2022-23 Men's Games of Interest

[Jdrums#3]

It’s early in the season, but the way things are breaking for the A10 so far in the OOC, it looks to me the conference has 3 “potential” tourney teams - at best. I am assuming SLU turns things around beginning today.

Before the season started, I thought the conference could have 4-5 in the conversation (not meaning in the tourney) of making the tourney depending on whether GM and/or Loyola could play well in OOC. But, that certainly appears to be out the window.

Frickin’ frustrating conference. You can’t play shit games when the lights are the brightest.

[Jersey77]

GM losing to Belmont at the Paradise Jam yesterday was another huge disappointment.
I really thought they would do well this season.
The knock on them however is not having a true PG.
Also, Oduro isn't really having a standout year as expected.

[Jdrums#3]

Davidson hangs on to win by 5 over ODU.

UMess hanging on by 6 with under half a minute left against Charlotte in the Myrtle Beach Tourney championship.

Nice wins for the conference.

LaSalle dropped a 7 point game to Georgetown after being down big early.

[Jersey77]

Davidson hangs on to win by 5 over ODU.

UMess hanging on by 6 with under half a minute left against Charlotte in the Myrtle Beach Tourney championship.

Nice wins for the conference.

LaSalle dropped a 7 point game to Georgetown after being down big early.

Yes, now we need SLU to win.

First in-season tournament championship for UMass in a while.

Davidson ends up 2-1 in the Charleston Classic.

[Jdrums#3]

LMU leading an undefeated Wake Forest in the first half. Chance Stephen’s with 5 3’s (5 of 5) for 16 points so far for LMU.

Gotta hand it to the kid; he can shoot it.

[Jdrums#3]

SLU, not ready for prime time, it appears. Can’t watch any longer. Maybe they will wake up and make a run to pull it out.

The commentators were discussing the A10 and how they felt SLU is the second best team after Dayton. If SLU continues to play like this against an average Friars team trying to find its way and SLU is the conferences second best team, the A10 is in for a down year. The kind of down year where you will need upsets in the conference tourney for a shot at multiple bids.

[Jdrums#3]

Davidson hangs on to win by 5 over ODU.

UMess hanging on by 6 with under half a minute left against Charlotte in the Myrtle Beach Tourney championship.

Nice wins for the conference.

LaSalle dropped a 7 point game to Georgetown after being down big early.

Yes, now we need SLU to win.

First in-season tournament championship for UMass in a while.

Davidson ends up 2-1 in the Charleston Classic.

Good showings for the conference, Jersey.

FM has UMess playing well early. They look to have a top 5 conference potential and an NIT shot the way they are going.

The conference appears to be very thin at the top, so far outside of Dayton and maybe VCU, a lot of average teams with NIT potential.

Hopefully, SLU wakes up in short order. They are blowing opportunities to solidify an at-large resume.

[Jdrums#3]

Just check on SLU. They came back to tie it with under 6 minutes left after being down 10. Nice!

They need this one.

[adam914]

Down go the Friars again. What a shame!!

[RI_Bred]

SLU wins. Made my day, thanks!

[Jdrums#3]

SLU wins. Made my day, thanks!

Good win for SLU. Way to wake up!

Need VCU and Loyola to do the same in their games.

[Rhody15]

Always take an A10 OOC win, especially against PC.

But that and 1 at the end for SLU was an embarrassment. PC and their fans have a right to be pissed at that.

We’d all be fuming if that happened to us.

[theblueram]

Always take an A10 OOC win, especially against PC.

But that and 1 at the end for SLU was an embarrassment. PC and their fans have a right to be pissed at that.

We’d all be fuming if that happened to us.

Fuck pc. I don't care how they lose.

[Rhody15]

Always take an A10 OOC win, especially against PC.

But that and 1 at the end for SLU was an embarrassment. PC and their fans have a right to be pissed at that.

We’d all be fuming if that happened to us.

Fuck pc. I don't care how they lose.

Oh same, I just couldn’t believe the ref made that call right in front of his face.

