The America East Conference had a different look and a very familiar look in 2013-14. It started with one and ended with the other.
The season started without one of the signature programs in the conference, as Boston University was off to the Patriot League. While other programs have emerged, the Terriers had a long run of success and were consistent contenders and winners. Their departure hurts the conference, make no mistake about it.
Admit it: you thought the Atlantic 10 was never going to match the success it had in 2012-13, especially with one of its signature programs (Xavier) and a newcomer that gave it a big boost in that historic year (Butler), plus another one on the rise (Charlotte), off to another conference.
Don’t worry. You were hardly alone. And now that the Atlantic 10 has outdone itself, you can give the conference credit and now look at it in a different light going forward.
HAMPTON, Va. – The third session of the 2014 EYBL is in the books. Just one weekend remains, and no one is running away with a division. The final session in Minneapolis will have plenty on the line for many teams as they hope to get to the Peach Jam in July.
We take a look at some players who stood out on Sunday, all coming in EYBL action while the 15-under and 16-under had semifinals and finals. First up will be those from the class of 2015.
With conference realignment being a headline the last few years, few conferences have escaped unharmed outside of the BCS conferences. The Mountain West is one of them, although they almost lost out big. The end result, as pertains to 2013-14, was another excellent season, led by the program that has become the standard bearer of late.
San Diego State had another big year, winning 31 games, including a 16-2 mark in Mountain West play to pace the conference. The 16 conference wins set a new record. They also reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament before being eliminated by Arizona.
HAMPTON, Va. – Saturday was a full day of action in EYBL Session 3, as the EYBL teams each played two games while 16-under and 15-under action was sprinkled in. While the EYBL action led the day, it was in the 16-under where we saw the best games in terms of coming right down to the end. One day remains, and coverage of it will be all around the EYBL action.
In looking back at some of the day’s notable performers, we start with the class of 2015 and then look at some underclassmen.
HAMPTON, Va. – Friday night was the time for younger players to take center stage, as EYBL action begins on Saturday morning. The tournament for the sophomores and freshmen isn’t officially part of EYBL but is run alongside it. As such, Friday night was an opportunity to view games in the next oldest age group, as the sophomores and freshmen took to the courts for early pool play games in a tournament being run with many teams from the same programs with EYBL teams.
Here is a look at some players who stood out in our viewing on Friday night.
Times are good in the Patriot League right now. The league just completed its first season with ten schools, and not only was it a success overall but there is plenty of reason to like what is ahead. The early verdict on the league’s expansion is that it is definitely a net plus.
Three teams saw postseason play, and all three had at least 20 wins. That marked the third time in league history that happened, with the previous instance being two years earlier. This season didn’t top that one overall, as that year two teams topped Boston University’s 24-win mark this season and both of those teams won a game in their postseason tournament, but there is reason to believe that the best is yet to come.
While it hasn’t been talked about as much as, say, the Colonial or the Missouri Valley in this context, the Southern Conference is a mid-major conference that has of late been hit hard by conference realignment. That will continue with Davidson heading to the Atlantic 10 after this season and Elon becoming the second team in as many years to leave for the CAA.
Davidson finished its tenure in the SoCon with a great year, going 15-1 in conference play before losing to Western Carolina in overtime in the semifinals of the conference tournament. It was the third straight season where the Wildcats had the best mark in conference play, and they went on to the NIT, losing to Missouri in the first round.
A year ago at this time, much about the American Athletic Conference was unknown. The conference had a new name for barely a month, and aside from that, what we knew it had was a bunch of schools that were breaking away from the old Big East. It did have an office – that which had long belonged to the Big East in Providence, even though Providence College would remain in the Big East.
But when the 2013-14 season was over, it was clear the conference had quite a bit going for it on the hardwood. They had the runner-up in the NIT and the national champion – not bad for a conference that barely existed a year before the season ended.
The new era in the Colonial Athletic Association has begun. While there was plenty of competitiveness, as expected, the conference is in a very different time now with arguably its three signature programs having left over the past two years.
Conference champion Delaware was a study in overcoming adversity all season long. The Blue Hens certainly had enough talent and experience to compete for the title, but suspensions of multiple players, including long ones to Devon Saddler and Jarvis Threatt, could have scuttled this magical season. They were challenged in the conference tournament, including in the title game, but as they did all year, they found a way to win.
Sacred Heart nearly had a big win in the Northeast Conference Tournament quarterfinals. That they instead dropped a tough one doesn’t change the strides they made, or the new challenge ahead.
North Carolina State appears to have put themselves in a good position for the NCAA Tournament, but they aren’t making this easy on themselves.
We look back at a very busy Saturday, one that was full of big games that included some conferences closing out their regular season with plenty of drama.
The Boston Winter Invitational is coming up on Sunday at UMass-Boston. Here is a look at some of what to expect in the four prep school games that are on the schedule.
Monday was the big day despite having just five games, as all were big matchups and most were nationally televised. There was plenty of talent in these games, and some big names played well.
It was a bad weather day outside, but fortunately we play the games indoors. Prep schools took center stage on a busy Sunday with some good talent and good games all the way to the end.
The Spalding Hoophall Classic picked up on Saturday, with a few good games, a couple of blowouts, then the best game of the day at the end. There was also plenty of good talent in each game.
Sunday was the day for a trip a little down the road from Saturday’s destination to check out some prep school action. We take a look at some notes from the day’s games in the Hoop Dreams Mag Prep Classic.
