMU. Plays Louisville- they've only played each other four times. Series is tied 2-2. Noles may be toughest ND opponent this season.

Previous blog:

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2022/11/countdown-to-less-independents-nearly.html

Countdown to less Independents - nearly over.

 Notre Dame may not ever give up its Independent football status, and it continues to keep Navy(AAC) on its schedule. They meet at M&T stadium in Baltimore City today. ND 30 Navy 20 in an old-fashioned rushing slugfest.

#Army travels to Bama to face a tough Troy(SunBelt) Defense.   Troy 19 Army 12

#Liberty crosses the Mason-Dixon line to face UConn. The Flames lost Dae Dae Hunter to injury last week but Freeze's O will be still be too much for Mora's Huskies. LU 31 UConn 17

UMass visits Ark St(SunBelt). Both teams are having bad season. Home team wins Ark St 20 UMass 17

New Mexico St host Lamar(1AA). NMST is eading to the CUSA while Lamar doesn't know what 1AA conference it wants to be in, (Southland or WAC). NMST 24 Lamar 13.

Nov 12  in the PM

Notre Dame allowed Navy to get damn close after controlling the game for three quarters. ND 35 Navy 32

Troy took its time but survived. Troy 10 Army 9

Liberty was missing some key players on O, and UConn upped its game. I'm still a bit surprised at the Huskies O, and it was my sole incorrect pick,.  UConn 36 LU 33 

Ark St  survived the Minutemen's late rush. Ark St 35 UMass 33

NMST 51 Lamar 14

Nov 18, 2022

UMass travels to TAMU. If the Minutemen prevail, the oil men will find a way to get Jimbo deported from the state of Texas

Mizzou will handle NMST, and BYU will take care of Utah Tech, formerly known as Dixie State before the woke crowd invaded Utah.

Don't look now but Mora's Huskies will beat Army to get UConn its 7th W.

Notre Dame should handle BC, but there have been some close ones in this series. BC lost to UConn and then beat NC St

Liberty lost to UConn last week and looks beat up. VA Tech hasn't won since mid-September and that continues. Flames flicker but hang on in a 20-17 squeaker.

Nov 20, 2022

Wrong on UConn who lost 34-17, and Liberty who lost 24-23.  I'm a bit surprised that BC got shutout. It was hilarious to see the TAMU twitter fans freaking out when the Ags were only up 10-3 on UMass at halftime. TAMU 20 UMass 3

Nov 22, 2022

Can Notre Dame keep playing the vampire? Their Ws over Clemson and UNC did some damage, but they don't have enough O to win against USC in LA. USC 31 ND 24. 

BYU gets back on track with a 23 17 win at Stanford. Army stops the Minutemen, and Liberty gets back on track hosting New Mexico St.

Nov 26, 2022

Liberty is losing to New Mexico St 42-7 in the 3Q. Freeze is staying in Falwell country and not headed to Auburn. NMST(5-6) scored 51 on Lamar and 45 on Hawaii, but never got above the 20s against any other opponent and are not bowl worthy. It doesn't look like NMST/SJST game will be made up next week.

Army crushed UMass and needs to beat Navy to get win number 6.

ND lost to USC

BYU saved face and beat Stanford.

Nov 28, 2022

  well I was wrong about Freeze- Auburn is hiring him.  The bad Liberty loss to NMST was irrelevant.

Dec 4, 2022

Liberty didn't waste time: Jamey Chadwell left Coastal Carolina for Falwell U.

