2019-20 National Rankings

[Bluzrover]

I have to admit I was excited when A-Lo announced his decision to attend Wichita State, and then bummed when he announced he was headed to Memphis instead, then impressed when Marshall willingly let him go, and now somewhat okay with the fact he hasn't quite lived up to the hype and is sitting the bench in Memphis. I think we're just fine with the current crop of guards and am getting really excited to see the three new comers in Etienne, Sherfield and Fernandes. This is going to be fun, sometimes frustrating, maddening and downright perplexing, but fun!

[Stickboy46]

I have to admit I was excited when A-Lo announced his decision to attend Wichita State, and then bummed when he announced he was headed to Memphis instead, then impressed when Marshall willingly let him go, and now somewhat okay with the fact he hasn't quite lived up to the hype and is sitting the bench in Memphis. I think we're just fine with the current crop of guards and am getting really excited to see the three new comers in Etienne, Sherfield and Fernandes. This is going to be fun, sometimes frustrating, maddening and downright perplexing, but fun!

Burton has a nearly identical game to Lomax. Except Burton is taller and better. Even if Lomax stayed last season, he would have been on my list to transfer out this year.

[abdullah_sharif]

I have to admit I was excited when A-Lo announced his decision to attend Wichita State, and then bummed when he announced he was headed to Memphis instead, then impressed when Marshall willingly let him go, and now somewhat okay with the fact he hasn't quite lived up to the hype and is sitting the bench in Memphis. I think we're just fine with the current crop of guards and am getting really excited to see the three new comers in Etienne, Sherfield and Fernandes. This is going to be fun, sometimes frustrating, maddening and downright perplexing, but fun!

exactly why i don't get too excited about recruits until they hit the floor.

[WuShock Reaper]

College basketball rankings: SN's updated preseason top 25 for 2019-20 - Sporting News

BY MIKE DECOURCY
POSTED: 10/17/19

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-sns-updated-preseason-top-25-for-2019-20/1u31br6whmex11sssvkmg8g6xz

"Is it weird that the biggest star in college basketball entering the 2019-20 season is a senior? There is no Zion Williamson or Marvin Bagley or Andrew Wiggins entering college basketball this year, and the closest thing we have — dynamic 7-1 center James Wiseman — has enrolled not at a blue blood, but at a faded power one of its legendary figures is trying to revive.

Instead of a one-and-done superstar serving as the face of the college basketball season, we have Michigan State’s Cassius Winston: not expected to be an NBA first-round pick, not someone who’ll constantly be discussed by those obsessed with “draft stock” — but instead an elite college player who makes his team better, and who could lead the Spartans to their first NCAA championship in 20 years.

With that, Sporting News' (updated) preseason top 25 for the 2019-20 college basketball season:...

21. VCU Rams
The Rams made little impact on the 2019 NCAA Tournament, but they were not the first (or last, right Duke?) team vexed by UCF center Tacko Fall. There’ll be no more 7-6 dudes standing in VCU’s way now, and the top five scorers from last year’s 25-win team remain to keep the Rams as the team to beat in the Atlantic 10...

8. Memphis Tigers
Key returnees: PF Isaiah Maurice, PG Tyler Harris, PG Alex Lomax
Key additions: C James Wiseman, PF Precious Achiuwa, SF D.J. Jeffries, SG Boogie Ellis, PG Damion Baugh, SG Lester Quinones
2019 finish: 22-14, NIT second round
Strengths: Pro-level talent, frontcourt depth, dynamism
Weaknesses: Experience

If it were John Calipari or Mike Krzyzewski with this collection of freshmen, we would expect either one to figure out how to put it all together into a championship contender. Penny Hardaway has only a year of Division I coaching experience, but we will give him the benefit of the doubt and see how it goes. Wiseman is an extraordinary talent, a dynamic 7-footer who moves like a wing player but has the muscle of a true power forward. The team has an abundance of size and multiple point guard options.,,,"

[WuShock Reaper]

https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll

#14 Memphis
#25 VCU
#36 Houston
#38 Cincinnati

[Cdizzle]

Lot of unjustified love for the P12, IMO.

[WuShock Reaper]

Ranking every college basketball team from No. 1 to 353 for 2019-20 and an interesting fact on every team

by Matt Norlander
posted: 10/22/19, 11:00am cst

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ranking-every-college-basketball-team-from-no-1-to-353-for-2019-20-and-an-interesting-fact-on-every-team/

"Matt Norlander's annual extravaganza of looking at all 353 teams is back for the 2019-20 season

I don't run from my issues, I embrace them. Yes, I have a problem. Every October, as my family has come to expect and dread, I can't stop ranking college basketball teams. As in, every single one of them. Three-hundred-and-fifty-freaking-three. I consult the data, check rosters, check in with coaches, rank and re-rank and then re-rank another 50-or-so times. It's wacko. I love it.

