Great idea by @Lover of Pearl to start utilizing this board. Let's see if we can get a hoops main thread going to carry on discussion throughout the season.
I am sure I am missing some, but a few folks off the top of my head who usually have good basketball insight... @MattAU05 @jolivesr @DufnerFanBoy @Bo Knows @reely989 @BruceGOATPearl @BarnBasketball @Theshadow02 @hiddentiger @AUgncEngineer @AuburnAlumni @skinneytiger @Bryan9451 @William_In_Texas @jhead34382
So it doesn't appear the bracket for the Orlando tournament has been announced yet. Field is:
Michigan State, Gonzaga, Xavier, Belmont, Boise State, Saint Louis and Siena.
Working from Andy Katz preseason preview...
1. Gonzaga (1): Nothing has changed up top since our last Power 36 in April. The Zags have their core back and added freshman Jalen Suggs. And it looks like the Zags will get the much-needed, elite non-conference games.
12. Michigan State (12): The Spartans will have one of the top wing groupings in the country. The addition of Joey Hauser gives the Spartans another scorer. Joshua Langford may be back by the start of the season. The question will be at point guard, following the loss of Cassius Winston. Expect the Spartans to be quicker and smaller, rather than stronger. But they will still be a force.
36. Saint Louis (36): A 1-2 combo of Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French gives Travis Ford a team that will be in the thick of the A-10 title race all season.
No one else in the field made the top 36. Would be nice to be on the opposite side of the bracket from Gonzaga and avoid both them and Michigan State in the first round. Having beaten St. Louis last year, that's a team I'd like to face with an opportunity for a quality win on a neutral floor. Katz is high on them, but 3 man weave has them projected as #3 in the A10 this year. 3 Man weave has Xavier projected 7th in the Big East so they don't appear to be great on paper coming in this year.
Breaking in a new set of starters with no preseason games beforehand, I'd love to see us draw one of the easier matchups in the first round to give our guys 1 game to figure things out. The good news is we will know exactly where we stand and where our weaknesses are after this tournament given the strength of the field. I like our chances of making huge improvements over the course of this season so even if we take some lumps in Orlando, this team could be drastically better 6-8 weeks later.
I am sure I am missing some, but a few folks off the top of my head who usually have good basketball insight... @MattAU05 @jolivesr @DufnerFanBoy @Bo Knows @reely989 @BruceGOATPearl @BarnBasketball @Theshadow02 @hiddentiger @AUgncEngineer @AuburnAlumni @skinneytiger @Bryan9451 @William_In_Texas @jhead34382
So it doesn't appear the bracket for the Orlando tournament has been announced yet. Field is:
Michigan State, Gonzaga, Xavier, Belmont, Boise State, Saint Louis and Siena.
Working from Andy Katz preseason preview...
1. Gonzaga (1): Nothing has changed up top since our last Power 36 in April. The Zags have their core back and added freshman Jalen Suggs. And it looks like the Zags will get the much-needed, elite non-conference games.
12. Michigan State (12): The Spartans will have one of the top wing groupings in the country. The addition of Joey Hauser gives the Spartans another scorer. Joshua Langford may be back by the start of the season. The question will be at point guard, following the loss of Cassius Winston. Expect the Spartans to be quicker and smaller, rather than stronger. But they will still be a force.
36. Saint Louis (36): A 1-2 combo of Jordan Goodwin and Hasahn French gives Travis Ford a team that will be in the thick of the A-10 title race all season.
No one else in the field made the top 36. Would be nice to be on the opposite side of the bracket from Gonzaga and avoid both them and Michigan State in the first round. Having beaten St. Louis last year, that's a team I'd like to face with an opportunity for a quality win on a neutral floor. Katz is high on them, but 3 man weave has them projected as #3 in the A10 this year. 3 Man weave has Xavier projected 7th in the Big East so they don't appear to be great on paper coming in this year.
Breaking in a new set of starters with no preseason games beforehand, I'd love to see us draw one of the easier matchups in the first round to give our guys 1 game to figure things out. The good news is we will know exactly where we stand and where our weaknesses are after this tournament given the strength of the field. I like our chances of making huge improvements over the course of this season so even if we take some lumps in Orlando, this team could be drastically better 6-8 weeks later.