Dec 6, 2022

Army plays Navy(AAC) in Philly this Saturday, and neither is headed to a Bowl game. My hunch: Navy 16 Army 13

New Mexico St will play Bowling Green(MAC) @ Ford Field in Quick Lane Bowl. Two very erratic teams. BG 23 NMST 20

Liberty will play Toledo(MAC) in the Boca Raton Bowl. Spark is out of the Flames with Freeze gone TOL 27 LIB 20

UConn in a Myrtle Beach Bowl game against Marshall(SunBelt). I'll take #herd -hoping Leborn plays. MAR 26 UConn 17

Dec 11. 2022

I was wrong on my final regular season pick. Army edged Navy in the 2nd OT : 20-17

Dec 19, 2022

I got home from work and the Herd was up 28-0 in the 3Q. A few minutes later and its 28-14. Ali/Laborn is a nice #herd RB combo. MU 28 UConn 14

Dec 21, 2022

I was correct on Toledo and the MAC went 2-0 yesterday. Flames flickered in the 2nd half, and Toledo RB, JACQUEZ STUART had solid game rushing for 111 yards on 23 carries. Toledo 19 Liberty 17

Dec 23, 2022

I saw the name Earl Weaver, the name of late Orioles baseball manager, and did a double take while reading the Chicago St basketball box score. This Weaver scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 55-53 loss to Minnesota of the Big 10. Chicago St has improved but won't survive as an Independent

Hartford, the other hoops Independent which is in the process of going to a lower division, got crushed by San Francisco 85-53 last night.

Dec 26, 2022

New Mexico St will play Bowling Green(MAC) @ Ford Field in Quick Lane Bowl. Two very erratic teams. BG 23 NMST 20

The Lou Holtz Bowl is in Jacksonville on Dec 30. Rattler will have a good day for the Gamecocks in 30 -27 win over Notre Dame.

Dec 27, 2022

Good thing my picks are made with Monopoly money. I was wrong on NMST(7-6) who led 14-0 at the half and held on for a 24-19 win over Bowling Green. The Ags started the season 0-4. Off to the CUSA for the 2023 season.

Dec 31, 2022

In a wild game, the Irish got the best of the Gamecocks and handed me another incorrect pick. ND 45 SCar  38

Jan 14, 2023

Are you kidding me? A committee will study the potential for football at Chicago State. The school can barely sustain its hoops 1A program after parting ways with the WAC and could not find a conference in the Midwest to join. Ain't no way they get 1A  FOOTBALL unless there is some billionaire alumnus out there. Maybe at a lower level, but that's still a he!! of a dream.

Jan 24, 2023

Wow, Wesley Cardet Jr. scored 21 points as Chicago State defeated Coastal Carolina(Sunbelt) 74-70 in a road win last night. I'm sticking to the Summit Conference as a possible landing place move for them.

Jan 26, 2023

Wow, Chicago St played well but fell short at Stanford(PAC12).  Cardet scored 31 in a 72-65 loss to the Cardinals. Yes, I know Stanford is having a bad season, but Chicago St struggled to beat anybody in the WAC last season, let alone anyone else.

Jan 31, 2023

Chicago St raids the The Citadel(Southern) and picks up another win in the state of South Carolina. Cardet Jr scored 21 points in the Cougars 76-75 win.

Feb 4, 2023

Rees to Bama to replace O'Brien. Is ND cheap or is he not working well with Freeman?  He turned down Brian Kelly's offer to go with him to LSU last year.

Feb 14, 2023

Neither Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig nor Kansas State offensive coordinator Collin Klein are taking the ND OC gig. BTW, Ludwig's first stint at Utah as OC included the Utes' undefeated 2008 season and a Sugar Bowl win over Bama.

Feb 19, 2023

Since some may view this as a quirky blog: Chicago St(10-18) hosts Hartford(5-22) in hoops today.  Cougars won at Hartford on Feb 4. I think some Independents in football played home/away series in pigskin during one of the Covid seasons. Hartford is dropping to a lower division so this may be the last of this matchup. Chicago St is talking of adding football which is crazy. School needs to join the Summit conference and calm down.

J. Corbett CHST (23PTS 7REB)  CHST 75 HART 53 

May 15, 2023

While NMST mens' hoops remains a mess from various scandals, football HC Jerry Kill finally signed a contract, which calls for paving parking lot near the football offices. Ags are coming off a bowl win as they head for the CUSA.

