SelectionSunday
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by @Fieldof68Freak
HOOPSVILLE, MN -- It’s almost here.
The 2024-25 college basketball season kicks off in less than a month (Nov. 4). Once again, we have lots of new faces in new places (hello ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, NEC, etc.).
To wit, Cal and Stanford are in the ACC, as well as SMU. Huh?
The Big Ten is now the. … B1G 18? (nope, don’t mess with the name, not with that national brand)
The Big XII, which had XIV teams last season now has XVI, at least IV of which appear II be legitimate national title contenders (see what I did there?). Every night of Big XII hoops will be must-see TV.
The SEC, also now at 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma & Texas, arguably is right there with the Big XII. I have both the Big Ten and Big XII garnering more tournament bids (9 each) than the SEC (8), but I won’t be surprised at all if on Selection Sunday we see the SEC receiving as many or more bids than either or both.
And oh yeah, don’t forget the two-time reigning national champion UConn Huskies reside in the Big East (for now), a conference that is proving over & over again that man (and woman) doesn’t have to live on football alone.
We also have two newbies to Division 1 in Mercyhurst (NEC) and West Georgia (ASUN), and Chicago State now will have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars, the nation’s last independent, finally found a home in the NEC. They will be immediately eligible for the NEC Tournament and automatic bid. Speaking of tournament bids, we’ll have an extra at-large bid available with the (likely brief) absence of the Pac 12. That means 37 non-champions will hear their name called on Selection Sunday, not the customary 36.
Locally, the Minnesota Gophers and St. Thomas Tommies look to make another jump after making encouraging strides last season. Coming off their best season (19-15, 9-11 Big Ten) under fourth-year coach Ben Johnson, the Gophers trudge on despite losing post Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M) and PG Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech) to the free agency market and wing Cam Christie to the NBA.
Holdovers Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell Jr., and Parker Fox will lead a vagabond group that includes seven free agent acquisitions and two incoming scholarship freshmen. Johnson will need at least 3 or 4 of those newcomers to be high impact performers to surpass last season’s 9 Big Ten wins. I’ve got my eyes on 6-3 freshman PG Isaac Asuma (Cherry, MN), 6-6 free agent wing Femi Odukale (Pitt/Seton Hall/New Mexico State), and 6-8 free agent rebounding machine Frank Mitchell (Canisius).
St. Thomas has elevated its win total in its three Division 1 seasons going 10-20, 19-14, and 20-13. The task will be challenging in 2024-25 with a tougher non-conference schedule and the loss of Division 3 to Division 1 holdovers and key cogs Parker Bjorklund, Brooks Allen, and Raheem Anthony. However, the return of veteran guards Kendall Blue, Drake Dobbs, Ryan Dufault, and Ben Nau, along with stretch 4 sharpshooter Carter Bjerke and a talented freshman class (remember the name Ramogi Nyagudi) should keep the Tommies in the top 3 or 4 of the Summit League standings, at worst.
Let’s help kick off the season with our annual preseason Field of 68 projection, wagering not advised. One thing I’m really eyeballing this season with the 4 mega-conferences + the Big East (“Power 5”) now firmly in place? How many at-large bids will be doled out to teams from outside the Power 5? Last year there were 8. … Boise State, Colorado State, Dayton, FAU, Gonzaga, Nevada, San Diego State, and Utah State. This season I’m projecting that number shrinks to 5.
The number of games vs. teams projected to make the Field of 68 are noted in parentheses. An * denotes the projected automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference.
