2020-21 Men’s College Basketball Early Season Tournaments (CoVID Changes)--Blogging The Bracket
On-Campus Events
Wed.–Sun., Nov. 25–29: Lexington, Ky. (Jeff Goodman)
Teams: Detroit Mercy Titans (Horizon), Kentucky Wildcats (SEC), Morehead State Eagles (OVC), Richmond Spiders (A 10)
Nebraska MTE
Wed., Nov. 25–Wed., Dec. 2: Lincoln, Neb. (Jon Rothstein; Jeff Borzello; Matt Norlander)
Teams: Cleveland State Vikings (Horizon,
Paradise Jam), Colorado State Rams (MW, Paradise Jam), LSU Tigers (SEC,
Gotham Classic), Illinois State Redbirds (MVC, Cancun Challenge),
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Ten, Myrtle Beach Invitational), Nevada Wolf
Pack (MW, Cayman Islands Classic), Northern Iowa Panthers (MVC, Cayman
Islands Classic), Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big 12, Charleston Classic),
San Francisco Dons (WCC, MGM Resorts Main Event), others TBA
Xavier MTE
Wed.–Fri., Nov. 25–27: Cincinnati (Brian Hamilton and Hugh Kellenberger, The Athletic)
Teams: Bradley Braves (MVC, Paradise
Jam), Oakland Golden Grizzlies (Horizon, Dana Point Challenge), Toledo
Rockets (MAC, Bahamas Showcase), Xavier Musketeers (Big East, Orlando
Invitational)
Milwaukee MTE
Fri.–Sun., Nov. 27–29: Milwaukee, Wis. (Jeff Goodman)
Teams: Ball State Cardinals (MAC),
Milwaukee Panthers (Horizon), North Dakota State Bison (Summit), So
Mississippi Golden Eagles (C-USA)
Youngstown State MTE
Fri.–Sun., Nov. 27–29: Youngstown, Ohio (Jeff Goodman)
Teams: Eastern Michigan Eagles (MAC), SIU Edwardsville Cougars (OVC), Youngstown State Penguins (Horizon)
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Busting Brackets309. Dennis Gates (Cleveland State) (Last year: 336)
Gates took over Cleveland State last year after Dennis Felton was
fired in the summer, leaving the former Florida State assistant in not
the best position. Regardless, Gates put together a competitive roster
and won 11 games in his first season, a more than solid effort.
Cleveland State has struggled in the Horizon League in recent years, but
Gates’s experience and pedigree will certainly have a positive impact
going forward for the Vikings.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets106. Mike Davis (Detroit) (Last year: 85)
- Overall record: 371-284
- Final Four in 2002
Davis has had quite the coaching career, succeeding Bob Knight at
Indiana, coaching at UAB and Texas Southern before landing with the
Titans in 2018. He transformed Texas Southern into the best program in
the SWAC but is struggling with Detroit and is just 19-43 to this point.
His son Antoine is starring for the Titans but the result has not been a
winning program.
Titans To Host Basketball Media Event On Tuesday--detroittitans.com
UWGB men's basketball team lands Racine St. Catherine's star--
Green Bay Press GazetteBuilding a fence: Green Bay’s 2021 class stacked with in-state talent--
Phear The PhoenixNCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets354. Will Ryan (Green Bay) (Last year: N/A)
Green Bay’s head coaching change was a bit of a head-scratcher, even
if Ryan is the son of legendary former Wisconsin coach Bo. He spent last
season as head coach of Wheeling, his only head coaching experience,
but has spent nearly two decades at the D1 level as an assistant. He
picked up valuable experience under his father and Saul Phillips, but is
he the guy to turn Green Bay around again?
FORMER JAG NAMED RECIPIENT OF 2019-20 END OF SEASON NBA CARES COMMUNITY ASSIST AWARD--
iupuijags.comNCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets327. Byron Rimm (IUPUI) (Lasts year: 330)
Rimm was made interim head coach last season following Jason
Gardner’s fall from grace and has retained the position heading into
year two. The Jaguars won just seven games last season, flailing to a
last-place finish in the Horizon League. It’s hard to make considerable
progress as an interim, but Rimm did spend a decade as head coach at
Prairie View A&M and has shown he has the ability to run and
stabilize a program.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets306. Pat Baldwin (Milwaukee) (Last year: 283)
Baldwin bounced around as an assistant, spending time at Loyola and
Northwestern among others, before taking over Milwaukee three seasons
ago. Unfortunately, he’s yet to make a big impact with the Panthers,
winning just 9 and 12 games in his last two seasons. He’s a great
recruiter, and there’s still time to turn things around, but former
coach Rob Jeter was fired for winning at a much higher rate, surely
Baldwin’s time will run out without immediate improvement.
