A new mid-major, the GWAL: An FBCB 2010 dynasty

[collegesportsfanms]

Just an update guys, now that basketball season is over, I may not report on this as much. I am fully in baseball mode now and have a lot of baseball stuff going on. I will try to make a report once or twice a week, but I hope you guys don't get frustrated if there is a lack of reports for a few weeks. I'm just one of those seasonal guys that plays basketball games during bball season and baseball games during baseball season. I hope you guys understand. Don't give up on this report though, because I am enjoying doing it.

[collegesportsfanms]

Anybody still interested in this report? I am going to keep it going, as I'm having fun with it, but updates will be pretty sparce over the next few months, as like I said, I'm in full baseball mode now, not to mention I just got a full time job again. Who out there is still reading and enjoying this? Show of hands please?

[ntndeacon]

hands

[rjolley]

I'm still checking in.

[hoopsguy]

I'm on the site, and this forum, regularly so I'll certainly read updates if/when they come in.

[collegesportsfanms]

For those wondering, I am going to try and get back to this tomorrow with a report. Being in full baseball mode, I don't know how good of a report it will be, but I will have something tomorrow

[collegesportsfanms]

2019 Postseason Wrap-Up

In the national title game, (1) Tennessee beat (4) South Carolina 69-51.
The NIT Championship saw (3) Loyola-IL beat (5) Gonzaga 78-65.
The CIT Championship game saw (5) Lipscomb hammer (15) Vermont 84-56.

[collegesportsfanms]

2 players received all NCAA 2nd team mention. John Gomez from Wichita Southeast and Gavin Anderson from Creighton. Here's a look at the GWAL awards.

Player of the Year:

SR SF John Gomez  Wichita Southeast  21.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.2 APG 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG

Freshman of the Year:
FR SG Christoper Capps  Bishop Carroll  17.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG

Coach of the Year:
Darrin Schoenfeld  Kapaun Mt. Carmel  18 - 14 (10 - 6) 

All-league 1st Team:
C  SO John Hamilton  Valparaiso  8.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.4 BPG
PF SO Ben Stoffel  Wichita Northwest  10.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 1.8 BPG
SF SR John Gomez  Wichita Southeast  21.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG
SG SR Omar Garden  Wichita Northwest  12.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PG JR Wilbert Carnahan  Valparaiso  16.3 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG

All-league 2nd Team:
C  JR Cyrille Prevost  Wichita Northwest  5.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.0 BPG
PF SR Charles Cobos  Wichita Southeast  11.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.1 BPG
SF JR Reed Robeson  Wichita Northwest  19.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
SG SR Rod Jones  Wichita North  13.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG
PG JR Arthur McMahan  Bishop Carroll  12.2 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.3 BPG

All-freshman Team:
C  FR John Gober  Wichita Heights  9.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG
PF FR Chris Parks  Detroit  4.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
SF FR Don Bullard  Kapaun Mt. Carmel  8.3 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG
SG FR Christoper Capps  Bishop Carroll  17.0 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG
PG FR Jose Folks  Wichita East  8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.0 BPG

UNC Asheville had the Big South freshman of the year in Brian Kramer.

Jewel Daniels made all-CAA first team for Georgia State.

Daniel Wicker made all-Horizon second team for Wichita South.

Gavin Anderson was MVC Player of the Year for Creighton. The Bluejays also put Ira Macy and John Floyd on the all-MVC second team.

Hawaii got Anthony Bush on the all-WAC second team.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here are the recruiting rankings for the 2018-2019 GWAL season.

      # Team                 Conference          Best Player   Rtg  5*  4*  3*  2*  1*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    29. Wichita Northwest          GWAL       SG Jack Harris  ****   0   1   2   0   0
    59. Wichita East               GWAL     C  Michael Ezell   ***   0   0   2   0   2
    62. Wichita Southeast          GWAL   SF Richard Fussell  ****   0   1   0   0   0
    72. Detroit                    GWAL      PG Jose Tillman   ***   0   0   2   1   0
    80. Wichita North              GWAL    SG Charles Barnes  ****   0   1   1   0   0
   125. Valparaiso                 GWAL  PF Honoré Bourghois   ***   0   0   1   0   0
   140. Bishop Carroll             GWAL  C  George Henderson   ***   0   0   1   0   0
   184. Wichita Heights            GWAL       PG Prince Mann   ***   0   0   1   0   2
   356. Kapaun Mt. Carmel          GWAL                              0   0   0   0   0

Good to see 5 of our schools in the top 100 in recruiting. No 5 star recruits this year, but a lot of 3 and 4 star recruits. Dissapointed that Kapaun didn't recruit anybody. Hopefully that just means they didn't lose much.

