Collegesportsmadness' Top 144

[bauman]

Pistol, you can just take your recruiting info to another team's Board.  Turncoat!!!

[Pistol]

15 hours ago, cheeseman said:

Careful Pistol people will be calling you someone who doesn't have any faith in the team.  

 

15 hours ago, bauman said:

Pistol, you can just take your recruiting info to another team's Board.  Turncoat!!!

[bauman]

Another one of our opponents make the list.  OSU comes in at 102, which seems lower than justified when you read the analysis.  Last year they were picked at #77, they finished the year with a .500 record and return 4 of 5 starters, including their star, Tres Trinkle, the HC's son.  In addition, they add a 7 ft. JUCO.  Hard to see how a mid-level Pac 12 team returning 4 starters could be picked 102.  Still only two A-10 teams listed, VCU and Duq., the latter, somewhat of a surprise.

[BigMouthBilliken]

69

[bauman]

2 hours ago, BigMouthBilliken said:

69

A couple of others have already made that really clever pick so you might want to revise your pick to an actual #----or not!

[kshoe]

Looks like we are 77 on the ESPN BPI Index.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24199936/kansas-jayhawks-gonzaga-bulldogs-lead-espn-college-basketball-bpi-2018

Not specific to the BPI, but I struggle with how any computer program can come up with offseason rankings considering no games have been played and incoming players are unknowns.

Edit: from the ESPN article: The preseason rankings are based on the following categories: the quality and quantity of the returning players on the team, including transfers and players who missed last season because of injury; recruiting rankings, both overall and the number of five-star prospects; and coaches' past performances on offense and defense.

[Brighton]

It's ESPN.

Grain of salt, etc.

[Old guy]

Determining the preseason rankings the way ESPN does, resulted in a fairly decent 77th place. This is good, as the season develops we will be shown to be much better than 77th. Just wait and see. 

Your struggle to understand the ESPN ranking methodology is understandable kshoe. I would describe their method in three steps as follows: 1. start with the results from the prior year, see who  was retained, and who they recruited, hold your breath and guess. 2. Tell your guess with a straight face as if it was factual. 3. Make the process look better than what it really is. 

[slu72]

144 ranks the Illini 143 and ESPN has them at 21. Teams we play ranked higher than us; FSU, Butler, Seton Hall, Dayton, Houston. Let's just admit it's way too early for a lot of these lists. And when the mags come out in mid Sept you'll probably see them list the usual suspects in the top 25. 

[bauman]

Our old friend, Miles Reynolds, pops up as a grad transfer in today's pick in this website. He is discussed as a PG for Oklahoma, which is picked as #99.  One interesting comment by the writer is his calling the Big 12 the toughest conference in the country.  I'm sure the ACC might disagree!

[wgstl]

1 hour ago, bauman said:

  One interesting comment by the writer is his calling the Big 12 the toughest conference in the country.  I'm sure the ACC might disagree!

This is said every single year.  This is why kansas has won like 14 straight titles ...

[bauman]

UMASS comes in at 88, 6th in the A-10.  They are projected to go to the NIT.

At this point with 5 more A-10 teams left to be listed, it looks like they will be SLU, SJU, URI, DAV and GMU leaving Dayton and SBU out.

[HoosierPal]

UMass may be an undervalued team.  Time will tell.  Pipkins could be POY over Grady.  Pierre was very good as his sidekick last season.  I had forgotten about Holloway, all 6'11" and 310 lbs of him.  He was ineligible against us last season, but he is a load. But with his bulk, he is only good for 20 minutes a game.   If one or two of their transfers are a hit, they could be dangerous.  

[bauman]

Top 144 update.  Memphis came in today at #81.  Still 5,  A-10 teams to appear, which isn't bad, 5 top 80 teams.

Contest update, as stated in the original post changes cannot be made after 8/15, meaning no more changes.  Many of your numbers have been passed and if that is the case, no free A-B product for you.Those still with a chance to win are SShoe, Next Year Bill, slufan13, JohnnyJumpUp, drkelsey55, BillsBeliever, Willie*, Cowboy*, johnbj14, Bills71, brianstl, BandLegend, Sluletthedogsout, Billiken Rich*, Old Geyser*, ////slu72*, Quailman*, Kshoe*, Taj79*, IceBilliken, bauman*, motoy12*, slufanskip, juniorbill76, MajorMajerus*, wgstl*////, BillikeFan05*, BilliKitty*, philliken, Billiken Fan_Dan*, tonka*, Father B, dlarry, Slu_Lax, White Pelican, GoSluBills*, Jettflight5*, ////AGB91*, gobillsgo*, BigMouthBilliken*,  Old Guy, Majerusmajor, Billiken Boy 10 , and Scoop(but only if the Bills come in next at #80 since Scoop picked the Bills at #81 and Billiken Boy 10 picked them at 78).