[Rhody15]

Hopkins is a stud, we’ll have trouble with him.

Everyone else looks very meh.

[Jdrums#3]

Tx A&M up 15 on Loyola in the 2nd half. Too bad Loyola didn’t catch Tx A&M a few days ago when A&M sucked. Bad timing.

[PeterRamTime]

There's been a lot of ugly basketball out there early on. Gotta think some of that has to do with the transfer portal.

[Jersey77]

SLU wins. Made my day, thanks!

Good win for SLU. Way to wake up!

Need VCU and Loyola to do the same in their games.

VCU struggling early in the 2nd half against Memphis.
Tough game for them without Ace.

[Jdrums#3]

They are struggling to score without Ace. Only 22 points total with 16 minutes left in the game. Too bad because they seem to be holding up well defensively so far.

[RI_Bred]

They are struggling to score without Ace. Only 22 points total with 16 minutes left in the game. Too bad because they seem to be holding up well defensively so far.

Wow that is really unusual.

[Jdrums#3]

There's been a lot of ugly basketball out there early on. Gotta think some of that has to do with the transfer portal.

Could be, PRT. Coaches trying to find the best combo’s on the floor while working in new pieces not familiar with the offensive and defensive styles. Only so much you can simulate in practice versus real games. Of course, the real good players can rise above the adjustment period, I think.

It sure seems to be so in our case although, I wouldn’t necessarily characterize our play as ugly; I would say struggling with small, incremental improvements so far.

Also, some key players missing early on is hurting some conference teams.

[rjv]

I believe St. Louis is going to be offered to join the BE next year bring the conference to 12 teams

[Jdrums#3]

RJV, what makes you say that? Are you hearing any whispers?

They do seem to fit the NBE profile but would Creighton sign off on it or squash it because they don’t want local competition?

[Rhode_Island_Red]

Down go the Friars again. What a shame!!

Boo.

Hoo.

Hoo.

[rjv]

No whisper...just that St. Louis fits the BE profiles for members... add competition... add more people watching games.... equals more $$$$$$$

[Jersey77]

RJV, what makes you say that? Are you hearing any whispers?

They do seem to fit the NBE profile but would Creighton sign off on it or squash it because they don’t want local competition?

Creighton not the same market as SLU, but geographically they would probably like it.

I haven't heard any rumors to that and would be very surprised if they get invited.

[Jersey77]

No whisper...just that St. Louis fits the BE profiles for members... add competition... add more people watching games.... equals more $$$$$$$

They don't need SLU, they already get lots of national exposure and media coverage.
They would also have to split their revenue again with the new member.
SLU just doesn't bring enough to the table.
Sources last year said that Gonzaga would be the only school that they would entertain.

[Jdrums#3]

Hope so, Jersey. I’d like to see SLU stay where they are. They would be tough to replace, especially the geographic continuity with new member Loyola.

[reef]

Still seems like the A10 is underachieving so far though it’s early

[Jdrums#3]

Agreed, Reef. It’s frustrating. The conference needs to grab signature wins and limit bad losses but it just can’t seem to get over the hump - whether it’s key injuries, bad breaks, bad calls, bad timing, etc. - it’s always something. I sometimes wonder if the conference is cursed. Sheesh!

Take Loyola today. Would have been nice if they beat a wounded
TX A&M team today but just couldn’t get it done unlike the previous two teams that recently beat A&M pretty handily. Was it bad timing (catching a good A&M team really pissed off at its previous underachieving) or was it that this version of Loyola just not being ready for prime time? I don’t know. But, I do know this conference needs big wins to be a consistent 3-4 bid conference - which is what it should be imho.

But, all is not lost. I do think the conference will begin to perform better in future years because of the high level of coaching in the conference. It should get better but, in the meantime, it sure is damn frustrating.

[RamStock]

Still seems like the A10 is underachieving so far though it’s early

Are they underachieving or is the conference not that good outside of St.Louis and Dayton?

[Jersey77]

Still seems like the A10 is underachieving so far though it’s early

Are they underachieving or is the conference not that good outside of St.Louis and Dayton?

