Teams of the Week: Thoroughly Prepared Men of Michigan

Gut check games will shape your basketball team and if navigated correctly will help maximize your eventual potential. When such tests occur in early November, that usually is an immediate yellow flag.

The Maize & Blue crew led by Dusty May and the help of GM/Scheduling extraordinaire, Kyle Church, lined up games with Wake Forest and a fresh series with TCU in Fort Worth prior to embarking on the loaded Players Era Festival.

The two early season games worked out to be a stiffer test than the staff bargained for. The Wake Forest battle went down to the wire in overtime, and only a miss by the Demon Deacs' Nate Calmese late, saved Michigan from a disappointing loss in nearby Detroit.

Down in Fort Worth, a TCU squad waited. A Horned Frog squad who was licking its own wounds following a stunning loss to New Orleans. TCU was ready to right that wrong and get its resume off the mat against Michigan in front of a packed Schollmaier Arena. If not for a late rally to outscore TCU 22-14 in the final 10 minutes, that game would've gone against the Wolverines as well.

“Even when we were winning, it felt like we were losing,” fifth-year guard Nimari Burnett said, “because we weren’t playing to our capabilities.”

Winning through hard lessons is the best gift a team can get. You benefit from the confidence a win brings, and that confidence collectively raises awareness on where the gaps are in the execution.

Michigan's emergence and development of 7-3 Aday Mara, transfer from UCLA, has been a major cog in the way the Wolverines can defend and block shots. Mr. Mara is 20th in the nation in Block rate, and near the Top 30 in defensive rebounding.

Morez Johnson is 6-9, 250 pounds, with a heavy amount of usage himself. Johnson has been known to block shots and is a supreme offensive rebounder.

Yaxel Lendeborg, 6-9, 240 pounds, is an All-American level player who could've been a 1st Round pick and was compensated well to play this season at Michigan. On top of being a three-level dynamic offensive weapon, Lendeborg also rebounds effectively and blocks shots.

Mara, Johnson, and Lendeborg have bought in during the season's first month. The commitment to defense in the Las Vegas event, created an exponential amount of scoring opportunities.

The Wolverines cooked San Diego State by 40, Auburn by 30, and Gonzaga by 40 in the Championship Game.

“We got just absolutely throttled,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “I’ve never been involved with anything like that. So this is going to be a great challenge and learning experience for me.”

The preparation on the defensive end constantly created downhill attacking-style offense. It was truly unstoppable.

Major credit to former Saint Mary's Assistant Coach Justin Joyner for convincing Dusty May and staff to stay home and not switch in the post. An uncharacteristic move at Michigan, but something that Saint Mary's lived by during Joyner's many years at Saint Mary's and a way of life in trying to slow down the Bulldogs.

It worked. Then it worked again. And again, and again, and again. Michigan held Gonzaga to 42% shooting inside the arc, which would have been its second-worst game a year ago, and is easily its lowest effective rate this year. The Wolverines also had eight team blocks.

PLAYERS ERA Highlights: Yaxel Lendeborg going big all week long

What it all means?
The expectations have never been higher at Michigan in recent memory after what we just witnessed. The team was incredibly connected, opposing offenses had droughts beyond imagination, and the fast-paced Michigan offense created a potent combination that nobody in Las Vegas could fathom. On the resume end, there is a world where maybe SDSU and Auburn do not have great seasons, but we can count on the Gonzaga win having great meaning. Basketball-wise, Michigan will need to stay the course and understand they will be game planned differently after what they put on tape. Internally the focus should be to deepen their already unselfish connections with each other, and continue to be nimble in game planning. That combination could prove to be overwhelming for most in the Big Ten.

TCU

College Basketball's lovely transitive November produced better future lives for both Michigan and TCU. As mentioned, the Horned Frogs let one slip away against the Wolverines. The only option was to grow and improve. TCU's prep for the Rady Children's Invitational in San Diego could only have been pristine under the guidance of Jamie Dixon.

Losing the season opener to New Orleans was more than just a bruise to the TCU resume, they also lost starting center Malick Diallo for the season during that opener.