I was looking at NM St 2023 schedule this season and it includes two MWC teams:

Sept. 16 NMSU at New Mexico(love the intrastate rivalry)

Sept. 23 NMSU at Hawaii

June 8, 2023

Kind of getting a chuckle from all the twitter kids promoting UConn to B12. UConn showed that re-connecting with the Big East and focusing on hoops and the northeast was the correct call. If it needs a conference for football, try the MAC. I never understood why it didn't remain in the AAC for football only like Navy does.

Chicago St remains a mystery, and there must be something amiss if the MEAC, a 1a hoops conference of schools with a majority of black students, nixed inviting Chicago St to join it. Possibly it was due to east coast schools not wanting to increase travel costs.

July 21, 2023

Down to four 1A Independent FOOTBALL SCHOOLS: Army ,Notre Dame, UConn, and UMass who visits Army.

Army will spend some time in Louisiana.

Sat. Sept. 2.      at Louisiana-Monroe

Sat. Sept. 9      DELAWARE STATE

Fri. Sept. 15     at UTSA

Sat. Sept. 23     at Syracuse 

Sat. Oct. 7        BOSTON COLLEGE

Sat. Oct. 14      TROY

Sat. Oct. 21       at LSU

Sat. Oct. 28      UMASS

Sat. Nov. 4        at Air Force*

Sat. Nov. 11     HOLY CROSS

Sat. Nov. 18     COASTAL CAROLINA

Sat. Dec. 9        NAVY^

July 29, 2023

I've been saying for years this kid Demario Douglas was a decent WR. Hear he's moving up BB's depth chart.  COLLEGE Liberty DRAFT INFO 2023: Rd 6, Pk 210 (NE) 

Aug 14, 2023

UMass guys in the NFL. I thought Isabella(Bills) might have staying power in the NFL, but did not see Merriweather(Saints) who carried the ball 150 times for 575 yards for the Minutemen in 2022, possibly making the NFL.

No invite to the Horizon for Chicago St hoops, but they secured commitments from Matt and Ryan Bewley, 5* recruits.

Previous blogs

 https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2021/01/1a-ncaa-independents-and-geography-2021.html  

https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2022/05/1a-independents-start-to-dwindle-in-2023.html

1a NCAA Independents and Geography 2021

 I've been keeping track of  the 1A independents since 2016,  and it's time for a fresh blog but this a nice reference point https://busterother5.blogspot.com/2016/06/o5-geography-matters-martial-re-alignemt.html  

After  watching the big dogs not give Liberty U  a chance play a P5 team in a bowl game instead matching them up against undefeated CCU (Sunbelt) in what turned out to be an exciting LU win, it's time for the Sunbelt to add Liberty as a member in all sports  and maintain a growing, southern rivalry with Coastal Carolina. LU plays hoops in the Atlantic Sun conference.

Would be Army jump to the AAC for football only and join Navy , which is football only there now?

UMass got to play a few games this year as an Independent perhaps a return to the MAC  (football only) is in order. I'd suggest the CUSA but traveling to west Texas could be a pain in the butt. Perhaps UMass will remain a mercenary Independent which is the likely outcome for its neighbor UConn .

New Mexico St would be a cool addition to MWC if  the Aggies keep football.

Big 12 could use BYU for football only.

Jan 12, 2021

While reviewing Liberty U's hoop schedule I came across Bellarmine U, a new ASUN member and a private Catholic college in Louisville. KY. This will be the Knights first season in 1A.

Jan 17, 2021

The 2021 BYU football schedule  is heavy with Pac 12 teams, Zona, ASU, Utah, WSU, and USC, and reminds me of Notre Dame's dalliance with the ACC before Covid.

If UMass were to find an O5 conference for football, it would  be interesting to see if the hoops team would leave  the A10, a  strong basketball conference.

Feb 2, 2021

It's not a big shock but Notre Dame football is Independent again. Next season's schedule looks tough enough. I like seeing the matchup with Cincy and also Wisky

feb 23,2021

Bellarmine(13-5, 10-2 ASUN) and Liberty(18-5, 9-2 ASUN) are atop the Atlantic Sun and have a back to back set on Feb 26, 27 to finish the season.

march 6, 2021

What a crazy way to  make the Dance? Liberty will face North Alabama in the ASUN tournament championship game Sunday, but punched its Dance ticket because UNA is ineligible for the NCAA tournament because it's transitioning to 1A.