Remember ties are broken by first to pick the number unless the picks were made on the same day.

*---predicted the same number.

*//// divides groups of ties

[wgstl]

1 hour ago, bauman said:

.  Still 5,  A-10 teams to appear, which isn't bad, 5 top 80 teams.

 

nope, better than where we left off from last year.  3 finished in top 80 in kenpoms final ranking.

[Taj79]

Rhode Island comes in at #78 as the fifth best team in the A10.  Four above them?  I say it looks like us, St. Joe's, Davidson and Mason right now.  From the write up, the author asks pretty much the same tow questions I do, how does the new coach play out, and what kind of additions can be made to the three returning players who logged the most last year (Dowtin, Russell, Langevine).  As always, four-star recruit Jermaine Harris comes into play but you still need a fifth plus the bench to make it all go.

This team has one known starter, two part-time players moving up to key roles, one big time recruit, and a lot of unknowns up and down the board.  About the best thing they do have is the experience of winning two straight A10 titles and going to the Dance.  This will make them competitive for a while .... but not for the duration if you ask me.

 

 

[slu72]

I'll go out on a limb and say they'll give Davidson the A10 top spot. Why? I still don't get it. You need depth. They seem to be lacking in that department. I see them giving us the 2nd spot largely due to our returnees and the additions of Isabell and Gordon. We didn't lose much from last year and added a whole bunch. But Davidson's got the McKilkick and Curry legacy going for 'em w/ the national media. 

[billiken_roy]

1 hour ago, slu72 said:

I'll go out on a limb and say they'll give Davidson the A10 top spot. Why? I still don't get it. You need depth. They seem to be lacking in that department. I see them giving us the 2nd spot largely due to our returnees and the additions of Isabell and Gordon. We didn't lose much from last year and added a whole bunch. But Davidson's got the McKilkick and Curry legacy going for 'em w/ the national media. 

let's not forget, our best team in recent times was our jett and evans team which basically had no depth in their last year beyond jett, evans, mccall and loe.  

[Taj79]

A look at Davidson .....

Currently, McKillop has 11 scholarship players on his roster for the coming year.  The time to fill those spots with serviceable players is extremely short.  At best, he'd get maybe a Rusty Riegel-type player to run around and give fouls and rest to his other players.  In other words, a limited contributor.  I'd say what we see is what we get.

What we see, what we know is 6'7" senior Nathan Ekwu, 6'4" junior Jon-Axel Gudmundsson, and 6'5" star Kellan Grady.  That is what we know.  Ekwu redshirted last year but even in his year prior, he only contributed 3.2 ppg.  He was less than Rusty Reigel.  J-A scored at 13 ppg and Grady at 18 ppg so the backcourt is in good starting shape.  But practically every other point guard on the roster is a walk-on.  KiShawn Pritchett is back after a redshirt year but his one year prior was les than Riegel-esque as well.  Roster spot holder Crater Collins only played in 25 games last year for less than 5 mpg; Luke Frampton, listed as a sophomore didn't record a single chit on any stat sheet last year.   

The front line is really unknown.  Redshirt Dusan Kovacevic returns but in his two prior years, he's played 24 games and average about 3 ppg over the time.  Kovacevic is a Serb and three of the four incoming freshmen are also imports -- Austria, Sweden and England,  Likely Euro-fours at best.  These must be the answer to replacing Peyton Aldridge and given the Euro-big like for three pointers, I can see it.  But can they make them at the Alkdridge rate?  I doubt it.  And I really doubt its Koracevic who has jacked 15 total threes in his 30+ games there. 

So, to me, the bottom line is nice starting backcourt but what else you got?  An injury to Grady and this team sucks.  Even Rhodey has three known components plus a four star recruit ... a better take than these guys.  I can actually see them as next up on the A10 team listings here.

[Old guy]

If you look at it analytically, as you are doing, Davidson has a lot of at least potential problems plus a good record last year. If you look at it as a jounalist, Davidson has a good record last year.

[bauman]

As always, a really good analysis of an A 10 team.  While I think you are correct in your analysis, I think that only translates into the actual season-maybe 4th for Davidson.  However, in this ranking my guess is that they come in, in the top 3.  I think we will see GMU next (4th in A-10 between 68 and 74 in this listing), then DAV at 3rd in the conference; 58-67 in this list;  with a toss-up between us and SJU for 1st and 2nd.  If I had to bet a buck, I would bet SLU 2nd in A-10; 48-55 in top 144 list; and SJU 1st conference; 40-47 in top 144.

