kreed5120

Davis if I recall correctly was a 3* recruit that was recruited some what heavily. If I remember right he was going to play for Houston until his dad accepted the job at Detroit. His dad never really assembled a team around him, which IMO really hindered Davis development. I believe his true freshman year Detroit played Akron and I was like this kid has talent if you get a few decent players around him Detroit might be that 14 seed in 2-3 years that pulls off a first round upset. Instead it just led to Davis developing bad tendencies.

None of those guards are going to be able to replace Ali's minutes as Ali played the 4 and all of Clarke, Castaneda, and Tavari are too short to play the 4. You might be able to get a few minutes out of Dawson at the 4 per game (under 5 minutes), but he can't play there for extended minutes. Any way you slice it we need another 6'6+ wing.

I'd say his career arc will be most comparable to that of Utomi. Both were wings who were asked to play as an undersized 4. They both developed into being efficient long-range scorers who could create their own shot, but weren't great at creating shots for their teammates. Utomi transferred to what had been the previous season a 16-17 (8-10) USC season. He started the season as the 6th or 7th man, but played his way into the starting lineup. He saw a decrease role, but he was still a key piece on a team that would have made the tournament had the tournament not been cancelled. Ali similarly will have to accept a role of playing 25-28 minutes a night, but him being the 3rd or 4th scoring option is probably what's best for him. All throughout the season he seemed to play his worst in crunch time situations where he felt he had to shoulder the load. He's at his best when he's not asked to do too much and instead takes what's given to him.

I cheer for the names on the front of the jerseys, not the back. I hold no ill will against Ali, but I lost interest in him the second he entered the portal. To steal a line by Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind "frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

I admittedly have never seen him play, but seeing that Ole Miss finished 13th in the SEC with a pretty weak front court, it's not all that inspiring that he was their 8th/9th man. Especially when you take into account his shooting splits. He very well could be an upgrade over Aziz off the bench (which would be useful), but certainly is not the player that will be able to replace Ali production. We still need that 3/4 player that can create his own offense and help space the floor. Castaneda can't do it all himself.

It's not really poaching if he already had 2 feet out the door.

Toledo will be returning 4 starters from the team that won the MAC regular season, including Shumate, so I'd still say they're contenders. That said, I fully expect for them to choke come the MAC tournament. Rockets are going to Rockets

Kovalchuk is just a good regular season coach. Teams aren't looking for coaches that consistently choke come March. He's been a D1 coach for 20 years and still has yet to make the big dance. Statistically you'd think he'd have lucked into a conference tournament win by now.

All the top programs cheat. Some are just better at not getting caught.

He also entered the portal when the coach that recruited him was fired. IMO that's a completely different set of circumstances

Groce tried playing them together on the court numerous times and it didn't work offensively. It just made it easier for opposing teams to double Freeman to force him to have to pass and allowed defenses to pack the paint to prevent guards from getting to the hoop as Aziz shooting range is about 2 feet from the basket and Freeman is less than 10 feet. Freeman is at his best when he is isolated in man defense in the low post. If he's playing next to another post player you want said post player to be able to at least knock down a mid-ranger that way it can keep the defense honest.

Not surprised Boals would want to bolt. The Ohio roster has been decimated. Who knows how long before he'd be able to assemble a squad to draw major interest again.

Groce is a good enough coach that if he had Big Dog he would alter his offense in a way to make it work. Aziz transferred because he knows if he stays he won't see the court for the next 2 years with Freeman ahead of him. I don't fault him for that. In his case it was definitely in his best interest to transfer. Let's get the stretch 4 that we desperately need that would help compliment Freeman's game.

Unlike the Ali departure I don't mind this. Aziz and Freeman can't coexist on the floor at the same time and we want Freeman to play 30+ minutes a game. That means Aziz really doesn't have a pathway to playing more and contributing. He barely saw the court in the MAC tournament and only played in the UCLA game when Freeman was in foul trouble. I think we'd be better served using this scholarship to land a big that can play next to Freeman that way Groce has more flexibility in his lineup.

I'm not faulting Groce nor saying don't recruit hs players at all. Just that you need to heavily rely on the transfer portal to succeed this day and age, which is what Groce has done. LCJ, Xeyrius, Cheese, Banks, Riak, and Castaneda were all transfers. Sure there have been some whiffs, but at this point I feel Groce has whiffed far more frequently on hs players than he has transfers.

We also wouldn't have had Castaneda this year under the old rules therefore likely wouldn't have made the tournament. Embracing the transfer portal is the only way to succeed in college basketball as a mid-major. You have to take the good with the bad. You just have to keep bringing in more quality transfers than you lose. It's also why recruiting hs players IMO isn't that great to build a team. Why spend 2-3 years of scholarships on a player just for him to leave after 1 good year when you can bring in players that can help you win day 1?

The thought that you can't make the NBA if you play in the MAC is a farce. If you're good enough the NBA will find you no matter where you play. Just look at Ja Morant who was drafted #2 overall out of a weaker OVC conference. It just happens to be the most talented players gravitate towards the P6 conferences. Ali departure is certainly a loss. 6'8 players who shoot 40%+ from 3 and can guard multiple positions don't just grow on trees. I don't necessarily think it means next season is doomed, but just means Groce has more work to do.

It looks like both are planning to hire an agent so if that's the case then yes both will be gone.

A lot of players "declare" for the draft even though they know they won't get drafted. It allows them to go to the combines and have scouts tell them what they need to work on. They then are allowed to rescind their declaration and return to college. There was a rule change that was put in place 3 or so years ago that allows for it. I'd expect both Williams and Segu back at Buffalo next year.

Bonzi Wells is apparently interviewing for the BSU job

Marshall already is a perennial opponent. Excluding the covid shortened season we've played them 8 straight seasons. We initially scheduled them for a 4 year contract, but both schools keep agreeing to extend the deal.

We use to play CSU every other year as part of the coaches vs cancer double header. Of course that's when they stunk and people then complained why are we playing cupcake CSU when we should be playing someone like Middle Tennessee. A team that was doing well at the time. That's the thing with mid-majors is who is good one year to the next varies so much. Edit: There has been 36 all-time meetings between the schools https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/matchup_finder.cgi

Over signing is pretty standard these days given how much the transfer portal has exploded.

A lot of those comments were before the UCLA game. After the game posters seemed to change their tune and said Akron should be favored to win the MAC next year and that Freeman will be a contender for MAC POY.

NMSU accepted an invite to Conference USA to backfill all the teams that bolted for the Sunbelt and AAC.