FINAL PRESEASON FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (October 6, 2024)
America East (1): Vermont (3)
American (2): Memphis (8), *UAB (5)
ACC (6): *Duke (12), Georgia Tech (7), North Carolina (12), Notre Dame (9), Pitt (7), Wake Forest (10)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (2)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Loyola-Chicago (2), VCU (2)
Big East (5): Creighton (11), Marquette (10), Saint John’s (12), *UConn (11), Xavier (10)
Big Sky (1): Weber State (2)
Big South (1): High Point (2)
Big Ten (9): Illinois (14), *Indiana (10), Iowa (9), Michigan (13), Michigan State (13), Ohio State (13), Purdue (16), Rutgers (15), UCLA (12)
Big XII (9): Arizona (15), Baylor (16), BYU (11), Cincinnati (13), Houston (15), Iowa State (14), *Kansas (16), Kansas State (12), Texas Tech (11)
Big West (1): UC-San Diego (0)
Coastal (1): UNC-Wilmington (2)
Conference USA (1): Louisiana Tech (2)
Horizon (1): Milwaukee (0)
Ivy (1): Princeton (2)
MAAC (1): Marist (0)
MAC (1): Ohio (1)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (4)
Missouri Valley (1): Bradley (0)
Mountain West (3): *Boise State (5), Nevada (6), New Mexico (8)
NEC (1): Wagner (2)
OVC (1): Little Rock (3)
Patriot (1): Colgate (3)
SEC (8): *Alabama (19), Arkansas (12), Auburn (15), Florida (10), Kentucky (14), Ole Miss (10), Tennessee (12), Texas A&M (12)
SoCon (1): Samford (3)
Southland (1): McNeese (2)
SWAC (1): Texas Southern (6)
Summit (1): South Dakota State (3)
Sun Belt (1): Arkansas State (4)
WCC (2): *Gonzaga (6), Saint Mary’s (3)
WAC (1): Grand Canyon (55)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: Iowa, Nevada, Notre Dame, VCU
First 4 Out: Oregon (13), Providence (11), Santa Clara (7), Texas (12)
Next 4 Out: Mississippi State (13), Nebraska (13), Seton Hall (13), TCU (13)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): Memphis, Nevada, New Mexico, Saint Mary’s, VCU
-----------------------------------------
A CHANCE TO DANCE
These teams are eligible for the NCAA & NIT for the first time:
Bellarmine (ASUN)
Tarleton State (WAC)
UC-San Diego (Big West)
Utah Tech (WAC)
WAITING, WAITING
These teams are in NCAA/NIT purgatory as they reclassify to full-fledged Division 1 status, though they can participate in other (CBI, CIT) postseason tournaments (season eligible in parentheses):
Le Moyne (NEC/2027-28)
Lindenwood (OVC/2026-27)
Mercyhurst (NEC/2028-29)
Queens (ASUN/2026-27)
St. Thomas (Summit/2026-27) – predicting NCAA will reduce this to 2025-26
Southern Indiana (OVC/2026-27)
Stonehill (NEC/2026-27)
TAMU-Commerce (Southland/2026-27)
West Georgia (ASUN/2028-29)
THE TOP 25% (alphabetical order) – from my 9 multiple-bid conferences + the Summit League
American (4): Memphis, North Texas, UAB, USF
ACC (5): Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pitt, Wake Forest
Atlantic 10 (4): Dayton, Loyola-Chicago, Sant Joseph’s, VCU
Big East (3): Creighton, Saint John’s, UConn
Big Ten (5): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA
Big XII (4): Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas
Mountain West (3): Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico
SEC (4): Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Summit (3): North Dakota State, St. Thomas, South Dakota State
WCC (3): Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Washington State
THE SLEEPERS – no NCAA last season, but ready to make the jump? (key non-conference games in parentheses)
American: Tulane (@ George Mason, vs. Florida State)
ACC: Notre Dame (vs. Rutgers, vs. Houston, vs. Alabama, @ Georgia)
Atlantic 10: Saint Louis (vs. Santa Clara, @ San Francisco, @ Grand Canyon)
Big East: Providence (vs. Oklahoma, BYU)
Big Ten: Iowa (vs. Washington State, vs. Utah State, Iowa State, vs. Utah)
Big XII: Cincinnati (@ Georgia Tech, @ Villanova, Xavier, vs. Dayton)
Mountain West: UNLV (Memphis, vs. Mississippi State, @ Creighton, @ Dayton)