So here I am again for you, college hoops fan, to help guide you along the way of the 2019-20 season. While there are ever-valuable metrics out there that have assorted all 353 teams in college basketball, this is the only place you'll find all 353 in order based on fallible human research and inner-monologue doubt -- with written capsules for each, in an easily readable and reliable location!

And I always take a few chances. With so many teams, accurate predictions for 32 leagues is impossible. So you'll find a few schools slotted well higher or lower than they're positioned elsewhere. I spent the past month building this, and since this ranking is already long enough, I won't waste any more of your time. Enjoy the annual 1-353 rankings, then come find me on Twitter (@MattNorlander) and we'll chat about it....

12 Cincinnati - No coach at a new spot inherits a better situation this season than 45-year-old John Brannen, who bumped up from Northern Kentucky to UC after Mick Cronin left his alma mater to take the UCLA job. Brannen will have a potential All-American in senior tweener Jarron Cumberland (18.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.6 apg, 38.8% 3-point shooting). Cumberland will probably put up gaudy enough stats that, if UC can be a top-15 team (I'm probably higher on Cincinnati than anyone else in national media), he'll have a chance at national player of the year. The Bearcats should have

13 Memphis - The Tigers are the most interesting team in college basketball this season. No one really knows how good Penny Hardaway and the No. 1-ranked recruiting class of 2019 will be. Might be a No. 1 seed. Might be a No. 8 seed. I'll lean closer to the former, but hesitate against crowning this group in advance of seeing them play a game. James Wiseman should be a top-five pick come June, but what of Boogie Ellis, Precious Achiuwa, Damion Baugh and D.J. Jeffries? And do you realize that NINE players on this roster have freshman designation? What a fascinating experiment this will be.

22 VCU - If senior point guard Marcus Evans remains healthy, VCU is going to be back in a spot where it's vying for top-five seeding, which happened in back-to-back years in 2013 and '14. The Rams have depth, should be a top-10-level defensive team and will fight with Davidson atop a much improved Atlantic 10. It's good to see the A-10 back in the mix with one of its three most important programs built to win 25-plus games.

32 Houston - The Coogs have sold out their season-tickets allotment -- for the first time in 20 years -- and it's on account that this team should be top-three quality in the AAC. I have that much faith in Kelvin Sampson's program, which lost big pieces off a 33-4 team but should see DeJon Jarreau step into the light. Plus, Quentin Grimes was approved for a waiver, which is of major consequence in a good way.

44 West Virginia - This is a big jump ahead for the Mountaineers, who were forgettable last season but are expected by every Big 12 coach to take massive strides. Power forward Derek Culver is now the BMOC in Morgantown, but I think freshman Oscar Tshiebwe will shine early. The Mountaineers bring back four starters. Bob Huggins teams are almost never bad in back-to-back seasons.

47 Wichita State - Gregg Marshall's team is gonna win a few this season it probably shouldn't. The Shockers don't have a star, but they'll be as hard-nosed defensively as any club in the AAC. With the right schedule breaks, the Shockers can make the NCAAs.

54 Connecticut...
55. South Florida...
62 Ole Miss...
65 Oklahoma St....
71. Oklahoma: ...
83. SMU:...
86. South Carolina:...
99. Temple:...
100. UCF:...
117. Tulsa:...
131. Northern Iowa:...
132. East Carolina: ...
140. Gardner-Webb:...
185. Omaha:...
194. Tulane:...
210. UT Martin: ...
236. Oral Roberts: ...
274. Abilene Christian: ...
286. Central Arkansas: ..."

[Aargh]

Omaha to the MVC! Looks like they're at a point where they'd fit right in.

[WuShock Reaper]

Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll - Preseason

https://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/polls/coaches-poll/

#15 - Memphis
#26 - VCU
#32 - Houston
#46 - Oklahoma

AAC Conference Voter - Ron Hunter, Tulane

[WuShock Reaper]

Five teams snubbed in the USA TODAY Sports preseason men's basketball poll - USA Today

Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY
Published 12:03 p.m. ET Oct. 24, 2019 | Updated 4:13 p.m. ET Oct. 24, 2019

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...wn/4061345002/

The USA TODAY Sports men's basketball preseason poll has been unveiled for the 2019-20 season, set to tip off in two weeks.

While the votes for the poll are based on returning and incoming talent, and the strength of an overall program, there's always a handful of teams left out that were on the cusp of the Top 25 and are deserving based on their 2019-20 potential.

A look at five snubbed teams from this year's preseason poll:...

