In the season’s second week, a handful of teams stepped out to show that they’re going to be factors this winter. Some are familiar faces, while others have been waiting for their chance to catch the nation’s attention – and may be on the verge of doing so!
Saint Mary’s
Success is the expectation at Saint Mary’s, and Randy Bennett’s program is off to another strong start. It’s highly impressive because there was considerably more turnover than usual in Moraga this spring – both on the roster and Bennett’s coaching staff. It sure seems like Bennett & Co made sure to reel in enough talent to stay plenty competitive, though, and it’s showing already.
In addition to All-West Coast Conference stalwarts Augustas Marčiulionis and Mitchell Saxen, the Gaels have gotten impact performances from Paulius Murauskas and Mikey Lewis. A sophomore who played sparingly at Arizona a year ago, Murauskas began his SMC career by posting three double-doubles in a row. The Lithuanian forward looks like a prototype Gael: he fights on the glass and in the post defensively, has three-point range, and understands where to be at the right time to make smart plays. Lewis, meanwhile, is a 4-star true freshman from Oakland who has quickly shown a much-needed proclivity for making highlight-reel plays. After beating a trio of solid mid-major programs, SMC faced down a serious charge from Nebraska on a neutral floor on Sunday and Lewis was instrumental in getting victory. Along with four steals, Lewis was money down the stretch, hitting a couple of deep jumpers late and two free throws in the final seconds to sew up a 77-74 win.
The Gaels’ veteran core is as steady and solid as it gets, and their reliability is a foundation that Bennett knows he can build on. With tough-minded senior Luke Barrett stepping up on the wing and the additions of rapidly-improving youngsters, Saint Mary’s has the variety needed to bear good teams. Murauskas and Lewis are providing the pizzazz SMC worried it may have lost when Joshua Jefferson and Aidan Mahaney hit the portal. Their contributions will be increasingly necessary heading forward, and are giving opponents new things to worry about when facing the Gaels’ familiar faces.
Louisiana Tech
After their schedule ended up being festooned with close losses a year ago, Louisiana Tech is looking forward to bigger things. A solid start featuring two new rising stars has put momentum in the Dunkin’ Dogs’ corner. Everyone knows that they must stop Daniel Batcho inside: the Parisian pivot was a first-team All-CUSA pick a year ago. He’s shooting 86.4% from the floor so far, as the Bulldogs are finding creative ways to keep Batcho fed despite steady defensive attention.
What has LA Tech looking dangerous is the perimeter talent surrounding Batcho. Talvin Hester and his staff plucked a pair of former 4-star prospects away from obscurity on high-major teams this spring, and they’ve quickly proven integral to Tech. Neither Amaree Abram or Kaden Cooper played big minutes for Georgia Tech and Oklahoma last winter, but they’ve been two of Hester’s top scorers thus far. A combo guard who struggled with consistency and confidence for the Jackets, Abram has come out firing as a Bulldog and looks like a lead guard who can replace the 80 made triples and 13.9 points per game that graduated Tahlik Chavez poured in last year. Cooper isn’t much of a shooter, but he’s an explosive two-way player who has generated plenty of excitement already. He blocks shots and aggressively pressures opponents on the outside and is big and quick enough to cover people who try to drive Cooper towards the goal. If they can keep scoring efficiently, Sean Newman, Jr, will be able to keep up his excellent work running the show. After a steady debut for the Bulldogs a year ago, Newman has handed out 31 assists through three games and proven he will keep things moving smoothly. This group will need to show the killer instinct it lacked a year ago in order to reach its full potential, and the pieces are in place to roll towards a CUSA title.
Boise State
Last week we talked about how Boise State needed to get back on track as legitimate Mountain West title contenders after being decisively defeated at San Francisco. Sunday’s win over Clemson was a great step towards that ultimate goal. What had been a close game throughout the first half and into the second stanza became a convincing Bronco victory down the stretch, and it was Boise’s depth which won the day.
Everyone knows by now that Tyson Degenhart is a flat-out dude. He can lead the Broncos to great things, but each leading man needs some supporting actors, and Boise showed off its cast over the final 10+ minutes against Clemson. O’Mar Stanley fought through foul trouble to convert some late free throws and a big-time dunk. When the Tigers closed to within a 53-51 margin at the 10:40 mark, Javan Buchanan’s triple sparked an 11-2 run which put Boise ahead for the rest of the way. The Broncos’ prowess on the glass also shone, and a 27/30 performance at the charity stripe locked down victory.
Maybe the biggest development of Boise’s young season has been Andrew Meadow’s emergence. A big shooting wing who largely functioned as a reserve deep threat as a freshman, Meadow has shown glimmers of emerging as a fairly well-rounded scorer. He’s put up at least 11 points in each of Boise’s four games, and Meadow’s 18 yesterday marked a new career-high. With his and Buchanan’s contributions plus those of Stanley and savvy new point guard Álvaro Cardenas, the Broncos have very promising pieces who seem to fit well. The Dons exposed Boise’s limitations in preventing the dribble penetration of quality guards and Chase Hunter proved difficult to stop against Clemson, but this group is establishing advantages elsewhere.
