Opening Week (Non-UConn) Game Thread

[NowInStorrs]

A&M with a big 3 to beat Abilene Christian by 1 in 2OT

 

[HooperScooper]

Princeton up 6 on South Carolina at the half. Yale blew out UMass. Ivy tough.

Yale, I can buy. Harvard too. Princeton, O.K. But Brown?

 

[elmcityboy]

in the building for yale-umass tonight. umass is tiny and can't guard. yale has a couple guys that can ball, too. it was never particularly close.

 

[awfuldan]

Yale/Seton Hall is gonna be fun. I was at the UMass game tonight with @elmcityboy and I thought Yale looked pretty good. UMass did not look good at all, but they did have a lot of fans in New Haven.

 

[UconnU]

Nova is getting good looks just can’t get anything to fall early.

 

[AntG168]

Nova is getting good looks just can’t get anything to fall early.

Nova looks really regular. We can win this conference

 

[aceboon]

Feels like Jermaine Samuels has been in college forever

 

[auror]

Nova looks really regular. We can win this conference

They started moving the ball and hitting all their 3s in the 2nd half. Look a lot better now.

 

[auror]

Wow they called Gillespie for lowering the shoulder!

 

[AntG168]

They started moving the ball and hitting all their 3s in the 2nd half. Look a lot better now.

I stand by what I said

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Yale, I can buy. Harvard too. Princeton, O.K. But Brown?

Take it easy. They’ve got talent and a good young coach. Ivy League is wide open.

 

[ecasadoSBU]

what a great game so far at Westwood. It's going to OT

Nova had a nice 7 pt lead late in the game but let the Bruins come back

 

[superjohn]

Nova should've won that game, Gillespie really disappeared down the stretch.

 

[superjohn]

It's not a vintage Nova team. There's no Hart, Brunson, DiVincenzo, Bridges etc. talent on this team. It's your typical Nova team in terms of how they play. Ball control, guys backing down into the paint and kicking it out to shooters but I don't see NBA talent on this team. They are small and as of now they aren't going to the bench. UConn will definitely have an athleticism and size advantage and Sanogo should be able to do what he wants down low. Nova will be really tough just because Jay Wright is such a great coach and they are a veteran team.

 

[auror]

Takeaways from that game. Don't guard Gillespie with your PG. Hide your PG on Slater (that's who UCLA had Tyger guarding in the 2H). Put someone longer and bigger on Gillespie. Stay home on shooters even if Nova is posting up deep. Attack Nova's green and tired center Dixon every time they switch him onto your ball handler. Get Moore or Samuels into foul trouble.

 

[superjohn]

Takeaways from that game. Don't guard Gillespie with your PG. Hide your PG on Slater (that's who UCLA had Tyger guarding in the 2H). Put someone longer and bigger on Gillespie. Stay home on shooters even if Nova is posting up deep. Attack Nova's green and tired center Dixon every time they switch him onto your ball handler. Get Moore or Samuels into foul trouble.

And let Gillespie shoot driving open layups, lol.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Here's my Saturday and Sunday Viewing Preview. Between my sister's birthday and a quinceanera, my Saturday is pretty booked, so please enjoy these matchups on my behalf:

Saturday Morning Coffee Game, 11:30 PM Friday: Villanova @ UCLA - ESPN2

Cronin’s defense against The Suit’s beautiful offense…get your popcorn ready (or Corn Pops, for morning watchers like myself).

12 PM:

Coppin State @ UConn - FS2: Fun reminder…Coppin State’s coach is Juan Dixon.

1 PM:

Harvard @ Iona - ESPN3: It was a ton of fun watching a live game in New Rochelle on Thursday! A “palpable buzz” w/ Pitino at the helm as he had the loudest applause during pre-game lineup announcements, even from the student section.

SMU grad transfer Tyson Jolly (19 points in debut)` immediately jumps in as their heart-and-soul leader as a physical lead guard while their three-man front court trio of Nelly Junior Joseph (big low post bruiser) and their stretch bigs Quinn Slazinski (Louisville transfer) and Dylan van Eyck will make Iona a force in the MAAC.

Harvard is more of an unknown after a year off from Covid, but they’ve been a top Ivy team since Amaker has taken over. Boiling the matchup down to coaches: Pitino vs Amaker is a hell of a mid-major matchup. Definitely should be a good game and a worthy watch after the UConn game.

2 PM

Colgate @ NC State - ESPN+: Upset alert: Four starters return from last year’s Colgate team, led by first team Patriot Leaguers Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson. NC State returns a meh offensive tea, and their elite rim protector, Manny Bates (2.7 bpg) is out for the year. I’m checking the spread on this one.

