Nonconference schedule analysis

[Biggus Piggus]

We can worry about the SEC race when it begins. In this thread, let's discuss the games before Christmas.

To remind - in an unusual development, Arkansas plays its first SEC game before New Year's Day. Thursday, Dec. 29, home game against Florida.

Here are the nonconference games (with Pomeroy rankings added):

Nov. 11 (Fri) - Fort Wayne - 135th
Nov. 14 (Mon) - Southern Illinois - 139th
Nov. 18 (Fri) - Texas Arlington - 101st
Nov. 22 (Tue) - at Minnesota - 192nd
Nov. 28 (Mon) - Mount St. Mary's - 263rd
Dec. 1 (Thu) - Stephen F. Austin - 41st
Dec. 3 (Sat) - Austin Peay - 217th
Dec. 6 (Tue) - Houston - 61st
Dec. 10 (Sat) - North Florida - 178th
Dec. 17 (Sat) - Texas (at Houston) - 39th
Dec. 20 (Tue) - North Dakota St. - 145th
Dec. 22 (Thur) - Sam Houston St. at Verizon (NLR) - 213th
Jan. 28 (Sat) - at Oklahoma St. - 98th

[batmanfan]

With such a new team, I could see them hitting a snag and going 11-2. Anything less would be a real bummer. Really they should at least go 12-1. 13-0 would be great, and looks doable (shouldn't we but favored in every game? If not Texas, it should be close to a pick'em with all they lost).

[Big Nasty 34]

With such a new team, I could see them hitting a snag and going 11-2. Anything less would be a real bummer. Really they should at least go 12-1. 13-0 would be great, and looks doable (shouldn't we but favored in every game? If not Texas, it should be close to a pick'em with all they lost).

I fear we will struggle at Minnesota especially since it's so early. Hopefully worst case scenario is 10-3 with losses to Minn., Texas, and Ok Lite.

[Biggus Piggus]

Fort Wayne (a/k/a Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne) Mastodons

One of the greatest mascots in the history of mascots. Their slogan: "Feel the rumble."

2016-16: 24-10, 12-4 Summit League

The Summit League preseason poll showed Fort Wayne as the favorite to win the conference title this season.

Should have gone to the NCAAT but lost to North Dakota St., in the conference tournament. Lost to San Diego St., in the NIT. Lost handily to every top 100 opponent save one home game against South Dakota St.

Fort Wayne is coached by Jon Coffman, third season as a head coach. Unremarkable pedigree.

Average-tempo, focused on good passing/ballhandling, making threes, getting offensive boards to pass out for more threes, and outscoring opponents at the line. Very passive defense.

They have to replace three graduated starters. The team has a bunch of transfers coming on.

G Mo Evans (6-0 sr) had to sit down midseason for academics. He was their leading scorer at the time, hitting 42% of his threes and 85% at the line - 17 ppg, 5 apg.

Evans and G John Konchar (6-5 so) are preseason all-conference. Konchar averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds.

G Bryson Scott (6-1 jr), a transfer from Purdue, is likely to start. He was a highly rated recruit out of high school.

G-F DeAngelo Stewart (6-5 sr) comes in from Northwest Kansas Technical College, was a 3-pt shooter in juco.

F Xzavier Taylor (6-9, 255 jr), transfer from Bradley, joins the frontcourt along with USC Upstate transfer Racine Talla (6-9, 195 jr) and letterman Brent Calhoun (6-9, 260 sr).

[netteltonhog]

Ft Wayne (formally IUPUI) is a good team returning 4 starters from last year. Should be a good test to open the season.

[jry04]

Fort Wayne (a/k/a Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne) Mastodons

One of the greatest mascots in the history of mascots. Their slogan: "Feel the rumble."

2016-16: 24-10, 12-4 Summit League

The Summit League preseason poll showed Fort Wayne as the favorite to win the conference title this season.

Should have gone to the NCAAT but lost to North Dakota St., in the conference tournament. Lost to San Diego St., in the NIT. Lost handily to every top 100 opponent save one home game against South Dakota St.

Fort Wayne is coached by Jon Coffman, third season as a head coach. Unremarkable pedigree.

Average-tempo, focused on good passing/ballhandling, making threes, getting offensive boards to pass out for more threes, and outscoring opponents at the line. Very passive defense.

They have to replace three graduated starters. The team has a bunch of transfers coming on.

G Mo Evans (6-0 sr) had to sit down midseason for academics. He was their leading scorer at the time, hitting 42% of his threes and 85% at the line - 17 ppg, 5 apg.

Evans and G John Konchar (6-5 so) are preseason all-conference. Konchar averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds.

G Bryson Scott (6-1 jr), a transfer from Purdue, is likely to start. He was a highly rated recruit out of high school.

G-F DeAngelo Stewart (6-5 sr) comes in from Northwest Kansas Technical College, was a 3-pt shooter in juco.

F Xzavier Taylor (6-9, 255 jr), transfer from Bradley, joins the frontcourt along with USC Upstate transfer Racine Talla (6-9, 195 jr) and letterman Brent Calhoun (6-9, 260 sr).

