Inside College Hoops

Pac-12 Media Day 2020 Edition

2020 Pac-12 Media took place on Zoom instead of Pac-12 HQ’s this year.

2020 Pac-12 Media took place on Zoom instead of Pac-12 HQ’s this year.

Welcome to the Bracketeer’s coverage of Pac-12 Media Day. We had six hours worth of coaches and players from all 12 schools join the conference call. Only four weeks until Tip-Off!

1) UCLA
HC Mick Cronin:
- Coach Cronin says it was a priority to get in as many good games as they could, gave praise to the San Diego State and Pepperdine programs coming back and is glad they pulled them on the schedule. Kentucky and Marquette games were preserved as well.
- LA County’s stricter requirements and advised San Diego State to host the games to open the year.
- Picked first in preseason, says it doesn't matter. Appreciates the publicity, but also makes his job tougher.
- Encourages players to focus on what they can control. Not to focus on social media or preseason polls, but rather rebounding and getting stops.
- Johnny Juzang was discussed as a player who has come in and worked hard, could be poised for a great year.

2) Arizona State
HC Bobby Hurley
- Exhausted the MTE process looking for best event. Looked at both hosting events and travel opportunities. He's thankful that Mohegan Sun was well-organized and he’s looking forward to getting out to Connecticut.
- Optimistic on the season, but making no promises or predictions on how things will play out. He eluded to the fact that a lot of factors with getting games in is out of their control, but they are doing everything they can.
- Encourages star NBA prospects like Remy Martin, to go get feedback and go through the draft process. Of course this year was different during Covid, but it worked out well for ASU in the end.

3) Oregon
HC Dana Altman
- Players tested every morning. Guys are incredibly careful, but doesn't prevent positives. Coach Altman provided examples of cases where a player could do everything right and still have a positive test. He also mentioned human interaction on campus being important for the team while taking extreme caution.
- LJ Figueroa waiver is still pending, school is working thru it.
- 3 MTEs cancelled during the course of the offseason, beginning with the event in Florida. Hoping 4th one is a charm out in Connecticut. Heading to CT to play VTech and Mizzou on 12/2 and 12/3.
- Commented on how different it will be without fans this season and said he wishes they had a guy like Dillon Brooks around to bring energy.

4) Stanford
HC Jerod Haase
- Guys spent a lot of time together. Went through unique time having to get practices in outdoors on the campus tennis courts.
- Daejon Davis and Oscar Da Silva will be key leaders during a rocky season. Captains haven't been officially named.
- Coach talked about Oscar Da Silva speaking six languages and being a Stem Cell researcher.
- On Ziaire Williams: he will have a tremendous impact in a lot of different ways. Really talented, but he's not a one-dimensional player. He has the ability to shoot the basketball, penetrate, make plays for others.

5) Arizona
HC Sean Miller
- High praise for Christian Koloko, the 7-footer. Has many facets to his game that will carryover to the NBA.
- Talked about in-game bench players will be spread out with masks on. Will be a significant change to gameday routines and take work to manage it.
- Did not address the sanctions from the NCAA.
- He said the fifth-place projection was much higher than he would’ve anticipated.
- Talked about losing 10 scholarship players from last year, complimented this team with having great work ethic and good consistency thus far.

6) USC
HC Andy Enfield
- Held practices in 95 degree heat during August where players couldn't share the basketball with others.
- Proud of Defensive Efficiency overall last year and want to build on it. Trojans led the PAC12 in three core efficiency categories last season.
- Commented on being in a conservative state for Covid-19, and rules are different in LA County then the rest of the country. He appreciates it. What keeps him up at night, is thinking about what happens when someone on the roster gets infected.

7) Colorado
HC Tad Boyle
- Loves that McKinley Wright feels disrespected by the 7th place prediction. He says the Buffs are usually best when people are sleeping on them.
- Gave more praise to Wright, says he is lucky to be able to coach him. Says he is the epitome of what it means to be a Colorado Buffalo.
- On schedule, Kansas State and Drake are still committed to the Little Apple Classic, a fourth team should be named in the next 48 hours.

8) Utah
HC Larry Krystkowiak

- Went through Pac-12 play without winning a road game last year, he takes that as a reflection on himself.
- Cancelled on South Dakota’s Crossover Classic, due to risks with spread in surrounding area.
- Players are staying as isolated as possible during local surge in cases. Coach noted that they isolate from other athletic programs on campus and work hard at staying disciplined daily.
- Has instructed players to treat any person they come into contact with as if they have the virus.

9) Washington
HC Mike Hopkins
- Prior to the session, UW announced that Erik Stevenson got his waiver and rolled out their non-conference schedule.
- Cole Bajema waiver is not officially approved still, but that's expected to come in soon.
- Did not provide any updates on Naz Carter. Presumed out until further notice.
- Praised Nate Roberts' motor. Big energy when he's on the floor.
- On Stevenson: He’s a proven player at the highest level. Hop is impressed by his competitiveness and high basketball IQ.

10) California
HC Mark Fox
- Coach Fox appears confident that the Bears can exceed expectations.
- Expects Matt Bradley to become a more complete player, Betley and Foreman to bring shooting and leadership.
-Process of teaching his team became difficult to navigate when team had long delays due to local restrictions on workouts, then came another shutdown right after getting cleared, due to Covid-19.
- Coach says schools who have been able to train consistently have a distinct advantage this season.
- Mentioned teams who have a team who has already players recover from the virus, have an advantage because they are less likely to be concerned or have games cancelled.

11) Washington State
HC Kyle Smith
- He was satisfied with the progress in year one. Says they need to keep doing what they are doing to build a program.
- Would’ve loved to keep C.J. Elleby to keep more momentum and have more experience.
- This team is young, and they need to mature game to game. Won’t have the same leader scorer this year, more balanced scoring is anticipated.

12) Oregon State
HC Wayne Tinkle
- Emotional ending to last season ending abruptly. Tough way for his son and Kylor Kelley to end their careers. Used it as a teaching moment for the returning team and preached it as a "life lesson."
- Goal this season for the new bigs to defend at a high level.
- Promises that the Beavers won’t finish 12th while taking notice to the preseason poll.
- Emphasized the importance of 3-point defense. Before Tres Tinkle, the Beavers excelled in this area.

The Final Tally (Media Poll)

Team (First Place Votes) Points

1. UCLA (9) 251
2. Arizona State (5) 246
3. Oregon (7) 241
4. Stanford (1) 209
5. Arizona 173
6. USC (1) 154
7. Colorado 149
8. Utah 131
9. Washington 85
10. California 65
11. Washington State 54
12. Oregon State 36

Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team
Timmy Allen Utah
Matt Bradley Cal
Oscar da Silva Stanford
Chris Duarte Oregon
Remy Martin Arizona St.
Evan Mobley USC
Will Richardson Oregon
Chris Smith UCLA
Ziaire Williams Stanford
McKinley Wright Colorado

Second Team
Isaac Bonton, Washington State
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Josh Christopher, Arizona State
Ethan Thompson, Oregon State
Alonzo Verge Jr. Arizona State

A Running Thread: Schedule Updates, what do we know today?

(Updated 1:06pm PST on 11/11, continue to check back for more info)

A framework is in place for what promises to be an unusual 2020-21 season. I decided to build a summary of what we know and what to begin expecting with national College Basketball scheduling efforts. This is an ongoing effort, please feel free to contact me directly with any updates.

What happened with the September 16th NCAA announcement? 

Dan Gavitt provided a framework for the 2020-21 College Basketball season on September 16, 2020.

Dan Gavitt provided a framework for the 2020-21 College Basketball season on September 16, 2020.

  • The regular season was pushed back from Nov. 10 to Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. Division I teams can start official practices 42 days prior to its first game, which is Oct. 14 this year. 

  • Schools must play at least 13 games (all against Division I opponents), which was cut in half from the current number of 25, to participate in the postseason. The maximum number is 25,  which was reduced by four. The maximum number is a moving target depending if schools participate in a multi-team event and how many games are played.

  • NCAA recommends each team play at least four non-conference games. 

  • The start date coincides with the timing of the general student body leaving campuses across the country, giving basketball teams their own bubble environment to control the potential spread of the virus. They should have all of December and most of January to themselves on campus. 

  • No scrimmages or exhibition games are permitted. 

  • Teams can start practicing as much as 12 hours per week starting Sept. 21.

Event Updates
- The NCAA tournament with take place with the same field size (68). NCAA representatives also said the plans include the Final Four site of Indianapolis. 

- A large amount of events are up against the clock right now to have satisfactory health and safety protocols in place. Further complicating the issue, as of late October, is a rise in Covid-19 cases nationwide. Despite the marketing efforts of many of these events, they are not a true bubble like you saw in the NBA or the TBT this past summer. Some events plan to have fans in fact, and most logistics in these locations cannot guarantee a bubble experience. This is why you will hear the term “controlled environment” from the NCAA, coaches, and administrators.

- The ESPN Events slated for Orlando will no longer happen. Nearly all events were cancelled. The Jimmy V Classic and Champions Classic are looking for a new home now.

- “Bubbleville” is the new name in Connecticut. The Gazelle Group delivers College Basketball events at MSG and the Barclays Center. However, those won’t be viable options now this winter. The new plan involves putting some events at the Mohegan Sun. This may create a scenario where teams pick up games against opponents who came to Connecticut to play in separate events. The tentative plan is to hold the Empire Classic 11/25-26 (Villanova, Baylor, Arizona State, Boston College), Hall of Fame Tip-off Classic 11/28-29 (Minnesota, Marquette, URI, Temple) and the Legends Classic 12/3-4 (UConn, BYU, USC, Vanderbilt). There is also two more bubble windows available for games here at Mohegan Sun, December 7-11 and December 15-20. Developments are coming soon for those dates, as well as any additional games added to the first window.

- Houston event organizer, Rhossi Carron, is planning and prepared to host a successful bubble event for College Basketball this winter. The proposed event will feature 20 teams split into (2) 10-team divisions. Each team will have a chance to compete in anywhere between 4-8 non-conference games between Dec 1-21. Event will also include academic services, branding and social media seminars, player entertainment, social justice platforms and mental health support. Recently added an MTE component to the front end of the bubble event for teams that need both exempt and non-conference games. Also extending the event window to as early as Nov 25. Teams can open with a 2 or 3 game MTE then go into non-conference games based on number of games needed. Goal is to have everything needed on one campus, so you minimize travel and risk of exposure. Participating teams TBD. Expect to see each of the top conferences represented in H-Town.

- The Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta has shifted to a multi-game bubble event featuring Auburn, Memphis, Clemson, Alabama, Mississippi State, Dayton, LSU and South Florida. The event will take place between December 10th and December 17th. Also, Kentucky will face Georgia Tech on 11/27 as a single day event.

- Las Vegas and Indianapolis are prepared to host large events. Las Vegas would be through bdG and MGM Resorts, Indy would be teamed up through Indiana Sports Corp, Russ Potts Productions and Intersport. Las Vegas opportunities are for non-conference and conference play. Several weeks are available for hosting games through mid-February. Major opportunity for the Pac-12, MWC, WCC, WAC, Big West, Big Sky, and Summit League to play not only conference games - but also non-conference games.

- In Indianapolis, the convention center, nearby hotels, restaurants and downtown businesses, many within walking distance of the venue, could safely accommodate up to 24 teams. The 745,000-square foot facility would feature six basketball courts and two competition courts. Anyone entering the convention center would undergo saliva-based rapid response testing, which would be sent to a third-party lab for results. The event also could serve as a dry run for the 2021 Final Four.

- In Nashville, Lipscomb Athletics and Basketball Travelers Inc. have announced that they are jointly working to bring a multiteam tournament for both men’s and women’s basketball to Nashville and Allen Arena to kick off the 2020-21 nonconference season. A maximum of 16 teams participating, the games are scheduled to run from November 25 through December 7. The tournament plans to include pods of four teams with two and three-game tournament options for the participants. The potential to host additional customized tournaments or non-conference games will be available through December 22.

- The Pac-12 voted to return to play in time for the start of the season. This was a crucial step to allow Pac-12 programs to firmly commit and sign contracts for newly structured events in bubble environments and new non-conference arrangements.

- Louisville has proposed a Non Conference Bubble via Coach Mack’s Twitter account between Nov 25-Dec 5. The event wishes to have between 8-12 Teams, with 3-5 games per team. Lodging and medical protocols are in place per Louisville standards. Team information can be found below in the conference summary (see Louisville).

- Nebraska along with Elavate Hoops, is proposing on hosting a potential 16-team event, and they prefer to make it a tournament.. So far LSU, Oklahoma State, Northern Iowa, Nevada, San Francisco, Illinois State, and Cleveland State have been tied to the event with more to come. The number of teams that will be allowed to compete in Lincoln is dependent on what the NCAA says, stay tuned..

- In total, more than 20 different bubble-style proposals for nonconference play are floating around or mostly confirmed now. Bubbles in College Basketball should be considered more “controlled environments” than NBA style-bubbles, according to several organizers. This is because the same level of resources and investments will not happen in College Basketball and there will be varying levels of exposure at each site.

In Review:
- The Division 1 Basketball Committee has voted in favor of maximum scheduling flexibility for this season. Teams can play in two MTEs and two teams from the same conference can play in the same MTE. A non-D1 program may enter an MTE as long as it is within 400 miles of the host school and the MTE cannot have more than one non-D1

- CANCELLED: ESPN Events (8 total) in Orlando, FL. Impacts several programs and sends teams searching for new opponents.
- Maui Invitational moving to Asheville and will be held 11/30-12/2.
Bracket Available Here
- Battle4Atlantis teams moved to the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, minus Duke, and will be now called the BadBoy Mowers Crossover Classic. Creighton, Memphis, Texas A&M, Ohio State, Utah, West Virginia, and Wichita State are in the remaining field. Dayton replaced Duke in the field. With Covid-19 caution, Ohio State and Dayton are backing out of the event. St. Mary’s is now in, and Utah State is rumored to be the eighth team, but we are unsure.
Bracket Available Here
- The Champions Classic, which will feature Kansas versus Kentucky and Duke against Michigan State, is reportedly going to take place on December 1st in a location TBD.
- The Jimmy V Classic, which will feature Gonzaga vs. Tennessee and Baylor vs. Illinois is expected to be played on December 2nd in a location TBD.
- The Fort Myers Tip-off had Colorado, Wisconsin, South Florida and Butler. They all withdrew from the four-team field. And the field upgraded to Kansas, Gonzaga, Auburn, and St. Joseph’s. The four teams have set schedules and will get two games in, each.
- A neutral court game has been scheduled between Baylor and Gonzaga in Indianapolis at Banker’s Life Arena on December 5th.
- Cancellation: The Emerald Coast Classic will not be played. The field had Florida, Illinois, Iowa State, and Oregon.
- Cancun Challenge is moving to Melbourne, Florida, but Illinois State has dropped out. Mississippi State, Purdue, Clemson, and Liberty (replaced Illinois State) are tied to the event for now.
- Cancellation: The Cayman Island Classic will not happen. The event had discussions of moving to Destin, Fla., but plans fell thru.
- Gulf Coast Showcase will take place Nov. 25-27 with some of the same teams. (Akron, ECU, Indiana State, Middle Tennessee, Omaha are still in the field and they added East Tennessee State, Abilene Christian, and Austin Peay).
Bracket Available Here
- Cancelled: The Puerto Rico event featuring Southern Illinois, Florida Atlantic, Air Force, and Hofstra.
- The Las Vegas Invitational (Santa Clara, New Mexico, Grand Canyon, plus one open spot) is on schedule for 11/26-27. DePaul dropped out of the event.
- The Paradise Jam will now take place in Washington, D.C., has lost all of its previously committed teams. Organizers are looking to find eight local teams to fill the event.
- The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase was relocated to Estero, FL and expected to be around the Thanksgiving Holiday. Austin Peay and Drake are planning to play. Iona is out. That leaves Toledo, LMU, and Drexel left to make decisions and potentially some new invitees.
- Cancelled: The Junkanoo Jam field was scheduled to have BYU, Boston College, George Mason, and Tulsa in a tournament that would’ve been played from November 17-21.
- The SEC-Big XII Challenge is on schedule for January 30th, 2021. Matchups can be found in the teams section below.
- ACC-Big 10 Challenge will likely be played between December 7th-9th dates. Wake Forest will be the only program not participating this year.
- The Big East-Big XII Challenge is happening, and some dates are already confirmed now.
- The Mountain West-Atlantic 10 Challenge was unfortunately cancelled.
- The Annual Crossroads Classic (Indiana, Purdue, Notre Dame, Butler) is likely to happen, waiting on league scheduling announcements. Matchups would be Purdue vs. Notre Dame and Indiana vs. Butler.
- The Orange Bowl Classic featuring a doubleheader of Florida State/UCF and Florida/Florida Atlantic was moved to the UF and FSU campuses and will be played as standard non-conference games.
- Cancelled: The Jamaica Classic has lost all four teams and is not happening. Teams were Wake Forest, Missouri State, UNCG, and UMass.


Rumors and Rumblings:
- Embrace the fact that things will continue to change all the way thru this season. Programs need to prepare for last-minute changes. COVID-19 infections and contact tracing can throw the schedule off in an instant, as we’ve already witnessed in Football.

- The West Coast Conference is actively exploring the creation of a bubble/pod in Las Vegas for the upcoming college basketball season.

- The proposed bubble in Houston, TX is still being discussed with an emphasis on safety for staff and players. The desired goal of hosting 20 teams. Early indications are that this event will have representation from each of the power conferences and the WCC, A10, MWC, and more.

- Ivy League programs are potentially looking at not playing at all this season. Some early rumors that at least Harvard and Princeton are exploring shutting down for this season.

- The Sun Belt already released a schedule in October, however the league is rumored to be reevaluating the format. Updated changes would mean splitting the league into two divisions and having teams play only against their division in the regular season (four games vs. each opponent).

- Syracuse is in prime postion with NY state laws and a massive facility to host a bubble to local NY schools who are potentially looking for games. Syracuse is highly likely to host an MTE in some capacity.

- The Gavitt Games appear to be unsaveable with their existing setup. The spirit of the event, games between the Big 10 and the Big East, can still be somewhat salvaged with regionally driven matchups like like Seton Hall-Rutgers, Wisconsin-Marquette, etc.

- Brooks Downing — who runs both the Gulf Coast Showcase and Island of Bahamas Showcase — has been working to keep four tournaments in Southwest Florida. From Nov. 25-27, there will be two men’s tournaments, the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena and the Island of Bahamas Showcase, which moved to the Community School of Naples. Both events need more teams still.

- Rumors out of Maryland that the Terps may have a revised MTE in the works. The Terps initially had the Maryland Showcase event with San Jose State, Duquesne, and Cal Baptist. If the new version happens, expect local teams to join. Navy and Mount St. Mary’s are already rumored to be part of it.

- One-off guarantee games in non-conference are going to be much more rare. Varying testing protocols across conferences may prevent even local teams from getting on a bus to play a local rival. The going rate for these games will be dramatically less this season as well.

Conference Summary

ACC
All Programs: League will play a 20-game schedule. They also plan to play two conference games in December as originally scheduled. Select teams may play a third conference game in December on 12/22, according to CBS Sports.

Boston College: Replaced NC State in 2020 Empire Classic at Mohegan Sun. The initial event included Villanova, Michigan (later replaced by Arizona State), and Baylor. The revised event, has BC facing Villanova in one semifinal and ASU facing Baylor in the other. BC is planning to stick around and play against St. John’s in “Bubbleville” on 11/30. The Eagles will host Rhode Island on 12/4. Eagles were due to host South Florida this season, that matchup was later postponed. BC will travel to play at Minnesota on 12/8 in the ACC/B1G Challenge. Just before the Holiday break, BC will host Cal on 12/22.

Boston College Eagles Schedule

Clemson: Annual rivalry game at South Carolina is tentatively planned for 12/19. The Tigers are also set to play Alabama in Atlanta on Dec. 12. The Tigers will open the season in Melbourne, Florida at the Cancun Challenge against Mississippi State on 11/25, the other semifinal has Liberty facing Purdue. Clemson will host Maryland on 12/9 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Tigers will host South Carolina State on 12/2 and Morehead State on 12/22.

Clemson Tigers Schedule

Duke: Hosting an MTE with Elon (12/6), Howard, and Bellarmine (12/4). Duke will only face Elon and Bellarmine. Duke also has a matchup with Coppin State on 11/28, per Coppin State Athletics. Will face Michigan State in Champions Classic on December 1st in a location TBD. The Blue Devils will face Illinois on 12/8 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Blue Devils will host Gardner-Webb to open the season on 11/25. Duke is also planning to host Charleston Southern on 12/12.

Duke Blue Devils Schedule

Florida State: FSU has said they will not be participating in an MTE, and will proceed with a 25-game schedule. Noles rivalry game with Florida will be on 12/12 in Tallahassee. The Noles are part of the one-day Orange Bowl Classic against UCF, which was moved to FSU on 12/19. The Noles will host Indiana on 12/9, as part of the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. The Noles previously had a home game scheduled against Tulane, that was postponed. FSU opens the season by hosting Gardner-Webb on 11/27 and North Florida on 12/2.

Florida State Seminoles Schedule

Georgia Tech: Facing Kentucky on December 6th in one-day Atlanta event. Georgia Tech Showcase will not happen (other teams were James Madison, Longwood, and Mt. St. Mary’s), however GT plans to host a three-team MTE with local programs Mercer and Georgia State. The Jackets will play at Nebraska in the B1G/ACC Challenge on 12/9. The Jackets travel to Birmingham to face UAB on 12/23. The other two non-conference games are against FAMU (12/18) and Delaware State (12/20). GT and UGA are not scheduled to meet for the first time since 1925. That could always change if games get cancelled or rearranged.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Schedule

Louisville: The big news if you didn’t hear, is UL will now host Kentucky on 12/26. This means the ACC gave the Cards a bye in the first window of the ACC season (12/27-29). The Cardinals originally planned to open the season against Western Kentucky on Nov. 10, hit the road for Cincinnati on Nov. 13 and compete in the MGM Resorts Main Event benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer in Las Vegas Nov. 20-22. The travel to Las Vegas was scrapped and Cincy is out this year. Louisville proposed and will host a large nine-team MTE. Louisville will play five games against Southern Illinois (11/25), Seton Hall (11/27), Prairie View A&M (11/29), Western Kentucky (12/1) and UNC Greensboro (12/4) in its multi-team event. Louisville also will play at Wisconsin on 12/9 in the ACC-Big 10 challenge. Cards game against SE Louisiana won’t happen this year.

Louisville Cardinals Schedule

Miami: Will not participate in a multi-team event, per HC Jim Larranaga. The Canes will move forward with a 25-game schedule, just five non-conference games. That will include a home game with Purdue on 12/8 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Hurricanes will host Stetson on 11/25 to open the season. Then North Florida visits Coral Gables on 11/29. Miami will also host FGCU on 12/12 and Jacksonville U. on 12/19.

Miami Hurricanes Schedule

NC State: The Wolfpack have lined up Charleston Southern to open the season with on 11/25 as part of their four-team MTE. NC State will face either North Florida and EKU on 11/27. HC Kevin Keatts initially said that the Wolfpack were very interested in protecting the 2K Empire Classic, but ultimately gave their spot to Boston College. NC State is in discussions with UConn on playing each other in the Mohegan Sun on 12/5, nothing has been signed yet. The Wolfpack will host William & Mary on 11/30. NC State will be traveling to play Michigan on 12/9 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Wolfpack's original schedule had a matchup against Radford on 12/12, but instead the Pack will host Florida Atlantic on that date. To wrap up non-conference play, Campbell visits Raleigh on 12/19.

NC State Wolfpack Schedule

North Carolina: The Tar Heels figure to play the fully allotted 27 games. So far 26 are accounted for: 20 ACC, three for Maui Invitational in Asheville (opener is against UNLV), the CBS Sports Classic event vs. Ohio State in Cleveland on 12/19. UNC will host Charleston on 11/25 to start the season, and the ACC/Big 10 Challenge game at Iowa on 12/8. The games against Hawaii, UNC-Wilmington and Monmouth were not saved. The Elon game was saved, and slated for 12/12 in Chapel Hill.

North Carolina Tar Heels Schedule

Notre Dame: Contracted to play at Rupp Arena against Kentucky on 12/12. The Crossroads classic game vs. Purdue is on track, on 12/19. The game on MLK day (1/18) at Howard is likely to be televised on FOX and broadcasted by Gus Johnson, per Stadium. After initially deciding against playing in an event, ND is now co-hosting an MTE with Michigan State. The Irish have a home game against Western Michigan (12/2) and face Michigan State (11/28) on the road. The Irish will host Ohio State on 12/8, as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. A home game against Tennessee on 12/4 completes the schedule.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule

Pittsburgh: The revised Myrtle Beach Invitational in Orlando, like all events moved to Orlando, are cancelled. The Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia has been postponed. Pitt also pulled out of a deal to play Duquesne in the 2020 edition of the City Game, so that is out. Central Michigan, Drexel and Morgan State were all on Pitt’s orginal schedule, and are up in the air. Gardner-Webb was saved from the original slate, and the two programs will meet on 12/12. We know that Pitt will play at Northwestern on 12/9 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. We also know that the Panthers will host St. Francis (PA) on 11/25 in the season opener.

Syracuse: The Orange prioritized keeping Georgetown on the schedule, the game will likely happen in January. The Gotham Classic scheduled games against Green Bay, Jacksonville State, and Mercer are off. This event also included a game against LSU in MSG, which no longer will be played. Also, the November 10th opener against UMBC is likely to be cancelled. The Orange will play at Rutgers on 12/8 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. The Colgate game is off now, due to the recent Patriot League announcement of no games prior to January. Syracuse has now proposed to host an MTE, details are emerging. The Orange also plans to host Rider this season. The Orange will host Bryant on 11/27.

Virginia: Agreed to play Florida in the Mohegan Sun, CT on 11/27. Cavs will take on Villanova as part of the MSG Showcase one-day event, it is still on track for 12/19. UVA will open at the Mohegan Sun on 11/25 against St. Peter’s. The Cavaliers were also part of the Wooden Legacy event, that has moved to Orlando, FL - which is now cancelled. The Cavs have a marquee matchup against Michigan State on 12/9, part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Cavs will host William & Mary on 12/12. UVA added home games against St. Francis (PA) on 12/1 and Kent State on 12/4.

Virginia Caviliers Schedule

Virginia Tech: Hokies will participate in the Mohegan Sun event(s). As part of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off, V-Tech will face two AAC programs, South Florida and Temple (on 11/28-11/29). The Hokies also host Penn State on 12/8 this season, as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Hokies will open up with Radford on opening night (11/25) in Blacksburg. Hokies will also host Coppin State (12/19) and VMI.

Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons will host its own MTE in Winston Salem from 11/25-27. The Deacs will reportedly be joined by Longwood (11/27), Delaware State (11/25), and Alabama State (confirmed to play on 11/26). The Deacs were part of the Jamaica Classic, which was cancelled this year. The Deacs will not participate in the B1G/ACC Challenege, which opens up room for an additional game. Deacs will host Presbyterian on 12/13. The Deacs also will host Troy on 12/2.

America East
All Programs: Conference schedule will be 18-games. The Conference schedule will begin on December 19-20th. Full double round-robin schedule of 18 league games. Schedule will consist of Saturday-Sunday series where a team hosts the same opponent for games on back-to-back days. Teams will play their non-conference games during the first three weeks of the season only.

Albany: One event at the Mohegan Sun is expected to include the Great Danes, Drexel, LIU and Quinnipiac, per sources. UAlbany will play twice at the Mohegan Sun, against LIU on 12/3, and either Drexel or Quinnipiac on 12/4. HC Will Brown has said there is “no chance” the Great Danes will play on opening night, 11/25. The opener will be on 11/28 against Marist at home.

Albany Great Danes Schedule

Binghamton: Will host Canisius in the season opener on 11/25.

Hartford: “We’re trying to figure out our schedule right now,” said Hartford HC John Gallagher, who has a contract to play in a multiteam event at Kentucky. Unfortunately, it did not work out for Hartford, and they will not make the trip. The Hawks will open the season at Merrimack on 11/25.

Maine: Maine is lined up to open the season in Uncasville, CT at the Mohegan Sun. the Black Bears will face Florida in the opener on 11/25, and likely St. Peter’s on 11/27. The Black Bears are scheduled to host Northeastern on 12/2.

NJIT: Highlanders will play against Temple at the Mohegan Sun on 11/25. NJIT plays host to Fairleigh Dickinson on 12/2.

Stony Brook: The Seawolves will be hosting a 3-team MTE with Fairfield and Sacred Heart to open the season. The game vs. Iona was postponed. Seawolves will open the season at Marist on 11/25. SB will head to Hofstra on 12/9, then to Bryant on 12/12, and later to Fordham on 12/22.

Stony Brook Seawolves Schedule

UMass-Lowell: Travel is one advantage that mid-major conferences like the America East Conference have. UMass Lowell takes a bus to face eight of its nine AE opponents, with the exception being UMBC. There are also an abundance of schools in the northeast that the River Hawks could play in non-conference contests. Merrimack and Northeastern are likely to be on the schedule, according to reports.

UMBC: Missed out on a trip to London, where the Retrievers were scheduled to play two games. HC Ryan Odom says it is important to try and play a couple of games against power prorams to get the experience. Retrievers are likely to participate in a Washington D.C. MTE (11/26-11/28). UMBC would be joined by George Mason, Belmont, and Northeastern. Also, UMBC has been linked to a road game at Georgetown. Retrievers are also planning to play at Coppin State on 12/13 and at Mount St. Mary’s on 12/11.

Vermont: The Gulf Coast Showcase will take place Nov. 25-27, but without the Catamounts. Yes, Vermont has dropped out of the event. The Catamounts are now likely to play at the Mohegan Sun between 11/30-12/2 against Iona and Buffalo.

American
All Programs: The AAC will reportedly play 20 full round-robin games during the 20-21 season. Two conference games will be played in December. League was previously at 18.

Cincinnati: The annual Crosstown Shootout vs. Xavier will be played on 12/6. The NIT Season Tip-off event won’t happen this year. It was believed that the Bearcats would play in Orlando for two or three games, but that is cancelled too. Now, Cincy is looking into an MTE in Indianapolis with Loyola-Chicago and two other programs yet to be named (Cincy is rumored to face Duquesne as one of the teams). The Bearcats plan to play at Tennessee on 12/12. The series with Louisville was moved to a future season. Games with Georgia and Northern Kentucky are still possible, but unknown right now.

East Carolina: The Gulf Coast Showcase will take place Nov. 25-27 with the same teams. (Akron, Indiana State, Middle Tennessee, and Omaha remain in the field for now). ECU will host James Madison on 12/19. ECU will host North Florida on 12/10.

Houston: UH was expected to play Texas Tech and Gonzaga was expected to face Auburn in a four-team tournament in Orlando, but the event fell through. UH will now head to Fort Worth for a four-team MTE at Dickies Arena and reportedly host Boise State (11/27) and Texas Tech (11/29 in Ft. Worth). The home-and-home series against Alabama will happen, beginning this season at Alabama on 12/19. The Cougars will also host South Carolina this season. The home-and-home series against LSU will no longer happen this season. UH has a home game against cross-town rival, Rice, under contract as well. The Cougars also plan on hosting a trio of Southland programs, Lamar (on 11/25), Sam Houston State (on 12/9) and McNeese State.

Memphis: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Tigers will face Saint Mary’s (replaced Ohio State) in the opener, then face either Texas A&M or West Virginia on 11/26. That leaves four openings for the Tigers. HC Penny Hardaway prefers to play the toughest schedule possible. A game with Auburn (now part of Atlanta bubble event between 12/10-12/17) is in place. The Atlanta bubble could provide multiple opportunities for additional games. If things do not go the Tigers way with schedule strength preferences, don’t necessarily rule out previously scheduled home game against Murray State. Arkansas State will visit Memphis on 12/2. A key game against Tennessee in Nashville appears to be cancelled. Memphis and Saint Louis have a home-and-home series contracted, but conflicting reports are saying it may be off this season. Previously scheduled games with Georgia and Ole Miss are up in the air currently. Memphis confirmed two of seven home games will be at home.

SMU: Mustangs have confirmed they will host Vanderbilt, Houston Baptist, and UNLV, dates TBD. Also, the game at Dayton appears to be set for 12/5. Originally part of the Global Sports Invitational, that now appears to be cancelled. The pending cancellation would wipe out three would be SMU home non-conference games (Georgia, Wofford, Charleston Southern). SMU’s game against Evansville and series against Arizona State were moved to 2021-22. Mustangs will open the season by hosting Sam Houston State on 11/25.

South Florida: Will face LSU on 12/12 in the Atlanta Holiday Hoopsgiving Event. There is a good chance that the Bulls will have another game while in Atlanta as well. USF was in the Fort Myers Tip-off, but is now out. Instead, USF is heading to Connecticut for the Hall of Fame Tip-Off event. The Bulls will face Virginia Tech and Rhode Island to open the season. HC Brian Gregory said that USF is trying to keep at least two or three of those Pac-12, Big Ten, SEC-type games on the schedule. A trip to Boston College was supposed to happen this year, but was later cancelled. USF will host the Hatters of Stetson on 12/8.

Temple: Withdrew from the revised Diamond Head Classic, now taking place in Orlando, and now will participate in the HOF Classic in the Mohegan Sun (effectively replacing UCF). Temple will face Virginia Tech and Rhode Island to open up the season at The Mohegan Sun. The Owls will also face NJIT there, and have made that the season opening game on 11/25. The Owls will play a Big 5 game at Villanova. The Owls are trying to work out a date to play at St. Joseph’s.

Tulane: The Green Wave will host a four-team tournament from Nov. 27-29, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. Tulane will be joined at the event by Lipscomb, IUPUI and Lamar. The game in China vs. Washington has been postponed to a future season. A road game at Florida State is now in doubt.