I feel that the A10 is still a good conference when compared to most of the other mid-majors,
Probably still around a 10th rating behind the AAC, Mountain West, and WCC.

I was just hoping we would become a 3-4 bid league.

[ramster]

GM losing to Belmont at the Paradise Jam yesterday was another huge disappointment.
I really thought they would do well this season.
The knock on them however is not having a true PG.
Also, Oduro isn't really having a standout year as expected.

Paradise Jam is interesting.

Tarleton beat Belmont 89-81
Tarleton then beat Boston College 70-54 and now plays Drake tonight 7pm for the Championship. Belmont and Drake now both in the MVC.

Tarleton lost at Arizona State 59-62 on Nov 7. They play at #5 Baylor Dec 6th.

George Mason has list to Tarleton State, Belmont and plays Buffalo today. Imagine going 0-3 in a Tournament of this level?

BB057C39-23AF-4029-AD2A-BBBBB8CDA903.png

[Jersey77]

GM losing to Belmont at the Paradise Jam yesterday was another huge disappointment.
I really thought they would do well this season.
The knock on them however is not having a true PG.
Also, Oduro isn't really having a standout year as expected.

Paradise Jam is interesting.

Tarleton beat Belmont 89-81
Tarleton then beat Boston College 70-54 and now plays Drake tonight 7pm for the Championship. Belmont and Drake now both in the MVC.

Tarleton lost at Arizona State 59-62 on Nov 7. They play at #5 Baylor Dec 6th.

BB057C39-23AF-4029-AD2A-BBBBB8CDA903.png

Tarleton is one of those teams we know little about but probably pretty good.

Belmont and Murray State both very good additions to the MVC.
Along with Loyola/Chicago, either or both of those programs would be a good fit for the A10.

[bigappleram]

I at least have heard of Tarleton St, I’d never heard of Texas State before we played them so there’s that.

I think top of A10 is similar to previous years. 1-2 teams on their own tier. This year that’s SLU and UD. I think the bottom of the league is better than in past with teams like Fordham, Duquesne and Lasalle showing life. It’s the middle of the league that I think is soft. Loyola, Mason, Richmond all very flawed teams.

IMO Umass is the 3rd or 4th best team in the league.

[Jersey77]

I at least have heard of Tarleton St, I’d never heard of Texas State before we played them so there’s that.

I think top of A10 is similar to previous years. 1-2 teams on their own tier. This year that’s SLU and UD. I think the bottom of the league is better than in past with teams like Fordham, Duquesne and Lasalle showing life. It’s the middle of the league that I think is soft. Loyola, Mason, Richmond all very flawed teams.

IMO Umass is the 3rd or 4th best team in the league.

BAR, I am not sure UMass is as good as you are thinking, even though Frank Martin is a HUGE upgrade.
VCU will still be very good, but losing your top player (Ace) for almost a month is tough.

GM is still my biggest disappointment, Davidson and Richmond will come around.

I think St. Joe's will be better than originally predicted.

[RhowdyRam02]

RJV, what makes you say that? Are you hearing any whispers?

They do seem to fit the NBE profile but would Creighton sign off on it or squash it because they don’t want local competition?

Creighton and St. Louis are 350 miles apart, can't really consider that local competition. That's a little farther apart than URI to Penn State for reference

[RhowdyRam02]

George Mason is down 29-26 vs Buffalo with 5:23 to go in the first half. Game is at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands on ESPN3
Tulane vs Nevada at George Town, Cayman Islands at 5 on Flo
Boston College vs Wyoming at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands at 5:45 on ESPN3
Duquesne vs North Florida at 7 on ESPN+
Fordham vs Holy Cross at 7 on ESPN+
Richmond vs Syracuse at Barclays Center at 7 on ESPN2
Rhode Island vs Kansas State at George Town, Cayman Islands at 7:30 on Flo
St. Joe's vs Georgia at Daytona Beach, FL at 8:30 on CBS Sports Network
Texas State at Cal at 10 on Pac 12 Network

[ElmCityRhody]

Down go the Friars again. What a shame!!

