ATR: Upsets welcome Bulldogs, Beavers …

Around the Rim (ATR) … this wasn’t the way Mississippi State or Oregon State imagined their season openers: Rider rode into Starkville on Friday night (the 13th no less) and rode out with an 88-74 upset of Top 25-ranked Mississippi State.  Meanwhile on the islands - actually the Duel in the Desert – the Islanders of Texas A&M CC stuck a few cactus needles in the Beavers and beat OSU 67-43.   Wake-up call anyone?  Remember, Syracuse lost a preseason home game to Le Moyne (Division II) and has since breezed past Albany and Robert Morris.

The good news?  It’s a long season.  Every team hits its bumps and takes its lumps.  Much better to be in November than February.  Consider too that Rider is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) – the same league as Siena and Niagara: two teams easily capable of making the NCAAs.  Siena is the favorite and anyone who watched the Saints last March knows how dangerous they’ll be again.  They are a projected 8-seed in our preseason bracket.  The bad news?  Oregon State plays a suspect non-conference schedule.  Other than Texas Tech, there’s little substance before the Pac-10 opener at Washington on December 31.  How the Beavers perform in league play will ultimately determine their NCAA hopes.  But they don’t want to make a habit of acquiring questionable losses – particularly by 24 points.   Then again, maybe TAM-CC will be the next Cinderella.

Thoughts from opening Friday … Seton Hall needed a 28-foot three-pointer from Eugene Harvey at the buzzer to overtake St. Peters 53-51.  Pittsburgh survived Wofford 63-60 and Pac-10 favorite Washington nipped Wright State 74-69.  By the way, the Wright State Raiders are solid and should challenge Butler in the Horizon League.  BU is the heavy favorite, but WSU won’t go away quietly and an upset in the league tourney could easily open the door for the Horizon to put two teams in the Field of 65 again.   Some NCAA heavyweights start bumping into each other next week.   More to come then.   Remember to check the Schedule page for noteworthy games.  As always, send a rebound.

Preseason 2010 NCAA Tournament Projection

November 10 …

The 2009-10 NCAA season is now underway.  Why not have a little fun?  I’ve posted our official Preseason 2010 NCAA Bracket Projection.  Can you believe it’s time again for college hoops?  A long road awaits – promising plenty of twists and turns.  Invite your friends and join along.  I’m sure there will be several changes as we move forward.  Here’s to a great November!  Have a thought?  Send me a rebound – Dave.

Archive: Final 2009 NCAA Tournament Projection

What a great first year online for Bracketville!  Thanks to everyone who followed along. 

Updated Power 24: Kansas opens at No. 1

     With the 2009-10 men’s college basketball season ready for tip-off, the season-opening Power 24 at Bracketville is all set.   No surprise, the Kansas Jayhawks open the season ranked No. 1.  Competition should be fierce, however.  Close on the Jayhawks’ heels: Michigan State, Texas, North Carolina, and Kentucky round out the top five teams.  Our next update will be Sunday, November 22.  Then, I’ll follow with another after the Thanksgiving tournaments wrap-up.  Should be an exciting November.  As always, if you have thoughts, please share.  Send a rebound – Dave.

Season games open November 9

    Now that Midnight Madness has officially opened practice, we look forward to the first regular season games.  Those begin Monday, November 9 as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer classic.  There are four games scheduled on the 9th.  Teams hosting games include Ohio State, North Carolina, Syracuse and California.  All are projected NCAA teams.  I’ve also re-launched the Schedule page; you can view upcoming games on the page.  As the season progresses we list games that my have an impact on conference standings and/or NCAA-consideration.  The first full-slate of games is scheduled for Friday, November 9.  There’s still time to vote in our NCAA-favorite poll.  I’ll release results in a couple of weeks.