17 Dec25 - Trae Magnifique! (PRECONFERENCE)
Volume XXII, No. 8 - 17 Dec25: PRECONFERENCE - [] Top 25 Ballot
Trae Magnifique!
The last few remaining specialty events and tournaments had a couple of surprises.
At the C/SPORTS CLASSIC in New Orleans, struggling UCLA surprised young Kentucky in the feature match (@83-@75) while North Carolina dropped Ohio State in the undercard (@86-@72 despite 26p from Keita Bates-Diop). At the HALL OF FAME HOLIDAY SHOWCASE at the MOHEGAN SUN in Uncasville CT, Houston shut down slumping Providence (70-59). At the VULCAN CLASSIC in Birmingham AL, Texas dumped "host" Alabama (66-@50).
At the 2x4 LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC at ORLEANS ARENA, the final round was pre-set in round-robin format rather than a matchup of semifinal winners from Round 3. That allowed things to end in a four-way tie after San Francisco edged "host" Nevada (66-@64 on Jordan Ratinho's game-winning three) leaving USF, Nev, Duquesne and Southern Illinois all at 3-1 ... Ugh. Meanwhile, SKY/North Dakota State was an Unwelcome Guest winner of the two-round DON HASKINS/SUN BOWL INVITATIONAL beating host UTEP in the final (63-@51 led by xKeith Frazier[18p3a10r]). At the two-round NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC, "host" CUSA/Louisiana Tech beat Ft. Wayne in the final (@85-76 as pDaQuan Bracey[25p7a] countered 27p from Bryson Scott). The DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC was the last tourney with a quality draw, but the lustre has been knocked off the crown. First, disappointing USC tripped up in overtime in its home warm-up against Princeton (@93-103[OT] as fMyles Stephens[30p9r] and tAmir Bell[18p9a7r5s] countered 25p10r from cChimezie Metu). Then, surprising New Mexico State knocked off favorite Miami(Florida) in the semis (63-54
led by tZach Lofton[15p3a9r]).
Elsewhere, North Carolina inexplicably tripped up at home against SOCON/Wofford (@75-79
as Fletcher Magee[27p] led the way). Disappointing San Diego State salvaged something from the preseason, edging Gonzaga (@72-70 sinking 21-for-26 free throws).
Giant-killer SMU added another notch, dumping solid Boise State (@88-63). Kansas State edged host Washington State (68-@65). Towson's fantastic preseason (two tourney wins) ended poorly with two losses, falling at Oakland (86-@97 as Kendrick Nunn[31p] starred) and tripping at Pittsburgh (59-@63).
Georgia Southern failed to post, tanking on the road at East Tennesse State (59-@79).
Western Michigan's terrible preseason continued with a home-drubbing against Idaho (@52-82 as the Vandals drained 17-for-30 threes led by Victor Sanders[25p]); but Idaho couldn't keep it going, falling at home itself to UC-Irvine (@59-67); but that was only a split on the week for UCI, which earlier tanked at Montana (68-@86). Western Kentucky tripped at home against Belmont (@72-75).
Yale was dumped at home against Monmouth (@64-85 as xAustin Tilghman[11p15a14r] countered 25p5r from bMiye Oni).
GC pTrae Young(Oklahoma) not only moved himself to the head of the class in consideration for Freshman Of The Year, but also could very well be overall Player Of The Year as well. pYoung, who patterns his game after NBA star/(former Davidson standout) pStephen Curry, tied the NCAA single-game record with 22 assists against Northwestern State in a @105-68 win (matching the mark previously reached by pSherman Douglas[Syracuse], [current Alabama coach] pAvery Johnson[Texas Southern] and pTony Fairley[Charleston Southern]). For good measure, OK thumped disappointing Northwestern (@104-78 behind 61 percent shooting including 17-for-28 on threes as pYoung "only" had 31p12a;8/13 3s]).
In early league play, Loyola(Illinois) couldn't make the jump to Anti-Spoiler, tripping on the road in Part I of the MISSOURI VALLEY Game Of The Year at Missouri State (59-@64 as xAlize Johnson[24p11r;5/10 3s] led the way). Despite the strong preseason by the league overall, neither co-favorite was able to post an elite win on their own (so, frankly, this win only gave MoSt a leg up on an NIT bid).
