Prelude
Welcome back to Changing of the Guard. A weekly column here at Bracketeer.Org solely focused on the conference races. This will be your one-stop shop in the future to see what is happening for the race for the regular-season crown in each of the 32 leagues.
Some leagues provide us with a different leader or a proverbial “Changing of the Guard” at the top of the standings each and every week. Other leagues, may have one team run away with it from wire to wire. No matter how it shakes up, we will be here to provide the summary for you. If you happen to be new to Bracketeer this season, conference race changes are leveraged in each Bracket Forecast update to A) Exhibit a variety of outcomes within the Bracket that could very well be in play come March and B) Give more schools notoriety for the stellar play and achievements during the regular season.
The Disruptors
A dedicated section for teams who may not make it to the top of the league standings but did an impeccable job this past week disrupting the race.
Kentucky - Funny to see blue blood programs qualify for this section. Disruption is exactly what the Wildcats provided by going into Knoxville and knocking the Tennessee Vols off for their first loss in SEC play.
New Mexico -The Lobos led almost the entire game to hand the San Diego State Aztecs their first conference loss of the season and snap their 16-game home win streak. UNM is building a solid at-large profile despite being a couple of games out of first in the MWC.
Missouri State - The Bears kept the ISU Sycamores on their heels most of the day and picked up a win to create chaos in the Missouri Valley standings. The Bears are 5-3 and just a game out of first now, sandwiched with seven other programs within a game of first place.
Brown - Kino Lilly Jr. hit the game-winning two-point jumper with under three seconds on the clock to topple Princeton 72-70 Saturday afternoon to hand the Princeton Tigers their first Ivy League loss of the season.
Rider - The Broncs went into New Rochelle and ended the Gaels’ 21-game home-win streak and Iona’s near-term opportunity to be in a first-place tie with this dagger from Dwight Murray.
William & Mary - The Tribe won an unusual game that lasted two hours and 44 minutes (with no overtime). W&M held on for a 69-67 win over UNC Wilmington Saturday night at Trask Coliseum. It is a win that completely changes the dynamics of the CAA race for now, as UNCW falls two games back of Charleston.
Changing Of The Guard
A brief summary (this will be reflected on the upcoming Bracketology Big Board) of who our new league leaders are, following this weekend’s action.
America East - UMBC Retrievers
Atlantic 10 - VCU Rams
ASUN - Kennesaw State Owls
Big XII - Kansas Jayhawks
Big West - UC Irvine Anteaters
MEAC - Morgan State Bears
Missouri Valley - Southern Illinois Salukis
Southland - Southeastern Louisiana Lions
SWAC - Southern U. Jaguars
Sun Belt - Marshall Thundering Herd
WAC - Seattle U. Redhawks
Conference Race Recap for All 32 Leagues
Big12 – Iowa State (4-1) took Kansas (5-0) to the wire in Lawrence but fell in the final minute, 62-60. Kansas State (4-1) finally came down to earth in a humbling 82-68 loss against TCU. Jayhawks are all alone in first, a familiar feeling for KU.
B1G – Purdue (5-1) took care of business against Nebraska on Friday, 73-55. Michigan State (4-2) fell victim to Illinois on a Friday night in Champaign. The Boilermakers are alone at the top now in a league that has several teams with specifically three league losses.
SEC – Alabama (5-0) put on an absolute clinic in a historic home win over LSU, 106-66. The Tide attempted 33 triples in the first half alone and fired 54 for the game – making 20 of them. Texas A&M (4-0) continues to perform well, winning in dominant fashion at South Carolina, 94-53. Tennessee (4-1) fell to a hungry Kentucky team at home, 63-56.
Big East – Xavier (7-0) won the showdown over Marquette and has now won 11 in a row. Musketeers now have that grip on the Big East to themselves after Providence (6-1) fell at Creighton on Saturday. Xavier heads to DePaul on Wednesday.
Pac-12 – UCLA (7-0) swept the mountain schools at Pauley this past week, capped off by Saturday’s 68-54 win over Colorado. The Bruins have its toughest week on the schedule left coming up – at ASU on Thursday and at Arizona on Saturday.
ACC – Clemson (7-0) passed a major test by taking down Duke on Saturday night, 64-56. The Tigers were greeted with a memorable court storming. Not much time to relax though, Clemson heads to Wake Forest on Tuesday, then will host Virginia Tech next Saturday. Both teams are seeking revenge on Clemson.
