2013-2014 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament Line-up

Hall of Fame Tip-Off		Campus Sites: TBD Finals at Uncasville, CT: Nov. 23 and 24
Teams (8) (Hartford Hawks)		Naismith Bracket (Hosts and Semifinalists) Fairfield Stags (MAAC) Louisville Cardinals (Big East) North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) Richmond Spiders (A-10) Springfield Bracket (Visitors)Belmont Bruins (OVC) Hartford Hawks (America East) Hofstra Pride (CAA) Holy Cross Crusaders (Patriot)
Campus Site Games
Springfield Bracket Semifinals (Nov. 23)
Naismith Bracket Semifinals (Nov. 23)
Springfield Bracket Finals (Nov. 24)
Naismith Bracket Finals (Nov. 24)

2013-2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off Lineup

With the 2012-2013 Men;s Basketball Season in full force, I have a list of 2013-2014
Early Season Tournaments.

Puerto Rico Tip-Off		Bayamon, PR: Nov. 21, 22, 24
Teams (8)		Auburn Tigers (SEC) Charlotte 49ers (C-USA) Florida State Seminoles (ACC) Georgetown Hoyas (Big East) Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12) Long Beach State 49ers (Big West) Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) Virginia Commonwealth Rams (A-10)
Non-Bracketed Games
Quarterfinals (Nov. 21)
Semifinals (Nov. 22)
Consolation Semifinals (Nov. 22)
Finals (Nov. 24)		7th/8th Place: 5th/6th Place: 3rd/4th Place: Championship:

MAAC adds 3 NEC Schools

In a move that has been expected since December 3, the MAAC will make it official on Friday in adding Quinnipiac, Monouth and Wagner. The schools will replace the departed Loyola (joining the Patriot League) and further expand the conference to 12 members.

The loss of the three schools from the Northeast Conference will drop their membership from 12 to 9 members. They will likely opt to remain at 9 or add a single school to expand to 10. N.J.I.T. is the only current Division 1 candidate that could instantly fill that position. The NEC might also consider potential regional Division 2 upgrades as candidates.

For the MAAC, the move to 12 should provide some security in the even that through conference realignment in other conferences, that they would lose too many future members. MAAC schools could always be future A10 replacements depending on what happens with the Big East non-football schools.

For the NEC, at their current 9 or with a new addition like NJIT at 10 members, their likely only fear would come if the America East conference were to opt to expand. But unless that were to happen with more than 2 schools leaving the NEC, the conference would likely be able to remain stable.

Monmouth and Wagner are expected to remain in the NEC for football as associate members. The NEC already includes associate member Duquesne, which is in the Atlantic 10 for other sports. With the loss of Albany football to the CAA and with Rhode Island opting to remain in the CAA rather than join the NEC, NEC football would still remain at 8 members.

Mt. St. Mary's Falls To PITT in Opener

Pittsburgh 80, Mount St. Mary's 48

PITTSBURGH -- Talib Zanna scored a career-high 20 points and Pittsburgh had little trouble in an 80-48 win over Mount St. Mary's on Friday night.

Tray Woodall added 14 points and six assists for the Panthers, who improved to 10-0 in season openers under coach Jamie Dixon. Highly touted freshman center Steven Adams had eight points, eight rebounds and four blocks in 26 minutes for Pitt.

The Panthers set a school record by shooting 70 percent (34 of 48) from the field.

Xavier Owens led the Mountaineers with 15 points and Rashad Whack added 11 but Mount St. Mary's couldn't keep up with the bigger, deeper Panthers.

Pitt outscored Mount St. Mary's 58-14 in the paint and shut Mount St. Mary's down following a slow start. The Panthers broke it open with a 12-0 run to start the second half. Mt. St. Mary's hosts  University of Hartford on Tuesday November 13.

