It’s hard to believe it’s been close to seven months since we last brought you the Morning Dish, but here we are. It’s Halloween, so you might even say it’s scary to think of how time flies.
After last season gave us so much to enjoy, we can only hope that this season can match or exceed that. Much has transpired over the off-season, and each season is different, so we naturally enter with a blank slate. With that in mind, we’ll look at a few conferences each day leading up to the start of the regular season.
We begin with the ACC, a conference that did something unusual last season: it flew under the radar. The Big 12 and SEC led a lot of storylines, as both showed a lot of depth and were very competitive while Virginia won the ACC by four games. Still, the ACC led the way with nine teams in the NCAA Tournament, four of who advanced to the Sweet 16. None reached the Final Four, however, as both Duke and Florida State bowed out in the regional finals. The Cavaliers and Blue Devils figure to lead the way again, while North Carolina could make noise if their young stars grow up quickly and some depth emerges. Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Florida State, Clemson and NC State all look promising as well.
A team from America East made history in March, as UMBC became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament. The Retrievers lost a lot from that team and at first glance don’t project as favorites, but Ryan Odom is still running the program (for now) and they won’t fall off a cliff. This season, Vermont still figures to be among the frontrunners, with Hartford, UMBC, Albany and Stony Brook all among the top challengers.
The times, they are-a-changing in the American Athletic Conference, and this season could have an unusual look in the standings. UCF was picked as the favorites in the preseason poll, and that’s far from an off-the-wall idea, but it tells you that some of the stalwarts don’t project to have great years. Wichita State, Cincinnati and Houston all lost significant pieces, while UConn and Memphis have heralded new coaches who figure to at least set the stage for what is to come this season.
The Atlantic 10 looks like it should be wide open this season. Saint Louis may have been chosen as favorites in the conference’s preseason poll, but Saint Joseph’s returns much of last season’s team that finished fourth through injuries, George Mason returns all of its scoring, Davidson has a solid base with Kellan Grady and Jon Axel Gudmundsson, and Rhode Island is still dangerous despite losing a lot of experience and watching Dan Hurley head one state to the west to UConn. Dayton and VCU can’t be dismissed, either, nor can St. Bonaventure despite losing their stellar starting backcourt.
In the Atlantic Sun, a rematch of last season’s championship game will be expected as Lipscomb and Florida Gulf Coast appear poised to rule the conference again. Liberty and North Florida seem the most likely to push them.
Finally, the Big 12 seems like an easy pick once again: Kansas. Until someone knocks off the Jayhawks, winners of 14 straight regular season titles, you pick against them at your peril. This time around, the Jayhawks are loaded thanks in part to transfers like brothers Dedric and K.J. Lawson. West Virginia and Kansas State should give them the biggest push, with TCU, Texas and Iowa State looking like the next in line. The conference has boasted great depth in recent years, so we’ll see if this year is any different.
We’ll look at several more conferences tomorrow morning.
Side Dishes
Gonzaga figures to be among the nation’s elite teams, but they’re going to have to do it in most of non-conference play without a key player. Killian Tillie had surgery for a stress fracture in an ankle on Tuesday, an injury he aggravated during fall practice. The junior forward, fresh off a breakout year with a larger role, figures to be out for about eight weeks, which includes the Maui Invitational.
One exhibition result that crossed our desk was Miami knocking off nearby Barry University 91-61 behind six players scoring in double figures.
Tonight’s Menu
Exhibition games continue in earnest as the regular season approaches.