MWC – San Diego State (4-1) got outplayed in Viejas Arena, which is rare, at the hands of New Mexico – 76-67. Nevada (5-1) went on a 19-0 run late to secure a key win over Utah State. The Pack will face Boise State (4-1) this Tuesday in Boise. The Broncos had two dominant road wins this past week at UNLV and at Wyoming.
AAC – Houston (5-0) was off this weekend. The Cougars have a tricky road game at Tulane (5-1) on Tuesday night. The Green Wave picked up a key win over UCF on Saturday.
WCC – Gonzaga (5-0) put on a show in the 115-75 demolition of Portland. Saint Mary’s (5-0) continues to keep pace at the top. Gaels took out their Bay Area rivals, San Francisco, on the road, 78-61.
CUSA – Florida Atlantic (6-0) had a difficult time overcoming North Texas hot shooting in Saturday’s showdown. However, the Owls persevered in a 66-62 comeback win. FAU has now swept UNT on the season, but another big test awaits them on Monday at Western Kentucky. The Owls have a two-game lead over North Texas in the CUSA Standings.
A 10 – Dayton (4-1) lost a stunner at home late on Friday vs. VCU (4-1), 63-62. Multiple late-game turnovers cost the Flyers this key game and in turn the league standings grip. Saint Louis (4-1) enters the arena now as a third co-leader. The Billikens won at George Washington, 81-74, and do not play VCU or Dayton until February. SLU could hang around here for a while with some consistent play.
WAC – Stephen F. Austin (5-1) finally fell on Saturday after an excellent stretch of winning and a nine-game win streak. All of that is now gone, thanks to Southern Utah (5-1) making life rough on SFA and cruising to a 67-58 victory. That meant the Seattle U. (5-0) road win at Utah Valley (5-1) was for pole position in the WAC. The Redhawks have officially emerged as the frontrunners and will host Southern Utah next Saturday in Seattle. This will be one of the best league races in the nation all year.
MVC – Indiana State (6-2) fell for the second time this week on Sunday, 64-62, at Missouri State. The Sycamores’ late rally fell just short. Southern Illinois (6-2) was the first team to beat the Sycamores this past Wednesday, followed it up with a home win over Illinois State, 69-57. Belmont (6-2) has clawed its way into a three-way tie for first place here after winning its past four in a row. A 76-72 hard-fought win over Northern Iowa on Saturday kept the ride going for the Bruins. Keep in mind: Belmont and Indiana State only meet each other one time this season.
Ivy – Princeton (3-1) was nipped on the road at Brown, 72-70. The Tigers have to turn around and face Penn in the Palestra on Monday. Another tough test. Cornell (3-1) had an electric 94-82 home win over Yale. The Tigers still own the tiebreaker head-to-head over the Big Red for now.
Sun Belt – Southern Miss (4-2) had a difficult week of travel. Thursday’s loss was to a skilled Marshall (4-2) team, 89-67, and perhaps the first time anyone has seen the Golden Eagles get beat like that. Kudos to Southern Miss for turning around a tough night and winning at Arkansas State on very little prep on Saturday, 74-57. Golden Eagles now get four straight at home beginning on Thursday. Marshall went on to beat Old Dominion on Saturday. Georgia Southern (4-2) and Troy (4-2) had chances to secure first, but both lost on Saturday. GSU lost at JMU, 83-71, and Troy fell 58-45 at Appalachian State. The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (4-2) had the best week besides Marshall, winning twice on the road (at ULM and at South Al). UL Monroe (4-2) completed the season sweep of Texas State on Saturday. It’s a six-way tie for first in the #FunBelt!
Big West – UC Santa Barbara (4-1) took a rare home loss against shorthanded yet very well-coached UC Riverside (5-1), 65-64. UC Irvine (5-0) takes full control for now after winning at CSUN on Saturday, 71-57. Big showdown for the Anteaters coming on Monday vs. UCSB.
SoCon – Samford (6-0) stayed hot despite Ques Glover remaining out. The Bulldogs came back from 19 down to stun Chattanooga on Saturday, 75-74. Earlier in the week, SAM ran past Wofford in a 25-point shellacking. A trip to East Tennessee State comes this Thursday.
MAC – Kent State (4-0) took over in the second half at Ohio en route to a 70-65 victory. The Bobcats had previously knocked Ball State (3-1) from the unbeatens earlier this week. The Golden Flashes are alone at the top now and will host Ball State on Friday night.
ASUN – Stetson (5-1) finally tasted defeat on Saturday against surging Eastern Kentucky (5-1), 85-70. The loss snapped a five-game win streak for the Hatters. Kennesaw State (5-1) avenged its only ASUN loss against North Florida, 86-72, on Saturday. The Owls will play at Stetson this Thursday. Liberty (5-1) got on track this week with two home wins over North Alabama and Central Arkansas.