This is one of many teams on our schedule who fans will dismiss as a cupcake, but at the end of the season will have a top 150 RPI, 20+ wins, and a real chance at the automatic bid. Half our non-conference schedule could end up in the NCAAT. They are teams we should beat by 10-20 points, but have a top 200 RPI and not really be detrimental to play like some of those 250-300+ type teams have been in the past.


I saw Texas was picked 3rd earlier this week in the Big 12.

[Atlhogfan1]

Discussed when it came out.

Won't be an RPI killer.  Helped by playing multiple Big 12 teams whose in conf round robin inflates their RPI's. 

Can't remember a more uninteresting home schedule.

A few "good" teams on it.  Houston should be in contention for an NCAAT spot.  Texas will be pretty good. 

Outside of Houston, shouldn't be challenged much at home even by these low majors we will try and prop up going into the game. 

Minnesota should be better.  But that is relative to what they were. 

This season should be like the '14-15 season where they were favored in most every game.  And this schedule is lacking an Iowa State level opponent. 

Other low majors in addition to FtW who have been pretty good are replacing some major contributors from recent seasons.  This isn't the SFA or Austin Peay of recent seasons.

[Knot2brite]

North Dakota State will be a solid fundamental team....no frills, no thrills just good fundamental defense and offense ....they aren't as athletic as the Hogs but they will play good defense

[Danny J]

I could very easily expect to see us struggle a bit in non con play. I could see 3 losses. I have no idea if we will be good enough to win them all and would be more surprised to see us win them all as opposed to losing 3. I expect us to round into form right after the new year once we have a chance to digest the new players and their rotations.

[Pork Twain]

I can see us getting through that schedule with 1-2 losses.

[hogwood]

I predict 12-1 to be realistic, but I really think 13-0 is possible.

I think Texas is the toughest opponent. They play our style of ball and we will essentially be in their house.

Tevin Mack will be a SO who could be an elite wing in the Big 12 one day. Roach, Yancy, and Young are a formidable guard trio who are quite fast. Jarrett Allen is an elite MCDAA 6'11" big man who will be looking to prove himself as a freshman.

I am not too worried about OKST as we will hopefully be well into our groove and they do not boast a lot of talent outside of Forte and Evans at guard IMO. It is hard to predict as Underwood is a good coach and we don't really know what he can do with a Big 12 roster. They very well may be playing better than expected.

[Rocky&Boarwinkle]

It does appear that we have gotten smarter about scheduling with an eye towards having a better non-con RPI over the last few years.  If we can take care of business on this slate and do better in conference, we can get into the dance with better scheduling like this.

And always, thanks to Biggus and others that bring the stats and information for the lazy peoople like me.

[azhog10]

Fort Wayne (a/k/a Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne) Mastodons

One of the greatest mascots in the history of mascots. Their slogan: "Feel the rumble."

2016-16: 24-10, 12-4 Summit League

The Summit League preseason poll showed Fort Wayne as the favorite to win the conference title this season.

Should have gone to the NCAAT but lost to North Dakota St., in the conference tournament. Lost to San Diego St., in the NIT. Lost handily to every top 100 opponent save one home game against South Dakota St.

Fort Wayne is coached by Jon Coffman, third season as a head coach. Unremarkable pedigree.

Average-tempo, focused on good passing/ballhandling, making threes, getting offensive boards to pass out for more threes, and outscoring opponents at the line. Very passive defense.

They have to replace three graduated starters. The team has a bunch of transfers coming on.

G Mo Evans (6-0 sr) had to sit down midseason for academics. He was their leading scorer at the time, hitting 42% of his threes and 85% at the line - 17 ppg, 5 apg.

Evans and G John Konchar (6-5 so) are preseason all-conference. Konchar averaged 13 points, 9 rebounds.

G Bryson Scott (6-1 jr), a transfer from Purdue, is likely to start. He was a highly rated recruit out of high school.

G-F DeAngelo Stewart (6-5 sr) comes in from Northwest Kansas Technical College, was a 3-pt shooter in juco.

F Xzavier Taylor (6-9, 255 jr), transfer from Bradley, joins the frontcourt along with USC Upstate transfer Racine Talla (6-9, 195 jr) and letterman Brent Calhoun (6-9, 260 sr).

I had the pleasure of coaching Racine Talla. Talk to him from time to time. Great kid that came over as a transfer student from Africa. Really good athlete and was the anchor of his 4x100m track team.

[azhog10]

Ft Wayne (formally IUPUI) is a good team returning 4 starters from last year. Should be a good test to open the season.

FYI IUPUI is it's own university.

[gmarv]

the trip overseas will help the chemistry get going a little sooner this year. we are gonna go 13-0.

[FineAsSwine]

the trip overseas will help the chemistry get going a little sooner this year. we are gonna go 13-0.

As much as I like what you are saying, I can't bring myself to co-sign on this one. With all of these new faces, we are bound to have an adjustment period that may cause a slip up here or there. Hope I'm wrong though.