 Bellarmine, another ineligible team, went 1-7 in its final eight games of the regular season and lost to Stetson in ASUN rd1

March 20, 2021

Liberty put up a good fight but lost to OK St 69-60. Elijah Cuffee had a solid day with 16 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST  for the Flames, but Cunningham and Anderson III were too much for the Flames to handle.

April 9, 2021

Liberty U goes back to having a so-so competitive football schedule in 2021, but I'm intrigued by the "Freeze Bowl" matchup at Ol Miss.

                                               

 

May 6, 2021

Since UConn has gone independent in football and left the AAC, the two most northern AAC teams are Cincy U and Temple which should give  the AAC more reason to invite Liberty U to join the conference for all sports. I'm not sure if they're ready for a Christian university with  big money and solid athletic facilities. ECU  isn't too far from Lynchburg, VA  and could become a regional AAC rival.

May 22, 2021

What jumped out at me was Army playing Wisky, which doesn't occur often and the Army /Air Force game is in Arlington Texas.

June 5, 2021

While reading the CBSSN  football schedule, which has solid coverage of the military academies, I was stunned to see UConn, an Independent, will be televised nearly every week. The Huskies were terrible in  the AAC and haven't improved since their exit.

These games featuring an Independent look to be good ones:

Friday, Oct. 1 BYU at Utah State(MWC)

Saturday, Oct. 2  Liberty at UAB(CUSA)

Saturday, Oct. 23 Wake Forest(ACC) at Army

June 20, 2021

Good move: CBS Sports and Army football agreed to a multi-year extension through the 2028 season

Also, CBS Sports will carry eight Black Knights football games this season.

July, 2, 2021

BYU athletes seeking to profit off of their name, image and likeness still must follow the university's honor code standards, which means they can't enter business partnerships with alcohol, tobacco and  coffee vendors. 

July 19, 2021

J J Holloman who had eight catches for 108 yards and a touchdown for FIU in 2020 is transferring to Liberty. He was a four-star recruit out of high school and spent two years with Georgia before being dismissed from the program in the summer of 2019, Freeze has a tough nut to crack there.

Aug 5, 2021

Has Notre Dame gone too far? Between now and 2:30 ET on 9/11/21, fans who want to watch the Irish play Toledo(MAC) must subscribe to Peacock Premium streaming service.

I've read a ton of complaints about how frustrated fans of the Olympics have been  about the disjointed NBC/Peacock approach.

BTW, New Mexico St travels to ALBUQUERQUE, NM  to face #NewMexico of the #MWC  on 9/11/21

August 28, 2021

Will the Big 12 take the religious route to recovery buy adding BYU, at least for football ,and Liberty for all sports?

Liberty football has two P5 opponents this season, Syracuse and Ol Miss and improved a great deal in hoops.

 BYU has the brand.

UConn shutout by Fresno St 45-0.  Are Huskies headed for a lower division or out of football?

Sept 6

Notre Dame survived a big scare from Florida St last night.

Edsall does the right thing and announces he 'll retire from UConn after the season.

Edsall move out day is now. Lou Spanos, The UConn DC,  will take over for the rest of this season.

Sept 26, 2021

 UMass got clobbered by Coastal Carolina, and U Conn played a decent game w/o  the Edsel in a 25-23 loss to Wyoming.

Liberty lost 28-21 to Syracuse, who has a shot in the wacky ACC. Another great game  for Malik Willis LIB (14-19, 205 YDS, 3 TD), Hey Auburn folks have you noticed how well this kid has played since he left you?

New Mexico St continues to not include D in its game plan.  Hawaii 41-NMST 21.

Now for undefeated I s: Rip Van Notre Dame woke up and scored 31 unanswered points in the 4Q in a 41-10 win over Wisky.