SEC: Ole Miss (vs. BYU, vs. NC State/Purdue, @ Louisville, @ Memphis)
Summit: Oral Roberts (@ Minnesota, @ Ole Miss, @ Texas Tech, @ Oklahoma State)
WCC: Santa Clara (vs. Saint Louis, vs. Arizona State, @ Nevada, vs. TCU, @ McNeese, vs. Bradley)
THE CELLAR DWELLERS (can change early narrative by beating non-conference opponent in parentheses)
American: UTSA (@ Arkansas)
ACC: Boston College (vs. VCU)
Atlantic 10: La Salle (@ North Carolina)
Big East: DePaul (@ Texas Tech)
Big Ten: Minnesota (vs. Florida/Wake Forest)
Big XII: Colorado (vs. Michigan State)
Mountain West: Air Force (@ Cal)
SEC: South Carolina (@ Indiana)
Summit: Denver (@ Stanford)
WCC: Pacific (@ Arkansas)
BIG TEN MOST NOTABLE NON-CONFERENCE GAME
Illinois: vs. Alabama (Nov. 20)
Indiana: vs. Louisville (Nov. 27) – win leads to hellacious Battle 4 Atlantis winner’s bracket
Iowa: Iowa State (Dec. 12)
Maryland: Marquette (Nov. 15)
Michigan: vs. Arkansas (Dec. 10)
Michigan State: vs. Kansas (Nov. 12)
Minnesota: vs. Florida/Wake Forest (Nov. 29)
Nebraska: @ Creighton (Nov. 22)
Northwestern: vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 15)
Ohio State: vs. Auburn (Dec. 14)
Oregon: vs. Creighton (Nov. 30)
Penn State: vs. Clemson/San Francisco (Nov. 26)
Purdue: Alabama (Nov. 15)
Rutgers: vs. Alabama (Nov. 27)
UCLA: vs. Gonzaga (Dec. 28)
USC: vs. Saint Mary’s (Nov. 28)
Washington: @ Nevada (Nov. 9)
Wisconsin: Arizona (Nov. 15)
SUMMIT LEAGUE MOST NOTABLE NON-CONFERENCE GAME
Denver: @ Stanford (Nov. 4)
Kansas City: @ Iowa State (Nov. 11)
North Dakota: Alabama (Dec. 18)
North Dakota State: @ Butler (Dec. 10)
Omaha: @ Iowa State (Dec. 15)
Oral Roberts: @ Texas Tech (Dec. 16)
St. Thomas: @ Arizona State (Nov. 17)
South Dakota: @ Iowa (Nov. 12)
South Dakota State: @ Alabama (Dec. 29)
SMART NON-POWER 5 SCHEDULING
The following non-Power 5 programs (excluding obvious ones like Dayton, Gonzaga, Memphis, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, VCU, etc.) have scheduled wisely and given themselves a chance for an at-large bid if they can nab a couple key wins in non-conference play (noted in parentheses) and then dominate/play at a very high level in their conference:
Arkansas State – Akron, @ Alabama, @ Memphis, @ UAB
Bradley -- @ Washington State, potentially vs. Princeton & USF, vs. Santa Clara, San Francisco
Colgate -- @ Syracuse, @ NC State, @ UNC-Wilmington, @ Kentucky, Vermont
College of Charleston – USF, FAU, @ Saint Joseph’s, vs. Oregon State, potentially vs. Loyola-Chicago & Nebraska
Grand Canyon – vs. Arizona State, vs. Stanford, vs. Georgia, @ Louisiana Tech, Saint Louis
McNeese – vs. South Dakota State, @ Alabama, North Texas, potentially vs. UAB & Kansas State, Santa Clara, vs. Mississippi State
Princeton – Loyola-Chicago, potentially vs. Bradley & USF, @ Saint Joseph’s, vs. Rutgers
Saint Louis – vs. Santa Clara, vs. Wichita State, @ San Francisco, @ Grand Canyon
San Francisco – Boise State, vs. Memphis, vs. Clemson, potentially vs. Penn State, Saint Louis, vs. Loyola-Chicago, @ Bradley
Santa Clara – vs. Saint Louis, vs. Arizona State, @ Nevada, Stanford, vs. TCU, vs. Colorado State or Washington, @ McNeese, vs. Bradley
South Dakota State – vs. McNeese, potentially vs. Boise State & Boston College, @ Nevada, @ Colorado, @ Alabama
UAB – Vermont, @ High Point, potentially vs. McNeese & Kansas State, Arkansas State
Vermont -- @ UAB, @ Auburn, @ Yale, @ Colgate
THE BRACKETED IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
There are 27 bracketed tournaments in the months of November and December, highlighted by the Great Alaska Shootout (just kidding, I still miss it!), Maui Invitational, and Battle 4 Atlantis. A good share of these will play a big part in shaping the NCAA Tournament at-large pool. I “seeded” teams based on last season’s final NET rankings. Here’s what I got for the championship games:
Greenbrier Tip-Off River (Nov. 15-16) -- #2 UTRGV over #3 Tennessee Tech
Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas (Nov. 21-22): #2 Baylor over #1 Tennessee
Legends Classic (Nov. 21-22): #2 Texas Tech over #1 Texas
Boardwalk Battle (Nov. 21-23) -- #3 Toledo over #2 UC-San Diego
Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-22, 24): #6 Miami-Florida over #5 VCU
Myrtle Beach Invitational (Nov. 21-22, 24): #2 Bradley over #4 Ohio
Greenbrier Tip-Off Mountain (Nov. 22, 24): #1 Wisconsin over #2 Pitt
Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25): #2 Kansas State over #1 McNeese
Cayman Islands Classic (Nov. 24-26): #1 Boise State over #4 High Point
Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms (Nov. 25-26): #2 Miami-Ohio over #1 Mercer
Sunshine Slam Beach (Nov. 25-26): #3 Penn State over #1 Clemson
Sunshine Slam Ocean (Nov. 25-26): #1 Drexel over #3 Radford
Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach (Nov. 25, 27): #4 Michigan over #3 Xavier
Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27): #3 Iowa State over #1 UConn
Acrisure Holiday Invitational (Nov. 26-27): #2 SMU over #1 Washington State
Cancun Challenge Mayan (Nov. 26-27): #1 Gardner-Webb over #2 North Dakota
Cancun Challenge Riviera (Nov. 26-27): #2 Tulane over #1 Belmont
Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 27-29): #2 Gonzaga over #1 Arizona
Acrisure Classic (Nov. 28-29): #2 New Mexico over #3 USC
Acrisure Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #3 Washington over #4 Santa Clara
Arizona Tip-Off Cactus (Nov. 28-29): #1 Mississippi State over #2 Northwestern
ESPN Events Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #2 Wake Forest over #3 Minnesota
NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 28-29): #1 Utah State over #2 North Texas
Rady Children’s Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #1 Purdue over #2 BYU
Arizona Tip-Off Desert (Nov. 29-30): #1 Weber State over #4 New Mexico State
Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational (Dec. 20-21): #3 UTEP over #2 Akron
Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-23, 25): #2 Loyola-Chicago over #1 Nebraska
RAISE THE CURTAIN (Nov. 4) LID-LIFTERS FOR YOUR COLLEGE HOOPS PALATE
Akron @ Arkansas State
Baylor vs. Gonzaga
College of Charleston vs. Southern Illinois
Florida vs. USF
Green Bay @ Oklahoma State (Doug Gottlieb coaching debut)
McNeese vs. South Dakota State
Missouri @ Memphis
Ohio @ James Madison
Ohio State vs. Texas
Saint Louis vs. Santa Clara
Sam Houston @ Nevada
Texas A&M @ UCF
Towson @ Saint Mary’s
Vermont @ UAB
JIMMY THE GREEK (predictions & musings)
Gophers: (14-17, 5-15)
Tommies: (19-12, 11-5)
Player of the Year: Mark Sears (Alabama)
Freshman of the Year: Cooper Flagg (Duke)
Coach of the Year: Mark Few (Gonzaga)
Power 5 Coaches on the Rise: Micah Shrewsberry (ACC/Notre Dame), Shaheen Holloway (Big East/Seton Hall), Steve Pikiell (Big Ten/Rutgers), Wes Miller (Big XII/Cincinnati), Buzz Williams (SEC/Texas A&M)
Power 5 Coaches on the Hot Seat: Earl Grant (ACC/Boston College), Kyle Neptune (Big East/Villanova), Ben Johnson (Big Ten/Minnesota), Craig Smith (Big XII/Utah), Porter Moser (SEC/Oklahoma)
Coaches Moving Up the Ladder in 2025-26: Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon), Matt Langel (Colgate), Drew Valentine (Loyola-Chicago), Will Wade (McNeese)
Potential Mid-Major Sweet 16 Cinderellas: Arkansas State, Bradley, Grand Canyon, McNeese
Shades of the ’85 Big East: The Big XII has the goods to get 3 teams to the Final 4, and just might do it.
Final 4: Alabama, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State (Zags cut down the nets)
NIT Champion: Nebraska
CBI Champion: Northern Iowa
Next Field of 68 Projection: December 1 or 2
HOOPSVILLE, MN -- It’s almost here.
The 2024-25 college basketball season kicks off in less than a month (Nov. 4). Once again, we have lots of new faces in new places (hello ACC, Big Ten, Big XII, SEC, NEC, etc.).
To wit, Cal and Stanford are in the ACC, as well as SMU. Huh?