[Biggus Piggus]

Did you know that the NCAA has a Division III? Fort Wayne beat D-III Capital in an exhibition game, 97-67.

Capital shot remarkably well from outside, 46% from 3-pt range (12 threes), though it got only 40% inside. And Capital was called for 30 fouls vs. 11 for the home team.

Fort Wayne shot 14-28 from 3-pt range, the main gunners being Deangelo Stewart and Mo Evans. They started

G Evans (6-1 sr)
G Kason Harrell (6-2 so)
G-F Deangelo Stewart (6-5 sr)
G John Konchar (6-5 so)
C Brent Calhoun (6-9 sr)

with top reserves

G Charles Ruise (6-1 so)
F Racine Talla (6-9 jr)
F Xzavier Taylor (6-9 jr)
G Jordon King (6-4 jr)
G-F Jax Levitch (6-7 fr)

Their quality of play fell off a lot in the second half as they subbed. Fort Wayne has enough ballhandlers, rebounders and shooters to make this an interesting game.

[azhog10]

Did you know that the NCAA has a Division III? Fort Wayne beat D-III Capital in an exhibition game, 97-67.

Capital shot remarkably well from outside, 46% from 3-pt range (12 threes), though it got only 40% inside. And Capital was called for 30 fouls vs. 11 for the home team.

Fort Wayne shot 14-28 from 3-pt range, the main gunners being Deangelo Stewart and Mo Evans. They started

G Evans (6-1 sr)
G Kason Harrell (6-2 so)
G-F Deangelo Stewart (6-5 sr)
G John Konchar (6-5 so)
C Brent Calhoun (6-9 sr)

with top reserves

G Charles Ruise (6-1 so)
F Racine Talla (6-9 jr)
F Xzavier Taylor (6-9 jr)
G Jordon King (6-4 jr)
G-F Jax Levitch (6-7 fr)

Their quality of play fell off a lot in the second half as they subbed. Fort Wayne has enough ballhandlers, rebounders and shooters to make this an interesting game.

Please tell me you knew there was a D3.......? Has been for a very very long time.

[Biggus Piggus]

Southern Illinois, coached by Barry Hinson (formerly of Missouri State), is the second team on Arkansas's schedule. They play Wright State on Friday before coming to town on Monday.

The SIU Salukis began last season 18-3 but finished poorly, going 4-7 down the stretch to end up 22-10. They were an average-tempo team that focused on perimeter D and rebounding, plus scoring in the paint. They lost a good senior guard but returned almost everybody else, except PF Bola Olaniyan, who became a grad transfer to Alabama.

SIU had a surprisingly hard time in an exhibition against Missouri-St. Louis (coached by Bob Sundvold). The Salukis trailed by 2 in the final minutes and ended up winning 72-67.

SIU had serious shooting problems, making 3-14 threes and 13-23 at the line. Did make 25-40 field goals inside the arc. But Mo-St. Louis hurt the Salukis on the boards.

Starters for the Salukis:

F Sean O'Brien (6-7 sr)
F Thik Bol (6-8 jr juco)
G Leo Vincent (6-1 sr)
G Armon Fletcher (6-4 so)
G Aaron Cook (6-1 fr)

Top reserves:

G Tyler Smithpeters (6-4 sr)
G Sean Lloyd (6-5 so)
F Austin Weiher (6-8 so)
G-F Jonathan Wiley (6-6 jr juco)

SIU runs a good low post game, but they might need to reshuffle the starting lineup after that mess of an exhibition game. They need to get back senior PG Mike Rodriguez, who missed the preseason game with a "reaggravated" knee injury. A freshman started in his place, but the lineup lacked scoring punch.

Last season, Southern Illinois was good on the road, but their nonleague schedule was the absolute worst in Division I. I'll be surprised if this is a close game.

[Biggus Piggus]

Please tell me you knew there was a D3.......? Has been for a very very long time.

Is there a Division IV? Division II is weak enough. Does D-III have scholarships?

[Biggus Piggus]

UT Arlington, coached by Scott Cross (his 11th season there), is Arkansas's third nonconference opponent. The Mavericks finished 24-11 last season, finishing third in the Sun Belt. They're the preseason favorites this year.

Arlington plays uptempo basketball, a style that is much more accomplished on defense (with excellent 2-pt FG % defense, good rebounding and plenty of steals) than on offense (offensive rebounding is about all they have). Very foul-heavy style of defense.

Last season Arlington began the season 13-2 with wins over Ohio State and Memphis, an OT loss at Texas. They had a 1-5 stretch in conference play, after losing a key player, and fell out of the race.

Arlington graduated one reserve wing player, returned everybody else. They had five regulars who shot over 50% from 2-pt range last season, and four are still on the team.

We'll have a decent read on the Mavs before they get to Fayetteville on Nov. 18. They open against Texas Southern, Minnesota and Florida Gulf Coast.

