2013 Non-Conference Schedules: San Diego Toreros

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All times Pacific.

I like what Bill Grier and his staff have done with this year's schedule. It's very well rounded. First off, over half of the Toreros' games will be played at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Of those seven, two are guaranteed to be blowout victories (two non-D-I teams). The team has a few early season tests on the slate as well. Playing at New Mexico, while almost certainly a loss, will prepare the Toreros for the hostile environments in Provo and Spokane. San Diego State, in Jenny Craig, will provide fans with a great game and (hopefully) a great atmosphere. The atmosphere is up to you, USD fans. Finally, the Gulf Coast Showcase could provide USD with either a few tough games or an easy path to an pretty early-season record, depending on how the bracket shakes out.

My only qualm is the two games against non-D-I teams. Part of the WCC's rationale for adding Pacific was that two additional conference games would make it easier for WCC teams to schedule a non-conference slate of entirely D-I teams. Either San Diego couldn't do that, which I doubt considering the surplus of low quality D-I teams in the state of California. Or, the Toreros's staff wanted to play two games that would be nearly guaranteed victories. All-in-all though, this is a quality schedule for where the Toreros are at this season.

1. November 8th at 7:00 PM in San Diego
South Dakota State Jackrabbits, Summit League
Last Season: 25-10 (13-3), T-1st place Summit. 13 seed NCAA Tournament, lost in Round of 64 to Michigan.

Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Santa Clara

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All times Pacific.

I'm a big fan of the Broncos' non-conference schedule. For a team that wants to improve upon a CIT Championship last season, ideally by making a better tournament this year, this slate offers a number of chances to pick up good wins. It also provides fans in Santa Clara with seven home games, two of which are almost guaranteed to be blowout victories. Those two games are its only flaw; the Broncos failed to schedule enough D-I teams. No

1. November 8th at 7:00 PM at the Leavey Center
Bethesda Flames, National Christian College Athletic Association

The Broncos' first game of the real season is against a team that isn't in D-I, D-II, D-III or the NAIA so, they'll be 1-0.

2. November 12th at 8:00 PM at the Leavey Center
San Jose State Spartans, Mountain West Conference
Last Season: 9-20 (3-14), T-8th Western Athletic Conference.
Last Season vs. WCC: Loss at home to Santa Clara.

2013 Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Loyola Marymount

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All times Pacific.

The Lions' non-conference schedule is very back-heavy. The first four games feature what will likely be the worst four D-I teams they face all season. The Paradise Jam provides the Lions with three chances for quality wins. Then, three straight road games, two of which are east of the Mississippi. Finally two games at home end the non-conference. This schedule is actually pretty solid when you consider the teams in the Paradise Jam. The only real problem is the Lions play just three home games and go a whole month away from Gersten Pavilion.

1. November 8th at 4:30 PM in San Diego
Grand Canyon 'Lopes, Western Athletic Conference
Last Season: 23-8 (14-4), T-2nd place PacWest Conference (Division II).

Non-Conference Schedule Analysis - Pepperdine

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(All times Pacific and subject to change)

The Waves' non-conference doesn't provide many chances to pick up a quality win. San Jose State provides a chance for a WCC team to beat a Mountain West team, but San Jose State isn't up to MWC standards yet. Utah Valley can challenge in the depleted WAC but likely won't win due to New Mexico State's dominance. The Waves' second game in the Great Alaska Shootout will likely be their best shot a quality win, especially if they can win their first game. Both Harvard and Denver will contend for NCAA Tournament berths this season. UC Irvine could make the big dance as well, though Pacific's exit from the Big West certainly helps the Anteaters in that regard. Finally, Washington State is the Waves' only game against a BCS team that is sure to happen (they could face TCU in Alaska depending on how the bracket shakes out). Unfortunately, Washington State is about as bad as a BCS team can get (TCU too, for that matter). 

While there aren't many, if any, strong teams on the schedule, there are ample opportunities for confidence boosting wins. This Waves program has been improving steadily under Marty Wilson. Making it through this slate without a bad loss could be just what they need to make the jump from young and inexperienced to upwardly mobile in the West Coast Conference.

1. November 9th at 5:00 PM in Malibu
San Diego Christian Hawks, Golden State Athletic Conference (NAIA)
Last Season: 7-17 (0-9 vs. D-I, not included in official 7-17 record)

Countdown 10/6/13

34 days remain...

Santa Clara vs. George Mason

Monday, April 1st, 7:00 PM PDT

CBI Championship Series Game One

George Mason Patriots at Santa Clara Broncos

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

George Mason hails from the Colonial Athletic Association. The Patriots are 21-14 on the season, 10-8 in CAA regular season play, 12-8 away from home and are currently on a three game winning streak.

