WINNING FOR A LONG TIME

If you didn’t already know, Saint Louis is for real. 

With Tuesday’s win over George Washington, the Billikens are now 20-1 and a perfect 8-0 in the Atlantic 10. It’s the best 21-game start in program history and a school record 17th straight win at home in the friendly confines of Chaifetz Arena.

What a job Josh Schertz has done.

Coach Schertz has been winning for a long time going back to his days at Lincoln Memorial, where he posted a ridiculous 337-69 record in 13 seasons at the Division II program. He led them to 10 NCAA Tournaments, three national semifinal appearances, and one appearance in the national championship game.

At Indiana State he led the Sycamores to their best season in decades. ISU finished 32-7, won its first Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title since 2000, advanced to the NIT championship game, and Coach Schertz was named the 2024 Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year.  

Coach of the year accolades will start to be mentioned if the numbers continue to be this favorable. 

The Billikens currently lead the nation in scoring margin at +24 and they are 9th nationally in scoring offense with 91.4 points per game.

Defensively, they lead the country in field goal defense at 35% and they are fourth in 3-point field goal defense, holding opponents to 27% from the field.

Saint Louis is also one of the best rebounding teams in college basketball, ranking 5th with 43.2 rebounds per contest and 5th in rebound margin +11.5. They are also No. 1 in defensive rebounding with 31.8 per game.

And they are the only team in college basketball with six players averaging double figures in scoring.

Can they lose a game in which they are high in turnovers, have a bad shooting night or foul too much? Absolutely. Can they run the Atlantic10 table like the 2019-2020 Dayton team? Maybe! 

There is still a lot of basketball remaining to be played, but this is a truly complete and complimentary team. They have all the necessary ingredients --- size, athleticism, shooting, depth and unselfish chemistry. 

RAM TOUGH

After five seasons and 89 wins at UC Riverside, Mike Magpayo (pictured above) moved East to take over the program at Fordham University. 

There are some top-tier jobs where an immediate turnaround may be possible. Coach Magpayo knew his first year at Fordham would likely be the start of a process, not a one-season miracle. But his resume would suggest that there is a lot to feel good about for a program which last appeared in the NCAA Tournament back in 1992.

Magpayo’s head coaching career got off to a pretty good start, as his first career win came against the University of Washington. Riverside would finish that season 14-8 overall and 10-5 in conference play, which was good enough for a 3rd place finish in the Big West Conference. It was the best conference finish in school history. For his efforts, he received the 2021 Joe B. Hall award, which is presented annually to the top first-year head coach in division I head coach. 

One season later, he led the Highlanders to their first conference tournament appearance and the program’s first Big West tournament win. In his final three seasons he guided the program to a pair of 20-win seasons, the first two in school history, and the first-ever postseason appearance, when they accepted a bid to the 2025 NIT.

His team’s at Riverside were big, tough, defensive minded groups and he’s brought that mentality to the Bronx, New York. 

Fordham is the best rebounding team in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams average 40.3 per game. In addition to being tops in the A-10, that ranks 31st in college basketball.  The Rams lead the A-10 in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.5 per game, and they rank 2nd in the conference in rebound-margin at +9.6, which ranks 12th in the NCAA.

Defensively, they are holding opponents to 65.4 points per game, which is 1st in the A-10 and is the 21st ranked scoring defense in college basketball. 

Magpayo’s team also has good size. 

He brought with him from Riverside a pair of 6-foot-11 double-double machines with Rikus Schulte and Jack Whitbourn. The tandem combine for 20.8 points and 19.7 rebounds per game. 

Their big guys have great role definition screening for the A-10's leading scorer, DeJour Reaves, and leading assist man, Christian Henry. 

Reaves, who is averaging 17.7 per game, has been in double figures in every game this season with a season-best 31 a couple weeks ago at St. Bonaventure. Henry, who is averaging 5.3 assists per contest, had a 29-point, 7-rebound, 7-assist performance in December against Albany.