Starters:

F Kevin Hervey, 6-9 jr (18 pts, 10 reb per game last season)
F Jorge Bilbao, 6-9 sr (7 pts, 7 reb)
G Jalen Jones, 6-2 sr (36% 3-pt shooter)
G Drew Charles, 6-2 sr (38% 3-pt shooter)
PG Erick Neal, 5-10 jr (211 assists last season)

Hervey missed the second half of last season with a knee injury. He is supposedly healthy now. Hervey is a 230-pound combo forward with skills. Bilbao is a widebody who is good for some fouls and boards.

Top returning subs:

G Kaelon Wilson, 6-2 jr
G Nathan Hawkins, 6-5 jr
F Faith Pope, 6-8 sr

They added two recruits, 6-8 forward Erkam Kiris from Turkey, and 7-1 center Link Kabadyundi from Blinn JC and TCU.

Arlington has a good power forward and adequate starting guards. Their bench is questionable. Should be a competitive game.

[Biggus Piggus]

Minnesota, coached by young Richard Pitino, had a disastrous season in 2015-16. The Golden Gophers were 8-23, 2-16 in the Big Ten.

Minnesota had so many disciplinary issues and other disruptions, only two players played in all 31 games. Their best player, F Joey King, graduated. Two other players departed early. Pitino is scrambling to rebuild before it's firing time.

Pitino had only one season as a college head coach before being hired by the Gophers. That was a so-so year at Florida International. His seasons at Minnesota have gone 25-13, 18-15, 8-23.

Last year's team was bad at everything but ballhandling and defensive rebounding.

A lot has changed on the roster. Maybe we can get a read from their exhibition, an 83-59 win over Bemidji State.

Starters:

F Jordan Murphy, 6-6, 240 so
C Reggie Lynch, 6-10, 260 jr transfer from Illinois State
G Amir Coffey, 6-8, 195 fr - star in-state recruit
G Akeem Springs, 6-4 grad transfer from Milwaukee
G Dupree McBrayer, 6-5 so

Top subs:

F Eric Curry, 6-9, 235 fr from Memphis
F Michael Hurt, 6-7, 200 fr
G Stephon Sharp, 6-3 so
G Nate Mason, 6-2 jr <-- will start in place of McBrayer in regular season

Coffey, Springs, McBrayer and Sharp combined to shoot 8-29 against Bemidji State. They lack guard talent. Brayer scored 18 points but needed 14 shots. Mason missed the exhibition due to a concussion, but he didn't shoot well last season.

The Gophers were 4-19 from outside, 26-45 inside with their size advantage. Lynch only played 14 minutes. Curry got 27 minutes off the bench and racked up 17 points, 14 rebounds. Murphy had 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks.

Maybe they want to call Coffey a guard because that is supposed to be his pro position. He did not shoot well in the exhibition, 2-8 in 33 minutes, but had a team-high five assists.

Lynch only recently was cleared to join the team after being suspended for a sexual assault allegation (no charges were filed). He's not in the flow yet.

Minnesota had F Davonte Fitzgerald transfer from Texas A&M, but he got hurt in practice and is out for the season.

The Gophers have some good frontcourt players, but Arkansas ought to make life hard for their guards.

[azhog10]

Is there a Division IV? Division II is weak enough. Does D-III have scholarships?

Div 3 are primarily high academic institutions. My understanding is they don't typically have athletic scholarships but instead use mostly academic scholarships for their athletes. So to play, you have to have very good grades and test scores. There isn't a Div IV to my knowledge. There's NAIA D1 and NAIA D2. Division 2 teams are not "weak". I was apart of a Div 2 program that went to the Breslin and beat Michigan State. MSU did make the tourney that year.

Lot of good Division 2 teams that could beat some mid major D1's.

[Big Nasty 34]

Is there a Division IV? Division II is weak enough. Does D-III have scholarships?

Not sure if serious, but no they don't. What's wrong with giving kids a chance to play collegiate athletics? Also, brings money and increases enrollment at most colleges.

[Biggus Piggus]

Mount St. Mary's from Maryland (coached by Jamion Christian, in his fifth season) is Arkansas's opponent on Monday, Nov. 28.

The Mountaineers (Maryland has mountains?) were 14-19 last season, 10-8 in the Northeast Conference. That is a very weak conference.

I looked through all of the Ken Pomeroy data back to the 2001-02 season. Over that span, Mount St. Mary's never defeated an opponent in the top 150. Losing to them is a really bad sign for your team.

Mount St. Mary's last season was third in the nation for forced turnovers. They play pressure defense, handle the ball well, and get hugely positive turnover margins. That's offset by poor outside shooting, poor inside shooting, poor interior FG % defense, and tons of fouling.

Look forward to seeing Junior Robinson, a 5-5 junior guard who had 102 assists and 38 steals last season. He also shot 34% from 3-pt range.

MSM played one of those outstanding Division III teams in an exhibition, Hood College. Beat them 89-65. Maybe we can learn something from the box score.

