The league as a whole needs to do significantly better in the nonconference schedule. Parity won't hurt that much if it does.

half of our battle was scheduling...
next year will be interesting as it will be the best top to bottom schedules for the entire aac..

everyone but Tulsa and ecu have already been linked to a major non-con or mte with major opponents.. we've had years where only 3 or 4 teams had good noncon schedules

a loot of people are underestimating how good Tulane's roster is ..i dont like the zone like that, but from a purely roster perspective they are a lot better than some of the teams you guys are marking comfortably ahead of them

(05-18-2021 01:03 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  The league as a whole needs to do significantly better in the nonconference schedule. Parity won't hurt that much if it does.

Everyone needs to win more in the non-con .. some needs to flat out schedule better. Houston, WSU, Memphis, UC and Temple seem to schedule well.

UCF is a mixed bag but at least have a few lined up next year.

SMU, Tulsa, ECU, USF, and Tulane need to step it up from a scheduling AND winning standpoint.

AAC as a whole definitely needs to perform better in basketball. Hopefully, this season marks the first of a long string of quality basketball seasons where we are consistently the 6th or 7th best conference. I don't think any team outside of Houston and maybe Cincinnati has really carried its weight.

USF is adding Corey Walker Jr from Tennessee freshman 6’8 219 forward was top 75 in nation out of HS

Verbal commits now announcing
Jaylin McCreary from South Carolina 6’7 225 Sophomore avg 5.1 pts last year is also coming to USF

Two big additions for the Bulls

Those are 2 really good pick ups for USF
A former top 100 4star freshman and a top 150 3star with PT experience

A case could be made that those are going to be your 2nd and 3rd best player

(05-18-2021 02:34 PM)UCbball21 Wrote:  AAC as a whole definitely needs to perform better in basketball. Hopefully, this season marks the first of a long string of quality basketball seasons where we are consistently the 6th or 7th best conference. I don't think any team outside of Houston and maybe Cincinnati has really carried its weight.

Wichita has made the tourney 2 of the 3 years it's been in the conference (and the tourney was held.) Also was likely in that 4th year it was cancelled.

Tulsa replaces so many pieces every season that it’s impossible to tell how our team will be.

(05-18-2021 02:38 PM)Cubanbull1 Wrote:  USF is adding Corey Walker Jr from Tennessee freshman 6’8 219 forward was top 75 in nation out of HS

Damn, good pickup, we were recruiting him as well.

Temple's 2021-22 roster:

PG:

Jeremiah Williams (PG/CG) 6'5" SO
(2020-21) 32.6 mpg; 9.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.3 bpg

Tai Strickland 6'2" JR (tr. Wisconsin)
(career) 5.3 mpg; 1.8 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.2 spg, 0 bpg

Hyser Miller (PG/CG) 6'2" FR (PA Class 4-A Player of the Year)
(HS) 18.4 ppg, 10 rpg, 6.4 apg (FG%: .630; FG3%: .420)

SG:

Khalif Battle 6'5" JR (tr. Butler) (3rd team, All-AAC) (4* recruit)
(2020-21) 31.5 mpg; 15.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.2 bpg

Damian Dunn 6'5" RS SO (AAC All-rookie team)
(2020-21) 27.9 mpg; 13.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 0.4 spg, 0.1 bpg

F/W:

Jahlil White 6'7" RS FR
(HS): (3rd team all-state (NJ)) (16.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.4 spg)

Quincy Ademokoya 6'6" SO
(2020-21) 7.1 mpg; 1.6 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.1 spg, 0 bpg

Zach Hicks 6'7" FR (some sites list him as 6'9")
(HS): (2nd team all-state (NJ)) (22.0 ppg, 12.6 rpg; FG%: .530)

PF (4):

Nick Jourdain 6'8" SO
(2020-21) 11.0 mpg; 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.8 bpg

PF (4/5):

Sage Tolbert 6'8" SR (tr. SEMO)
(career) 23.5 mpg; 7.8 ppg; 6.0 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.6 spg, 0.7 bpg
PER 40 MINUTES: 13.3 pts, 10.1 rbs, 1.1 blocks

PF/C (5):

Jake Forrester 6'8" SR (tr. Indiana) 3.7* recruit
(2020-21) 21.4 mpg; 9.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.4 bpg
PER 40 MINUTES: 17.3 pts, 11.9 rbs, 0.7 blocks

Arashma Parks 6'9" RS JR
(2020-21) 6.3 mpg; 0.5 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.1 spg, 0.1 bpg

Emmanuel Okpomo 6'10" SO (tr. Wk Forest):
(2020-21) 9.4 mpg; 1.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.1 apg, 0.3 spg, 0.8 bpg

.