Like Schulte and Whitbourn, Magpayp was also very familiar with sharp-shooting Japanese Olympian Akira Jacobs. The 6-foot-10 junior spent the past two seasons playing in the Big West at the University of Hawaii. 

Consistent shooting and lack of depth have kept Fordham from winning more games, but Magpayo has done an excellent job of establishing the culture in season one.  This season’s team is for their fans to watch the growth and get connected to the future core of this program.

If the Magpayo can retain the stable of young talent and add some portal shooting, season two could bring a lot of excitement to Rose Hill Gym. 

SIZE MATTERS 

At just about the halfway point of conference play, UNCW sits alone in first place in CAA at 7-1. 

After losing its first conference game of the season at William & Mary, UNCW bounced back over the weekend at Hampton.  The Seahawks have a third straight road game at Towson, Thursday night on CBS Sports Network. There are no nights off in the CAA.

Head coach Takayo Siddle’s team is not overly deep, but they have one of the biggest teams in the country with no rotation players under 6-foot-5, including Madison Durr, Nolan Hodge, Christian May, Noah Ross, Gavin Walsh, Patrick Wessler, and Greedy Williams. Size matters.

The 7-footer Wessler has been a very efficient double-double machine, with 10 so far this season. The transfer from Virginia Tech only averaged 10 minutes per game last season, but he’s made the most of his opportunity this season, averaging 13.3 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest. He tied a program record with 6 blocks in early January against Hampton.

Hodge (pictured above), who has spent all four seasons in Wilmington, has blossomed into a star this season. Back in December he was named to the Lou Henson Early Season Watch List, and he has continued to perform, averaging 15 points and 5 rebounds per contest. He’s scored 20 or more on eight occasions this season.

As a team they have +11 point-differential, which is No. 1 in the CAA, and they have a +8.4 rebound-margin, which is also tops in the league. Teams are shooting just over 40% against the Seahawks and they defend the three-point line, holding foes to less than 29% from deep.

Currently ranked No. 13 in the Mid-Major Top 25®, this group is as solid as they come. They are efficient on offense and they are good defensively. They take care of the basketball, and they get to the free throw line. 

 

GEORGE MASON ROYALTY

The historic season continues in Fairfax, Virginia.

Monday’s 69-64 win over George Washington improved George Mason’s record to 18-1 overall and 6-0 in the Atlantic 10.  It’s by far the best start in program history. 

It's been all the more impressive when you consider that the Patriots lost preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection, Brayden O’Connor in the first game of the season. 

Picked to finish 6th in the preseason A-10 poll and, without arguably their best player, few would have predicted just one loss in late January. But based on recent history, it should not be surprising that head coach Tony Skinn has George Mason playing good basketball heading into February.

Lat season GMU captured its first-ever A-10 regular season title in school history, and they advanced to the conference championship game for the first time since 2009. But heading into the 2025-26 season, Coach Skinn knew he had to overhaul the roster. 

Credit goes to one of the top transfer classes in the country, as those transfers account for 92% of GMU scoring. O’Connor, who is expected to return soon, was the lone returner who figured to put up points. In his absence the newcomers have stepped up.

Dola Adebayo (Mount St. Mary's), Riley Allenspach (Samford),  Nick Ellington (Murray State), Fatt Hill (Ball State), Kory Mincy (Presbyterian) and Masai Troutman (Northeastern) are the nucleus of a balanced team with inside and outside scoring and top 100 efficiency on both offense and defense.

A big part of the efficiency is taking care of the basketball. The Patriots lead the A-10 and are 32nd nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10). They recently set a school-record with seven-straight games with less than 10 turnovers per games.

They also ranked 2nd nationally in FT rate (.498) and make 20.3 free throws per game, which is 6th best in the nation. On the other end of the floor, the Patriots commit just 15.3 fouls per contest, which is 32nd best nationally.

About the only thing Coach Skinn would probably like to see is better starts, but his team has been great in the second half.  

