Skinny: The Billikens, losers of three straight by a total of eight points, have been ravaged by injuries. Thus far, they haven’t looked capable of meeting their fourth-place pick in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. Only two of their wins have been against teams in the top half of Division I, per KenPom rankings. They […]
Skinny: The Billikens, losers of three straight by a total of eight points, have been ravaged by injuries. Thus far, they haven’t looked capable of meeting their fourth-place pick in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll. Only two of their wins have been against teams in the top half of Division I, per KenPom rankings. They haven’t won away from Chaifetz. SLU’s defense, ranked No. 259, is far and away the worst in the league. The positive for SLU is that if the Billikens play as well as they did Sunday in a narrow loss at Grand Canyon, a top-half league finish could be possible as players learn the intricacies of new coach Josh Schertz’s system.
Florida center Rueben Chinyelu (9) gets grabbed by Southern Illinois guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
Record: 6-6
Verdict to date: As expected
Skinny: Though Mizzou is still ranked toward the bottom of the Southeastern Conference, the Tigers are one of the nation’s most improved teams from last season, nearly 100 spots better than their final KenPom ranking last season. The Tigers’ effective field goal percentage is 11th-best in the country. Mizzou will have numerous chances to prove itself and rack up Quad 1 wins. Every road game in the SEC, the top-ranked league, will as of now be categorized as a Quad 1 game for Mizzou. Illinois coach Brad Underwood said after Sunday’s Braggin’ Rights game that he expects the Tigers to be playing in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are in the field (barely) in Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology.
NET ranking: 45th (13th of 16 in SEC)
NET ranking: 181st (11th of 15 in A-10)
Skinny: Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, that’s right where the computer rankings have the Cougars. But it will be tough to get separation in one of the most bunched-up conferences, and SIUE is already on the wrong side of what may end up being a scrum with its 0-2 start to league play after a close defeat at preseason favorite Little Rock then a blowout defeat at SEMO. Collinsville’s Ray’Sean Taylor, a volume shooter, leads the nation in 3-point attempts (123), and the Cougars’ 3-point percentage has been a big deciding factor in games thus far.
Skinny: Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, that’s right where the computer rankings have the Cougars. But it will be tough to get separation in one of the most bunched-up conferences, and SIUE is already on the wrong side of what may end up being a scrum with its 0-2 start to league play after a close defeat at preseason favorite Little Rock then a blowout defeat at SEMO. Collinsville’s Ray’Sean Taylor, a volume shooter, leads the nation in 3-point attempts (123), and the Cougars’ 3-point percentage has been a big deciding factor in games thus far.
Skinny: Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, that’s right where the computer rankings have the Cougars. But it will be tough to get separation in one of the most bunched-up conferences, and SIUE is already on the wrong side of what may end up being a scrum with its 0-2 start to league play after a close defeat at preseason favorite Little Rock then a blowout defeat at SEMO. Collinsville’s Ray’Sean Taylor, a volume shooter, leads the nation in 3-point attempts (123), and the Cougars’ 3-point percentage has been a big deciding factor in games thus far.
Skinny: Picked to finish third in the Ohio Valley, that’s right where the computer rankings have the Cougars. But it will be tough to get separation in one of the most bunched-up conferences, and SIUE is already on the wrong side of what may end up being a scrum with its 0-2 start to league play after a close defeat at preseason favorite Little Rock then a blowout defeat at SEMO. Collinsville’s Ray’Sean Taylor, a volume shooter, leads the nation in 3-point attempts (123), and the Cougars’ 3-point percentage has been a big deciding factor in games thus far.
Verdict to date: Worse than expected