Temple lost three players from last years team, but has reloaded with two talented recruits and a transfer PF/C from Wake Forest.

The departure of Forwards Moorman (27 mpg, 7.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.2 apg) and Perry (7.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) will present a challenge to Temple's big men on both ends of the floor.

SEMO transfer PF Sage Tolbert (7.0 ppg, 6 rpg) and returning Soph. Nick Jourdain (9.5 points & 6.4 rebounds per 40 minutes) will be called upon to take on much of the burden resulting from Moorman and Perry's departures, with the assistance of Arashma Parks and Wake Forest transfer Emmanuel Okpomo. Tolbert only appeared briefly in the final game of the 2020-21 season, due to a knee injury.

.

Temple's back court is expected to take a step forward in 2021-22, due to the addition of CG Hysier Miller, a versatile player and skilled playmaker who can play both the PG and SG positions. Miller is also an excellent rebounder and defender.

The addition of Miller is likely to bolster the Owls back court in two ways, which were both areas of weakness last season: defense and playmaking. In addition, Miller is a capable perimeter shooter, and it is hoped that he will help to offset the loss of Temple's 3 top 3-point shooters last season.

.

If Miller is able to make the transition to D1 basketball quickly, he may be able to join returning guards Battle, Dunn, and Williams as part of a 4-guard unit that could play a substantial number of minutes in 2021-22 by mid-season.

Battle, Dunn, and Williams had difficulties scoring, at times, due to the fact that Battle and Dunn both operate best with the ball in their hands, and that they both had a low assist-to-turnover ratio.

Coach McKie may choose to start 6'5" shooting guards Battle and Dunn at the wings and 6'4" PG/CG Williams at the 1 position early in the season, making lineup adjustments as needed. By mid-season, he may consider starting Miller alongside Williams and Battle (or Dunn), and bringing Dunn (or Battle) in off the bench as a 6th man. It's also possible that he will call upon Hicks or White to play some minutes at the wing position. Hicks, in particular, might be needed at times as a perimeter threat in the back court.

It is hoped that, by having the ability to insert Miller as a second playmaker, there will be better ball movement in the back court, and more shot opportunities will be opened up.

.

Jahlil White and Zach Hicks are versatile players who can play either the 3 or 4 position. White missed the 2020-21 season with a knee injury, but he is highly regarded by Coach McKie for his energetic play, his ability to play 3 different positions, and his scoring ability inside the arc. Hicks is a skilled perimeter shooter with a good inside/outside offensive game who can use his height to hit perimeter shots from the wing or PF position. He and/or White may called upon at times to play as back-up forwards at the 4 position.

.

A lot of Temple fans are excited about the team's possibilities in 2020-21 and beyond. Most are realistic about the challenges that a team with so many new and young players is likely to face, particularly in the early weeks of the season. Few expect the Owls to have what it takes to make their way into post-season play, but most hope that they will be able to finish in the middle of the pack in the AAC.

.

(05-18-2021 02:38 PM)Cubanbull1 Wrote:  USF is adding Corey Walker Jr from Tennessee freshman 6’8 219 forward was top 75 in nation out of HS

just searched walker, most of the videos about him refer to him as 5star, looks like he was a 5star till his senior year when his rating took a dip.. for how bad things were going in usf this was a great pickup

(05-18-2021 05:03 PM)pesik Wrote:  

(05-18-2021 02:38 PM)Cubanbull1 Wrote:  USF is adding Corey Walker Jr from Tennessee freshman 6’8 219 forward was top 75 in nation out of HS

just searched walker, most of the videos about him refer to him as 5star, looks like he was a 5star till his senior year when his rating took a dip.. for how bad things were going in usf this was a great pickup

I actually think we ended up better off as a team than we were this year. We shall see once play starts.