In first halves this season, the Patriots have a +2.2 scoring-margin. They shoot 44.8% and hold opponents to 43.9% from the field and .357% from three-point range.  

After halftime, the scoring margin is +9.5 and the shooting percentage jumps to 53.3%. They are holding foes to 38.9% shooting, including a mere 27.9% from beyond the arc. 

That’s closing.

I don’t think Coach Skinn has gotten enough credit for being able to recruit the right mix of players.  

It's always great to see a former player return home and have success. Tony, who is a native of Hyattsville, Md. and Washington, D.C., played his college ball for the Patriots and was a 1,000-point scorer. He was a key contributor on that magical run to the Final Four in 2006. 

Tony Skinn is George Mason Royalty and very deserving nominee for the 2025-26 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award.

NOTE: The finalists for the award will be announced in March. The recipient of the 2025-26 Jim Phelan award will be announced in April, in Indianapolis, IN site of the men's Division I NCAA Basketball Championship.


 

A HEALTHY CONFIDENCE

Chris Mack’s team is finally on the mend. 

Charleston opened the season, ranked No. 13 in the Mid-Major Top 25 ®, but a tough schedule and injuries led to a 4-6 start. Since Dec. 10 the Cougars have run off seven straight wins.

They have a special point guard in Jlynn Counter (pictured above) who transferred from Middle Tennessee, after two seasons at IU Indianapolis.  The talented 6-foot-3 senior is a big, strong, physical, unconventional point guard who is a tough match up.  During Charleston’s recent 7-game surge, Counter averaged 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting nearly 60% from the field.

While Counter has been a key guy since the first game of the season, Colby Duggan missed the first 13 games of the season with a fractured foot. The return of the First-Team All-CAA forward has been a big boost for Coach Mack’s squad.

He returned to the lineup on Dec. 29 and it took him a couple of games to get going, but he played well against William & Mary and Hampton. The 6-foot-7 junior transfer from Campbell was the top scorer last season in conference games, averaging 19 points per contest.

Coach Mack also has the most productive combination of 7 footers in the country in Chol Machot and Christian Reeves. They are difference makers on the defensive end. Reeves had four blocks last week against William & Mary and Machot registered six rejections over the weekend against Hampton. The duo combine for 17.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per contest. 

The Cougars also have a good young player in freshman Martin Kalu. The 6-foot-6 guard played for Germany in the last year’s FIBA U20 Eurobasket, averaging 15.3 points and 7.9 rebounds. 

Charleston (11-6) is back in the Mid-Major Top 25® this week and are undefeated in league play along with Hofstra and UNCW. The CAA is loaded at the top! 

NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED

After 85 wins in four years, Coach Griff Aldrich left to join his close friend Ryan Odom on the staff at the University of Virginia. New head coach Ronnie Thomas was elevated from assistant, and he has continued the winning formula. 

This is a deep, big and quick mid major team, which excels at three things in particular -- offensive rebounding, steals, and getting to the free throw line. 

The Lancers pull down nearly 12 offensive rebounds per game and overall rank second in the Big South with 31.7 total rebounds per contest. It’s a collective effort. They don’t have a single player averaging as many as 7 rebounds per game. 

They also currently rank second in the conference in steals with 8.6 per game. VCU transfer Alphonzo Billups III is third in the league with 1.6 per contest and he had 3 in a win over the weekend against Presbyterian.   

And when they get to the line, they are shooting .757 as a team, which is tops in the Big South. 

Much like Griff’s teams, they are well-balanced with the top seven scoring between 7-12 points per game. 3-point shooting is a question mark, but their toughness will give them an edge on a lot of nights. 

Their style of play is entertaining and effective, and they are a legitimate threat in Big South. The recent high standards are still the goal. 

Coach Thomas was on staff for the past four seasons, and was part of two NCAA tournament teams, so he understands the culture that was built. He was the perfect choice to follow Coach Aldrich. 

