Will your team go dancing?

We highlight some Bracketology heading into the 2023-24 season. Plus: waiver decisions to monitor over the next few days and weeks, key commitments, and a host of podcasts to listen and subscribe to.

When you’re just days away from the start of the 2023-24 season, that’s the best time to get good news — especially if you’re the reigning champs. UConn big man Donovan Clingan is finally practicing after dealing with a foot strain.

What else is going on? Let’s dive in.

1. Bracketology to ponder over the weekend

How will your team’s season shake out? That is, will they make the NCAA Tournament?

Lukas Harkins from Heat Check CBB (he was in the Top 50 of nearly 200 projections last season) produced The Almanac’s projections. As most would probably expect, the four projected No. 1 seeds are Purdue, Michigan State, Duke, and Kansas.

None of them are a surprise but some interesting picks were made in terms of who missed the cut. The first eight teams out: Oregon, Iowa, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Michigan, Colorado State

Three of those eight made last season’s NCAA Tournament, but all lost key contributors. Northwestern lost double-digit scorer and Big Ten DPOY guard Chase Audige, while Iowa lost 20 ppg scoring wing, Kris Murray. And Missouri lost several key starters, including star forward, Kobe Brown.

As for the other five teams, all made changes that should help move them upward. Michigan landed Tennessee transfer Olivier Nkamhoua and has a pair of breakout sophomore candidates (Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed), while Colorado State brings back Isaiah Stevens, one of the country’s best guards.

Oregon and Ole Miss are the two with the highest variance. The Rebels have new coach Chris Beard and several new transfers, though two projected starters (Moussa Cisse and Brandon Murray) still haven’t gotten an NCAA waiver to play this season. Meanwhile, the Ducks have a pair of 5-star freshmen wings (Mookie Cook and KJ Evans) whose play could determine the team’s fate, yet Cook is reportedly injured and will be out until sometime in December.

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If I had to pick a team from this group, I’d bet on Iowa. They’ve been consistent under coach Fran McCaffery and even without the Murray brothers, should have plenty of offensive firepower. Tony Perkins has the chance to break out in a lead guard role, while Payton Sandfort has shown he can be a big-time scoring option, going for 20+ points multiple times off the bench last season. Others team listed above have higher ceilings but I trust the floor with the Hawkeyes to get on the positive side of the bubble.

2. Waiver requests to monitor

This is a long week for teams awaiting waiver news. And when the news arrives, it isn’t always good. On Wednesday, LSU announced that guard Jalen Cook was denied as a two-time transfer. They’re appealing the decision.

Some other players waiting on news.

Appeals filed

Cook is part of the “appeal” category, players who have already had their waiver claims denied by the NCAA. Similar to UNC and Tez Walker, these players are hoping the NCAA reverse stheir previous decision.

These include Cook (LSU), Aziz Bandaogo (Cincy), Raequan Battle (WVU), Deandre Williams (Memphis), and Jaylon Tyson (Cal).

International eligibility decisions

Seemingly every season a few foreign players join teams, but looming eligiblity questions. This time around it’s affecting two schools who could really use their big men.

Kentucky has been holding out 7-2 center Zionimir Ivisic throughout the preseason, while the Bruins have two key players they’ve been waiting on forward Burke Buyuktuncel and Aday Mara, a 7-3 NBA Draft prospect.

Pending initial waiver decisions

There still are some players simply waiting for an call from the NCAA.

Among the bigger conferences are Ole Miss (Brandon Murray and Moussa Cisse), Florida State (Primo Spears), Arizona State (Adam Miller), Wichita State (Bijan Cortes and Ronnie DeGray), NC State (Kam Woods) and Saint Louis (Bradley Ezewiro).

All of those players are either projected starters or essential pieces. Waivers being denied are going to set those teams back, especially Ole Miss.

3. Coaches weigh in on National POY

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Thursday released its list of 20 preseason players to watch for the 2024 National Player of the Year Award. It’s pretty much exactly who you’d expect.

The Big East was well-represented, landing six out of the 20 players. (And that doesn’t include Ryan Nembhard, who transferred from Creighton to Gonzaga.) Donovan Clingan, who may be the first preseason breakout candidate that everyone agrees on, is also in the mix. As long as he stays healthy, he’ll have a good shot.