Baylor Romney(20-25, 305 YDS, 3 TD) BYU's QB led the Cougars to a 35-27 win over USF(AAC).

Christian Anderson (15 CAR, 236 YDS, 2 TD ) in a 23-10  Army win over Miami(Ohio) of the MAC.

Oct 17, 2021

Tough weeks for the Independents. Liberty lost to ULM(Sunbelt) and BYU lost to Baylor(B12) a week after losing to Boise St(MWC).

Army gave Wisky(B10) a good fight but lost 20-14, a week after losing to Ball St (MAC).

Oct 18, 2021

I like MTSU(CUSA) in a rare matchup with UConn on Friday night. Middle Tennessee is 2-0  against UC with wins in 2000 & 2001 when they were in the Sunbelt and UConn was an Independent. The Huskies tried to lose to Yale on Saturday but survived with a W and appear to be headed to 1AA or no football.

Oct 23, 2021

Returning  to a running theme in these "Independent" blogs: James Madison(1aa) is being heavily recruited to step up to 1A and be apart of the Sunbelt conference's expansion into Va(ODU)/WVA(Marshall).

Oct 30, 2021

Coach Mendenhall brings UVA  to play at BYU, his former employer. Look for BYU to beat the erratic Cavs by 5 points and build its resume as it steps up to B12.

Willis and the Liberty Flames will win big vs UMass. Will any conference accept Falwell's school?

UNC has been disappointing and could help its season by beating Notre dame today, but I suspect the Irish will eke out a W.

Nov 4, 2021

Ok guys, the Freeze "Bowl"  @ Ol Miss is on this week. Willis will have a decent not great day for Liberty,  but Kiffin's Rebels can't lose this home game. Miss 38 LIB 26

Nov 6, 2021

 Liberty is getting a conference in 2023 , it's the USA. You mentioned this coming at O5 group. Liberty and New Mexico State will be joining along with two other schools, Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State. who are moving up to 1A. That takes it to nine:  UTEP, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, and Western Kentucky , however wku and MTsu are talking to the MAC.

 So the SHS' move to the WAC will be short, if it all ,and NMST hoops leaving the WAC will be a plus for the CUSA.

Nov 11, 2021

I guess Uconn wants to stay 1A. Jim Mora joins the UConn program immediately as a hands-off assistant coach, to begin his evaluation and recruiting, and officially become the HC on Nov. 28, the day after the season finale vs. Houston. Interim UConn coach Lou Spanos,  was Mora’s defensive coordinator at UCLA in 2012-13.

Nov 26, 2021

Liberty has struggled a bit as opponents focus on mainly stopping Willis, and Freeze will need some creative thinking for a home win over Army on Saturday.

UConn will lose to Houston and be lucky to stay within 20 points of them. 

UMass/NewMexico St: If ties were allowed, this game would qualify. Minutemen get a final second FG to win.

ND has too much talent for the wingless Stanford Cardinals

BYU makes it 5-0 against the Pac 12 this season with a win over USC.

Nov 28, 2021

Liberty continues to stumble and Army is now 8-3. I guess defense was outlawed in New England yesterday. UH 45  Uconn 17  and NMST 44 UMass 27. ND rolled Stanford and BYU got by USC by 3

Dec 3, 2021

Wow, in the first visit of an SEC team to Liberty Arena, Missouri got waxed.

Darius McGhee scored 20 points and Shiloh Robinson scored a career-high 15 in the Flames 66-45 win over the Tigers. LU (ASUN) may have a seamless move to the CUSA for hoops.

Dec 7, 2021

BYU was 5-0 against the Pac 12, which included a win over Rose Bowl bound Utah, and the best bowl game they could get was against UAB, who finished behind UTSA in the CUSA West. BYU's two losses were to Baylor and Boise St.

Dec 12, 2021

It happens from time to time in Army /Navy series when the "dog" turns the tables. Navy 17 Army 13.  It was 7-7 early in the 1Q then offenses came to a slowed down. Navy shutout Army in the second half.

dec 22, 2021

No doubt Mizzou(SEC) is watching the tapes of how Navy held Army to 13 points on Dec 11. 