A COMPLETE OVERHAUL 

After three years and 65 wins, veteran head coach Pat Duquette has experienced the new effects of the transfer portal and NIL, returning an incredible 0% of the scoring from last season. 

Coach Duquette and his staff were tasked with an historic rebuild at UMass Lowell.

The complete overhaul made a slow start very predictable, as the River Hawks didn’t pick up their first division I victory until day before Thanksgiving. Since then, they have gone 7-4 and are 3-0 in America East.

It was evident early on that Austin Green (pictured above) was going to be an excellent addition. The 6-foot-8 transfer from Texas State has emerged as one of the best rebounders and top inside scorers in the league. He’s fourth in the league in scoring (14.4) and second in rebounding (7.6) per game.

UMass Lowell is tops in America East in points per game (77.1) and field goal accuracy (47.9%). Those are very impressive numbers considering they returned 0% of the scoring from last season.

There is a long way to go, but the River Hawks currently sit on top of America East at 3-0, which many people did not see coming after a 1-6 start. Tremendous job by Coach Duquette and his staff.

RESUME OPPORTUNITY FOR NOVA

Villanova's only two losses this season are at NET No. 1 Michigan and against NET No. 6 BYU on a neutral floor. Otherwise, the Wildcats have taken care of business in the non-conference, but they have one more resume opportunity on Friday evening.

Winners of six of the last seven Villanova (8-2) will face Wisconsin (7-3) in Milwaukee tonight in a nationally televised game on Fox. The Badgers haven’t played since last week, when they lost by 30, in the Big Ten road opener at Nebraska.  

UW is led by San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd, who was part of the Florida Atlantic team that went to the Final Four in 2023. The 6-foot-3 senior is averaging 20.2 points per contest, shooting over 48% from the field.

Villanova features one the nation’s best rebounders in Duke Brennan. The Grand Canyon transfer is second in the country, pulling down 11.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-10 senior is coming off a 24-point, 9-rebound performance in a 79-61 win over Pittsburgh. 

While he may not get the same attention as players like Duke’s Cameron Boozer or Arkansas’ Darius Acuff; point guard Acaden Lewis (pictured above) is one of the best freshmen in college basketball. He’s dishing out 5.6 assists a night. 

First-year head coach Kevin Willard also has an efficient wing scorer in Bryce Lindsay. The 6-foot-3 sophomore comes over from James Madison where he was both the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year and the conference Sixth Man of the Year.  He’s made the transition nicely and is currently 4th among Big East players, scoring 17.2 points per contest.

All the ingredients for strong Big East record and a potential NCAA selection are all there. Coach Willard's winning ways continue in year one at Nova.


ONE OF THE BEST OUTSIDE THE POWER 5

Picked to finish 8th in the Coastal Athletic Association, Hofstra was already flying under the radar heading into the season. Losses to open the year at UCF and Iona and a 2-3 start didn’t help matters, but head coach Craig “Speedy” Claxton and his team stayed the course. And post-Thanksgiving has been much different. 

Early-season games help coaches assess players and determine rotations.  Since the Thanksgiving break, Hofstra has lost only once and in a seven-day stretch they won games at Syracuse and Pittsburgh. Winners of six of the last seven, the Pride are currently ranked No. 21 in the latest Mid-Major Top 25® 

Now in his fifth season, Claxton posted 20 or more wins in three of his first four campaigns and he has another good group this season, led by Cruz Davis (pictured above). After stops at Iona and St. John’s, Davis has found a home in Hempstead, New York. 

I spoke with an NBA scout who said Davis is absolutely on his radar after 36 points at Pitt and 22 at Syracuse. He is not scoring on volume but on highly efficient shooting and distributing an average of 8 assists in the two ACC wins. Overall, the 6-foot-3 junior is scoring just under 21 points and is handing out just over 5 assists per game. On Thursday he was named to the Lou Henson award ‘Early Season’ Watch List.