Tulsa: Replacing Cal in the Kansas City-based Hall of Fame Classic to be played Nov. 28, 29. The Golden Hurricane will face TCU then either Northwestern or South Carolina. The Golden Hurricane not make the return trip to Boise State this season. Tulsa will host Arkansas on 12/8 in a marquee game. UT Arlington will visit on 12/4. The battle of Tulsa will be played on 12/12 at Oral Roberts. The Golden Hurricane have added a home game against Northwestern State on 12/18.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Schedule

UCF: Will not participate in the HOF event, now at Mohegan Sun. The Knights are now staying home in Orlando, where they plan to compete in a four-team event with Saint Mary’s, Missouri, and San Diego State. Also, the Knights are planning on hosting the Oklahoma Sooners on 11/28. The Knights are part of the one-day Orange Bowl Classic at Florida State. HC Johnny Dawkins also mentioned they will host Michigan this season to begin a home and home series.

Wichita State: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Shockers will face Dayton in the opener, then face either Utah or Creighton on 11/26. Marquee nonconference games for Shockers against Oklahoma State (12/12), at Mississippi (1/2) and/or Missouri are more likely to get scheduled, than the contracted “buy” games with Sam Houston State, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Western Kentucky and Central Arkansas. HC Gregg Marshall has already hinted, "There will be no 'gimmees' on our schedule. Every game will be a Quad I or Quad II game on our schedule. We'll have to grow up very quickly," 

Atlantic Sun
All Programs: Conference schedule is HERE!

Bellarmine: Welcome to Division 1! Bellarmine is part of the MTE event at Duke, along with Elon and Howard. The Knights first ever D1 game will be at Chattanooga on 11/25. The Mocs will visit Bellarmine on 12/9 as well. Bellarmine plays at Morgan State on 12/13.

FGCU: Had their scheduled game with USC to open the season on Nov. 14, but that was canceled last month when the Pac-12 announced it was canceling all athletic events through the end of the year. Also appeared to lose a home game with Dartmouth when Ivy League cancelled events through the end of the year. FGCU is still in line to play in the Santa Barbara Slam, which also includes FAMU (11/25) and UC-Santa Barbara (11/27). FGCU also has a road trip to play Robert Morris on 12/2 lined up. Eagles will play at Miami on 12/12. FGCU will host FIU on 12/16 and Georgia Southern on 12/22.

Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Schedule

Jacksonville: Planning to host a four-team MTE between 12/8-12/10. The Dolphins are planning to host Campbell, Bethune-Cookman, and New Orleans. Dolphins will head to Kansas State on 12/21 for a road game. JU will play at South Carolina State on 12/13. Dolphins will host Presbyterian on 12/2. Dolphins will play at Miami on 12/19.

Kennesaw State: The Owls will welcome Samford to town on 12/19, per Samford officials. Owls will also host Mercer this season on 12/22. KSU will play at UAB on 12/2. To kick off the season the Owls setup two non D1 games. The Owls travel to Creighton on 12/4 and Belmont on 12/16. The month of December will conclude with the conference opener against Jacksonville.

Kennesaw State Owls Schedule

Liberty: Flames will be unable to play their four games prior to Nov. 25. Those games were an exhibition game at Winthrop, East Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame. It is currently unknown if those games will be made up at a later date, but will depend on when conference play begins. Also another non-conference game scheduled on Dec. 9, against Missouri. It is unknown if that game will be affected by other games moving around. We do know today that the Flames will head south to the Cancun Challenge, relocated to Florida, to face Purdue. Mississippi State/Clemson are in the other semifinal. Flames will host South Carolina State on 12/15.

Lipscomb: Announced that they are the host of a wide-ranging “bubble” event in Nashville (see Event updates), however the Bisons made other plans for opening weekend. Lipscomb is now tied to an event in New Orleans. The Bisons will play in a four-team tournament at Tulane University from Nov. 27-29, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. Lipscomb will be joined at the event by Lamar, IUPUI and host school Tulane. The Bisons setup an in season home and home against SE Missouri State (12/7 at SEMO, 12/9 at Lipscomb). Lipscomb will play at Arkansas on 12/5.

North Alabama: Setup an in-season home-and-home against Alabama State. The Lions will host on 12/19, and will play at ASU on 12/2. UNA will visit Troy on 12/10. North Alabama also plans to play at Indiana on 12/13. Lions will host Alabama A&M on 12/16.

North Florida: UNF will open their season in the NC State four-team MTE. The Ospreys will face Eastern Kentucky on opening night (11/25), and also face NC State (11/27). Ospreys were able to keep their road game at Florida on the schedule, it will be played on 12/16. UNF won’t host Austin Peay this season, dates couldn’t be worked out. Ospreys will play at Miami on 11/29. UNF will play at Florida State on 12/2, High Point on 12/5 and at East Carolina on 12/10. Ospreys host Florida Atlantic on 12/7 and FIU on 12/12.

North Florida Ospreys Schedule

Stetson: Hatters will open the season at Miami on 11/25. Then have three other road games at FIU (11/27), at Florida (12/6), and at South Florida (12/8). Update: Stetson had to shut down team activities and the Miami game is off.

Stetson Hatters Schedule

Atlantic 10
All Programs: Plans on starting league play Dec. 30 but may float some league games earlier. A-10 teams will play an 18-game schedule.

Davidson: In the Maui Invitational, which was moved to Asheville, NC between 11/30-12/2. The Wildcats will face Texas in the opener, followed by either Providence or Indiana. HC Bob McKillop said dates and venues for other nonconference games against Charlotte, Vanderbilt and Loyola-Chicago are still being worked on. The Wildcats will open the season on 11/25 by hosting High Point.

Dayton: Already confirmed to participate in the Atlanta bubble in December, the Flyers were also originally part of the Myrtle Beach Invitational - which was moved to ESPN’s Orlando bubble. The Flyers have decided to not participate in Orlando, and instead are heading to Sioux Falls, SD to replace Duke in the former Battle4Atlantis event. That means the Flyers open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: Dayton will face Wichita State in the opener, then face either Utah or Creighton on 11/26. The Flyers have confirmed they will host Ole Miss on 12/19. Flyers are on track to host SMU on 12/5. The game with Indiana State has been officially cancelled.

Duquesne: Originally part of the Maryland showcase, which featured a great opportunity to face the Terps, is likely scrapped. Pitt also pulled out of a deal to play Duquesne in the 2020 edition of the City Game, so that is out. The MWC-A10 challenge game against Wyoming is also gone. The Dukes are now tied to an MTE at the University of Louisville, along with UNC-Greensboro, Winthrop, and others. Dukes are also planning to play in Indianapolis against Cincinnati, and perhaps one other opponent.

Fordham: Has agreed to host Iona on opening night of the season, November 25th. The Rams will host Stony Brook on 12/22.

George Mason: Planning to be part of the Washington D.C. MTE (formerly the Paradise Jam) from 11/26-11/28, GMU would be joined by Northeastern, Howard, and Belmont. The Patriots will also travel to Maryland on 12/4. GMU will face James Madison on 12/12 and Old Dominion on 12/13 in Richmond, VA. GMU hosts Coppin State on 12/16. Patriots plan to host Morgan State on 12/8.

George Washington: Will open up the season at Navy on 11/25, as part of the Veteran’s Classic. GW will host William & Mary on 12/5.

La Salle: Will participate in the MTE hosted by St. John’s. Manhattan and a TBD team are also part of the three-game event. The Explorers were supposed to be part of the now cancelled Cayman Islands Classic, which opened up a three-game void. The Explorers are on track to host Villanova this season. La Salle will play at Towson on 12/16.

Rhode Island: Rams lost the Providence game. HC David Cox says the Rams are committed to playing on 11/28 and 11/29, participating in Mohegan Sun HOF event vs. South Florida and Temple. Also, the Rams have setup stand-alone games against Stephen F. Austin (11/25, season opener) and Towson in “Bubbleville.” URI will prioritze a home game against Seton Hall and has road trips to BC (12/4) and WKU. The local rivalry game against Brown is off due to the Ivy League shutdown.

Richmond: Lost the A10/MWC Challenge game against Colorado State, leaves the Spiders with nine non-conference spots. Richmond is playing in Lexington and in theory will get three games against Kentucky, Detroit, and Morehead State. The Spiders recently scheduled a non-conference game at West Virginia on 12/13. The Spiders have an agreement to play at Charleston. The Spiders plan to play at Vanderbilt and host Northern Iowa. That leaves two openings left, rumors are Hofstra, ODU, William & Mary are options.

St. Bonaventure: Withdrew from the relocated Paradise Jam. The Bonnies have reportedly agreed to participate in one of the Mohegan Sun bubble-event. The Bonnies will face Stephen F. Austin in the opening game, and are in a pod with Towson and a fourth team TBD. Bonnies are planning to host Buffalo this season, the two schools are finalizing a date. Tentative matchups with Canisius and at Niagara are still in place for the season. Bonnies plan on hosting Army and Hofstra this year, and HC Mark Schmidt says they plan to play at Akron.

St. Joseph’s: Biggest scheduling news for the Hawks happened late, the Hawks were the fourth team added to the revised Fort Myers Tip-off event. Hawks will face Auburn to open the season on 11/25, and then face Gonzaga on 11/27. Will play a road contest against Big 5 foe, Villanova. The Hawks are supposed to host Temple at some point as well. The Hawks will play at Bradley on 12/5. The Hawks were originally part of the Veteran’s Classic in Annapolis, MD and were matched against Towson, but that game will no longer happen. Hawks will host Mount St. Mary’s on 12/19.

Saint Louis: The season was supposed to begin in Orlando, but sources are now saying that the Billikens are backing out. Now the Billikens will head to the Lincoln, NE event with seven other schools. SLU also had a home game contracted with Boston College and road contests against Memphis and Minnesota. Reports have confirmed the game at Memphis may not work out now. The Atlantic 10-Mountain West challenge was postponed, meaning a highly anticipated home game against San Diego State isn’t happening. SLU will now host Indiana State on 12/15.

UMass: Originally part of the Jamaica Classic, and the event folded for this year. The Minutemen are now planning to participate in an early season MTE, part of the Mohegan Sun hosted “controlled environment.” UMass is currently placed in a pod with Siena and Delaware. The Minutemen also have a game lined up at Northeastern on 12/12.

VCU: Rams missed out on playing Penn State and either Tennessee or Charlotte in the now-cancelled Orlando Events. However, VCU will play in Tennessee’s mini event against the Vols and Charlotte. The Rams also scheduled a game at Penn State, so it worked out in some ways. The return game of the home-and-home series with LSU is now set for December 22nd in Baton Rouge. Rams will host Mount St. Mary’s on 12/5.


Big East
All Programs: League is unlikely to play conference games in any type of bubble format. League will stick with a 20-game schedule. The conference is still hashing out details, but would like to start conference play as early as Dec. 11, although they would have to work around final exams scheduled for that week. There are growing talks that league members will play four, perhaps even five, league games in December.

Butler: Opted out of playing in the Fort Myers Tip-Off and does not intend at this point on opting into another multi-team event. The one-day Crossroads Classic (vs. Indiana) is still being worked out. Butler is not expected to participate in another tournament and is thus confined to a 25-game schedule. Butler is scheduled to host Kansas State on 12/11 in the Big East/Big XII Challenge. Butler will open the season at Hinkle Fieldhouse against Western Michigan on 11/25. The Bulldogs game against Eastern Illinois was moved to 11/29. Final exams at Butler are from 12/2-12/8, and they are trying not to play during that window.

Butler Bulldogs Schedule

Creighton: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Blue Jays will face South Dakota State in the opener, then face either Dayton or Wichita State on 11/26. Interesting to note that HC Greg McDermott says it’s a priority to get as many games in early as they can in the event delays happen later in the season. The Crossover Classic is seeing a handful of teams drop out, so we will see if the tournament can stay in tact. Jays will have a game vs. Kansas, as part of the Big East/Big XII challenge in Lawrence on 12/8. Game with Arizona State was scheduled for 11/21 is in jeopardy. The Blue Jays will host Kennesaw State on 12/4. The Blue Jays added a local game by hosting Omaha on 12/1.

Creighton Blue Jays Schedule

DePaul: Demons will most likely go with a five game non-conference schedule (no MTE) that will include games that were already under contract.  Remaining games that were already under contract include:  at Iowa State (set for 12/6), at Northwestern, and at home versus the Loyola Ramblers (was 12/13). The Blue Demons have dropped out of the Las Vegas Invitational, opens up two more game opportunities. The Blue Demons will host Chicago State on 11/28.

Georgetown: Hoyas will not participate in the 2020 Wooden Legacy in Orlando, and have decided to not play an MTE. This means only a 25-game season is in store. The Hoyas rivalry game at Syracuse will now likely be moved into January. The Hoyas will host West Virginia in the Big East/Big XII challenge. The Hoyas will host UMBC, likely in November. Hoyas will also host Coppin State on 12/8..

Marquette: Six games are at the very least postponed or outright cancelled: Home vs. Lehigh, Home vs. Albany, Home vs. Jackson State, Gavitt Games opponent (Big 10), HoopHall games (2). HoopHall was moved to the Mohegan Sun, and Marquette backed out of the event. The scheduled game at UCLA is on track for 12/11. The Golden Eagles are on track to host Oklahoma State (12/1) in the Big East/Big XII Challenge. You can also expect the game against Wisconsin (12/4). MU and Wisconsin will co-host an MTE with Eastern Illinois and Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The plan is for Marquette to play Ark-PB in the opener on 11/25 and EIU on 11/27. MU also hosts Green Bay on 12/8. Golden Eagles formally announced their non-conference schedule already, but they have one more opening if they choose to schedule another game.

Marquette Golden Eagles Schedule

Providence: The Friars have cancelled a home game against local rivals URI. Providence is playing in the revamped Maui Invitational in Asheville, NC. The Friars will face Indiana in the first round of the Maui Inviatational, and either Texas or Davidson on day two. The game at TCU (12/9) for the Big East/Big XII challenge is on schedule. PC will host Fairleigh Dickinson on 12/5. The season opener will be at Alumni Hall vs. Fairfield on 11/25. That leaves one slot open right now, but it may not be filled due to Big East play beginning on 12/12.

Providence Friars Schedule

St. John’s: Had confirmed earlier in the summer that they would be hosting Sacred Heart and La Salle, along with playing Texas Tech in the Big East vs. Big 12 Challenge on 12/3. All three are going to happen still. The Johnnies are going to make an appearance in “Bubbleville” on 11/30 vs. Boston College. Meanwhile, the Preseason NIT was moved to Orlando’s bubble, and St. John’s will not be participating there. Now, St. John’s is planning to host an MTE between 11/25-27 with La Salle, Manhattan, and a TBD team. The Sacred Heart game will happen separately. SJU will also host Fordham on 12/8. The Johnnies have one opening left for non-conference play.

Seton Hall: Charleston Classic in Orlando was the first to go, then all of Orlando was gone. That meant the Pirates missed out on possibly facing UCLA, Kansas or Boise State. Instead, Seton Hall is now heading to a large MTE in Lousivlle, where they will face the Cardinals on 11/27. They also plan to play Winthrop there. The local matchup against Rutgers is on life support, and may only work if after January, based on the amount of December Big East commitments the Pirates have. SHU has scheduled home games against Baylor on 11/29 and URI on 12/2. Pirates will travel to play Penn State on 12/6. SHU is also expected to play St. Peter’s as well.

UConn: Was slated to play in the Legends Classic on Nov. 23-24 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn along with BYU (who replaced Notre Dame), Vanderbilt and USC. The Gazelle Group, which operates that tournament will host the event now in Connecticut between 12/2-12/3. UConn worked hard to keep their road game at Florida on the schedule, now slated for 12/6. A currently scheduled game against Donyell Marshall and Central Connecticut State on Nov. 28 seems to be easily kept on the schedule (perhaps on a different date). Also, UConn plans to host Sacred Heart. In an effort to cut costs, UConn is expected to play just three non-conference “buy games” games this season and will not play any games in Hartford’s XL Center. UConn still has a December game at Florida tentatively on the schedule for 12/6, although travel policies may not permit it to happen. The Huskies are in talks with NC State for a game at the Mohegan Sun on 12/5 to replace the Florida trip.

Villanova: HC Jay Wright said it is a goal to play maximum number of non-conference games beyond the alloted 20 games for league play. Common sense says that Villanova would want to be part of the Mohegan Sun bubble, and any leftover opportunities can be played locally against the Big 5 perhaps, sans Penn. The Empire Classic for now has Villanova playing Arizona State (replaced Michigan), and Baylor vs. Boston College in the other semifinal. The Wildcats do plan to keep their game against Virginia on the schedule as well. The Big East/Big 12 Challenge contest will be at Texas on 12/6. The rest of the Wildcats schedule will be local: at La Salle, and home against Temple and St. Joseph’s.

Xavier: Team has seven newcomers this year, and they had some guarantee games lined up to ramp up for the season, that is now gone. The Musketeers have the Crosstown Shootout at Cincinnati in line for 12/6. Xavier is set to host a Big XII team (Oklahoma on 12/9) and travel to a Big Ten team as part of the Gavitt Games. However, the Gavitt Games are now cancelled. Xavier has put together a season-opening MTE from 11/25-27 with Oakland (11/25), Bradley (11/26) and Toledo (11/27). Xavier added two OVC opponents, Eastern Kentucky (11/30) and Tennessee Tech (12/2). After December 9th, its all Big East Play for XU.

Xavier Musketeers Schedule

Big Sky
All Programs: The league voted in favor of playing two regular season conference games in the same location each week of the conference season. Games will be played on Thursday and Saturday.
Full Conference Schedule HERE

Eastern Washington: A limited non-conference schedule has yet to be released by EWU, however, the school announced that it will consist of limited games due to the early Big Sky Conference start. EWU is unlikely to play at Southern Illinois due to the travel distance this season. EWU will play at Saint Mary’s on 12/15.

Idaho: Planning to compete in the Portland Pilots MTE between 11/25-11/28. The Vandals would also face Cal Poly and VMI over that time period if the event stays in tact.

Idaho State: Planning to participate in the Silicon Valley Classic between 11/25-11/28. Bengals will play against each team in the event: Santa Clara (11/25), Nicholls State (11/27) and UC Davis (11/28). ISU will play at Utah on 12/8 and play at Utah Valley on 12/19.

Idaho State Bengals Schedule

Montana: Plans to play at Arizona on or around the originally scheduled date of 12/22.

Montana State: Bobcats HC Danny Sprinkle confirmed that they have non-conference games aligned with Washington State and Portland. Also MSU has a scheduled road game at Pacific on 12/2. Bobcats will open the season at UNLV on 11/25.

Northern Arizona: The Lumberjacks were initially scheduled to open the season in Tucson against Arizona on 11/10, now they will open on 11/25 together. NAU is planning to play in the Denver Pioneers MTE between 12/19-12/22. Texas State is also in line to be in the event, no word yet if others will join. NAU had a home game against CS-Bakersfield on the early schedule, but that game is up in the air.

Northern Colorado: Will play at Colorado State this season, dates are TBD. A road game is lined up at Arizona, dates TBD still. A road game at Washington State is uncertain now. We do know that UNCO will play in a two-day event in Kansas City between 11/27-11/28. The Bears will face SE Missouri State and either Kansas City or a non D1 program in game two.

Portland State: Vikings are planning to compete in a four-team MTE between 11/25-11/28 in Seattle. Washington (host) and Cal State Fullerton have been tied to the MTE, with a fourth team pending.

Sacramento State: Local rivals UC Davis will come visit on 12/19. Another game vs. UC San Diego was removed. Hornets will play at Saint Mary’s on 12/30. Sac. State will play at Santa Clara on 12/12 and at Stanford on 12/21.

Sacramento State Hornets Schedule

Southern Utah: The T-Birds had big-time road games lined up at Kansas and Michigan, but the KU game has already been moved to 2021-22, and the game in Ann Arbor is unlikely. SUU will host Dixie State on 12/17. Thunderbirds have a season opener lined up at Loyola Marymount on 11/25. T-Birds will play at Utah Valley on 12/9.

Weber State: Wildcats are now out of an MTE event this year, and will be limited to a 25-game schedule. The Paradise Jam cancellation in it’s original format caused this. Also unfortunate for Weber State, they had six games scheduled before November 25th and the fear is they have lost out on all of them. The good news, a home contest against Utah State and a game against BYU currently set for Salt Lake City on 12/23, and a trip to Dixie State on 12/5 are in the cards.

Big South
All Programs: The conference is proceeding with a 20-game league schedule, and two gamedays will likely happen before the Christmas holiday. Back-to-Back format to reduce travel has been implemented.
Complete Schedule Here

Campbell: Camels are planning to compete at the four-team Jacksonville Dolphins (ASUN) MTE. They will reportedly be joined by Bethune-Cookman and New Orleans. Camels will play at NC State on 12/19.

Charleston Southern: The Buccaneers will head to NC State on opening night (11/25) as part of a four-team MTE. The Bucs will face North Florida and Eastern Kentucky while in Raleigh as well (11/26-11/27). The Bucs will also play at Duke on 12/12. Originally, the Bucs were part of the Global Sports Invitational that appears to be cancelled. The Buccaneers will unfortunately miss out on games at SMU, at Georgia, and at Wofford. The Bucs will host North Carolina A&T on 12/1. A game at NC Central on 12/15 was added to the schedule.

Charleston Southern Buccaneers Schedule

Gardner-Webb: The Bulldogs announced they will open the season at Duke on 11/25. Right after, they will play at Florida State on 11/27. Two additional guarantee road games were announced: at Georgia on 11/29 and at Pittsburgh on 12/12.

Gardner-Webb Bulldogs Schedule

Hampton: The Pirates setup a home-and-home series for this season with William & Mary. Hampton will travel to Williamsburg on 12/3, and the Tribe visit Hampton on 12/15. Pirates will play at Norfolk State on 12/7.

High Point: HPU will play at William & Mary on 12/19. Panthers open the season on the road at Davidson on 11/25 and at Elon on 11/28. Panthers will host North Florida on 12/5. Non-conference play concludes on 12/22 at Eastern Kentucky.

High Point Panthers Schedule

Longwood: Reportedly will open the season at the Wake Forest MTE from 11/25-11/27. They will be joined by Wake Forest, Delaware State, and Alabama State. Longwood will host North Carolina A&T this season, scheduled for 12/8.

Presbyterian: PC will play at Wofford on 12/6. The Blue Hose will host South Carolina State on 12/18. PC also travels to Jacksonville U. on 12/2, Wake Forest on 12/13 and The Citadel on 12/22.

Presbyterian College Blue Hose Schedule

Radford: The Highlanders had a matchup with NC State set for 12/12 in Raleigh. It is yet to be announced if that game remains on the calendar. Highlanders are going to be in an MTE at James Madison on opening weekend, facing Norfolk State on 11/28 and JMU on 11/29. The Highlanders will open the season at Virginia Tech on 11/25.

UNC-Asheville: The Bulldogs have a game lined up with East Tennessee State in Downtown Asheville, set for 12/8. Bulldogs will travel to Chattanooga to face the Mocs on 12/16. UNCA announced they will be hosting an on-campus four-team MTE. Each team plays twice, and the Bulldogs will face UNC-Wilmington on 11/27 and Western Carolina on 11/28. UNCA will host South Carolina State on 12/5. The Bulldogs will play at Marshall on 12/22.

UNC-Asheville Bulldogs Schedule

USC-Upstate: Will play at Tennessee on 12/22. USC-Upstate will play at Georgia on 11/27.

Winthrop: The Eagles proposed to host a bubble and all admins are all onboard with the event is approved. MTE + Non-Conference games options for all programs involved. The question is, how many takers will they get? Winthrop is also being tied to an MTE at Louisville, along with UNC-Greensboro and Duquesne. The Eagles plan to play at LSU in December, still firming up a date for the game.

Big 10
All Programs: It appears that the Big Ten will opt to keep its 20-game conference schedule. Which means teams like Purdue, could play up to five non-conference games, plus their two-game multi-team tournament. Power leagues as a whole, are faced with this dilemma and everyone other conference (besides the Ivy) sits and waits. Using the Big 10 here as a prime example.

Illinois: The Illini were also part of the Emerald Coast Classic, which is now cancelled. Home game with Arizona was cancelled. The Illini will likely end up replacing Rutgers in the Jimmy V Classic, now looking for a new location (Orlando was scrapped). The game would take place on December 2nd against Baylor, if finalized. The Illini now plan to host a three-game, round-robin MTE from 11/25-11/27, with Ohio, North Carolina A&T, and Wright State. The Illini will travel to Duke on 12/8 for a blockbuster ACC/Big 10 Challenge game. The “Braggin Rights'“ game vs. Missouri is still trying to be worked out by both schools.

Indiana: The Hoosiers are heading to Asheville, NC for the revamped Maui Classic. IU will face Providence in the opener, and either Texas or Davidson on day two. Opening night at IU will be a contest between the Hoosiers and Tennessee Tech (11/25) The Crossroads Classic game vs. Butler is on track to happen on 12/19. Indiana games previously scheduled against NJIT, Omaha, and Robert Morris are unlikely to happen. The Hoosiers would prefer to play a tune-up game on 11/25 prior to the Maui Invitational. The Hoosiers found out they are traveling to Florida State, as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on 12/9. Hoosiers will have another window to host a non-conference opponent on either 12/22 or 12/23.

Iowa: HC Fran McCaffery recently said, the Hawkeyes non-conference schedule should include: Iowa State, now Gonzaga (who replaces Oregon State in Sioux Falls) on 12/19, ACC/B1G Challenge (hosting North Carolina) and host a multi-team event (MTE) between 11/25-11/27. The Hawkeyes have MTE commitments from Southern U. and NC Central.

Maryland: HC Mark Turgeon has said they will not participate in the larger bubble events (D.C., Houston, Indianapolis, etc). The originally scheduled Maryland Showcase had games lined up with Duquesne and Cal Baptist, perhaps Duquesne stays on the Terps schedule, but it remains a mystery for now. The Terps are a candidate to host a revised MTE, and rumors suggest that Navy and Mount St. Mary’s would be part of it. Terps will host George Mason on 12/4. The Terps have a home matchup against Monmouth in the works at last check as well. And we found out that the Terps will play at Clemson on 12/9 as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge.

Michigan: Withdrew from the revised two-game Empire Classic, now at the Mohegan Sun. The Wolverines also forego their home games in that event against CSUN and Georgia State. The London Showcase vs. Kentucky was moved to 2021. Also, the home game vs. Oregon was moved to 2021. HC Juwan Howard says the Wolverines are looking for an MTE that provides sufficient Health and Safety measures. Reports out of UCF are that Michigan will take on the Knights at UCF this season to begin a home and home series. The Wolverines will host NC State on 12/9, as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge.

Michigan State: Plays 20 conference games, leaves room for seven games. Spartans were committed to the Orlando MTE-now cancelled, Champions Classic (now needs to be relocated) and ACC Challenge (at Virginia) on 12/9. Sparty is now in talks with Notre Dame on co-hosting an MTE. If it comes together, MSU would play two home games against Notre Dame and either Central or Eastern Michigan.

Minnesota: Gophers are expected to host Green Bay on opening night, 11/25. Gophers backed out of the Hall-of-Fame Classic in the Mohegan Sun (replaced by South Florida). Gophers would like to find an event more local, per reports, and intend on playing a 27-game schedule. The ACC/B1G Challenge game will happen on 12/8 vs. Boston College. That leaves the originally scheduled game against Purdue-Fort Wayne on 12/9 in doubt. The Gophers also have a matchup with North Dakota lined up for 12/29. That leaves at least four likely cancellations: Albany, Long Island, Kent State, and Mississippi State (confirmed as cancelled).

Nebraska: The Huskers pulled out of the Myrtle Beach Invitational and are having Elevate Hoops host its own bubble-style event in Lincoln. The event is happening and aiming to host 16-teams in a hopeful tournament bracket structure. LSU, UNI, Nevada, Cleveland State, WKU, San Francisco and Illinois State are some of the teams in thus far. ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against Georgia Tech on 12/9 will also be in Lincoln. A three-year series with Kansas State that was supposed to begin this year, was moved to the 2021-22 season.

Northwestern: Expected to stay in the HOF Classic in Kansas City on 11/28-11/29. The Wildcats are scheduled to face South Carolina in the opener, and either Tulsa or TCU the following day. The Wildcats are set to host DePaul this season (Date TBD). The Wildcats will host Pittsburgh on 12/9, as part of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Northwestern will host Chicago State on 12/5. Northwestern will host Prairie View A&M in the season opener on 11/25.

Ohio State: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Buckeyes will face Memphis in the opener, then face either Texas A&M or West Virginia on 11/26. Also expected to play in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge (12/8 at Notre Dame) and the CBS Sports Classic against North Carlolina on 12/19 in Cleveland. The last two openings are going to be home games against Morehead State (12/2) and Alabama A&M (12/5).

OHIO STATE BUCKEYES SCHEDULE

Penn State: HC Pat Chambers resigned, throwing this season into a series of unknowns. PSU was expected to play VCU in a four-team tournament in Orlando during the first week of the season, that is all wiped out now.The Nittany Lions are looking for regional games in which they can rely on bus travel. PSU was supposed to face Florida in the HOF Classic, which has now been moved to the Mohegan Sun. It remains to be seen if that game will happen. We do know that Penn State will play at Virginia Tech on 12/8, in the ACC/B1G Challenge. And PSU will now host Seton Hall on 12/6.

Purdue: Boilermakers are still scheduled to play in the Cancun Challenge, which has moved to Melbourne, FL. They will face Liberty on 11/25, and face either Mississippi State or Clemson on 11/26. HC Matt Painter says they may add a third game while there. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge game will be at Miami on 12/8. The Gavitt Games is now unlikely, however the Crossroads Classic is likely - where Purdue will face Notre Dame on 12/19. Purdue has added a home game against Indiana State on 12/12. A matchup with West Virginia was called off after the two programs couldn’t work out a date. Another game with Valparaiso is in the works for 12/4 at Mackey Arena, the contract was not signed yet at last check.

Rutgers: Unfortunately had to back out of the revised Jimmy V Classic against Baylor. The Rutgers-Seton Hall game is on life support, both programs intended to play it, but now with the Big East moving multiple games to December, the only way it works is in January or February. Rutgers will host Fairleigh Dickinson on 11/27 and Rider on 11/30. Rutgers will host Syracuse in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge on 12/8. The Scarlet Knights plan to host Sacred Heart this year at some point.

Wisconsin: The Fort Myers Tip-Off is out, Badgers withdrew from the event. The original 11/11 game with Tennessee is out now as well for this season. The games happening are the ACC Challenge game against Louisville on 12/9 and the Marquette game in Milwaukee on 12/4. Also, Wisconsin and Marquette will co-host an MTE with Eastern Illinois and Arkansas Pine-Bluff. The plan is for the Badgers to play EIU (11/25) and Ark-PB (11/27).

Big XII
All Programs: Conference is holding onto two dates in mid-to-late December to host conference games. Although the specifics of those dates/games has not been made available yet, the idea here is that the Big 12 clearly wants to get things going as soon as possible and has more or less sent out save-the-date correspondence to the schools so they know not to schedule any non-con action on those particular dates. The league will play the traditional 18-game schedule.

Baylor: Reports indicate that the Bears first four games will be in the Mohegan Sun (2 against BC, Nova, and/or ASU), vs. Seton Hall, and in the Orlando bubble (JimmyV Classic vs. likely Illinois) on December 2nd. The Gonzaga matchup will be played on December 5th in Indianapolis as a one-day event. Baylor will play their two league games in December on 12/13 (Texas) and 12/19 (@K-State). Baylor will host Auburn on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. The Bears will host Nicholls State (12/8), Ark.-Pine Bluff (12/21) and Central Arkansas (12/29). The Complete schedule is available.

Baylor Bears Schedule

Iowa State: Cyclones are aiming to land at 25-games, with no MTE. Local rivalry game against Iowa is on track. The Emerald coast Classic was cancelled (included Florida, Illinois, and Oregon). The Cyclones will play at Mississippi State on 1/30. Plus the Cyclones plan on hosting DePaul (on 12/6) in the Big East/Big XII Challenge. ISU will play their two December league games on 12/15 (K-State) and 12/18 (@WVU). ISU will likely have four “buy” games at home to complete the schedule. Two of the home games will be against Jackson State on 12/20 and Chicago State on 12/22.

Kansas: The Jayhawks are committed to the Champions Classic event against Kentucky on December 1st. Where the event will be played is now a mystery, as ESPNEvents is not moving forward in Orlando. This means the Jayhawks season-opening games against Boise State in the Wooden Classic on 11/25 and against either UCLA or Seton Hall on 11/26 will not happen. Instead, the Jayhawks committed to the Fort Myers Classic for two determined matchups against Gonzaga (11/25) and Auburn (11/27). The matchup with Creighton (12/8) is in tact, and a big one regionally. Jayhawks will play their two December league games on 12/17 (@Texas Tech) and 12/22 (WVU). The matchup with Stephen F. Austin was removed from the schedule. Kansas plays at Tennessee on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. The Border War vs. Missouri has been pushed to the 2020-21 season. A game at Colorado was moved to 2021-22. The other home games for KU are North Dakota State (12/5), Omaha (12/11), and Tarleton State (12/13).

Kansas Jayhawks Schedule

Kansas State: Originally, the Wildcats were supposed to face Central Arkansas, UMKC, UNLV, Milwaukee and South Dakota with a game in Kansas City, Mo., against Nebraska, a home game in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and a trip to the now cancelled Cayman Islands Classic. KSU decided to plan and host their own MTE on 11/25 and 11/27. Colorado will also be part of the event and face the Wildcats on 11/27, with Drake (plays KSU on 11/25) and South Dakota State (won’t face KSU) joining. The Wildcats are also set to play Butler in the Big 12/Big East conference challenge and host Texas A&M on 1/30 as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. KSU will play their two December league games on 12/15 (@ISU) and 12/19 (Baylor). The games against UMKC (11/30), UNLV (12/5), Milwaukee (12/8) and South Dakota (12/29) did in fact get scheduled as well. A home game vs. Jacksonville on 12/21 was added.

Kansas State Wildcats Schedule

Oklahoma: Opted out of the Diamond Head Classic, now scheduled in Orlando. Sooners plan to play a 25-game schedule. The Sooners will tip-off the season against UTSA on 11/25. OU will host Florida (12/2), play at Xavier (Big East/Big XII Challenge) on 12/9, host Florida A&M on 12/12, and host Houston Baptist on 12/19. A game at UCF on 12/28 completed the non-conference slate. OU will play their two December league games on 12/6 (@TCU) and 12/22 (Texas Tech). OU hosts Alabama on 1/30 in the SEC/Big XII Challenge.

