Top 144 countdown by collegesportsmadness.com, 2023-24 edition

[ud2]

Originally Posted by T-Bone 84 You have to figure that Ford’s seat looks remarkably like a griddle right about now. At least VCU has a reason for its drop. But Ford has had plenty of time to build that program above #7 in a weakening A-10. Posted via Mobile Device

It is a mystery to me why Ford has not worked out at SLU. He has done well at every d1 stop, other than SLU, in his career: Eastern Kentucky, UMass, and Oklahoma State. He was 5/8 at OSU making the ncaat. It is baffling IMO. I guess he hasn't been horrible at SLU, 1/7 with 2 NIT's, but 1/7 isn't what you were expecting when he was 5/8 at his previous job.

I will give him a 3rd NIT in 2020, covid canceled the NIT that year, they were the 5th team out per Torvik that year. He was close those 3 NIT years, but close doesn't cut it.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[OSU Flyer]

Originally Posted by ud2 It is a mystery to me why Ford has not worked out at SLU. He has done well at every d1 stop, other than SLU, in his career: Eastern Kentucky, UMass, and Oklahoma State. He was 5/8 at OSU making the ncaat. It is baffling IMO. I guess he hasn't been horrible at SLU, 1/7 with 2 NIT's, but 1/7 isn't what you were expecting when he was 5/8 at his previous job. I will give him a 3rd NIT in 2020, covid canceled the NIT that year, they were the 5th team out per Torvik that year. He was close those 3 NIT years, but close doesn't cut it.

He's recruited well and gotten talent in there but he can't do anything with it

Yuri Collins, Jordan Goodwin, French, Perkins, etc

They've always been one of the more talented teams on paper

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[OSU Flyer]

VCU, I'm surprised is out because it looked like they brought in a good transfer class

SLU doesn't surprise me. A10 talk has them 11th in the league. Yuri Collins, Javonte Perkins, Javon Pickett, Francis Okoro, Jake Forrester, Fred Thatch are all gone. Doesn't look like they brought in enough talent to replace them

https://www.a10talk.com/2023-24-atla...w-saint-louis/

	Saint Louis SAINT LOUIS Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

[Buckleyma]

Indiana comes in at 38 and I see Gabe Cupps on the roster. I know people on UDPRIDE mentioned Gabe Cupps. I don’t know if Dayton ever recruited or had any chance to sign him.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ud2]

Originally Posted by Buckleyma Indiana comes in at 38 and I see Gabe Cupps on the roster. I know people on UDPRIDE mentioned Gabe Cupps. I don’t know if Dayton ever recruited or had any chance to sign him. Posted via Mobile Device

Looks like he had a long list of offers per verbal commits.

https://verbalcommits.com/players/gabe-cupps


Indiana
Michigan
Virginia Tech
Kansas State
Tulane
Cincinnati
Dayton
Brown
College of Charleston
Miami (OH)
Xavier
Stanford
Ohio State

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

[Buckleyma]

St. John’s comes in at 37 on countdown. I see Rick Pitino has moved from Iona to St. John’s. Rick Pitino with all of his history, good and bad.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ud2]

Originally Posted by Buckleyma St. John’s comes in at 37 on countdown. I see Rick Pitino has moved from Iona to St. John’s. Rick Pitino with all of his history, good and bad. Posted via Mobile Device

7 of the 11 BE teams are projected as making it into the ncaat. 1 is projected to the NIT, and 3 are projected into neither tournament. 7 into the ncaat would likely be a record-making performance IMO, they got 6? once or twice in the past iinm

DePaul...out
Butler...out
Georgetown...out
Seton Hall...NIT
Saint John's...NCAAT
UConn...NCAAT
Creighton...NCAAT
PC...NCAAT
Marquette...NCAAT
Xavier...NCAAT
Villanova...NCAAT

	Xavier XAVIER MUSKETEERS Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

[NCkevi]

Not that it means much, but kind of interesting to see how it appears the Charleston field is seeded vs how it would be based on the 144 rankings.

