After 24 conference previews, we are now down to the final 8 conferences.\u00a0 These are, most likely, going to be the competitors for the First Four 16-seed games and the other 16- and 15-seeds.\u00a0 For the most part, these guys are going to be “happy to be there” and not provide much of an upset risk…but you never know.\u00a0 And, there is one exception to that…<\/p>\n
They Do It Right… But…don’t expect that kind of drama this year.\u00a0 Harvard<\/strong> (10-1, 27 RPI) is going to the Dance this year.\u00a0 And, we can say that convincingly because there is no conference tournament, so not only would someone have to upset Big Red, but they would have to also navigate the rest of the Ivy schedule better than they do.\u00a0 Highly unlikely because this team is loaded.<\/p>\n The biggest threat is probably Yale<\/strong> (8-2, 115), but they haven’t exactly shown anything in the non-conference that would lead anyone to believe they have any shot at upstaging Big Red.\u00a0 There are always the dangerous Princeton<\/strong> (6-7, 189) and Penn<\/strong> (6-6, 144), who have the two best non-Harvard players in the Ivy League in Ian Hummer for the Tigers and Zach Rosen for the Quakers.\u00a0 But, the rest of the rosters just aren’t good enough to compete with Tommy Amaker’s squad.<\/p>\n The biggests suprise of the non-conference would probably be Columbia<\/strong> (7-5, 138), who just had a 7-game winning streak snapped this week @Marist.\u00a0 They beat North Texas, Holy Cross, and a pretty good Long Island team along the way.\u00a0 Then again, they did just lose by 20 to Marist…<\/p>\n Another League With No Scholarships, Yet Pretty Solid Hoops, Considering The preseason favorite and most battle-tested Patriot League team this year is Bucknell<\/strong> (8-6, 71 RPI).\u00a0 The Bison have weathered a very difficult schedule and even pulled off victories over Princeton and Richmond, while staying competitive in games @Minnesota, @Vanderbilt, @George Mason, and @Syracuse.\u00a0 Now, while the Bison have the best RPI and were the preseason pick to win the league, I might be leaning another way on this one.<\/p>\n Maybe it’s my infatuation with the great C.J. McCallum, but I like the Lehigh Mountain Hawks<\/strong> (10-4, 95) to challenge the Bison and, ultimately, take the PL crown this year.\u00a0 Their non-conference has been very good, including a really nice win @Wagner and an 81-point performance at the Breslin Center in a 9-point loss @Michigan State.<\/p>\n And, there’s more to the intrigue of the PL this year – as usual.\u00a0 Holy Cross<\/strong> (5-7, 150) has struggled in the non-conference (like usual), but was picked to finish 2nd in the league and should compete.\u00a0 And, American<\/strong> (8-5, 130), despite losing a lot of talent from last year’s team, has surprised some people in the non-conference, and they also look poised to make a run this year.<\/p>\n The other four teams are either not very good programs or having down years.\u00a0 Lafayette<\/strong> (5-7, 241) is the latter, so you never know when they can find their stride.\u00a0 Colgate<\/strong> (5-7, 229) has actually had a much better non-conference than most anticipated, but they probably don’t have the horses.<\/p>\n The New Kid With the Familiar Face is Ready to Break Out<\/em> Bobby Hurley.\u00a0 Remember him?\u00a0 Well, he’s back.\u00a0 The head coach of Wagner<\/strong> (8-3, 68 RPI) has the team from Staten Island playing the best basketball in their program’s history, as shown most recently with a win @Pittsburgh.\u00a0 The Seahawks might be ready to take that momentum into the NEC for a title run.<\/p>\n But, they will have to catch the defending champs, who have already beaten them in the conference opener, the Long Island Blackbirds<\/strong> (7-6, 136).\u00a0 The Blackbirds are poised and ready to defend their NEC title, but there have been some chinks in the armor this year, particularly a recent four-game stretch that saw them barely squeak by Lafayette, lose @Columbia and @Norfolk State, and then barely beat 2-11 St. Peter’s.\u00a0 They did drop 100 on North Texas last week, so maybe they have righted the ship since then, but it was a little disconcerting for Blackbird fans.<\/p>\n And, all this talk about Wagner and LIU has caused people to forget about the team that has actually been the most impressive, in my opinion, over the whole of the non-conference, and that is Robert Morris<\/strong> (10-3, 84).