Oklahoma Sooners Schedule

Oklahoma State: OSU announced it plans to open its 2020 season at Pinnacle Bank Arena (in Lincoln, NE) but has since backed out of the event for all intents and purposes. Oklahoma State will open the season at UT Arlington on 11/25, so the games in Nebraska are likely off. The Cowboys are still slated to travel to Marquette on December 1st. Cowboys will travel to face Wichita State on 12/12. Cowboys will host Arkansas on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. A home non-conference game against Oral Roberts is set for 12/8. Pokes have Oakland coming to Stillwater on 12/5. Pokes originally decided to withdraw from the revised Charleston Classic, now in Orlando, and now cancelled anyways. Pokes will play their two December league games on 12/16 (TCU) and 12/20 (@Texas).

Oklahoma State Cowboys Schedule

TCU: Will host Providence in the Big East-Big XII Challenge on 12/9. The Frogs will not host Penn any longer as originally planned, due to the current Ivy League shutdown. TCU is slated to play in the HOF Classic in Kansas City between 11/28-11/29, and play against Tulsa, South Carolina faces Northwestern in the other game - Frogs will play one of them on Day Two. TCU will play their two December league games on 12/6 (Oklahoma) and 12/16 (@OK State). The Frogs will play Texas A&M on 12/12 as originally scheduled in Downtown Fort Worth (Dickies Arena). TCU travels to Missouri to face the Tigers on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. TCU’s initial plan to play in Las Vegas on 12/19 vs. Colorado was cancelled. The Frogs will host Houston Baptist (11/25), Northwestern State (12/3), North Dakota State (12/22) and Texas Southern (12/30) to round out the complete schedule.

TCU Horned Frogs Schedule

Texas: The Horns had put together a remarkable slate, highlighted by Gonzaga and Villanova expected to come to Austin. Texas is committed to travelling to Asheville, NC now to play in the Maui Invitational (on the Mainland now), as all eight of the original teams are expected to participate. The series with Gonzaga appears to be pushed back now to 2021-22. However, Villanova is slated to visit Austin on 12/6 as part of the Big East/Big XII Challenge. A tune up game before the Maui Invitational, is in place for 11/25 vs. UTRGV. The Horns will go to Rupp Arena in January to face Kentucky (1/30) as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. The home contest against Louisiana-Lafayette has been removed and the two schools plan to play again in a future season. Also, the BattleGround2K event in Houston was cancelled, which featured a matchup between UT and Louisiana Tech. Texas will play their two December league games on 12/13 (@Baylor) and 12/20 (OK State). UT added home games against Texas State (12/9), Sam Houston State (12/16) and Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (12/29).

Texas Longhorns Schedule

Texas Tech: The Preseason NIT was consolidated in Orlando to a four team event with Houston, Auburn, and Gonzaga. All Orlando events have been cancelled. The Red Raiders are now tied to a four-team MTE in Fort Worth and slated to play twice. Texas Tech will face Sam Houston State on 11/27 (in Lubbock) and Houston on 11/29. The original Red Raiders matchup with Gonzaga on 12/19 will not be played this year. Red Raiders will open the season with Northwestern State on 11/25. The Big East challenge game vs. St. John’s will happen on 12/3. Tech will head down to the Bayou to face LSU on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. HC Chris Beard says it is important to play a showcase game or two, so they are working on lining a big game or two up still in non-conference play. Texas Tech will play their two December league games on 12/17 (@Kansas) and 12/22 (Oklahoma). TTU will host Grambling on 12/6, Abilene Christian on 12/9, TAMUCC on 12/12 and Incarnate Word on 12/29.

Texas Tech Red Raiders Schedule

West Virginia: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Mountaineers will face Texas A&M in the opener, then face either Saint Mary’s or Memphis on 11/26. The Big XII/SEC Challenge will happen on 1/30, with the Mountaineers hosting Florida. WVU will play at Georgetown in the Big East/Big XII Challenge. West Virginia has committed to host Richmond for a non-conference game on 12/13. West Virginia’s other non-conference games are currently uncertain. The Mountaineers had originally been slated to play home games against Fairleigh Dickinson (removed), Stony Brook (removed), Robert Morris (now on 12/9), Youngstown State (now on 12/2) and Miami-Ohio (removed), as well as a game against Purdue in Brooklyn that was just cancelled. Only three spots remain open. The Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia has been postponed to next season. A previously scheduled home game against Bowling Green will not happen. WVU will play their two December league games on 12/18 (Iowa St.) and 12/22 (@Kansas).

West Virginia Mountaineers Schedule

Big West
All Programs: Commissioner Dan Butterly is willing to help build MTE’s in the Las Vegas bubble to give Big West programs ample opportunities to play non-conference games. Butterly discussed arranging schedules for a Vegas bubble-type environment and how it’s a bear, but went on to say the most obvious way to do it with the least amount of hassle is determining pool play and putting “like competition” in the same pods. Metrics from previous seasons will be used as a compass, taking the best and worst teams and then they’ll work toward the middle. The league is also close to announcing a December 29th start date for conference play and for a 20-game conference schedule.

Complete Big West Conference Play Schedule

Cal Poly: The Mustangs will compete in the Portland Pilots MTE between 11/25-11/28. The Mustangs face Portland (11/25), Idaho (11/27) and VMI (11/28) over that time period. Mustangs have four other road games in store: at Stanford (12/8), at Fresno State (12/12), at Loyola Marymount (12/19), and at USC (12/22). The lone home non-conference game will take place on 12/16 vs. San Diego.

Complete Cal Poly Schedule

Cal State Bakersfield: The Roadrunners are still on track to play at Arizona this season. Previously scheduled games at Gonzaga and at Northern Arizona are uncertain.

Cal State Fullerton: Titans are planning to compete in a four-team MTE between 11/25-11/28 in Seattle. Washington (host) and Portland State have been tied to the MTE, with a fourth team pending. Titans are scheduled to host Pacific on 12/19.

Cal State Northridge: CSUN will host Pacific on 12/16 in the Matadome.

Hawai’i: Hawai’i is in a unique situation that may force them to only play conference games, depending on Covid-19 regulations on the islands. Tentatively planning on opening the season against D2 Hawaii Pacific on 11/25. The UNC game of course, will not happen now. The Rainbow Warriors are still working it out to play at Santa Clara on 12/2. The thought is if they make it to the Bay Area, they could posiibly get a couple more games while on the mainland. Also, a 12/13 home game against Alcorn State is still pending. Hawai’i is in a unique situation that may force them to only play conference games, depending on Covid-19 regulations on the islands.

Long Beach State: Pulled out of the Paradise Jam, now located in Washington, D.C. The 49ers have experienced practice delays due to COVID-19 and are just now starting to come together. All indications are that they will wait until December to play their opener at UCLA. The road game scheduled at Cal Baptist is now set for 12/19.

UC Davis: Planning to participate in the Silicon Valley Classic between 11/25-11/28 (11/26 is an off day). Also in the event are Santa Clara, Nicholls State and Idaho State - Aggies will face each team once. UC Davis as two home non-league games against Portland (12/5) and Non-D1 William Jessup (12/22). The Aggies travel to Cal Baptist (12/8), Pacific (12/12), and Sacramento State (12/19).

UC Davis Aggies Schedule

UC Irvine: Anteaters are now tied to a four-team MTE in San Diego. They will be joined by San Diego State, UCLA, and Pepperdine. Matchups and dates are TBD.

UC Riverside: The Highlanders will open the season at Pacific on 11/25.

UC San Diego: Welcome to D1, Tritons! UCSD has a scheduled game on 12/11 at Idaho State, game is still up in the air for now. UCSD also had a contract to face Weber State twice this season, it appears the entire series will be moved to a future season now. UCSD had a game planned at Sacramento State, now that is in limbo.

UC Santa Barbara: At last check, still intend to host the Santa Barbara Slam between 11/25-11/29. In line to join UCSB is FAMU and FGCU thus far. Texas-Arlington was also supposed to come to UCSB for a return game (on Dec. 7), but the UTA administration doesn’t want them flying out there (because of the coronavirus pandemic). The Pepperdine game will now be played in December in Malibu, was originally supposed to be played at UCSB. The Gauchos are set to play at Loyola Marymount on 12/12. The game at Saint Mary’s was postponed til next year.

CAA
All Programs: League play will begin on January 2nd. 2021. The league opted to go with two games against the same opponent over a two or three day period, which is increasingly more common in other conferences. Here is the complete SCHEDULE.

Charleston: Has withdrawn from the relocated Charleston Classic in Orlando. The Cougars will open the season at North Carolina on 11/25. Charleston’s coaching staff has confirmed opponents include Richmond (12/2), Marshall (12/9), South Carolina State (12/11) and D2 Limestone. Charleston will get a visit from Western Carolina on 12/18. The Cougars have a date at Georgia State on 12/21.

Charleston Cougars Schedule

Delaware: Dropped out of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Blue Hens are now planning to participate in an early season MTE, part of the Mohegan Sun hosted “controlled environment.” UD is currently placed in a pod with Siena and UMass. The Blue Hens will face Delaware State on 12/5.

Drexel: One event at the Mohegan Sun includes the Dragons, Albany, LIU and Quinnipiac. Drexel will take on Quinnipiac on 12/3, and either Albany or LIU on 12/4. Dragons return home on 12/6 and will host Coppin State. Dragons will play at Fairleigh Dickinson on 12/19.

Elon: The Phoenix will participate in the Duke MTE event. They will face Duke on 12/6 and also take on Howard on 12/8 in Durham. Elon will host High Point on 11/28. Elon also plays at North Carolina on 12/12. So yes, Elon will play both Duke and Carolina this season.

Hofstra: Has agreed tentatively with Monmouth on a non-conference contest on 11/25. The Pride will host Stony Brook on 12/9. The Pride plan to play a road game at St. Bonaventure, date is TBD.

James Madison: The Dukes were able to salvage a road game at Florida, now scheduled for 12/22. JMU will play Radford on 11/29 and Norfolk State on 11/27, in an MTE at JMU. The Dukes and ODU plan on playing a home and home series, with JMU hosting ODU on 12/7. Dukes will face George Mason in Richmond, VA on 12/12. Previously scheduled marquee “buy” game at Virginia was cancelled. The Dukes two home games and a road game at Georgia Tech as part of the Georgia Tech Showcase are gone now. The Dukes added a road game at East Carolina on 12/19 and a non D1 school to their schedule.

James Madison Dukes Schedule

Northeastern: Likely to participate in a Washington D.C. MTE (11/26-11/28). Huskies would be joined by George Mason, Howard, and UMBC. Northeastern also plans to face UMass-Lowell in a non-conference game, date is TBD. The Huskies have two road games on the calendar at Maine on 12/2 and at Georgia on 12/22. The Huskies are scheduled to host UMass on 12/12.

Towson: Has agreed to participate in a Multi-team event in the Mohegan Sun, Connecticut. The Tigers opted to stay closer to home, and leave their previous commitments of playing in the Music City Shootout event in Nashville and the St. Pete Shootout in Florida (which was entirely cancelled). In the Mohegan Sun, Towson is paired with St. Bonaventure (11/25) and Stephen F. Austin (11/27). The Tigers also coordinated a stand-alone game against Rhode Island at the Mohegan Sun on 11/26. The Tigers will host La Salle on 12/16. The Tigers were originally part of the Veteran’s Classic in Annapolis, MD and were matched against St. Joseph’s, but that game will no longer happen. Towson will host Coppin State on 12/3 and Morgan State on 12/19.

UNC-Wilmington: UNCW was originally set for contracted road games with Ole Miss, Wake Forest and ECU. It’s still unknown if any of those games will be played. The Seahawks also were set to complete previously scheduled series with North Carolina (12/15) and Charlotte (no date). It remains to be seen how UNCW will proceed with those games. The Seahawks have committed to a four-team MTE at UNC-Asheville. Each team plays twice, and the Seahawks will face UNC-Asheville on 11/27 and Troy on 11/28. UNCW will arrive early to Asheville and face Western Carolina to open the season on 11/25. The Seahawks will also play at Norfolk State on 12/18.

William & Mary: Will open the season at Old Dominion on 11/28. Tribe then head to NC State on 12/30. Also, W&M will head to Virginia on 12/12. The Tribe setup two games against Hampton (at W&M on 12/3 and at Hampton on 12/15). Tribe play at George Washington on 12/5 and at Norfolk State on 12/9. Tribe will also host High Point on 12/19 and Fairfield on 12/22.

William & Mary Tribe Schedule

Conference USA
All Programs: An 18-game schedule was announced. The conference approved a regular season scheduling model where teams would play the same opponent in the same location twice in the same week on Thursdays and Saturdays. Limited travel helps get more games in and prevent cancellations.

Charlotte: 49ers were expected to play Tennessee and Penn State is expected to face VCU in the first round of a four-team tournament in Orlando during the first week of the season, but the event folded. Instead, the 49ers will play at Tennessee in the opener on 11/25, and then face VCU in Knoxville. The 49ers also expect to face Davidson this season, dates and location are still being worked out. Charlotte will host South Carolina State on 12/7. Charlotte will host Appalachian State on 12/11.

FAU: Will play at Florida on 12/19 now instead of at a neutral site (was originally part of the Orange Bowl Classic). The Owls were part of the Puerto Rico tournament, which was cancelled. Owls will participate in the South Alabama event to open the season, and face South Alabama in the opener on 11/25. FAU will play at NC State on 12/12. Owls head to North Florida on 12/7.

FIU: Pulled out of the Paradise Jam, now located in Washington, D.C. Panthers will host Stetson on 11/27. FIU heads to Fort Myers on 12/16 to face FGCU. FIU plays at North Florida on 12/12.

Louisiana Tech: Planning to host a three-team MTE. between 11/27-11/29. The other programs involved will be UT Arlington (11/27) and Northwestern State (11/29). The Bulldogs were supposed to play LSU in Bossier City, but that game will now be played at LSU on 12/6. The Bulldogs will play at Louisiana-Lafayette on 12/12. Louisiana Tech and UL Monroe have setup an in-season home-and-home series, 12/3 will be at LA Tech, and 12/22 game wil be in Monroe. The Bulldogs have a date with Jackson State on 12/15. LA Tech will host Lamar on 12/19. Bulldogs also have SE Louisiana on the calendar for 12/9 in Ruston.

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Schedule

Marshall: Thundering Herd have an agreement to play at Charleston on 12/9. The Herd had a trip to Rupp Arena to face Kentucky, unfortunately cancelled. Marshall plans to host a three-team MTE to open the season on 11/25-11/27 against Coppin State and Tennessee State respectively. Thundering Herd will host UNC-Asheville on 12/22. Marshall will play a two-game road trip in Ohio, at Wright State on 12/2 and at Akron on 12/5. The Herd added three quality home games with Ohio U. (12/13), Northern Iowa (12/19), and Toledo (12/16).

Marshall Thundering Herd Schedule

Middle Tennessee: On track to participate in the Gulf Coast Showcase (11-25-11/27). The event still is looking for a couple of spots to be filled. MTSU lost a game with Washington State already, and will likely have the Belmont game moved to next season. MTSU will host Chattanooga on 12/6. MTSU also has a home game against Murray State lined up, date is unknown.

North Texas: Part of the Diamond Head Classic field, that was moved to Orlando. All Orlando events are off now, so the Mean Green need a new home for games. The game at LSU was saved, and will be played on 12/19. The other marquee game for the Mean Green was against Oklahoma State in Dallas, but that appears to be in jeopardy of cancellation. UNT will be part of a mini event where they host Mississippi Valley State on 11/26 and play at Arkansas on 11/28.

Old Dominion: The Monarchs will open the season at Maryland on 11/25. Their scheduled 11/28 game against William & Mary will be the home opener. ODU will get two games in Richmond, at VCU on 12/12 and vs. George Mason on 12/13. The Monarchs were originally scheduled to open the basketball season 11/10 against Penn, but the Ivy League suspended all sports for the fall semester. Games at Richmond and vs. Northeastern were removed from the schedule. The game against Arkansas in Little Rock was already cancelled. ODU signed a new series with Norfolk State, and will play at Norfolk State on 12/2 this season. ODU and James Madison will meet one time this year (originally rumored to play twice), with ODU playing at the Dukes on 12/7.

Old Dominion Monarchs Schedule

Rice: The Owls will compete at the four-team MTE at Incarnate Word (in San Antonio) between 11/27-29. The event includes UIW, Tarleton State, and North Dakota. Rice is on track to play at cross-town rival, Houston, this season. Rice will play at Sam Houston State on 12/19.

Southern Miss: The Golden Eagles committed to a three-game MTE in Milwaukee, hosted by UW-Milwaukee between 11/27-11/29. It appears, they will also face Ball State and North Dakota State while at the event. The Golden Eagles are set to host UL Monroe on 12/19. Southern Miss will play at Lamar on 12/15. USM will no longer host Louisiana-Lafayette on their schedule this season.

UAB: UAB will host ACC foe, Georgia Tech, on 12/23. Blazers are planning to play at East Tennessee State on 12/12. UAB will also host Alcorn State (11/26), SELA (11/28), Kennesaw State (12/2), Southern (12/16), and Chattanooga (12/19). The complete schedule has been released.

UAB Blazers Schedule

UTEP: HC Rodney Terry says everyone in CUSA is waiting for the trickle down from the Power 5 for what scheduling options remain. He also said the league has yet to confirm if they will stick with 18-game model or not. Miners are not in an MTE, so the maximum amount of games they can play is 25. That leaves just seven openings for non-conference play. Ideally for the Miners, four games will come from playing local rivals UNM and NMSU. Miners will play at Saint Mary’s on 12/8.

UTSA: The Roadrunners contract to play at Oregon State remains in question for this season. The teams have not announced a date for the game or if it will be pushed to a future season. UTSA is set to play at Oklahoma to open this season on 11/25, then head to UTRGV on 11/28. The Roadrunners will play at Lamar on 12/22.

Western Kentucky: Hilltoppers have manuevered their way into both Nebraska and Louisville’s large events. Tops will play LSU in a neutral site game in Nebraska as part of Elevate Hoops' MTE, and have a second game there. Hilltoppers will also play Louisville (12/1) in a game at the KFC Yum Center, plus have two other games in Louisville (vs. Little Rock on 11/28 and vs. Prairie View A&M on 12/3). WKU will host Rhode Island on 12/19. WKU also plans to host Tennessee Tech on 12/22.

Horizon
All Programs: Teams will play one League opponent twice each week with games taking place on consecutive days at the same location. Schools will have five home weekends and five road weekends and will play 10 of 11 League opponents. LEAGUE SCHEDULE

Cleveland State: The Vikings’ Paradise Jam plans did not work out, the event is being restructured with an entirely new field in Washington D.C. The Vikings are now heading to Nebraska to be part of the proposed large event in Lincoln. That should get CSU between three or four games in a short amount of time. CSU has a game at Kent State still on the schedule, the new date has not been determined. The Vikings will play at Toledo on 12/1.

Detroit: Kentucky HC John Calipari has frequently pointed to Detroit, where his son, Brad, now plays, as an example of a low-major program that depends on payments from high-majors like Kentucky to play in their home arenas. Kentucky was scheduled to play Detroit on Nov. 13 as part of the Bluegrass Classic in Rupp Arena. It is unclear how many low-major programs, like Detroit, will be able to play a full season because of the financial cost of COVID-19 testing, but it would be safe to assume Calipari would like to keep the matchup with Brad and Detroit on the schedule. Detroit also had a deal to play Northwestern, now that too is in jeopardy. Detroit’s game at Kent State remains on the schedule, but the date has not been confirmed.

Green Bay: Plan is to open the season at Minnesota (11/25). The games tied to the Gotham Classic (Syracuse for example) are likely to be scrapped entirely. The Phoenix will head down state to play Marquette on 12/8. Phoenix will host Eastern Illinois on 12/5.

Illinois-Chicago: Scheduled to open up the Luke Yaklich coaching era at Northern Illinois on 11/25.

IUPUI: The Jaguars will play in a four-team tournament at Tulane University from Nov. 27-29, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. IUPUI will be joined at the event by Lipscomb, Lamar and host school Tulane. Prior to the trip, IUPUI will play at Chicago State on 11/25.

Milwaukee: Planning to host a four-team MTE between 11/27-11/29. Ball State, Southern Miss, and North Dakota State are all planning to participate. The Panthers have a scheduled road contest at Kansas Satte on 12/8.

Northern Kentucky: A local game against Cincinnati is still uncertain to happen. An MTE with Chattanooga and Tennessee Tech was rumored, per Stadium. Now it appears to be separate, can confirm that NKU will play at Chattanooga on 11/28 and host Tennessee Tech on 12/3.

Oakland: Put together a monster nonconference schedule, both pre-COVID-19 and even during the pandemic, with games against Michigan State, Ohio State, Xavier, Oklahoma State and Michigan. Oakland was able to stay in Xavier’s plans, as Xavier put together a season-opening MTE from 11/25-27 with Bradley and Toledo, so the Golden Grizzlies have three games lined up now. Oakland and Oklahoma State worked together and have their game rescheduled for 12/5.

Purdue - Fort Wayne: Tied to an MTE from 11/25-11/30 with UAB, Kent State, Alcorn State, and SE Louisiana. PFW will face SE Louisiana in the opener on 11/25.

Robert Morris: Set to play at West Virginia on 12/8. RMU will host Florida Gulf Coast on 12/2. The Colonials will play at Central Michigan on 11/28, at St. Francis (PA) on 12/5. Just a five-game non-league schedule is in place.

Robert Morris Colonials Schedule

Wright State: The Raiders backed off an initial pledge to play in Nashville in an MTE, only to join the Illinois MTE with Illinois, North Carolina A&T, and Ohio from 11/25-11/27. The Raiders will host Marshall on 12/2.

Youngstown State: Will host a 3-team MTE with Eastern Michigan and SIU-Edwardsville coming. YSU is likely to face each team between 11/27-11/29. Penguins will play at West Virginia on 12/2.


Ivy League
All Programs: Has canceled all sports for the remainder of 2020, which means Men’s basketball teams won’t be starting on Nov. 21, barring any reconsideration by the league. The Ivy may frown upon playing games in a bubble, as well, and there’s a chance the league doesn’t play basketball at all this season. The Ivy League remains a prime candidate to sit out nonconference.

Penn: Originally, the Quakers were committed to play in the Myrtle Beach Classic on ESPN before Thanksgiving. TCU and Penn State were among the nonconference teams on the schedule. HC Steve Donahue is hopeful the Penn State game can still happen, but as of now, everything else is canceled.

MAAC
All Programs: Conference schedule was released! Link: https://maacsports.com/news/2020/9/17/womens-basketball-maac-hoops-schedule-model-revealed.aspx
Update: On Nov. 6, 2020, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Council of Presidents revised the 2020-21 MAAC Basketball scheduling format after taking into consideration evolving COVID-19 testing, travel and venue standards. New schedules will be announced at a later date, following approval.

Canisius: Planning to play a non-conference game at St. Bonaventure. The Golden Griffiths will play at Binghamton to open the season on 11/25.

Fairfield: The Stags will be participating in a 3-team MTE with Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. Fairfield will be opening the season at Providence on 11/25. Fairfield has a road game scheduled at William & Mary on 12/22.

Iona: Will open the season at Fordham on November 25th. Iona will also compete in a 3-team event at the Mohegan Sun from 11/30-12/2 (likely against Buffalo and Vermont). The Gaels also plan to play a fourth game at the venue. That leaves two remaining openings for non-conference games. The Gaels will host Wagner on 12/5.

Marist: Non-conference schedule has nearly wiped clean and started over from scratch. We do know that Marist will play at Albany on 11/28. Marist is restricted or encouraged not to make long trips that require plane travel or overnight hotel stays. HC John Dunne said it’s almost inevitable that some games are going to be canceled at the last moment over COVID outbreaks – he’s very curious about what the NCAA and MAAC guidelines are going to be with quarantine guidelines. Marist is slated to open the season by hosting Stony Brook on 11/25.

Manhattan: Jaspers intend to play a non-conference schedule. According to the official athletics site, this will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The Jaspers are working with St. John’s on playing in a newly created MTE event, which also includes La Salle and an unnamed fourth team.

Monmouth: Marquee home game vs. North Carolina will be unfortunately moved into a future season. The Hawks had four games removed as part of the initial Gazelle Group event, but may have an invite to the Mohegan Sun event. The Hawks have a road game at Maryland in the works, according to HC King Rice. The Hawks have tentative agreements in place to face Hofstra (11/25) and St. Francis Brooklyn.

Niagara: The Purple Eagles plan on hosting St. Bonaventure in a non-conference clash. Niagara will open the season at St. Francis-Brooklyn on 11/25.

Quinnipiac: Recently the Mohegan Sun formed an event that includes QU, Drexel, LIU and Albany. Bobcats will face Drexel on 12/3, and either LIU or Albany on 12/4. Bobcats will open the season against Fairleigh Dickinson at home on 11/25.

Rider: Initially rumored to be part of the Ole Miss MTE from November 25-27, as the Broncs were originally supposed to face Ole Miss on December 1st. However, plans fell through and Ole Miss will not be hosting Rider. Instead, Rider will play a two-game MTE at Rutgers, Fairleigh Dickinson is also part of the event. Rider plans to play a road contest at Syracuse. The Broncs plan to host both Coppin State on 12/29 and Delaware State on a TBD Date. Rumors are out there that Rider is close to scheduling a game with Bowling Green.

Saint Peter’s: Will play at Seton Hall this season, date is still TBD. The Peacocks are lined up to open the season with two games at the Mohegan Sun in Uncascville, CT against Virginia on 11/25 and likely Maine on 11/27.

Siena: A general timeline is in place for the Saints’ non-conference schedule. After opening Nov. 25 on the road, the Saints are on track to play three games at the Mohegan Sun (vs. UMass, Delaware, and Air Force) between Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, then play another non-conference game before their Dec. 8 MAAC opener at Rider. A sixth non-conference game on either Dec. 22 or 23 is expected.

MAC
All Programs: After the MAC strongly considered moving to a 22-game conference schedule, they ultimately decided on a 20-game schedule beginning on January 2nd, 2021, which was later moved up to December to allow more time for make-up games.

MAC conference-play schedule has been released!

Akron: Zips are on track to participate in the Gulf Coast Showcase (11-25-11/27). Zips will face Middle Tennessee in the opener, and either ETSU or Abilene Christian in their second game. Akron will host Marshall on 12/5. The Zips also plan to host St. Bonaventure this season.

Ball State: The Cardinals committed to a three-game MTE in Milwaukee, hosted by UW-Milwaukee between 11/27-11/29. It appears, they will also face Southern Miss and North Dakota State while at the event. The Cardinals have a date with Indiana State on the road scheduled for 12/19.

Bowling Green: Will unfortunately lose their top two non-conference opportunities, games at West Virginia and at Georgia. Rumors are saying BGSU may have a game against Rider announced soon. Bowling Green will host South Carolina State on 11/28, then travel to play Appalachian State on 11/30.

Buffalo: Withdrew from the Paradise Jam, which was relocated to Washington D.C. The Bulls are now likely to play at the Mohegan Sun between 11/30-12/2 with two games against Iona and Vermont. Buffalo plans to play at St. Bonaventure this season, with a date TBD. However, the Bulls will not face local rivals Canisius or Niagara this season. Buffalo secured a quality road game at West Virginia on 12/29.

Central Michigan: CMU is committed to playing Pittsburgh, but it is still unclear if Pitt has a spot for the Chippewas. CMU is also talking with Michigan State and Notre Dame about an MTE, if it happens - Chips will play both on the road. CMU has agreed to host Robert Morris on 11/28.

Eastern Michigan: Had Syracuse on its original schedule. Syracuse may not be able to honor the game any longer. EMU is now slated to play in a MTE at Youngstown State. SIU-Edwardsville is also scheduled to be there. EMU is likely to play each team there. That MTE may be superseeded by a new MTE. EMU is also talking with Michigan State and Notre Dame about an MTE, if it happens - Eagles will play both on the road.

Kent State: Will not make the trip to Minnesota this season, the two schools may reschedule for a future season. Kent State was able to reschedule the Virginia road game for 12/4. HC Rob Senderoff wanted at least one Power 6 replacement game if he can find it by bus travel. The Golden Flashes will play Cleveland State and Detroit on TBD dates. Kent State has been tied to MTE’s, but plans for each have fallen through thus far.

Miami (OH): Redhawks have a game set at Bradley for 12/19.

Northern Illinois: Will not host Northern Iowa this year, the game will be potentially made up in a future season. NIU will open the season against UIC on 11/25. The Huskies also announced they will host SIU-Edwardsville on 12/2 and Chicago State on 12/18. NIU has said they will have three road non-conference games total and announce them in the near future.

Ohio: The Bobcats plan to play in a three-game, round-robin MTE at Illinois from 11/25-11/27, with Illinois, North Carolina A&T, and Wright State. Bobcats will play at Marshall on 12/13.

Toledo: The Rockets will open the season in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier put together a season-opening MTE from 11/25-27 with Oakland and Bradley also joining the Musketeers. Rockets will play on each day against each team. Toledo setup home games with Cleveland State (12/1), Kansas City (12/12), and Valpo (12/19). Toledo will travel to face Marshall on 12/16.

Toledo Rockets Schedule

Western Michigan: Had deals to play Indiana and Marquette, now in limbo. WMU will open the season at Butler on 11/25.

MEAC
All Programs: The league has moved forward on a proposal to have a 16-game schedule splitting into north/south divisional games. All teams will only play games against teams in their division. This means playing the same opponent four times each.

Complete MEAC Conference Schedule

Bethune-Cookman: BCU has opted to not play sports at all in 2020-21 as an Athletics Department. The Wildcats were planning to compete at the four-team Jacksonville Dolphins (ASUN) MTE from 12/8-12/10. They will reportedly be joined by Campbell and New Orleans.

Coppin State: CSU plans to open the season at Marshall in a three-team MTE. The Eagles would face Marshall in the opener on 11/25, and face Tennessee State on 11/26. The Eagles then plan to play at Duke on 11/28. The Eagles will travel to a pair of CAA programs, Towson (12/3) and Drexel (12/6). Another planned game is in place to play at Rider on 12/29. Coppin State plans to play at Georgetown on 12/8 and host UMBC on 12/13. Coppin State will play at George Mason on 12/16. Eagles added another road game at Virginia Tech on 12/19.

Coppin State Eagles Schedule

Delaware State: Has a planned road game at Rider, the two schools are working out dates. The Hornets will reportedly will open the season at the Wake Forest MTE from 11/25-11/27. The Hornets will be joined by Wake Forest, Alabama State, and Longwood. DSU will play Delaware on 12/5. DSU will play at Georgia Tech on 12/20.

Florida A&M: Set to participate in the Santa Barbara Slam to open the season. UCSB and FGCU are the other listed participants. Rattlers will remain in California to take on Cal Baptist on 11/30. FAMU will play at Oklahoma on 12/12. FAMU heads to face Georgia Tech on 12/18.

Howard: The feature game on MLK day (1/18) against Notre Dame is likely to be televised on FOX and broadcasted by Gus Johnson, per Stadium. The Bison will compete at Duke in a multi-team event. Elon and Bellarmine are also part of the event. Howard is likely to participate in a Washington D.C. MTE (11/26-11/28). Bison would be joined by George Mason, Northeastern, and UMBC. The Bison will have a date with Mount St. Mary’s on the schedule, date is still TBD. There is a chance that the Bison back out of the Duke event now, per Media Day reports.

Maryland-Eastern Shore: The Hawks will skip non-conference play entirely this year, per HC Jason Crafton.

Morgan State: Open the season at home against Mount St. Mary’s on 11/25. Bears will play at George Mason on 12/8. Morgan State plans to host Bellarmine on 12/13. Bears will then head to Navy on 12/16 and Towson on 12/22.

Morgan State Bears Schedule

Norfolk State: Entered into a new series with Old Dominion. NSU will host ODU on 12/2 this season for the first time since 1968. Norfolk State will be part of an MTE at James Madison, facing the Dukes on 11/27 and Radford on 11/28. Norfolk State will host William & Mary on 12/9. NSU hosts Hampton on 12/7 and UNC Wilmington on 12/18. Spartans will travel to North Carolina A&T on 12/29 in a game that won’t count toward the MEAC standings.

Norfolk State Spartans Schedule

North Carolina A&T: Scheduled to play at East Tennessee State on 12/15. The Aggies will not travel to Northern Iowa, the game was cancelled. The Aggies plan to play in a three-game, round-robin MTE at Illinois from 11/25-11/27, with Illinois, Ohio, and Wright State. The Aggies also plan to play on the road at Charleston Southern on 12/1, at The Citadel on 12/3, at Longwood on 12/8 and at Western Carolina on 12/12. UNCG will pay a visit to the Aggies on 12/22. The Aggies and Norfolk State will play on 12/29 in a game that will not count toward the MEAC Standings.

North Carolina A&T Aggies Schedule

North Carolina Central: Eagles will be part of the Iowa MTE, along with Southern University. The event is planned for the opening weekend of the season. Eagles will play at Wofford on 12/3. Eagles are tied to a two day event in Nashville. They would face Tennessee State on 12/12 and either Vanderbilt or Alabama State on 12/13. NC Central will also host Charleston Southern on 12/15.

South Carolina State: The Bulldogs are set to play at Charleston on 12/11. SC State will play at South Carolina on 12/23. At media day, Coach Garvin eluded to having additional games in line with: at Appalachian State on 11/25, Charlotte on 12/7, at Clemson on 12/2, at Liberty on 12/15, at Furman on 12/21, hosting Jacksonville on 12/13, UNC-Asheville on 12/5, at Presbyterian on 12/18, and at Bowling Green on 11/28.

South Carolina State Bulldogs Non-Conference Schedule

MVC
All Programs: League play has been planned to begin on December 30th. A complete conference-schedule has been released. Here is the Complete Conference Schedule.

Bradley: Pulled out of the Paradise Jam, now located in Washington, D.C. The Braves were able to join the MTE that Xavier put together. A season-opening event from 11/25-27 with Xavier, Oakland, and Toledo. The remaining schedule will include a game at Missouri (12/22), South Dakota State (12/8), Miami (OH) on 12/19, and Jackson State (12/17). When Bradley released their scheduled it was revealed that St. Joseph’s from the Atlantic 10 will come to Peoria on 12/5 and non D1 program, Judson visits on 12/1.

