Analysis

At Pechanga Arena in San Diego. We’re a bit excited about the venue for this San Diego State-Colorado matchup, actually a few miles away from the Aztecs’ on-campus Viejas Arena. It’s the first annual Bill Walton Classic at what they now call Pechanga Arena, nearby Sea World and Mission Bay but with a long history dating to its mid-60s opening when known simply as the San Diego International Sports Arena. Among notable moments at the arena are two NBA franchises (the expansion Rockets, beginning in 1967-68, before moving to Houston four years later, and the Clippers, who arrived in 1978 after eight seasons as the Buffalo Braves, only to leave after six seasons for Los Angeles), the NCAA Final Four in 1975 and John Wooden’s final championship at UCLA, and, lest we forget, where Ken Norton broke Muhammad Ali’s jaw on March 31, 1973 en route to a stunning split-decision win. Not to mention more concerts and music superstars than we can count, though the arena might be on its last legs as Stan Kroenke has developmental rights to the property and has plans to build a new 16,000-seat venue at the site. It was also the home of the Aztecs for many years, so it’s a return back in time for SDSU, and in what might be one of the last hurrahs for their old building, we’d expect the Aztecs to have a spring in their step. Brian Dutcher is thinking his troops can make some real noise in the new Pac-12, too, especially with ex-San Jose State G Latrell Davis beyond a redshirt year (when he was often the best player at practices) and, as expected, quickly establishing himself as the man after a 25-point showcase in a blowout win over CS Fullerton in the opener. There are also high hopes for bruising 6-10 pivot Bear Cherry, a double-digit scorer at both UNLV and Sac State the past two seasons but having played just six games for the Hornets a year ago before injuring a knee, while 6-5 frosh wing Elzie Harringson (15 points vs. the Titans in the opener) looks poised for a breakthrough. This won’t be easy on Saturday, however, as Tad Boyle’s Buffs usually fare pretty well in non-league play before the Big 12 portion of the schedule becomes an issue. Perhaps the 58-point second half in the opener vs. Abilene Christian will be a preview of coming attractions for Colorado, as Boyle is counting on several of last year’s reserves plus ex-NC-Greensboro F Justin Neely (averaged a double-double last season) to complement lone returning starter G Barrington Hargress (14.7 ppg last year), the only one of last year’s top four scorers not to hit the portal. Yet if Davis and Cherry prove the sort of spark for Dutcher that many expect, the Aztecs ought to honor their old home building properly on Saturday.
Play San Diego State

At Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Like at many locales, Providence is waiting on the courts in the Friars’ case involving former 6-8 G-League wing Dink Pate, who is expected to make an immediate impact...if and when he can get on the floor. Stay tuned for further developments. Pate’s eligibility, however, is just one of several intriguing developments to watch in Friar-town, where the arrival of HC Bryan Hodgson has the masses excited after three years of lots-of-style-but-not-much-substance with Kim English. To wit: English had the nation’s 15th-best scoring offense at 85.3 ppg last season but could only get Ernie D’s alma mater to 7-13 in the Big East, not good enough at this proud hoops outpost. Meanwhile, Hodgson has spent the past three years getting Arkansas State and South Florida to punch above their weight, the capper his lone season at Tampa a year ago when his Bulls scored at an 87.3 pog clip (eighth nationally) and made the Dance for the first time since 2012. In the meantime, while they wait for Pate’s eligibility issues to sort, Hodges troops are off and running, scoring 83 on slow-paced Maine in the opener when various new faces hit the ground running, including ex-UNLV C Jacob Bannarbie 914 points) and ex-Harvard/Georgetown G Malik Mack (12 points), a double-digit scorer in all three of his college seasons to date. The host Huskers, however, had plenty of go-go of their own last season for Fred Hoiberg, as Nebraska reached its first-ever Sweet 16. Hoiberg is plugging in four new starters around sharpshooter Pryce Sandfort (181 ppg; third nationally with 129 triples) and designated dagger-thrower Braden Frager, who hit 57 triples off the bench last season, though it’s new faces like 6-9 frosh Jacob Lanier (11 points in opener), ex-Utah Valley G Trevon Leonhardt, and redshirt H Connor Essegian who are joining Sandfort and Frager in a new-look Huskers bomb squad that hit for 14 triples in the opening romp past Le Moyne. As Big East sources expect Providence to play at a similar tempo under Hodgson as the Friars did under English, and shooters galore on Hoiberg’s Huskers roster, the scoreboard operator ought to be busy tonight in this not-so-neutral site venue.
Play the Over