4 PM

Saint Peter’s @ St. John’s - FS2: This is going to be a fun game w/ two tenacious defensive teams. Saint Peter’s KD Ndefo is arguably one of the best defensive players in the country averaging 1.4 steals and 3.6 blocks last season. Posh is a punishing defensive bully, but Saint Peter’s doesn’t have that “one guy” for Posh to glue himself to. I’m checking the spread on this one.

7 PM:

Eastern Kentucky @ Milwaukee - ESPN+: EKU is one of the fastest teams in the country and Milwaukee has Patrick Baldwin, so definitely an interesting mid-major match-up.

Ohio @ Cleveland State - ESPN+: Ohio started the season w/ a big win over Belmont. Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates has a bright high-major future, but right now in the present, he’s coaching an old team w/ eight seniors/grads in his rotation.

9 PM:

Boise State @ UC Irvine - ESPN+: One of the best MWC teams vs the best team in the Big West. The do-everything Kevin Durant clone Derrick Alston graduated, but Boise State boasts a strong trio of senior/grad wings in Abu Kigab, Devonaire Doutrive and Emmanual Akot, all three former Pac-12 players.

UC Irvine runs through 6’9 senior Collin Welp, a mid-range technician. Caron’s son, JC, is a rotation guy and potential starter.

10:30 PM:

Texas @ Gonzaga - ESPN2: This will be my “Sunday Morning Coffee” game before yard work. The amount of talent in the front court is insane: Timme, Holmgren, Mitchell, Disu, Bishop…

SUNDAY:

Noon:

Yale @ Seton Hall - FS1: Potentially an interesting game, but even though Yale should be one of, if not, the best team in the Ivy, I’m not confident they will be gelled together after a year off. Greenwich’s Jack Molloy is a big part of Yale’s future and will be an interesting prospect to see develop

1 PM:

Florida State @ Florida - ESPN: Great opening weekend in-state game. Leonard Hamilton is one of my favorite coaches and it seems like he’s never rebuilding, just retooling. Houston transfer Caleb Mills will be a big scoring boost while the top-30 freshman wing duo of Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley will be exciting to see how they fit in Hamilton’s system.

Florida won the Myreon Jones sweepstakes and are a team mostly built by transfers. I don’t think he’s playing Sunday, but I wish Keyontae Johnson a speedy recovery. Hope to see him on the court soon.

3 PM:

South Dakota State @ Stephen F. Austin- ESPN+: Very good mid-major matchup. South Dakota State is arguably the top team in the Summit, returning FIVE double-digit scorers, three of which averaged 15+ last season. SDSU has good size too: their starting lineup clocks in at 6’4, 6’4, 6’6, 6’7 and 6’8.

SFA, the former Southland stud, is entering its first year in the WAC and should be a top-tier team thanks to three of their best players returning for a fifth year. Gavin Kensmil is their stud, a 6’7 260 monster in the post. SFA is known for two things: causing turnovers (3rd in nation last year) and offensive rebounding (7th in nation).

Love your write-ups, thanks!

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Love your write-ups, thanks!

Thanks! I figured it was too much too early, so here's a preview of some of the best games today.

Saturday Morning Coffee Game, 11:30 PM Friday: Villanova @ UCLA - ESPN2

12 PM:

Coppin State @ UConn - FS2: Fun reminder…Coppin State’s coach is Juan Dixon.

1 PM:

Harvard @ Iona - ESPN3: It was a ton of fun watching a live game in New Rochelle on Thursday! A “palpable buzz” w/ Pitino at the helm as he had the loudest applause during pre-game lineup announcements, even from the student section.

SMU grad transfer Tyson Jolly (19 points in debut)` immediately jumps in as their heart-and-soul leader as a physical lead guard while their three-man front court trio of Nelly Junior Joseph (big low post bruiser) and their stretch bigs Quinn Slazinski (Louisville transfer) and Dylan van Eyck will make Iona a force in the MAAC.

Harvard is more of an unknown after a year off from Covid, but they’ve been a top Ivy team since Amaker has taken over. Boiling the matchup down to coaches: Pitino vs Amaker is a hell of a mid-major matchup. Definitely should be a good game and a worthy watch after the UConn game.

2 PM

Colgate @ NC State - ESPN+: Upset alert: Four starters return from last year’s Colgate team, led by first team Patriot Leaguers Nelly Cummings and Tucker Richardson. NC State returns a meh offensive tea, and their elite rim protector, Manny Bates (2.7 bpg) is out for the year. I’m checking the spread on this one.