(05-18-2021 11:54 AM)Joprior23 Wrote:  Houston
Memphis
Wichita State
SMU
Cincy
UCF
Temple
Tulsa
Tulane
USF
ECU

That seems pretty close to what most of us are expecting, maybe with a couple of break points, like this:

-------Tier 1: Probable NCAA or NIT teams

Houston (probable NCAA)
Memphis (probable NCAA)
Wichita State (NCAA or NIT)
SMU (NCAA or NIT)

-------Tier 2: Possible or Probable NIT teams

Cincy (?): A new coach and a lot of unfamiliar faces that must gel quickly.
UCF (?): Like Cincy, a lot of roster turnover, but a steady HC at the helm.
Temple (?): Expect an improved team that might have NIT potential (?)
Tulsa (?): Expectations seem to be mixed.

-------Tier 3:

Tulane (?): Head Coach getting good reviews; is this a Tier 2 or 3 team?
USF
ECU

......................................................................................................

It seems possible that the middle of the pack teams could finish in practically any order, depending on player health and how the teams gel.

......................................................................................................

(05-18-2021 11:54 AM)Joprior23 Wrote:  Seeing where we stand today, I think we will have a solid top 6-7 teams.
Can really see us making a run at being a 4 or 5 bid league next season.

.

I hope you're right - - that would certainly be an improvement over the past two seasons.

My prediction would be something like this:

1) NCAA teams: Houston, Memphis, and Wichita State - or - SMU

2) NIT team(s): Wichita State/or SMU - - and/or - - Cincy/or UCF

3) Possibly, a CBI team (USF played in and won the 2019 CBI) (?)

.

The Tier 2 teams in the conference may have gone through too many personnel changes to be considered "solid" teams at this point.

Hopefully, they will come together during the course of the season.

......................................................................................................

Longer-term:

Hopefully, most of the coaching transitions are moving toward completion now, and the programs that have gone through the most changes will settle into a long, productive period.

Houston and Memphis seem to be on the right track, and Wichita State seems to be getting on the right track.

SMU seems to have the ingredients for success. We'll see in the Fall if their HC has the right recipe.

Cincy is moving in the right direction, and could be tough to beat at home if they play stringent defense. Can they also win on the road, or will they need a year to put it all together? A lot may depend on their ability to control tempo and create open shots.

At UCF, Coach Dawkins seems to have had more than his share of bad breaks when it comes to losing key players. He has recruited well, but keeping the players on board will be crucial to their success in the years ahead.

Temple is somewhat of a mystery team at this point. Coach McKie has shown a talent for finding "diamonds in the rough" that is uncannily similar to Coach Chaney's ability in that area. If the new players blend in well, the Owls could be an interesting team in 2021-22; if enough of them return, Temple could make their way into post-season play the following season.

As for Tulsa and Tulane I must do more research. Tulane's HC seems to be getting very positive reviews. They seem to be on the upswing - - the question is how gradually that will take place. Some Tulsa fans have been expressing a certain amount of discontentment with the way the program is developing, but Coach Haith is savvy and has proven more than once that he has the ability to prove the critics wrong.

The best thing one as unfamiliar with USF and ECU as I am may be able to say about USF and ECU is that their programs have improved sufficiently to maintain the AAC's status as the 7th-ranked D1 conference. Their Head Coaches have done the conference and their programs a service in that respect.

.



.

So unless any new additions or subtractions this is the USF line up for 2021-22 with last year stats
Guards
Murphy, SO, 6’4 -23.8 mpg - 8.3 ppg- 2.3 rpg- 2.9 apg
Chaplin., JR, 6’5- 16.4 mpg- 5.3 ppg- 3.0 rpg- 0.5 apg
Greene, SR, 6’2- 28.6 mpg- 11.5 ppg- 5.0 rpg- 2.2 apg- from George Mason
Smith, JR, 6’4- 23.6 mpg,- 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg - from East Tenn State and Maryland
Moss, FR, 6’3. High school stats 17.7 ppg- 6.1 rpg- 5.0 apg

