📆 Mark your college hoops calendar

We still have four months before the college basketball season tips off. This may feel like an eternity — as Tom Petty once masterfully put it, “the waiting is the hardest part.” Yet the morsels of scheduling news that find their way onto Twitter promise hope. Sure, some of these games don’t seem all that exciting. But they still stand as a reminder that the season will arrive. One day. We’ll tackle some of those notes today.

Let’s get to the news.

THREE POINTERS

1. Another conference series letdown?

On Monday morning, our own Mike Miller bemoaned the ACC/Big Ten Challenge’s uninteresting matchups. By Monday evening, news broke regarding the Gavitt Games, and the slate isn’t much more enticing.

Now, perhaps the Big Ten is the common denominator between the two lackluster showcases. However, as Rob Dauster notes, the Big East deserves plenty of blame on this one as well. Somehow Creighton, Providence, and UConn didn’t get the invite — those are ludicrous omissions. Meanwhile, the Gavitt Games’ top three matchups all involve teams with levels of uncertainty around them.

For instance, the biggest names — Villanova and Michigan State — could be in for subpar seasons by their standards. (One will be acclimating to a new coach, while the other added zilch this offseason). Still, even without Jay Wright, give the advantage to Kyle Neptune and ‘Nova. After watching Cam Whitmore in the FIBA U18 Tournament, would anybody be surprised if he singlehandedly exposes Sparty’s lack of athleticism?

Then there’s Seton Hall-Iowa. Shaheen Holloway captured the hearts of diehards and casuals alike this past March, and fans will clock his success at his new job. Yet Holloway must replace three starters, including first-team All-Big East wing Jared Rhoden. Iowa, on the other hand, boasts a bevy of breakout candidates like Tony Perkins, Peyton Sandfort, and most notably, Kris Murray. But those players only pose a threat if they, you know, break out. Finally, Indiana at Xavier may actually deliver the most competitive battle. As noted in Monday’s daily, the Hoosiers project as a stout defensive team with a host of talented players (obligatory Trayce Jackson-Davis mention). But don’t sleep on what Sean Miller has in the works at Xavier, even if it enters the contest unranked. Throughout his tenure at Arizona, Miller also coached elite defenses. His pack-line concepts could vex an IU team that struggles shooting the ball.

OK…so the top is compelling! But if you watch a second of Northwestern-Georgetown, you might need to find some new hobbies.

2. She’s a 10 but she doesn’t watch the A-10

Hey! A conference that delivers plenty of intriguing matchups!

The Atlantic-10 enters the season with five teams that have legitimate at-large hopes: Davidson, Dayton, Saint Louis, VCU, and its newest member, Loyola Chicago. On Monday, the conference announced its schedule pairings and knocked it out of the park. Here are the home-and-away tilts for the heavyweights:

• Davidson: Dayton, Fordham, Saint Louis, VCU

• Dayton: Davidson, Loyola Chicago, Saint Louis, VCU

• Saint Louis: Davidson, Dayton, Loyola Chicago, VCU

• VCU: Davidson, Dayton, Richmond, Saint Louis

• Loyola Chicago: Dayton, George Mason, Saint Joseph’s, Saint Louis

It certainly appears that the league office wanted to give these programs more opportunities to build their résumés — especially SLU and Dayton, who have the best shots of the group at national relevancy.

For Saint Louis, Travis Ford will hope his upperclassmen-laden roster can finally realize its potential. Two years ago, COVID decimated a promising Billikens squad, forcing numerous pauses and halting any positive momentum. The horrific luck continued last season when Javonte Perkins, a bruising wing who averaged 17 ppg in 2021, tore his ACL in an exhibition game. Now healthy, he will pair with first-team All-Conference point guard Yuri Collins and sniper Gibson Jimerson to form one of the league’s strongest trios.

Dayton, on the other hand, barely missed the NCAA Tournament last season — and that was with a roster that ranked 358th nationally in experience, per KenPom. This year, they bring back all five starters, ready to leave no doubt that they belong in the Dance. Sophomore big man DaRon Holmes headlines the group, and he could make an Obi Toppin-like leap in Year 2.

3. Analyzing Youssef Khayat’s fit at Michigan

Earlier in the week, we highlighted Youssef Khayat’s commitment to Michigan. Now, we’ll take a closer look at what the Lebanese wing adds to the Wolverines’ roster.

For starters, Khayat will almost certainly draw comparisons to former Michigan star Franz Wagner; they’re both lanky Europeans who play the same position. However, their games are far from identical (Wagner has the advantage in playmaking and defense. But Khayat flashes better athleticism and shot creation than his predecessor did at this same stage).

Nevertheless, Juwan Howard will likely use Khayat in similar ways on offense. Consider Wagner’s impact in 2021 — part of what made Michigan click were his abilities as a cutter and a slasher. The Wolverines lacked someone who fit that archetype last season, and it further hampered their spacing.

Thankfully, the freshman delivers smart off-ball movement and burgeoning on-ball skills to a roster in need of both. The following clip showcases his offensive upside:

Note the burst and body control he exhibits as he attacks the basket and finishes through contact. (And that’s to say nothing of the nice crossover he uses to get his defender on his hip).

Moreover, Khayat also projects as a high-level shooter — an important attribute as Howard wants to give Hunter Dickinson plenty of room to operate in the paint. If the rookie can hold his own on defense, a 25-minute-per-game role becomes obtainable.

#GRINDSZN

Get your emojis ready

Programs around the country welcomed players back this week for summer practices. You know what that means — teams’ accounts sharing practice photos, workout results, and scrimmage clips (which any fan will gladly analyze). Let’s see who’s been posting about the offseason grind 🤧💪

• UConn showcased the vocal leadership of junior Andre Jackson

• Seton Hall uploaded a weight room montage complete with some fiery words from Shaheen Holloway

• Oral Roberts is proud of its practice drills.

• Ben Johnson provided a team bonding opportunity with a kickball game.

• On a similar note, Northern Colorado players went whitewater rafting.

• Missouri State completed what appears to be a brutal workout in the sand.

• Syracuse posted some sort-of-awkward candid photos of coaches and players smiling.

FORECASTING THE BIG TEN

Just how good can Illinois be?

Few teams in the country can match the Illini’s talent on the wing. Not only do they return two former top-100 recruits in Luke Goode and RJ Melendez, but they also bring in a couple of impactful wings in Terrence Shannon (Texas Tech) and Matthew Mayer (Baylor). Can it all coalesce into a unit that can win the Big Ten? John Fanta, Terrence Oglesby, and Rob Dauster break it down:

THE FAST BREAK

Links to peruse as you wait for beach animals to take over the world:

• Creighton’s Ryan Duo (Nembhard and Kalkbrenner) have been cleared for basketball activities. Good news for the Jays, who have Top 5 aspirations.

• On3’s Jamie Shaw posted an article that anonymously surveyed coaches on the most feared recruiters.

• John Fanta interviewed Thad Matta to get the lowdown on Butler’s ballyhooed transfer class.

• Karter Knox, brother of former Kentucky wing Kevin Knox, reflected on his recent offer from Coach Cal.

• Per Rivals recruiting rankings, Bronny James dropped 31 spots to No. 60 in the class of 2023.

• TopConnect, a self-described “project to connect current leaders with future leaders” announced its class for its 2022 basketball symposium. The event seeks to “[connect] Mid-major athletic directors with top basketball assistant coaches to provide initial engagement opportunities to help with the ultimate hiring of a head basketball coach.”

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