Big Sky – Eastern Washington (5-0) handled its one task this week by handling Idaho, 95-74. The Eagles remain in first alone and host Montana on Monday.
MAAC – Siena (6-1) finally fell on Sunday to Canisius, 66-62. Saints will carry on in first thanks to some help from Dwight Murray and the Rider Broncs, who beat Iona (5-2) at the buzzer on Sunday. Saints will host Mount St. Mary’s and Fairfield next weekend (Friday/Sunday).
Big South – UNC Asheville (5-1) capped off an impressive week by grinding out an OT win in Boiling Springs, 72-67, at Gardner-Webb. The hero was Alex Caldwell who hit a three to force OT, then the Bulldogs managed to pull away in the final minute of the extra session. Longwood (5-1) bounced back with a win over USC Upstate, 72-65, after falling at UNCA earlier this week.
Horizon – Milwaukee (6-2) had its four-game win streak snapped at the hands of Wright State in a thrilling OT loss, 78-74. That re-opened the door for Northern Kentucky (6-2) and Youngstown State (6-2) to join the first-place party. NKU lost to Milwaukee earlier in the week, then won big at Green Bay on Saturday. YSU put it all together on the road with a sweep of Detroit Mercy and Oakland – impressive work by the Penguins. Cleveland State (5-2) is tied in the loss column with the above three-pack. CSU had a glorified scrimmage in an 89-54 rout of inferior IUPUI. CSU has a tough roadie against Purdue Fort Wayne on Monday.
CAA – Charleston (6-0) trailed Elon at Halftime before really getting after it on Saturday to the tune of a 78-60 triumph. It was a natural let-down spot for the Cougars after winning the showdown at UNCW earlier this week. UNCW (4-2) fell to two games back after really having a let-down vs. William & Mary, 69-67. Stunning loss for a really tough Seahawks team. Hofstra (5-1) is now in second place alone, the Pride pounded Delaware, 86-62.
Summit – Oral Roberts (6-0) shook off a Monday non-conference loss at New Mexico by defeating Western Illinois and St. Thomas quite comfortably. The Golden Eagles hit the North Dakota schools this coming week. Thursday’s game is at NDSU (5-2) which might be the stiffest test that ORU will face behind Bison’ emerging prospect Grant Nelson, who can leap out of the gym.
Patriot League – Colgate (6-0) was tested this week in two home games vs. Bucknell and Boston U. Raiders managed to get out of each with a six-point victory. Army (5-1) is now the second-place team after beating a tough American Eagles squad and earning a road win at Boston U. Colgate will hit the road on Thursday to take on Holy Cross before hosting American next weekend.
America East – UMBC (3-1) held serve at home in an 85-77 win over Maine. Binghamton (3-1) made noise by knocking off UMass-Lowell, 66-65. The Bearcats have an MLK Day contest coming up at Albany.
MEAC – Norfolk State (2-1) lost a tough one to Howard (2-1), 86-84. HC Robert Jones was audible about the poor officiating in this one. The door was open for Morgan State (3-0) to become the leaders in the MEAC and the Bears took full advantage by wiping out Coppin State on the road, 83-66. The Bears will host Howard next Saturday.
Ohio Valley – SIU Edwardsville (5-1) is really in a groove now, winners of four in a row. Cougars took care of EIU and Lindenwood this past week with relative ease. Morehead State is up next for SIUE in Edwardsville on Thursday Night.
Southland – Texas A&M Corpus Christi (4-1) recovered from a Thursday loss to SELA, by handling New Orleans on Saturday, 97-79. SE Louisiana (4-1) is seizing the moment by building on its win at TAMUCC. The Road Lions did it again on Saturday, defeating Incarnate Word, 75-71. The Lions return home on Thursday to take on a talented Northwestern State team.
SWAC – Southern U. (5-0) stands alone at the top after some carnage happened this past weekend. The Jags handled its business against rival Grambling, 81-73, to remain perfect on the SWAC season. Jackson State (3-1) suffered its first loss at Prairie View A&M, 59-50. Alcorn State (3-1) is staying close to the top as well. The Braves scored an important OT road win at Texas Southern, 79-74.
NEC – St. Francis PA (4-0) leveraged the friendly confines of DeGol Arena in Loretto to handle LIU from the jump, 87-68. Fairleigh Dickinson (4-0) took the trip to Central Connecticut and the Knights executed well on offense once again in an 88-80 win. SFPA and FDU won’t meet until January 26th, so need one more week of dominant play in order to have the showdown.