1 Houston (1)
8 Towson (8)

4 Utah (4)
5 Wake (6)

3 UD (3)
6 LSU (7)

2 St. Johns (2)
7 N. Texas (5)

[Buckleyma]

Ohio State comes in at 36 on the countdown. I see Austin Parks is on their roster. Austin Parks is a guy that Dayton offered very early. So there goes the theory that offering a recruit early gives you some advantage? Ohio State is our exhibition game opponent.
Posted via Mobile Device

[T-Bone 84]

Originally Posted by Buckleyma Ohio State comes in at 36 on the countdown. I see Austin Parks is on their roster. Austin Parks is a guy that Dayton offered very early. So there goes the theory that offering a recruit early gives you some advantage? Ohio State is our exhibition game opponent. Posted via Mobile Device

The theory only applies if (a) you’re one of the most desirable programs that extended an offer, and (b) the player to whom you extended the offer values what your program has to offer. If the player to whom you extended the offer wants bright lights, big cities and/or campuses, and arenas throughout the league that seat 14,000, 15,000, or more per game, then he’s not coming to UD.
Posted via Mobile Device

[ud2]

PC comes in at #35...George Mason's old hc left for PC, and he took 3 of his GM players with him, college hoops is ruthless.

[Buckleyma]

Originally Posted by ud2 PC comes in at #35...George Mason's old hc left for PC, and he took 3 of his GM players with him, college hoops is ruthless.

I see that guy, Josh Oduro transferred to Providence. He gave Dayton fits. When I first saw Oduro, I thought he was under sized. But, he played big.
Posted via Mobile Device

[CT Flyer]

Originally Posted by ud2 PC comes in at #35...George Mason's old hc left for PC, and he took 3 of his GM players with him, college hoops is ruthless.

He also got Cooley's two studs, Carter and Hopkins, to stay which was huge for PC. They could be very good this year, probably better than #35.

[Buckleyma]

North Carolina comes in at 27 on this countdown. I see 6’11” 240, Armando Bacot is still on this team roster. He is 23 and will turn 24 in March. He is making $551,000, this year in NIL money.

Geez!
Posted via Mobile Device

[T-Bone 84]

Originally Posted by Buckleyma North Carolina comes in at 27 on this countdown. I see 6’11” 240, Armando Bacot is still on this team roster. He is 23 and will turn 24 in March. He is making $551,000, this year in NIL money. Geez! Posted via Mobile Device

Un. Effing. Believable.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Buckleyma]

Kentucky comes in the countdown at 22. I see Tre Mitchell has transferred, again. He is setting the all-time standard for transferring. He has visited Massachusetts in the A10 then to Texas then West Virginia and now on to Kentucky. If I were an NBA scout, I would question this kids mental status. I thought Tre Mitchell had talent when he was in the A10 But, I saw his expression when he was sitting on the bench at UMass (during a break) and his interactions with his fellow players. I knew that he was not going to stay at UMass. But I could never have expected this type of transferring.
Posted via Mobile Device

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

[jack72]

At this point, I will make the NBA before Mitchell does. He has shown little.

[CT Flyer]

Originally Posted by Buckleyma Kentucky comes in the countdown at 22. I see Tre Mitchell has transferred, again. He is setting the all-time standard for transferring. He has visited Massachusetts in the A10 then to Texas then West Virginia and now on to Kentucky. If I were an NBA scout, I would question this kids mental status. I thought Tre Mitchell had talent when he was in the A10 But, I saw his expression when he was sitting on the bench at UMass (during a break) and his interactions with his fellow players. I knew that he was not going to stay at UMass. But I could never have expected this type of transferring. Posted via Mobile Device

He is what happens when you get connected to guys like Tony Bergeron.

	Massachusetts MASSACHUSETTS UMass Amherst, the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system, sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, 90 miles from Boston and 175 miles from New York City. The campus provides a rich cultural environment in a rural setting close to major urban centers. UMass enrolls over 20,000 undergraduates and 5,000 post-grad students. Fellow members of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Minutemen. Women's teams known as the Minutewomen. Sports achievements include NCAA Final Four appearances in men's basketball and women's soccer.

[Buckleyma]

University of Houston comes in at number 6 on the countdown. Houston is a potential opponent in the Charleston Classic.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Buckleyma]

Kansas comes in at number 1 on the countdown. Hunter Dickinson, center, transferred from Michigan to Kansas. When he was asked why he transferred. He said that he got less than six figures in NIL money at Michigan. Now, it is reported that he gets $281,000 in NIL money at Kansas. NIL money was clearly the reason for his transfer.
Posted via Mobile Device