Armed Forces Bowl: Army (8-3) vs. Missouri (6-6). 

Army is favored against an SEC team so I'll go with that. Army 20 Missouri 19

Dec 23, 2021

How about Army coming back from a 10-0 deficit in the first quarter to defeat Mizzou 24-22 on Cole Talley's last second 41 Yd Field Goal?

March 9, 2022

Conference seeding matters. Liberty was 2 seed in the ASUNT, but 1 seed Jax St(ALA) wound up with the Dance ticket. CJ Fleming scored a career-high 27 points, Dylan Penn added 22 and 1A newcomer Bellarmine defeated Jacksonville(FLA) 77-72 in the ASUNT but is not eligible for the Dance since it is in the second season of a four year transition to 1A.

Liberty and Jax St(ALA) will be heading to CUSA in 2023 for all sports.

April 19, 2022

I know the transfer portal makes one dizzy, but this one struck me as a bad one for former Notre Dame and Cincy HC Brian Kelly. Corey Kiner, a former Mr. Ohio Football who finished second on LSU in yards rushing in 2021, is transferring to Cincy.

April 21, 2022

2022 Liberty Football Schedule

Flames ain't backing down from the bigger boys. Akron is  a rare trip to  Ohio for LU

Sept. 3 at Southern Miss

Sept. 10 vs. UAB

Sept. 17 at Wake Forest

Sept. 24 vs. Akron

Oct. 1 at Old Dominion

Oct. 8 at FIU

Oct. 15 vs. Gardner-Webb

Oct. 22 vs. BYU

Oct. 29 at UMass

Nov. 5 at Arkansas

Nov. 19 vs. Virginia Tech

Nov. 26 vs. New Mexico State

May 1, 2022

Perhaps this is why Kelly took the LSU job? 2022 draft: 

Notre Dame — 2 (Independent) Hamilton to the Ravens,  Kyren Williams -Rams

BYU — 1 (Independent) Tyler Allgeier RB to Falcons

Liberty — 1 (Independent) Willis to Titans

UConn — 1  (Independent) Travis Jones -Ravens

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 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.

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AAC 2018 FOOTBALL PREDICTIONS

American Athletic East Division
UCF Knights - Coach Heupel has QB Mckenzie which should get them back to the AAC title game but they won't  go undefeated.
South Florida Bulls - D should be solid but plenty of holes on offense
Cincinnati Bearcats- Geddis and Lewis are solid receivers and team reaches .500
Temple Owls finished strong in 2017 but will it carry over?
East Carolina Pirates Rebuild continues
Connecticut Huskies- The Edsels are stuck in neutral
West Division

Navy Midshipmen- Never underestimate the rushing attack
Memphis Tigers will miss QB Riley Ferguson but the team has a lot of talent
Tulsa Golden Hurricane RB #shamaribrooks will get a ton of work
Houston Cougars- Decent D with Ed Oliver anchoring the Line. but how fast can the O adjust to Briles, the new OC?
Tulane Green Wave isn't cresting yet.
SMU Mustangs- Coach Dykes is still in rebuild mode.

aug 22

Tony Pollard #memphis KR ,and  Ed Oliver #houston DL made the CBS  first team preseason All America squad.

aug 24

QB battle in #memphis ends with David Moore’s, last season's backup QB, decision to transfer, #BradyWhite a graduate transfer from Arizona State, will open the 2018 season as the Tigers’ starting quarterback.