2012-2013 Independents Preseason Rosters

Cal St. Bakersfield Roadrunners  (Head Coach: Rod Barnes)
44 Stephon Carter,G,6-3/Sr. (12.1ppg, 3.9rpg,2.3apg)- Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.
12 Issiah Grayson,G,5-11/Sr. (10.2ppg, 5.8apg, 2.0spg)- Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
5 Zach Lamb,G,6-3/Sr. (10.2ppg)- Hometown: Norcross, Ga.
1 Tyrone White,G/F,6-7/Sr. (7.7ppg)- Hometown: Portland, Oregon
11 Mo Hughley,F,6-7/Sr. (5.5ppg, 3.5rpg)- Hometown: Queens Village, N.Y.
21 Adam Young,F,6-8/Sr. (4.7ppg, 2.0rpg)- Hometown: Las Vega, Nev.
15 Kregg Jones,F,6-8/So. (Redshirt)
Newcomers
0 Justin Omogun,F,6-8/So. Western Nebraska CC
2 Brandon Barnes,G,6-1/Jr. (Transfer/Lipscomb)
3 Javonte Maynor,G,6-0/So. (Transfer/Georgia St.)
4 Matthew Ratto,G,5-11/Jr. Modesto (Calif) JC
20 Britton Williams,G,5-11/Fr. Bakersfield,Calif. (Liberty HS.)
22 Corey Hall,F,6-7/Jr. Ventura (Calif.) JC
24 Erik Kinney,F,6-4/Fr. Fairfield,Calif. (Sacramento HS.)
55 Tyler Smith,C,6-11/Jr. Howard (Tex.) JC

New Orleans Privateers (Head Coach: Mark Siessinger)
12 Max Banchy,G,6-3/Jr. (5.7ppg, 1.8rpg)- Hometown: Stillwater,Minn.
2 Darrell Williams, G,5-9/Sr. (5.3ppg, 2.5apg)- Hometown: New Orleans, La.
32 Lovell Cook,F,6-6/Sr. (5.1ppg)- Hometown: New Orleans, La.
3 Rarlensee Nelson,G,5-8/Sr. (4.6ppg, 2.4apg)- Hometown: Ville Platte, La.
25 Benjamin James,G,6-3/So. (1.2ppg)- Hometown: Maurice,La.
Newcomers
0 Tradarrius McPhearson,G,6-1/Jr. East Mississippi CC
1 Corey Blake,G/F, 6-5/Jr. Southern-Shreveport JC
4 Cory Dixon,F,6-7/Jr. Hutchinson (Kan.)JC
5 Eddie Denard,F,6-5/Jr. Kirkwood (Ill.) CC
10 Tommy Hobbs, F,6-5/Fr. Anchorage,Alaska (South Anchorage HS.)
11 Isaac Mack,G,6-1/Jr. Panola (Tex.) JC
13 John Reese, G,6-4/Fr. Leesville, La. (Anacoco HS.)
15 Kevin Hill,F,6-7/Fr. Marrero,La. (John Ehret HS.)
20 Evans Ganapamo,G/F,6-5/Fr. Mandeville(La.) HS.
22 Mitchell Parker,F,6-8/Fr. Tallahassee,Fla. (North Florida Christian HS.)
24 Maurice County,G,6-1/Jr. Pineville (LA.) HS.
40 Travis Avery,c,6-8/Fr. Algiers,La. (Country Day School)

Cal St. Bakersfield and Utah Valley to join the WAC IN 2013-2014

This afternoon, the beleaguered Western Athletic Conference, which looked to be down to four members for 2013-14 -- or three, if Idaho goes ahead with a return to the Big Sky -- received a needed boost for the future. Independent Cal State Bakersfield and the Great West's Utah Valley are now set to join for next season, which would give the league six members, provided the Vandals stick around.

That number would be enough to keep the conference in Division I, thanks to NCAA bylaw 31.3.4.4. However, bylaws 31.3.4.5 and 31.3.4.5.1, just below in the manual. indicate that a half-dozen is not enough for men's basketball; the WAC would need one more to retain its auto bid. When the conference moves to six (or five, depending on what Idaho does) members in 2013-14, it will enter a two-year grace period. During this time, the WAC would hang on to its bid while needing to pick up another member (two if Idaho goes) to keep it permanently -- or at least until the next round of realignment comes around.