The big question: Can anyone top Zach Edey?

Guys like Kyle Filipowski and Hunter Dickinson are also ttle contenders and could put up big numbers. Texas guard Max Abmas could be in the mix if he puts up anywhere near the numbers he did at Oral Roberts. And Isaiah Collier, the lone freshman to make the list, could create a national narrative in his favor if he puts up big numbers at USC.

4. Texas, Utah add players for the future

A pair of 2024 forwards picked their programs on Thursday.

Nic Codie, a consensus 4-star prospect, was choosing among seven power conference programs. And it turns out nothing beats staying close to home.

Codie becomes the second commitment for coach Rodney Terry in the 2024 class, joining 5-star shooting guard Cam Scott.

Frontcourt is definitely an area of need as forward Dylan Disu will be out of eligibility, and sophomore Dillon Mitchell will probably be in the NBA. Codie could have a path to playing time as a freshman.

Meanwhile, a future Big 12 program is pushing for a talent upgrade.

Johnson is a 6-8 power forward, known for his skilled offensive play and overall shooting. He’s a consensus top-150 recruit in the 2024 class, hailing from the state of Utah. While both USC and Stanford were also in the mix, it looked to be a battle between bitter rivals, BYU and Utah.

It’s the Utes’ second commitment to the 2024 class, joining 3-star shooting guard, David Katoa.

More 2024 recruiting news:

5. Find your new favorite podcast

I’ll let Rob Dauster take it from here. More is better when it comes to the Field of 68. And by more, we mean a lot more.

But first, here’s a returning favorite.

The A-10 Insider (subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and on YouTube) returns for its second season. Every week, it’ll highlight what to know about the Atlantic-10 and feature exclusive interviews with coaches and players.

The Field of 68 is also launching the Mountain West Insider (subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and on YouTube), an exclusive partnership with the Mountain West Conference to bring you a show dedicated to the 11 teams in one of college basketball's best leagues. Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman will spend this season cussin' and discussin' life, liberty and the pursuit of a Mountain West title with every relevant figure around the league, from the coaches to the player to the administrators and maybe even a fan or two.

But wait, there’s more!

As you may have noticed, the Field of 68 launched a second YouTube channel dedicated to a series of podcasts hosted by students, recent graduates and content creators looking for a foot in the door in the business of covering college basketball.

One of the goals of building out this channel was to provide an opportunity for people looking cover college hoops. When Goodman was breaking into the business, the process was clear cut: Find a job as a small-town newspaper and work your way up the ranks. When I started, those entry-level newspaper jobs were drying up. I worked my way to NBC by starting my own blog on blogspot (remember those days?) and writing on it daily to build enough of a profile and resume to get hired.

Those pathways are largely closed, particularly when major media outlets have divested from the sport entirely in the digital space.

Having a chance to build a resume, a portfolio and a reel is so important in this business, and I can’t think of a better way to use this platform than to provide that opportunity to young people that are looking for a chance. 

These are the shows that we have launched, and the people that will be hosting and producing them. 

THE CRAZIE CAST (Duke), hosted by Ryan Lommen, Russell Hainline, Zion Olojede. Ryan is a lifelong Duke fan living in Minnesota. His grandma was a big Coach K fan so growing up, and he’d watch games with her and it turned into an obsession. Russell is a Duke alum working as a screenwriter in Los Angeles. He’s the only man at Field of 68 who drinks more craft beer than Rob Dauster. Zion is a lifelong Duke fan working as the head of sports content at Complex Networks. He is a native of the best city in America. 

HOUSE OF HOOSIER (Indiana), hosted by Austin Platt and Ben Haller. Austin is a junior at IU studying sports media and as an East Coaster didn’t grow up watching IU basketball but have fallen in love with the team just like everyone else. Ben is a junior sports media student at IU from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a passion for sports broadcasting.

THE OLD GOLD SHOW (Purdue), hosted by Casey Bartley and Andrew Ledman. Casey is a sportswriter who’s covered Purdue basketball since 2017, and is now co-publisher of Boiler Upload. Andrew is a 2008 and 2010 graduate of Purdue University. He has covered Purdue sports since 2010 and has been the co-manager of Hammer and Rails since 2022. 