These Frogs have continued to re-invent themselves during life without Diallo. David Punch and Brock Harding have led the charge within the shortened rotation.

An semifinal win over Florida during this event, had to do wonders for the confidence of this squad. Knocking off the reigning National Champs right in the same month as a home loss to New Orleans is an extreme range of outcomes.

In the Gator win, Brock Harding had five steals as the Frogs defensive scheme gave Florida fits. The Gator trio of Boogie Fland, Thomas Haugh, and Reuben Chinyelu combined for 13 turnovers alone, and in total TCU helped force 19 Gator miscues, en route to a 84-80 key win. Harding was also sensational offensively, delivering 12 assists and 19 points.

Harding's assists reputation was the precursor to the Wisconsin matchup. However, he operated more as a scorer against a Badger squad he’s very familiar with from his time as an Iowa Hawkeye. By halftime, Harding was already up to 16 points as he found seams in the Wisconsin D.

David Punch continues to dazzle with realized potential, following a promising freshman season. His two-handed flush with under two minutes remaining gave the Horned Frogs enough cushion to put the game away. He finished with 17 and nine rebounds.

What it all means?
The Horned Frogs just went from an afterthought to a direct threat in the Big 12. We have no reason to believe that these wins over Florida and Wisconsin (both preseason Top 30 teams per Bracketeer) won't age substantially well. The home loss to New Orleans is forgiven for now. This coming week offers a home test with Notre Dame and a special event game vs. North Texas at Dickies Arena. Pass those tests, and its nothing but a handful of guaranteed home games until Big 12 play.

McNEESE

Many believed with the Great Cowboy Ride of Will Wade ending, McNeese would come back to earth as a program.

While the other three formidable programs arrived in the Caribbean tropics excited for the experience, these Cowboys arrived on Grand Cayman Island on a focused mission.

The four pack of McNeese, George Washington, Murray State, and Middle Tennessee were handed the daunting task of playing one another in a true round-robin format without an off day.

The Cowboys said: "Challenge accepted."

McNeese play a tenacious style of rim-to-rim attacking while also being undersized in terms of height with most lineup combinations.

In the wins over GW and Murray State, the Cowboys found ways to win. Peitok Machar, the bench-role big from Australia, delivered an absurd nine offensive rebounds to help generate countless looks for McNeese's offense.

The Murray State game provided an overwhelming beginning to the game. McNeese was quickly off to a 40-17 halftime lead. By the time the Racers began to adjust and outrebound the Cowboys, the game was under control.

Lastly, it was a snails-paced test against Middle Tennessee. McNeese wins against George Washington and Murray State produced a 74-possession pace in each rodeo. This Blue Raider matchup was a 57-possession Caymans' day three special. A perfect opportunity to run more offense through the ultra-efficient Javohn Garcia, who had a season-high 26 points in this 72-62 grinder of a game.

What it all means?
Cowboys returned to Lake Charles with three quality wins on its resume. This McNeese program struggles to get many big-time showcases scheduled and already had a road loss to underrated Santa Clara. Now, they are 4-1 vs. D1 and the GW win at minimum should be a Quad 2 level win.

COLORADO

Let's start here:

"Tad Boyle retiring?" "Does Colorado basketball have any hope?" "Buffaloes are simply outmatched in the loaded Big 12." The list goes on and on and on.

Meanwhile, the Buffs just continue to concern themselves with daily improvement. Not exactly the sexiest social media buzzword, but its a formula that has led Boyle to become Colorado's all-time most accomplished head coach.

Boulder, CO is a beautiful place to live, but has long been an extremely difficult place to succeed in Men's Basketball. After a really upgraded decade or so in the PAC-12, the Buffs returned to the Big 12 a much more accomplished program. Still, the many levels of elite and other very strong peers in this conference almost force the common media member or Big 12 fan to quickly dismiss the Buffs.

Ball knowers, like our Jim Root, have had their eyes on Barrington Hargress for a few years, he was truly remarkable and a tremendous winner while at UC Riverside, an underdog program.

Hargress finally made the jump to power conference basketball but remained with an underdog program, in Colorado. A seemingly ideal marriage.

