Leaderboard

Probably won't do this every week after the games, but after getting to see a decent amount of each team in week 1, here's how I would rank them currently: 1. Kent--They didn't look as unbeatable as everyone in the country perceives, but they went 2-0 and won at Millett. Not an easy task. Carry won single-handedly yesterday 2. Ball State--I don't think this will wind up being the 2nd place finisher when it's all said and done, but this program seems to be coming back to life. Decent guards, a great big, decent experience, and a great hire. They play real hard, and could make some noise. 3. Toledo--Despite the loss to Ball State, the way they dominated WMU for 40 minutes spoke volumes. I don't see this as a Toledo team that will win 15-17 league games, but they're still really good and will be a contender. They're in Kent on Tuesday. 4. Bowling Green--I'll show the Falcons some love, though I expect them to really struggle in the grand scheme of things. They were dominant in Ypsi, and put together a hell of a performance to beat Ohio yesterday. It's funny, everyone expected both BG football and BG men's basketball to be horrible, finish at the bottom of the league. And while I still believe they're not any good, they somehow win games. Huger is coaching for his job. He's got Metheny back, and he's not one to mess around with. The whole team has never met a shot they don't like, and they've got an athletic big guy who can finish. My surprise of the year so far. 5. Buffalo--Opened league play with a pair of home games against a similar OU team and dreadful NIU. The Bulls put together a decent nonconference season, and have gotten off to a nice start. Beating OU at home is always good. This team is pretty unrecognizable from a roster standpoint, and I don't trust Whitesell. I'd expect a regression to the mean in the next few weeks. 6. Akron--It's okay, I promise! It's funny, going into last year with the additions of X, KJ Walton, an offseason for Bandaogo, Freeman, Clarke, Dawson, etc. we were expecting massive things, to be massive favorites. Then reality set in and it was unrecognizable from October to March. Fast forward to this past March, once again on cloud nine, getting every important piece back, then the portal + injuries begin to pile up. Groce re-tools, puts together a roster to get excited about, then a huge win over SDSU! WOW! Then a couple nice wins and let downs. MAC play arrives, this team has been without X for a couple games, Clarke for a couple weeks, Aziz, Ali transferred out, Dawson out for the year, another P5 transfer has come in and been a disappointment. All of a sudden we're relying on Kobe Mitchell, Nate Johnson, Tavari Johnson, and an NIU transfer. Not a great feeling. But considering the circumstances, I've seen far better (to this point) Akron teams play far worse against much worse teams. Tuesday at BG is not a must-win, but it sure does feel like it. TTP. 7. Ohio--After losing their two best players to the portal, Boals has put together another decent team. Roderick is still there, and Miles Brown is a stud. This is a team to keep an eye on. 8. CMU--Tony Barbee can coach! Going into last season, they seemed like a team that would be a distant last place. But they won at Kent, gave Toledo and Akron fits, and found themselves in Cleveland. They had the ball on the last possession with a chance to win. All with a thrown together mish-mash roster. Not many guys returned from that group, but he re-tooled and has another pesky team. Freshman Reggie Bass is fun to watch. 9. EMU--It pains me to put them this high after losing a home game to BG by 25, but they actually looked okay in the 2nd half against CMU. They were down big early, but rallied and won. One of their other wins this year was at FIU, who just beat a great UAB team. Stan Heath is not a good coach, but they have Emoni Bates and nobody else does. He's got a Nick Harney attitude with modern day NBA talent. They could beat anyone but also lose to anyone by 30. 10. WMU--Lamar Norman seems to be a shell of his former self after a pair of MAC games. I'm on the fence about this new coach, who seems to prefer to play inside-out, despite having Norman. He doesn't let him run wild. Toledo put up 100 on them. Still dangerous, but I'm disappointed. 11. Miami--Groce's step-brother is going to have a long year. They put up a good fight against Kent, but had no answer for Carry. They had a 6-point lead deep into the 2nd half, but you knew there was no hope. I do think there's potential, as Lairy is still there, and he's got a big-dog style guy who can pass as well as any big. 12. NIU--Poor Rashon Burno. Wow, they're bad. Bad bad bad. Keshawn WIlliams is the single bright spot on this team. A mid-major program in the Chicago area should never be this bad, but here we are again. There will be a fight for the last spot in Cleveland, and I would put NIU's chances at 0.0%. If Kent runs Toledo off the floor by 15+, I'll be a bit more convinced that they're as ahead of the pack as the metrics suggest. But all I see on the horizon is another grind of a MAC season for the Zips. Few of these games will be easy, and it all boils down to Cleveland. Seeding doesn't matter, matchups don't matter. You gotta bring it every night. 2022 taught us that. Go Zips!

OT 6-5 308 from ULM

I was hopeful to land this guy

Thinking about non-conference scheduling.. It seems the Zips in the non-conference generally play their weakest competition at home and their toughest competition at neutral sites or on the road. While I doubt the Zips could wrangle big name schools into coming to the JAR, do you think there would be some value in playing an early true road game or two at opponents that are clearly in “lesser” situations? It seems to me that could initiate a culture of winning on the road and fostering more positive bonding/chemistry early on before the bulk of the season’s tougher road contests. How would you feel if the Zips ever scheduled a true November road game against a program like Jackson State, Maine, Howard, or a second half of the Ivy League or Ohio Valley school? Do you think that could be beneficial? Yes, It would be nice if in return they could get a bigger name to visit the JAR I know, I just don’t see that happening unless that whole computer algorithm scheduling thing becomes a reality.

St. Louis CITY SC Acquire Goalkeeper Ben Lundt from Phoenix Rising FC