Things aren't quite so rosy for the conference (and I'm tempted to put that word in quotation marks) Utah Valley is leaving, the Great West. Thanks to those pesky NCAA bylaws, the league wasn't going to earn an automatic bid to the Tournament until 2020 at the earliest. Given that lengthy wait, it's not surprising the conference's members have had at least one eye (if not both) on moving to a grouping with a guaranteed place at the March Madness table. South Dakota was the first to go, heading to the Summit League for 2011-12. Neighbors North Dakota jumped to the Big Sky a year later, after their nickname issue was resolved. Houston Baptist, like Utah Valley, will be on the way out after this season, with the Huskies destined for the growing Southland Conference.

That leaves the 2013-14 Great West, boasting a far-flung membership of Chicago State,NJIT, and Texas-Pan American, looking even more like a poor attempt at a scheduling alliance than an actual conference. And not just basketball will be affected by these moves, as affiliate members in baseball (North Dakota, Northern Colorado, and NYIT) and women's soccer (Delaware State, Howard, and South Carolina State) will have to scramble to find new homes if the conference meets a (likely) demise.

According to the Las Cruces Sun-News, the WAC might still invite Chicago State and UTPA, simultaneously finishing off the Great West and ending its search for a seventh (and eighth) member. Naturally, the Cougars and Broncs would probably rather join conferences that make more geographic sense. However, considering the Southland rejected UTPA earlier this year and Chicago State was forced out of the Summit League, the two schools may not have a choice.

With Cal State Bakersfield and New Orleans finding conference homes and its conference disintegrating, NJIT might soon become the nation's lone independent in basketball. Yet, with another wave of realignment possible among East Coast mid-majors, thanks to the Colonial Athletic Association's need to find at least one more member, and potentially more, the Highlanders may soon find a permanent home ... one owning that coveted automatic bid.

Eeverything College Hoops 2012-2013 Southern Conference Preseason Polls

With only a few days away before the start of 2012-2013 College Hoops season, 

listed below is Everything College Hoops Preseason Southern Conference Polls, All- Conference Teams and More..

North

1. Western Carolina

2. Elon

3. UNC Greensboro

4. Samford

5. Chattanooga

6. Appalachian St.

South

1. Davidson

2. College of Charleston

3. Wofford

4. Georgia Southern

5. The Citadel

6. Furman

All Conference First-Team

F Jake Cohen,6-10/Sr. (Davidson)

F Mike Groselle,6-8/Sr. (The Citadel)

F Eric Ferguson,6-7/Jr. (Georgia Southern)

G Andrew Lawrence,6-1/Sr. (College of Charleston)

G Trevis Simpson,6-4/Jr. (UNC Greensboro)

Second-Team

F Drazen Zlovaric,6-9/Sr. (Chattanooga)

F De'Mon Brooks,6-7/Jr. (Davidson)

G Jack Isenbarger,6-2/Jr. (Elon)

G Trey Sumler,6-2/Jr. (Western Carolina)

G Jelani Hewitt,G,6-2/Jr. (Georgia Southern)

Top NBA Prospects

Mike Groselle,F/C,6-8/Sr. (The Citadel)

Jake Cohen,F/C,6-10/Sr. (Davidson)

Player of the Year

Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)

Everything College Hoops Preseason NEC All Conference Teams and More...

On Tuesday the Northeast Conference revealed their preseason polls and all conference teams, and today Everything College Hoops is revealing our All NEC Conference Teams and more.


