Good morning.
We are now on the eve of the regular season, which is just one day away. Mercifully.
We move on with Hoopville’s preseason rundown of all 32 NCAA Division I conferences:
Bucknell is a prohibitive favorite in the Patriot League this year. Such is the case when a team returns its top nine scorers, all five starters, four all-conference picks (two on the first team) and a player in 6-foot-9 center Nana Foulland who was the conference’s player of the year and defensive player of the year. The Bison are not just experienced but also well-rounded and could make national noise early-they open with Monmouth, Arkansas, North Carolina and Maryland-and late in the NCAA Tournament, where a big season could get them a workable draw like the 9 seed they nabbed in 2006. Perennial nemesis Lehigh, Navy (four starters back), Colgate (likewise) and Boston University should provide enough competition to keep Bucknell sharp.
Perhaps more than any conference, the SEC won the offseason, between coaching hires that have already bore fruit (Will Wade at LSU, Cuonzo Martin at Missouri) and seemingly one recruiting hit after another. Some of the good vibes have been tempered, though, with presumably rising teams at Alabama and Auburn both caught up in the FBI’s investigation into the sport, plus Texas A&M now dealing with a host of suspensions. The league should still be improved, but how much is up for debate. In the end, Kentucky with an almost all-new roster is the favorite again, with hard-working Florida a strong second, and both will be reasonable Final Four picks. Arkansas and South Carolina-a Final Four participant in April-are both reloading, though, so there’s room for upward mobility if a program like Mississippi, Missouri (with prize freshman Michael Porter) or Tennessee can make a move.
The Southern Conference just keeps getting better. The league featured a dynamite three-team fight for the title last year, with East Tennessee State, Furman and UNC Greensboro all tying for the title before ETSU won the conference tourney. A measure of the league’s improving depth is that the Buccaneers and traditional power Tennessee-Chattanooga both sustained heavy player losses, yet on paper there are still plenty of quality teams capable of challenging for the title and making a little noise out of conference. Furman is arguably the media favorite, though the Paladins actually came in narrowly behind Mercer and Samford, two experienced teams capable of making the leap to the top. UNCG also will be capable with excellent guard Francis Alonso and its share of athletes, and don’t count out East Tennessee State either as Steve Forbes has plenty of experience from the junior college level with molding teams quickly.
New Orleans was one of the best stories in the whole country last season, a program once decimated by Hurricane Katrina coming back to win both the Southland regular season and tourney titles and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 years. Last season also saw at least a temporary halt to Stephen F. Austin’s dominance of the league, and whether the Lumberjacks in Kyle Keller’s second year can get back to that summit is the big question of this season. SFA is the favorite entering the season but keep an eye on Lamar, especially rugged Colton Weisbrod, as well as SE Louisiana, which could put it all together under Jay Ladner. On paper at least, there appears to be a big gap between the top 5-6 programs and the rest, though last season saw 12 teams separated by a total of six games in the conference standings.
Side Dishes:
- The three UCLA freshmen-LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley-accused of shoplifting in China were released on bail yesterday, where they were “staying at a luxury hotel in Hangzhou with a UCLA representative,” per ESPN.com. Head coach Steve Alford has announced that the three will not play in the Bruins’ game in China Friday against Georgia Tech (which is dealing with its own drama right now). We touched on it a bit yesterday, but will say it gain: if this is how programs are going to behave, perhaps these mega-million dollar athletic departments are better off skipping the international trips and focusing a little more on getting their houses in order here on the mainland, and a little less on “growing brands” overseas. That this drama is the product these schools are sending overseas is nothing short of embarrassing.
- Auburn officially fired assistant coach Chuck Person Wednesday, after he was indicted by the FBI as part of its investigation into the sport. It’s a sad fall for a former star at the school who also notably had a long and productive NBA career.
- Three exhibition results from Wednesday-Oklahoma ran past East Central (Okla.) 114-78, BYU hammered Colorado College 95-35 and Pacific handled Bethesda (Calif.) 84-49.
Tonight’s Menu:
- Just one game on the slate, as Jefferson-formerly known as Philadelphia University and Philadelphia Textile before that, and coached by the legendary Herb Magee-faces Temple for a charity exhibition.
Enjoy your Thursday.
