CofC win factory

Can anyone catch College of Charleston in the CAA? Plus, the Big West's best, Seton Hall lands a PG of the future, and which coaches would make the best analysts?

Author

Tristan Freeman
October 20, 2023

Forget the baseball playoffs. You can actually watch some college basketball tonight and this weekend.

Let's get to it.

1. All eyes on College of Charleston

The Coastal Athletic Conference (you may know it as the Colonial Athletic Conference) dropped its preseason coaches poll on Thursday as part of its media day — more on that in a sec; The Field of 68 helped out — and the favorite isn’t a big surprise.

Despite losing three starters, CofC received 10 of 14 possible votes. Coach Pat Kelsey did a nice job rebuilding the roster, using the transfer portal to add impact players such as CJ Fulton (10.4 ppg at Lafayette), as well as Frankie Policelli (13.7 ppg and 9.4 rpg at Stony Brook). Kelsey wants to ensure the program stays on top.

“There’s some teams in this conference that could surprise everyone and win it. But I think we have a good team. I’m not trying to replicate 31 wins. I’m trying to improve our culture.”

As noted in The Almanac, the Cougars are structured around a relentless approach that puts pressure on opponents.

Kelsey-coached teams feature consistent hallmarks. Both at Winthrop and Charleston, Kelsey’s squads have played at a frenetic pace and dominated the offensive glass, with his last four units ranking top-35 in both offensive tempo and offensive rebounding rate. His teams have also posted five straight top-75 defensive rebounding seasons and have finished top-75 in 3-point attempt rate in nine of 11 years.

When discussing the energy necessary to rebound and play at such a pace, Kelsey called it “the standard.”

“We pride ourselves on that standard and we hold each other accountable as coaches and as players,” Kelsey said. “We play with relentless effort at all times.”

But expect some competition for the Cougars in the top tier.

UNC Wilmington, which tied for third in the standings last season, got three votes in second place, while Drexel and Preseason CAA Player of the Year Amari Williams (13.7 ppg and 8.8 rpg) is third.

Hofstra, the 2022-23 co-champs of the regular season (casual fans might be surprised to know they shared the title with CofC; both were 16-2 in league play) lost CAA POY Aaron Estrada, which hurts their chances a bit.

Take some time and hear what the league coaches had to say during media day:

An underrated aspect of the CAA might not be what happens at the top, but how competitive the bottom will be. As good as Charleston and Hofstra were, the bottom half of the league dragged down its overall rating. It ended the season 26th in kenpom, just below America East. It’s been lower than 19th just once since 1997.

Some of the newer programs such as Hampton, Stony Brook, Monmouth, and North Carolina A&T (you can read complete breakdowns of them and the rest of the CAA in The Almanac) are all projected to finish in the bottom half of the league.

It’ll be essential for those programs to improve, especially if rumors of Charleston to the Atlantic 10 continue to circulate.

THE ALMANAC, VOL. 2

Are you ready for hoops season?

Look, we get it. The World Series is almost here, there’s a handful of Top 25 college football matchups this weekend (good luck to Duke?) and Eagles-Dolphins should be a helluva SNF game.

But you’re gonna have some downtime this weekend. And you’re gonna want The Almanac at those times.

Plus, we’re just weeks away from tip-off! With previews of all 362 D-I teams (including coaching insights, up-to-date rosters, projections and more) and features on national storylines, you’re going to need a few weeks to absorb all the info in the best college hoops preview on the market.

2. This should be quite the Big West title race

For those who have bought The Almanac, you probably read Sean Paul’s mid-major top-25 power rankings. We lead today’s Daily with one program from that ranking.

But there are two more you should know about — especially since they’ll both vie for the Big West title.

In Thursday’s Big West coaches poll, UC-Santa Barbara got nine of 11 first-place votes and are rightly seen as the team to beat.

They tied UC-Irvine for last season’s Big West regular-season title and won the conference tournament. The Gauchos also return star guard Ajay Mitchell, the reigning Big West Player of the Year. And while they lost bigs Miles Norris and Andre Kelly, they added Auburn transfer Yohan Traore, a former 5-star prospect from Auburn.

But don’t overlook Long Beach State.

State returns five of its top six per-game scorers, including a pair of Traores up front, Lassina and Aboubacar, both of whom are all-conference caliber players. It’s probably best to dive into the Almanac’s Big West preview for a more comprehensive look.