All NEC First-Team
F Julian Boyd,6-7/Sr. (LIU-Brooklyn)
F Jamal Olasewere,6-7/Sr. (LIU-Brooklyn)
F Ike Azotam,6-7/Jr. (Quinnipiac)
F Alex Francis,6-6/Jr. (Bryant)
G Shane Gibson,6-2/Sr. (Sacred Heart)
All NEC Second- Team
G Velton Jones, 6-0/Sr. (Robert Morris)
G Melquan Bolding, 6-3/Sr. (Fairleigh Dickinson)
G Jason Brickman,5-11/Jr. (LIU-Brooklyn)
G Latif Rivers, 6-1/Jr. (Wagner)
F Justin Swidowski,6-9/Sr. (Sacred Heart)
All NEC Third- Team
G Kyle Vinales, 6-1/So. (Central Conn. St.)
G Julian Norfleet,6-2/Jr. (Mt. St. Mary's)
G Jonathon Williams,6-6/Sr. (Wagner)
F Akeem Johnson,6-6/Sr. (St. Francis,N.Y.)
F Raven Barber,6-8/Sr. (Mt. St. Mary's)
Best Pure Shooter
Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart
Best Glass Eater
Ike Azotam, Quinnipiac
Best All Around Player
Jamal Olasewere, LIU-Brooklyn
3-pt. specialist
Rashad Whack, Mt. St. Mary's
Most Underrated
Raven Barber, Mt. St. Mary's
Top NBA Prospects
Julian Boyd, LIU-Brooklyn
Jamal Olasewere, LIU-Brooklyn
Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart
All NEC Newcomer First-Team
F Matt Hunter,6-5/Jr. (Central Conn. St.)
F Curtis Oakley,6-4/Fr. (Bryant)
G Sam Prescott,6-3/Jr. (Mt. St. Mary's)
G Dwaun Anderson,6-4/So. (Wagner)
G Dyami Starks,6-2/Jr. (Bryant)
All NEC Newcomer Second-Team
G Khalen Cumberlander,6-3/Fr. (Central Conn. St.)
G Shivaughn Wiggins,5-10/Fr. (Mt. St. Mary's)
G Tariq Carey,6-2/Fr. (Quinnipiac)
F Tevin Falzone,6-7/Fr. (Sacred Heart)
F Ronnie Drinnon,6-7/Fr. (St. Francis, Pa.)

NEC Player of Year
Shane Gibson, Sacred Heart
NEC Newcomer of Year
Sam Prescott, Mt. St. Mary's

Everything College Hoops Preseason NEC Men's Hoops Poll

Now that the NEC released their Coaches poll......we have come up with our own Northeast Conference Predictions.


1. LIU-Brooklyn
2. Quinnipiac
3. Wagner
4. Robert Morris
5. St. Francis (NY)
6. Mount Saint Mary's
7. Sacred Heart
8. Monmouth
9. Central Conn. St.
10. St. Francis (PA)
11. Bryant
12. Fairleigh Dickinson

Our sleeper team this year is Mount Saint Mary's under New and energetic Head Coach Jamion Christian. The Mounties may not make the Big Dance this year but Watch Out in the coming years as they will make a run at the top Dogs in this conference!!

Most underrated player this season will be Mount Saint Mary's Senior Forward Raven Barber, he will have the chance to not only show the NEC his inside game but also step outside and surprise everyone with a perimeter game as well......just keep your eyes open wide!! MOUNT MAYHEM!!

NEC Released Preseason men's and women's hoops polls

Today October 23rd The Northeast Conference revealed it's 2012-2013 Men's and Women's
College Basketball Preseason polls and All-Teamers. The NEC looks very strong from top to bottom in both leagues. In 2011-2012 the Northeast Conference Women's Basketball league had the #15 rated RPI in the NCAA out of all conferences, a EXTREMELY HUGE move considering the NEC is considered a LOW Major D1 Conference. Listed Below is order of finish for the men and women hoops squads.

2012-2013 NEC Women's Basketball 
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Quinnipiac
2. Sacred Heart
3. Monmouth
4. St. Francis (PA)
5. Robert Morris
6. LIU-Brooklyn
7. Mount Saint Mary's
8. Central Conn. St.
9. Bryant
10. Fairleigh Dickinson
11. St. Francis (N.Y.)
12. Wagner
Preseason All NEC Women's Team
Alysha Womack (Monmouth)
Alli Williams (St. Francis, PA)
Artemis Spanou (Robert Morris)
Felicia Barron (Quinnipiac)
Gabrielle Washington (Sacred Heart)

2012-2013 NEC Men's Basketball
Preseason Coaches Poll
1. LIU-Brooklyn
2. Robert Morris
3. Wagner
4. Quinnipiac
5. St. Francis (N.Y.)
6. Sacred Heart
7. Monmouth
8. Central Conn. St.
9. Mount Saint Mary's
10. Bryant
11. Fairleigh Dickinson
12. St. Francis (PA)
Preseason All NEC Men's Team
Julian Boyd (LIU-Brooklyn)
Jamal Olasewere (LIU-Brooklyn)
Ike Azotam (Quinnipiac)
Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
Velton Jones (Robert Morris)