Bangot Dak, had some freakishly amazing moments down the stretch for the Buffaloes as well. By the time a lot of that was happening the nation had long written Colorado off. CU responded by working daily of course, and pulled off two upsets in the Big 12 Tournament, including a win over West Virginia to cost them badly.

Now, much more consistent and with some needed muscle (he added 20 pounds this offseason), Dak's 7-foot, 205 pound frame is a major issue. Particularly in the Acrisure Series Title Game vs. shorthanded Washington. Dak's 15 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks left no doubt who owned the paint in Palm Desert that day.

Isaiah Johnson, the freshman from Los Angeles, is adding a major talent upgrade to the CU program as well. Johnson was the most valuable player in the key semifinal win over San Francisco, going for 17 points and a steal. He added 10 made free throws to help sink the Huskies.

Ultimately, the Buffs won the tournament in runaway fashion. This team also handled Providence earlier in the month and can no longer fly under the radar.

What it all means?
The Buffs now own a pair of neutral court wins over Washington and San Francisco to add on to its home win vs. Providence. Most impressively, all of these wins have left no doubt on who the better team was. At 7-0 now, the journey continues. UW figures to get healthy and eventually become a potential Quad 1 level win. USF Dons track record is to play well in WCC play, and that could mean a Quad 2 win for CU. A tricky week lies ahead with undefeated California Baptist coming to town and a trip to play rival Colorado State this weekend. Later this month, a date with a quality Stanford team occurs in Phoenix. For the time being, respect the Buffs. A resume is beginning to brew.

VANDERBILT

Want to know what an extremely well coached offense executes like? Have a look at this:

This image via Pomeroy above, begins to paint the story of how things went for the Commodores down in the Bahamas. Vandy opponents had opportunities throughout the week, but the execution level of this Vandy team is too consistent over the course of 40 minutes is too much for the opposition to sustain.

Duke Miles was sensational in closing out the opening win over Western Kentucky, going 12-for-12 from the line and leading Vandy with 28 points. WKU, as it would turn out, gave the Commodores its biggest scare of the event. Incredible that Miles is still playing CBB after six seasons with Troy/High Point/Oklahoma. Vandy is capitalizing on the services of the winning playmaker. Miles was the go-to option once again in the semifinal triumph over VCU, adding 10-for-11 FT shooting and 20 more points.

The Championship round provided a NCAA Tournament rematch with Saint Mary's, which had to be meaningful for the returners and the Commodores' staff. In that tough loss a year ago, Vandy squandered a 12-point lead and went on a major second-half drought.

These new and improved Commodores had the foot on the gas for much longer down at Atlantis. An early double-digit lead was established over the previously perfect Gaels. By halftime, the lead was 51-34. Despite SMC's best efforts to narrow the gap early in the second half, Vandy accelerated when they needed to. By the end, it was a major 96-71 quality win to stun Saint Mary's and HOF coach Randy Bennett. The player of the game? Duke Miles for the third day in a row. And now the SEC had rewarded him much like we are.

What it all means?
Vanderbilt's roster is built really intelligently. There is offensive firepower everywhere you turn. On defense, Devin McGlockton plays larger than his 6'7 height and 6-10 Jalen Washington is becoming a key stop gap. Washington had a pair of blocks against massively tall Saint Mary's. The Saint Mary's win will age very well and the wins over VCU and WKU provide non-conference resume depth to a ledger that already had a road win over improved UCF on it. Vandy continues to trend up in the SEC pecking order, and until further notice has to consider themselves a contender in the loaded conference race.

STRONGLY CONSIDERED FOR AWARDS

KANSAS - This shows how loaded the options were this week. A KU team playing in the Players Era Event without its elite freshman - Darryn Peterson, goes 3-0 with a win over Tennessee and can't crack the top five for an award? Nuts! Jayhawks were also without wingman Jayden Dawson (who appears to be set to return against UConn this Tuesday). KU handled its business over Notre Dame and Syraucse, in what was a very inviting schedule for the Blue Bloods from Lawrence. They then met their competitive match against SEC contenders, Tennessee. Melvin Council's rise won't stop. He became the most important glue player and tied for the most points in the upset win with 17, four assists, six boards, and two blocks. Up next for the Jayhawks? UConn and Mizzou, what a fun ride.