3. Scrimmages to watch this weekend

Louisville opened up the preseason/scrimmage/exhibition season on Wednesday night, beating Simmons College, 91-50. It’s the first of a number of games between now and November 6 that’ll provided an indication of how the season will go.

In fact, there are three games you can watch yourself, featuring a trio of key teams to watch.

Tonight: Illinois (vs Ottawa) - 9 pm ET on BIG+ Network

It’s all about the point guard position for Illinois, which was the main storyline throughout the offseason. It’s looking like Ty Rodgers and freshman Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn will get the opportunity. Will either of them stand out?

Tonight: Arizona (vs Lewis-Clark State) - 9 pm ET via Arizona Live Stream

The guard position is also of note for the Wildcats, after landing both Caleb Love and Jaden Bradley. Kylan Boswell has been viewed as a “breakout candidate” so that’s also something to watch. It’s a roster that looks great on defense but can the offense avoid taking a step back?

Sunday: Ohio State vs Dayton - 6 pm ET on ESPN+

This is a game that, on paper, should be competitive and fun to watch. Dayton is the team to beat in the Atlantic 10. Proving it can beat a Power 6 program would be a good sign for its season outlook. Meanwhile, Ohio State looks to bounce back after an awful past season and has some quality underclassmen to watch, including guards Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle, along with freshmen wings, Devin Royal and Scottie Middleton.

*Proceeds from game will go to Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation

4. Seton Hall lands its first 2024 prospect

Seton Hall got on the board in the 2024 recruiting class.

Felton is a 6-5 ball-handler, capable of playing both on and off the ball. The Top 150 recruit committed to the Pirates because as Felton says: “they only recruit dogs.” He sure sounds like an ideal player for coach Shaeen Holloway.

Felton’s size and defensive potential is a nice natural fit for the Big East program and will be part of a new core alongside top-60 freshman shooting guard, Isaiah Coleman.

Depending on what happens after this season, Felton could get thrusting into a lot of minutes as a freshman. Not only is Al-Amir Dawes in his last season but Kadary Richmond, Dre Davis, and Dylan Addae-Wusu might move on (all have a COVID year available). Either way, Seton Hall’s backcourt will be in good shape going forward.

5. Coaches we want to see as studio analysts

The Hall of Fame coach won’t be at Syracuse this season, but he’s set to be both an analyst at ESPN and also doing work on radio during the NCAA Tournament (and maybe other outlets). He’ll immediately be a must-see analyst, both for his insights (there’s no denying his credentials) and his demeanor (has anyone served up more zingers in the last 20 years?)

And that made me wonder; which active coaches would make the best and most entertaining analysts to watch on TV? Here’s my five:

Jerome Tang (Kansas State)

He’s only been a head coach for 1 season, but Tang made a big impression on the sport, thanks to his charisma and as a quote-machine. The former Baylor title-winning assistant also was part of one of the best teams this century so can certainly offer input when talking about “elite” teams during the season.

Todd Golden (Florida)

Golden is an analytics advocate, which would bring an essential part of the sport to the booth. Plus, he also has a good history of roster building and in the transfer portal era, could offer insight on that end.

Mark Schmidt (St. Bonaventure)

Between Robert Morris and St. Bonaventure, Schmidt is entering his 23rd season in college basketball. He’s a excellent coach, but also an incredible storyteller. The chances for wild/amazing tangents during a game would be awesome He’s also had some unique rosters throughout the years, which could be good insight.

Mark Pope (BYU)

There are few more animated coaches than Pope, who is known for being on the enthusiastic end of interviews. His history as a coach/player also covers many areas, playing at blue blood Kentucky and coaching in the WCC with BYU, before now entering the Big 12 Conference.

Ron Hunter (Tulane)

Besides building Tulane into a consistent threat in the AAC, Coach Hunter is famously known for leading Georgia State to an NCAA Tournament upset win, while coaching on a scooter due to his own injury. He was incredibly TV-friendly then and continues to be, capable of offering the perspective of the “underdog” in studio.

Oregon trail

Ducks coach Dana Altman told The Field of 68 he’s got mixed feelings about the end of the Pac-12. Joining a new conference will be exciting, but he’ll miss the traditional rivalries and the travel included to all the Big Ten schools is not something he’s looking forward to.

Links as you wait to see who 5-star Boogie Fland picks on Friday.

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