Overall, the BIG 12 evaluated by far as the best conference (63-14 in top matchups [including 7 elite wins], 6 tournament crowns, 9-of-10 teams with elite [at least 4-to-1] won-loss records [including undefeated TCU]). Well behind were the ACC (73-33 [5 elite wins], 4.5 crowns, 9-of-15 elite teams [including undefeated-out-of-conference Duke]), the BIG EAST (60-22 [4 elite], 2 crowns, 6-of-10 elite [including undefeated Villanova]), AMERICAN (44-30 [5 elite], 2.5 crowns, 3-of-10 elite), SEC (74-31 [4 elite], 1 crown, 7-of-14 elite), BIG 10 (69-40 [3 elite], 2 crowns, 6-of-14 elite) and PAC 12 (42-35 [5 elite], 3 crowns, only 1-of-12 elite [undefeated Arizona State]) all qualified as B-Major conferences by one measure or another.
Only two leagues were overall Mid-Majors: the MOUNTAIN WEST (44-34 [no elite], 2.2 crowns, 2-of-10 elite) and WEST COAST (29-23 [3 elite], 1.2 crowns, 2-of-10 elite).
Splashworthy 1BC leagues look OK this year: MISSOURI VALLEY (36-22, 1.2 crowns), ATLANTIC 10 (45-44 [1 elite], 0.2 crowns, 1 elite[St. Bonaventure]), MID-AMERICAN (27-28, 1.5 crowns, 1 elite[Central Michigan]) and WAC (20-21 [1 elite], 1 elite[New Mexico State]) but maybe only WAC/NMSt and A10/URI individually look capable of winning a round in the NCAA tournament.
Teams in the 1BC Swirl Spot don't look so strong
this year with only a handful of teams worthy of notice: COLONIAL(,2.5 crowns)/Towson, PATRIOT(,2 crowns), SOUTHERN(,0.5 crowns), OHIO VALLEY(,1 crown), CONFERENCE USA(,1 crown)/Western Kentucky, SUN BELT(29-29, 1 crown), AMERICA EAST(,1 crown)/Vermont, BIG SKY(,1 crown) and SUMMIT(,1 crown).
Going nowhere/led by no one, the Flop 1BCs have been: SOUTHLAND(,1.5 crowns, 1 elite)/Stephen F. Austin, BIG WEST(,1 crown), HORIZON(,0), METRO ATLANTIC(,0), IVY(,0), BIG SOUTH(,0), ATLANTIC SUN(,0), NORTHEAST(,0), MEAC(,0) and SWAC(,0).
The MOUNTAIN WEST evaluates as a full Mid-Major (along with the WEST COAST) for the second-straight year while the ATLANTIC-10 again looks like a glorified 1BC. The conference-hopping that followed in the wake of Wichita State helped one but hurt three conferences: AMERICAN(+WichSt) went from 8th to 4th; the MISSOURI VALLEY(-WichSt, +Valparaiso) actually improved 16th to 14th; the HORIZON(-Valpo, +IUPUI) dropped 17th to 25th while the SUMMIT(-IUPUI) dipped 20th to 22nd. Good for College Basketball overall? (Not from where I'm standing.)
Player Of The Year performances from returning players have been few and far between ...
only pJalen Brunson(Villanova), xMike Daum(South Dakota State) and cJock Landale(St. Mary's) have put up huge numbers. The SuperFrosh have been more impressive on the whole, led (by a long way) by pTrae Young(Oklahoma) with cMarvin Bagley III(Duke) second and gCollin Sexton(Alabama) a distant third.