Again, remember this is NOT what we think will actually happen during the season, but what we think the writers will predict.  In any casefor thoise that hate this thread, so be it, but at this time of the year it gives us some college MBB to discuss.  Also, I think their write-ups this year are better than in the past.  They seem to be right on with their analysis of UMASS and VCU, not so much with the Dukes.  I think the fact that they have NOT included SBU and Dayton shows that they can see beyond past results.  I also like that ILL is #143-take that Roy Schmidt!

[Taj79]

I'm all for anything that stirs discussion -- sure beats who's a tool and who's not, Situation 2.0 closure (my guilty) and pizza in St. Louis.  That's all these lists are meant to do, they are not gospel.

I think Mason will get the three over Davidson.  Mason has a full roster.  They return everybody from last year where they went 9 and 9 in conference and 16 and 17 overall.  Four of their top five players are guards meaning they are strong exactly where you need to be in college ball today.  Livingston and Gayer are a really decent backcourt at 30 ppg.  The backups -- Kier and Boyd -- come in with about 20 ppg.  Mar was a nice freshman with 10/5 last year and Greg Calixte was decent at 5/4.  All a year older and wiser and competent in Paulsen's system.  Javon Greene also played about a half per game last year so you are talking five decent college guards in tow.  All their recruits are essentially guards as well so Paulsen is looking to the future.  These are very well knowns as far as knowns go.

The question will be what does former 3.3 star recruit Jared Reuter of Virginia bring to the table.  It could be nothing .... in his two years at UVA, he played in 25 and 32 games, first averaging about 2 ppg then 4 ppg.  In UVA's player roster, he was the equivalent of the ninth or tenth man.  Is he the second coming of Geedubya's Wake transfer Tyler Kavanaugh, or is he Ted Mimlitz?  Even if he is nothing, he is a body and that just adds to Mar and Calixte.  I am banking on him being better than that.  Right now, Reuter is averaging 11.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg on Mason's current foreign tour. 

Could Mason even be a two over us?  Quite possible given how these guys write.  And right now, our backcourt is a lot more uncertain when compared to both Davidson and Mason.  It would be extremely ballsy to even make Mason the #1.  Ballsy, but not surprising given what I just wrote.

[bauman]

31 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

I'm all for anything that stirs discussion -- sure beats who's a tool and who's not, Situation 2.0 closure (my guilty) and pizza in St. Louis.  That's all these lists are meant to do, they are not gospel.

I think Mason will get the three over Davidson.  Mason has a full roster.  They return everybody from last year where they went 9 and 9 in conference and 16 and 17 overall.  Four of their top five players are guards meaning they are strong exactly where you need to be in college ball today.  Livingston and Gayer are a really decent backcourt at 30 ppg.  The backups -- Kier and Boyd -- come in with about 20 ppg.  Mar was a nice freshman with 10/5 last year and Greg Calixte was decent at 5/4.  All a year older and wiser and competent in Paulsen's system.  Javon Greene also played about a half per game last year so you are talking five decent college guards in tow.  All their recruits are essentially guards as well so Paulsen is looking to the future.  These are very well knowns as far as knowns go.

The question will be what does former 3.3 star recruit Jared Reuter of Virginia bring to the table.  It could be nothing .... in his two years at UVA, he played in 25 and 32 games, first averaging about 2 ppg then 4 ppg.  In UVA's player roster, he was the equivalent of the ninth or tenth man.  Is he the second coming of Geedubya's Wake transfer Tyler Kavanaugh, or is he Ted Mimlitz?  Even if he is nothing, he is a body and that just adds to Mar and Calixte.  I am banking on him being better than that.  Right now, Reuter is averaging 11.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg on Mason's current foreign tour. 

Could Mason even be a two over us?  Quite possible given how these guys write.  And right now, our backcourt is a lot more uncertain when compared to both Davidson and Mason.  It would be extremely ballsy to even make Mason the #1.  Ballsy, but not surprising given what I just wrote.

Taj, if I ran the Top 144 website, I'd hire you to do all my A-10 write-ups and rankings.

Also, an extremely rare Ted Mimlitz reference.   I wonder when his name last appeared on Billikens.com?

[willie]

Ted lost his medical license for a short time after pleading guilty to dealing in HGH. If I remember Ted could have used some HGH back in his playing days. 

[wgstl]

Fightin' salukis come in at #76