Bradley Braves Schedule

Drake: Part of the Islands of Bahamas Classic, that will now be played in Estero, FL. The Bulldogs intend to participate at last check. The Bulldogs are also committed to playing in the Kansas State MTE.. Opening night for the Bulldogs will be against Kansas State on 11/25, and a game against another opponent (South Dakota State just dropped out) on 11/27. Bulldogs will host Chicago State on 12/20.

Evansville: The Aces’ participation in the Dana Point Challenge from Nov. 26-28 over Thanksgiving weekend is out. The Aces are now looking to host a game or two on opening weekend. The”buy” game at Purdue is likely gone, but may be played in a future season. The rest of the Aces’ schedule, for now, includes six games in December: at Tennessee-Martin (Dec. 2), at Southern Methodist (Dec. 5), three straight at home versus Eastern Illinois (Dec. 9), IUPUI (Dec. 12), Tennessee Tech (Dec. 19), and then at Belmont (Dec. 21).  All of which are now in jeopardy of taking place. We do have confirmation that Evansville will host SE Missouri State on 12/15.

Illinois State: Scheduled to originally play in the Cancun Challenge, the Redbirds will now be out of the event, per Coach Muller. The Redbirds are instead, heading to Nebraska to be part of the proposed large event in Lincoln. That should get ISU between three or four games in a short amount of time. Other nonconference games already set up with Milwaukee, Ball State, Northern Kentucky and others geting played or not remains to be seen. ISU does have a home game against Chicago State set for 12/15.

Indiana State: Will proceed with participating in the Gulf Coast Showcase on it’s new date (11/25-27). Game at Purdue (was Nov. 13), is now cancelled. Indiana State has scheduled a contest at Saint Louis on 12/15, and subsequently announced their game with Dayton has been cancelled. Indiana State has two home games with SEMO and Ball State. ISU replaced Wyoming (game cancelled), with a road trip to Purdue on 12/12. Sycamores also added an exhibition game against D2 Indianapolis on 12/6.

Indiana State Sycamores Schedule

Loyola-Chicago: The Myrtle Beach Invitational was one of eight early-season tournaments moving to the site of the NBA bubble in Orlando, which is also cancelled. Now, the Ramblers are looking into an MTE in Indianapolis with Cincinnati and two other programs yet to be named. Beyond that, the Dec. 13 matchup at Wintrust Arena against DePaul will remain on the schedule. The Ramblers also plan to play against Davidson this season, dates still being determined. Rambers will host Chicago State on 12/9.

Missouri State: Looking at playing a home-heavy non-conference schedule, at last check. The Bears have pending games with Missouri, Oral Roberts (12/5), and Little Rock (12/21).

Northern Iowa: UNI is scheduling feverishly and HC Ben Jacobson thinks they have four games locked up. Current games include one home game (unnamed opponent) and contests at Richmond and at Marshall (on 12/19). The UNI-New Mexico State game in Sioux Falls, SD was unfortunately called off. The Cayman Islands Invitational was cancelled, leaving the Panthers scrambling. The Panthers have decided on heading to Nebraska to be part of the proposed large event in Lincoln. That should get UNI between three or four games in a short amount of time. UNI will not play North Carolina A&T or at Northern Illinois as originally scheduled.

Southern Illinois: SIU is a participant in the Louisville nine-team MTE. The Salukis will open the season against Louisville on 11/25. SIU will play three games at the KFC Yum! Center. On 11/27, SIU will take on Prairie View A&M, and finish with Winthrop on 11/29. With the Puerto Rico event called off, that leaves the Salukis with remaining contracts with six non-conference opponents. Southeast Missouri State (on the road Dec. 2) is confirmed. The others remaining, Southern Mississippi (Dec. 5), Murray State (Dec. 11), San Francisco and Eastern Washington are in doubt. The Salukis have an agreement with Saint Louis to return a game from last season, but have not settled on a date. The game against Tulsa will likely be moved to 2021-22. The EWU and USF games are likely to be moved out as well. A game against Nicholls State was added to the docket on 12/23.

Southern Illinois Salukis Schedule

Valparaiso: The Crusaders were in line to participate in a Nashville MTE between November 27th - 29th, but the event folded. Valpo has a road game at Toledo, scheduled for 12/19. Valpo has a game at Purdue in the works, slated for 12/4.

MWC
All Programs: Conference Schedule was released! - See here

Air Force: Was part of the now-cancelled Puerto Rico multi-team event. The Falcons were tied to an early season MTE, part of the Mohegan Sun hosted “controlled environment.” But when recent pods were announced, the Falcons were missing. So we will see if they end up there. Air Force is scheduled to host Lamar on 12/5.

Boise State: Was part of the BattleGround2K one-day event in Houston, that has now been called off. The Broncos were supposed to face Texas A&M in a marquee game. The Broncos were then going to be the fourth team in a revised four-team Wooden Legacy event with Kansas, UCLA, and Seton Hall in Orlando, it is now cancelled. The latest news is Boise State is heading to Fort Worth, TX to play twice. If true, BSU would face Houston on 11/27 and Sam Houston State on 11/29.

Colorado State: Rivalry game against Colorado will proceed as scheduled in Boulder in early December. The Las Vegas based MGM Resorts event will be modified or cancelled, Louisville and Arkansas already withdrew from the event. The Rams are now set to participate in the large Lincoln, NE event, hosted by Elavate Hoops. CSU will also host Denver U. and Northern Colorado this season, dates TBD. The Rams will play at Saint Mary’s on 12/19.

Fresno State: Lost out on home game vs. George Mason, as the MWC/A10 Challenge was postponed. The Dana Point Challenge was also cancelled. We know today that Fresno State will play at Pacific on 11/28. Bulldogs have a home game with Cal Poly set for 12/12.

Nevada: The Wolfpack are heading to Nebraska to be part of the proposed large event in Lincoln. That should get Nevada between three games or so, in a short amount of time. Nevada had originally been part of the now-cancelled Cayman Islands Classic. Nevada is planning to host Pacific on 11/30. The Wolfpack agreed to play San Francisco twice this year (in Reno on 12/2 and in San Francisco on 12/6). The Pack had a home game against Grand Canyon, that is now uncertain.

New Mexico: Aiming to play the maximum nine games in addition to their 18-MWC games. The Lobos were supposed to play in the Continental Tires Event in Las Vegas, which is now up in the air (Grand Canyon remains tied to the event for now). HC Paul Weir is exploring potential multi-team event options. Two traditional rivalry games against New Mexico State are on track, and presumably a date with UTEP. UNM is subject to potentially stricter travel restrictions due to COVID-19, unless things change between now and the season opener.

San Diego State: Originally tied to the Diamond Head Classic, which was moved to Orlando. The events in Orlando were converted into four-team pods. SDSU was reportedly paired with UCF, Saint Mary’s, and Missouri prior to the entire thing being cancelled. Now, SDSU is proposing to host their own MTE with UCLA, Pepperdine, and UC Irvine. The Aztecs game at Arizona State (12/10) remains on track for this season in Tempe. Also, the original game with Saint Mary’s in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center is still up in the air. The game against BYU (originally on 12/1), appears to be off now. Another game, at Grand Canyon is uncertain to be played.

San Jose State: Will not travel to the Maryland Showcase as originally planned. SJSU will host Pacific on 12/6.

UNLV: Part of the revamped Maui Invitational, now taking place in Asheville, NC between 11/30-12/2. The Rebels will face North Carolina in the opener, and either Stanford or Alabama in their second game. On their way back west, UNLV has a scheduled road game at Kansas State on 12/5. The Rebels have a game lined up at SMU, date is still being ironed out. Rumors of a game between UNLV and Washington are out there, but at last check they weren’t able to work out a date. Rebels will host Montana State on 11/25.

Utah State: Aggies were set to travel to the now-cancelled Orlando bubble as part of the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Instead, Utah State will replace Dayton in the Crossover Classic. The Aggies would face Wichita State in the opener, and either Creighton or South Dakota State on day two. USU will host Dixie State on 12/15. USU is also hosting Saint Mary’s on 12/12. USU is still scheduled to play in Panama City Beach, FL against Mississippi State on 12/21.

Wyoming: The Cowboys non-conference schedule was up in the air for quite a while. Jackson State was also scheduled to come, but later cancelled. The Cowboys game at Arizona has been postponed to the 2021-22 season. Wyoming has a game at Utah Valley tentatively set for 12/12. Folks at Indiana State are confirming that Wyoming will play at Indiana State, but was later postponed. The Pokes ultimately set up five home games against Mississippi Valley St. (11/28), Texas Southern (11/30), Incarnate Word (12/2), Denver (12/9) and Omaha (12/17). The Cowboys will play at Oregon State on 12/6.

Wyoming Cowboys Schedule

NEC
All Programs: The conference has had two meetings, but has yet to determine a start date or format for its conference schedule. A mid- to late December start appears most likely. If nonconference games prove impossible, but the NEC can play a full, double round-robin league schedule, the 18 games would be enough for its champion to play in the NCAA Tournament.

Bryant: Was part of the St. John’s MTE, but had scheduling complications and backed out. Bulldogs will play at Syracuse on 11/27 as part of opening weekend. Bryant will host Stony Brook on 12/12.

Central Connecticut State: The revenue from nonconference “buy” games is an important financial piece. The Blue Devils had games vs. UConn and Virginia Tech scheduled, both of which are now in doubt, and a multiteam event at Rutgers starting Nov. 10, which is likely off with the Nov. 25 start date. The cost of moving into a bubble, at Mohegan or Disney, for nonconference games could be prohibitive for CCSU.

Fairleigh Dickinson: Will be part of the Rutgers MTE on 11/27 against the Scarlet Knights, and on 11/30 vs. Rider. FDU will face both teams. FDU also has a road game on track at Providence on 12/5. The Knights will open the season at Quinnipiac on 11/25 and also head to NJIT on 12/2. FDU will host Drexel on 12/19 in the home opener.

Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Schedule

Long Island: Sharks were at one point part of an event at the Mohegan Sun included Drexel, Albany and Quinnipiac, per sources. However, it appears that LIU will not play a non-conference schedule now.

Merrimack: Originally scheduled game at Washington has been postponed. Merrimack plans to face UMass-Lowell in a non-conference game, date is TBD. Merrimack will host Hartford on 11/25.

Mount St. Mary’s: The Mountaineers game with Navy on 11/28, which as a service academy has more leeway to schedule than other Patriot League programs, is now be part of an MTE at Maryland. Mountaineers will also face the Terps on 11/29. The Mountaineers also retained but moved a date with Howard to 12/22 as the landscape keeps shifting. MSM will open the season at Morgan State on 11/25. MSM will travel to two A10 opponents, VCU on 12/5 and St. Joseph’s on 12/19. A home date with UMBC on 12/11 rounds out the schedule.

Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers Schedule

Sacred Heart: The Pioneers are planning to play non-conference games. SHU will be participating in a 3-team MTE with Stony Brook and Fairfield. Sacred Heart has verbal agreements to play road games at Rutgers, St. John’s, and UConn.

St. Francis Brooklyn: Terriers have agreed tentatively to play Monmouth, dates/location are TBA. The Terriers will host Niagara ion opening night, 11/25.

St. Francis- PA: The Red Flash have secured a home game against former NEC rivals, Robert Morris on 12/5. Red Flash will open the season at Pittsburgh on 11/25. SFPA also scheduled a road game at Virginia on 12/1.

Wagner: Has a game set with Iona in New Rochelle on 12/5.

OVC
All Programs: The conference is working on have a conference schedule in place. Programs are hopeful will be no later than next week, the league is considering a 20 or 22-game conference schedule. The league should be stronger than usual, led by Austin Peay, Belmont, and Murray State. For the league to obtain two bids, they will likely need top programs to have key opportunities in non-conference play to build their respective resumes.

Austin Peay: The Islands of the Bahamas Showcase was relocated to Estero, FL, APSU elected to withdraw and join the Gulf Coast Showcase instead. The Govs will play three games in the event between 11/25-11/27 and will face Omaha in the opener and either Indiana State or East Carolina on day two. The Governors have also confirmed game against Western Kentucky, date is TBD - per Valley Hoops Insider.

Austin Peay Governors Schedule

Belmont: Head Coach Casey Alexander is in full wait and see mode. The Bruins were part of an ESPN Event that was cancelled in Orlando, however there was never an announcement on Belmont anyway. The game at Evansville on 12/21 remains on track. A game hosting Samford is set for 12/5. The Bruins will host Kennesaw State on 12/16.

Eastern Illinois: EIU is working with both Kansas and Butler (11/29) to attempt and savage those two key guarantee games. The Panthers expect to play a 25-game schedule without an Multi-Team Event (MTE). HC Jay Spoonhour was hopeful to keep Butler and Western Illinois on the schedule, mission accomplished. Panthers play at Butler on 11/29 and host WIU on 12/12. Wisconsin (11/25) and Marquette (11/27) will co-host an MTE where EIU is scheduled to play at each school once. Also, EIU’s road game at Evansville on 12/9 is on track. EIU will host Chicago State on 12/3 and travel to Green Bay on 12/5.

Eastern Illinois Basketball Schedule

Eastern Kentucky: Will open the season and play three games at the NC State MTE (11/25-11/27) with NC State, North Florida, and Charleston Southern. Early indications are that EKU will face North Florida in the opener. The Colonels will travel to play at Xavier on 11/30. EKU will host High Point on 12/22.

Jacksonville State: Gamecocks will travel to Tennessee Tech for their OVC opener on 12/13. JSU will open the season at Alabama on 11/25.

Morehead State: Replaced Hartford in the bubble MTE event hosted by Kentucky (11/25). Detroit (11/29) is also in this event and Richmond (11/27). The Eagles will also head to Ohio State on 12/5. Eagles will play at Clemson on 12/22.

Morehead State Eagles Schedule

Murray State: The Racers will host Little Rock on 12/19, per the Sun Belt website. HC Matt McMahon has said they will play road games at Southern Illinois (12/11) and at MTSU (12/2) this season. The Racers will host Prairie View A&M on 12/15. A couple of non D1 games will kickoff the season for the Racers.

Murray State Racers Schedule

SE Missouri State: The Redhawks are scheduled to play at Indiana State on 12/22. SEMO hosts SIU on 12/2. The Redhawks are part of a four-team two day event in Kansas City on 11/27-11/28, and will play Northern Colorado in the opener. SEMO and Lipscomb have a single-season home and home series established (12/7 at SEMO, 12/9 at Lipscomb). Redhawks play at Evansville on 12/15.

SE Missouri State RedHawks Schedule

SIU-Edwardsville: Slated to play in a MTE at Youngstown State. Eastern Michigan is also scheduled to be there. SIUE would likely play both of them if it comes together. SIUE has a confirmed road game at Northern Illinois on 12/2.

Tennessee-Martin: The Skyhawks still plan on hosting Evansville on 12/2 for now.

Tennessee State: Tigers have been tied to a season-opening MTE at Marshall. The Tigers would face Coppin State on 11/26 and Marshall on 11/27. TSU is tied to another event on 12/12-12/13 against NC Central in the opener. The event is being proposed by Vanderbilt, who would play Alabama State in the other game on 12/12.

Tennessee Tech: An MTE between TTU, Chattanooga and Northern Kentucky appeared to be in place, but now it looks like the games were split up. We know that TTU will host Chattanooga on 11/30 and head to NKU on 12/3. TTU will travel to play at Xavier, the day before on 12/2. TTU plans to open the season at Indiana on 11/25, head to Western Carolina on 12/6 and host Jacksonville State on 12/13. The final two non-conference matchups are slated to be at WKU on 12/22 and at Tennessee on 12/19.

Tennessee Tech Eagles Schedule

Pac-12
All programs: Voted to return to play in time for the November 25th season start date. The league is still aligned with a 20-game schedule for the first time in history. The arrival of rapid-response antigen testing by the end of this month, a system that will allow daily testing, has changed the direction of the conference. The mystery is how will non-conference games and  testing protocols work? Larger bubbles, such as the proposed bubble in Orlando, should have sophisticated testing and can likely be approved by testing standards. Which would help Utah and Arizona State, for example, to participate in such a big event. Las Vegas bubble proposals are very attractive to Pac-12 programs as well.

Arizona: The Gonzaga and Illinois games are gone. The Preseason NIT is gone. Arizona is moving forward with a plan to play all non-conference games at home, and that includes an MTE around Thanksgiving weekend to kick off the season. Likely opponents: NAU (season opener, 11/25), Northern Colorado (12/5). CSU-Bakersfield (12/9), Cal Baptist (12/16), Montana (12/22), Grambling (11/27, in MTE), and a TBD opponent in the MTE. The game against Wyoming has been moved to 2021-22. The game against LMU will be moved to a different season.

Arizona State: In line to replace Michigan and take on Villanova in the Empire Classic, now taking place at the Mohegan Sun. Boston College and Baylor are lined up in the other semifinal for now. ASU was originally supposed to compete in the Diamond Head Classic. That event has been moved to Orlando, it is unclear if the Sun Devils will remain in the field or not. The Sun Devils game vs. San Diego State remains on track for this season in Tempe.

California: Withdrew from the Kansas City-based Hall of Fame Classic, presumably to open up more freedom to play games regionally. Cal will reportedly be replaced by Tulsa in the event. The Bears are proposing to co-host an MTE with Oregon State, and Dixie State has emerged as a likely participant. Dates and venue haven’t been disclosed. The Bears are supposed to play return games and travel to UNLV and Pepperdine this season, but those are pending Covd-19 testing protocol approvals by the Pac-12. Also, a home game against San Francisco is up in the air. Cal will travel to Boston College on 12/22. The Bears will host Nicholls State on 11/30.

Colorado: The Buffs have withdrawn from the Fort Myers Tip-off. Colorado is planning to play twice in a new event at Kansas State between 11/25-11/27 (11/25 vs. South Dakota State and 11/27 vs. Kansas State), that will give the Buffs two games on opening weekend prior to potentially heading to Tucson for the conference opener on 12/2. HC Tad Boyle said the rivalry game against Colorado State will proceed as scheduled in Boulder in early December. The home game against Kansas was moved to 2021-22. The Dec. 19 game against TCU in Las Vegas was cancelled.

Oregon: Emerald Coast Classic (with Illinois, Iowa State, and Florida) is now cancelled. The Ducks also got had the misfortune of losing their originally scheduled marquee games against Baylor and Michigan. A game against BYU in Portland, is now unlikely to be played. Oregon has now been tied to the Mohegan Sun where they would face Missouri and Boston College. Unknown yet if UO will play any other games there. Oregon opens the season on 11/25 against Eastern Washington, and also hosts Dixie State on 11/28.

Oregon State: HC Wayne Tinkle is hopeful to start the season in a pod with several teams, according to an Oregonian report. Beavers had their Cayman Islands Classic plans cancelled. The Beavers had their initial matchup with Iowa in Sioux Falls, SD cancelled, and the Beavers lost out on a game at Iowa State. Beavers will host Wyoming in early December (12/6). The only remaining contract the Beavers have left is a home game vs. UTSA. The league hasn’t announced an official schedule, however the Beavers plan on playing at Washington State on 12/2 to open up conference play.

Stanford: Part of the Maui Invitational, which moved to Asheville, NC from 11/30-12/2. The Cardinal will face Alabama in opening round, and either UNLV or North Carolina next. Before heading out to Asheville, Stanford will host Utah Valley on 11/25. The Cardinal will host Cal Poly on 12/8.

UCLA: Bruins were supposed to open the season in Orlando in a two-day, two-game event with Seton Hall, Kansas, and Boise State - it is now cancelled. Instead, the Bruins are likely heading to San Diego State’s four-team MTE. Also tied to the event is UC Irvine and Pepperdine. The CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky will be played on 12/19 in Cleveland. UCLA’s home game against Marquette is set for 12/11. UCLA confirmed they will host San Diego on 12/9. Long Beach State also plans to visit UCLA in early December.

USC: Had two heavyweight games scheduled originally, Gonzaga and at Kansas. The Gonzaga game was supposed to be in mid-November at the Galen Center, is now off. As for the game at Kansas, USC is pushed to keep the game, but it did not work for KU - so its out as well. The Trojans are part of the original Legends classic (now with BYU, UConn, and Vanderbilt), which moved to the Mohegan Sun. Early indications are that USC will face UConn in the opener. USC will host Cal Poly on 12/22. USC has a season opener set against Cal Baptist in the Galen Center on 11/25.

Utah: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Utes will face Creighton in the opener, then face either Wichita State or Dayton on 11/26. Utes HC Larry Krystkowiak mentioned that they are moving forward with a matchup at rival BYU on 12/12. Utah had a return game at Missouri, which was on the initial schedule, cancelled. Utah and Utah Valley are working together to schedule a game in December. Utes will host Idaho State on 12/8. Utah plans to host South Dakota, dates are still being sorted out.

Washington: The Huskies do plan to host a season opening four-team MTE between 11/25-11/28. CS-Fullerton and Portland State have been tied to the MTE, with a fourth team pending. UW also plans to host Seattle University on 12/9. Huskies planned to take on Oklahoma in Las Vegas on 12/19, but it didn’t work out. The game in China vs. Tulane has been postponed into a future season. The game with Gonzaga is also postponed. The Auburn game at home, is presumably postponed. A game with UNLV was in the works, but is not promising now either. A previously scheduled home game against San Diego is up in the air.

Washington State: Planning to host an MTE Event on-campus. The season opener is scheduled to be against Texas Southern on 11/25. WSU also has a game against Montana State confirmed for now. WSU had home games with North Dakota and Northern Colorado, that are now uncertain. The game against Middle Tennessee will not happen this season. WSU will host Prairie View A&M on 12/21.

Patriot League
All Programs: The league is expected to cancel non-conference games in November and December. The league schedule format is still being debated. There have been discussions about the use of small pods, and even splitting the league into two divisions with home-and-home matchups within a division and one game versus the other, which would reduce league contests from 18 to 13, the minimum requirement for NCAA-tournament eligibility. 

Army: Original schedule for non-conference was nearly wiped clean and started over from scratch. Army is restricted or encouraged not to make long trips that require plane travel or overnight hotel stays. Additional concern is the race to find opponents because of NY state restrictions on travel to and from the long list of states on Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s quarantine lists. Due to a service academy exemption, Army will be allowed to appeal to play a non-conference schedule. Army plans to play against St. Bonaventure as well.

Holy Cross: Crusaders Athletics confirms that Holy Cross will not have a non-conference schedule in 2020-21.

Navy: Due to a service academy exemption, Navy will be allowed to appeal to play a non-conference schedule. Navy will open the season with the Veteran’s Classic vs. George Washington on 11/25. A game with Mount St. Mary’s on 11/28 is now part of an MTE at Maryland. Navy will face the Terps there as well. Midshipmen plan to host Morgan State on 12/16.

SEC
All Programs: The SEC league schedule will begin between the dates of 12/29-12/30. The league plans to have 20 playing dates for an 18-game schedule with two open dates. Ten schools will use an open date to play in the SEC/Big XII Challenge, the remaining four schools will play a league contest. Schedules will be rolled out at a later date.

Alabama: The Maui Invitational (three-day event) in Asheville, NC is set for 11/30-12/2. The Tide will face Stanford in the opener and get either North Carolina or UNLV on day two. Tide are scheduled to participate in Atlanta against Clemson on 12/12. Alabama will host Houston on 12/19 and host Furman on 12/15. The Tide will host East Tennessee State this season on 12/22. Bama will head to Oklahoma on 1/30 to face the Sooners in the SEC/Big XII Challenge. The season opener will be against Jacksonville State in Tuscaloosa on 11/25.

Alabama Crimson Tide Schedule

Arkansas: Originally scheduled season opener vs. Oral Roberts was moved to 12/20. The Hogs withdrew from the MGM Resorts event in Las Vegas (with San Francisco, Louisville, and Colorado State). The game vs. Oklahoma in Tulsa on 12/12 is up in the air, but it won’t happen in Tulsa. Arkansas also agreed to play at Tulsa earlier in the offseason, which will be played on 12/6. Another game vs. Old Dominion was scheduled to be played in Little Rock, is cancelled. Previously contracted home games vs. Lipscomb is now going to be played on 12/5. A game with Northern Illinois was postponed. Abilene Christian will visit the Hogs on 12/22. We also know that the Hogs will host Central Arkansas on 12/12. The Hogs will also host North Texas on 11/28, and Mississippi Valley State (11/25) as part of a mini event. UT Arlington visits on 12/2. Come January, the Razorbacks will finish off their non-conference slate with a battle at Oklahoma State on 1/30.

Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule

Auburn: Tigers were originally expected to play Gonzaga and Houston is expected to face Texas Tech in the first round of a four-team tournament in Orlando during the first week of the season. Orlando is cancelled and now the teams are heading to Fort Myers. In the Fort Myers Tip-Off, Auburn faces St. Joseph’s on 11/25 and Kansas on 11/27. Auburn is expect to play at UCF after the Fort Myers event, Date TBD. Auburn will also compete in Atlanta between 12/10-12/17 as part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving events. Auburn is set to face Memphis. Auburn will play at Baylor on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. A scheduled game at Washington was moved to a future season. Tigers will host Troy on 12/19 and Appalachian State on 12/22.

Florida: Will head to the Mohegan Sun, CT to play twice, the Gators take on Virginia on 11/27 and will have an opening game vs. Maine on 11/25. Gators will travel to face rival Florida State on 12/12. Also, the Gators will face Florida Atlantic still in the Orange Bowl Classic, likely to be moved to a home game on 12/19. Gators will host Oklahoma on 12/2. The home game against UConn was postponed late, and instead the Gators will face Stetson on 12/6. The Gators will travel to West Virginia for the SEC/Big XII Challenge on January 30th. Other home games include James Madison on 12/22 and North Florida on 12/16.

Florida Gators Schedule

Georgia: Bulldogs can play 27 games if they are able to enter into an MTE. The Global Sports Invitational is likely not happening. UGA and GT are not scheduled to meet for the first time since 1925. That could always change if games get cancelled or rearranged. A game against Cincinnati is still uncertain to happen. It was recently revealed that UGA had contracted games in December signed to play Northeastern, William & Mary, and Alcorn State. Northeastern is now set for 12/22 in Athens, Alcorn State is in limbo and William & Mary is postponed. A home game against Bowling Green will not happen. A new game has surfaced with UGA hosting Samford on 12/12, per Samford officials. Georgia will host Gardner-Webb on 11/29. Georgia will host USC-Upstate on 11/27.

Kentucky: Champions Classic game against Kansas (12/1) will be played in Orlando as part of a bubble environment of ESPN-run early season tournaments. The Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta features Kentucky against Georgia Tech on Dec. 6th as a one-day event. Kentucky has verbally agreed to play at Louisville (12/26). Kentucky’s game against UCLA scheduled as part of the CBS Sports Classic is on 12/19. The Wildcats will host Texas in Rupp Arena on 1/30, as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. Kentucky’s season opening MTE will include Detroit, Richmond, and Morehead State. The Wildcats have Notre Dame coming in (12/12), and Marshall visiting on 12/29.

LSU: Will no longer be participating in the Gotham Classic, which was to be relocated to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. LSU will be part of the Atlanta Holiday event, facing South Florida on 12/12. The Tigers have confirmed they will be hosting VCU on 12/22. The Tigers are also heading to Nebraska to be part of the proposed large event in Lincoln, and expect to play three games (LSU will play Western Kentucky there). The game against Louisiana Tech in Bossier City, will now be played at LSU on 12/6. LSU plans to host New Orleans on 12/16 and North Texas on 12/19. LSU will host Texas Tech in the SEC/Big XII Challenge on 1/30.

LSU Tigers Schedule

Mississippi State: Stated they want to maximize the 27 games. Part of the Melbourne, FL event and facing Clemson on 11/25, then either Purdue or Liberty. Bulldogs original plan was scheduled nonconference opponents: Dayton (in Atlanta) will happen on 12/12. Utah State (in Panama City, Florida) is set to happen this season on 12/21. A home game against a Iowa State on 1/30 is set as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. Bulldogs will play host to Texas State on 11/30, North Texas on 12/4, Jackson State on 12/8 and Central Arkansas on 12/16.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Schedule

Missouri: The events in Orlando are now cancelled. Mizzou was been paired with UCF, San Diego State, and Saint Mary’s - but its all gone. The Tigers and Illinois are looking for a date for their regularly scheduled game in St. Louis. The Tigers also plan to play against Bradley this season on 12/22 in Columbia. Mizzou hosts TCU on 1/30 as part of the SEC/Big XII Challenge. Mizzou will host Liberty on 12/9. Tigers will host Oral Roberts in the opener on 11/25. Mizzou travels to Wichita State on 12/6. Tigers will also head to the Mohegan Sun, per CBS, and face both Oregon and Boston College.

Ole Miss: The Rebels will have seven non-conference games scheduled after Nov. 25. Those may include matchups against perennial powers like Memphis and Wichita State. The Rebels were also scheduled to play in the Cayman Islands Classic which is now officially cancelled. The Rebels will now be hosting a preseason tournament in Oxford with Central Arkansas, Arkansas State, and Jackson State set to participate in a three-day, three-game round robin. Ole Miss has recently confirmed they will play at Dayton on 12/19. Ole Miss had a matchup on 12/12 with UNC-Wilmington, that is now up in the air.

South Carolina: The game against Clemson, set for Columbia this year will likely be played on 12/19. The HOF Classic is reportedly being moved to 11/28-11/29 and now invloves South Carolina, Tulsa (replaces Cal), Northwestern, and TCU. Gamecocks will face Northwestern in the opener, and TCU or Tulsa in their second game. SC will travel to play a road game at Houston, the game was confirmed by CBS. Gamecocks have confirmed they will host Wofford on 12/10. The Gamecocks still have scheduled games at Coastal Carolina (Dec. 1) and George Washington (Dec. 14) with agreements to host Rider and Army. A game with South Carolina State is set for 12/23. All are up in the air. Coach Martin also hinted at perhaps playing an Exhibition game against a local school on 11/25 to open the season.

Tennessee: Vols were expected to play Charlotte and Penn State was expected to face VCU in a four-team tournament in Orlando, but that is all cancelled now. Instead, the Vols are exploring hosting their own MTE on campus. Vols plan to face Charlotte in the opener on 11/25, then host VCU on 11/27. The Vols plans to play Gonzaga fell thru, as part of the Jimmy V Classic.. The originally scheduled Vols vs. Memphis game in Nashville appears to be cancelled. The Vols’ game against Wisconsin was initially scheduled on 11/11, and now looks unlikely to occur. The Vols will host Cincinnati on 12/12 and host Kansas on 1/30 in premier non-league games. Another home game will happen against Tennessee Tech on 12/19. The Vols will host Appalachian State on 12/15. The Vols added USC Upstate to the schedule on 12/22. A late addition came when Notre Dame announced they are hosting the Vols on 12/4.

View: Tennessee Volunteers Schedule

Texas A&M: Will open the season at the Crossover Classic from 11/25-11/27: the Aggies will face West Virginia in the opener, then face either Memphis or Saint Mary’s on 11/26. Fort Worth Showcase game against TCU at Dickies Arena, remains on track for 12/12. The Aggies have local schools, Tarleton State (12/2), and UTRGV (12/6) coming to Aggieland. The Aggies will host SE Louisiana on 12/15 and Wofford on 12/21. Finally, the Aggies will wrap up non-conference play at Kansas State on 1/30.

View: Texas A&M Schedule

Vanderbilt: Part of the Legends Classic (with USC, UConn, and BYU), which was moved the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut (12/2-12/3). The event originally provided a couple of home games for Vandy against Liberty and Monmouth, which now appear unlikely. HC Jerry Stackhouse said Vanderbilt could hold a tournament involving two HBCU's and one additional major-conference team. The Commodores also plan to play against Davidson, dates and location are being worked on. Vandy’s game at SMU appears to be on track for now as well. Reports from Richmond say the Spiders plan to play the return game at Vandy this season. Vandy has a mini event setup on 12/12-12/13, the Commodores will face Alabama State and then either Tennessee State or NC Central on the second day.

SoCon
All Programs: Likely to play an 18-game schedule beginning on 12/30.

Chattanooga: An MTE between 11/28-12/2 with Northern Kentucky and Tennessee Tech appears to be in place, per Stadium. The previously scheduled series with Bellarmine and a home game against UNC-Asheville remain uncertain for now. The Mocs will play at UAB on 12/19. The Mocs setup an in-season home and home with Bellarmine. Chattanooga will host NKU on 11/28 and UNC Asheville on 12/16. Their remaining schedule includes road games at Tennessee Tech (11/30) and MTSU (12/6).

Chattanooga Mocs Schedule

East Tennessee State: Proposed to host bubble a few weeks back, now that plan is off the table. The Bucs have also withdrawn from the Cancun Challenge games, and will now be in the Gulf Coast Showcase (11/25-11/27). A game at Alabama on 12/22 is in place. Two home games in December are in tact vs. UAB on 12/12 and North Carolina A&T on 12/15. A game at UNC-Asheville in Harrah’s Cherokee Center is set for 12/8.

Furman: Paladins were tied to the now-cancelled ESPNevents in Orlando. The Paladins are looking like a strong contender this season and are looking to sure up some quality games where possible. Furman has a road test scheduled for 12/15 at Alabama. Paladins will host South Carolina State on 12/21.

Mercer: The Bears will open the season at Georgia Tech’s MTE, facing GT on 11/27, and likely Georgia State on 11/26. Lost out on four games in the wiped-out Gotham Classic (At LSU, at Syracuse, Jacksonville St., and at Green Bay). Previously arranged local matchups will likely now be prioritized (at Georgia Southern and hosting Winthrop), but nothing is official yet. Bears will host Kennesaw State on 12/22.

Samford: Will play three non D-1 programs and six D-1’s. Highlighted by a game at Georgia on 12/12. The Bulldogs will also play at Belmont on 12/5, and host Alabama A&M (11/29), Alabama State (12/9). The last two non-conference road games are at Troy (12/15) and at Kennesaw State (12/19).