Forwards
Oduro, SR- 6’8- 9.8 mpg- 2.3 ppg- 2.1 rpg
Hines, SO- 6’6- 29.2 mpg- 10.6 ppg- 5.8 rpg- 1.4 apg- From Denver University
Patrick, SO- 6’7- Triton CC 14.6 ppg- 4.3 rpg
Boggs, JR- 6’7- 25.6 mpg- 10.3 ppg- 3.9 rpg- 0.6 apg- from UNC Wilmington
Matos, SO- 6’9- 18.5 mpg- 6.0 ppg- 4.1 rpg- 0.3 apg- from New Mexico
Walker, FR- 6’8 From Tennessee - would be among USF best top three recruits
McCreary, JR- 6’7-13.2 mpg- 5.1 ppg- 2.5 rpg- 0.3 apg- from South Carolina

Center
Tchewa, JR- 7’0- 11.8 mpg- 3.3 ppg- 2.4 rpg-

Overall Gregory seems to have traded for a more athletic team. So overall we will see how we do but certainly last years team never lived up to expectations.
With this line up Gregory would have in Walker and Murphy two of the three highest ranked USF basketball recruits in history

(05-18-2021 07:11 PM)Cubanbull1 Wrote:  So unless any new additions or subtractions this is the USF line up for 2021-22 with last year stats
Guards
Murphy, SO, 6’4 -23.8 mpg - 8.3 ppg- 2.3 rpg- 2.9 apg
Chaplin., JR, 6’5- 16.4 mpg- 5.3 ppg- 3.0 rpg- 0.5 apg
Greene, SR, 6’2- 28.6 mpg- 11.5 ppg- 5.0 rpg- 2.2 apg- from George Mason
Smith, JR, 6’4- 23.6 mpg,- 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg - from East Tenn State and Maryland
Moss, FR, 6’3. High school stats 17.7 ppg- 6.1 rpg- 5.0 apg

Forwards
Oduro, SR- 6’8- 9.8 mpg- 2.3 ppg- 2.1 rpg
Hines, SO- 6’6- 29.2 mpg- 10.6 ppg- 5.8 rpg- 1.4 apg- From Denver University
Patrick, SO- 6’7- Triton CC 14.6 ppg- 4.3 rpg
Boggs, JR- 6’7- 25.6 mpg- 10.3 ppg- 3.9 rpg- 0.6 apg- from UNC Wilmington
Matos, SO- 6’9- 18.5 mpg- 6.0 ppg- 4.1 rpg- 0.3 apg- from New Mexico
Walker, FR- 6’8 From Tennessee - would be among USF best top three recruits
McCreary, JR- 6’7-13.2 mpg- 5.1 ppg- 2.5 rpg- 0.3 apg- from South Carolina

Center
Tchewa, JR- 7’0- 11.8 mpg- 3.3 ppg- 2.4 rpg-

Overall Gregory seems to have traded for a more athletic team. So overall we will see how we do but certainly last years team never lived up to expectations.
With this line up Gregory would have in Walker and Murphy two of the three highest ranked USF basketball recruits in history

On paper, with 4 guys averaging in double figures, it looks like these guys could put a fair number of points on the board.

In addition, it looks like Murphy might be able to become a double-figure scorer next season.

It the fact that there are are so many scorers could also make it harder than otherwise to prevent the team from scoring.

Rebounding-wise, it looks like the team doesn't have a dominant interior rebounder, but there are a couple of guards who pick up some of the slack.

The archives show that the team was #61 nationally in rebounding last season, but that they were outscored by ~6 ppg (71-65). So they're going to need their scorers to hit 2-3 more shots per game while they amp up their defense.

.
.

