JBL | The Quadaily 25, 2028 Season (Day 53): The One Where We're Tired
The Quad is tired.
The Cabin Fever is starting to make its mark more apparent. That said, the Nintendo Switch purchased to help with said Cabin Fever has yet to be opened.
Instead, we march forward with another column! Today, we're going to take a bit of a cop-out piece, because, well, we're tired.
We need to give a shoutout, before things start, to DeAnthony Mikesell, a senior guard at St. Joseph's. Mikesell, back on Day 15, had the third-ever ten-steal game in CJBL history. This happened in St. Joe's 92-89 2OT loss to Penn.
Mikesell's line for the game: 6 pts (3-6 FG), 4 reb, 7 ast, 10 stl, 4 to
It was the first ten-steal game since Cavit Cameron of St. John's in 2025. (Oddly enough, Cameron was a -13 in his time in that game, despite all the steals (and eight assists, with no turnovers...how bad was St. John's that year?) Interestingly enough, Mikesell was -1 in his 38 minutes in this one.
In something indicative of how lackluster last season was, from a standout standpoint, there hasn't been a 50-point game since 2026. In fact, other than the Mikesell's effort, there haven't been any standpoint performances of note since 2026. Last year was barren of standpoint performances, at least how the CJBL views them.
If you want to talk Game Scores, the best performance over the last two years is a Tyson Rucker night against Iowa, in which he had 45 points, on 13-21 from the field (0-3 from deep), and 19-20 from the line. He also had seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals. His gamescore, 40.3, is 20th-best since the CJBL started carrying the stat.
No 2028 performance gets on the list.
The best-ever performance, at least by Game Score, is Jamar Walcutt's performance against Tennessee in 2024, when he was a Kentucky star. Walcutt had 53 points (22-26 FG), 16 rebounds, and a 47.9 GmSc. Walcutt, of course, was drafted #2 overall in the 2025 draft, and now is an emerging star with Seattle.
To view the CJBL's historical performances, go to
http://jblfl.com/cjbl/historicalgames?feat=50pts.
Now, before conference play starts, we have the Conference Challenge. Here are the conference matchups, in no particular order.
Big East-AAC
NEC-AEC
Big 12-SEC
Pac-12-WCC
MAC-A10
Big West-Big Sky
MEAC-MAAC
Big Ten-ACC
SWAC-Summit
Southern-Big South
A-Sun-Southland
Horizon-CAA
Sun Belt-CUSA
Big West-MWC
Some schools, like UConn, left their conference, and thus, are not eligible for the Conference Challenge this season. Also, teams have to qualify, thorugh conference standing the previous season, to earn a place in the challenge. (The Huskies face Belmont.)
So, what are some of the best matchups? And what are our picks for said matchups? We're glad we asked.
Again, in no particular order:
North Carolina vs Purdue: Both teams score a lot, though Purdue is a lot more efficient on the offensive end.. UNC will want to push the tempo, though that's not always recommended. Regardless, this should be a fun, high-scoring affair.
Pick: Purdue 88, North Carolina 85
Indiana at Pitt: Pitt has been one of the best, and most confounding, stories of the early season. They sit 10-0 as #1 Indiana comes to town. The Hoosiers have dispatched Whereas the UNC-Purdue game will feature lots of points, IU-Pitt will not be that. Indiana ranks 7th nationally in oPPG, and 4th in DRtg, while Pitt is 11th in oPPG. This one to 50 wins here.
Pick: Indiana 57, Pitt 49
Arkansas at Oklahoma: Both teams need this win for at-large resume consideration. Arkansas has gotten back on track after a rough start against a very difficult schedule, while Oklahoma has flown more under-the-radar, but come into the game sitting 7-3. This is Despite Oklahoma's rather rough team stats, their only losses are to Ohio State, UCLA, and Colorado, all on the road. The Sooners are somewhat tougher than advertised.
Pick: Arkansas 74, Oklahoma 73
Gonzaga at UCLA: The Zags have not lost since dropping back-to-back games to Duke and Illinois back at Days 3 and 8. UCLA came out of a three-game loss fog by beating Nebraska on 47. Both games could use this as a statement, especially as UCLA faces Colorado to open Pac-12 play.
Pick: UCLA 71, Gonzaga 70
Virginia at Maryland: We don't really know that much about either team, really. Virginia is undefeated but not respected by the AP. They're also a counfounding team: They are 168th in PPG, but 5th in ORtg (okay, so their 347th-ranked Pace has something...everything...to do with that). They're 12th in oPPG, but 128th in DRtg. (Again, see Pace). Maryland is 6-3, but other than that, they stand out in exactly zero ways. Can Virginia win on the road against a solid big-conference opponent? And can they force Maryland to play at their pace?
Pick: Virginia 61, Maryland 58
Cincinnati at Georgetown: Both teams are getting their seasons back on track after feeling a little lost a couple of weeks ago. Both teams have a ton of talent. This is simply a quality game involving teams who aboslutely need this win.
Pick: Georgeotnw 77, Cincinnati 75
Saint Mary's at Washington: Welp, this is a return game. The Gaels beat Washington once again. The Huskies have been dynamite since that game. Will the return matchup be a revenge game?
Pick: Washington 86, St. Mary's 80
To be honest, there are a ton of great games up and down the slate for this period. There are too many for us to list, and, again, we're tired.
So we are bidding this piece adieu.
The Quadaily, 2028 Season
Day 53
1. Indiana (9-1, 1)
2. Southern Cal (9-1, 2)
3. Duke (9-2, 3)
4. Connecticut (9-2, 4)
5. North Carolina (9-2, 5)
6. Kentucky (10-0, 6)
7. NC State (10-0, 7)
8. Arizona (9-2, 8)
9. Kansas (8-3, 9)
10. Virginia (10-0, 10)
11. Washington (8-2, 11)
12. Colorado (9-1, 12)
13. MIchigan State (6-4, 13)
14. Illinois (9-1, 14)
15. Pittsburgh (10-0, 15)
16. Florida (7-2, 16)
17. San Diego State (10-0, 17)
18. Missouri (8-2, 18)
19. Purdue (7-3, 19)
20. Ohio State (9-2, 20)
21. Stanford (8-2, 23)
22. Utah (7-2, 21)
23. Georgia Tech (7-2, 22)
24. Oklahoma State (8-2, 24)
25. Georgetown (6-4, NR)
Next: Penn State, Michigan, Texas, Villanova, Syracuse
Dropped Out: Penn State (25)