Complete Samford Bulldogs Schedule

The Citadel: The Bulldogs will likely have to push three big-money guarantee games to the 2021-22 season, athletic director Mike Capaccio said. Games at Duke, Illinois, and College of Charleston are off the table, but looking to move all three to next year. Capaccio indicated that that they may only get a couple of games in beyond SoCon play. The Bulldogs will host Presbyterian on 12/22. The Citadel hosts North Carolina A&T on 12/3.

UNC-Greensboro: Spartans are heading to Louisville for a large MTE, and will play five games. UNCG will open the season on 11/25 against Little Rock in Louisville, then face Winthrop on 11/27, Duquesne on 11/29, Prairie View A&M on 12/2 and Louisville on 12/4. UNCG will play at North Carolina A&T across town on 12/22.

VMI: Looking at making the trip to Portland, Oregon for an three-game MTE against Portland, Idaho, and Cal Poly between 11/25-11/28. VMI also plans to play at Virginia Tech in early December.

Western Carolina: Catamounts will open the season in a four-team MTE at UNC-Asheville’s campus. Each team plays twice, and the Catamounts will face Troy on 11/27 and UNC-Asheville on 11/28. WCU plans to arrive early and open the season against UNC-Wilmington in Asheville on 11/25. WCU will play at Charleston on 12/18. WCU will host Tennessee Tech on 12/6. WCU will host North Carolina A&T on 12/12.

Wofford: Was part of the Global Sports Invitational that appears to be cancelled. The Terriers will unfortunately miss out on games at SMU, at Georgia, and vs. Charleston Southern. Wofford will be heading to Texas A&M on 12/21 as announced by TAMU. Terriers will open the season against two Non D1 opponents, then host NC Central on 12/3. Wofford will also host Coastal Carolina on 12/15. Terriers have two other road games in non-conference play: at Presbyterian on 12/6 and at South Carolina on 12/10.

Wofford Terriers Schedule

Southland
All Programs: 16-game conference schedule will begin on January 2nd.

Abilene Christian: Will be a replacement team in the Gulf Coast Showcase between 11/25-11/27. ACU will open up play against East Tennessee State, then face either Akron or Middle Tennessee on day two. ACU will travel to Arkansas and face the Razorbacks on 12/22. ACU hosts Tarleton State on 12/5. ACU heads to Lubbock to face Texas Tech on 12/9. Looks like a 23-game schedule at this point for the Wildcats.

Abilene Christian Wildcats Schedule

Central Arkansas: The Bears are committed to playing three games in three days in Oxford, MS. Their opponents will be Ole Miss (11/25), Arkansas State (11/26), and Jackson State (11/27). The Bears have a road game scheduled for 12/12 at Arkansas. UCA will also play at Baylor for the second consecutive year, on 12/29. Bears will play at Missouri State on 12/1, at Saint Louis on 12/6 and at Mississippi State on 12/16. UCA also released their Southland Conference schedule early.

Central Arkansas Bears Schedule

Houston Baptist: A road game at SMU remains on track for now. The Huskies will play at Oklahoma on 12/19. The Huskies open their season on 11/25 at TCU.

Incarnate Word: The Cardinals plan to host a four-team MTE between 11/27-11/29. The event is planned to include Rice, North Dakota, and D1 newcomers Tarleton State. UIW will play at UTRGV on 12/14. Cardinals will play at Texas State on 12/5. UIW plays at Wyoming on 12/2.

Lamar: The Cardinals will play in a four-team tournament at Tulane University from Nov. 27-29, according to a report from Stadium’s Jeff Goodman. Lamar will be joined at the event by Lipscomb, IUPUI and host school Tulane. Cards will play at UL Monroe on 12/9. Lamar will play in Ruston, LA on 12/19 at Louisiana Tech. Cards are also slated to play at Houston in the season opener on 11/25. Cardinals have established road games at Air Force on 12/5 and UTSA on 12/22. Lamar wraps up non-conference play on 12/29 vs. SE Louisiana.

Lamar Cardinals Schedule

McNeese State: The Cowboys have a game lined up at Houston, date is TBD.

New Orleans: The Privateers are planning to compete at the four-team Jacksonville Dolphins (ASUN) MTE. They will reportedly be joined by Bethune-Cookman and Campbell. UNO also has two meetings lined up with Louisiana-Lafayette (12/1 at home, 12/4 at ULL). UNO will also head to Baton Rouge to face LSU on 12/16.

Nicholls State: Planning to participate in the Silicon Valley Classic between 11/25-11/28 (11/26 is an off day). Also in the event are Santa Clara, Idaho State and UC Davis - Colonels will play each team once. Colonels will remain in California, to play Cal on 11/30 and at Saint Mary’s on 12/1. NSU will play at Baylor on 12/8. NSU will play at Southern Illinois on 12/23.

Nicholls State Colonels Schedule

Northwestern State: Planning to compete in the Louisiana Tech three-team MTE. The third team appears to be UT Arlington. The Demons will head to TCU on 12/3 for a road contest. Demons will host UL Monroe on 12/1. Demons travel to Tulsa on 12/18. Demons open the season at Texas Tech on 11/25.

Sam Houston State: Previously planned to travel to Arizona and be part of an MTE were replaced by an MTE in Fort Worth. The current proposal has the Bearkats facing Texas Tech on 11/27 in Lubbock, and Boise State on 11/29 in Fort Worth. Prior to those games, SHSU will open the season at SMU on 11/25. The Bearkats also have a date at Texas on 12/16. SHSU also announced their Southland league-play schedule early. Bearkats will play at Houston on 12/9 and go to UTRGV on 12/21. Bearkats host Rice on 12/19.

Sam Houston State Bearkats Schedule

Southeastern Louisiana: Lions were tied to an MTE from 11/25-11/30 at UAB, with Kent State, Alcorn State, and Purdue-Fort Wayne. SELA is set to face Purdue-Fort Wayne on 11/25 to open the season. SELA also has a game at UAB set for 11/28. SELA also has a road game lined up at Texas A&M on 12/29. Another road game at Cal Baptist is set for 12/4. A previously scheduled game at Louisville was removed. Lions are heading to Louisiana Tech on 12/9. SELA will also play at Lamar on 12/29.

Stephen F. Austin: Has agreed to participate in a Multi-team event in the Mohegan Sun, Connecticut. The Lumberjacks have been matched up against St. Bonaventure and is also part of a bracket that includes Towson and a fourth team to be named. While in the Mohegan Sun, SFA also coordinated a stand-alone game against Rhode Island to open the season on 11/25. SFA had a marquee game at Kansas on 12/29, cancelled unfortunately. SFA will play at UL Monroe on 12/12. The Jacks will host Arkansas State on 12/16. SFA will host Alcorn State on 12/5.

Stepen F. Austin Lumberjacks Schedule

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi: Game at Texas A&M will not happen this season as originally planned. TAMUCC will play at Texas Tech on 12/12. Islanders setup two games this year against UTRGV on 12/2 (in Edinburg) and 12/10 (home). Islanders host Texas State on 11/28 and SMU on 11/30. TAMUCC has a return trip to face Texas State on 12/15. A trip to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns is set for 12/29.

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Islanders Schedule

Summit League
All Programs: Plans to play a 16-game conference schedule. Teams will play each other twice at one site. Games will be held on back-to-back days. Full schedules should be out soon.

Denver: Planning to host an MTE between 12/19-12/22. Northern Arizona and Texas State are in line to compete in this. The Pioneers are planning to play at Colorado State, dates are TBD. DU will play at Wyoming on 12/9.

Kansas City: The ‘Roos will head to Kansas State on 11/30. Kansas City has a game at Toledo on 12/12. UMKC will host a four-team even on 11/27 and 11/28. KC will face a non D1 opponent on the 27th, and either Northern Colorado or SE Missouri State on 11/28.

North Dakota: UND will compete at the four-team MTE at Incarnate Word (in San Antonio) between 11/27-29. The event includes Rice, Tarleton State, and UIW. UND is also slated to play at Minnesota on 12/29. A previously scheduled road game at Washington State is uncertain.

North Dakota State: The Bison committed to a three-game MTE in Milwaukee, hosted by UW-Milwaukee between 11/27-11/29. It appears, they will also face Ball State and Southern Miss while at the event. The Bison have a date at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on 12/5 to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. NDSU has another Big 12 opponent on the schedule, at TCU on 12/22.

Omaha: On track to participate in the Gulf Coast Showcase (11-25-11/27). The Mavericks will face Austin Peay in the Opening round game. The Mavs will play at Kansas on 12/11. The Mavs will play at Creighton on 12/1. Mavs play at Wyoming on 12/17.

Omaha Mavericks Schedule

Oral Roberts: In-state game is scheduled at Oklahoma State, the two schools are still determining a new date. ORU had a road game scheduled at Missouri State, which is also up in the air. Others that are unknown with the new schedule include visits to TCU, Wichita State, and a home game vs. UT-Arlington. ORU was able to find a date to play at Arkansas on 12/20. ORU will host cross-town rival Tulsa on 12/12.

South Dakota: Road game is on the calendar for 12/29 at Kansas State. Another road game at Utah is happening, teams are determining a date for the game.

South Dakota State: Was part of the announced Kansas State MTE. But when an opening in the nearby CrossRiver Classic came up, the Jackrabbits jumped all over it. SDSU will face Creighton in the opening game, and play three games against elite competition. The Jackrabbits also have a game at Bradley scheduled for 12/8.

Western Illinois: Leathernecks will play at Eastern Illinois on 12/12.

Sun Belt
All Programs: The league will begin conference play on December 31st and play an 18-game schedule. Here is the complete schedule - Sun Belt Conference Schedule

Arkansas State: Red Wolves are committed to playing three games in three days in Oxford, MS to open the season. Their opponents will be Ole Miss (11/27), Central Arkansas (11/26), and Jackson State (11/25). The Red Wolves are visiting Memphis to take on the Tigers on 12/2. Arkansas State will also play at Stephen F. Austin on 12/16. The non-conference home slate includes Arkansas Pine-Bluff on 12/9 and three non D1 schools in December.

Arkansas State Red Wolves Schedule

Appalachian State: The Mountaineers will open the season at South Carolina State on 11/25. App. State will host Bowling Green on 11/30. A total of four non D1 Programs will visit Boone in the non-conference. The Mountaineers have two games at SEC opponents, Auburn on 12/22 and Tennessee on 12/15. An additional road game at Charlotte on 12/11 rounds out the non-conference slate.

Appalachian State Mountaineers Schedule

Coastal Carolina: CCU will travel to Spartanburg and face the Wofford Terriers on 12/15. Chanticleers are also looking to reschedule matchups with South Carolina and Winthrop, but nothing is solidified.

Georgia Southern: GSU will play at Florida Gulf Coast on 12/22. Eagles have an in-season home and home established with Mercer (at GSU on 12/13 and at Mercer on 12/19). A game at Kentucky was postponed.

Georgia State: A Nashville MTE between November 27th - 29th was scrapped, GSU instead will play crosstown at Georgia Tech’s MTE. The opener on 11/25 is GSU vs. the Yellow Jackets, GSU will likely face Mercer on 11/26. The Panthers do have a confirmed home game against Charleston on 12/21. The Panthers had a road game set at Mercer on 12/4, that is unknown now with the MTE (still possible for them to play twice).

Little Rock: Pulled out of the Paradise Jam, now located in Washington, D.C. The Trojans are now part of the event in Louisville. Trojans will play there five times against: Duquesne (12/3), UNC-Greensboro (11/25), WKU (11/28), PVAMU (11/30) and Winthrop (12/4) plus others. UALR also has published games against two road opponents at Murray State on 12/19 and at Missouri State on 12/21.

Louisiana-Lafayette: Scheduled games at Texas and Southern Miss have been postponed. The Ragin’ Cajuns are not affiliated with an MTE event and do not intend to be. They are looking to play the maximum seven additional games allowed under these conditions. The Cajuns will open the season against NAIA program, Xavier of Louisiana on 11/25.. The Cajuns will play New Orleans twice (at UNO on 12/1, hosting UNO on 12/4). The Cajuns also have a home date against Louisiana Tech on 12/12.

Louisiana-Monroe: ULM and Louisiana Tech have setup an in-season home-and-home series, 12/3 will be at LA Tech, and 12/22 game wil be in Monroe. ULM will play at Northwestern State to open the season on 12/1. Also, a trip to Southern Miss is set for 12/19. The Warhawks will host Lamar (12/9), Stephen F. Austin (12/12) and Grambling (12/16).

Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Schedule

South Alabama: The Jaguars are planning to host a four-team multi-team event at the Mitchell Center to begin the regular season. South Alabama will face Florida Atlantic on 11/25 in the opener. Jaguars are also expected to travel to Auburn at some point in December as well.

Texas-Arlington: The Mavericks announced a big opener against Oklahoma State on 11/25 at home. Then the Mavs are planning to compete in the Louisiana Tech three-team MTE between 11/27-11/29. The third team appears to be Northwestern State. UTA also has a scheduled game at Arkansas on 12/2. A game at Oral Roberts is also pending. The Mavs’ return game at UC Santa Barbara is unlikely, the UTA Administration does not want to travel out there, according to reports. UTA will play at Tulsa on 12/4.

Texas-Arlington Mavericks Schedule

Texas State: Planning to play in the Denver Pioneers (12/19) MTE between 12/19-12/21. Northern Arizona (12/21) is also in line to be in the event. TX State will travel to Mississippi State on 11/30. Bobcats will play at Texas on 12/9. Bobcats will take on the Islanders of TAMUCC twice, in Corpus Christi on 11/28 and at home on 12/15. Incarnate Word visits San Marcos on 12/5.

Texas State Bobcats Schedule

Troy: Trojans will open the season in a four-team MTE at UNC-Asheville’s campus. Each team plays twice, and the Trojans will face Western Carolina on 11/27 and UNC-Wilmington on 11/28. Troy will be hosting Samford on 12/15. The Trojans will hit the road to play at Wake Forest on 12/2 and at UAB on 12/6. North Alabama visits Troy on 12/10. Trojans wrap up non-conference play at Auburn on 12/19.

Troy Trojans Schedule

SWAC
All Programs: The SWAC decided to move forward on a 18-game schedule.

Alabama A&M: Scheduled road game at Ohio State on 12/5. Another road game will be at Samford on 11/29.

Alabama State: Will open the season at the Wake Forest MTE from 11/25-11/27. The Hornets will face Wake Forest on 11/25, Delaware State (11/27), and Longwood (11/26). ASU will head to Samford on 12/9. Hornets added more road games at North Alabama (12/19) and Vanderbilt (12/12) as part of two game event. In the Vandy event, ASU will face either Tennessee State or NC Central on 12/13. Also North Alabama will visit ASU on 12/2.

Alabama State Hornets Schedule

Alcorn State: Braves were tied to an MTE from 11/25-11/30 at UAB, with Kent State, SE Louisiana, and Purdue-Fort Wayne. Location has not been announced, event seems shaky now. The Braves open the season on 11/26 against UAB. Alcorn State also has a game scheduled at Cal Baptist on 12/10. The Braves play at Stephen F. Austin on 12/5.

Arkansas Pine Bluff: Wisconsin and Marquette will co-host an MTE that will include UAPB. The plan is for the Lions to play at Marquette and at Wisconsin. The Lions will also play at Baylor on 12/21. UAPB will play at Arkansas State on 12/9.

Grambling: Planning to travel to Arizona and be part of an MTE, where they would face Grand Canyon and Arizona. Tigers will travel to UL Monroe for a road contest on 12/16. GSU will head to Texas Tech on 12/3.

Jackson State: The JSU staff worked hard to build a guarantee game schedule. Updates - JSU has now committed to playing three games in three days in Oxford, MS. Their opponents will be Ole Miss (11/26), Arkansas State (11/25), and Central Arkansas (11/27). JSU was at one point lined up to play the following games: 12/15 at Louisiana Tech, 12/20 at Iowa State, 12/17 at Bradley. The previously scheduled games at Marquette, Wyoming, and UL Monroe will not happen this season. JSU will play at Mississippi State on 12/8.

Jackson State Tigers Schedule

Mississippi Valley State: Delta Devils will play at North Texas on 11/26 and play at Arkansas on 11/25. Then MVSU heads to Wyoming to face the Cowboys on 11/28.

Prairie View A&M: Panthers are part of the MTE at Louisville between 11/25 - 12/4 to play five times. PVAMU will face Southern Illinois (11/27), Louisville (11/29), Little Rock (11/30), UNC Greensboro (12/2) and Western Kentucky (12/3). Prior to arriving in Louisville, the Panthers will play on opening night at Northwestern on 11/25. And right after Louisville, the Panthers head to Phoenix to face Grand Canyon on 12/5. That is seven games in the first 11 days of the season! For the final two non-conference games, the Panthers head to Murray State on 12/15 and Washington State on 12/21.

Prairie View A&M Panthers Schedule

Southern U: The Jaguars will participate in the Iowa Hawkeyes’ multi-team event, also joined by NC Central. The Jags will also play at UAB on 12/16. SU also is heading to Cal Baptist for a matchup on 12/21.

Texas Southern: Tigers will play at TCU on 12/30. TSU plans to play in the Washington State MTE and will face the Cougars on 11/25. Tigers will play at Wyoming on 11/30.

WAC
All Programs: The league moved forward with a plan that includes playing two regular season conference games in the same location each week of the conference season (similar to the Big Sky).

WAC Conference Schedule

Cal Baptist: Will not participate in the Maryland Showcase now, opens up three games for the Lancers’ schedule. CBU still plans to play at Arizona on 12/16. CBU will host UC Davis on 12/8. The home game against Long Beach State will be played on 12/19. CBU will open the season at USC on 11/25. Lancers will then host Florida A&M (11/30) and SE Louisiana (12/4). A pair of home contests against SWAC programs, Alcorn State (12/10) and Southern U. (12/21) finalized the non-conference lineup.

Cal Baptist Lancers Schedule

Chicago State: Cougars have a scheduled road contest at Northern Illinois on 12/18. CSU will also play at Eastern Illinois on 12/3. Chicago State will host IUPUI in the season opener on 11/25. CSU has road contests setup at DePaul on 11/28, at Northwestern on 12/5, at Loyola-Chicago on 12/9, and at Illinois State on 12/15. The following week, CSU wraps up their non-conference schedule in Iowa - facing Drake on 12/20 and Iowa State on 12/22.

Chicago State Cougars Schedule

Dixie State: DSU has emerged as a likely participant in an MTE co-hosted by Cal and Oregon State, however the games are not listed on the Trailblazers’ schedule release. Dates and venue haven’t been disclosed yet. An in-season series with UC Davis was cancelled. DSU has home games with Weber State (12/5) and four non-D1 schools. Trailblazers will travel to Denver U. (12/12), Utah State (12/15), Southern Utah (12/19), and Gonzaga (12/29).

Dixie State Trailblazers Schedule

Grand Canyon: Planning to co-host an MTE with the Arizona Wildcats. The Lopes would face Grambling at home and another team, but not Arizona with the current plan. The Lopes were supposed to play in the Continental Tires Event in Las Vegas, which is now up in the air (New Mexico is still tied to this event for now as well). Marquee games with San Diego State, at Nevada, San Francisco in Phoenix, and Arizona State are in jeopardy. GCU will host Prairie View A&M on 12/5.

New Mexico State: Home-and-home every season with both New Mexico and UTEP have been a mainstay for the Aggies. Those games become more paramount than ever for the Las Cruces school who is disadvantaged geographically from other programs, especially considering that NMSU has no ties to an MTE of any kind this season. HC Chris Jans says all four games are on track to happen. Also, the Aggies have a game in Sioux Falls, SD against Northern Iowa which is on schedule still.

Seattle U: Has withdrawn from the Diamond Head Classic, which was moved to Orlando. The Redhawks intend to play in a multi-team event still, TBD. Redhawks were planning to host Idaho State, the two schools are looking at new dates or cancelling the game. Seattle U. will play at Washington on 12/9.

Tarleton State: First season in Division 1. TSU will compete at the four-team MTE at Incarnate Word between 11/27-29. The event includes Rice, North Dakota, and UIW. Tarleton has a date at Texas A&M set for 12/2. TSU set up a showcase guarantee game at Kansas on 12/13. And a local road game at Abilene Christian will be played on 12/5.

Tarleton State Texans Schedule

Utah Valley: The Wolverines will open the season at Stanford on 11/25. UVU then will play locally at BYU on 11/28. Utah and Utah Valley are working together to schedule a game at Utah in December. UVU also has a road game at Wyoming that is tentative, the date if it happens will be 12/12. A home game against Idaho State on 12/19 is still on track for now.

UTRGV: The WAC is a geographically diverse league spread across three time zones. It forces UTRGV to play very regionalized and Texas-centric, non-conference schedules which divides the Vaqueros seasons into two distinct halves. Quotes from HC Lew Hill - “We really want to stay close in the non-conference and stay in and around the Texas area so we can just be more on the bus, ride the bus,” Hill said. “Then once we get into conference (play), we’ll be flying all over the place, so we want to stay as close as possible around here. Go to the game, get back home and try to stay as safe as possible. We’re excited.” UTRGV has dates at Texas to open the season on 11/25 and at Texas A&M set for 12/6 in place. Vaqueros will host Sam Houston State on 12/21. Two games with TAMUCC are lined up for 12/2 (Home) and 12/10 (in Corpus Christi). UTSA (11/28) and Incarnate Word (12/14) will visit this season.

UTRGV Vaqueros Schedule

WCC
All Programs: Conference schedule has been released! See here

BYU: Ever since Mark Pope’s first day on the job, he has longed for a challenging non-conference schedule. He has been successful, but now has to deal with the reshuffle. The Cougars are off to a good start, they will replace Notre Dame in the Legends Classic (also includes UConn, USC, and Vanderbilt), which will happen at the Mohegan Sun. The Cougars are also planning to host arch-rival Utah on 12/12. BYU has four games from the original non-conference schedule that could be played with the new start date. Those include in-state matchups against UVU Nov. 28, at San Diego State Dec. 1, and Weber State on Dec. 23. However, a marquee game against Oregon in Portland, is looking unlikely. BYU is trying to reschedule game with Arizona State.

Gonzaga: HC Mark Few has indicated that the 2020-21 non-conference schedule will probably be even more difficult than it was before. He wasn’t kidding. GU will open the season in Fort Myers against the Kansas Jayhawks on 11/25, they also get St. Joseph’s on 11/27. The Zags are lined up to play Tennessee in the Jimmy V Classic on 12/2. The original schedule was already pretty difficult with games like Baylor, Arizona, USC, Washington plus the Orlando Invitational (3 games). Now the Bulldogs have confirmed that they will face Baylor in Indianapolis on 12/5. Gonzaga will now face Iowa in Sioux Falls, SD on 12/19. GU was expected to play Auburn and Houston was expected to face Texas Tech in the first round of a four-team tournament in Orlando, but that was wiped out. Zags will host Dixie State on 12/29. Games with Washington and Arizona will not happen. December home games against Tarleton State, Bellarmine, and Northern Arizona are in doubt.

Loyola Marymount: AD Craig Pintens has confirmed that LMU will not be making up the lost game at Arizona this season, although they may persue a new agreement in the future. The Islands of Bahamas Showcase was relocated to Estero, FL, the Lions need to decide soon if they will remain in the event or stay closer to home. The Lions will host UC Santa Barbara on 12/12 and also host Cal Poly on 12/19. LMU is slated to play at Boise State this season, date is TBD. A planned home game against Long Beach State is uncertain for now. LMU will host Southern Utah in the opener on 11/25. Lions will play at Stanford on 12/9.

Pacific: Tigers will host two games on opening week against UC Riverside on 11/25 and Fresno State on 11/28. A stiff test at Nevada comes on 11/30. Pacific hosts Montana State (12/2) and UC Davis (12/12). Tigers have road contests lined up at San Jose State (12/6), CS-Northridge (12/16), and CS-Fullerton (12/19). A previously scheduled game vs. UC Irvine was removed. Tigers will host three Non D1 schools to complete their non-conference slate.

Pacific Tigers Schedule

Pepperdine: Was part of the Dana Point Challenge, which was postponed. Now, Pepperdine appears to be heading to a four-team event at San Diego State, and they will be joined by UCLA and UC Irvine. The Waves will have their December matchup against UC Santa Barbara, but it will now be played at home in Malibu.

Portland: Planning to host a four-team MTE between 11/25-11/28. The Pilots have lined up games against VMI, Idaho, and Cal Poly. Portland has a road contest on the schedule at UC Davis on 12/5. The Pilots will also face Montana State this year, date for this game is TBD.

Saint Mary’s: Gaels were tied to the Diamond Head Classic, which was moved to Orlando. The events in Orlando folded. SMC is now filling in for Ohio State at the Crossover Classic in South Dakota. The Gaels are scheduled to face Memphis in the opener (11/25) and either Texas A&M or West Virginia the following day. The game originally scheduled with San Diego State in Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center was postponed. St. Mary’s will play at Utah State on 12/12. The remaining five non-league games will be at McKeon Pavilion: Nicholls State on 12/1, UTEP on 12/8, Eastern Washington on 12/15, Colorado State on 12/19, and Sacramento State on 12/30.

Saint Mary’s Gaels Schedule

San Diego: Toreros will play at UCLA on 12/9, confirmed by UCLA HC Mick Cronin. USD will play at Cal Poly on 12/16. A previously scheduled road game at Washington is up in the air.

San Francisco: The Dons will open the season in Lincoln, NE, particpating in the Elavate Hoops event. USF figures to play three games while there. The Dons also are doing a single-season home-and-home series with Nevada (12/2 at Nevada, 12/6 vs. Nevada). The Dons were scheduled to play at Cal this season, but that game is up in the air until further notice. The game at Grand Canyon is up in the air too. The home game vs. Southern Illinois is likely to be moved out.

Santa Clara: Will host a four-team MTE (likely will become the Cable Car Classic). Nicholls State, UC Davis, and Idaho State are lined up to participate. Broncos will host Sacramento State on 12/12.

Stay tuned for more updates, follow me on twitter @roccomiller8

College Basketball in 2021: Coast-to-Coast Bubbles: Non-Conference Play

By Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8)

Part 1: Non-Conference Bubble Selections

Simply smile more. Practice reframing. Build resiliency. These are the three key areas to boost your positive thinking and reduce stress according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. What does this have to do with College Basketball you may ask? Today I’d say, quite a bit. Especially now. We are living in a pandemic-laden world today, where things are fluid by the hour not only with sports, but more importantly in life. The everyday American today may be feeling a wide-range of emotions or even sadness. In the College Basketball world, we are no different. College Basketball staffs, players, and fans are holding on tightly to hope for some resemblance of a season this coming Winter.

The opportunity to anchor on this new found positive wisdom has become incredibly worth while for myself personally and professionally over time, but this now feels like the real test of will power. College Basketball and College Football are both going thru several layers of a revolution and potentially lost seasons. Without question, the sports world has been like nothing any of us have ever experienced going back to this past March. It was an eye-opening experience to witness how sadness and pessimism can creep in and take over thoughts for an entire collective college basketball community. Many parts of life are deeper and more important than basketball. That has never become more clear to me. And after several webinars and connections with coaches this summer, many agree with me. Life issues have come to the forefront over the past several months.

As an occasional escape and after the successful TBT Tournament, I spent time over the past seven weeks building out a non-conference bubble proposal that can hopefully be looked at as a reality well before we get to January 1, 2021. Let’s first review how we got here.

March 12th. That was our last real glimpse into any College Basketball action. Watching Creighton and St. John’s that morning was unforgettable. The game was stunningly able to go on for an entire first half of play after every other pending conference tournament had been cancelled by then due to the safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the pandemic has still not been handled. We remain in flux, with outbreaks hitting in many parts of the country. College athletic departments remain short on details, as they wait on a plethora of factors ranging from pro-sports success or failure, campus decisions, and vaccine feasibility. Since that Thursday in March, the College Basketball world has been in mourning. We did not make it to Selection Sunday, no NCAA Tournament, no Final Four trip, nothing.

We now look forward to what viable options remain for the 2020-21 season, or perhaps we should just look at the 2021 season? Already aware that the The Ivy League will not be playing any games whatsoever until January 1st, 2021, and the Patriot League and others are predicted to follow suit sometime soon, we know the liklihood of games in November and December is shrinking. This has created many discussions within College Basketball circles on if it would be feasible or not to have a regular season comprised of just conference-only games and be able to select a tournament field based on those results alone. This is a scenario that I’d think is near last resort for the NCAA. NET data would be useful to still determine a percieved strength of a team while selecting the field of 68, but those middling teams (which there would be several) would create a really difficult to near impossible task of coming to a consensus for the committee in the selection room.

Efforts to play basketball on the national scale and within a bubble emerged ealrier this summer, as the TBT Tournament in Columbus, Ohio commenced. It was an overall smashing success. Two teams were forced to drop out of the tournament early on due to one team member testing positive for COVID-19. But out of 26 teams, that was a result that I believe tournament organizers were satisfied with. To follow that up, today we are finding the early returns on the NBA bubble have been tremendous. Last week, zero postive cases were reported out of over 300+ tests to team personnel and extended staff members in the Orlando bubble. We’ve collectively learned a few things about the spread of the virus and how to contain it. It unfortunately becomes very risky to have frequent plane flights, constant changes of scenery, and additonal exposure beyond a controlled environment. These factors are making the options for a traditional College Basketball season in 2020 or 2021, reasonably obselete. The bottom line is, we still have five months til January and three months til November. Teams need games. Teams need non-conference games. Let’s figure this out and create an outline.

The Initial Outline for Non-Conference Bubble assignments

  • 11 National Locations

  • 10 games per team, all 357 teams.

  • 4 regularly scheduled non-conference games

  • 2 Bracketed events per school. *More on this below*

  • 40-day period to complete games.

  • First 12 days are for quarantine, acclimation process, practice.

  • Geography and proximity is the most important factor.

  • Competitive balance is second most important factor.

  • No more than four teams per Conference in same location

  • Proposed dates: January 2nd thru February 5, 2021

For this to even be entertained as reality, all 32 conference commissioners with assistance from the NCAA need to be an agreement. That is probably enough risk to eliminate the entire possibility. But remember, this is College Basketball Reimagined. If College Hoops as a whole is left with little other options such as limiting flights, limiting hotel variance, limiting exposure in general (as it stands today) - then the leagues have really no other choice but to start preparing bubble proposals.

Update: Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports tweeted:
Several power conferences in college basketball have had preliminary discussions about holding games next season in a "bubble" type setting.  This is one of many potential options on the table, but one that gains traction with student athletes taking classes online.

This proves that there are now ongoing discussions of this prior to publishing time. Simply only involving power conferences is still a little bit of a blow for those of us who love all 357 programs and 32 leagues. Regardless, we are going to include every D1 program in our proposal.

So this is where we’ve landed at Bracketeer.org:

Location Selection
The outline above shows that we need 11 locations. The thought process behind this is to provide coverage to enough geographies to provide a close to home option for as many programs as possible. The other key in the selection process was to come up with 11 locations that actually could facilitate a bubble. Some of these selections, feel spot on and others would take some willingness from the cities to help go the extra mile for safety of the staff and players. In hindsight, we may need to add one additional East Coast location and eliminate a southern location. In doing the exercise within the rules of our outline above, I quickly realized the sheer quantity of East Coast programs was forcing me to send a few to places like Orlando. But in large part I think this was a successful exercise. Without further ado, here are the 11 locations:

GLeague-Mandalay Bay.jpg

Las Vegas

The Mandalay Bay has successfully hosted the G League Showcase for a few years now. The ability to create a bubble on property is as feasible as you will find anywhere in the US.

USA Basketball CO Springs.jpg

Colorado Springs

Wildcard selection. The Olympic Training Facility is a massive 59,000 square foot training facility designed to help elite athletes focus. The venue would be a tremendous experience for College Basketball programs.
Alternative Site: Salt Lake City
Risk: USA Basketball would need to advocate to help make this work and the hotel lodging may be difficult.

Alamo Dome.jpg

San Antonio

Alamodome is as fitting as a bubble destination as I can think of. With nearby riverwalk hotels and a venue always thirsty for more events, this could be a great match.
Alternative Site: Ford Center at The Star (Cowboys Training Facility), Frisco, TX.
Risk: At press time, San Antonio is in a high risk region with COVID-19. Something to monitor.

New Orleans Convention Center.jpg

New Orleans

The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center had a major renovation last year and would be an ideal bubble location. Three adjacent hotels connect to the Center and several other lodging options are in close proximity.
Alternative Sites: Smoothie King Center or Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS.
Risk: Ballroom of the Convention center meeting requirements for sanctioned games and television.

Indianapolis - Lucas Oil.jpg

Indianapolis

The Host location for the Final Four is a must for a bubble test run. The NCAA has strong ties in Indy, and realistically could work with the venue to make this happen for non-conference play.
Alternative Sites: Indiana Convention Center or Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Risk: Limited in comparison to other options. A bubble in the Final Four host city is a necessity.

Columbus - TBT, Nationwide Arena.jpg

Columbus

Another first ballot option is Columbus after the mostly successful TBT Tournament last month. I visit this city about 10 times a year (during normal times) and can attest to the convienence of getting to Nationwide Arena from several nearby hotels with ease.
Risk: Like several of the other locations, the temptation to be in the booming downtown scene or head over to Ohio State University for gatherings would be hard on young adults to stay in the bubble.

Atlanta-Gateway_Center_Arena_interior.jpg

Atlanta

The city of Atlanta makes good geographical sense. The venue is up for heavy debate. The new Gateway Center Arena is our choice. The venue is conveniently located right next to the Georgia International Convention Center.
Alternative Sites: State Farm Arena.
Risk: Atlanta is heavily populated and creating a bubble could prove challenging. Georgia as a state has had looser restrictions on businesses as well, which could jeopardize the opportunity.

Nashville-Bridgestone-Arena-Section-214-Row-D-on-1-27-2018f.jpg

Nashville

Nashville serves as an ideal host locations with several surrounding D1 colleges and proven success hosting the SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Alternative Sites: Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum, Myrtle Beach, SC - HTC Center.
Risk: Can they setup, support, and successfully enforce a bubble while being surrounded by a typically busy downtown area?

Orlando-WWOS.jpg

Orlando

The number one draft choice is here. The Orlando Wide World of Sports facilities have had amazing success hosting the NBA. With a January start, this is a slam dunk location for College Basketball.

