Media day(s) takeaways

We try to summarize events from the ACC, Big Ten and AAC on Wednesday. Plus, more talk about NCAA Tournament expansion, league awards, what's ahead for Furman, and more.

Author

Mike Miller
October 13, 2022

Three more conference media events occur today, which means you can probably scroll through Twitter at any time of day and find interesting college basketball news. And if not, you've got two options:

One: Wait for Friday morning when we bring it all together in The Field of 68 Daily. Or two: Hope that Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster cover all the bases during their Atlantic 10 Insider podcast that debuts today with a live show. Know what? You can do both!

Let's get to the news.

STARTING FIVE

1. News, notes and good quotes

Three conferences had media events Wednesday: The ACC, Big Ten and AAC. Was there news to share? Absolutely. Was any of it earth-shattering? Not really. But some nuggets emerged. My favorites are below:

  • It's championship-or-bust for North Carolina. The team likely to enter the season ranked No. 1 didn't mince words Wednesday. RJ Davis said as much, and coach Hubert Davis just nodded in agreement. Mostly. "I'm OK with them saying that," Davis said. But added, "I don't look at it that way. ... My hope in reaching our full potential puts us in a position to be where we were last year and maybe change the narrative and be the last team standing on Monday night."

  • An added ACC wrinkle: Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner agrees that UNC should be No. 1. But Virginia's the team to beat in the ACC.

  • Michigan State coach Tom Izzo was in fine form Wednesday, holding court on his feelings about the transfer portal (still not a fan), how long he'll be at Michigan State (retirement is not in sight) and extending confidence to his backcourt (best in the league?). He sounds incredibly motivated for the season, which is great considering they have a brutal non-conference schedule and a thin roster. For more on Izzo, John Fanta has a good read here.

  • Duke freshman Dariq Whitehead is progressing in his return from a foot injury, but there's still no timetable for his return.

  • Incredible quote that I missed from Tuesday:

  • Though this one is awfully close (for those who missed it this summer: Terrence Shannon wanted to transfer to Michigan, but it didn't work out. He's now at Illinois.)

2. Handing out hardware

The AAC coordinated everything just right, with its media event and preseason award announcements (as voted on by the coaches). Salute.

The awards also went about as one might expect. Houston was the overwhelming favorite to win the league (Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson cast the lone vote for Memphis, though he says it could've just as easily gone to Cincinnati.) Senior guard Marcus Sasser was tabbed as the preseason POY, while his teammate Jarace Walker was a unanimous pick as freshman of the year.

The rest of the first team: Sasser, Kendric Davis (Memphis), DeAndre Williams (Memphis), Damian Dunn (Temple) and Jalen Cook (Tulane). See the full release here.

Meanwhile, the Big 12 doesn't get together until next week, but its preseason awards landed today. Maybe the league was excited about making a little history.

Mike Miles marks the first time a TCU player is the Big 12 Preseason POY, which isn't a small thing for Jamie Dixon's program and speaks to the expectations this season in Fort Worth. He's accompanied on the preseason all-league team by Adam Flagler (Baylor), Jalen Wilson (Kansas), Avery Anderson (Oklahoma State), Timmy Allen (Texas) and Marcus Carr (Texas).

A tie resulted in six players on the first team, which warms my heart. Pick five. It's a good thing!

3. NCAA Tournament expansion remains a thing

We may have to explore a name change.

The NCAA Tournament has been at 68 teams for a decade, but it may grow sometime soon. And this isn't just Greg Sankey sending out a few flares.

As Luke DeCock writes in the Raleigh News & Observer, this is not so much "if" as "when." How else would one describe both the ACC Commissioner and the Big Ten Commissioner saying they'd be open to a larger field?

To be clear, these ideas involve every postseason tournament, not just the Big Dance. But in moving to expand everything, how will the NCAA's premier event — and biggest money maker — be affected?

“There will be a lot of work that needs to be done,” ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said. “It has to be done thoughtfully. We need to make sure we're listening to the membership. … I really believe it to be possible, and I don't think it gets watered down. I don't believe that the NCAA tournaments get less exciting in baseball or lacrosse or basketball by having additional schools that qualify for it.”

There is some danger of complacency. But one would hardly describe the NCAA tourney as a stale product simply coasting along. Viewership continues to be strong and attendance is up. But there can be too much of a good thing. (Also worth noting, Phillips isn’t interested in automatic bids.)

“I want this next year, these next couple years, to ask, Why? Why are we doing this? Why have we done this? Because so many times I’ve seen that people say, ‘Well, that’s because we’ve always done it that way,’” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “If we can provide [college athletes] with unique opportunities and experiences, be able to travel, learn, meet new people [and] compete for championships, then I’m very interested.”

(FWIW: ACC coaches were split on the idea when asked.)

Ultimately, this comes down to every league wanting more of its teams in postseason tournaments and the extra $$ expansion would bring. That's understandable. Yet, teams should have to earn their way in, right?

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4. Is it finally Furman's year?

The Paladins were primed to end 40 years of frustration during last season's Southern Conference championship game. Then this happened.

It takes time to get over that kind of heartbreak. But if you're Furman, time's up — because this is the season to end an NCAA Tournament drought.

There's a much more robust rundown in The Almanac (along with nearly 12,000 words on the other nine SoCo programs), but let's stick with that game for now. From the preview:

“As a competitor, I don’t see how you shake that (loss)," said Furman coach Bob Richey. "We needed to figure out how to turn that pain into purpose. But we also don’t want to dwell on it in a negative sense. We need to use it as fuel, let it give us some desire, while still keeping some joy in the journey. We were a miracle shot away from doing what we wanted to do, and we have a chance to get all the way there this year.”

So let's start with the dynamic duo of guard Mike Bothwell and forward Jalen Slawson. The fifth-year seniors have won 88 games in four seasons, and are coming off first-team all-conference seasons. They're the driving force behind one of the country's most efficient offenses (20th in Kenpom last season), which excels in one crucial area: Shooting.

The Paladins make shots. It's that simple. Whether it's beyond the arc (37.5 percent), inside the arc (55 percent) or from the line (75.8 percent), they'll stretch defenses (even without Alex Hunter around). With the star power, the shooting and good team depth, the pieces are there for a trip to the Big Dance. One might even say they're due.

5. NBA's age limit change isn't imminent

Team USA's recent minicamp provided more than just a glimpse of the best high school prospects. It also added clarity to whether the NBA will change its NBA draft age.

Via Jonathan Givony of ESPN, there's little support from the players' union for a move (veterans don't want an influx of young talent competing for roster spots). In order for Commissioner Adam Silver to push an age change, the union wants major financial concessions from team owners. The age change wouldn't occur until the next collective bargaining cycle, making the 2026 draft the earliest this would happen.

THE FAST BREAK

Links as you wonder what Taco Bell menu items would total $28 for lunch.

OVERTIME

We usually close with a video highlight from one of our pods, but this 16-minute feature from Baylor on senior Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua and his return from a serious knee injury is as good as anything you'll watch this week.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! Hopefully, you didn't notice any difference in our switch to a new publishing platform. So thanks for sticking with us. And tell your friends!