\u00a0 The Colonials have only lost three games – all close losses – @Penn, @Pitt, and Cleveland St.\u00a0 They have wins over LaSalle and @Duquesne.\u00a0 They have two huge games this week @Memphis and @Ohio.\u00a0 If they can win either of those games, it will cement that they are the team to beat in the NEC.\u00a0 Just staying close on the road against two of the better teams in the country will show a lot.<\/p>\n Two other teams that have to be mentioned because of their talent, while not necessarily their results so far are Central Connecticut State<\/strong> (5-6, 280) and Quinnipiac<\/strong> (7-5, 206).\u00a0 Both teams certainly have the potential to contend in this league, despite their shaky non-conference seasons.<\/p>\n It Doesn’t Get Much Worse<\/em> Well, I guess it’s not all bad.\u00a0 Even though the abysmal UMBC <\/strong>(1-11, 335 RPI) program is actually better than TWO conference-mates (Binghamton <\/strong>(0-11, 341) and Hartford <\/strong>(0-11, 343)), there are a couple bright spots…well, relatively speaking…in this year’s A-East.<\/p>\n The Maine Black Bears<\/strong> (6-4, 152) might be the only team that can be considered to be “exceeding expectations” so far – and that’s not saying much.\u00a0 Albany<\/strong> (7-6, 175) and Vermont <\/strong>(6-7, 162) have actually looked relatively decent against okay competition.\u00a0 And, if you put any credence in preseason predictions, you might say that Stony Brook <\/strong>(4-6, 265) and Boston U<\/strong> (4-8, 177), who were picked #1 and #2, respectively, might have a shot.<\/p>\n Hey, someone’s gotta win it, right?<\/p>\n As Usual, There is One Good Team in a Pretty Bad Conference – But, it’s Not Who You Think Morgan State<\/strong> (2-8, 170 RPI) has been completely dominant in the MEAC for almost a decade now.\u00a0 But, this year, they are really struggling\u00a0– albeit against a typically tough schedule.\u00a0 Hampton<\/strong> (4-8, 338) is often the one team to challenge Morgan and get to the Dance (everyone remember the fat little coach that beat Iowa State as a 15-seed?).\u00a0 But, the Pirates have been dreadful so far.\u00a0 Coppin State<\/strong> (4-7, 156) is also a team that you have to watch out for and, this year, they look okay, but not title-worthy.\u00a0 Bethune-Cookman<\/strong> (4-10, 306) has been building something, but they graduated nearly their whole team last year and aren’t very good this year.\u00a0 Even teams like Delaware State<\/strong> (4-6, 292) and South Carolina State<\/strong> (4-8, 191) have at least shown signs in the past of being developing programs…but they’re not very good this year either.\u00a0 MD-Eastern Shore<\/strong> (3-10, 300)?\u00a0 They looked on the brink of a breakout last year, but fell on their faces and they’re still picking up the pieces.\u00a0 So, who is it?\u00a0 Not Howard<\/strong> (4-8, 279), right?\u00a0 They have been bad for a while, but at least have a history.\u00a0 Nope.\u00a0 Florida A&M<\/strong> (2-11, 342) and N.C. A&T <\/strong>(4-11, 290) are terrible, so it’s not them.\u00a0 North Carolina Central <\/strong>(7-6, 217) and Savannah State<\/strong> (5-8, 235) are brand-new to Division-I, so it’s probably not them.<\/p>\n Give up?\u00a0 Well, the team to beat this year – without question – is Norfolk State<\/strong> (9-5, 41).\u00a0 The Spartans have put together an incredibly impressive non-conference resume that fell just 2 points shy of being phenomenal (a 59-57 loss to then-unbeaten Marquette).\u00a0 They look the part and have played the part of the clear-cut favorite the whole year.\u00a0 Now, they just have to go out and beat the likes of Morgan, Hampton, and Coppin to prove it.<\/p>\n The Crazy Southland Has Some Players This Year<\/em> There is one team that has shown the potential to possibly run away and hide with this conference, and that is Lamar<\/strong> (8-5, 34 RPI).\u00a0 Listen to the 5 losses on the Lamar schedule this year:\u00a0 @Louisville, @Ohio, @TCU, @Ohio State, @Kentucky.\u00a0 Yes,\u00a0three Top 10\u00a0teams plus maybe the best mid-major and a decent team from C-USA, all on the road.\u00a0 Their wins include a decent Arkansas St. team, a 20-point shellacking on the road at a very good Tennessee Tech team, and a really nice win @Rice.