- - - - - -
Here's a detailed look at the conferences after the preseason:
New Mexico State can stake the claim as the lone legitimate Splashworthy 1BC threat with a win over USC in the DIAMOND HEAD final (Monday). The lustre is way down on this year's Bluegrass clash between host Kentucky and visitor Louisville (Friday). Duke already has no room for error in ACC conference play and really can't afford a home loss to tough Florida State (Saturday). The BIG 12 Wars get under way in a big way when undefeated TCU hosts GCoY-led Oklahoma (Saturday) and Texas Tech hosting Baylor (Friday). The SEC race may be up for grabs more than usual with Kentucky being less than a full juggernaut, so Arkansas hosting Tennessee (Saturday) could be more important than expected. Seton Hall hosts Creighton (Thursday) with the loser going from "contender" to "spoiler" right away in the BIG EAST. Arizona hosts top-ranked undefeated Arizona State (Saturday) with a chance to instantly swap the preseason rep for both schools. The MWC Wars feature UNLV hosting Boise State (Saturday) to start. Washington's good preseason might all be for naught with a disastrous L.A. road trip (Friday at USC, Sunday at UCLA). It's Part I of the COLONIAL Game Of The Year when preseason favorite College of Charleston hosts preconference fave Towson (Saturday).
-- Ron
P.S. Merry Christmas, everyone!
Top 25 - 17 Dec25: PRECONFERENCE - [] Column
Trae Magnifique!
The last few remaining specialty events and tournaments had a couple of surprises.
At the C/SPORTS CLASSIC in New Orleans, struggling UCLA surprised young Kentucky in the feature match (@83-@75) while North Carolina dropped Ohio State in the undercard (@86-@72 despite 26p from Keita Bates-Diop). At the HALL OF FAME HOLIDAY SHOWCASE at the MOHEGAN SUN in Uncasville CT, Houston shut down slumping Providence (70-59). At the VULCAN CLASSIC in Birmingham AL, Texas dumped "host" Alabama (66-@50).
At the 2x4 LAS VEGAS-CHRISTMAS CLASSIC at ORLEANS ARENA, the final round was pre-set in round-robin format rather than a matchup of semifinal winners from Round 3. That allowed things to end in a four-way tie after San Francisco edged "host" Nevada (66-@64 on Jordan Ratinho's game-winning three) leaving USF, Nev, Duquesne and Southern Illinois all at 3-1 ... Ugh. Meanwhile, SKY/North Dakota State was an Unwelcome Guest winner of the two-round DON HASKINS/SUN BOWL INVITATIONAL beating host UTEP in the final (63-@51 led by xKeith Frazier[18p3a10r]). At the two-round NEW ORLEANS CLASSIC, "host" CUSA/Louisiana Tech beat Ft. Wayne in the final (@85-76 as pDaQuan Bracey[25p7a] countered 27p from Bryson Scott). The DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC was the last tourney with a quality draw, but the lustre has been knocked off the crown. First, disappointing USC tripped up in overtime in its home warm-up against Princeton (@93-103[OT] as fMyles Stephens[30p9r] and tAmir Bell[18p9a7r5s] countered 25p10r from cChimezie Metu). Then, surprising New Mexico State knocked off favorite Miami(Florida) in the semis (63-54
led by tZach Lofton[15p3a9r]).
Elsewhere, North Carolina inexplicably tripped up at home against SOCON/Wofford (@75-79
as Fletcher Magee[27p] led the way). Disappointing San Diego State salvaged something from the preseason, edging Gonzaga (@72-70 sinking 21-for-26 free throws).
Giant-killer SMU added another notch, dumping solid Boise State (@88-63). Kansas State edged host Washington State (68-@65). Towson's fantastic preseason (two tourney wins) ended poorly with two losses, falling at Oakland (86-@97 as Kendrick Nunn[31p] starred) and tripping at Pittsburgh (59-@63).
Georgia Southern failed to post, tanking on the road at East Tennesse State (59-@79).
Western Michigan's terrible preseason continued with a home-drubbing against Idaho (@52-82 as the Vandals drained 17-for-30 threes led by Victor Sanders[25p]); but Idaho couldn't keep it going, falling at home itself to UC-Irvine (@59-67); but that was only a split on the week for UCI, which earlier tanked at Montana (68-@86). Western Kentucky tripped at home against Belmont (@72-75).
Yale was dumped at home against Monmouth (@64-85 as xAustin Tilghman[11p15a14r] countered 25p5r from bMiye Oni).