Santa Clara is 24-11 on the season, 15-5 at home and currently on a three game winning streak.

TV: AXS TV

(Honestly, I don't know anything about AXS other than Mark Cuban owns it. Find out if you have it here.)

Radio: KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Free live audio from KDOW and live video from Santa Clara Athletics ($9.95).

Here we have a game between two former Cinderellas for whom the clock struck midnight long ago. Santa Clara's Steve Nash led 15 over 2 upset of Arizona is pretty much forgotten save for the times (like this year) when a 15 beats a 2 in the NCAA Tournament. George Mason opened the door for mid-majors to run to the final four when the Patriots did so in 2006. Neither team has had nearly the same level of success in the years since, but now they're playing for a national championship.

NIT Quarterfinals: #3 BYU at #1 Southern Miss.

National Invitation Tournament Quarterfinals

#3 Brigham Young Cougars at #1 Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles

Reed Green Coliseum, Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

 Wednesday, March 27, 2013. 5:00 PM PDT.

Southern Mississippi hails from Conference USA, is 27-9 on the season and 12-4 in C-USA regular season play. The Golden Eagles are on a two game winning streak and 14-1 at home this season.

BYU is 23-11 on the season, 10-6 in WCC regular season play, 6-8 away from home and currently on a two game winning streak.

TV: ESPNU

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front, KMGR 95.9 FM in Manti, KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City, KDXU 890 AM in St. George and KTHK 105.5 FM in Idaho Falls.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio, Sirius XM 143.

Online: Live audio from KSL and video from ESPN3.

The Cougars have run through the NIT so far. First it was an 82 possession, 90 point, victory over Washington. Last night Mercer was routed, 90-71, by a 1.272 points per possession version of the Cougars. Next up, Southern Mississippi. The Golden Eagles are a defensive minded team, holding teams to 0.93 points per possession. At home they're exceptionally strong on defense, their top eight performances in terms of points allowed per possession came at home.

CBI Quarterfinals: Santa Clara 86 - Purdue 83

Santa Clara Head Coach Kerry Keating opened the post game press conference by saying, "I told Matt [Painter, Purdue Head Coach] how much I appreciated that they played."

Purdue, a founding member of the Big Ten Conference, is a school with over 30,000 undergraduates and a completely self-sustaining athletic budget of $60 million. The Boilermakers have more Big Ten basketball championships than any other school in the conference and they boast winning records against all members of the conference.

The Boilermakers did not need to play in this tournament in the way Santa Clara did.

But, they played, and the Broncos weren't phased. Mackey Arena isn't exactly Cameron Indoor after all. Santa Clara led from the get go, busting out to a 7-2 lead by the first media timeout. During those early minutes the Boilermakers had four turnovers and five missed field goals.

Purdue got the offense going after that first break. The Boilermakers would close the gap to one possession on multiple occasions, but just couldn't get past that hump.

#1 Gonzaga vs. #16 Southern

NCAA Tournament Round of 64

Thursday, March 21st, 2013, 1:10 PM PDT.

EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah.

#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. #16 Southern Jaguars

Southern hails from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Jaguars are 23-9 on the season, 15-3 in SWAC regular season play and currently on a three game winning streak. Southern is 10-9 away from home. 

Gonzaga is 31-2 on the season, 16-0 in WCC regular season play and currently on a 14 game winning streak. Gonzaga is 16-1 away from home.

TV: TBS

Radio: KGA 1510 AM and KEYF 101.1 FM in Spokane, KTEL 1490 AM in Walla Walla, KALE 960 AM in the Tri-Cities, KKRT 900 AM in Wenatchee, KWIQ 1020 AM in Moses Lake and KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound region. 

Satellite Radio: Sirius 93.

Online: Live video from the NCAA.

Southern's offense is horrible, Gonzaga's offense is the best in the country. Southern's defense is good, Gonzaga's defense is great. Yep, this is a one versus sixteen game. No sixteen seed has ever won an NCAA Tournament game.

#11 Saint Mary's vs. #6 Memphis

NCAA Tournament Round of 64

#11 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. #6 Memphis Tigers

March 21, 2013, 11:45 AM PDT, Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Memphis hails from Conference USA and is 30-4 on the season, 16-0 in C-USA regular season play and currently on a six game winning streak. The Tigers are 12-3 away from home.

Saint Mary's is 28-6 on the season, on a one game winning streak and 12-5 away from home.

TV: CBS.

Satellite Radio: SiriusXM 85.

Online: Live video from the NCAA.

Tuesday's Action

Saint Mary's played in the First Four, BYU played in the NIT and Santa Clara played in the CBI last night. All three teams won their first postseason games.