Before this new hoops campaign begins to really cook, at this stage we are apt to dole out mulligans for last season, and we’ve been thinking since last December that Buzz Williams was going to be due one of those at Maryland. The combination of a late start on his new job, some early injuries, and a difficult early slate put the Terps behind the eight ball almost from the off last year, but Buzz has won too often in the past to stay down for long. As it didn’t take him long to get recent assignments at Virginia Tech and Texas A&M up to speed, we and some Big Ten insiders suspect that now is when the “Buzz Factor” kicks into gear at College Park. Williams had to like what he saw in the opening cruise past Bucknell as new faces like 6-9 F Tomislav Buljan (via New Mexico) and G DJ Wagner (via Araknsas) both scored in double-digits in limited minutes, while holdovers G Andre Mills (12.2 ppg LY) and F Pharrel Payne (17.5 ppg a year ago when limited to just 10 games due to injury) combined for 35 points in an impressive new-seaspo premier. Meanwhile, we’re done handing out mulligans to Ed Cooley at Georgetown, as it’s time for the Hoyas to get moving again after a 43-57 mark the past three years with Cooley. There is hope that Pitt transfer G Jaland Lowe (16.8 ppg last season for Panthers; scored 23 in the opening win over Loyola-Md) can provide the missing spark, and at one time, much-traveled 7-1 holdover and fifth-year Vince Iwuchukwu (who scored 21 in the opener vs. the Greyhounds) was regarded as a blue-chip prospect when signing at Southern Cal, before his career was temporarily stalled by a heart condition. The Hoyas, however, did nothing particularly well last season (certainly not shooting, just 44% from the floor and 31.8% beyond the arc), and this Beltway Battle is more likely to announce Maryland as the most-relevant entry in the Capital Region.
Play Maryland

Coaches have long been swimming upstream at San Jose State, which hasn’t made the Big Dance in over 30 years, when Stan Morrison took an 8th-place finisher in the old Big West into the tourney. Yet we know that HC Tim Miles can scheme with anyone, and now that the playing field (court?) might be leveling a bit more for the Spartans, perhaps a breakthrough is on the horizon. The “leveling” is courtesy of the Silicon Valley-based booster class ponying up a reported $4 million-plus for NIL expenditures, and while that wasn’t enough to keep last year’s leading scorer G Colby Garland (20.3 ppg) from taking a seven-figure offer from Georgia Tech, Miles was able to replenish a roster that has a different starting five for the third straight year. Early returns have been encouraging, as ex-San Diego and Arkansas State G Joey Chammaa burned a stunned UTSA with 27 points as SJSU opened some eyes when scoring a 95-74 shocker over the Roadrunners in Monday’s opener. Along with ex-Rice and Wake Forest G Mekhi Mason (a double-digit scorer in the past) adding 26 points of his own, Miles has the makings of a potent mix at a program that once featured the likes of Dr. Harry Edwards and long-ago ABA dunkmeister Darnell Hillman. Speaking of Hillman, he might have come in handy vs. the many tall trees on Russell Turner’s UCI roster that now features 7-9 Canadian via Florida transfer Olivier Roux, who went for 13 and 12 in the opener vs. Chapman, while there are high hopes for frosh G Josiah Johnson, one of six double-digit scorers in the opener. Still, HC Russell Turner will be hard-pressed to replace 6-10 Kyle Evans, a workaholic on the blocks while among the nation’s leaders in blocked shots but now at NC State, last year's top scorer G Jurian Dixon (15.9 ppg; now Virginia), and classy G Derin Saran, and Turner will have have to spot the plodding Roux’s minutes carefully as he’s too slow to be effective in anything other than a zone defense when he can simply act as a goalie in front of the bucket. If Miles has something more than recent years, as some Mountain West onlookers suspect, we should find out tonight.
Play San Jose State

Pretty soon, we’ll find out how good Santa Clara might be, and if Herb Sendek has the team to beat as the post-Gonzaga era in the WCC begins. A succession of mid-major heavyweights is on the schedule the next month, but until we get there, the Broncos are sending out warning shots to future opponents by rolling past competent mid-level opposition (Towson and Milwaukee) the past week. It’s still early, but it looks like SCU has no shortage of weapons, as Sendek’s updated personnel mix is scoring at a robust 92 ppg. Beginning to make his presence felt, as many expected, is Kansas State transfer G David Castillo, a double-digit scorer in the Big 12 last season and already tallying 14 pg for Sendek’s balanced lineup, all while effectively playing just half of the first two games. Castillo is also hitting triples at 40% as the Broncos are picking up where they left off with last year’s bomb squad, and hitting 40.3% from beyond the El Camino Real in the first two games. There’s also a ferocious new interior presence in 6-7, 250-lb. Iowa transfer Chris Tadjo, who redshirted last season after moving from Iowa but has looked positively beastly off of the glass, inhaling 8.5 rpg while averaging just 18 minutes of court time (limited because of foul troubles resulting from his bruising style). Meanwhile Mike Bibby has assembled a cast of portal adds for his second Sacramento State team that makes the move into the Big West this season after a bumpy 10-21 ride a year ago in the Big Sky. New weapons like CS Northridge (and former Saint Louis) G Larry Hughes II, who scored 17.7 pg last term with the Matadors and hit for 24 in the opener vs. lower-tier William Jessup, are cause for mild optimism with the Hornets. Bibby, however, doesn’t have the depth at his disposal or former power conference recruits as does Sendek to be thinking upset at the Leavey Center. Instead, Bibby’s bunch is likely going to be reduced to trying to keep the score down in the later going.
Play Santa Clara

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