CALIFORNIA - The Golden Bears victory over UCLA was monumental for Cal's 2026 hopes for progress, and reinforces the hard work done in the portal this past offseason. Chris Bell was money in this neutral-site battle at the NBA's Chase Center in San Francisco. Bell knocked down five of his seven three-ball attempts, and added a perfect five-for-five from the line to lead the Bears with 22 points. Bell was simply a microcosm of what this collective Bears program set out to achieve during transfer portal season - a major overhaul of its shooting. Well, in this win, the Bears went 50% (11-22) from deep and kept the UCLA defense honest. Exactly what HC Mark Madsen is looking for in this difficult program turnaround. A season ago, Cal was ranked near 300th in the nation in the major shooting categories: eFG%, 3-Pt%, 2-Pt%. In 2026 thus far, Cal is in the Top 45 nationally from distance and overall effective FG shooting. Okay Bears, you have our interest!

STANFORD - The Bay Area ACC schools have really stepped up in November! The Cardinal bounced back from its collapse against Seattle U to take a difficult Acrisure Series bracket away from aspiring Saint Louis. The miracle win over Saint Louis captured the trophy, and also Stanford beat Minnesota in Semifinals. Most teams would do what Saint Louis did, fouling with a three-point lead inside of five seconds to go, and come away with a win. Here is an Exhibit, where it went horribly wrong for the Billikens:

What you just watched above was the tail end of a foul to put Ebuka Okorie on the foul line with SLU leading Stanford by three. Okorie, skilled and wise beyond his years, made the first and skillfully missed the second attempt. Okorie and the Cardinal got the perfect bounce off the rim they were looking for, ultimately landing with Benny Gaeler for the dramatic win and trophy. This non-conference win figures to age significantly, as Saint Louis has looked like a juggernaut in November.

USC - Trojans remain perfect on the season as they settle back into life in L.A. Last week was another wild journey through the Maui Invitational, filled with some surprises. Day one was an absolute struggle vs. Boise State but Rodney Rice's 27-point take over proved to be the difference in a three-point win. Surprisingly, the Trojans matched up against Seton Hall in the semifinals, who shocked N.C. State. The game against Hall, was a war. Shaheen Holloway's group is clearly better than a season ago and came to the islands on a mission. USC had just enough juice to get through the battle, 83-81. Ezra Ausar proved to be key, scoring 25 points with 15 of those coming from the line. He was a matchup nightmare. In the Title game, another slight surprise opponent- former PAC-12 rival, Arizona State. This time the Trojans were finally able to have a performance to extend a lead late and create some margin. Behind Chad Baker-Mazara's 23 points and four assists, the Trojans demonstrated they have weapons all over the floor. USC remains perfect on the season despite a handful of close wins. Big Ten play begins Wednesday at Oregon in another test.

UC SAN DIEGO - Tritons never went anywhere!

This trip to Disney for the Orlando event was full of UCSD mystery. By the time it ended, the Tritons once again had shown the college basketball world they are one of the best non-power programs in all of the land. Wins over Temple, a good Bradley squad, and a annihilation of Towson in the Championship Game left no doubt. Leo Beath began his career at Florida Atlantic before playing at nearby D2 Lynn (also located in Boca Raton) last year to reinstall his confidence. Beath has perhaps quickly become one of the best Big West steals in the portal. In the first two games in Orlando, Beath went for a combined 55 points. He also led the Tritons in the title game with 16. He now ranks Top-60 in the nation in eFG%, and has a very strong efficiency measure for a high usage guy. Big West play begins this week, so the celebration has already cooled off, but UCSD has everyone on notice now.

HONORABLE MENTION: REMAINING CONFERENCE AWARDS

OVC: TENNESSEE STATE - The Tigers went through late transition during the offseason with former HC Penny Collins opting to go to the NBA, and the sharp up-and-comer Nolan Smith getting a shot at a D1 coaching gig. Smith is making quick progress as TSU just went and won the MTE at Chattanooga, sending a message across the state and TSU also won a road game at typically-tough UNC Asheville. Travis Harper and Aaron Nkrumah's decision to stay at TSU has helped substantially, both had 17 in the Chattanooga road win.