(05-18-2021 08:15 PM)jedclampett Wrote:  

(05-18-2021 07:11 PM)Cubanbull1 Wrote:  So unless any new additions or subtractions this is the USF line up for 2021-22 with last year stats
Guards
Murphy, SO, 6’4 -23.8 mpg - 8.3 ppg- 2.3 rpg- 2.9 apg
Chaplin., JR, 6’5- 16.4 mpg- 5.3 ppg- 3.0 rpg- 0.5 apg
Greene, SR, 6’2- 28.6 mpg- 11.5 ppg- 5.0 rpg- 2.2 apg- from George Mason
Smith, JR, 6’4- 23.6 mpg,- 7.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg - from East Tenn State and Maryland
Moss, FR, 6’3. High school stats 17.7 ppg- 6.1 rpg- 5.0 apg

Forwards
Oduro, SR- 6’8- 9.8 mpg- 2.3 ppg- 2.1 rpg
Hines, SO- 6’6- 29.2 mpg- 10.6 ppg- 5.8 rpg- 1.4 apg- From Denver University
Patrick, SO- 6’7- Triton CC 14.6 ppg- 4.3 rpg
Boggs, JR- 6’7- 25.6 mpg- 10.3 ppg- 3.9 rpg- 0.6 apg- from UNC Wilmington
Matos, SO- 6’9- 18.5 mpg- 6.0 ppg- 4.1 rpg- 0.3 apg- from New Mexico
Walker, FR- 6’8 From Tennessee - would be among USF best top three recruits
McCreary, JR- 6’7-13.2 mpg- 5.1 ppg- 2.5 rpg- 0.3 apg- from South Carolina

Center
Tchewa, JR- 7’0- 11.8 mpg- 3.3 ppg- 2.4 rpg-

Overall Gregory seems to have traded for a more athletic team. So overall we will see how we do but certainly last years team never lived up to expectations.
With this line up Gregory would have in Walker and Murphy two of the three highest ranked USF basketball recruits in history

On paper, with 4 guys averaging in double figures, it looks like these guys could put a fair number of points on the board.

In addition, it looks like Murphy might be able to become a double-figure scorer next season.

It the fact that there are are so many scorers could also make it harder than otherwise to prevent the team from scoring.

Rebounding-wise, it looks like the team doesn't have a dominant interior rebounder, but there are a couple of guards who pick up some of the slack.

The archives show that the team was #61 nationally in rebounding last season, but that they were outscored by ~6 ppg (71-65). So they're going to need their scorers to hit 2-3 more shots per game while they amp up their defense.

.
.

Hard to compare to last year since this is a complete new team with Murphy the only returnee with lots of playing time.
Problem last year was the team was built as a big rebounding team with really only one guy that could hit from outside, both guards were more driving in types than shooters so the advantage of being big inside never developed as teams just dropped down and dare them to shot from outside. The defense which was what led them to the CBI title wasn’t consistent enough last year to bail them out. The FT shooting was atrocious and was even a bigger drawback when your game was driving and rebounding.
This team on paper and looking at the style of players seems to be more athletic and better shooting while not as big inside.
I’m excited by what Gregory was able to do in rebuilding a team after the early mass exodus.

(05-18-2021 01:27 PM)pesik Wrote:  half of our battle was scheduling...
next year will be interesting as it will be the best top to bottom schedules for the entire aac..

everyone but Tulsa and ecu have already been linked to a major non-con or mte with major opponents.. we've had years where only 3 or 4 teams had good noncon schedules

a loot of people are underestimating how good Tulane's roster is ..i dont like the zone like that, but from a purely roster perspective they are a lot better than some of the teams you guys are marking comfortably ahead of them

(05-19-2021 11:24 AM)mustangxc Wrote:  

(05-18-2021 01:27 PM)pesik Wrote:  half of our battle was scheduling...
next year will be interesting as it will be the best top to bottom schedules for the entire aac..

everyone but Tulsa and ecu have already been linked to a major non-con or mte with major opponents.. we've had years where only 3 or 4 teams had good noncon schedules

a loot of people are underestimating how good Tulane's roster is ..i dont like the zone like that, but from a purely roster perspective they are a lot better than some of the teams you guys are marking comfortably ahead of them

Underwhelming in terms of names overall, but when you look at the actual quality of the teams, that's not a bad lineup. Oklahoma and Utah State were both top 50 in the NET rankings last season and the rest of the teams were all at least in the top half or so.

Tulsa doesn’t play Early Season tournaments under Haith because Haith is awful in tournament settings. We just play a 4 team invitational so Haith doesn’t lose his job.