Starters

F Mawdo Sallah, 6-9, 235 so (7 reb, 5 blocks)
F Chris Wray, 6-8, 200 jr (four fouls in 13 minutes)
G Junior Robinson (10 pts, 7 ast)
G Greg Alexander, 6-4 jr (9 pts, 5 reb)
G Elijah Long, 6-0 so (10 pts)

Top reserves

F Will Miller, 6-6 sr (22 points, 7-11 threes)
C Ryan Gomes, 6-10, 235 (12 points)
G Randy Miller, 6-3 fr
G Miles Wilson, 6-5 fr (fouled out in 13 minutes)

MSM gave up high shooting percentages but forced 26 turnovers.

The Mounties shot very well from all ranges except from the line, where they were 59%.

[Biggus Piggus]

Stephen F. Austin comes to Arkansas on Thursday, Dec. 1. The Lumberjacks were 28-6 and undefeated Southland Conference champions last season. They upset West Virginia in the first round of the NCAAT then lost by a point to Notre Dame.

Brad Underwood was their coach. He's now at Oklahoma State, which Arkansas also plays this season.

SFA had a strong group of five senior guards last season. Their new coach, Kyle Keller, has a lot of rebuilding to do.

Keller was a career assistant who worked under Eddie Sutton, Bill Self and (most recently) Billy Kennedy. He's known as a recruiter. Interesting - his top assistant is Jeremy Cox, former UA-Fort Smith coach.

SFA's roster includes four freshmen and four junior college transfers, to go with a senior, a junior, and three sophomores.

They get to open the season Friday night at Kentucky. Good for them.

Let's try to learn something from their exhibition box score. They beat NAIA-class Huston-Tillotson by a score of 93-72. That does not look so good for them. It was a 5-point game at half.

Starters:

F T.J. Holyfield, 6-8, 225 so (20 pts, 15 reb, 6 ast in 37 min)
C Jovan Grujic, 7-0, 235 so (7 pts, 6 reb)
G Isaiah Traylor, 6-4 juco jr (10 pts, shot 3-10)
G Ivan Canete, 6-4 juco jr (14 pts, 5 ast)
G Dallas Cameron, 6-3 sr (13 pts in 33 min)

They played two starters for most of the game. Against Huston-Tillotson. Hmm.

Top reserves:

G-F Kevon Harris, 6-6, 215 fr (10 pts, 7 reb, shot 3-9)
PG Aaron Augustin, 5-11 fr
F Samuli Nieminen, 6-7, 220 fr (11 pts, 7 reb)

Huston-Tillotson shot 54% from the floor in the first half. SFA held 'em to 32% in the second half.

You know their depth is crap when they play two starters way over 30 minutes in an exhibition game.

Guard Ty Charles (6-5 jr), a returning starter, did not play. Can't find an explanation.

SFA has a good power forward and a lot of question marks. This team might be in trouble.

[Atlhogfan1]

Not many games made for TV

[FineAsSwine]

Not many games made for TV

Well, since you are a KY fan, I would expect you to say that. As a Hog fan I am going to be watching every game with great interest and reading the tea leaves of the stat lines for each player and watching the substitution patterns, combinations and chemistry as it develops over the nonconference.

Lots of things to keep Razorback fans watching no matter who we play.

[Rawker]

the trip overseas will help the chemistry get going a little sooner this year. we are gonna go 13-0.

Like the enthusiasm, but that's preposterous.  I've always been all-in with CMA, and believe he finally has the kind of balance he likes, but asking the Philly Sixers to go 13-0 in this non-con would be tough.  Just need to get through that with 3 losses or less, and do well in SEC (not lose more than 7) IMO.

[Biggus Piggus]

Well, since you are a KY fan, I would expect you to say that. As a Hog fan I am going to be watching every game with great interest and reading the tea leaves of the stat lines for each player and watching the substitution patterns, combinations and chemistry as it develops over the nonconference.

Lots of things to keep Razorback fans watching no matter who we play.

MountieDawg needs to omit the snarky, A-hole comments. He will not be allowed to flame every thread in Jump Ball. We are discussing the Razorbacks. Anyone who is incapable of doing that does not belong here.

[Biggus Piggus]

Starters:

F Jordan Murphy, 6-6, 240 so
C Reggie Lynch, 6-10, 260 jr transfer from Illinois State
G Amir Coffey, 6-8, 195 fr - star in-state recruit
G Akeem Springs, 6-4 grad transfer from Milwaukee
G Dupree McBrayer, 6-5 so

Top subs:

F Eric Curry, 6-9, 235 fr from Memphis
F Michael Hurt, 6-7, 200 fr
G Stephon Sharp, 6-3 so
G Nate Mason, 6-2 jr <-- will start in place of McBrayer in regular season

This was the lineup for Minnesota's exhibition game. They open the season against Louisiana-Lafayette tomorrow. Young master Pitino confirmed that Nate Mason would start, with either Springs or McBrayer at shooting guard, and Coffey on the wing.