Atlantic City-BH_Basketball.jpg

Atlantic City

Boardwalk Hall has been selected to host College Basketball events in the past and will serve as a getaway to focus on basketball and online studies during winter months for a large quantity of East Coast schools.
Alternative Sites: Philadelphia or Baltimore area

Boston-td-garden-fleetcenter-boston-celtics-arena-nba-basketball-arena.jpg

Boston

The hub for Northeast schools. So many D1 colleges nearby, we need Boston or Worcester to host. The Fleet Center is Plan A, but there are several backup locations that would suffice.
Alternative Sites: Auerbach Center - Boston, DCU Center - Worcester, MA, or Dunkin’ Donuts Center - Providence, RI.

Scheduling in the Bubble

The following format will be applied to 352 teams, the only exceptions will be the newest teams to D1: Merrimack, Dixie State, Tarleton State, UC San Diego, and Belarmine. These five schools will not be eligible for the NCAA Tournament, and based on math were the easiest to leave out of the bracketed events. They will still be invited to a come participate in non-conference games at their nearest locations.

Non-Conference Bubble Outline
January 14 -20: Each school will schedule two non-conference games against whom they choose as long as they are not in the same initial bracket or another conference member. Similar to how non-conference games are scheduled now minus some of the financial elements.
January 21-25: Eight-team Bracketed Events. Each location will host four (4) bracketed events.
January 26-31: Two more non-conference games against whom they choose, with same restrictions as before.
February 1-5: Eight-team Bracketed event of Champions plus three (3) additional eight-team bracketed events. Teams in same conference will be separated.

This gives everyone exactly 10 non-conference games. The ability to achieve a tougher strength of schedule by winning. I actually like the model quite a bit as a bracketologist and for non-power conferences. Next, lets break down the Bracketed Events.

All Brackets will follow the same 8-team format as Maui, Battle4Atlantis, Charleston, Cayman Islands, etc. (3 games per school)

SAMPLE BRACKET ONLY. All Bubble Brackets will be played using this format.

SAMPLE BRACKET ONLY. All Bubble Brackets will be played using this format.


Four separate Bracketed Events to be played in each bubble between January 21-25, 2020:

  • UC San Diego (Las Vegas), Merrimack (Boston), Dixie State (Colorado Springs), Bellarmine (Nashville), and Tarleton State (San Antonio) will be available for scheduling and able to play up to 11 games should they be scheduled. Any team who plays against these five schools will also be able to play up to 11 games.

  • SAMPLE Non-Conference Schedule: Indiana

    • 1/15 vs. Middle Tennessee
      1/18 vs. Evansville
      1/22 vs. Belmont
      1/23 vs. Louisville or WKU
      1/25 vs. TBA
      1/27 vs. William & Mary
      1/30 vs. Davidson
      2/1 - 2/5 vs. TBA (3 Games)

For this concept to actually get off the ground, the sport will need several factors to go almost perfectly to actually come to fruition. There is plenty at stake for our 357 D1 Basketball programs if we do not have another NCAA Tournament. There is also plenty at stake if we can’t ensure the safety and health of the players or if the players unite for further economic and social justice change like we saw recently in football. Leaning on the science that is proven and dependable from what has been learned from other bubble environments can only help College Basketball. If this is a plausable solution to have athletes take online classes and play basketball in a bubble for three months? Those are likely the bigger questions at this point.

Under my full proposal, almost all teams will not play in more than three total bubbles during the season and many will only play in two. There are serious health, safety, and testing measures that were needed in order for the TBT and NBA bubbles to work. This will have to be replicated in a more complex manner with college-aged kids, more teams, and 11 different bubbles. A big reason I did not propose more than 11 was for that very reason. The hoops season and selection process is up for major scrutiny with a conference-only schedule. This proposal would solve that reality and then some. I cannot stress enough, how many additional opportunities a mid or low-major program would be able to achieve by winning in these brackets and advancing to a subsequent tournament of champions format in early February.

Coming soon: Conference-play bubbles in Part 2.

COVID-19: Future of College Athletics, LEAD1 Webinar Recap:

by Rocco Miller (@roccomiller8)

As we continue to find more avenues to engage with the College Basketball Community, it is essential to have proper understanding on how a Global Pandemic (Covid-19) will impact our great sport. This webinar today was hosted by the LEAD1 association, which represents athletics directors in the Bowl Subdivision. This panel provided excllent details on what is being considered today in planning for moving forward, how communications with campus, fans, and the community should occur, and what are the biggest obstacles will be to prepare for as it pertains to college athletics. Although the panel was built on football premise, all of these leaders have a large say on what will happen on the hardwood.

I was personally enlightened and encouraged by the responses from the panel. Several AD’s have a reputation of not being transparent in controversial situations. Given the sensitivity and urgency of this specific subject and what the world is facing today - we repeatedly heard honest, thoughtful responses, and even a sense of excitement to move into what will be a new world of college sports as we know it.

Panelists:
Kathy Beauregard, Director of Athletics, Western Michigan
Martin Jarmond, Director of Athletics, UCLA (Formerly Boston College)
Bob Bowlsby, Commissioner, Big 12 Conference
Jack Swarbrick, Director of Athletics, Notre Dame
Amy Perko, CEO, Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
Tom McMillen, President & CEO, LEAD1 Association

These six panelists helped answer several questions about the future of College Sports.

These six panelists helped answer several questions about the future of College Sports.

ON WHAT WE KNOW TODAY:
Kathy Beauregard:
-
College Athletics will never be the same as what we thought it was before. This transition process will take several years to come completely out of.
- MAC schools are State funded institutions and their Athletic Departments have anywhere between $31M to $34M budgets to operate with. With states going billions of dollars into debt, it creates difficult decisions within athletic departments on how to cut staff, entire programs, or reduce salaries to balance the budget.
- Programs have already been cut (such as Akron Track, Bowling Green Baseball, etc.) in the conference, but Western Michigan is not planning to cut programs. These cuts going forward figure to have the largest impact on Olympic sports.

Martin Jarmond:
-
Athletic Departments need to recalibrate and pivot. Athletics will need to share in the sacrifice of the greater campus and school. Athletic Departments will no longer be able to “outrevenue the provlem.”
- Expect more demand from school Presidents, Athletics will need to give more and release control of operating separately.
- Being sensitive to the needs of your institution as a whole will pay off on the back end of this with faculty and administration.
- Messaging to fans and community members needs to be positive. This is critical. Be even more present in your community. He praised some recent ideas on social platforms of new ways to engage fans and stressed the importance of being innovative in these times. He referenced the Bill Self, Kansas example of live tweeting a memorable game (2008 National Championship).

Bob Bowlsby
- Confident we will get thru this together.
- Changes and requirements may be annoying and different, but everyone has to adjust going forward.
- He was curious about the psychological aspects of these changing times. He mentioned when will fans actually completely feel comfortable assembling together in stadiums next to other strangers. Big assembly anytime soon will be logistically challenging.
- Fearful of the discontinuation of Olympic Sports. If certain sports like gymnastics, wrestling, swimming, waterpolo, etc. leave College Athletics all together, how does that impact us in the olympics on the podium? How does that affect the adoring public?

Jack Swarbrick
- This is a revolutionary period in College Sports. Prior to the pandemic, we were already facing the NIL issue, the results of the Alston case, and a one-time transfer waiver. Sports as we know it will look different on a lot of levels. He is excitied to see the creative approaches on the next generation of college athletics and how it impacts this business.
- Not only concerned about losing programs at different levels, but more concerned about losing entire institutions within the next 3-4 years.
- College athletics is stronger with all levels of participation. Critical time now for a broad solution to be created that allows competition to remain strong and throughout all levels.

Amy Perko
-
The biggest priority is the health and safety of the student athletes.
- Important to maintain an equal opportunity for education and athletic success

SUMMARY OF Q&A SESSION:
Kathy Beauregard:
-
The future will be different, communicate with your community.
- Deepen relationships with your fan-base. Setbacks are ahead, so it is critical to stay close to them.
- More Social expirimenting
- WMU looking at a four-year plan on adjusting to athletic department reality post-pandemic

Bob Bowlsby:
-
In Football this will have to be a linear process. There will be positive tests. Campus-wide response programs will need to be setup. Campus will need disinfectant programs. Social distancing rules will need to be followed. Most importantly: public gatherings is a major risk at this time.
- We could see more enhanced changes to locker room designs, helmet designs to better cover the face, and hospital grade sanitation.
- Met with White House coronavirus task force in recent weeks have led him to believe that such an aggressive testing plan would be viable by football season due to rapid improvements and innovations in test manufacturing. Also that testing will double each month, and he hopes that will hold because it would be a sensitive issue if testing isn’t as easily available for the common student.
- Programs are embedded into collegiate operations within higher education, our task is infinately more complicated than it is with professional teams.
- Things change quickly with the responses and requirements. What’s good today likely won’t be satisfactory a month from now. This is going to be continual voyage of discovery, and we’ll have to innovate going forward to meet the demands.
- Bob mentioned scenario planning and eluded to foresight being a key in preparation for campus life with athletics and students around. He gave a few examples: What happens during cold/flu season during the fall on top of this? How to properly prepare as a department/university? Acknoledge the risks involved. Recent months suggest that plans/ideas are going to take two steps forward and one step back, need to be ready for all of the setbacks.

Jack Swarbrick:
-
Reiterated that Atletics must be part of overall campus effort and solution. He does not care about any competitive disadvantage arguments, it doesn’t matter compared to health and safety.
- Notre Dame decided to reopen early to align all parties involved on a common goal and give everyone some direction and a date to build towards (August 10th).
- Individual coaches and sports are exploring several changes currently. Everything from roster sizes, abbreviated schedules, campus needs, etc. Everyone will have to expect change with this.

Amy Perko
-
Cutting programs should really be a last resort. Let’s look at ways we can cut costs by reducing inefficiencies.
- She referenced a school president who expressed concerns that his university presidential colleagues would overlook the net tuition revenues many of the so-called non-revenue sport participants produce for universities. An analysis that showed on the whole, the so called non-revenue sports created more net revenue for their university in terms of tuition than football and basketball did.

In summary, expect continous changes as we move forward in college sports. Several elements of the infrastructure as we once knew it, will never return. However, there are clear and stable aspects to college basketball. Television revenue figures to remain or increase, which will more than fund many programs. The product will not be as great without an atmosphere if no fans are allowed, but some innovative ideas with microphones on coaches and other new viewing enhancements are now on the table. Fortunately, basketball has a couple of additional months compared to football to make some strategic decisions on how to best adapt to our changed society. We are already seeing this with the revised non-conference schedules which are mainly aiming for less travel. Change is not an option anymore, we all need to adapt together. In the end, College Hoops will continue on to survive and advance.

Bid Thief Report: 2020

What is a Bid Thief?
One of the many joys of doing Bracketology during Championship Week is the constant monitoring of the conference tournaments. More specifically the 10-12 tournaments that have at least one lock to make the field of 68 as an at-large. This opens up the possibility for another non-locked team to steal that league’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament. More importantly, this takes a bid away from a projected at-large team. Such teams are commonly known as a bid thief.

2018-19 Murray State Racers - stole a bid from the pool of 36 at-large bids.

2018-19 Murray State Racers - stole a bid from the pool of 36 at-large bids.

Last season, brought us four bid thieves. A rather large amount. Saint Louis (A-10), Saint Mary’s (WCC), Murray State (OVC), and Oregon (Pac-12) would not have made the field without winning their respective conference tournaments. The overall annual average is nearly 2.4 bids stolen per year. You should come to expect two to three bids taken from each bracket you follow during the season. Here at Bracketeer.org, there is special attention placed on this part of the equation.

You will notice on all of the bracket projections on this website, there is a section at the top called “Bids Stolen.” Selection Sunday is right around the corner, just five days away. The major conference tournaments are getting underway now. We just witnessed Utah State secure a bid last weekend after being on the bubble. We don’t know yet if they will qualify as a bid thief or not until this coming week concludes, but there is a chance they stole one.

It is time for a full review of what is still out there to be potentially taken away from the pool of at-large bubble hopefuls. Conferences are listed in order of liklihood of a thief.

Atlantic 10:
Dayton is in. Richmond is projected to be in the First Four.

Potential Thieves
Saint Louis is the team to watch here. The Billikens are the defending A-10 Tournament champions and gave Dayton all kinds of matchup problems during the two matchups this year. Losing a heartbreaker in Saint Louis, thanks to Jalen Crutcher, and a tight one in Dayton. SLU would face Dayton in a potential Semifinal. If Saint Louis can pull off the upset, they will put themselves squarley on the bubble and just needing one more win to secure the auto bid.

Rhode Island Rams are in the next best position to steal the bid because they have a bye into the Quarterfinals. I am not as high on the Rams due to their recent play, losing four of their final seven down the stretch. But keep in mind, two of those were against Dayton and one against the aforementioned SLU. Any team with Fats Russell on it, has a shot.

Duquesne falls under the Darkhorse category most. I do give the Dukes a fairly decent shot to get to the semifinals because they are in the same part of the bracket as struggling URI. If they can get on that type of roll, why stop there?

Saint Bonaventure would need to play their best ball of the season to get past Saint Louis right now, and then there is Dayton after that - I don’t see it happening.

The Rest Davidson, UMass, VCU, GW, Saint Joseph’s, Fordham, George Mason: Good luck!

AAC:
Houston is in. Wichita State is projected to be in the First Four. Cincinnati and Memphis are on the outside of the bubble, both likely need a trip to the Tournament Final in order to be selected, or even strongly considered.

Potential Thieves

Tulsa has been on Bracketeer.org’s projections multiple times this year. The Golden Hurricane won a share of the conference championship with Cincinnati and Houston. From the 3-seed position and with several supporters coming from Tulsa down to Fort Worth, it is pretty realistic to see this team win the tournament.

UConn has played very well down the stretch. This is the final hurrah for Huskies in the AAC, as they are heading to the Big East next season. They will need to take of Tulane, then Wichita State, and Cincinnati to make the final. They are capable of pulling that off. The questions are: how well will they perform in Texas (long ways from home), and how much love will they get from the conference?

SMU has the advantage of being closest to the tournament venue in Fort Worth. The opportunity to play less than 40 miles away from campus should provide the Mustangs with some inherent advantages. Tyson Jolly is also the type of player that can put his team on his shoulders to win a game late. The draw shows they would get Houston in the Quarters, should they take care of Temple. SMU managed to beat Houston in OT in their last meeting. The Ponies have just enough juice to keep your eye on them.

The Rest UCF, USF, Temple, ECU, and Tulane: Need a miraculous run to survive the weekend.

SEC:
Kentucky, Auburn, LSU are locks. Florida is virtually a lock baring a disaster. Mississippi State is on the outside looking in, but can make a strong at-large case with a run to the finals. Especially if they beat UK in the semifinals.

Potential Thieves

Tennessee played a gauntlet of a schedule down the stretch - facing Auburn twice, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Florida. The Vols held their own for the most part, including a signature victory at UK’s Rupp Arena. This demonstrated that we cannot take Tennessee lightly. They will take on Alabama on day one, they would then get another crack at Kentucky. Should the win that to get to the semi’s, the toughest team is behind them with only two rounds to go.

Alabama really struggled in their last two outings, getting dismantled by Vandy and Mizzou. I am not entirely giving up on the Tide because Nate Oats can coach against the elites, and this Tide roster is still really talented. Alabama has the same path as Tennessee if they are able to knock off the Vols.

Texas A&M is playing thier best basketball of the season, and like a team that we do not recognize compared to the first half of the year. Buzz’s bunch has won at Auburn now and finished by going 5-2 in their final seven games. Even better news for the Aggies, they have a realistic path to the title: open with Mizzou, next would be Auburn, then LSU perhaps. Based on recent results, Aggies have a real chance to advance a few rounds and make things interesting.

Arkansas may have the most interesting at-large case, but they also have a rough draw. The Razorback journey begins tonight against an upstart Vanderbilt team and the tournament is in Nashville. Should Arkansas advance, they still need to win five total games in five days. The more realistic path is to win three or four games and really give the committee something to think about for selection. Isaiah Joe missed crucial time earlier this year, and the committee can take that into consideration.

South Carolina shot themselves in the foot by losing to Vanderbilt over the weekend. This likely cost the Gamecocks any leftover chance at an at-large. You cannot completely count out Coach Martin in March and they are on the “nicer” side of the bracket, so keep your eye on them this week.

The Rest Mizzou, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Vanderbilt are longshots.


Pac-12:
Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, USC, and Arizona State are locks. UCLA is on the cusp, and needs a good showing in Las Vegas to earn an at-large. Stanford needs to win likely two games (includes UCLA) in order to feel strongly about an at-large bid.

Potential Thieves

Washington is coming off an impressive trip to the desert where they won at both ASU and at Arizona to grab everyone’s attention. Later today, they will open the conference tournament against Arizona. It is no secret that UW has the talent to play with anyone in the league, did the Huskies finally get it figured out as a team last week? We will find out soon. The path won’t be easy: need to beat Arizona, USC, and likely Oregon just to make the Title Game.

Oregon State is on their final hurrah with their all-time leading scorer, Tres Tinkle. The statrting five contains all upperclassmen. This has been another inconsistent season for the Beavers. We’ve seen glimpses of greatness in their wins over Oregon, at Colorado, at Stanford, and against Arizona. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain in Vegas this week.

The Rest Utah, WSU, and Cal have all shown they can hang. The Pac-12 had a very strong league this season largely because the bottom of the league has vastly improved. This trio has really struggled away from their home courts and because of that, they cannot be considered serious bid thief contenders.


ACC:
Florida State, Louisville, Duke, and Virginia are locks. N.C. State is the key team this week for the bubble picture. Wolfpack are right near the cut-line and likely need two wins this week to feel decent about their chances.

Potential Thieves

North Carolina has stirred up a lot of questions up over the past few weeks. By now, you know that this has been a tremendously uncharacteristic season for the Tar Heels. They dealt with the Cole Anthony injury and he is back healthy now, but perhaps most importantly they have seen outstanding production out of Garrison Brooks. The Heels dismantled Virginia Tech yesterday, to setup a matchup with Syracuse today. They just dominated the Orange recently. After this, they would play Louisville. They win that one, all bets are off. The reality of winning of five games in five days is pretty daunting. If it will ever happen, perhaps this talent-rich UNC team is the one to pull it off. Either way, it will be exciting to watch.

Notre Dame has been hanging with most everyone lately. The Irish were blown out at Duke and let one slip away at Wake Forest, but besides that they have been one of the most competitive team in this league. Finding a way to pull some of these close ones out, is another story and Mike Brey needs to have an answer beginning today. You have to like the Irish draw. They play BC today, then a hot Virginia team tomorrow if they win. ND matches up well there and has a real chance to make noise this week.

Syracuse has had an up and down year. They find themselves in a bid thief position this week, which is not ideal for a program with such a rich tradition. They take on UNC today, will not be easy at all. Should they advance, they get Louisville. The Orange needed to be listed because they have the talent and the 2-3 zone, which can yield upsets.

The Rest Clemson, Miami, BC, Pittsburgh are very much longshots. Wake Forest and Virginia Tech were eliminated yesterday.

Highly Unlikely Bid Thief Conferences:
Big 12, Big Ten, Big East

Potential Thieves

Purdue faces the brutal challenge of trying to beat four tournament caliber teams in four days. The journey begins with Ohio State tomorrow. Boilermakers have shown they belong with a top 35 NET ranking, they just have not won enough games overall to warrant an at-large. Let’s see if they can put a run together in local Indianapolis this week.

TCU beat Baylor not long ago. The Horned Frogs will get another chance to do that if they take care of Kansas State in the opener. In the event they win that one, they would get West Virginia or Oklahoma in the semifinals, not bad at all. Once they get to the final, anything can happen.

Georgetown has been shorthanded all year. The fact that they remained in the bubble picture for most of the season is amazing. Just last weekend, the Hoyas had Villanova on the ropes but squandered the lead late. Now, they may be catching a break if they can beat St. John’s in MSG (never easy to do). Creighton is the top-seed waiting for the winner, and is likely without Marcus Zegarowski. This could open things up for a semifinal run for Georgetown, we shall see.

The Rest Minnesota, Oklahoma State, St. John’s are stretch darkhorses. Nebraska, Northwestern, DePaul, Kansas State, and Iowa State would be ecstatic with even one win this week.

Summary
It is difficult to envision any of these teams winning their tournaments this week and pehaps they won’t. But do we ever see these things coming? Usually not.

Here is a complete Bid Thief Board that will be tracked and updated this week:

Top 20 Rankings in order of most likely to win their respective Conference Tournaments.

Top 20 Rankings in order of most likely to win their respective Conference Tournaments.




Arizona State at Stanford

Cardinal huddle after a foul is called on ASU’s Mickey Mitchell.

Cardinal huddle after a foul is called on ASU’s Mickey Mitchell.

Arizona State:
- ASU came into today #43 on the Big Board, currently an 11-seed
- Sun Devils come in with a 3-game win streak, including a sweep of the LA schools last week
- Devils push the pace. #15 Tempo nationally.
- 4 true road wins, none against teams near the projected at-large cut
- ASU leads the Pac-12 in Conference play with turning other teams over. Bobby Hurley’s bunch uses ball pressure to get teams to cough it up and make rushed decisions.

Stanford:
- Playing without leading scorer (15.9 ppg) and rebounder Oscar da Silva (6.3)
- Only scheduled meeting vs. ASU this season
- Cardinal has dropped 5 of their last 6, looking to stop the bleeding tonight.
- 15th best 3pt. FG% shooting in the nation.

GAME ACTION

Pregame conversations in the media room and just observing Stanford in warmups, you can tell the absence of star Oscar Da Silva is very apparent. Arizona State came out on a mission to attack and expose Stanford tonight, Sun Devils put up the first seven points of the game. ASU star guard Remy Martin opened the game with five quick ones. Stanford bounced back with a couple of Spencer Jones trey’s.
1st Media Timeout: Arizona State 9, Stanford 6

Jaiden Delaire came in off the bench and started filling it up for the Cardinal. Back-to-back layups got Stanford in front for the first time tonight. He also added a free throw during this sequence.
2nd Media Timeout: Stanford 13, Arizona State 12.

This Arizona State offense really goes when Alonzo Verge comes in and gets going. And sure enough, right on queue, Verge drains two jumpers. And on top of that, ASU reserve Jalen Graham had an emphatic jam. Later, Kimani Lawrence got into the act by hitting a three and a layup. Stanford continues to shoot themselves in the foot with careless turnovers. It is now a 17-4 run for ASU.
3rd Media Timeout: Arizona State 29, Stanford 17

Daejon Davis had himself a 3-point play to help Stanford get somewhat back on track. Spencer Jones hit another three and Delaire added a dunk. Remy Martin was able to mix in a made jumper. ASU now playing a bit sloppy, they’ve committed a handful of turnovers lately.
4th Media Timeout: Arizona State 33, Stanford 25

The final sequence of the first half began with Verge and Martin getting to the free throw line and connecting on three free throws. Stanford responded with a couple of their own free throws by Tyrell Terry. Terry came down and contributed a layup in the final seconds of the half.
Halftime: Arizona State 36, Stanford 29

2nd Half

Lawrence draws a quick foul, I am now on the baseline watching for this segment. Lawrence ended up making one of two from the stripe. After a Stanford miss, Romello White came down and drilled a pretty jumper. Tyrell Terry and Daejon Davis would eventually respond. But then Verge ripped off a three layups ad a couple of free throws in just a couple of minutes.
1st Media Timeout: Arizona State 49, Stanford 36

Stanford’s Bryce Wills really showed up during this sequence. The 6-6 sophomore found multiple ways to score with fast break points and a post-up layup. All said and done, the Cardinal are now just down by six.
2nd Media Timeout: Arizona State 55, Stanford 49









Gonzaga at Saint Mary's

Jordan Ford would love to see his #30 next to these greats one day.

Jordan Ford would love to see his #30 next to these greats one day.

The Moraga Experience

Today is a special day, getting to cover a nationally recognized game in my own backyard at Saint Mary’s. My wife and I moved to Oakland, CA earlier this year, so this is truly the first time I can say that SMC is in my backyard. Annually the biggest game here is the Gonzaga game. It’s a game I have never attended, but always watch and follow closely on television. I have covered Saint Mary’s games in the past, I haven’t taken the time to come see what Moraga the town, had to offer. With this game being sold out to the max and essentially a requirement to get there early, what better time to go take in Moraga.

The drive was pleasant, a nice 11-12 mile drive from my place to the Moraga main corner of Moraga Way and Moraga Road. Yes, this is what the two main roads of Moraga are called! I settled in for a nice lunch at Pennini’s. As ate a Greek Salad at the bar, I was told the background of the place. It was the only bar/restaurant in Moraga until the recently built Canyon Club Brewery came about. The people were friendly. I began to share why I was there, much to my surprise the three folks next to me, had no idea that there was a game happening tonight up the street. Let alone, a BIG GAME! These are the kind of experiences that you can’t make up. I am originally from Seattle, so these types of California experiences always surprise me. In a way I love it, because they are out here getting a lot out of life. After almost chatting too long, it was time to hustle over to McKeon Pavilion.

The friendly confines of Pennini’s. Moraga, CA.

The friendly confines of Pennini’s. Moraga, CA.

Thankfully I knew where my secret media parking spot was, or parking would have been close to impossible. The folks working at SMC, are incredibly hospitable. Gaels staff members consistently take great care of the folks covering the game. After I parked, a large big bbq-style party was happening in front of the Pavilion with a DJ playing. And that was it, that was the moment. The moment I knew that a Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s gameday was different than any other Saint Mary’s gameday by a mile.

GAME NOTES - PREGAME
Gonzaga:
- Looking to continue series dominance. Zags have won 15 of the last 19 meetings.
- A Gonzaga win would mean 38-straight road wins in WCC play, an incredible feat.
- Gonzaga does many things well. #1 nationally in Offensive Efficiency, #3 in effective FG%, #5 in taking care of the ball (Turnover %).
- Zags also are #1 in Margin of victory (21.3) and scoring offense (88.3)
- Last Saturday Filip Petrusev and Corey Kispert rescued the Zags out of a close 83-79 win over San Francisco.
- Bulldogs only attempted five three-pointers in San Francisco, but got to the line 32 times.
- Petrusev is the reigning WCC Player of the Week and on the late season Wooden List.
- Kispert is on the Julius Erving Award late season list.
- Killian Tillie is on the Karl Malone late season list.

Saint Mary’s:
- SMC won the last meeting vs. Gonzaga to steal an NCAA Bid from an At-Large team in the WCC Championship Game
- This is the first of two meetings in the next three weeks.
- 2nd nationally in 3pt FG%
- 2nd nationally in Steals %
- Jordan Ford (#1 WCC) averages 21 PPG and Malik Fitts (#3 WCC) averages 18.2 PPG
- Giving the ball away way too easily. (Ranked #341 in Non-Steal TO% in NCAA)
- Saint Mary’s will rarely play 7-3 Aaron Menzies, the majority of the game the Gaels’ tallest player is 6-8. Vital for them to spread the floor and remain in attack mode.

Ball State at Kent State

KSUGoldenFlashes.jpg

GAME NOTES - PREGAME
Ball State:
-Cards got on track by thumping Ohio 65-54 on Sat.
-Heavily dependent on the 3. Rank in the 300’s in 2pt Attempt %.
-Cards looking for revenge after losing at home to Kent State in OT last season.
-Taj Teague has scored 14+ Points in each of his last seven contests. He is the reigning MAC West Player of the Week. He averaged 21 points and 9.5 rebounds over the two games.
-Ball State’s win over Ohio happened despite only hitting 7-29 from deep.
-First of two road games this week before ending with five of seven at Home.

Kent State:
-On an impressive 3-game winning streak (@Buff, @Tol, Akron)
-14th nationally in Blocked Shot %
-10th nationally in Steals %
-Allowing too many 2nd chance opportunities (Ranked #304 in NCAA)
-Kent State is back in the thick of the MAC title chase after beating rivals Akron on Friday. They trail by two games in the loss column behind Bowling Green, but host the Falcons on March 3rd.
-Danny Pippen was awarded the MAC East Player of the Week. Pippen sparked a 21-point comeback in the win at Toledo by scoring 16 points and adding 10 rebounds. Then he went for 24 and 8 in the big Akron vicotry.

GAME ACTION

Ball State wins the opening tip and immediately to gets it to one of their top scoring options, Kyle Mallers, who connects on a trey. Ball State went ahead 5-2 after a few more possessions. But it was Kent State who closed this sequence strongly. Philip Whittington connected on consecutive jumpers and Danny Pippen had a wide open dunk.
1st Media Timeout: Kent State 8, Ball State 5

The Golden Flashes picked up right where they left off, stretching the lead all the way to 17-5. Ball State had to burn a timeout despite the fact that the next whistle meant they would have a media break. Troy Simons had a key three, and Whittington had a layup.
2nd Media Timeout: Kent State 17, Ball State 5

Mallers stops the bleeding for the Cards with a layup. But KSU answers back quickly with a bucket by Antonio Williams. Ball State’s Miryne Thomas has checked in and it’s a bit of a surprise, he has only logged five total minutes of MAC minutes and has not made a 3-pointer all season long. Sure enough, Thomas hits not one but two 3-pointers during the sequence! Thomas was a scorer back in 2018 at Maryland Eastern Shore of the MEAC Conference, but has not found a regular role for the Cardinals this season. Thomas sat the 2019 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
3rd Media Timeout: Kent State 24, Ball State 15

Ball State got things rolling here and have narrowed this down to a four point margin. Jarron Coleman hit a three pointer and Ishmael El-Amin (son of Khalid), had a dunk. El-Amin demonstrated some serious leaping ability there.
4th Media Timeout: Kent State 27, Ball State 23

Wild game of runs here at the MACC. Ball State ended the half on a 26-6 run. In the final seconds, Taj Teague swished a three. Earlier, Jarron Coleman added another three. Whittington of Kent State, leads all scorers with 12. Teague has seven points and seven boards at the break.
Halftime: Ball State 35, Kent State 27

2nd Half

Mallers once again begins the Half with a three-ball. Ball State has built their largest lead of the game, by 12, after yet another Mallers three. Whittington and Pippen helped weather the storm for the Golden Flashes by responding with back-to-back buckets.
1st Media Timeout: Ball State 44, Kent State 35

A pair of Antonio Williams eventually trimmed the Cardinals lead down to six, but Ball State’s Josh Thompson connected on a three to stretch the lead back to nine. Williams would later score again on a layup after Teague made one out of two at the line. Kent State trying to get a run together, its been a game of runs thus far.
2nd Media Timeout: Ball State 49, Kent State 41

Big moment here, Troy Simons of Kent State was charged with a technical foul, his third personal foul. And Antonio Williams got dinged with his fourth. Mallers made both technical free throws and the Cardinals got the ball to Teague on the ensuing possession for a layup. Kent State had cut the lead to five, that brought it back up to nine. Each team exchanged a few free throws and Anthony Roberts connected on a jumper for the Golden Flashes. This is far from over.
3rd Media Timeout: Ball State 54, Kent State 46

Cardinals responded to a CJ Williamson layup, by getting the rock to Jarron Coleman. Coleman penetrated the lane beautifully for his own layup. The next Ball State possession the Cardinals moved the ball well and ultimately got it to El-Amin for a big three. Lead is now 11. Danny Pippen eventually was able to get a layup to go down for Kent State.
4th Media Timeout: Ball State 59, Kent State 50

Anthony Roberts wont allow Ball State to get out of here that easily. Roberts connects on back-to-back possessions with made jumpers. Cards lead is now down to five. Kent State regains possession and Roberts appeared to be foul, but no call from the officials much to the disappointment of the home fans and KSU Head Coach Rob Senderoff. Teague took the ball coast to coast and was fouled. Teague made one of two at the line to push the lead to six. CJ Williamson gets called for a travel for KSU, wasted opportunity there for the Golden Flashes. We are now inside one minute remaining. Teague returns the favor by travelling himself. Williamson missed a three and Brachen Hazen gets fouled for the Cards. Hazen hit both. KSU misses again, and that’s going to wrap it up. The Kent State story tonight? 1-20 from three. Good night from Kent.
FINAL: Ball State 62, Kent State 54.

HIGHLIGHTS

Courtesy: GoldenFlashesTV


PRESS CONFERENCE

Head Coach Rob Senderoff and Philip Whittington

Head Coach Rob Senderoff and Philip Whittington

Kent State HC Rob Senderoff:
On 1-20 Shooting from three and poor shooting overall:
-Seemed pretty surprised especially given the fast start (led 17-5) and
-Gave Ball State credit for defending them well and denying a few things they wanted to do
-Overall chalked it up to “Just having one of those nights” where guys aren’t hitting.  

On the trying to stop Tajai Teague:
-Immediately gave credit to Teague being one of the best players in the MAC and all teams struggle to defend him.
-Mentioned that they had a hard time keeping him off the glass, Teague had 17 rebounds.

On rest of season:
-Said everything is about gearing up for the MAC Tournament. These losses teaches the team important lessons they can carry forward to Cleveland next month.
-Mental, Physical, and Emotional Fatigue sets in around now in the season. Key point in the season is now to handle the adversity

BYU at San Francisco

Opening Tip-Off at War Memorial Gymnasium

Opening Tip-Off at War Memorial Gymnasium

GAME NOTES - PREGAME
BYU:
- BYU came into today #41 on the Big Board, currently an 11-seed.
- The Cougars have a high ceiling, as evidenced by their #21 ranking in KenPom
- Yoeli Childs made an emphatic return to the lineup, 26 Pts. 9 Rebs at Pacific on Thursday.
- Jake Toolson and Childs combined to take 35 of the team’s 50 shots against Pacific.
- The 6-8 Childs adds much needed size. 6-9 Kolby Lee is the tallest regular in the rotation.
- BYU wants to blow teams out. 11 of 15 wins are by 13+ Margin of Victory.
- T.J. Haws will be making his 123rd consecutive start today, breaking a BYU school record.
- BYU is 6th in the nation in FG% and 4th in the nation 3pt. FG%. Cougars can flat out stroke.

San Francisco:
- Dons seek first win over a team inside the projected at-large field.
- USF swept BYU last year for first time ever.
- Dons will get two cracks against BYU in a two-week span. Today and Sat, Feb. 8th.
- Charles Minlend had his double-figure scoring streak snapped at nine against St. Mary’s on Thursday.
- True Frosh Khalil Shabazz averages 4.4 Steals per 40 mins. But has not had a steal in his past four games.