BIG 12 EXTRA: IOWA STATE - 3-0 record at the Players Era included big wins over St. John's, Creighton, and a blowout of Syracuse. Somewhat frustrating for the observers of this event to get robbed of seeing the scintillating Cyclones take on a bigger opponent on the final day. This squad is performing like a legit Big 12 and Final Four contender. ISU's attention to defensive detail has moved the needle in a big way - they are now third in the nation in defensive efficiency, producing the second-highest turnover rate in America.

THE AMERICAN: TULSA - Acrisure Event Championship is a critical stepping stone for the direction of the program. The Golden Hurricane beat a talented Northern Iowa team to secure the championship. Tulsa's only loss was a squandered road loss to Kansas State by one point. This program has been stuck near the AAC basement in the first three seasons under Eric Konkol. The increased efforts in the transfer portal has transformed this team into a legitimate contender on paper for the American Conference.

ATLANTIC-10: GEORGE MASON - Patriots won the Sunshine Slam convincingly and returned home to rout JMU by 16. In the two days at Daytona Beach, GMU left no doubt on whom the superior squad was. The 92-69 semifinal win over Ohio U. was actually a 38-point lead with 10 minutes to go. In the Slam final, the Pats started extremely fast again against Florida Atlantic, who figured to have some kind of edge playing in its own home state. That was false. This was all GMU. No better way to celebrate a dominant MTE showing then to play a regional rival at home in James Madison. In that game, Kory Mincy led the charge with 25 points and a pair of steals. GMU went to halftime trailing, but once again started the second half strong, and ended the game with a 30-17 edge in the final stretch. Tony Skinn once again has a high performing defense, holding opponents to a 43.8% eFG%, good for 21st-best in America. Patriots are 8-0.

BIG 12 EXTRA: BYU - The Cougars became yet another Big 12 program to have a clean and successful week. BYU conquered the ESPN Disney Event with solid wins over Miami and Dayton. Cougars continue to hold serve where needed. Dayton and BYU had large turn outs of support which made for a great championship game. Richie Saunders' six triples ultimately overwhelmed the Flyers in a 83-79 tight one.

BIG 10 EXTRA: MICHIGAN STATE - The Spartans just continue to pad the resume. This past week's example came in the form of a Ft. Myers Tip-Off Championship, highlighted by a 16-point dismantling of UNC. The 7-0 Spartans were led by the evolving leader, Jeremy Fears, who had 19 points, seven dimes, and five boards. MSU hosts undefeated Iowa on Tuesday, in an excellent B1G opener.

CONFERENCE USA: SAM HOUSTON - Swept Idaho schools (Idaho and Idaho State) in the Boise tournament. Impressive work from Chris Mudge's Bearkats. Isaiah Manning (TR from TCU) came off the bench with a major splash in the 94-68 blowout of the Vandals, pouring in 18 points, while delivering four assists. Bearkats had just six team turnovers. Earlier in the week, Kashie Natt (GRAD TR from NAIA LSU-Alexandria), put on a show. Natt had 26 points on seven made buckets and 12-14 FT shooting. It was just enough for Sam Houston to take down ISU, 84-81. SHSU's only losses are at Texas Tech and Utah, and suddenly appears as if they can be a factor in CUSA long-term.

ACC EXTRA: DUKE - Thanksgiving Special winners over Arkansas, 80-71. The Blue Devils had themselves another successful appearance on the big stage in Chicago. Bracketeer's preseason #1 overall team has not disappointed. Cam Boozer appears to be unstoppable, going for 35 points, nine boards, and two steals in this win over the Hogs.

BIG EAST: UCONN - In a 13-point win over Illinois, the Huskies once again reaffirmed its intentions of being a 1-seed caliber club this season. Dayton transfer Malachi Smith may have had his best day in a UConn uniform, delivering nine assists, scoring 14 points, and committing just one turnover. Huskies had little time to celebrate, they travel to aforementioned Kansas on Tuesday.