GC pTrae Young(Oklahoma) not only moved himself to the head of the class in consideration for Freshman Of The Year, but also could very well be overall Player Of The Year as well. pYoung, who patterns his game after NBA star/(former Davidson standout) pStephen Curry, tied the NCAA single-game record with 22 assists against Northwestern State in a @105-68 win (matching the mark previously reached by pSherman Douglas[Syracuse], [current Alabama coach] pAvery Johnson[Texas Southern] and pTony Fairley[Charleston Southern]). For good measure, OK thumped disappointing Northwestern (@104-78 behind 61 percent shooting including 17-for-28 on threes as pYoung "only" had 31p12a;8/13 3s]).
In early league play, Loyola(Illinois) couldn't make the jump to Anti-Spoiler, tripping on the road in Part I of the MISSOURI VALLEY Game Of The Year at Missouri State (59-@64 as xAlize Johnson[24p11r;5/10 3s] led the way). Despite the strong preseason by the league overall, neither co-favorite was able to post an elite win on their own (so, frankly, this win only gave MoSt a leg up on an NIT bid).
Overall, the BIG 12 evaluated by far as the best conference (63-14 in top matchups [including 7 elite wins], 6 tournament crowns, 9-of-10 teams with elite [at least 4-to-1] won-loss records [including undefeated TCU]). Well behind were the ACC (73-33 [5 elite wins], 4.5 crowns, 9-of-15 elite teams [including undefeated-out-of-conference Duke]), the BIG EAST (60-22 [4 elite], 2 crowns, 6-of-10 elite [including undefeated Villanova]), AMERICAN (44-30 [5 elite], 2.5 crowns, 3-of-10 elite), SEC (74-31 [4 elite], 1 crown, 7-of-14 elite), BIG 10 (69-40 [3 elite], 2 crowns, 6-of-14 elite) and PAC 12 (42-35 [5 elite], 3 crowns, only 1-of-12 elite [undefeated Arizona State]) all qualified as B-Major conferences by one measure or another.
Only two leagues were overall Mid-Majors: the MOUNTAIN WEST (44-34 [no elite], 2.2 crowns, 2-of-10 elite) and WEST COAST (29-23 [3 elite], 1.2 crowns, 2-of-10 elite).
Splashworthy 1BC leagues look OK this year: MISSOURI VALLEY (36-22, 1.2 crowns), ATLANTIC 10 (45-44 [1 elite], 0.2 crowns, 1 elite[St. Bonaventure]), MID-AMERICAN (27-28, 1.5 crowns, 1 elite[Central Michigan]) and WAC (20-21 [1 elite], 1 elite[New Mexico State]) but maybe only WAC/NMSt and A10/URI individually look capable of winning a round in the NCAA tournament.
Teams in the 1BC Swirl Spot don't look so strong
this year with only a handful of teams worthy of notice: COLONIAL(,2.5 crowns)/Towson, PATRIOT(,2 crowns), SOUTHERN(,0.5 crowns), OHIO VALLEY(,1 crown), CONFERENCE USA(,1 crown)/Western Kentucky, SUN BELT(29-29, 1 crown), AMERICA EAST(,1 crown)/Vermont, BIG SKY(,1 crown) and SUMMIT(,1 crown).
Going nowhere/led by no one, the Flop 1BCs have been: SOUTHLAND(,1.5 crowns, 1 elite)/Stephen F. Austin, BIG WEST(,1 crown), HORIZON(,0), METRO ATLANTIC(,0), IVY(,0), BIG SOUTH(,0), ATLANTIC SUN(,0), NORTHEAST(,0), MEAC(,0) and SWAC(,0).
The MOUNTAIN WEST evaluates as a full Mid-Major (along with the WEST COAST) for the second-straight year while the ATLANTIC-10 again looks like a glorified 1BC. The conference-hopping that followed in the wake of Wichita State helped one but hurt three conferences: AMERICAN(+WichSt) went from 8th to 4th; the MISSOURI VALLEY(-WichSt, +Valparaiso) actually improved 16th to 14th; the HORIZON(-Valpo, +IUPUI) dropped 17th to 25th while the SUMMIT(-IUPUI) dipped 20th to 22nd. Good for College Basketball overall? (Not from where I'm standing.)