Teammate, Preston Edmead is making a case to get his name on the Kyle Macy Freshmen All-America team. The 6-foot-1 guard is second on the team in points (13.6) and assists (4.9). Combine Davis, a star freshman and a physical front line and you have one of the best teams in the country outside the Power 5.

DANGEROUS TEAM IN THE ACC

What a big win for Adrian Autry and Syracuse on Tuesday evening. The 62-60 win over No. 13 Tennessee follows a tough pre-Thanksgiving stretch against Houston, Kansas and Iowa State. 

Following four straight wins to open the season, Syracuse opened eyes with a tough 78-74 overtime loss to No. 3 Houston. Subsequent losses to Kansas and Iowa State had the Orange in a mini three-game slide, but there were still two big reasons to feel good about this team moving forward.

1. Both Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling returned this season. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, they haven’t always been available. Both have battled injuries going back to last season and have not always been on the floor together. The 6-foot-4 Starling played 33 minutes against the Volunteers and contributed 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, but the 6-foot-9 Freeman hasn’t played since his 18 points and 7 rebounds against Monmouth on Nov. 18. 

That bad luck surely can't continue. 

2. Recruiting went close to perfect for Autry. He added an elite point guard in Naithan George. The honorable mention All-ACC selection finished sixth in the nation with 6.5 assists per game last season at Georgia Tech. Autry also added elite shooter Nate Kingz who shot over 44% from three last season for Oregon State. He had a season-best 19 in the win over Tennessee. 

Defense is also a big key and UCLA transfer William Kyle III has made an immediate impact. The 6-foot-9 senior had 6 blocks in Tuesday’s win. He currently ranks top 10 nationally in that category.  And Coach Autry added a pair of elite freshmen with Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White, Jr.  

All the ingredients are here. With a healthy Freeman, a high finish in the ACC is realistic.

DIFFERENT APPROACH IN HAPPY VALLEY

While most of the country is going transfer portal and experience heavy, Penn State head coach, Mike Rhoades brought in seven freshman. While at Kentucky, John Calipari admitted his “one and done” freshman approach could not win at the highest level. Therefore, some patience is warranted here in Big 10 play. 

Make no mistake that Kayden Mingo, Melih Tunca and Ivan Juric have traits to excel and build around at the Big 10 level. The trio averages 38.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per contest. When others are building one-year teams, Penn State is building a program that can stay competitive. Who does not root for that?

LIONS ROARING START

First-year head coach Kevin Hovde has literally hit the court running at Columbia. The Lions averaged just under 94 points per game over the past four. The program hasn’t had a stretch like that in nearly 50 years, while the former Florida assistant coach is the first Columbia head coach to win seven of his first eight games since 1950.

Not surprisingly, Columbia is top 20 nationally, shooting just under 40% from beyond the arc, something they were pretty good at doing in Gainesville. And just like the Gators, the Lions are great on the boards. Columbia currently leads the nation in rebound margin (15.8) and they pull down 13.5 offensive rebounds per contest.

Hovde brings a clear vision from the Florida Gators NCAA Championship blueprint along with great energy and communication skills. He inherited a roster filled with experienced seniors Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, Blair Thompson and Zine Eddine Bedri and exciting young talent providing quality depth in Mason Ritter, Miles Franklin and Connor Igoe. 

They are a legit threat to make it to Ivy Madness.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

New head coach Darris Nichols also has a clear vision for the future of La Salle basketball. Knowing who he is competing against in the Atlantic 10, in terms of NIL, Coach Nichols has built a deep roster with size, athletes and toughness. His team can rebound, they get to the free throw line at a high level, and they have good balance with five players averaging right around double figures in scoring.

Executing this well thought out plan is the goal. In games where they get some much needed 3-point shooting, they can battle the better teams in the A10. The future looks bright in Philadelphia. 

Leftover Thanksgiving Stuffing @EdwinIWS27 pic.twitter.com/VoYwg6ewBc

— La Salle Men’s Basketball (@LaSalle_MBB) November 28, 2025