BIG EAST EXTRA: SETON HALL - Program changing potential with confidence discovered at the Maui Invitational. It all started with the massive upset over N.C. State in the tourney opener. Then, the Hall backed up its hard-nosed play with a narrow loss to USC and a dominant win over Washington State to take 3rd Place. The Pirates returned to South Orange with a 7-1 record and oodles of confidence. The Hall has a trip to Kansas State later this week, but cannot overlook the home game vs. Central Connecticut on Wednesday.

CAA: WILLIAM & MARY - Tribe were the co-winners of the JAX Classic and lost two starters, Kyle Pulliam and Reese Miller at the event. Wins over UTEP and Abilene Christian were important to pickup team bonding. They then came home to beat ODU to end the week. I had the pleasure of calling the win over ACU, and ideally the Tribe can get Miller and Pulliam back in the fold soon. This team has real 1 thru 9 depth on the rotation, which explains the lack of any drop off once they became shorthanded.

IVY LEAGUE: YALE - Won title game of Paradise Jam vs. Akron and won at Vermont to cap off a great week. Technically the first two games of the Paradise Jam fell during the previous period, but these two wins are plenty good enough for recognition. Isaac Celiscar continues to rise as a Sophomore, he dropped 23 on Akron, followed that up with 16 at Vermont. Fellow Sophomore, Riley Fox, came off the bench to make nine FGs in Burlington, ending with 23 in that narrow 77-74 thrilling win.

ATLANTIC-10 EXTRA: VCU - 2-1 In Bahamas. Quality wins over USF Bulls and Virginia Tech. Only setback was to Vanderbilt. An overall net-positive effort from the 3rd Place Rams. The hope now is that South Florida and Virginia Tech can evolve into NCAA-level teams to create optimal win aging.

MISSOURI VALLEY: BELMONT - Capped off a terrific week in Fort Myers by traveling up the East Coast and winning a true road game at Charleston. At the event, the Bruins knocked off Saint Francis with ease, and put away Toledo by a 15-point margin. Bruins get a ton of love for its beautiful offense, which now ranks 4th nationally in eFG%, but how bout the defense only allowing a nationally 17th lowest eFG% as well? What a great combination as we inch closer to Valley play.

WAC: UTAH VALLEY - 3-0 Cancun Challenge. Smoked South Dakota State and Samford in its two Mexico games. Prior to arriving, the Wolverines took care of the tough UC Irvine program at home. UVU's defense gave up 52 to South Dakota State and 45 to Samford in Cancun games, completely mauling the opposition. Utah Valley now has the 70th-best defensive efficiency in the nation.

PATRIOT: COLGATE - Northern Classic Champs, handled Fordham by double-digits to secure the tournament title. We noticed the Raiders a week prior when Jalen Cox sunk a halfcourt shot to beat Siena, and Colgate probably should've closed out a win over Cornell. In Montreal last weekend, the Raiders left no doubt. Cox had 13 assists in the two D1 games north of the border.

HORIZON: OAKLAND - Zootown Classic Champions. YES! Greg Kampe took his Golden Grizzlies into Montana Grizzlies country and got out of their with two wins. The Oakland D put Montana star Money Williams into a pretzel, and also suffocated Lamar. Oakland's record is lopsided due to the impossible tasks against the nation's best, but make no mistake this team is poised to win a Horizon Title.

ASUN: LIPSCOMB - Kevin Carroll's Bison earned road wins at Marshall and SEMO. This is suddenly a rejuvenated squad starting to find its way. Lithuanian and High Point transfer, Titas Sargiunas, torched the Thundering Herd with four triples and 22 points. In the SEMO road win, it was Longwood transfer, Mateo Esmeraldo, who couldn't be stopped. Esmeraldo had 22 points and five assists. Lipscomb won both of these road games by double-digits, ballooning its Pomeroy rating to #149 as of press time.

CAA EXTRA: HOFSTRA - A Pride shoutout to the winners of the Cathedral Classic. Hofstra thumped Penn on the final day, to secure the title. They also earned wins over Merrimack and La Salle to put the rest of the CAA on notice.