Player Of The Year performances from returning players have been few and far between ...
only pJalen Brunson(Villanova), xMike Daum(South Dakota State) and cJock Landale(St. Mary's) have put up huge numbers. The SuperFrosh have been more impressive on the whole, led (by a long way) by pTrae Young(Oklahoma) with cMarvin Bagley III(Duke) second and gCollin Sexton(Alabama) a distant third.
- - - - - -
Here's a detailed look at the conferences after the preseason:
- B-MAJOR
- BIG 12 - TCU [2v2:EMERALD] (good win) was undefeated; Baylor [2v2:CBE], West Virginia [v3:A/ORLANDO], Kansas [v3:HOF-D MIAMI] and Iowa State [3:P.RICO@MB] (all elite wins) as well as Oklahoma and Oklahoma State (both elite) along with Texas Tech [2v2:HOF-C T-O] (good win) plus Kansas State (made noise)
all were excellent; Texas (noise) "only" starred.
- ATLANTIC COAST - Duke [v3:PK80A]
and North Carolina (both elite wins) as well as Florida State .5[2v2:JAMAICA], Virginia [2v2:NIT.T-O], Clemson, Miami(Florida) and Virginia Tech (all good wins) plus Louisville [3v:GOTHAM] (made noise) and Syracuse all were excellent; Notre Dame [v3:MAUI] and North Carolina State (both elite wins) and also Boston College all starred; Pittsburgh (noise) was a winner.
- BIG EAST - Villanova [v3:ATLANTIS] [BIG5u] (elite win) was undefeated; Xavier and Seton Hall (both elite) as well as Creighton (good win) along with Georgetown and St. John's all were excellent; Providence [2v2:2K] (good) plus Marquette and Butler (both made noise) all starred.
- AMERICAN - (New member) Wichita State and Houston (both elite wins) as well as Cincinnati [v3:CAYMAN] (good win) all were excellent; SMU (elite) along with Tulane .5[2v2:JAMAICA] and Memphis (both made noise) plus UCF all starred; Temple [3:CHARLESTON] was a winner.
- SOUTHEASTERN - Texas A&M [2v2:LEGENDS], Arkansas and Tennessee (all elite wins) as well as Kentucky and Georgia (both good wins) as well as Auburn and Mississippi State (both made noise) all were excellent; Florida (elite), Alabama (good) along with Missouri, South Carolina and LSU (all noisy) all starred. Vanderbilt (noise) and Mississippi both skirted .500.
- BIG 10 - Michigan State [v3:PK80B], Purdue and Rutgers (all elite wins) as well as Michigan (good win), Minnesota [2v2:BROOK-T] and Maryland (made noise) all were excellent; Iowa (good), Penn State, Illinois, Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State all starred. Indiana (good) and Wisconsin (noise) both skirted .500.
- PACIFIC-12 - Arizona State [2v2:LVA-THANX] (elite wins) was undefeated; Arizona, Washington and UCLA (all elite wins) as well as Colorado [3:PARADISE@L] (made noise),
Washington State [3:WOODEN], Oregon, USC, Utah and Oregon State all starred.
MID-MAJOR
- MOUNTAIN WEST - UNLV [2v2:LVB-MAIN] and Boise State (good win) both were excellent; Nevada .25[2v2:LVC-XMAS] and San Diego State (both good wins) as well as Fresno State and Wyoming all starred. Utah State .5[2:PK80Acons] (made noise), Air Force .5[rr4@MABC-B] and Colorado State all skirted .500.
- WEST COAST - St. Mary's (elite win) and BYU both were excellent;
San Diego [rr4@GRD.CAN] and Gonzaga (both elite wins) both starred; San Francisco .25[2v2:LVC-XMAS] (good win) was a winner.
1BC
(SPLASH) - - - - -
- MISSOURI VALLEY - Loyola(Illinois) .5[2v2:SAVANH] and Northern Iowa (both good wins) as well as (new member) Valparaiso .5[2v2:SAVANH], Missouri State (made noise) along with Bradley and Evansville all starred; Southern Illinois .25[2v2:LVC-XMAS] was a winner.
