Good morning.
With just two days remaining before the 2017-18 season commences (at last), we roll on with Hoopville’s preseason briefs on all 32 NCAA Division I conferences:
The Mountain West’s slippage continued last year, as a once reliable multi-bid conference (many forget the league put five in the NCAA Tournament in 2013) sent just one for the second straight season, and with that team exiting quietly in the first round. On paper it looks like more of the same this year, especially since bellwethers New Mexico and UNLV are building. Defending champion Nevada is the favorite, mainly because it brings in four big-name transfers expected to make up for the loss of three starters who averaged darn near 50 points per game. A number of teams qualify for sleeper statu, though, and could overtake the Wolf Pack. It will be interesting to follow what tweaks Brian Dutcher may make in his first year in charge at San Diego State, which reportedly dominated USC in a scrimmage; Boise State is traditionally an excellent offensive team and has a star in Chandler Hutchison; Fresno State returns four starters from a team that-like Boise-made an NIT trip; Wyoming surprised with a fast-paced, three-point bombing offense and won the CBI, and Colorado State will always be a tough out as long as Larry Eustachy is on the sideline.
Much has been noted about the transfer epidemic that has hammered many teams in the Northeast Conference. The exodus of talent has made handicapping this year’s race all but impossible. Mount St. Mary’s-which would’ve been a prohibitive favorite if not for three starters transferring-is still the defending champion and has 5-foot-5 superbug Junior Robinson among several other key returnees, while St. Francis (Pa.) is a chic pick because it lost less than most, and the Red Flash have an embarrassment of riches in the backcourt. Even SFU has issues, though (namely, a dearth of depth up front). When all is said and done, don’t be shocked if old standbys like Wagner, Fairleigh Dickinson or Robert Morris weather all the turnover best and are there in the end.
The Ohio Valley appears to be back on the upswing, especially with the potential for a superb three-team race between always formidable Belmont, traditional heavyweight Murray State and up-and-coming Jacksonville State, which won the league’s automatic berth last year and gave a credible effort against Louisville in the NCAA Tournament. The Bruins lose Evan Bradds but return superb passer Austin Luke and still have plenty of three-point shooters, while Murray State is hungry after two subpar years and might be top 25 in the country if college hoops was 2-on-2, with dynamite duo Jonathan Stark and Terrell Miller. Another to watch is Eastern Kentucky, which has a must-watch post player in the skilled and strong Nick Mayo, while Eastern Illinois made a preseason splash by defeating Illinois.
Add the Pacific-12 to the list of leagues with its share of uncertainty entering this season. Arizona and USC were thought to be near-locks in the top 10, but both have already been caught up in the FBI’s investigation into college basketball. Oregon lost four starters from a Final Four team and is relying on a cavalry of transfers and freshmen. UCLA also lost four starters, though it’s possible the Bruins’ returnees + recruiting class equation is being underrated (though some news below could put a crimp into that). Add in Oregon State, which ended an NCAA Tournament drought in 2016 but fell off a cliff last year to a 5-27 record influenced considerably by injuries. The Beavers are healthier this year and have their share of young talent; a rebound back to 18 wins again isn’t out of the question. In all, it looks like roughly 4-5 NCAA bids again, but perhaps several national title contenders. Arizona in particular is a favorite to finally nab Sean Miller’s first Final Four-again, IF the FBI scandal doesn’t throw a big monkey wrench into the Wildcats’ season.
Side Dishes:
- The big news of Tuesday came from China, of all places, where it was reported that three UCLA freshmen-LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley-had been arrested for shoplifting there, in advance of the Bruins’ season opener against Georgia Tech in Shanghai on Friday. There are many things one could say about this; for instance, we’d note that the Pac-12 has pursued these games in China to market and ‘extend university reach’ overseas; while still very notable-and not good-this wouldn’t have such potential dire consequences if this game is played in, say, L.A. The bottom line for the young men involved is reports are they could face 3-to-10 years in prison if convicted, and all the recruiting star rankings in the world won’t help them with it. All of which would be an incredibly hard lesson to learn.
- Add Alabama to the list of schools that could be severely curtailed this year by the FBI investigation. The possibility of that is increasingly real as Collin Sexton has been declared ineligible after the school determined he is one of the unnamed players in the FBI’s complaint. The school is working through the situation and hopes to have a resolution soon, but there is now a real possibility that the Crimson Tide will miss for some of the season or more the one who was presumed to be their best player.
- On the other side of this news, USA Today had a fantastic feature by Scott Gleeson on Belmont coach Rick Byrd, which you can read here to feel better about what college sports should be and can be.
- The exhibition schedule continued to wind down. Louisville outlasted local strong NCAA Division II school Bellarmine (Ky.) 72-57, Notre Dame drubbed fellow Catholic school Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 90-46, Kansas easily topped Fort Hays State (Kan.) 86-57, Florida State ran over Thomas (Fla.) 122-52, SE Louisiana bested stubborn NAIA William Carey (Miss.) 80-71 and Mississippi Valley State edged Rust (Miss.) 74-66.
Tonight’s Menu:
- There are just three exhibition games on the schedule. NCAA Division II East Central (Okla.) is at Oklahoma, D-III Colorado College plays BYU, and NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) member Bethesda (Calif.) is at Pacific.
Have a great Wednesday.