The Big Ten is now the. … B1G 18? (nope, don’t mess with the name, not with that national brand)
The Big XII, which had XIV teams last season now has XVI, at least IV of which appear II be legitimate national title contenders (see what I did there?). Every night of Big XII hoops will be must-see TV.
The SEC, also now at 16 teams with the additions of Oklahoma & Texas, arguably is right there with the Big XII. I have both the Big Ten and Big XII garnering more tournament bids (9 each) than the SEC (8), but I won’t be surprised at all if on Selection Sunday we see the SEC receiving as many or more bids than either or both.
And oh yeah, don’t forget the two-time reigning national champion UConn Huskies reside in the Big East (for now), a conference that is proving over & over again that man (and woman) doesn’t have to live on football alone.
We also have two newbies to Division 1 in Mercyhurst (NEC) and West Georgia (ASUN), and Chicago State now will have a legitimate chance to make the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars, the nation’s last independent, finally found a home in the NEC. They will be immediately eligible for the NEC Tournament and automatic bid. Speaking of tournament bids, we’ll have an extra at-large bid available with the (likely brief) absence of the Pac 12. That means 37 non-champions will hear their name called on Selection Sunday, not the customary 36.
Locally, the Minnesota Gophers and St. Thomas Tommies look to make another jump after making encouraging strides last season. Coming off their best season (19-15, 9-11 Big Ten) under fourth-year coach Ben Johnson, the Gophers trudge on despite losing post Pharrel Payne (Texas A&M) and PG Elijah Hawkins (Texas Tech) to the free agency market and wing Cam Christie to the NBA.
Holdovers Dawson Garcia, Mike Mitchell Jr., and Parker Fox will lead a vagabond group that includes seven free agent acquisitions and two incoming scholarship freshmen. Johnson will need at least 3 or 4 of those newcomers to be high impact performers to surpass last season’s 9 Big Ten wins. I’ve got my eyes on 6-3 freshman PG Isaac Asuma (Cherry, MN), 6-6 free agent wing Femi Odukale (Pitt/Seton Hall/New Mexico State), and 6-8 free agent rebounding machine Frank Mitchell (Canisius).
St. Thomas has elevated its win total in its three Division 1 seasons going 10-20, 19-14, and 20-13. The task will be challenging in 2024-25 with a tougher non-conference schedule and the loss of Division 3 to Division 1 holdovers and key cogs Parker Bjorklund, Brooks Allen, and Raheem Anthony. However, the return of veteran guards Kendall Blue, Drake Dobbs, Ryan Dufault, and Ben Nau, along with stretch 4 sharpshooter Carter Bjerke and a talented freshman class (remember the name Ramogi Nyagudi) should keep the Tommies in the top 3 or 4 of the Summit League standings, at worst.
Let’s help kick off the season with our annual preseason Field of 68 projection, wagering not advised. One thing I’m really eyeballing this season with the 4 mega-conferences + the Big East (“Power 5”) now firmly in place? How many at-large bids will be doled out to teams from outside the Power 5? Last year there were 8. … Boise State, Colorado State, Dayton, FAU, Gonzaga, Nevada, San Diego State, and Utah State. This season I’m projecting that number shrinks to 5.
The number of games vs. teams projected to make the Field of 68 are noted in parentheses. An * denotes the projected automatic qualifier in a multiple-bid conference.