- ATLANTIC 10 - St. Bonaventure (made noises) was excellent; Rhode Island (elite win) and Duquesne .25[2v2:LVC-XMAS] both starred; VCU (noise) was a winner; everyone else (except flop Richmond) skirted .500 (including St. Louis [good win], George Washington [noises] and St. Joseph's [noise]).
- MID-AMERICAN - Central Michigan [3:GREAT.AK] was excellent; Ball State (good win), Bowling Green .5[2@CREEK] and Eastern Michigan all starred. Everyone else (including Ohio University [made noise] and Western Michigan) skirted .500.
- WESTERN ATHLETIC - New Mexico State (elite win) was excellent;
(newly eligible) Grand Canyon starred; Utah Valley and Seattle both were winners; Cal State-Bakersfield and Texas-Rio Grande Valley (both noisy) both skirted .500.
(SWIRL)- - - - - -
- COLONIAL - Towson [3:GULF.CST] [2:HOF-E BELFST] (made noises) and College of Charleston both starred; Elon .5[rr3@BLK&GLD] was a winner; Hofstra skirted .500.
- PATRIOT - Navy (made noise) starred; Army-West Point [2@C/BULLDOG] was a winner; Bucknell [2@PK80Bcons] and Lehigh (both noisy) as well as Colgate all skirted .500. (Loyola[Maryland] was a flop.)
- SOUTHERN - Wofford (elite win), Furman .5[2:PK80Acons] and East Tennessee State (both made noise) as well as UNC-Greensboro all starred. Mercer skirted .500. (Western Carolina [noise] and Samford both were flops.)
- OHIO VALLEY - Jacksonville State [2@CAYMANcons] and Murray State both starred; Tennessee Tech (made noise) and Belmont both were winners; Eastern Kentucky and Southeast Missouri both skirted .500. (Eastern Illinois was a flop.)
- CONFERENCE USA - Louisiana Tech [2v2:CANCUN], Old Dominion (made noise), Old Dominion, UAB and Middle Tennessee all starred;
Western Kentucky (elite win) was a winner; North Texas, Southern Mississippi, Texas-San Antonio, Florida Atlantic, Florida International and UTEP all skirted .500.
- SUN BELT - Texas-Arlington [BROOK-Tcons],
Georgia Southern (made noise), Louisiana and Georgia State all starred. Texas State, South Alabama, Louisiana(Monroe), Troy and Coastal Carolina all skirted .500.
- AMERICA EAST - Albany (made noise) starred;
Vermont [3:BAHAMAS] (noises) and Maryland(Baltimore County) (noise) both were winners; SUNY-B (noise), Hartford and Massachusetts(Lowell) all skirted .500. (New Hampshire was a flop.)
- BIG SKY - Northern Colorado [3@SANFORD-B] and Idaho (made noise) as well as Portland State all starred. Montana (noise), Weber State, Montana State and Southern Utah all skirted .500.
- SUMMIT - South Dakota and South Dakota State (made noise) both starred; Fort Wayne and Western Illinois both were winners; North Dakota State [2@HASKINS/SUN] skirted .500.
(FLOP) - - - - - -
- SOUTHLAND - Stephen F. Austin was excellent.
(Newly eligible) Abilene Christian .5[2@CREEK] and Lamar both were winners; Southeast Louisiana [2@SAVANHcons] and Central Arkansas (made noise) as well as Nicholls, Sam Houston State and (newly eligible) Incarnate Word all skirted .500.
- BIG WEST - UC-Santa Barbara [2@LEGENDScons] and Hawaii both starred; UC-Davis and Cal State-Fullerton both were winners; UC-Riverside skirted .500. (UC-Irvine [made noise] was a flop.)
- HORIZON - Only Wright State (made noise) and Oakland were winners; Milwaukee (good win) and Northern Kentucky both skirted .500; Illinois(Chicago) and Green Bay were losers. ([New member] IUPUI was a flop.)
- METRO ATLANTIC - No one managed a winning record. Rider, Iona and Manhattan (made noise) as well as Niagara, St. Peter's, Canisius and Fairfield all skirted .500.