NCAA First Four:
#11 Saint Mary's 67 - #11 Middle Tennessee 54
NIT Opening Round:
#3 BYU 90 - #6 Washington 79
CBI Opening Round:
Santa Clara 77 - Vermont 67

#11 Saint Mary's vs. #11 Middle Tennessee

NCAA Tournament First Four

#11 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. #11 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Tuesday, March 19th, 6:10 PM PDT.

University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio.

Middle Tennessee hails from the Sun Belt Conference. The Blue Raiders are 28-5 on the season, they went 19-1 in the Sun Belt regular season. They are 13-5 away from home this season.

Saint Mary's is 27-6 on the season and went 14-2 in WCC regular season play. The Gaels are 11-5 away from home this season.

TV: TruTV.

Satellite Radio: Sirius XM 91.

Online: Live video from the NCAA, live audio from WNSR (Nashville, TN).

This is exactly what the first four should be (though not necessarily always between mid-majors). Two at large teams that were on the bubble fighting for the right to enter the field of 64. Saint Mary's played seven games against four teams that made the NCAA Tournament field. Middle Tennessee played six games against five teams that made the NCAA Tournament field. Neither made a great case for their inclusion into the field but both have the look of teams that should be in.

Advanced statistics from KenPom.com and BBstate.com.
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BYU vs. Washington

#6 Washington Huskies at #3 BYU Cougars

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013, 6:30 PM PDT.

Provo, Utah.

Washington hails from the Pac-12. The Huskies went 18-15 on the season, 9-9 in Pac-12 regular season play. They are on a one game losing streak, to Oregon in their second game of the Pac-12 Tournament. Washington is 6-7 away from home this season.

BYU is 21-11 on the season, went 10-6 in WCC regular season play and is currently on a one game losing streak, to San Diego in the WCC Tournament Quarterfinals. The Cougars are 15-3 at home this season.

TV: ESPN

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front, KMGR 95.9 FM in Manti, KSUB 590 AM in Cedar City, KDXU 890 AM in St. George and KTHK 105.5 FM in Idaho Falls.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.

Online: Live video from Watch ESPN and live audio from KSL.

BYU has one of the best offenses not playing in the NCAA Tournament. Washington has an offense that is average by national standards. BYU's defense is better than Washington's. BYU is playing at home. Sure fire recipe for a win? Not so fast...

Santa Clara vs. Vermont

College Basketball Invitational: First Round

Vermont Catamounts at Santa Clara Broncos

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013, 7:00 PM PDT

Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.

Vermont hails from the America East. The Catamounts are 21-11 on the season, 11-5 in America East regular season play, they are currently on a one game losing streak. Vermont is 10-8 away from home this season.

Santa Clara is 21-11 on the season, went 9-7 in WCC regular season play and is currently on a one game losing streak, to LMU in the WCC Tournament Quarterfinals. Santa Clara is 13-5 at home this season.

Radio: KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live audio from KDOW.

Vermont is in the CBI because it missed the NCAA Tournament by four points. The Catamounts lost, at home, to Albany in the America East championship game on Saturday.

Santa Clara is in the CBI because it lost in the WCC Quarterfinals to Loyola Marymount back on March 8th. The Broncos will have only played two games in the month of March at tip time on Tuesday, the other being a defeat at Saint Mary's on the 2nd.

Harvard (91) and Stony Brook (80) are the only top-100 wins for Vermont this season. The Catamounts have played only three top-100 teams (Connecticut being the other). Santa Clara has faced six top-100 teams, nine times total, and won twice. The Broncos have defeated Saint Louis (15) and Pacific (97), both are NCAA Tournament teams and both victories came on the road.

Game Info 2/23

WCC Game of the Week

2:00 PM PST

Santa Clara Broncos at Portland Pilots

Chiles Center, Portland, Oregon.

Santa Clara is 19-9 on the season, 7-6 in WCC play and currently on a one game losing streak.

Portland is 11-18 on the season, 4-10 in WCC play and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet California and ROOT Sports Northwest/Rocky Mountain.

Radio: KPDQ 800 AM in Portland and KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area.

Online: Live audio from KPDQ and KDOW.

ESPN BracketBusters

3:00 PM PST

Creighton Bluejays at Saint Mary's Gaels

McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.

Creighton hails from the Missouri Valley Conference, is 22-6 on the season, 11-5 in conference play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Bluejays are 6-4 on the road this season.

Saint Mary's is 23-5 on the season, 12-2 in WCC play and currently on a two game winning streak. The Gaels are 14-1 at home this season.