4 PM

Saint Peter’s @ St. John’s - FS2: This is going to be a fun game w/ two tenacious defensive teams. Saint Peter’s KD Ndefo is arguably one of the best defensive players in the country averaging 1.4 steals and 3.6 blocks last season. Posh is a punishing defensive bully, but Saint Peter’s doesn’t have that “one guy” for Posh to glue himself to. I’m checking the spread on this one.

7 PM:

Eastern Kentucky @ Milwaukee - ESPN+: EKU is one of the fastest teams in the country and Milwaukee has Patrick Baldwin, so definitely an interesting mid-major match-up.

Ohio @ Cleveland State - ESPN+: Ohio started the season w/ a big win over Belmont. Cleveland State coach Dennis Gates has a bright high-major future, but right now in the present, he’s coaching an old team w/ eight seniors/grads in his rotation.

9 PM:

Boise State @ UC Irvine - ESPN+: One of the best MWC teams vs the best team in the Big West. The do-everything Kevin Durant clone Derrick Alston graduated, but Boise State boasts a strong trio of senior/grad wings in Abu Kigab, Devonaire Doutrive and Emmanual Akot, all three former Pac-12 players.

UC Irvine runs through 6’9 senior Collin Welp, a mid-range technician. Caron’s son, JC, is a rotation guy and potential starter.

10:30 PM:

Texas @ Gonzaga - ESPN2: This will be my “Sunday Morning Coffee” game before yard work. The amount of talent in the front court is insane: Timme, Holmgren, Mitchell, Disu, Bishop…

 

[Tiamat7]

Thanks for your scouting reports @Hey Adrien! Always a good read.

 

[Tiamat7]

Mixed feelings about Villanova.

On the one hand, they played an impressive game in a hostile environment versus an elite team (UCLA). Should have won the game. Tough, veteran players that can shoot and post-up.

On the other hand, some concerns:

-Lack of size,
-Lack of elite athleticism / future pro,
-Lack of depth (only 6 guys played real minutes). But I'll give Jay Wright time on this one. Bryan Antoine is recovering from injury. Antoine would have helped a lot in this matchup. And Wright may work his young players into the rotation as the season progresses.

Overall, Nova represented the Big East well. Too bad they couldn't close the deal. Nova will be a tough out for anyone, but several other BE teams should challenge them.

 

[HooperScooper]

Take it easy. They’ve got talent and a good young coach. Ivy League is wide open.

I'll take your word for it since I don't know much about Brown except that their history in the Ivy League isn't great. It has to be a tough place to win at.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Take it easy. They’ve got talent and a good young coach. Ivy League is wide open.

Especially with the year off in 20-21, totally unpredictable.

Thanks to the 3MW preview, Brown is big (6'4, 6'4, 6'5, 6'6, 6'10) starting lineup and their bread and butter is defensive aggressiveness, almost a "bully ball" style.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Mixed feelings about Villanova.

On the one hand, they played an impressive game in a hostile environment versus an elite team (UCLA). Should have won the game. Tough, veteran players that can shoot and post-up.

On the other hand, some concerns:

-Lack of size,
-Lack of elite athleticism / future pro,
-Lack of depth (only 6 guys played real minutes). But I'll give Jay Wright time on this one. Bryan Antoine is recovering from injury. Antoine would have helped a lot in this matchup. And Wright may work his young players into the rotation as the season progresses.

Overall, Nova represented the Big East well. Too bad they couldn't close the deal. Nova will be a tough out for anyone, but several other BE teams should challenge them.

Villanova's biggest challenge will be replacing Robinson-Earl.

I was not impressed by Eric Dixon and I am salivating thinking about how Sanogo matches up against him: Dixon isn't quick enough to defend Sanogo's post moves and Dixon isn't enough of an offensive threat to expose Sanogo's defensive shortcomings.

Sanogo should feast.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I'll take your word for it since I don't know much about Brown except that their history in the Ivy League isn't great. It has to be a tough place to win at.

I’d be shocked if they won ten games in the four years I was there, but like I said they’ve got a good coach and some talent and there’s a lot more parity within the league. Would have been huge if they could have pulled it off last night.

 

[Dooooooomed]

Ivy League doing it again...

Dartmouth 37
Georgetown 21
Halftime

Other scores of note:

Tulane loses to Southern
USF loses to Georgia Southern
Rutgers trails Merrimack by 7 at the half