Pitino plans to keep a small forward in the lineup, with Coffey as the starter. Hurt and Ahmad Gilbert (6-6, 205 so) are viewed as reserves at the three and four. Curry is backup at four and five, though he might get starter's minutes soon.

Lynch was late joining the team, having been suspended until late September then undergoing minor knee surgery that slowed him until recently.

[Biggus Piggus]

Austin Peay comes to Fayetteville on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The Governors were 18-18 last season, 7-9 in the Ohio Valley, but won the conference tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAAT to Kansas. Their coach is Dave Loos, entering his 27th season at AP.

Austin Peay has played two exhibitions, winning 112-63 over Thomas More and 89-72 vs. Sewanee.

Starters:

F Kenny Jones, 6-6, 198 sr (25 pts 9 reb in the second game)
F Chris Porter-Bunton, 6-5 so
G-F John Murry, 6-3 sr
G-F Jared Savage, 6-5 so
G Josh Robinson, 6-2 jr (22 pts 5 ast in one game, 31 pts 7 ast in the second)

Robinson is an all-conference player. Jones and Savage also are returning starters.

Top reserves:

G Zach Glotta, 6-0 so (4-5 threes in one game)
F Dre'Kalo Clayton, 6-6, 245 juco jr (3-4 threes in one game)
F Assane Diop, 6-8, 217 sr
G-F Steve Harris, 6-4 so

Yeah, they're short. Lacked any inside defense last season, and they lost the big man off that team.

I don't know what Thomas More was trying to do, but they were 4-31 on threes, 22-39 inside.

Sewanee, on the other hand, made 15 threes while shooting 9-20 inside.

Stylistically and personnel-wise, the Govs do not match up well against Arkansas.

[Biggus Piggus]

Houston, coached by old nemesis Kelvin Sampson, comes to Fayetteville on Tuesday, Dec. 6.

The Cougars were 22-10, 12-6 in the AAC, last season. They lost in the first round of the conference tournament then again in the first round of the NIT. Bad finish to a good season.

Houston lost its best big man, Devonta Pollard, but returned four starters. They have one of the best backcourts Arkansas will see this season.

The Coogs played an exhibition against UNC Pembroke, winning 94-67. Did not shoot great (8-24 from 3-pt range) but had 19 offensive rebounds. Interesting that they actually outfouled Pembroke and had 22 TOs vs. their 14.

Starters:

F Danrad Knowles, 6-10, 200 sr (8 reb)
F Devin Davis, 6-7, 230 juco jr (16 pts 9 reb)
G Damyean Dotson, 6-5 sr (23 pts, 5-7 threes, 8 reb)
G Galen Robinson, 6-1 so (5 ast 5 TO, fouled out)
G Rob Gray, 6-2 jr (22 pts, 3-6 threes)

Top reserves:

G Wes VanBeck, 6-2 jr (10 pts)
G Armoni Brooks, 6-4 fr
C Bertrand Nkali, 6-9, 235 sr (2 blocks)
F Xavier Dupree, 6-9, 210 sr

Houston plays typical Sampson style, slow tempo, working hard for inside baskets, very efficient. Last year their defense was much more effective on the perimeter (top 10 nationally) than in the paint.

They are strong on the offensive boards, not as much for defensive rebounding.

With two excellent scoring guards, Houston will test Arkansas's defense. Their frontcourt talent is unremarkable, though juco transfer Devin Davis was a first-team juco All-America.

Davis played at Indiana in 2013-14 but left after being severely injured in an auto accident. Went to Odessa JC after a year off.

The Cougars play LSU before coming to Fayetteville, and they follow up our game with Rhode Island. Very good test. They are generally picked in the top three of the AAC this season, contending with UConn and Cincinnati.

[Atlhogfan1]

Doing good work Biggus.  Houston should be an NCAAT contender if all goes well for them. 

[Biggus Piggus]

North Florida is the Saturday, Dec. 10 game. The Ospreys were 22-12, 10-4 in the Atlantic Sun, last season. UNF won the last two A-Sun regular-season titles, lost in the league tournament last year.

They lost to Florida in the NIT. Arkansas beat UNF 97-72 last December. The coach is Matthew Driscoll, in his eighth season. He once was Scott Drew's top assistant at Baylor.

North Florida lost three starters off last year's team, but the two top players return. Still, they are not favored to win the A-Sun this time.

Their top returnees:

F Chris Davenport, 6-8, 215 sr - 12 ppg, 7 rpg, 109 ast, 65 blocks last season

G Dallas Moore, 6-1 sr - 20 ppg, 205 assists / 64 TO, 40% on threes last season - A-Sun POY

Also a returning starter:

G Nick Malonga, 6-5 jr

Likely to start:

G Aaron Bodager, 6-5 sr (made 48% of his threes last year)
F Romelo Banks, 6-11, 245 jr (statistically crude, but started all last season)

North Florida is known for shooting threes. They made 411 last season (tops in D-I) and hit 41% (eighth in the country). Their 2-point % was almost 55%, also outstanding. They run a great offense and play little defense, with little rebounding and no pressure on the ball.