Boo.

Hoo.

Hoo.

[Jdrums#3]

RJV, what makes you say that? Are you hearing any whispers?

They do seem to fit the NBE profile but would Creighton sign off on it or squash it because they don’t want local competition?

Creighton and St. Louis are 350 miles apart, can't really consider that local competition. That's a little farther apart than URI to Penn State for reference

Good point and helps me with my question. But then, 350 miles really isn’t that far in some parts…unless you are a Rhode Islander where the next town over is too far.

[Jersey77]

Well George Mason loses to Buffalo 74-82.
They go 0-3 at the Paradise Jam.

No excuses but Gaines played limited minutes due to a game injury and they were without starting PG Polite.

[Jdrums#3]

That’s rough. Tough break for GM being short handed.

If - and I admit, it may be a big “if” - GM is able to get healthy and turn the season around to the point of being on the bubble, I don’t expect the injuries will get much consideration in favor of a bid from the Selection Committee beyond lip service.

I get cynical sometimes when it comes to the Selection Committee. Something I have to live with.

[SGreenwell]

I was a little bearish on GM coming into the year. Usually when teams over-perform, people just take that record and add a couple more wins, but sometime you "need" a consolidation year, as maybe the luck goes against you the next season.

The other thing at play here - We all probably rely too much on "name value" when it comes to early season performance. Like, Tarleton State, Buffalo, Belmont and Boston College are seen as varying degrees of "bad" losses, but ultimately, they're all probably going to be in the 100 to 200 range on KenPom and in NET. (The worst team of that bunch last year was Tarleton, at 212.) The gap between the best and worst teams in college hoops keeps getting narrower, thanks to the looser transfer rules.

[Jersey77]

I was a little bearish on GM coming into the year. Usually when teams over-perform, people just take that record and add a couple more wins, but sometime you "need" a consolidation year, as maybe the luck goes against you the next season.

The other thing at play here - We all probably rely too much on "name value" when it comes to early season performance. Like, Tarleton State, Buffalo, Belmont and Boston College are seen as varying degrees of "bad" losses, but ultimately, they're all probably going to be in the 100 to 200 range on KenPom and in NET. (The worst team of that bunch last year was Tarleton, at 212.) The gap between the best and worst teams in college hoops keeps getting narrower, thanks to the looser transfer rules.

True SG, but I was expecting more from GM this season in English's 2nd year.
Their top players seem to be in a funk so far, but I expect them to break out of it.

[reef]

Hogs on now Makhi started and Makhel came in and subbed for him

[RhowdyRam02]

Illinois State vs Western Kentucky at Cayman Islands at 11 on Flo
Rhode Island vs Tulane at George Town, Cayman Islands at 5 on Flo
St. Joe's vs South Florida at Daytona Beach at 6:30
George Washington vs UC San Diego at 7 on ESPN+
Fordham vs Stonehill at 7 on ESPN+
Richmond vs Temple at Barclays Center at 7 on ESPN2
St. Bonaventure vs Southern Indiana at 7 on ESPN+
Kansas State vs Nevada at George Town, Cayman Islands at 7:30 on Flo

[Jersey77]

As expected, Western Kentucky wins 78-66.

[Jdrums#3]

Louisville has 18 total points with approx 11 minutes left in the game against #21 Tx Tech. Talk about a brutal offensive showing. Ooph

I don’t think we are that bad offensively. I refuse to believe it.

[reef]

Louisville has 18 total points with approx 11 minutes left in the game against #21 Tx Tech. Talk about a brutal offensive showing. Ooph

I don’t think we are that bad offensively. I refuse to believe it.

Are u serious ?? What was the final ??

[ATPTourFan]

Louisville has 18 total points with approx 11 minutes left in the game against #21 Tx Tech. Talk about a brutal offensive showing. Ooph

I don’t think we are that bad offensively. I refuse to believe it.

Are u serious ?? What was the final ??

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