GAME ACTION
You can feel the impact immediately of Yoeli Childs. Not only does he take the jump ball for BYU but he is the vocal point of most possessions. It’s crazy to consider how many games BYU has already played, and Childs returns without a hiccup. Right back engrained in the offense. Childs scored a quick four in the opening sequence.
1st Media Timeout: BYU 9, San Francisco 5

The next sequence was frantic, up and down with a lot of drive and kicks. USF hit three triples and BYU had two. Childs is already in double-figures for the Cougars. For USF, Josh Kunen can really shoot for a big man. He has a nice a touch on his shots from distance. It’s my first look up close at this year’s Dons.
2nd Media Timeout: BYU 23, San Francisco 20

TJ Haws is getting a lot more involved from a scoring standpoint today compared to Thursday. He just buried two triples. Alex Barcello also hit a big one from deep. Trying to defend BYU is not easy, all five players keep moving and they can all knock it down. Khalil Shabazz came off the bench to knock down a couple of jumpers and USF is hanging around here.
3rd Media Timeout: BYU 32, San Francisco 24

Dalton Nixon just put up eight points in this sequence, further proving that BYU is much deeper than their two superstars. USF doing their best to keep up with the Cougars. Jamaree Bouyea knocked down a big three and just had a nice driving layup prior to the media timeout.
4th Media Timeout: BYU 40, San Francisco 31

Charles Minlend starting to get going finally, he hits back-to-back layups. Dons have came back to close the gap down to two. BYU closed the half with five straight points, two FT’s by Barcello and a very deep three by Jake Toolson. Toolson should be looked at for WCC POY. He has led this team with or without Childs and plays with moxy and leadership. Impressive to watch.
Halftime: BYU 45, San Francisco 38

2nd Half

Jake Toolson. That’s all I need to tell you, he does it all. Gets Childs and Haws going, gets himself going, and heck even got Kolby Lee a look at a three. Toolson had 7 points in the first four minutes of the half. USF has gone a bit cold.
1st Media Timeout: BYU 54, San Francisco 44

BYU has suddenly gone cold, still getting good looks. USF is taking full advantage and making open threes and converting layups. We had a technical foul during that sequence called on TJ Haws. And the crowd is now into it fully. Dons are on an incredible 16-0 run after trailing 54-40.
2nd Media Timeout: San Francisco 56, BYU 54

The Dons continue the crazy run, building it all the way to a 21-0 run until Alex Barcello finally made a three for BYU. The Dons didn’t back down, connecting on multiple deep threes. Khalil Shabazz has a career-high 23 points.
3rd Media Timeout: San Francisco 67, BYU 59

Hard to put into words how amazing this current run is by the Dons. The original 21-0 run has been transformed into now a 30-5 run. Probably the longest run I’ve ever seen at a live game. Bouyea, Shabazz, and Ratinho are the biggest contributors in this. BYU looks thrown off, Dons have been more physical with them of late.
4th Media Timeout: San Francisco 72, BYU 63

The Dons got careless on a couple of passes and Haws took advantage by getting a steal on each. Once connecting on a three and the other time connecting on a nifty reverse layup. BYU cut the lead to 2. Then the play of the game happened! After a timeout, BYU had the ball trailing by 2. They inbounded the ball and got it to Childs quickly. Childs was immediately fouled by USF. This is Nerd Ball. The data shows that Childs is a 59% FT shooter, so why not make him go to the line for a 1 and 1? Historically speaking, this is highly unconventional. But the Dons executed it beautifully and Childs missed the front end of the 1 and 1. Dons were fouled with 14 seconds left and the Free throw game worked out to ice the game. Toolson hit a meainingless three at the buzzer, but the Dons were victorious by one.
FINAL SCORE: San Francisco 83, BYU 82

INTERVIEWS
Todd Golden:
On 2nd Half Adjustments:
-BYU is one of the best shooting teams in the country. We knew that coming in. They were getting their way (in the 1st Half). We knew they are a top-20 team nationally and talked about how they are #21 in KenPom.
-We had a ton of respect for them and had to be creative today.
-The plan was to press into them and make life harder on them their shooters to get free. Make the game more physical and keep them out of rhythm.

On the fouling of Yoeli Childs with just a two-point lead:
-Yes, it was intentional. He is a 59% FT shooter. We knew the worse-case scenario was he makes both and ties the game. If that happens it’s still our ball at home in a tie game with the shot clock turned off. I am willing to take that chance.
-Gave his players a ton of credit for executing the foul as soon as Childs touched the ball.
-He went on to say Childs was the only player they would’ve fouled in that situation.
-He later told me that they have very intelligent players, who are also great students, that allow them to work on and execute such uncustomary strategy.

On Khalil Shabazz:
-Praised his attitude, effort. Called him their sparkplug and a player they are depending on.

On the goals for the rest of the season:
-They are focused more on their process then the results at this stage.
-He is proud of how the team really came together after a bad loss at Portland. He said they were really at a crossroads after that game, and everyone had to ask themselves what type of team do we want to be? The Dons have responded well, they are 3-1 since and the lone loss was at Saint Mary’s after squandering a late lead.

Khalil Shabazz:
Asked him about the incredible performance and if he was in the zone?
-He admitted that he was in the zone and was completely feeling it. He also said his cross-over dribble step-back three is his go to move.

On his experience learning in the San Francisco program?
-He talked about how he learned and grew so much last year while sitting out after transferring from Central Washington University. Shabazz also talked about how he really needed the year off to mature as a person and player. It was the best thing that’s happened to him and got him ready for this season.

Wichita State at Temple

Liacouras Center. Philadelphia, PA

Liacouras Center. Philadelphia, PA

GAME NOTES - PREGAME
Wichita State:
- Shockers come into tonight #16 on the Bracketology Big Board and a projected 4-seed
- Wichita State is undefeated in the U.S. Only loss came in Cancun vs. West Virginia
- Wichita State wants to own the glass. They struggled by allowing too many offensive boards against Memphis and UConn.
- Continue to run the offense thru Jaime Echenique. It has been effective.
- Four players average double-digit scoring. Erik Stevenson leads at 14.1 PPG.
- Shockers want to capitalize on open looks from deep, Temple struggles to defend the perimeter.
- Freshman Tyson Etienne leads the AAC with 37 made treys.

Temple:
- Temple has defeated at least one Top-25 opponent in each of the past 12 seasons. Has not happened yet this year.
- Lost to Wichita in the AAC Quarterfinals last year. And that sent the Owls to Dayton for the First Four.
- Owls came out cold in their last game vs. Tulane. Shot just 29% in the 1st Half.
- Defense is key for Temple. They are 33rd nationally in FG Pct. Defense (Opponents shoot .385)
- Allowing made three’s is a major issue. Owls rank 344th out of 353 nationally in 3pt. FG%.
- Nate and Josh Pierre-Louis are the first siblings on the same team in Temple Basketball history.


GAME ACTION
Nate Pierre-Louis, Temple’s go-to guy, gets the scoring started with a triple. After each team traded baskets for a few minutes, It was the Shockers who scored six straight points, punctuated with a Jamarious Burton trey.
1st Media Timeout: Wichita State 12, Temple 7.

Dexter Dennis has a different confidence about him on the court, and just as I type that he connects on a three. That was followed by a steal and layup by Grant Sherfield. Temple wants a quick timeout, trailing by 8. Another breakaway layup opportunity is denied due to a massive swat by De’Vonte Perry and the crowd loves it. Arashma Parks hits a nice baby hook along the baseline. Owls stop the bleeding for now.
2nd Media Timeout: Wichita State 17, Temple 11.

We said before the game that the Shocker offense runs thru Echenique, and that is proving to be true. The Owls are struggling to keep him off the offensive glass too. Echenique and Erik Stevenson both have 8 points and Wichita looks like the superior team early. Temple fought back with a layup by Perry.
3rd Media Timeout: Wichita State 21, Temple 16.

Davion Moore keeps the Owls’ momentum rolling with a layup. After a defensive stop, Temple is out in transition quickly, and Quinton Rose has a jam. Crowd is back into it, Owls cut the lead to two. Shockers weather the storm again there, Burton with a jumper to quiet the Temple fans.
4th Media Timeout: Wichita State 28, Temple 24.

Bench players Trey Wade and Morris Udeze get into the act for the Shockers, each contributing buckets. Getting close to half here and the Shockers have the ball up by 6, chance to really create some distance at the end of the half. A missed jumper and a desperation deep three by Temple mean we are going to the break with a six-point game.
Halftime: Wichita State 32, Temple 26.

2nd Half
Jake Forrester drew a foul to start the second half. Forrester made one of two. After a stop, the Owls got the ball in the hands of JP Moorman who hit a jumper. Later, Forrester pinned a Shockers shot on the glass and outletted to Nate Pierre-Louis who broke away for an emphatic dunk. Owls only down by one now. Flagrant 1 was called on Erik Stevenson after a hard foul on Quinton Rose. Stevenson now on the bench with three fouls. Owls are on a big 11-0 run now after a Nate Pierre-Louis jumper rattles in. Sherfield finally answers before the break with a bucket.
1st Media Timeout: Temple 37, Wichita State 34.

Rose comes out and connects on another jumper. Echenique responds with a layup. After an Udeze free throw, Alani Moore II hits from deep and the Owls are up by five.
2nd Media Timeout: Temple 42, Wichita State 37.

Both teams are in a bit of a rut during this sequence. Multiple miscues and missed shots. Temple probably prefers this more to put themselves in position to pull off the upset. After a pair of made free throws by Perry, the Owls now own a 6-point advantage. Owls have now committed their 10th team foul and Shockers are already in the double-bonus with 9:26 still remaining. Udeze makes both foul shots. Temple joins the double-bonus party, a lot of whistles this half. Owls have extended the lead to seven. This AAC officiating crew has called 22 fouls already in the second half. Both squads are in the double-bonus. And the pace has slowed to a crawl. Advantage? Temple.
3rd Media Timeout: Temple 48, Wichita State 43.

Echenique hits a beautiful hook shot to get the Shockers within three. Scott responds with a big-time three for the Owls. Timeout is called. Out of the timeout, a well-designed look down low to Forrester pays off with an open dunk for Temple. They lead by eight. A transition layup by Forrester extends the lead to ten. Echenique responds with a dunk.
4th Media Timeout: Temple 55, Wichita State 47.

Temple back up by 10 now, after two Quinton Rose free throws. Echenique again replies with a dunk on the other end. Burton is fouled and makes both for Wichita State. Quinton Rose makes a driving layup, crowd is sensing the upset here and it is getting loud. Another foul against the Shockers. Both Rose and Scott have hit a combined three free throws here. Will be interesting to hear comments from each coach soon on how these game plans made a difference and perhaps some travel fatigue setting in for the Shockers.
FINAL: Temple 65, Wichita State 53.

POSTGAME
Coach Gregg Marshall
- "Guys couldn't hit shots"
- Stevenson didn't feel well about mid way thru the 1st Half.
- Gave credit to Temple for a defensive gameplan that caught his offense off guard.
- Talked about the five game law. Each season you will theoretically play five games poorly than usually do, and five you will exceed your typical level of play. He added, “this was one of those five were we played poorly.”
- Thought both teams had low energy in the first half. Gave the Owls credit for bringing it in the second half and was surprised his team never really responded.

Coach Aaron McKie
- Monty Scott was big down the stretch.
- Wants to get Scott more involved going forward.
- Jake Forrester and frosh being brought along slowly to provide them with the best chance to succeed.
- Feels the Owls can play with anyone, can't beat themselves in order for that to be possible. Was proud of their effort tonight.

Teams of the Week in College Basketball: Week 5

Buckeyes doiminated UNC in Chapel Hill, 74-49.

Buckeyes doiminated UNC in Chapel Hill, 74-49.

College Basketball Teams of the Week – Week 5 (December 2-8, 2019)

Ohio State –
Three weeks ago I was in Columbus to see how the Buckeyes stacked up against Villanova. The result? Pretty darn well, the game was never in doubt and the Buckeyes steamrolled Nova that night by 25 points. That left us to wonder if Ohio State was really that good or if Villanova was in line for a rougher season than expected. The following week, Villanova got to the Championship Game in Myrtle Beach and lost a tight game against Baylor. That showed us that Villanova was mostly legit. Fast forward to last Wednesday night. By now, the Buckeyes are a comfortable 7-0 and getting ready to face a blue blood, North Carolina, on the road. This was going to tell us a lot about who the Buckeyes were, either a very good team or a potentially great team.

Ohio State went out and took it to North Carolina in the Dean Dome, no less – leading UNC 22-14 after the first 10 minutes. The Heels made a charge to close the half, but took a major blow when 6-10, 232-pound Freshman phenom Armando Bacot left with an injury and did not return. Ohio State proceeded to completely dominate the second half 45-22 to win the game 74-49. Despite the significant injury, holding a Roy Williams coached team to under 50 points is simply unheard of. The result also kept the Ohio State streak for holding every opponent to under 60 points alive and well. The bad news is, that streak would end at eight on Saturday against Penn State. The game took a different turn and was exceedingly fast-paced. The good news? Buckeyes still dominated, 106-74, and in the process showed everyone that they can win and win dominantly at this faster pace of play. Coach Holtmann has himself a great nucleus of veterans and young players at his disposal, plus he’s a pretty good coach too. Buckeyes are your Week 5 Team of the Week and tOSU currently sits at #1 overall on the Bracketology Big Board.
  
Georgetown – What a topsy-turvy week for the Hoyas. The week started with breaking news that Georgetown’s starting point guard James Akinjo and reserve big man Josh LeBlanc will no longer be members of the Hoyas' basketball team, head coach Patrick Ewing announced last Monday. As a result, both have entered the transfer portal. We later found out that LeBlanc, Myron Gardner, and Galen Alexander are accused for alleged burglary, according to civil complaints filed in November by two women. Gardner and Alexander were allowed to play on the two-game road trip last week. A lot of negative press and things were written about the program. Perhaps this was the best possible week imaginable for the Hoyas to get out of town. The team seemed to take an us against the world mentality, and flat out were on fire. Mac McClung carried the Hoyas to an impressive win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma State, by pouring in 33 points. The Hoyas really bolstered their resume with the 81-74 victory. When the Hoyas arrived in Dallas to take on another unbeaten team in SMU, they did not cool off. In fact, they shot the ball even better (over 50% FG as a team). Jahvon Blair came off the bench to score a game-high 21, and McClung had another 19. By the time Georgetown landed back in DC, they had two quality road wins in places far away from home. Impressive and surprising to most. Anxious to see where this journey goes throughout the season.

Charleston Southern – This week’s surprise team here, and it’s not even close. When last week started the Buccaneers from the Big South Conference were 1-5 against D1 schools and had lost their five games by an average of 34 PPG. KenPom had them ranked 313th out of 353 D1 programs. Bucs hit the road and traveled to Columbia, MO to face the Tigers of Missouri in a game that one would look at on paper and call a snoozer. Something came over the Bucs on this night, as they got out of the gate only allowing 3 points to Mizzou in the first ten minutes of the game. Mizzou would rally and take a five-point lead at halftime. Then in the second half, Mizzou built a 39-30 lead prompting a CSU timeout. After that the Bucs stunningly took over, outscoring the Tigers 38-21 down the stretch to secure one of the biggest upsets of the season, 68-60. One of the key plays came when the game was tied at 56. CSU’s Duncan LeXander hit the go-ahead three-pointer with 2:29 to go and the Bucs never relinquished the lead from there. Then on Saturday the Bucs returned home to host NC Central. After building a big first half lead, the Bucs found themselves in a tight contest late. Clutch free throw shooting helped CSU clinch the win and well-deserved place as a Team of the Week.

Duke – Blue Devils have a very difficult time qualifying for this weekly award. The expectations for Duke are usually astronomical and this space is reserved for teams who exceed expectations. What Duke did last week really must have stood out, and it sure did. The Blue Devils opened the week at Michigan State in the premier game of the ACC/B1G Challenge. Duke was trying to also recover from a shocking home loss against last week’s Team of the Week, Stephen F. Austin. Duke looked refocused in this one and prepared to handle a tough environment in East Lansing. Blue Devils built a 45-29 lead by Half. The second half was full of good decisions and holding the lead above ten. Vernon Carey had a big game going for 26 and 11 in the win to pace Duke. A win that certainly comes packed with a lot of weight for the resume. Next it was time for their ACC opener against upstart Virginia Tech. This Hokies team beat Michigan State themselves a couple of weeks ago in Maui, so this wasn’t a walk in the park for Duke. The Hokies came out strong behind a rowdy home crowd and took a 41-38 Halftime edge. In the second half, Duke showed great composure in producing quality possessions and converting them into buckets. It lead to V-Tech playing more erratic and secured a 77-63 Duke win. Quite the week two quality true road wins for Duke before January. Almost unheard of!

Wichita State – The Shockers had an uncharacteristic season last year under HC Greg Marshall. He had a whole roster to retool and they missed the NCAA’s, but the Shockers did make a nice NIT run to Madison Square Garden. Early here in the 2019-20 campaign, the Shockers are getting closer and closer to their brand of basketball, starting 6-0. A loss to West Virginia was a wake-up call that their was still a lot of work to do. This week opened with a 95-69 drubbing of inferior Central Arkansas. Then it was time for a game circled on the calendar, a trip to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State out of the Big 12. In what figured to be a good battle, the Shockers completely dominated in a 80-61 triumph. After building a seven-point halftime lead, Wichita State came out and utterly dominated the Cowboys to open the second half. Outscoring Oklahoma State, 29-13 in the first ten minutes of the half, effectively ending any hopes for the home team Pokes.  Wichita now has a 8-1 record, a key resume win, and will get ready to face the other team from Oklahoma this Saturday.

Strongly Considered

UC Santa Barbara – Two key Road wins at Texas-Arlington and at CS-Bakersfield.
Butler – Took down two solid SEC programs. Winning down in Oxford at Ole Miss, and returned home to beat Florida over the weekend.
St. John’s – First team to beat West Virginia in emotional home win, also beat St. Peter’s.
Gonzaga – Picked up a quality road-win at rival Washington. Also took care of Texas Southern with ease.
Indiana State – Really impressive win at Wright State, also beat North Dakota State. Two teams in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Four-game winning streak now for the Sycamores and counting.

TOTW 12.9.19.jpg

Enjoy the upcoming games in Week 6!

~Rocco

Nebraska at Georgia Tech

Big Ten ACC Challenge time in Atlanta. Great Venue - McCamish Pavilion

Big Ten ACC Challenge time in Atlanta. Great Venue - McCamish Pavilion

GAME NOTES
Nebraska:
- Haanif Cheatham had an excellent Cayman Islands Tourney. Averaged nearly 20 PPG and shot nearly 73% (16-22) from the Field.
- Huskers have been off for a week since beating USF to earn 3rd Place in the Caymans.
- Dachon Burke, a transfer from Robert Morris, also led the Huskers in the Caymans. Had 21 Points vs. USF.
- Huskers have taken great care of the basketball. 21st nationally in Turnover %.
- Second meeting between the two schools. Last time was a 66-49 GTech win at The Omni.

Georgia Tech:
- Jackets playing in close games. 4/5 have finished in single digits this season.
- Jose Alvarado won't return until Dec. 31st (ankle).
- James Banks III leads nation in Blocks (5.2 BPG)
- -GTech is #330 in 3Point FG attempts nationally. Unlikely to put up a bunch of consecutive trey's.
-Tech is second worst in Power 5 schools in lost turnovers. The shorthanded Jackets will need to clean this up.

GAME ACTION
- Michael Devoe opens the scoring with a driving layup
- Dachon Burke answers for the Huskers with a triple.
- GT’s Moses Wright hits a nifty turnaround jumper.
- Evan Cole adds to the lead with a pullup jumper.
- Mack answers with a nice jump shot.
- Devoe with a pretty driving layup
- Good back an forth action here. Cheatham makes a put back.
1st Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 8, Nebraska 7

- Moses heads to the line shooting two. He makes one of two.
- Mack gets a transition layup.
- Cheatham gets a driving layup and the Huskers have their second lead of the night, 11-9.
- Another layup for Cheatham.
- Devoe hits a three to end the mini-run.
- Asanti Price with a nifty layup to help the Jackets get back on top.
2nd Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 14, Nebraska 13

- Devoe draws a foul, makes one of two from the stripe.
- Price hits a jumper for the Jackets.
- Thorbjarnson connects on a pretty jumper for the Huskers
- Banks III hits a turnaround shot to answer for Georgia Tech
- Yvan Ouedraoo connects for Nebraska.
- Jervey Green hits an open three for the Huskers
3rd Media Timeout: Nebraska 20, Georgia Tech 19
1st
- Thorbjarnarson gets two consecutive driving layups.
- Devoe was called for a questionable offensive foul.
4th Media Timeout: Nebraska 26, Georgia Tech 22

- Bubba Parham finally on the board for the Jackets, pretty 15-footer.
- Cole with a nice dunk.
- Cole with a low post move and nice soft hand by the rim to finish.
- Nebraska gets called for travelling
- Devoe with a beautiful dish to Cole for two. Jackets on an 8-0 run and now lead 30-26
- Moore with a layup on the other end of an incredible rejection by Banks III
- Cheatham ends the 10-0 run, with a layup.
Halftime: Georgia Tech 32, Nebraska 28.

- Wright gets things rolling with a triple for GTech.
- Green answers with a three of his own.
- Wright comes right back and nails a jumper
- Devoe with a layup and the GT lead is up to 8.
- Burke draws a foul and makes one free throw to slow down the bleeding for Nebraska.
1st Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 43, Nebraska 32

- Cheatham makes one of two at the line.
- Thorbjarnarson hits two free throws.
- Green hits a jumper, cuts the lead to six.
- Devoe comes down and drills a three.
- Devoe again, this time with a layup.
- Timeout Nebraska
- Layup by Cheatham and one.
- Cheatham finishes the three-point play.
- Turnaround jumper by Wright.
2nd Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 50, Nebraska 40

- Cheatham with a driving layup.
- Devoe connects on a layup and he is fouled.
- Devoe makes the bonus free throw
- Nifty hookshot by Wright in the paint.
- Mack gets fouled, makes both shots at the line.
- Alleyoop pass and dunked by Banks!
- Green responds with a three.
- Ouedraogo makes a free throw, misses the second.
- Shot clock violation on Nebraska.
3rd Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 57, Nebraska 48

- Cole picks up a loose ball and lays it in.
- Moore with an agressive take, gets to the line.
- Moore made one of two.
- Mack hits a three.
- Devoe to Wright for the alleyoop, GT leads 62-51.
4th Media Timeout: Georgia Tech 62, Nebraska 51

- Driving layup by Wright.
- Nebraska’s Cross with a jumper.
- Parham with a jumer. Lead is back to 16 now.
- GT misses twice, gets their own rebound.
- Parham layup
- Steal and layup by Price.
- Game over.
FINAL Georgia Tech 73, Nebraska 56.

Teams of the Week: Week 4

SFA celebrates an improbable win at Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

SFA celebrates an improbable win at Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Teams of the Week Awards, Week 4 (November 25-December 1, 2019)

Stephen F. Austin –
2019 was the first season that the Lumberjacks missed the postseason since 2012. Head Coach Kyle Keller, now in his fourth season, has made it clear that this program is held at a much higher standard following last season. SFA went out and hit the JUCO trail hard and brought in a set of instant impact guys like Roti Ware, Gavin Kensmil, and Cameron Johnson. Core players like Kevon Harris, John Comeaux, and Nathan Bain returned. The Lumberjacks got rolling early this season with some wins over inferior competition like LeTourneau, NC Central, Niagara, and Drexel – all at home. It was still tough to decipher how improved this team was. Then a trip to Rutgers exposed some weaknesses, in a 69-57 loss. That catches us up to last week. A week in which SFA was to travel to Duke and Arkansas State. SFA also took on Duke on a loaded Tuesday night in College Basketball. Several tournaments and teams were in action. So this game at Duke did not exactly come with much national attention. But perhaps that was a big mistake. SFA came into the game #1 in the nation in forced turnovers (25.8/game). The Lumberjacks pride themselves in wearing teams out with constant ball-pressure and tight defending. This factor combined with Duke’s youth gave us a formula for a possible major upset if SFA executed. And my goodness, did they execute. The game remained tight throughout to the point where most College Hoop fans had to ultimately switch to this game on their apps instead of watching highly anticipated tourney games. It was that good of a fight by SFA. Ultimately, this game got to overtime. With a breakaway layup at the overtime buzzer, Stephen F. Austin pulled off a shocker for the ages and did what no team outside the ACC had done in almost 20 years — take down mighty Duke at home. Stephen F. Austin stunned the Blue Devils 85-83 in overtime Tuesday night, with Nathan Bain’s coast-to-coast layup just before time expired bringing a jarring end to Duke’s 150-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents. The Jacks would follow this up with an underrated dominating win on the road against Arkansas State, 76-57. This Lumberjack squad cannot be taken lightly, they have a ton of confidence and force a ton of turnovers.

Michigan – Any other week and this is your team of the week without question. We had to give the nod to Stephen F. Austin due to the miraculous nature of their upset, but what Michigan accomplished this week was unprecedented in its own regard. Juwan Howard’s Wolverines entered the Battle for Atlantis tournament with limited expectations. The field was loaded with nationally recognized teams like North Carolina, Gonzaga, Seton Hall, and Oregon. All four of them were in the Top 15 coming into the tournament and left little room for much discussion on the rest of the field. Michigan got to work early by defeating Iowa State, 83-76. It was their first game away from home, where they had won four games prior to arriving in the Bahamas. Then Michigan was paired with North Carolina, a much stiffer test. After a really good fight in the first half, the Wolverines came out swinging in the second half going on a 21-4 run to open up a 60-38 lead. By now, they had everyone’s attention and Michigan cruised to a 73-64 statement win. In the Championship Game, there was another Top 10 opponent waiting for them in Gonzaga. Such an impressive amount of confidence was shown as Michigan jumped out to another early lead and took a 34-25 lead into halftime. The Wolverines continued the solid play into the second half and ultimately finished the job with a 82-68 Championship Game victory. It was almost too easy. Suddenly the Maze and Blue are in the drivers seat nationally with the best early season resume. There is a lot of basketball left, but this was an incredible statement that will help Michigan get into the tournament come March.

Florida State – If you saw the SFA piece above, you know that suffocating defenses are effective in College Basketball. The FSU Seminoles brought a similar mentality with them to Niceville, FL last week in a crucial four-team event with Tennessee, VCU, and Purdue. Heading into the event, I thought these four squads were all evenly matched and whoever emerged with two wins would really elevate themselves for the rest of the year. Well, that team was Florida State. Over two nights The Florida State defense continues to prove that it can win ball games even if the offense is making minimal baskets. They overwhelmed both Tennessee in the semifinals and Purdue at times in the Title game. The Noles now have a 7-game winning streak and a pretty solid early resume. And they get another opportunity this week at Indiana. The Seminoles are on the upswing.

George Mason – Heading into this year’s version of the Paradise Jam, there was not a clear-cut favorite. The tournament brought in a creative mix of teams. New Mexico State had injury concerns, ODU was untested, Washington State and Nebraska had already tripped up, and South Florida had injury problems as well. So who was going to come out of this thing 3-0?! The overlooked George Mason Patriots, of course! Much like Atlantis, a completely unexpected champion came to an island and won an 8-team event. The Patriots got off to a great start by winning a hard-fought battle against an old CAA rival, Old Dominion. Next up was Nebraska, and GMU played an excellent all-around game to thump the Cornhuskers, 85-66. Another uplifting story in this was the return of star player Justin Kier, coming back from injury. Kier didn’t play significant minutes but certainly brought an emotional spark to the games.  GMU would then take on New Mexico State in the finals. NMSU had a clean bill of health and looked very strong their first two days, and were the favorite prior to tip-off. The Aggies built up a 12-point halftime lead. George Mason (8-1) erased the 12-point halftime deficit with an exceptional second half in which the Patriots limited the Aggies to 34.4 percent and shot a sizzling 55.6 percent (15-27) on the offensive end. GMU won the Paradise Jam and moved to 8-1 on the year for the first time since 1983-84. Now the Patriots take a ton of confidence with them going forward.

Oklahoma State – The Pokes were a team that many were high on coming into the 2019-20 campaign. I cannot claim to be one of them, but boy am I feeling guilty about that now. In Brooklyn’s Barclay’s Center, a pivotal four team event was held between Oklahoma State, Penn State, Syracuse, and Ole Miss. This is the annual NIT Season Tip-Off event that brings with it a ton of history. The Cowboys met the Orange in the semifinal. Oklahoma State shot nearly 50% from the field and were rarely challenged by the vaunted Syracuse zone. It was an impressive display. The Pokes also got it done defensively, only allowing 25% shooting by the Orange from behind the arc. That setup what we thought would be a showdown against Ole Miss. The game started close, but later the Cowboys busted the game wide open with an 18-1 run in the final eight minutes of the first half to take a commanding 34-15 halftime lead. OSU kept Ole Miss off the scoreboard for nearly eight minutes in the second half as the Rebels couldn’t make a shot, going 25.9 percent from the field in the game. I’m sensing a theme here, suffocating defense is working. And if your team does it well, we may end up writing about them soon. Congrats to Oklahoma State, one of the most intriguing teams in the country.

Strongly Considered

San Diego State – Pounded Creighton by 34, then beat Iowa by Double Digits. Continental Tires Invitational Champions.  
Butler – Picked up two key wins over Mizzou and Stanford en route to a Hall of Fame Classic Title.
Maryland – Took care of business and won the Orlando Invitational. Wins over Temple, Harvard, and Marquette.
Yale – Beat Vermont convincingly. Also beat both Bucknell and Western Michigan on a neutral court.
Kansas – Survived to win the Maui Classic over Dayton in OT. Also beat Chaminade and BYU.

Honorable Mention

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Teams of the Week: November 18-24

Bears celebrate winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

Bears celebrate winning the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

Teams of the Week – Week 3 (November 18-24, 2019)

Baylor –
The Bears arrived in Myrtle Beach, SC last week with a chip on their shoulder. This Bears team has lofty expectations and goals this season and this was the event for them to come and prove why. Baylor knew full well, that Villanova’s side of the bracket was the stronger side and Villanova’s brand was going to get most of the attention for the first two days of the event. The Bears somewhat quietly went about their business by taking care of both Ohio U. and the hosts’ Coastal Carolina. The CCU game was tight into the second half (Bears trailed by as many as six) until a bad injury occurred to CCU star Ebrima Dibba, when he went down with a knee injury. We later found out that Dibba tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The fact that Baylor was tested in the CCU game, got them focused and even more prepared for a test. In what ended up being a seesaw battle back in forth, Baylor made some clutch plays late to pull away from Villanova and secure a big win for their NCAA Tournament resume, 87-78. Bears are your Myrtle Beach Invitational champions. Jared Butler led the way all tournament long, including 22 points in the Championship Game. Baylor now looks ahead to key non-league home games against Arizona and Butler before competing for a Big 12 title. Get used to hearing about this team.

Bowling Green – Coming into the season, we knew at least two things about Bowling Green. They had a strong core returning that would compete for a MAC title. The second was that their non-conference schedule only yielded a small amount of opportunities for quality wins. This placed enormous emphasis on the importance of the Paradise Jam success for the Falcons to have any hope of an At-Large berth come March. The Falcons also got placed in the much more difficult bottom half of the bracket facing C-USA favorites WKU and the winner likely to face Cincinnati. The Bowling Green battle against WKU was fantastic. Bowling Green was down very late in this one. The Falcons rallied in the final minute to stun the Hilltoppers 77-75. Star player Justin Turner had another great game with 27 points in 38 minutes. The reward was another opportunity at a big win vs. Cincinnati.  Now facing the Bearcats, things were rough early. Falcons trailed by 12 at halftime. Then Turner went to the locker room and never returned. That’s when Dylan Frye really stepped up and got Bowling Green back in it. The game would end up going to overtime. And Frye helped put the Bearcats away at the foul line in securing a 91-84 win over Cincy. Monumental win for Bowling Green’s program in general and they’re very much in the early at-large candidate discussions now. One game remains for the Falcons, a meeting with Nevada in the final. Let’s see if they can finish the job, perhaps without Turner.

Hofstra – The Pride had a year to remember last season, winning the CAA and posting a 25-6 regular season record before falling in the CAA Tournament final to Northeastern. Justin Wright-Foreman was one of the best players in program history, but is now gone. Hofstra is still expected to be competitive in the CAA this season. But things started very ugly with a surprising home loss to traditional bottom feeder San Jose State. Then in their third game, Hofstra lost by 15 at Bucknell. Many lowered their expectations after that day. But nobody should be doubting a proven coach like Joe Mihalich. After a win over D2 NYIT, the Pride packed their bags for Los Angeles for meetings against UCLA and later down at Cal State Fullerton. Per usual, Mihalich had his team prepared. Ten minutes into the game at Pauley Pavilion, the Pride were down 23-14 as about expected. But then something changed, Desure Buie and Jalen Ray got hot. The entire Hofstra team ended up shooting 50% (12-24) from three-point land. Hofstra also got just enough done defensively to make the upset a reality, holding PG Tyger Campbell scoreless. Hofstra pulled off a stunner in Pauley Pavilion and handed Mick Cronin his first loss as UCLA Head Coach, 88-78. Later on the road trip, Hofstra kept playing good basketball by handily defeating CS-Fullerton, 79-57. Five players finished in double figures. This trip ends on Wednesday at San Diego, don’t be surprised if Hofstra finishes the California sweep.

Utah State – The Aggies have been playing without their star Center, Neemias Queta and getting by just fine. But we knew last week would really challenge the Aggies as they prepared to travel to Jamaica for a Friday night showdown with LSU. First, the Aggies dispatched UTSA 82-50 on Monday prior to the long trip. Now it was time to take on LSU, the type of power conference team that gave the Aggies problems last season. The first half against LSU was not pretty, USU trailed 44-28 at the intermission. Then down 54-35 with 16:32 remaining, Utah St. chipped away by making its first five 3-pointers of the second half. Alphonso Anderson’s 3 cut it to 71-67. Sam Merrill then made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 57 seconds left and Utah State overcame a 19-point deficit in the second half to beat LSU 80-78. An emotional Aggies celebration erupted when the final buzzer went off. They knew this was huge for their tournament aspirations. The Aggies wrapped up the week with their third victory, taking care of North Texas 68-59.