Loyola Chicago
There’s plenty of talent and quality atop the Atlantic 10 this year, and Loyola Chicago is making its case to compete among the league’s best. The Ramblers’ first three wins didn’t come against particularly strong competition, but on Friday night they journeyed to Jadwin Coliseum for a genuine test against Princeton. The Tigers led an intense, back-and-forth contest as late as the 1:41 mark, but Loyola didn’t flinch. Jayden Dawson sank a triple to take re-the lead, and the Ramblers drew an offensive foul before Miles Rubin’s layup with just under a minute left provided breathing room.
Against Princeton star Caden Pierce, Rubin and his veteran counterpart Jalen DeLoach showed what they can do. Despite missing three of his four foul shots, Rubin posted an 11-point, 13-rebound double-double to go along with blocked shots. He’s earning a reputation as one of the most dangerous shot blockers in the country, and as Rubin’s patience and focus as an offensive piece come into focus, he’s looking like a true difference-maker. Loyola’s stable of guards is also an advantage, and Dawson appears to be taking a big step forward. He’s knocked down 14 triples at a 42.4% rate thus far while leading the Ramblers with a 16.5 scoring average. If Des Watson – a breakout star for the ‘Blers a year ago – can get rolling once again, Loyola should push towards a place atop the A10 for the second straight year.
North Texas
In preparation for a tough game in Lake Charles tonight, North Texas went to the Twin Cities and picked up a win. In knocking off Minnesota on the road, the Mean Green showed that, as usual, their defense will travel this year. UNT dragged the Gophers into a rock fight and made enough plays late to hold on. Though the Mean Green themselves didn’t score for more than three minutes late as Minnesota mounted a comeback, Jasper Floyd’s full-court inbound pass and resulting dunk by Brenen Lorient put the finishing touch on a confidence-boosting win.
Last year UNT ranked 69th in the country in offensive rebounding and their reload opportunities often helped the Mean Green to avoid what could have been scoring droughts. Thus far, UNT is sitting at 63rd in the country in that category and buying themselves vital second chances. Led by Floyd and Atin Wright, North Texas has plenty of experience and versatility in its backcourt. With a swarming defense and plenty of hustle on the boards, UNT must keep finding ways to manufacture easy buckets. Floyd’s dynamism in making things happen off the bounce has already proven one of the keys to the Mean Green’s offense. His cohort of veteran guards tends to focus on shooting from the outside. If UNT can splash their deep balls at McNeese State while stifling the Cowboys as effectively as they did the Gophers, Ross Hodge’s crew can make it to 4-0 on the young season.
Hofstra
If there’s one thing that Speedy Claxton has proven since becoming Hofstra’s head coach is that he knows how to develop talented guards. It’s happening again, and this year’s crop of improving players is set to lead Claxton’s team into the thick of CAA title contention. The Pride is building a three-headed backcourt monster composed of Jean Aranguren, Cruz Davis, and Jaquan Sanders. Each of them is new to playing big minutes at Hofstra, but they’ve come together quickly.
As a trio, they’re averaging 50.0 points through four games, with Aranguren taking charge as a do-it-all lead guard. One of three members of the Pride who used to play for Iona, Aranguren is enjoying the beginnings of a breakout season. A physical defender who’s strong on the glass, Aranguren has been scoring from anywhere inside halfcourt so far while doing a great job of creating for his buddies. A feisty youngster who’s been very effective driving the ball, Davis is another former Gael and his rapport with Aranguren is plain to see. He’s sharing the playmaking duties with Aranguren, and Davis has gotten to the foul line 28 times already through four contests, converting 24 of those freebies. Though Claxton lost big-time production to the lucrative transfer portal for the second year in a row, he has guys who’ve hit the ground running in providing the Pride with steady offense. Charleston and Towson will be a couple of very strong contenders for the CAA championship this season, but Hofstra has won 20+ games in each of Claxton’s first three seasons on the job and it appears that the streak is in great shape to continue.
Shoutouts
High Point and Longwood have both started well, and the battle atop the Big South this year should be a good one. Longwood has to overhaul its roster this spring, but Griff Aldrich hasn’t piled up 67 wins and a pair of conference championships over the past three years by accident. KJ McClurg and Colby Garland are legit headliners for a young, rapidly-improving backcourt which should keep the Lancers right in the conference race all the way through March. High Point, meanwhile, has high-major talent all over the floor and can, at times, look truly dominant. The rivalry between the Big South’s top two will only become more intense as another winter of head-on competition continues.
There’s less and less prestige in beating Villanova each week, these days. Even so, as part of a 5-0 start for Columbia, knocking off Nova is worth a mention. The Ivy League has some strong teams at the top with usual suspects Princeton and Yale; can the Lions force their way into the race? Geronimo Rubio de la Rosa has been a dude so far: 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game on prodigious 48.7% shooting from the land of trey. Meanwhile, down in Greenville, Bob Richey has retooled his Paladins – to absolutely no one’s surprise. Despite serious losses to the portal and high major programs this spring, Furman is off to a promising start behind the outstanding play of returning starters PJay Smith. The Dins are also seeing the benefit of Richey’s last couple of recruiting classes, as young guys have clearly been developing behind the now-departed stars. With Chattanooga stumbling out of the gates, there’s a real opportunity for the Dins to return to the top of this year’s SoCon.
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