\u00a0 There is a chance this team is way too good for the rest of the league once conference play starts.<\/p>\n Then again, there are a couple other teams who have shown glimmers of real potential (in between glimmers of real despair).\u00a0 The defending champs and preseason favorites (with everyone back) are UT-San Antonio<\/strong> (6-6, 153).\u00a0 The Roadrunners have looked real good and then real bad – sometimes in successive games – this year.\u00a0 UT-Arlington<\/strong>(6-5, 199) has looked real good when playing some steep competition, but also real ugly at other times, particularly a home loss to lowly Samford.<\/p>\n And, then there are the usual suspects:\u00a0 Stephen F. Austin<\/strong> (5-6, 334) is always talented, but have been pretty bad this year.\u00a0 The same can be said for\u00a0Sam Houston State<\/strong> (5-8, 298).\u00a0 And, for the third straight season, the prognosticators pegged SE Louisiana <\/strong>(5-5, 299) as the preseason co-favorite to win the league, but it looks like they might be 0-for-3 with that prediction.<\/p>\n Another bright spot has been Central Arkansas<\/strong> (5-7, 227).\u00a0 It’s not bright enough to peg them as contenders, but they seem to have come a long way since being the perennial league doormats.\u00a0 Then again, they did give up 124 points for UNLV earlier this week…<\/p>\n Even I Have Trouble Generating Interest in the SWAC Each Year<\/em> I guess there is a bit of a bright spot, in that Prairie View <\/strong>(4-9, 283 RPI) actually has a couple D-I victories before entering conference play – which is unusual.\u00a0 So, that means they are the favorites…I guess.<\/p>\n Jackson State<\/strong> (2-10, 188) is usually the best of the bunch, so they would have to be considered.\u00a0 Also, Texas-Southern <\/strong>(1-9, 204) and Mississippi Valley State <\/strong>(1-10, 155) were good last year and were picked #1 and #2 this year, so maybe they are contenders.\u00a0 Sorry, I couldn’t tell the difference among their 60-point blowouts…<\/p>\n OVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Honestly, I have no idea.\u00a0 I guess Prairie View because they actually beat a few D-I teams would be my pick.\u00a0 But, TX-Southern and MVSU seem to be the\u00a0best on paper.\u00a0 And, you should never count out Jackson St. in the SWAC.<\/p>\n The Mismatched Conference with No Tournament Bid<\/em> N.J.I.T.<\/strong> (5-6, 201 RPI) has clearly been the best team of the six so far, but they have ridiculous road trips in this conference, considering they are in the “Great West.”\u00a0 Utah Valley<\/strong> (6-8, 281) won the inaugural conference title last year and was picked to win it again this year.\u00a0 Last year the two worst teams in D-I were both in this six-team league, but both Houston Baptist<\/strong> (5-7, 253) and TX-Pan American<\/strong> (4-10, 302) seem at least relatively competitive…sort of.<\/p>\n Chicago State<\/strong> (0-13, 301) does not, but they have played a decent slate of games.<\/p>\n After 24 conference previews, we are now down to the final 8 conferences.\u00a0 These are, most likely, going to be the competitors for the First Four 16-seed games and the other 16- and 15-seeds.\u00a0 For the most part, these guys … Continue reading
\n<\/em>I am going to preface this comment with a statement of “it’s easy to ‘do it right<\/em>‘ when making money is literally unimportant.”\u00a0 But, with that being said, the Ivy League does it right – no conference tournament.\u00a0 What they lose in drama and excitement in early March, they make up for by sending their best representative to the Dance in hopes that they can create even more excitement in mid- or late-March.\u00a0 Oh, and you always have that rare season where there is a tie at the top and then you’ve got a winner-take-all game on the neutral floor like we had last year.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Harvard will win this conference going away and make the Dance for the first time in 60 years.\u00a0 Bank it.<\/h4>\n