- IVY - Penn starred. Otherwise, everyone else (except flop Columbia) skirted .500 (including Yale [made noise], Princeton and Harvard).
- BIG SOUTH - Liberty starred. UNC-Asheville and Winthrop (both made noise) as well as Presbyterian, Radford and Campbell all skirted .500.
- ATLANTIC SUN - Lipscomb starred. New Jersey Tech, Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson all skirted .500. (Everyone else [including Jacksonville {made noise}] was a flop.)
- NORTHEAST - Only Wagner (made noise) was a winner; Central Connecticut State, St. Francis(Pennsylvania), Mount St. Mary's and Robert Morris all skirted .500; Sacred Heart and Long Island both were losers.
- MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC - Only North Carolina A&T managed .500; Morgan State (made noise), North Carolina Central, Hampton and Bethune-Cookman all were losers; Eastern Shore was a flop. (Coppin State was winless.)
- SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC - No one had so much as a passable losing record. (Everyone was a flop and no one even made noise. Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff all were winless.)
New Mexico State can stake the claim as the lone legitimate Splashworthy 1BC threat with a win over USC in the DIAMOND HEAD final (Monday). The lustre is way down on this year's Bluegrass clash between host Kentucky and visitor Louisville (Friday). Duke already has no room for error in ACC conference play and really can't afford a home loss to tough Florida State (Saturday). The BIG 12 Wars get under way in a big way when undefeated TCU hosts GCoY-led Oklahoma (Saturday) and Texas Tech hosting Baylor (Friday). The SEC race may be up for grabs more than usual with Kentucky being less than a full juggernaut, so Arkansas hosting Tennessee (Saturday) could be more important than expected. Seton Hall hosts Creighton (Thursday) with the loser going from "contender" to "spoiler" right away in the BIG EAST. Arizona hosts top-ranked undefeated Arizona State (Saturday) with a chance to instantly swap the preseason rep for both schools. The MWC Wars feature UNLV hosting Boise State (Saturday) to start. Washington's good preseason might all be for naught with a disastrous L.A. road trip (Friday at USC, Sunday at UCLA). It's Part I of the COLONIAL Game Of The Year when preseason favorite College of Charleston hosts preconference fave Towson (Saturday).
-- Ron
P.S. Merry Christmas, everyone!
- Key games this week:
- Monday (CHRISTMAS):
- Monday (CHRISTMAS):
- HAWAII-A DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC Finals @ LahainaHI/Hawaii/
-(NewMexicoSt-USC;
3rd: MiamiFL-MidTennessee;
5th: @Hawaii-Princeton;
7th: Davidson-Akron),
- Tuesday:
- (None).
- Wednesday:
- LAS VEGAS-D NEW YEAR'S SHOWCASE 1Off @ LasVegasNV/ORLEANS/
-([7P]:@GrandCanyon-MorganSt),
- Thursday:
- @SetonHall-Creighton, @NoIowa-SoIllinois, @
WeKentucky-LouisianaTech, @Mercer-KennesawSt(GA),
- Friday:
- WVirginia-@OklahomaSt, @TexasTech-Baylor(TX), @Kentucky-Louisville(KY), @USC-Washington, @Wagner-
MtStMarys,
- Saturday:
- ArizonaSt-@Arizona(AZ), @Duke-FloridaSt, @TCU-Oklahoma, @Arkansas-Tennessee, @Purdue-
Lipscomb, @UNLV-BoiseSt, @BYU-StMarys, @UNCGreensboro-Wofford, @NewHampshire-Dartmouth(NH), @ColofCharleston-Towson, @NoKentucky-ILChicago,
- Sunday:
- @UCLA-Washington, @NoColorado-
Idaho,
- - - - - - -
- Monday week (NEW YEAR'S):
- Monday week (NEW YEAR'S):
- @ClevelandSt-YoungstownSt(OH)(NEO), @PrairieViewA&M-
AlcornSt.