TV: ESPN

Radio: KXSP 590 AM in Omaha, Nebraska.

Online: Live audio from KXSP.

BracketBusters 2013

Two WCC teams are participating in BracketBusters this season. Unfortunately this is the last season of BracketBusters. The event has been so helpful to the good but all too often overlooked mid-major teams across the country. In past seasons teams like George Mason and VCU have utilized resume-improving BracketBusters games to do quite literally what the name of the event implies. In 2006 and 2011 respectively, George Mason and VCU, busted a ton of brackets by running to the Final Four. Both squads received at large berths in those years, thanks in large part to their victory in their BracketBusters game.

For the two WCC teams involved in this years' edition, only one has any shot at busting any brackets. Fortunately, that team, Saint Mary's drew the only other team in the event that can help them earn an at-large bid, Creighton. The WCC's other team? Loyola Marymount. The participating schools are chosen by the conferences before the start of the season, and coming off a strong 21 win campaign last year the Lions weren't a bad choice for the WCC's second participant. They sure will look out of place now however, sitting at 8-18. They will play Cal Poly, a team which has done nothing other than beat UCLA early in the season.

The Heart of College Hoops: BYU vs. Utah State

7:00 PM MST

Utah State Aggies at Brigham Young Cougars

Marriott Center, Provo, Utah.

Utah State hails from the Western Athletic Conference. They are 18-6 on the season, 9-5 in WAC play,    7-2 on the road and currently on a one game winning streak.

BYU is 19-8 on the season, 9-4 in WCC play, 14-2 at home and currently on a one game winning streak.

TV: BYUtv.

Radio: KSL 1160 AM & 102.7 FM along the Wasatch Front.

Satellite Radio: BYU Radio Sirius XM 143.

Online: Live video from BYUtv Sports, live audio from KSL.

There's a very good reason this non-conference match-up is taking place just as we approach the home stretch of conference play. Utah State was going through it's last practice in Logan before heading south to Provo when forward Danny Berger collapsed on the court. Aggies' trainer Mike Williams quickly used a defibrillator on Berger, saving his life.

Mid-Week Non-Conference

7:00 PM PST:
Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners at Santa Clara Broncos
Leavey Center, Santa Clara, California.
The Roadrunners are an independent (joining the WAC next season). They are 7-13 on the season, 1-9 on the road and are currently on a one game winning streak.
The Broncos are 14-6 on the season, 3-3 in WCC play, 9-4 at home and currently on a two game winning streak.
Radio: KDOW 1220 AM in the Bay Area, KERN 1180 AM in the Bakersfield/Kern County area.
Online: Live audio from KDOW and from KERN.

The start of conference play does not mark the end of the non-conference schedule. Tonight Santa Clara hosts one of Division 1's newest members, the independent Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners. The Roadrunners, once a power in Division 2, should pose no threat to the Broncos tonight. They've already suffered two setbacks to Loyola Marymount this season, and the Lions sit at the bottom of the WCC standings right now.

Game Day Info: New Years Eve

2012 comes to a close with back to back WCC teams in action on ESPN 2. Gonzaga looks to go 5-0 against the Big-12 this season and Saint Mary's looks for it's second win in as many days against an Ivy League foe.

3:00 PM PST:
#10 Gonzaga Bulldogs @ #22 Oklahoma State Cowboys
Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Gonzaga is 12-1 on the season, 1-0 in true road games, 5-0 away from home and currently on a three game winning streak.
Oklahoma State hails from the Big-12 Conference. They are 10-1 on the season, 7-0 at home, 180-4 at home in non-conference play since 1989 and currently on a five game winning streak.
TV: ESPN 2.
Radio: KGA 1510 AM in the Inland Northwest,  KMAS 1030 AM in the Puget Sound area, KALE 960 AM in the Tri-Cities area, 1490 AM in the Walla Walla area.
Online: Live video from ESPN 3; Live audio from KGA.

5:00 PM PST:
Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Harvard Crimson
McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.
Saint Mary's is 10-3 on the season, 7-0 at home and currently on a two game winning streak.
Harvard hails from the Ivy League. They are 7-4 on the season, 2-3 on the road and currently on a three game winning streak.
TV: ESPN 2.
Online: Live video from ESPN 3.

Game Day Info 12/30

The Gaels host two Ivy League opponents in two days. This is game one.

2:30 PM PST:

Saint Mary's Gaels vs. Yale Bulldogs
McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California.
Saint Mary's is 9-3 on the season, 6-0 at home and currently on a one game winning streak.
Yale hails from the Ivy League. They are 4-8 on the season, 1-5 in true road games and currently on a one game losing streak.
Online: Live video from Saint Mary's Athletics.