aug 28

QB Justin McMillan , the former LSU signal-caller,  was added to the Tulane roster over the weekend for this upcoming season as a graduate transfer.
He is one of the rare grad transfers with two years of eligibility left to use and will likely be a backup in 2018 behind Jonathan Bank

aug 31

The Huskies' "Edsel" runs out of gas again.5 TDs for #mckenzie  #UCF 56 UConn 17

sept 2

Rough weekend for the AAC: Temple lost to 1AA Villanova. Navy lost to Hawaii. #SMU got crushed by North Texas Houston started their game against Rice in a coma but woke up to roll the Owls 45-27. Tulane hung with Wake Forest but fell 23-17. Big time road win for the Cincy Bearcats over #UCLA  . Props to the Bearcats RB,  Michael Warren II  35 CAR, 142 YDS, 3 TD

sept 8,2018

#ECU brass started  the long kiss goodbye by giving  statements of support for #ScottieMontgomery after the loss to NC A&T, an FCS team

sept 21, 2018

#temple beat MD last week and  scored two DTDs in a win overTulsa 31-17 last night. The Owls have made a nice turnaround after opening the season with losses to Villanova (1AA) and Buffalo (MAC).

sept 29, 2018

#Tulane Green Wave rushing attack  led by (D Bradwell 143 yards, two TDs) rolled Memphis last night . Nice recovery from the blowout loss to Ohio St last week.
oct 2-If neither team is playing in league title games, #ECU (AAC) and NC State  will square off Dec. 1 to make up for the Hurricane Florence cancellation.
oct 5-  Houston scored 24 points in the 4th quarter in a come from behind 41-26 win over #tulsa .

The Other five in 2018 D1 baseball

I'm playing catch up with D1 baseball and welcome input at https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104643398353248786505
When Wichita St joined the AAC, the chatter was about hoops but their baseball team is hanging tough with #ecu led by the pitching of #tylersmith (4-0, 1.07 ERA)
(CUSA) - Southern Miss , Louisiana Tech  are playing well again. Special shout out for #herd pitcher #willray (2-1 , 1.57 ERA)
Coastal Carolina (Sunbelt) Kevin Woodall Jr has 12 HR
San Diego St (MWC) Garrett Hill (6-0, 1.28 ERA)
Miam of Ohio (MAC) Ross haffey is batting .345

April 8

#ccu rocked south bama 14-7. Tough game for Woodall (0-4) but Weisz had a Hr and four RBIs
Gavin Williams pitched seven innings giving up one earned run in the #ecu win over Washington

April 11

Quick hits : #CCU Seth Lancaster hit a home run and knocked in two runs as the Chanticleers beat Wake Forest, 9-2. Gunnar Troutwine hit a home run and three RBIs in #wichitast 10-7 win over #OKST. Here's a twist  Rice (CUSA) and Houston (AAC) may both miss the postseason. The Cougars took care of the Owls last night, 1-0, in the annual crosstown showdown.

april 15

AAC: #uconn took two from wichita st on Friday and moved in to 2nd place behind #ecu. #Feolo is 5-0 for the Huskies.
MAC: #kentst sweopt three from #NIU to move into first.  Mason Mamarella is batting .363 with 23 SB.

April 19, 2018

#nevada baseball is on the rise. The Wolfpack is 14-4 behind the offense of Grant Fennell (.394 avg , 7 SB) and the the six wins from Jake Jackson. UNLV is next at 9-6 behind six wins from Alan Stromg. It's time for third place SDST to get into gear.

april 23, 2018

#usm  #Sandlin is back:striking out 12, not walking anyone and allowing one hit in five shutout innings against #mtsu.

april 26, 2018

#rice rumblings that  the Owls are paving the way for Coach Graham to exit  nicely. #houston has been playing better and may make the playoffs.  #ecu on the bubble for a top 8 seed the playoffs ?

april 29, 2018

It's been two weeks since I checked on the #MAC. Miami O has dropped to third behind #kentst and #cmu. Mamarella has 27 SB. #joeymurray is 7-1 for Kent St.

May 2, 2018

 The Eastern Michigan University baseball team led for the first seven innings before a late rally wound up being the difference in a crushing 6-4 loss at the University of Michigan . #emu is in the middle of the MAC pack while UM sits atop the Big 10. They meet again tonight.

May 3, 2018

#emu got pounded 12-5 by Michigan. Back to #MAC play.

May 5, 2018

#AAC #ECU  Pirates were swept by Houston at home. Both teams should make the field of 64. In the Sunbelt Coastal Carolina has been erratic but should make the playoff while South Bama is fading from view.