UNF plays Auburn tomorrow, also sees Miami, LSU, Florida and Syracuse before getting to Fayetteville.

[HoopS]

Is that Chicken Knowles we recruited?

[Biggus Piggus]

Texas and Arkansas play in Houston on Saturday, Dec. 17. The Longhorns are the highest-rated non-league opponent on the schedule this season. They are coached by Shaka Smart, who was a huge fan of Nolan Richardson and transformed his system into something new and consistently good, when he was at VCU.

Texas was 20-13 a year ago, 11-7 in the Big 12. They lost to Northern Iowa in the first round of the NCAAT.

This game has all kinds of blinking-red warning signs on it. The biggest one: Arkansas has a history of playing horribly in the first game after finals week. Some memories:

2012 - 7-pt win over awful SE Louisiana.
2016 - Lost to Mercer in OT at Little Rock.

When he had more control over the schedule, Mike Anderson tried to schedule easy games on the Saturday after finals week. He don't control the schedule anymore.

Texas lost six of its best players off last year's team. They will rely on young stars.

The Horns played an exhibition, beating Angelo State 95-55. Texas was outstanding on the boards and shot well everywhere except at the line (52%).

Starters in that game:

F Jarrett Allen, 6-11, 235 fr (14 pts 11 reb 5 TO)
F Shaquille Cleare, 6-8, 275 sr (12 pts 11 reb)
G Andrew Jones, 6-4 fr (17 pts 7 reb 5 ast 3 stl)
G Eric Davis, 6-3 so (12 pts 6 reb 4 ast)
G Kendal Yancy, 6-3 sr - fill-in for someone who was suspended

Top reserves:

G Jacob Young, 6-2 fr (21 pts 4-8 threes)
C James Banks, 6-10, 240 fr (10 pts 7 reb)

Other players likely to be important:

G Kerwin Roach, 6-4 so (fourth in scoring for UT last season)
F Tevin Mack, 6-7, 220 so (role player last year)
F Mareik Isom, 6-9, 217 sr (grad transfer from UALR)

Roach and Mack were suspended and didn't play in the exhibition. Isom recently had arthroscopic surgery on his ankle.

Roach and Davis were highly regarded recruits who are expected to rise up this season.

The Longhorns are expected to compete against Iowa State and Oklahoma for second-best in the Big 12 behind Kansas.

In his first season at Austin, Smart played a slow-tempo style that was highly efficient on both ends of the court, despite a lack of shooting accuracy or low-post power. Texas was best at ballhandling and shotblocking. Like Nolan's style, Smart used his bench liberally.

This Texas team might take some time to determine good player rotations. Four seniors and a junior they relied on heavily last season are gone. This is pretty much a brand new team.

But they have talent. Davis, Mack and Roach were 4-star recruits. Jarrett Allen was a 5-star in the latest crop, and Banks, Jones and Young were 4-stars.

The game is most fascinating to me in that it pits Shaka Smart against Mike Anderson. The two have never played a game against one another. Smart emulated Nolan's style in developing his own unique system, and Anderson is Nolan's protege.

[Biggus Piggus]

I had the pleasure of coaching Racine Talla.

Before he went to 22 Feet Academy?

[Biggus Piggus]

North Dakota State's Bison, coached by David Richman (third year, was longtime assistant of former NDSU coach Saul Phillips), come to Fayetteville on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The Bison are favored to win the Summit League this season (where Fort Wayne plays). They open the season tonight against Arkansas State.

Last year, North Dakota State was 20-13, 8-8 in the Summit.

Play style: Very slow tempo, shot-denial man-to-man defense with few fouls, big emphasis on defensive rebounding. They smother the perimeter, force play inside and hold you to one shot. They work long and hard for good shots, though they aren't especially efficient on offense. Modest reliance on the bench.

NDSU returns five of the six players who got prime minutes in their season-ending loss to South Dakota State in the Summit tournament last March.

One of their key players, G Paul Miller, missed seven of their last 10 games last season + was ineffective when he did play late in the season. They went 5-5 down the stretch mostly without him. Miller is a 41% 3-pt shooter and typically the leading scorer.

The Bison played an exhibition, beating Concordia Moorhead 90-53. Here were the starters:

F Deng Geu, 6-8, 210 r-fr (13 pts 5 reb)
F Dexter Werner, 6-6, 240 sr (9 pts 10 reb)
G Khy Kabellis, 6-5 so (16 pts 5 reb)
G Carlin Dupree, 6-3 sr (9 pts 5 reb)
G Paul Miller, 6-6 jr (9 pts 4 reb)

Top subs:

G Jared Samuelson, 6-3 fr
G Tyson Ward, 6-6 fr
F Evan Wesenberg, 6-6, 215 so
F Spencer Eliason, 6-9, 240 so (four fouls in 10 min)

Last season, North Dakota State played Illinois (80-74 loss), Iowa State (84-64 loss), Arkansas State (74-73 win), Southern Miss (74-62 loss), and Utah State (76-62 loss). Could be a pesky opponent for a while, especially given that it is a Tuesday night game after the Texas game and when students are away.