FINAL PRESEASON FIELD OF 68 PROJECTION (October 6, 2024)
America East (1): Vermont (3)
American (2): Memphis (8), *UAB (5)
ACC (6): *Duke (12), Georgia Tech (7), North Carolina (12), Notre Dame (9), Pitt (7), Wake Forest (10)
ASUN (1): Lipscomb (2)
Atlantic 10 (2): *Loyola-Chicago (2), VCU (2)
Big East (5): Creighton (11), Marquette (10), Saint John’s (12), *UConn (11), Xavier (10)
Big Sky (1): Weber State (2)
Big South (1): High Point (2)
Big Ten (9): Illinois (14), *Indiana (10), Iowa (9), Michigan (13), Michigan State (13), Ohio State (13), Purdue (16), Rutgers (15), UCLA (12)
Big XII (9): Arizona (15), Baylor (16), BYU (11), Cincinnati (13), Houston (15), Iowa State (14), *Kansas (16), Kansas State (12), Texas Tech (11)
Big West (1): UC-San Diego (0)
Coastal (1): UNC-Wilmington (2)
Conference USA (1): Louisiana Tech (2)
Horizon (1): Milwaukee (0)
Ivy (1): Princeton (2)
MAAC (1): Marist (0)
MAC (1): Ohio (1)
MEAC (1): Norfolk State (4)
Missouri Valley (1): Bradley (0)
Mountain West (3): *Boise State (5), Nevada (6), New Mexico (8)
NEC (1): Wagner (2)
OVC (1): Little Rock (3)
Patriot (1): Colgate (3)
SEC (8): *Alabama (19), Arkansas (12), Auburn (15), Florida (10), Kentucky (14), Ole Miss (10), Tennessee (12), Texas A&M (12)
SoCon (1): Samford (3)
Southland (1): McNeese (2)
SWAC (1): Texas Southern (6)
Summit (1): South Dakota State (3)
Sun Belt (1): Arkansas State (4)
WCC (2): *Gonzaga (6), Saint Mary’s (3)
WAC (1): Grand Canyon (55)
--------------------------------------
Last 4 In: Iowa, Nevada, Notre Dame, VCU
First 4 Out: Oregon (13), Providence (11), Santa Clara (7), Texas (12)
Next 4 Out: Mississippi State (13), Nebraska (13), Seton Hall (13), TCU (13)
Non-Power 5 At-Large Bids (5): Memphis, Nevada, New Mexico, Saint Mary’s, VCU
-----------------------------------------
A CHANCE TO DANCE
These teams are eligible for the NCAA & NIT for the first time:
Bellarmine (ASUN)
Tarleton State (WAC)
UC-San Diego (Big West)
Utah Tech (WAC)
WAITING, WAITING
These teams are in NCAA/NIT purgatory as they reclassify to full-fledged Division 1 status, though they can participate in other (CBI, CIT) postseason tournaments (season eligible in parentheses):
Le Moyne (NEC/2027-28)
Lindenwood (OVC/2026-27)
Mercyhurst (NEC/2028-29)
Queens (ASUN/2026-27)
St. Thomas (Summit/2026-27) – predicting NCAA will reduce this to 2025-26
Southern Indiana (OVC/2026-27)
Stonehill (NEC/2026-27)
TAMU-Commerce (Southland/2026-27)
West Georgia (ASUN/2028-29)
THE TOP 25% (alphabetical order) – from my 9 multiple-bid conferences + the Summit League
American (4): Memphis, North Texas, UAB, USF
ACC (5): Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Pitt, Wake Forest
Atlantic 10 (4): Dayton, Loyola-Chicago, Sant Joseph’s, VCU
Big East (3): Creighton, Saint John’s, UConn
Big Ten (5): Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, UCLA
Big XII (4): Baylor, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas
Mountain West (3): Boise State, Nevada, New Mexico
SEC (4): Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, Texas A&M
Summit (3): North Dakota State, St. Thomas, South Dakota State
WCC (3): Gonzaga, Saint Mary’s, Washington State
THE SLEEPERS – no NCAA last season, but ready to make the jump? (key non-conference games in parentheses)
American: Tulane (@ George Mason, vs. Florida State)
ACC: Notre Dame (vs. Rutgers, vs. Houston, vs. Alabama, @ Georgia)
Atlantic 10: Saint Louis (vs. Santa Clara, @ San Francisco, @ Grand Canyon)
Big East: Providence (vs. Oklahoma, BYU)
Big Ten: Iowa (vs. Washington State, vs. Utah State, Iowa State, vs. Utah)
Big XII: Cincinnati (@ Georgia Tech, @ Villanova, Xavier, vs. Dayton)
Mountain West: UNLV (Memphis, vs. Mississippi State, @ Creighton, @ Dayton)