May 8, 2018

#AFA baseball has moved into third in the #MWC behind Nevada and SDST. Air Force catcher #robdau is batting .361

May 11, 2018

In a bit of an aside, can casino funds help #herd baseball and its other sports? #wva also hopes to receive a cut of the possible legal sports gambling revenue in West Virginia.

May 12, 2018

Three #AAC teams in the top 25: UConn, East Carolina, & South Florida
Bryant Packard #EastCarolina  is ranked 10th in BA  .405

May 16, 2018

#louisianatech took 2 of 3 from #usm and moved back into the field of 64 hopefuls. Hunter Wells is batting .348  and Mason Mallard has 25 SB for the season.

May 20, 2018

#coastalcarolina  finished the season strong and goes in to the Sunbelt Tournament in good shape to make the field of 64. Watch out for Kevin Woodall JR who has 17 HRs this season. Nick Kanavas is batting  .373 for Kent State as the MACT nears when Miami of Ohio, who took 2 of 3 from them this weekend, appears to be their biggest roadblock.

May 26, 2018

Don't look now but those #Rice Owls are hooting in the CUSAT after a so-so regular season. Rice   plays the 9am CST game today against Florida Atlantic.

May 27, 2018

#cusa paybacks: Last year #usm rallied in the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk-off home run against #Charlotte to force a win-or-go-home CUSAT contest. Yesterday Charlotte's  #TommyBullock’s three-run, walk-off  home run capped a four-run rally in the bottom of the ninth of a 7-4 win over USM.

May 28, 2018

#usm bats roared in the CUSA final . USM 12 FAU 3
Coastal Carolina defeated Troy 11-6  in the Sun Belt tournament title game to claim the league title and scored 42 runs while going unbeaten in its four games.
Eli Kraus tossed a a two-hitter and 12 strikeouts in #kentst  14-0 shutout  of Miami (OH) in the MAC championship game.
#sandiegost pounded unlv 14-5 in the MWC title game
#ecu edged Uconn 4-3 to win the AAC title game.

May 30 2018

American: 4:   Uconn Houston USF  ECU
Conference USA: 2:   FAU USM
MAC   Kent St
MWC  San Diego St
Sun Belt: 2: Coastal Carolina    Troy

June 2

I'm not sure if this will reverse trends but selling beer outdoors has made #fresnost happy. Beer sales at  Bulldog Stadium  took in some $90,000 from six home football games in 2017 and added another $20,000 from sales at baseball and softball games.

June 5

All O5 teams were eliminated. Probably the biggest suprise is #stetson (Atlantic Sun) going to Omaha.

July 11, 2018

#cusa baseball coaching news
Wayne Graham out Matt Bragga,  leaves Tennessee Tech after 16 season to take over at  #Rice
Jim McGuire out Jim Toman, head coach at Liberty from 2008-16 in #MTSU

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.

O5 PLAYERS IN 2016 NBA draft.

Weak night for the O5 teams in the 2016 NBA draft- three players taken in the second round
MWC: Two from UNLV #38 Patrick McCaw 6' 7 guard to the Bucks then traded to GSW where his solid defensive skills and overall agility should  be a good fit.
 #41 Stephen Zimmerman Jr , a 7' center to Orlando. If Orlandom has patience, the kid might help them
AAC:#56 Daniel Hamilton UConn 6/7 F/G went to Denver then traded to OKC. He'll need to improve his trey % may see a lot of NBDL time

June 26, 2016

FA summer league signings by O5 teams
Nathan Boothe Toledo(MAC) Miami Heat

Shawn Long Louisiana-Lafayette (SunBelt)  76ers

James Webb III Boise State(MWC) 76ers

James Kelly      Marshall(CUSA)       Hornets

October 15, 2017

A year later: #mccaw  will be getting more minutes at small forward for #gsw. #zimmerman was waived by the #magic this summer and picked up by the Lakers. #hamilton will likely bounce back and forth from the Thunder to the NBDL.