Top 25 - 17 Dec25: PRECONFERENCE - [] Column
- Arizona State (12-0) [2v2:LVA-THANX] (:HOF-A LA)
- Villanova (12-0) [BIG5u] [v3:ATLANTIS] (:JIMMY.V)
- Texas A&M (10-1) [2v2:LEGENDS]
- Duke (12-1) [v3:PK80-A] (@@CHAMPS) (@BIG10)
- TCU (12-0) [2v2:EMERALD] (vDFW) (:HOF-A LA)
- West Virginia (11-1) [v3:A/ORLANDO] (@BACKYD)
- Michigan State (12-1) [v3:PK80-B] (vACC) (@@DETROIT)
- Arkansas (9-2)
- Oklahoma (10-1) (@HOF-A LA)
- New Mexico State (9-2) (@HENSON) (v@NM)
- Miami(Florida) (11-1) (@BIG10)
- Oklahoma State (10-2) (@ORANGE)
- Florida State (11-1) .5[2v2:JAMAICA] (@BIG10) (vHI)
- Virginia (11-1) [2v2:NIT.T-O] (vBIG10)
- Seton Hall (11-2) (vBIG10) (:UA/REUNION) (@MINARDI) (:NVR.FRGT)
- Texas Tech (11-1) [2v2:HOF-C TO]
- Notre Dame (9-3) [v3:MAUI]
- Wichita State (10-2)
- Xavier (13-1) (@BIG10) (vXTOWN)
- Baylor (9-2) [2v2:CBE]
- North Carolina (11-2) (vBIG10) (@@NO-A C/SPORTS)
- Tennessee (10-2)
- Purdue (12-2) (@BIG.E) (vACC) (@@XROADS)
- Kansas (10-2) [3v:HOF-D MIAMI] (@@CHAMPS) (@SI)
- Arizona (10-3) (vVAL-SUN)
- Honorable Mention:
- Kentucky (9-2) [rr4vRUPP] (:C/HOOPS), Nevada (11-3) .25[2v2:LVC-XMAS] (vMVC), Gonzaga (11-3) (vJESUIT) (@WA), Creighton (10-2) (@BIG10) (vNE), Houston (10-2) (:HOF-B CT), St. Mary's (11-2), SMU (10-3), Boise State (9-2) (vMVC), Clemson (11-1) (@BIG10) (@ORANGE) (vSC).
Washington State(8-4) [3:WOODEN],
San Francisco (8-5)//Duquesne (9-4)/Southern Illinois (8-5) (vMWC) [2v2:LVC-XMAS],
Providence(9-4) [2v2:2K] ,
Central Michigan(8-2) [3:GREAT.AK],
UNLV (11-2) [2v2vLVB-MAIN],
Temple (7-4) [3:CHARLESTON] (:UA/REUNION),
Iowa State (9-2) [3:P.RICO@MB] (@@IA4),
Minnesota (11-3) [2v2:BROOK-T],
Colorado (8-4) [3:PARADISE@L],
Louisville (10-2) [3v:GOTHAM] (vCOUNTDN),
/Tulane (9-3) .5[2v2:JAMAICA],
Louisiana Tech (7-4) [2v2:CANCUN] [2vNO-B],
Air Force (6-6)/Pacific (5-8) [rr4@MABC-B],
Towson(8-3) [3:GULF.CST] [2:HOF-E BELFST],
Bucknell(6-7) [2@PK80Bcons],
Loyola(Illinois)(9-3)/Valparaiso (9-4) (vMWC) [2v2:SAVANH],
Vermont(7-5) [3:BAHAMAS],
UC-Santa Barbara (10-3) [2@LEGENDScons],
San Diego (9-3) [rr4@GRD.CAN],
North Dakota State (7-6) [2@HASKINS/SUN],
Northern Colorado (9-4) [3@SANFORD-B],
Elon (8-5)/Milwaukee (7-6) [rr3@BLK&GLD],
Furman(7-4)/Utah State (7-6) [2:PK80Acons],
Army-West Point (7-4) [2@C/BULLDOG],
Texas-Arlington (9-4) [2@BROOK-Tcons],
Abilene Christian (8-5)/Bowling Green (8-4) [2@CREEK],
Southeast Louisiana (6-7) [2@SAVANHcons],
Jacksonville State (9-4)[2@CAYMANcons].
posted by Ron @ Friday, January 26, 2018