Virginia Commonwealth (25-8 in 2018-19). Coach Mike Rhoades welcomes back a senior-laden roster that was a No. 8 seed in last year's NCAAs. The Rams will be deep and experienced in 2019-20, led by veteran guard Marcus Evans. Look for the re-branded version of VCU to make some serious noise come March. The Rams could be benefited by a better Atlantic 10 this year; while they'll be the favorites, a balanced Davidson team also capable of being in the top 25 will add conference strength (and an NET boost). ..."

[AZ Shocker]

That's a snub alright. Geez.

[kcshocker11]

https://kenpom.com/?fbclid=IwAR3D_2YtgAckYPSxDvAKkJ5N-bmW7PbV7yAICdS6jSl5UcYA10cKKDW2ARM

[WuShock Reaper]

Ranking Every Team in College Basketball, From Michigan State (No. 1) to UMES (No. 353) - Sports Illustrated

MOLLY GEARY AND JOE WILKINSON
UPDATED:NOV 1, 2019ORIGINAL:NOV 1, 2019

https://www.si.com/college/2019/11/01/ncaa-basketball-rankings-every-team-duke-kentucky

"From the Top 25 to the teams fighting to stay out of conference basements, this is SI's preseason ranking of every team in college hoops.

The great joy and the ultimate frustration of each college basketball season lies in the information overload. With hundreds of games every weekend setting the tone for 32 different conference races and building toward the selection of 68 teams to play for a national championship, it is impossible to process every significant event that happens on the hardcourt between early November and early April. That has led to the rise of several statistical databases, ratings systems and performance metrics designed to distill the lessons of each game into a digestible format. Those tools may be finely tuned and authoritative, but no one number tells the story of an entire season. That’s why we set out on an ambitious project....

16. Memphis (1st in AAC): The beauty of landing five top 60 recruits in the nation’s No. 1–ranked class is that they don’t all have to thrive right away. Even if, say, 6' 9" wing Precious Achiuwa (No. 15) and 6' 3" guard Boogie Ellis (No. 38) struggle, 7' 1" James Wiseman (No. 1), 6' 7" forward D.J. Jeffries (No. 52) and 6' 5" guard Lester Quinones (No. 58) can pick up the slack.

22. VCU (1st in A-10): Guard Marcus Evans, a 6'2" redshirt senior, was basically the Rams’ entire offense last year; another threat (possibly 6' 6" sophomore Vince Williams) needs to emerge. With more than 80% of the team’s minutes returning, the pressure D should be ferocious, as usual.

31. Houston (2nd in AAC) got a preseason boost when the NCAA granted the waiver for Kansas transfer Quentin Grimes to play immediately, and the Cougars’ backcourt of Grimes, DeJon Jarreau and Nate Hinton will be their strength.

35. Ole Miss (5th in SEC)
39. Cincinnati (3rd in AAC)
47. West Virginia (5th in Big 12) - Cancun Challenge
49. New Mexico State (1st in WAC)
52. Oklahoma State (6th in Big 12)
58. Temple (4th in AAC)
59. East Tennessee State (1st in Southern)
60. South Florida (5th in AAC)
61. Wichita State (6th in AAC)
64. Oklahoma (8th in Big 12)
79. South Carolina (13th in SEC) - Cancun Challenge
80. UConn (7th in AAC)
85. SMU (8th in AAC)
97. Missouri State (1st in MVC)
102. Tulsa (9th in AAC)
106. Northern Iowa (2nd in MVC) - Cancun Challenge
132. UCF (10th in AAC)
168. Gardner-Webb (2nd in Big South) - Cancun Challenge
185. Oral Roberts (3rd in Summit)
208. Nebraska Omaha (4th in Summit)
249. Tennessee Martin (6th in OVC) - Cancun Challenge
272. East Carolina (11th in AAC)
279. Tulane (12th in AAC)
287. Texas Southern (3rd in SWAC)
289. Abilene Christian (5th in Southland)
312. Central Arkansas (8th in Southland)..."

[Kel Varnsen]

Shocks debut at #50 in Sagarin ratings.

http://sagarin.com/sports/cbsend.htm

AAC Teams in the Top 100:
#18 Houston
#28 Memphis
#32 Cincinnati
#50 Wichita State
#83 UConn
#87 USF
#88 Temple
#97 SMU

[im4wsu]

Shocks debut at #50 in Sagarin ratings.

http://sagarin.com/sports/cbsend.htm

AAC Teams in the Top 100:
#18 Houston
#28 Memphis
#32 Cincinnati
#50 Wichita State
#83 UConn
#87 USF
#88 Temple
#97 SMU

Just to complete the conference,

#106 UCF
#138 Tulsa
#218 ECU
#257 Tulane