Realigned priorities

Conference realignment giveth and conference realignment taketh away; we try to make sense of it. Plus, Team USA falters in the World Cup and another high-profile recruit decommits.

Author

Riley Davis
July 03, 2023

Good news for you as you start your abbreviated work week: There’s never a rate limit to exceed here at The Field of 68 Daily. We’ve got you covered with everything happening in college hoops. (Though we are taking tomorrow off. Happy 4th of July.)

Let's get to the news.

1. Catching up on conference realignment

On July 1, 18 schools officially switched conferences. Some represent the bigger brands, others not so much. It can be tough to keep track of all of the movement, so that’s why we’re here to help.

The most major shakeup occurred in the Big 12, where BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF (finally) became the league’s newest members. The move signals an all-in approach to basketball — pretty smart, considering the league has been the nation’s best in that regard for the past half-decade. (Of note: Between 2016 and 2022, the Big 12 had five Final Four teams and claimed two National Champions. And that’s not even including 2020 Kansas, which was a lock for the No. 1 overall seed.)

Perhaps equally as important? The conference netted a record $440 million in the past scholastic year. Football still controls revenue, but there’s nothing wrong with playing to your strengths.

So what do the new programs bring to the hardwood?

Houston speaks for itself — the Coogs have made the Sweet 16 in each of the past four NCAA Tournaments while advancing to the Final Four in 2021. Though it won’t run roughshod through the conference as it did in the AAC, it has still positioned itself for success with one of the best coaches in the country and its draw for high-end talent.

Cincy, too, should hold its own in the Big 12. Entering Year 3 of Wes Miller’s tenure, the Bearcats have the infrastructure to reclaim their status as a perennial Top 25 program. Miller has assembled his strongest roster yet, highlighted by crafty wing Simas Lukošius, shot-blocking big Aziz Bandaogo and DaVeon Thomas, one of 2023’s best JUCO prospects.

While BYU doesn’t have the same prestige as the other two, it still has a strong history with 30 NCAA Tournament appearances. UCF, meanwhile, will have the hardest adjustment process. But at least Johnny Dawkins has shown he can identify future pros.

The departures of Houston, Cincy and UCF dealt a blow to the AAC, but it rebounded nicely with its newcomers. Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA officially joined over the weekend.

Of course, FAU garners most of the attention — such are the spoils of making the Final Four and retaining your roster! But don’t sleep on the Mean Green or the Blazers. The two squared off in March in the NIT Championship and secured bids to the Big Dance in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Perhaps most notably, the conference is ripe with opportunity. The AAC has been a multi-bid league every year since its inception in 2014. With Houston vacating the throne, a new king could emerge. Memphis seems like the most viable candidate, but the AAC is wide open behind them.

Other conference changes:

  • New Mexico State and Sam Houston State leave the WAC for Conference USA; Jacksonville State and Liberty replace them from the ASUN

  • Campbell departs the Big South for the CAA

  • Western Illinois moves from the Summit League to the OVC

  • Le Moyne moves from Division II to the NEC

  • Hartford drops down to D-III, while St. Francis (NY) scraps athletics

2. Turkish Delight

Last week, we touched on Team USA’s narrow escape against Slovenia in the FIBA U19 World Cup. At the time, it seemed like a minor hiccup on a championship quest.

Well, those hopes were swiftly dashed over the weekend. On Saturday, the U.S. fell to France in the semis, 89-86. The French picked apart Team USA’s defense, assisting on 22 of their 31 made field goals. They also took advantage of poor closeouts and knocked down 50 percent of their 3-point attempts.

Sunday’s contest didn’t go any better.

Turkey led for all but five minutes of the game, defeating Team USA, 84-70. The U.S. couldn’t capitalize on their size and athleticism advantage, and they struggled on defense again.

“This is a group of tremendous young men who have great futures ahead of them. It’s my job as a coach to get buy-in, and I just couldn’t get buy-in at the defensive end of the floor […] Tonight, we wanted to control the offensive glass and we didn’t, and combine that with 21 turnovers and number of possessions heavily favoring Turkey, we just weren’t good enough,” coach Tad Boyle said after the game.

The losses could be an indictment of the 2023 and 2024 classes, which scouts and recruiting analysts have long identified as talent-sparse groups compared to previous years.

Of course, it’s too early to make a definitive judgment on how these players’ careers will pan out. But it’s also reasonable to temper expectations, especially considering how COVID hampered and/or wiped away multiple years of their development.

3. A Bol-d move

Todd Golden and the Florida Gators have thoroughly enjoyed their offseason. The analytically-minded coach cleaned up the portal, landing hyper-efficient guard Walter Clayton (Iona), versatile floor general Zyon Pullin (UC Riverside) and shot-blocking menace Micah Handlogten (Marshall).

However, it hasn’t been all good news. Florida became the latest victim of the decommitment bug when 2024 top-40 prospect John Bol re-opened his recruitment on Friday.

The good news is, Golden still has plenty of time to pivot before he’ll need a big man. Handlogten still has three years of eligibility left, plus Gainesville will continue to be an attractive destination for transfers.

But it’s just an odd development, considering Bol committed earlier in June.

Other recruiting news:

Beacon of hope

New Valparaiso coach Roger Powell Jr. spent nearly a decade with the Beacons as an assistant coach, and now he’s back as a first-time head coach. He discusses goals, highlights and some basketball history with Greg Waddell.

Links as you catch up on the oddity that was #NASCARChicago

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