[Biggus Piggus]

Sam Houston State is this year's Verizon Arena opponent, on Thursday, Dec. 22.

The Bearkats, coached by Jason Hooten (seventh season), were 18-16 last season, 12-6 (T-3rd) in the Southland Conference. They finished in the top three of the Southland for three straight years. Two seasons ago, the Bearkats were 26-9 with near-misses against Texas A&M and UNLV.

SHSU is favored by some to win the Southland this season, based on returning their entire lineup. Others pick Stephen F. Austin, which also is on Arkansas's schedule.

Sam Houston plays an average-tempo game that focuses on positive turnover margin + defensive rebounding, which is kind of a rare combo. They shot 52% from 2-pt range in conference play last year. Another glaring element is their huge fouling frequency.

SHSU plays variations of matchup zone defense. Sometimes it looks like a box and one. Not exactly sure why they foul so often.

They have not played a game yet. Here's the projected lineup.

Starters:

G-F Albert Almanza, 6-6, 195 so (40% on threes)
F-C Aurimas Majauskas, 6-8, 225 sr (14 ppg, 6 rpg)
G Dakarai Henderson, 6-3 sr (14 ppg, 75 threes)
G Jamal Williams, 6-5 jr (10 ppg, 4.4 apg)
G Paul Baxter, 6-2 sr (was preseason all-Southland last year but missed season with an injury - 39% 3-pt shooter in his previous season)

Top reserves:

G John Dewey, 6-0 so (juco transfer)
G Josh Delaney, 6-0 so (37% on threes)
G Cameron Delaney, 6-4 so (transfer from Denver)
F Torry Butler, 6-6, 216 sr (6 rpg, from Monticello, Ark.)
F Phillip Jones, 6-7, 210 sr (grad transfer from UT San Antonio)
F Christopher Galbreath, 6-7, 210 jr (juco transfer)
G Jovante Spivey, 6-0 sr
F Jesse Lopez, 6-7, 210 jr

Not everybody on this list is going to play a lot, but they're all in competition for the rotation. Sam Houston State has plenty of experienced players. They are not tall but have a number of 6-3 to 6-7 types. They are probably better than the Mercer team that upset Arkansas at Verizon last season.

[DenaoStyle]

Replying to show appreciation for the hard work put into this thread. 

[Biggus Piggus]

Oklahoma State plays host to Arkansas on Saturday, Jan. 28. The Cowboys are coached by former Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood. Last year under Travis Ford, OSU was 12-20, 3-15 in the Big 12.

Underwood's style at SFA: Average tempo, high-efficiency offense shooting well from everywhere, hugely positive turnover margin, better perimeter D than inside, sound rebounding. They really did well to minimize opponents' 3-pt attempts. Led the nation in forced turnovers.

Those represent stark changes from the Pokes' style under Ford. They played very slow-paced basketball and emphasized brutal interior defense. Their offense was inefficient, depending heavily on the FT line. And their rebounding was all-around poor.

The Cowboys showed some progress in their 117-64 exhibition win over Pittsburg State. OSU shot 14-22 (64%) from 3-pt range, 29-44 (66%) inside the arc, with ridiculous rebounding numbers.

Starters in the exhibition:

G-F Tavarius Shine, 6-6, 200 jr
SF Leyton Hammonds, 6-8, 215 sr (11 ppg, 5 rpg)
F Mitchell Solomon, 6-9, 245 jr (fouled out eight times last year)
G Phil Forte, 5-11 sr (15 ppg in 2014-15, injured last year)
PG Jawun Evans, 6-1 so (13 ppg, 5 apg, 4 rpg in 22 games last year, missed last 10 games)

Top reserves:

G Lindy Waters, 6-6 fr
G-F Jeffrey Carroll, 6-6, 215 jr
SF Cameron McGriff, 6-7, 210 fr
PG Brandon Averett, 5-11 fr

The Cowboys will be pushed around by anybody with talent and numbers in the frontcourt. Their guards are excellent -- Evans is a preseason all-Big 12 pick -- but they have limited options up front. They may end up playing Hammonds in the post with two guards and two wing types (likely Waters in place of Solomon).

The early read is that OSU will play at a fast pace, force turnovers and score well. Of course, we will know much more about them by late January. As the Cowpokes have possibly three freshmen being counted on for depth + their guards took a physical beating last year, they have a lot to prove.

Evans scored 42 points on Oklahoma last season in a 2-point loss, 22 in an upset win over Kansas, 21 in a road win over Auburn. Forte is a proven scorer. The Cowboys have good enough guards to give the Razorbacks problems on the road.

[FineAsSwine]

Replying to show appreciation for the hard work put into this thread.

Yes, thanks BP. Maybe this thread should be stickied at the top for reference during the nonconference schedule.

[ShadowHawg]

Yes, thanks BP. Maybe this thread should be stickied at the top for reference during the nonconference schedule.

Great idea.