SEC: Ole Miss (vs. BYU, vs. NC State/Purdue, @ Louisville, @ Memphis)
Summit: Oral Roberts (@ Minnesota, @ Ole Miss, @ Texas Tech, @ Oklahoma State)
WCC: Santa Clara (vs. Saint Louis, vs. Arizona State, @ Nevada, vs. TCU, @ McNeese, vs. Bradley)
THE CELLAR DWELLERS (can change early narrative by beating non-conference opponent in parentheses)
American: UTSA (@ Arkansas)
ACC: Boston College (vs. VCU)
Atlantic 10: La Salle (@ North Carolina)
Big East: DePaul (@ Texas Tech)
Big Ten: Minnesota (vs. Florida/Wake Forest)
Big XII: Colorado (vs. Michigan State)
Mountain West: Air Force (@ Cal)
SEC: South Carolina (@ Indiana)
Summit: Denver (@ Stanford)
WCC: Pacific (@ Arkansas)
BIG TEN MOST NOTABLE NON-CONFERENCE GAME
Illinois: vs. Alabama (Nov. 20)
Indiana: vs. Louisville (Nov. 27) – win leads to hellacious Battle 4 Atlantis winner’s bracket
Iowa: Iowa State (Dec. 12)
Maryland: Marquette (Nov. 15)
Michigan: vs. Arkansas (Dec. 10)
Michigan State: vs. Kansas (Nov. 12)
Minnesota: vs. Florida/Wake Forest (Nov. 29)
Nebraska: @ Creighton (Nov. 22)
Northwestern: vs. Georgia Tech (Dec. 15)
Ohio State: vs. Auburn (Dec. 14)
Oregon: vs. Creighton (Nov. 30)
Penn State: vs. Clemson/San Francisco (Nov. 26)
Purdue: Alabama (Nov. 15)
Rutgers: vs. Alabama (Nov. 27)
UCLA: vs. Gonzaga (Dec. 28)
USC: vs. Saint Mary’s (Nov. 28)
Washington: @ Nevada (Nov. 9)
Wisconsin: Arizona (Nov. 15)
SUMMIT LEAGUE MOST NOTABLE NON-CONFERENCE GAME
Denver: @ Stanford (Nov. 4)
Kansas City: @ Iowa State (Nov. 11)
North Dakota: Alabama (Dec. 18)
North Dakota State: @ Butler (Dec. 10)
Omaha: @ Iowa State (Dec. 15)
Oral Roberts: @ Texas Tech (Dec. 16)
St. Thomas: @ Arizona State (Nov. 17)
South Dakota: @ Iowa (Nov. 12)
South Dakota State: @ Alabama (Dec. 29)
SMART NON-POWER 5 SCHEDULING
The following non-Power 5 programs (excluding obvious ones like Dayton, Gonzaga, Memphis, Saint Mary’s, San Diego State, VCU, etc.) have scheduled wisely and given themselves a chance for an at-large bid if they can nab a couple key wins in non-conference play (noted in parentheses) and then dominate/play at a very high level in their conference:
Arkansas State – Akron, @ Alabama, @ Memphis, @ UAB
Bradley -- @ Washington State, potentially vs. Princeton & USF, vs. Santa Clara, San Francisco
Colgate -- @ Syracuse, @ NC State, @ UNC-Wilmington, @ Kentucky, Vermont
College of Charleston – USF, FAU, @ Saint Joseph’s, vs. Oregon State, potentially vs. Loyola-Chicago & Nebraska
Grand Canyon – vs. Arizona State, vs. Stanford, vs. Georgia, @ Louisiana Tech, Saint Louis
McNeese – vs. South Dakota State, @ Alabama, North Texas, potentially vs. UAB & Kansas State, Santa Clara, vs. Mississippi State
Princeton – Loyola-Chicago, potentially vs. Bradley & USF, @ Saint Joseph’s, vs. Rutgers
Saint Louis – vs. Santa Clara, vs. Wichita State, @ San Francisco, @ Grand Canyon
San Francisco – Boise State, vs. Memphis, vs. Clemson, potentially vs. Penn State, Saint Louis, vs. Loyola-Chicago, @ Bradley
Santa Clara – vs. Saint Louis, vs. Arizona State, @ Nevada, Stanford, vs. TCU, vs. Colorado State or Washington, @ McNeese, vs. Bradley
South Dakota State – vs. McNeese, potentially vs. Boise State & Boston College, @ Nevada, @ Colorado, @ Alabama
UAB – Vermont, @ High Point, potentially vs. McNeese & Kansas State, Arkansas State
Vermont -- @ UAB, @ Auburn, @ Yale, @ Colgate
THE BRACKETED IN-SEASON TOURNAMENTS
There are 27 bracketed tournaments in the months of November and December, highlighted by the Great Alaska Shootout (just kidding, I still miss it!), Maui Invitational, and Battle 4 Atlantis. A good share of these will play a big part in shaping the NCAA Tournament at-large pool. I “seeded” teams based on last season’s final NET rankings. Here’s what I got for the championship games:
