Northeastern has had a rough run through non-conference play. There are multiple reasons for it, but a 2-7 mark has confidence being a concern as the team hits final exams.
Your Phil of Hoops
Brigham Young is close, with fewer good opportunities remaining
Brigham Young lost for the third time in as many tries against ranked teams. While the Cougars have a good team, they could use a significant non-conference win, and they are running out of such opportunities at this point.
John Dunne is looking beyond St. Peter’s record
St. Peter’s is 2-4 after a close call this weekend. With all the new players on board, John Dunne is looking beyond the final score and the record in evaluating his team, and it’s not in a search for moral victories but rather a look at reality.
Sacred Heart is getting closer, but wins are hard to come by
Sacred Heart showed signs of their progress on Tuesday night, but once again couldn’t come away with a win to show for it. Their strengths and weaknesses seem clear, and getting a win would help improve the confidence at this point.
Hartford finally gets a much-needed break in the action
Hartford started the season playing seven games in 15 days, including two back-to-backs. At the end, it appeared to catch up with them, but they’re finally about to get a little break in the action.
Could North Carolina’s big weekend change their season?
A week earlier, North Carolina lost to Belmont and had to deal with more adversity as many questioned how good this team is and can be. This weekend may do something to change that and their season.
George Mason has to improve key areas for a big stretch coming up
George Mason has begun a stretch that will be more challenging than their first four games, which they won mostly at home. They didn’t get off to an auspicious start at Iona on Saturday, and it showed some of what they need to address.
Defense and rebounding are big concerns for Washington
Washington went 0-2 at the 2K Sports Classic in New York, and if it wasn’t clear that defense and rebounding are big concerns for this short-handed team before the trip, it’s crystal clear now.
Rhode Island trip wasn’t the way Vermont hoped to start road stretch
Vermont played Bryant and Providence a couple of days apart to start a stretch of seven in a row and nine of ten away from home. They didn’t start it the way they had hoped, and it only gets tougher from here.
UMass continues good start and shows some maturity
UMass improved to 3-0 on Sunday after letting Youngstown State hang around for a while. The Minutemen continue their good start, led by Chaz Williams, and certainly can get even better than what they have already shown.