MAAC: SIENA - 4-0 on the week, including sweeping through the American U. MTE in Washington D.C. (also beat Longwood and Maine while there). Saints continue to show resolve despite losing a crushing heartbreaker from halfcourt a week ago at home vs. Colgate. Saints will open MAAC play this coming week against Canisius and Niagara, where they are largely expected to start 2-0 in conference play.

WCC: PACIFIC - 3-0 on the week including winning the Sunshine Slam travel bracket. These Tigers are finally smelling blood during season two of the Dave Smart era. In wins over Stony Brook, Jacksonville, and Sacramento State, the Tigers were completely dominant. Elias Ralph was named the MVP in all three wins. He was incredibly solid, averaging nearly 18 ppg across the three wins and had 10 rebounds in the win over JU.

NEC: WAGNER - A road win at Manhattan will do the trick. Congrats to Interim HC Dwan McMillan who is getting this team to put up points. This was a 103-101 win over the nearby Jaspers in OT. Nick Jones, the NJCAA transfer from Harcum, was the absolute truth in this effort. Jones went for 35 points on 11-17 shooting, and adding 10 free throws on 11 tries. Wagner may have uncovered an all-NEC level talent in this one.

SUMMIT: SOUTH DAKOTA - The Coyotes had the cool oppurtunity to play a neutral site game at Rapid City's The Monument. Their effort against Air Force did not disappoint. A 80-63 drubbing. South Dakota took a sizeable early lead and never looked back. Caleb Walker's 21 points off the bench were a bright sign for potentially what is still to come.

BIG SOUTH: PRESBYTERIAN - The Blue Hose also don't typically get many chances to play in special neutral-site events. But on Saturday, they played at the Harrah's Cherokee Center against The Citadel, who calls that building home for its SoCon Tournament. The Blue Hose took it to the Bulldogs in a cruel way, winning 69-41. Carl Parrish continues to excel, he paced Presbyterian with 21 points on just nine attempts! Draining five three's.

MOUNTAIN WEST: NEW MEXICO - It was such a brutal week for the conference that the only undefeated options were UNM, who escaped with a 93-87 win at home vs. Alabama State OR an even more dangerous win by Utah State over Montana State. That's it, every one else in the league took at least one loss. A shoutout to Freshman Jake Hall, he continues to earn trust with the coaches and is a starter now - he went for 24 points, making seven sniper-based triples.

AMERICA EAST: UMASS-LOWELL - Major kudos to the Riverhawks for staying the course. There have been points this year where UML has looked like perhaps the worst team in the country. Following a six-game losing streak, the Riverhawks got right at Stonehill. A 75-64 road win, that should help in several ways. Texas State transfer Austin Green scored 14 points in just 19 minutes of play.

SWAC: JACKSON STATE - JSU held high SWAC expectations entering the season. As many schedules go in the SWAC, that excitement required a time-release pill during the Tigers' rough 0-6 road swing to start the season. That changed this past week as JSU entered the Cajundome and mucked up a 51-45 road rock fight triumph over the Cajuns of Louisiana. Long-standing leader, Daeshun Ruffin paced the squad with 18 points. Hope is alive and well in Jackson.

SOCON: MERCER - These Bears continue to be one of the few bright spots of non-conference play throughout the SoCon. A road win at Elon was a little extra impressive last week considering that Elon won by 30+ at Appalachian State prior to that meeting. Mercer also defeated the Mountaineers to claim the regional "Triangle" Title. Canadian star Baraka Okojie was someone we have highlighted here before, went for 29 in the Elon win and added 16 vs. App State. Mercer's offense continues to take care of the ball better than most and is more than holding their own from downtown, ranking Top 80 in 3-Pt%.

BIG SKY: NORTHERN ARIZONA - The Lumberjacks committed to hosting its own MTE despite having the troubling Cal Poly Mustangs visit and preseason OVC contenders, SEMO. No sweat says HC Shane Burcar! NAU passed both tests with flying colors. A total team effort was required to beat Cal Poly and that's what the players provided. Isaiah Shaw (22) and Ryan Abelman (21) carried the load. Abelman backed that effort up with another 20 point game against SEMO to earn tournament MVP honors.

No Awards due to no D1 wins during the week: MEAC

Enjoy December ball!