Greenbrier Tip-Off River (Nov. 15-16) -- #2 UTRGV over #3 Tennessee Tech
Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas (Nov. 21-22): #2 Baylor over #1 Tennessee
Legends Classic (Nov. 21-22): #2 Texas Tech over #1 Texas
Boardwalk Battle (Nov. 21-23) -- #3 Toledo over #2 UC-San Diego
Charleston Classic (Nov. 21-22, 24): #6 Miami-Florida over #5 VCU
Myrtle Beach Invitational (Nov. 21-22, 24): #2 Bradley over #4 Ohio
Greenbrier Tip-Off Mountain (Nov. 22, 24): #1 Wisconsin over #2 Pitt
Paradise Jam (Nov. 22-25): #2 Kansas State over #1 McNeese
Cayman Islands Classic (Nov. 24-26): #1 Boise State over #4 High Point
Fort Myers Tip-Off Palms (Nov. 25-26): #2 Miami-Ohio over #1 Mercer
Sunshine Slam Beach (Nov. 25-26): #3 Penn State over #1 Clemson
Sunshine Slam Ocean (Nov. 25-26): #1 Drexel over #3 Radford
Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach (Nov. 25, 27): #4 Michigan over #3 Xavier
Maui Invitational (Nov. 25-27): #3 Iowa State over #1 UConn
Acrisure Holiday Invitational (Nov. 26-27): #2 SMU over #1 Washington State
Cancun Challenge Mayan (Nov. 26-27): #1 Gardner-Webb over #2 North Dakota
Cancun Challenge Riviera (Nov. 26-27): #2 Tulane over #1 Belmont
Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 27-29): #2 Gonzaga over #1 Arizona
Acrisure Classic (Nov. 28-29): #2 New Mexico over #3 USC
Acrisure Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #3 Washington over #4 Santa Clara
Arizona Tip-Off Cactus (Nov. 28-29): #1 Mississippi State over #2 Northwestern
ESPN Events Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #2 Wake Forest over #3 Minnesota
NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 28-29): #1 Utah State over #2 North Texas
Rady Children’s Invitational (Nov. 28-29): #1 Purdue over #2 BYU
Arizona Tip-Off Desert (Nov. 29-30): #1 Weber State over #4 New Mexico State
Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational (Dec. 20-21): #3 UTEP over #2 Akron
Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-23, 25): #2 Loyola-Chicago over #1 Nebraska
RAISE THE CURTAIN (Nov. 4) LID-LIFTERS FOR YOUR COLLEGE HOOPS PALATE
Akron @ Arkansas State
Baylor vs. Gonzaga
College of Charleston vs. Southern Illinois
Florida vs. USF
Green Bay @ Oklahoma State (Doug Gottlieb coaching debut)
McNeese vs. South Dakota State
Missouri @ Memphis
Ohio @ James Madison
Ohio State vs. Texas
Saint Louis vs. Santa Clara
Sam Houston @ Nevada
Texas A&M @ UCF
Towson @ Saint Mary’s
Vermont @ UAB
JIMMY THE GREEK (predictions & musings)
Gophers: (14-17, 5-15)
Tommies: (19-12, 11-5)
Player of the Year: Mark Sears (Alabama)
Freshman of the Year: Cooper Flagg (Duke)
Coach of the Year: Mark Few (Gonzaga)
Power 5 Coaches on the Rise: Micah Shrewsberry (ACC/Notre Dame), Shaheen Holloway (Big East/Seton Hall), Steve Pikiell (Big Ten/Rutgers), Wes Miller (Big XII/Cincinnati), Buzz Williams (SEC/Texas A&M)
Power 5 Coaches on the Hot Seat: Earl Grant (ACC/Boston College), Kyle Neptune (Big East/Villanova), Ben Johnson (Big Ten/Minnesota), Craig Smith (Big XII/Utah), Porter Moser (SEC/Oklahoma)
Coaches Moving Up the Ladder in 2025-26: Bryce Drew (Grand Canyon), Matt Langel (Colgate), Drew Valentine (Loyola-Chicago), Will Wade (McNeese)
Potential Mid-Major Sweet 16 Cinderellas: Arkansas State, Bradley, Grand Canyon, McNeese
Shades of the ’85 Big East: The Big XII has the goods to get 3 teams to the Final 4, and just might do it.
Final 4: Alabama, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State (Zags cut down the nets)
NIT Champion: Nebraska
CBI Champion: Northern Iowa
Next Field of 68 Projection: December 1 or 2
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