THE PATRIOT LEAGUE<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/em>It is somewhat understandable that the Ivy League schools can sustain solid sports programs because the educational opportunities that those schools provide is a unique and rare commodity, so they are able to at least make a decent pitch to any player in America that can afford their tuition.\u00a0 Now, taking nothing away from the educational quality at schools in the PL (to be honest, these schools are actually very, very good), they do not come with the cache of a Harvard or a Yale.\u00a0 So, it is that much more impressive when these programs achieve any modicum of success in D-I sports.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 This is a wide-open, three- or, possibly, four-team race this year.\u00a0 Bucknell, Lehigh, and American should be in the fray all year, with Holy Cross a potential sleeper.<\/h4>\n
THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nI really enjoy the NEC, despite it having some of the worst basketball on the D-I level.\u00a0 I think there is enough diversity in the league and intrigue every night to make for interesting storylines.\u00a0 And, this year is no exception.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Another very interesting NEC is about to get underway this year, where no one would be surprised if any of several teams took the title.\u00a0 Either way, it probably wouldn’t all be ironed out until the bitter end, so it could be dramatic.\u00a0 Personally, I am sticking with Robert Morris as my pick.\u00a0 The experts in the preseason went with the defending champs, LIU, while the national media (on the heels of a win @Pitt and a love affair with former Duke point guards) is touting Wagner.\u00a0 And, I still wouldn’t count out CCSU or Quinnipiac from contention.\u00a0 It should be another fun one in the NEC.<\/h4>\n
THE AMERICA EAST<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nThe America East has always teetered on entering the arena of simple cannon fodder (a la the SWAC or the Southland), but have always had a couple teams or at least a little depth to keep them out of that category.\u00a0 Well, not this year.\u00a0 This conference is really, really bad.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 This conference is terrible this year.\u00a0 Maine and Albany have looked barely mediocre, so I guess they are the favorites.\u00a0 If I had to pick a winner, though, I’d probably go with Vermont, slightly ahead of BU…not really sure why, though.<\/h4>\n
THE MEAC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/em>The MEAC is almost always a one- or, maybe, a two-team league.\u00a0 And, those teams are almost always the same one.\u00a0 This year, it looks like there is a clear team to beat…and it’s someone new.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 With Morgan State down, this is a bad MEAC, outside of Norfolk.\u00a0 So, if this isn’t the year for the Spartans, I’m not sure when it will be.<\/h4>\n
THE SOUTHLAND<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nThe Southland is usually nuts, in that all the teams are pretty bad, but few are dreadful, and, therefore, they always seem to beat up on each other, with the regular season winner oftentimes finishing with 4, 5, sometimes 6 or more conference losses.\u00a0 This year, there is a little separation between the have and have-nots, but I’m still not ruling out craziness…<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Lamar has been head and shoulders about the rest of the league when assessing the non-conference performances of the rest of the league.\u00a0 There is a decent amount of talent here – particularly UTSA and UT-Arlington, but the usual suspects (SFA, SHSU, and SELa) don’t seem to have the firepower this year.\u00a0 This league is Lamar’s to lose.<\/h4>\n
THE SWAC<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nI hate to say it, but even me – who likes college hoops to an embarrassing extent – struggles to care about the SWAC.\u00a0 The teams are bad, and they always think it’s smart to play absurdly hard schedules.\u00a0 It’s like it’s a league of 10 Washington Generals whose only mission in D-I is to provide cannon fodder for the best teams in the league as they work out their rotations and generate highlight reels for incoming recruits.\u00a0 Sorry for the rant.<\/p>\nTHE GREAT WEST<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
\nThe winner of the Great West does get a bid…to the CBI.\u00a0 And, that’s probably good because this conference isn’t.<\/p>\nOVERALL<\/strong><\/span>:\u00a0 Gimme Utah Valley again, but I wouldn’t be surprised if N.J.I.T. is able to pull it out.\u00a0 Ya, this conference is utterly irrelevant.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"