Florida – The Gators take home our fifth and final Team of the Week award after winning the Charleston Classic. The Gators came into the week playing pretty poorly. Losing at UConn the week before and previously had a lethargic home loss to in-state rival Florida State. The Gators needed adjustments and perhaps a getaway to try and solve their stagnant offense. That is exactly what Mike White’s Gators did this past week. Beating Saint Joseph’s, Miami, and then Xavier in the Final. The Xavier win demonstrated the type of ability that many predicted coming into the season and had to have been a relief for Gator fans. The Gators had four players in double figures and Kerry Blackshear had a double-double against a tough Xavier team. Congrats to the Charleston Classic champs Florida, a dangerous team that is now suddenly hot.

Strongly Considered

Sacramento State – Upset Pepperdine in Malibu after beating local rival UC Davis in the Golden One Center.
James Madison – Big upset at Old Dominion, plus beat New Hampshire.
Temple – Resume building road win at USC. Significant for the Owls.
Lafayette – Beat Penn (who has wins at Bama and Providence), also beat Farleigh Dickinson
Arkansas State – Picked near the bottom of the Sun Belt, pulled off upset at Colorado State.


HONORABLE MENTION:

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SMU at Evansville

Two undefeated teams are ready to square off in Evansville.

Two undefeated teams are ready to square off in Evansville.

GAME NOTES
SMU:
- Tyson Jolly #1 PG in JUCO (orig. Baylor) class of ‘19. Averaging over 20 PPG, high efficiency player.
- Lengthy team. Two guards are 6'4, Four key Forward-types are 6'7-6'9.
- First meeting between SMU/Evansville. Return game next yr at SMU.
- Ethan Chargois is back after leading SMU in scoring last year. Good passer and post player.
- Feron Hunt has the potential to become an elite rebounder according to Coach Jankovich.

Evansville:
- KJ Riley leads the team. Creator, leader, gets to the Free Throw line often.
- DeAndre Williams DNQ LY. Now eligible and has scored 23+ in 2/3 games.
- Purple Aces have not made NCAA Tournament during the 2000's. (Last appearance: 1999).
- Home Attendance continues to increase, averaged 5,200 LY. Looking for more after the win at Kentucky.
- Sam Cunliffe has been with Kansas and Arizona State previously, finally landed here. Played well vs. UK.


GAME ACTION
- John Hall of Evansville opens the scoring with a pretty three.
- Ethan Chargois misses an open trey.
- Noah Frederking of Evansville great blocked shot to get the crowd energized.
- DeAndre Williams a beautiful power move to finish down low.
- Frederking with a three-ball. Hot start for Aces.
- Chargois answers with a deuce.
1st Media Timeout: Evansville 8, SMU 5.

- Chargois draws a foul, connects on both FTs.
- Arthur Labinowicz and Sam Cunliffe enter for Evansville.
- Labinowicz is fouled, makes 1/2 at the line.
- Isiaha Mike with a jumper for the Mustangs.
- Jawaun Newton with a jumper for the Aces.
2nd Media Timeout: Evansville 11, SMU 9.

- Labinowicz gets open and drills a three.
- A lot of sloppyness setting in as each team has dug into it’s bench.
- CJ White makes an SMU jumper
- Mike with a steal and lay-in.
- Emmanuel Bandoumel with a jumper.
3rd Media Timeout: SMU 15, Evansville 14.

- Chargois with another jumper. 8-0 run for SMU.
- Long scoring drought for Evansville, a brutal travelling call against DeAndre Williams on a fast break.
- SMU piles on with another three. This one from Chargois.
- Jolly fouled, and scores his first two from the stripe.
- Williams stops the bleeding and hits a three for the Aces.
- Another travel called on Williams.
4th Media Timeout: SMU 22, Evansville 17.

- Williams hits a runner in the lane.
- Offensive Foul on CJ White.
- Cunliffe launches a three from deep, no good.
- White connects from deep for the Ponies.
- Cunliffe hits a long two.
- Evansvile calls TO to setup a final shot of the half.
- Final shot is no good and we head to halftime.
Halftme: SMU 25, Evansville 21.

- Breakaway power slam by DeAndre Williams to get the half started!
- Shot Clock violation by SMU, crowd is rowdy.
- KJ Riley fouled and makes two free throws
- Feron Hunt with an open dunk underneath for the Mustangs.
- Williams fouled, makes both FT’s.
- Jolly with a nice controlled dribble drive and finish
- Jolly hits a jumper.
- Frederking with a three, crowd loves it.
- Jolly with a transition Block. His confidence is through the roof.
- Another slam by Hunt.
1st Media Timeout: SMU 33, Evansville 30.

- Back and forth action here. No shots falling.
- DeAndre Williams rebounds and takes it coast-to-coast for a layup
- Jolly catches a pass under the hoop and goes up for an easy deuce.
- Chargois is back. Hits a three here to put SMU up by 6.
- Labinowicz fouled, makes both.
- Travel by White.
2nd Media Timeout: SMU 38, Evansville 34.

- John Hall gets down low for a layup.
- Labinowicz drives for a layup. Tie game again.
- Timeout SMU.
- Jolly drills a jumper to beat the shot clock.
- Frederking misses badly from deep.
- Shot clock violation on SMU, Aces really playing well defensively.
- Labinowicz dras a foul, makes both FT’s.
- After a mad scramble, White steals it from Labinowicz and makes a bunny.
- CJ White now has four fouls, Riley to the line. He makes both..
SMU 42, Evansville 42.

- Jolly leaves a jumper short. Aces rebound. Riley fouled. Riley hits both.
- Jolly Layup
- Hall with a big-time three
- Hunt answers with a three. Tied again!
- Jolly gets to the foul line, makes both
- Evansville recovers their own loose ball and calls timeout just before the shot clock expires.
- Mike with a layup.
Fourth Media Timeout SMU 51, Evansville 47

- Frederking with a gutsy floater along the baseline and he is fouled. Makes the FT.
- Chargois with an agressive take, gets fouled and connects on a 3-pt. play.
- KJ Riley with a beautiful left-handed driving layup.
- Riley drives again, this time is called for a charge. Fans do not like it.
- Hunt gets to the rim and finishes.
- Labinowicz misses an open look from three.
- Jolly back to the line. He misses.
- Labinowicz gets to the line, makes both. Timeout SMU.
- SMU has been all over the glass. A couple of more offensive rebounds, finally Mike is fouled.
- Mike hits both, followed by a Frederking trey. 58-57 SMU, only one second left.
- Jolly fouled, makes the first and misses the second intentionally. Then Jolly swats the desperation heave.
Final Score: SMU 59, Evansville 57.

GREAT GAME!

Teams of the Week: November 11-17

Euphoria sets in for Evansville’s KJ Riley as the Purple Aces stun Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

Euphoria sets in for Evansville’s KJ Riley as the Purple Aces stun Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

Teams of the Week – Week 2 (November 11-17, 2019)

Evansville –
Walter McCarty, in his second season as Evansville' head coach, played at UK and won a national championship with the Wildcats in 1996. John Calipari agreed to host the Kentucky legend, McCarty and his program, Evansville at Rupp Arena last Tuesday. Coach McCarty is not only a proud Wildcat, but he is also a native of Evansville and is really proud of his roots. Kentucky came into this contest at 2-0 after beating Michigan State in the Champions Classic and dismantling Eastern Kentucky. This earned Kentucky the #1 ranking in the polls. Evansville had only played Ball State at home and won 79-75. It was a good start to the campaign, but nobody expected what was about to come for the Purple Aces. Senior KJ Riley is a heck of a creator that can benefit shooters outside like Sam Cunliffe. KJ had a performance he will never forget by pacing the Purple Aces with 18 points, going perfect 8-8 from the line, and 2-2 from deep. Cunliffe poured in 17 points and had 6 dimes. The Aces did the unthinkable and stunned Kentucky, 67-64. Evansville was greeted by fans and students when they returned to Evansville. Quite a scene and quite a win for the program. McCarty has been interviewed by most of the major news outlets. “I don’t know if anything matches this, other than winning a national championship.” Evansville, my friends, is officially on the map in 2019-20 and have a memory for a lifetime.

BYU – Offseason expectations were high for BYU. Mark Pope was the ideal fit to fill in for Dave Rose. BYU got amazing news when Yoeli Childs returned to school after going through the NBA Draft process. Toward the end of summer, all of the positivity came crashing down with the news that Childs would be suspended for 9 games because the NCAA determined that he was not in compliance with the new rules instituted during the 2018-19 season regulating how student-athletes can sign with an agent and maintain their remaining eligibility. That meant a vastly important part of the Cougars schedule for an at-large bid was impacted by the suspension and expectations lessened. That leads us to Friday night when BYU went to Houston to face a talented squad and a team that we at Bracketeer.org are high on. BYU went out and performed very well behind transfers Alex Barcello and Jake Toolson, who have made a big impact. Also, TJ Haws and Kolby Lee are playing well. This game was a seesaw battle that saw BYU down by 1 late. A costly Houston turnover created one final chance for the Cougars to steal a road win. Haws took full advantage creating enough space to fire a 15-footer and watch it bounce off of the front iron and splash through the net! Unbelievable. BYU beats Houston at the buzzer in the battle of the Cougars.

Montana State – Bobcats started the season at Utah State and put a scare into the Aggies, but ultimately lost out late, 81-73. The result was still impressive and created confidence for this newish team led by former Bobcat great and new HC Danny Sprinkle. This past weekend the Bobcats traveled cross-country to Greensboro, NC to participate in the Spartan Invitational and play three games in three days against Appalachian State, UNCG, and Tennessee Tech. Of course, the big fish in this trio was UNCG. This game happened on Saturday and MSU came out ready to play, taking an early lead and managing to trade baskets with UNCG on their home court. The game came down to the final seconds. UNCG hit a driving layup to go up 66-64 with under three seconds to go. Bobcats were out of timeouts and needed a miracle. That is when star player, Harald Fray, took a couple of dribbles and launched an off-center shot from beyond the arc, and it Banked IN! The MSU bench stormed the court to hug him and UNCG was left in shock. The previous night MSU beat an improving Appalachian State team, 59-56 and in the finale took care of Tennessee Tech, 52-39. Bobcats are 4-1 for the first time since 2010-11. They’ve held opponents to 66 points or less in four straight games for the first time since Dec. 21, 2007 to Jan. 5, 2008. They allowed 40 points or less Sunday for the first time since Dec. 16, 2000. Watch out for MSU in the Big Sky this season. Hoops is getting fun in Bozeman again.

DePaul – This Blue Demons club has not been good at all over the past few decades. Once a proud program (only missed NCAA’s once between 1978-89), DePaul has been at the bottom of the new Big East since its re-creation. Coach Dave Leitao has been assembling talent in a variety of ways. Recruiting and transfers from different parts of the country have helped him amass a formidable roster this season. But the difficult part is getting them together. That brings us to last Monday night in Iowa City. DePaul going on the road to face a team who was in the Round of 32 last season and barely missed the Sweet 16, Iowa. DePaul’s Paul Reed was a man amongst boys out there on Monday. Reed dominated the Hawkeyes and finished with 25 and 12 boards. DePaul built a big 29-13 lead in the first ten minutes and never looked back. Blue Demons 93, Iowa 78. Heck of a statement for them. Later in the week DePaul hosted Cornell and took care of business, 75-54. With already one key win on the resume, it is time to start looking at DePaul as a true At-Large contender.  

Penn State – After all of the struggles in this Penn State Basketball program over the years, it is time to recognize what the Nittany Lions have been building toward. Their first major test of the season came last week at Georgetown. Similarly to Penn State, Georgetown has put together a talented team and is looking to get back to the NCAA’s, and the Hoyas were at home. Penn State came in ready to show that this year they are the team to be taken seriously. Jumping out of the gate with a 22-7 lead, Penn State controlled the game throughout. Sophomore Myreon Jones really has stepped up this season, he poured in 21 points on five treys and played 27 minutes. He has really become a difference maker to support PSU’s star player, Lamar Stevens. Much like DePaul above, Penn State must be taken seriously for at-large chances.

Strongly Considered

Northwestern – Just a complete 180 performance after losing to Merrimack by 10. NW took down Big East title contender, Providence, 72-63
Kent State – Two impressive road wins. At Towson and At Wright State.
William & Mary – Big road win at Wofford. Also beat Hampton at home.
VCU – Will Wade revenge win at home over LSU. Also beat Jacksonville State.
Stony Brook – Swept the Islander Invitational after long travel. Impressive wins over North Dakota St., TAMUCC, and UTRGV.
Charlotte – Home victories over Davidson and Wake Forest. Big for the program and local bragging rights.


HONORABLE MENTION:

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Pittsburgh at Robert Morris

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GAME NOTES
Pittsburgh:
- Committed 21 turnovers in loss to Nicholls St. Need to cut down in hostile environment tonight.
- Ryan Murphy scored 28 off the bench vs. Nicholls. Panthers need to find him, he can stroke.
- Pitt has won the past 30 matchups in a row vs. RMU.

Robert Morris:
- Making history by hosting Pitt for the first time ever and playing Innagural Game tonight at UPMC Events Center.
- Outrebounded 41-28 at Notre Dame, also committed 21 fouls to just 12. Need to improve.
- Josh Williams needs to be more efficient. Fired off 16 trey’s against Notre Dame, only finished with 21 points.

GAME ACTION
1st Half
Ryan Murphy starts the scoring where he left off last weekend, hitting a three.
Trey McGowans with an alley-oop dunk from Xavier Johnson
Terrell Brown (Pitt) with a drop step spin move and Dunk.
First Media Timeout: Pitt 7, RMU 0.

Dante Tready fouled on a 3-pt. attempt, knocks down all three free throws.
Yannis Mendy hits a jumper
Josh Williams hits a jumper
Josh Williams drills a pretty trey, 10-0 run for RMU.
Jalen Hawkins fouled, connects on two FT’s.
DJ Russell makes a layup and fouled, 14-0 run for RMU.
Second Media Timeout: RMU 14, Pitt 7.

DJ Russell makes Free Throw
Charles Bain hits 3-Pointer, 18-0 run for RMU.
Terrell Brown (Pitt) fouled, makes both FT’s. The run is finally over.
Au’Diese Toney Layup is good.
Ryan Murphy hits a short jumper
McGowens another dunk with authority to quiet the crowd
Xavier Johnson draws a foul, connects on both FT attempts.
AJ Bramah stops the bleeding for RMU, makes a layup.
McGowens answers for Pitt with a beautiful drivin layup
Third Media Timeout: RMU 20, Pitt 19.

Yannis Mendy with a layup
Terrell Brown (Pitt) makes a jumper
AJ Bramah comes righ back with a layup
McGowens another nice move and fouled, makes both FT’s.
Fourth Media Timeout: RMU 24, Pitt 23.

Justin Champagnie in off the bench with a statement dunk, Pitt has first lead since early on.
McGowens hits a jumper, I like the way he plays hard.
Charles Bain off the RMU bench, connects with a trey.
A couple of late shots by each team fall short, fittingly after a half of runs, this game goes to halftime all tied up.
Halftime: RMU 27, Pitt 27.

2nd Half
McGowens picks up where he left off in the First Half, with a driving layup
McGowens is fouled, makes both free throws
Once again, McGowens fouled and makes both FT’s.
Jon Williams answers with a trey for RMU
Ryan Murphy responds by knocking down a triple for Pitt
Jon Williams turn, he hits a three
Terrell Brown with a layup for Pitt
Terrell Brown fouled, makes one FT for the Panthers
McGowens drives and dishes to Murphy for a corner three. PA announcer comes on and announces it was a two pointer.
First Media Timeout: Pitt 43, RMU 35.

Jalen Hawkins of RMU with a nifty layup
McGowens answers again with his own layup
Xavier Johnson buries a trey.
Second Media Timeout: Pitt 49, RMU 37.

Hawkins with a layup after a nice steal by AJ Bramah.
Pitt scores easily on a baseline in-bounds pass to Terrell Brown
Yannis Mendy with a layup for the Colonials.
McGowens with a pretty stepback 3-Pointer. He has 23 points now.
AJ Bramah comes right back with a layup.
McGowens draws the foul, hits both FT’s
Pitt gets posession back and this time Au’Diese Toney finishes on the other end
Yannis Mendy hits a long two pointer (may have been a 3 last season).
Champagnie with a Dunk. The Frosh can really get up.
Third Media Timeout: Pitt 60, RMU 45.

Pitt working a lot of clock here, missing a shot and getting their own rebound.
Eventually Pitt calls a 30 second timeout.
Champagnie gets fouled, sinks both. Pit fans have taken over the energy in the arena
Hawkins eventually completes a run out with a layup for RMU
Fourth Media Timeout: Pitt 62, RMU 47

Josh Williams gets a quick layup, RMU still down by 13.
Toney with a back-breaking three for Pitt
Hawkins hits a three for RMU
Xavier Johnson fouled, makes both foul shots
Intentional foul on a breakawy by Terrell Brown, called against RMU’s AJ Bramah
Brown goes on to miss both.
Toney gets fouled and he does make his FT’s.
Pitt dribbling out the final minute now.
Toney fouled again, he connects on both
Josh Williams hits another three
Josh Williams gets credited with a layup after a Pitt Goaltending call
Pitt dribbles it out and we are done here.

FINAL Pitt 71, RMU 57

TOTW: Longhorns make early Statement

Royce Hamm and the Horns went into Mackey and picked up a big win for their resume.

Royce Hamm and the Horns went into Mackey and picked up a big win for their resume.

Teams of the Week

Texas –
Preseason prognostications are a lot of fun. Folks like me out here in the CBB world spend a lot of time analyzing rosters, schedules, staff changes, etc. But at the end of the offseason, it is just an educated guess at best. Exhibit A: The Texas Longhorns. Texas had a roster coming back that featured a rotation of the first seven players having experience and talent, if Andrew Jones somehow regained his health. To the delight of several folks, Andrew Jones was able to play in preseason and at a very high-level after recovering from Leukemia. It is easily one of the best stories of the year for the 2019-20 season. Another key change for Texas was adding the great defensive mind, Luke Yaklich, to be the new Associate Head Coach to HC Shaka Smart. The good fortune came to Texas after former Michigan HC John Beilein left to coach in the NBA. Preseason expectations were really were a mixed bag for the Horns. Here at Bracketeer, we had Texas as a tournament team in the 8-seed range, attributed to the positives mentioned but also to the track record at Texas the past few seasons. The season got off to a predictable start by beating Northern Colorado with ease, 69-45. Perhaps the key there, was allowing just 45 points total, an early sign that the Yaklich defensive impact may already be on display in Austin. Then came Saturday, a key visit to Purdue and great opportunity for a key road win. The Longhorns took full advantage of it, led by Matt Coleman’s 22 points and 7 assists – the Horns went into Mackey Arena and beat Purdue 70-66. Early on this season, this Texas team has a high ceiling and is clearly one to watch nationally. Purdue figures to have a tournament caliber club this season, only time will tell how big this win truly looks come March. For now, we are extremely impressed.  

UC Riverside – Say what you want about Nebraska. This isn’t about Nebraska. This is about a UC Riverside program that was ranked #322 in KenPom last season, and has not finished higher ranked than #216 for the past decade. David Patrick is in his second season now at UCR, and it appears he has the Highlanders heading in the right direction. Patrick has a lot of experience as an assistant coach, including being at successful programs like St. Mary’s and most recently TCU. Prior to the season opener at Nebraska, we learned that UCR was going to be without their leading returning scorer Dikymbe Martin. Martin is only the 5th player ever for UCR that has over 1,000 point in his career, so this was a significant loss. Heading into a hyped Pinnacle Bank Arena for the Fred Hoiberg coaching debut at Nebraska, things looked bleak for UCR at best. But the Highlanders came to play. Patrick rolled with a 4-guard lineup, and 6’3 George Willborn had an incredible 18 rebound performance. The strategy worked to say the least. The UCR defense confused Nebraska and the Cornhuskers took a lot of bad shots (going 16-55). UCR was able to get out of Lincoln with a stunning 66-47 victory and make a big statement for the Big West Conference. The Highlanders capped off the week by beating Idaho, 58-51, again without Martin.

Ohio – The Jeff Boals era began with a bang last Tuesday night. It was an overlooked game by most nationally. Ohio with first year Head Coach and Ohio U. Alum, Jeff Boals, were not expected to do much this season, especially early on. St. Bonaventure came in with a darkhorse NCAA tournament level of expectations and brought back a good amount of experience. The Bobcats started a very interesting starting five. The experienced Seniors, Sylvester Ogbonda and Jordan Dartis, to go along with three Frosh: Jason Preston, Lunden McDay, Ben Vander Plas. Preston had himself an impressive debut to help lead the Bobcats, playing all 40 minutes and contributing 11 points, 13 assists, 7 steals, 6 rebounds – quite a performance! Dartis led all scorers with 19 and the Bobcats stunned the Bonnies on the road, 65-53. Ohio then came home and got a Non-D1 win over Heidelberg over the weekend. This could be a real sleeper team in the MAC.

San Diego State – The Aztecs missed the postseason in 2019 for just the second time in 14 seasons. It’s remarkable to look back at the amount of success they’ve had since 2006. However, heading into this season the jury was definitely out. Mixed projections for the 2019-20 season and virtually everyone picking Utah State (including us) to win the Mountain West. SDSU came into a very difficult place to win this past Saturday, the Marriott Center at BYU. BYU has distinct home court advantage, playing in altitude at 4700 feet. Paced by two transfer guards KJ Feagin (Santa Clara) and Malachi Flynn (Washington St.), the Aztecs came out on top after a great late rally. After trailing 52-43 at one point the Aztecs were able to play great basketball in the final minutes, winning 76-71 and collecting a quality win in Provo. Junior Jordan Schakel shined for SDSU, scoring 19 points including going 5-7 from downtown. Earlier in the week, SDSU manhandled Texas Southern 77-42. Heck of a start to the season.

Dartmouth – Congrats to the Big Green for being named as one of the five TOTW this week for the first time. Coach David McLaughlin has been steadily building this program, now in his fourth year. Dartmouth has improved in each year. Last year was promising at points, the Big Green was 11-11 with wins over Harvard and at Albany, but went on to lose eight straight games and finish 11-19. Dartmouth wasn’t an easy win for teams though, and there was noticeable progress. The season opener last Friday night was at Buffalo. A program that has won NCAA tournament games in each of the past two seasons. Despite losing HC Nate Oats over the offseason, the expectations were still there for Buffalo to compete for another MAC title. Dartmouth arrived at Buffalo’s Alumni Arena with different ideas. This game had several runs but Dartmouth had just enough to pull it out in the end 68-63 to stun the Bulls in their home opener. Taurus Samuels and Chris Knight, who had a combined 34 points, and a strong defensive effort (Bulls shot 10-35 from deep, 28.6%) proved to be enough to get one of the biggest road wins in the past decade for this program.

Strongly Considered

Delaware – Swept through the Sunshine Slam. Getting wins over Oakland, Southern Illinois, and UTSA. The only thing holding back the Blue Hens from being part of the top 5 was this level of competition not being exaclty clear yet.
Georgia Tech – In only game, won at NC State in an upset. Great start for Josh Pastner’s club.
Washington – Stunned Baylor after trailing most of the game. Big win for the resume.
Saint Mary’s – Opened the season with OT win over Wisconsin on a neutral court. Big for the At Large hopes.
Southern Utah – Also stunned Nebraska (like UCR). SUU looks like a Big Sky contender.

Honorable Mention
Nicholls State
(Stunning win at Pittsburgh and also took Illinois to OT on the road), Boston College (Impressive win at South Florida, also beat Wake Forest in ACC opener), Virginia Tech (Surprising win at Clemson, also beat Coppin State), Furman (Won at Gardner-Webb and pounded Loyola-Chicago at home), Northeastern (Knocked off heavily hyped Harvard and beat cross-town rival Boston U.) Illinois State (comeback win over Belmont, and beat a tough Little Rock team), Vermont (Two road wins. At Bonnies and at Bucknell), Oregon State (Key win over Iowa State and beat CSUN), Campbell (surprising win at Coastal Carolina), Kentucky (Beat Michigan State and EKU), Utah (Impressive road win at Nevada and beat MVSU by 94), South Dakota (won at Hawaii and beat Pacific in Hawaii), California (Won Mark Fox’s coaching debut against Pepperdine), Colorado (Took care of Arizona State handily in China), UT Arlington (Beat Tulsa by 14), La Salle (Held on to beat Iona, nice win for Ashley Howard’s program), Morehead State (beat SoCon darkhorse Samford in Double OT).

Weekly Notes

·        South Dakota State survived a thrilling Double OT road game against CSUB, 93-91. The game had 16 lead changes and several big plays. Douglas Wilson had a big day with 26 points and 13 rebounds, but eventually fouled out. His Jackrabbit teammates were able to pick up the slack.

·        Christian Lutete of UMass-Lowell, was unconscious against Long Island, scoring 51 points in the victory. Lutete was incredibly efficient as well going 16-25 from the field, including seven treys and only had two turnovers. Ohio State must have done their homework, the Buckeyes managed to hold Lutete to 9 points just two nights later in Columbus.

·        Jordan Roland of Northeastern takes the cake for all individuals in Week one. Roland was simply sensational in both the opener against Boston U. and against Harvard on Friday night. Roland scored 39 and 42 points respectively in the two contests. He was near perfect from the FT line and shot at a high percentage clip, proving he can be scoring machine this year for Northeastern. The Huskies won both games and got off to an excellent start for the 2019-20 campaign.

Pac-12 Media Day

P12-1.jpg

Welcome to the Bracketeer’s ongoing coverage of Pac-12 Media Day. I will update this post throughout the day to recap all 12 of the schools in the conference and any additional nuggets that I personally gather. Only four weeks until Tip-Off!

1) Oregon
HC Dana Altman:
- Mentioned the defensive formula that is trending in College Hoops (named Villanova twice and the Oregon final four team.
- Talked about replacing Dillon Brooks. Brooks won the most games in Oregon Basketball history.
- N’Faly Dante has still not been cleared by admissions to play.
- Asked about always being able to reload his roster: Summed it up by saying he has a great staff.
- Counting on Francis Okoro, CJ Walker, and Shakur Juiston to bring the type of physicality that will replace Elgin Cook’s loss.

2) Colorado
HC Tad Boyle:
- Praised Junior Class for sticking together. Built class from recruiting.
- Scheduling upgrade from last year was due to the team he knew was coming back. Seeked games with KU, Dayton, Iona, and Northern Iowa.
- Wants to play with an inside out approach. He thinks CU will see more zone this year due to 3 point line moving back and new coaches in the Pac-12.
- 5th in the Nation in returning minutes.

3) Washington
HC Mike Hopkins
- No word yet on Quade Green waiver.
- On the rotation: stay patient and letting things play out.
- Preparation for Baylor: Just show up and see how we stack up.
- Praise for Nate Roberts.
- Scheduling is a focus for the staff. They struggle to get national teams to play a true road game. This was evidenced by Auburn cancelling the back half of the home-and-home series that was supposed to happen this season.
- You could see Jaden McDaniels at the top of the zone. (Non-Commital)
- On zero true road games: Did their best to balance out travel and space out games. Found neutral opportunities in Anchorage, Hawai’i and Toronto to be the most lucrative of the options.
- Understands the importance of the Conference being able to win some games early. He thinks new scheduling mandates has been a big part of the league improving going forward and better position themselves for more At-Large bids.

4) Arizona
HC Sean Miller
- Only coach to bring two Freshmen here.
- Balked at the idea of playing zone this year.
- Gave credit to all three new HC's in the league. Thinks the league upgraded with the new hires. Spoke about how tough Cronin's teams are.

5) USC
HC Andy Enfield
- Factored in the strength of the league and balanced it with Non-conference scheduling strategy.
- Isaiah Mobley has been cleared, Enfield expects him to be 100% for the opener.
- Looking forward to future of USC with eventual new AD and recently hired President.
- Commented on Mick Cronin being a very good basketball coach, nice guy. They don't know each other that well but getting to know each other. Later said good basketball in Los Angeles.
- Commented on being picked 5th after finishing 8th last year. Says it speaks to the level of talent we have this season.

6) Arizona State
HC Bobby Hurley
- Team is adjusting back to being a Guard-heavy team.
- Jalen Graham is currently out with an ankle injury. Sounds like he could return in the coming weeks.
- Hopes the 20-Game schedule will help alleviate future SOS concerns
- Rebounding is key for this team to be able to succeed.
- He thinks the expanded three point line allows their Guards to have more freedom of movement and is an overall positive for this team.

7) Oregon State
HC Wayne Tinkle
- Peyton Dastrup needs to be a key piece for the team to reach their goals.
- Zach Reichle has been working hard in the weight room and ready to make an impact.
- Others who will be counted on: Alfred Hollins, Jarod Lucas, Antoine Miller.
- Spoke about Jared Lucas being the all-time leading scorer in Southern California history and how that he can be just as special in College.

8) UCLA
HC Mick Cronin
- Defense/Offense are equally as important.
- Pac-12 defensively is a tougher league than nationally recognized.
- Shareef O'Neal works hard, hustles, listens and is coming along nicely. Credits his parents for his character.
- Why he left Cincinnati: Never a good time to leave, but overall he thought he was at the right point in life for a change.
- Made a few jokes about transitioning to LA life and the cost of living, went on to say that the sicker shock is real.

9) Utah
HC Larry Krystowiak
- Looking to go 7 deep this year, rest of team has to play their way into the rotation.
- Proud of scheduling efforts.
- Took the high road on CA State Bill/NIL questions, did not believe his opinion would add any value.
- Pointed out that his two sons play CBB. One for the Utes and the other at Dartmouth.
- On upgraded talent: I can tell you that we've got more stars than we've ever had, but we've also got a really high-character group of guys, and I think we've got a chance moving forward,

10) Stanford
HC Jerod Hasse
- Says the foreign tour in Italy and Germany was a great trip.
- He thinks his team grew together over the summer.
- Says he is excited about the guys he has, despite losing KZ Okpala to the NBA, Koyde Pugh for the season (knee), and Trevor Stanback (medical hardship).
- He wants Oscar Da Silva to become a complete player on both sides of the ball, credits Oscar for working really hard in the offseason.

11) Washington State
HC Kyle Smith
- Praised living in Pullman and the opportunity. Not backing down from the notion that is too difficult to recruit there. - Praised Jeff Pollard and Noah Williams
- Said he had no say on scheduling and that it was already in place when he arrived. And seemed happy about it.
- Says scheduling after this year will be more carefully done and in line with conference mandates.
- Gave entire team Dental Floss, noted that Pollard was the only one who flosses everyday.

12) California
HC Mark Fox
- Talked about having 17 new players and how he has been pleased thus far in their efforts.
- He has preached and the players have responded on the notion of a daily investment to get better.
- Academics at Cal, tradition of the conference, and Cal Hoops history were the main areas that attracted him to the job.
- Discussed how valuable having Trent Johnson on staff is and all of the experience he brings.
- Says he doesn’t read the articles or the stories writen and it didn’t make a difference to him that the Bears were picked last.

The Final Tally (Media Poll)


TEAM (first-place votes) POINTS
1. Oregon (9) 291 points
2. Colorado (9) 288
3. Washington (6) 273
4. Arizona (2) 263
5. USC (1) 198
6. Arizona State 187
7. Oregon State 161
8. UCLA 148
9. Utah 131
10. Stanford 84
11. Washington State 47
12. California 35

Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team
Tyler Bey, Jr., G/F, Colorado
CJ Elleby, So., F, Washington State
Nico Mannion, Fr., G, Arizona
Remy Martin, Jr., G, Arizona State
Jaden McDaniels, Fr., F, Washington
Payton Pritchard, Sr., G, Oregon
Nick Rakocevic, Sr., F, USC
Isaiah Stewart, Fr., F, Washington
Tres Tinkle, Sr., F, Oregon State
McKinley Wright IV, Jr., G, Colorado

Second Team

Timmy Allen, So., F, Utah
N'Faly Dante, Fr., C, Oregon
Daejon Davis, Jr., G, Stanford
Josh Green, Fr., G, Arizona
Ethan Thompson, Jr., G, Oregon State

3X3U Friday

Mall of America

Mall of America

As I entered the Mall of America, I noticed something different. Players walking from one entrance to the adjacent end of the Mall to go play a game. Th3 3X3U setup a locker room far from the Main Court and there is a behind the scenes Practice court over there as well. The Patriot League team happened to be right in front of me as the cruised the Mall, much to the surprise of many shoppers. Very unique experience. I finally made my way to the Credential area and back to the Main Court to see the ACC defeat the Moutain West.

The Patriot League just defeated the MEAC on a 20-20 tiebreaking jumper.

Up next? MVC vs. WCC, can’t wait!

WCC wins it impressively. The Frankie Ferrari-Isaiah Piniero combo is nice.

Southland vs. OVC was chippy, but the Southland squad was real hot, especially early. Cruised to a 21-12 victory.
AAC vs. A10 time. Excited to see SLU’ and Seattle native Tramaine Isabell take on Jeremiah Martin and co.
This AAC squad is nice. Martin being as great as he is, gives them a big edge. He hit some big two’s. AAC was saved by the buzzer and held on to win 20-19.

NEC vs. Big West. FDU’s Darnell Edge and Mike Holloway Jr. are on the NEC team and Tacoma, WA native Ar’mond Davis is on the Big West squad, good to see some familiar faces.
NEC completely dominated, Big West struggled to get a rhythm going. Final score: 22-11.

SEC takes down 21-16. Mizzou’s Jordan Geist with a great game shooting the rock.

Up next: America East vs. Big South. Big South destroyed the America East 21-4. Impressive showing.

Time for two teams that won earlier - Patriot vs. ACC. Game was real physica. ACC pulled it out 21-16, crowd was into this one too. Great theatrics.

Mountain West and MEAC in must-win action now. Both are 0-1.. MWC earns the much needed win. over the MEAC.

WCC (1-0) battled with the OVC (0-1) in our next matchup. WCC held on to win 21-19. Jacksonville State’s Jason Burnell spikes the basketball in disgust after the final shot went through the hoop.