Roar Report Feature: The Long-Awaited (Safe) Return to Campus--mkepanthers.com
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets101. Darrin Horn (Northern Kentucky) (Last year: 100)
A former head coach at Western Kentucky and South Carolina, Horn
finally returned as head coach with the Norse this season and the
results were pretty good. He inherited a Northern Kentucky team in
fantastic shape and led them to the Horizon League Tournament title in
his first year, even while filling some major holes on the roster. He
took Western Kentucky to the Sweet Sixteen in 2008; could he bring this
talented Norse program to a similar summit?
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets140. Greg Kampe (Oakland) (Last year: 126)
Kampe took over the Oakland program in 1984 and has remained ever
since, leading the program into D1 and now the Horizon League along the
way. He took the Golden Grizzlies to a trio of NCAA Tournaments while in
the Summit League but has yet to do the same since joining the Horizon
seven years ago. The program has seen a decrease in wins in each of the
last three seasons, but can Kampe turn things around once more?
BEAR IN MIND PODCAST: GREG KAMPE--goldengrizzlies.com
MEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: OCT. 8--goldengrizzlies.com
KENDRICK NUNN AND MIAMI HEAT TOP LA LAKERS IN GAME FIVE OF NBA FINALS--goldengrizzlies.com
Oakland Women’s Basketball Notebook: Oct. 7--goldengrizzlies.com
Mailbag: The best 1-bid leagues and Alan Alda--
Mid-Major Madness
@jmchugh131: How does Purdue Fort Wayne do in its first season in the Horizon League?
The Dons don’t project to be great, especially with the losses of Brian Patrick and Matt Holba. But all is not lost. In addition to bringing back Jarred Godfrey (15.6 points per game), they gain two key transfers — Ra Kpedi from Vermont, who sat out last season, and immediately eligible Bobby Planutis from St. Bonaventure. As a sophomore with the Catamounts, Kpedi started six games for a loaded squad and shot 58% from the floor. Planutis showed flashes of promise in the Atlantic 10, scoring in double-figures five times last season.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--Busting Brackets
190. Jon Coffman (Purdue-Fort Wayne) (Last year: 178)
Coffman will soon begin his seventh season leading the Mastodons,
though it’ll be their first year in the Horizon League. He led Purdue
Fort Wayne to four postseason appearances in his first four seasons,
though he just had his worst campaign in 2020. Former stud John
Konchar’s absence clearly affected the Mastodons, but Coffman will
certainly reload the roster and get them in shape to compete in the
Horizon.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets161. Andrew Toole (Robert Morris) (Last year: 170)
Morris has spent the last decade as Robert Morris’s head coach and
has done a fantastic job building this program up. This past season, he
led the Colonials to the NEC Tournament title, which would’ve been their
second NCAA Tournament bid. Robert Morris shifts to the Horizon League,
a tougher challenge, but Toole has shown that these Colonials are more
than capable.
NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets318. Luke Yaklich (UIC) (Last year: N/A)
Yaklich’s stock has risen quickly in college basketball, establishing
himself as a brilliant defensive coach during his time on the staffs at
Michigan and Texas. A former Illinois high school basketball coach, the
UIC job is a homecoming of sorts, giving him a prime opportunity to
lead a program and dive into that rich talent in Chicago. UIC has been
up and down in recent years but maybe Yaklich is the coach that finally
pushes them over the top.
Wright State’s Nagy on upcoming season: ‘We have to figure out a way to make the best of this’--Dayton Daily NewsStudent Athlete Spotlight: Angel Baker--
Wright State GuardianNCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets100. Scott Nagy (Wright State) (Last year: 105)
Nagy just keeps winning, leading the Raiders to another fantastic
season and a second straight Horizon League regular-season crown. The
former longtime South Dakota State head coach is 91-43 since joining
Wright State in 2016 and has solidified the Raiders’ role as one of the
Horizon League’s best programs. We’ll have to see if the success
continues for the Raiders and if Nagy gets any looks for some bigger
jobs in the years to come.
Penguins’ recruit likes to throw down cheeseburgers--
Mahoning Valley Tribune ChronicleNCAA Basketball: Ranking all 357 D-I head coaches for 2020-21 season--
Busting Brackets267. Jerrod Calhoun (Youngstown State) (Last year: 281)
Still a relatively young coach, Calhoun has done some impressive work
early in his career. A former assistant under Bob Huggins, he led
Fairmont State to the D2 title game before he took over the Penguins in
2017. This past season, Youngstown State won 18 games and tied for 4th
place in the Horizon League, one of the program’s best seasons in recent
memory and a major step forward under Calhoun’s watch.
YSU’s Magestro comes from basketball family--Mahoning Valley Tribune Chronicle