CATS COVERAGE (Kentucky), hosted by Tres Terrell, Michael Epps and Tim Smith. Tres a 25-year-old life-long Kentuckian who resides the middle of Bourbon country that cares a little too much about the Wildcats. Michael is a Michigan State grad that now covers Kentucky basketball for FOX 56 Sports in Lexington, having a great time here in the Bluegrass. Tim is an avid basketball fan that grew up in the heart of the Bluegrass watching Kentucky sports.

THE POD IS THE ROOF (North Carolina), hosted by Jacob Karabatsos and Riley Davis. Riley is a UNC grad and a college hoops podcaster and writer for The Field of 68 and Heat Check CBB. Jacob is a UNC alumnus, making short-form content, social content, and covering the Heels for The Field Of 68. 

RED IS THE NEW ORANGE (Syracuse), hosted by Johnny Gadamoqitz and Ian Unsworth, is the Field of 68’s go-to source for all things Syracuse hoops. Newhouse and WAER alums Ian Unsworth and Johnny Gadamowitz talk everything from Melo to man-to-man at noon Mondays and Fridays.

CHAMPAIGN ON ICE (Illinois), hosted by Mike Farmer and Kyle Tausk. Mike is a freshman at the University of Illinois and a diehard Illini basketball fan. Kyle Tausk is a sophomore at the University of Illinois majoring in journalism with hopes to get into sports media, particularly covering basketball.

BEAR DOWN BALLERS (Arizona), hosted by Ryan Wohl and Jordan Pollack. Ryan is a recent Arizona graduate who covered the Arizona men’s basketball team and produced the first two years of Bear Down Ballers. Jordan is a recent Arizona graduate with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. He’s playing football at John Melvin University in Louisiana and pursuing a Masters in Coaching. 

FLOYD STREET’S FINEST (Louisville), hosted by Jack Grossman and Mark Lieberman. Mark is a former assistant coach at Louisville, associate head coach at FIU and Southeastern Louisiana and head coach at Monsignor Pace where he won 4 state championships and coached the McDonald's All American game in 2009. Jack is a Louisville native and a graduate of Indiana University’s sports media program. Jack worked for ESPN Louisville as a host & producer, has produced Floyd Street’s finest since 2021.

HOOK’EM HOOPS (Texas), hosted by Tommy Yarrish and Jason Kinander. Tommy is a journalist and broadcaster based in Austin. Originally from Chicago, he has covered Texas collegiate and high school sports for five years. Jason is a senior year broadcasting student at The University of Texas. A Chicago native, Kinander started in the hoops field as a paid blogger at the age of 15. He recently interned with Fox’s College Basketball crew. 

BUCKETS & BRIGHTSIDE (Missouri), hosted by Harrison Vapnek and Jonathan Lidskin. Jonathan is a senior at Missouri from Chicago who covers basketball for KCOU Sports. Harrison is a senior at Missouri from Boca Raton, FL, who works as a sports reporter and producer for KOMU 8 News in Columbia.

THE HUM (Kansas), hosted by Jackson Bezdek and Sam Lance. Jackson is a senior journalism student at KU. from Wichita, Kan., who has lives and breathes Kansas basketball. Sam is a KU journalism school senior who covered KU’s national Championship run in 2022 and also currently writes recruiting content for ZAGSBLOG. 

30 MINUTES OF HELL (Arkansas), hosted by Brandon Baker, Matt Jackson and Joey Jackson. Brandon is a lifelong fan who entering his 5th year covering the team. Matt became a Razorback fan when he stepped into Bud Walton for the first time. Joey fell in love with basketball the second he picked up a ball and, being from Arkansas, Razorback Red runs deep.

UNSCRIPTED (Michigan State), hosted by Jake Myers and Johnny. Jake is a senior journalism student from Grand Rapids, Mich., and has been watching Spartan hoops his entire life. Johnny is a MSU senior from New Jersey. He’s been a college basketball fan his whole life and is excited to talk Spartan basketball.

Find times and podcasts for all of these here.

Caution: Hot takes incoming!

The After Dark crew, John Fanta, Jeff Goodman, Rob Dauster and Terrence Oglesby did a Bold Predictions Show this week, which included a segment on the hottest takes. And somehow, Mr. UConn thinks the Huskies are overrated.

Links as you’re forced not to play zone, because John Calipari said so.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at fieldof68daily@gmail.com.