UNC Asheville had the 261st best recruiting class in the nation, good for 6th best in the Big South.

Georgia State was dissapointing, getting the 302nd best recruiting class in the nation, and 10th best in the CAA.

Wichita South did well, with the 135th best class in the nation, but only good for 5th best in the Horizon.

Creighton was 275th best in the nation, and last in the MVC. Ruh-oh!

Hawaii had the 101st class in the nation, and 3rd in the WAC.

[collegesportsfanms]

No conference movement this season, and since I've been away for so long, ever GWAL coach gets a free pass, even though there are probably a couple that deserve to be wished luck in their future endeavors. Which brings us to... head coach movement!

The first round saw 2 of our GWAL/FOFC coaches get offers. Rudy Arellano got offers from DePaul, Oklahoma State, UAB, UTEP, and Wyoming. Of course Rudy is not going anywhere unless I do. He told me his goal is to take Wichita Southeast to an NCAA championship, and he's not leaving until either he does, or until I fire him.

Then we have Deacon Palmer at Creighton. His phone was blowing up over the past couple days. Here is the list of schools that want the Deacon:

DePaul, Georgia, Michigan St., Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, South Florida, Missouri State, UAB, UMKC, Utah St., UTEP, Virginia, Washington State, and Wyoming. That's 14 schools that want Mr. Palmer. Now granted, most of them I would recommend he not touch, however the decision is his.

So Deacon, I'm not going to reveal any info about any of the schools, frankly because it would take me an hour to write it all up. But if there any of those schools that you are interested in, let me know and I'll give you the hard facts. Personally, if you were going to leave Creighton, I would suggest you look at Michigan St., Notre Dame, Oklahoma St., and Utah St. But let me know which ones interest you and I'll give you info.

As it stands, we will be waiting on Deacon to make a decision. So that is my report for the day.

[hoopsguy]

Looks like there is potential for an exciting season at Northwest, with us returning our front line (all 1st/2nd team All-Conf) and bringing in a 4* SG recruit to headline the top group in conference this year.

[collegesportsfanms]

a friendly reminder to Mr. Deacon Palmer that he has coaching offers that he needs to look at and decide on.

[bbgunn]

Checking in.

[ntndeacon]

sorry about that. I am looking at it now!

I think we shall Move to the big 10-11-12-13....

Michigan State.

I was VERY tempted by Georgia, as I was raised as a fan of the Dawgs.

[collegesportsfanms]

As if my luck could get any worse... I had problems backing up my computer at home over the weekend, found out sectors were corrupted and will have to get a new hard drive. some stuff was backed up.. some wasn't. I haven't a clue what was and wasn't. When I get a new hard drive formatted and ready to go I will restore whatever backup is still good.

I'm hoping and praying that FBCB was not one of the corrupted files, because I'm enjoying doing this dynasty. Probably not going to be until this weekend before I am able to get a new computer up to see if this file is still there. If it is, I will continue.

However, if it isn't, I am wondering who would be interested in seeing me do something similar to this in the future. I had fun doing this, and I have also had fun doing the interactive player dynasties. So everybody offer your input as to what you would like to see IF I have to restart a project... which hopefully I won't

[hoopsguy]

I would do it again in the event that you have to restart. Sorry to hear about your PC, stuff like that is always hugely frustrating.

[rjolley]

I've enjoyed following along and would follow another dynasty.

[ntndeacon]

I would follow a new one as well

[collegesportsfanms]

good news! This project is still intact! I thought about starting over with a fresh start, getting all interactive coaches into one of the BCS conferences and seeing who has the most luck, and letting the computer decide when a coach does or doesn't get fired... but I kind of like the idea of being in control of an entire conference. I will leave it up to you guys.. do we keep the GWAL going? Or do we start over from scratch at a BCS conference?

[ntndeacon]

I am up to either one. Since you seem more excited about controlling a conference, why don't we do that one.

[collegesportsfanms]

I can do either one. What i was thinking is getting all the coaches into a power conference like the Big Twelve, SEC, or something, and just letting the computer decide when to fire and when not. Honestly, the hiring and firing is something I could do without. It is kind of fun to control, but also overwhelming at times.

Then again, we have a good thing going with the GWAL, and the few coaches that are outside the GWAL. I am considering getting rid of the non-GWAL, non-FOFC coaches though. I think there are 6 of them. Keeping track of them is another thing that makes this drag sometimes.

I'm still taking opinions and votes. What do you guys want to do?

[muns]

im down with whatever.

[collegesportsfanms]

I am going to keep running with this GWAL dynasty report. I am enjoying it, the hiring and firing isn't that bad, and we do have a few coaches outside the GWAL that are at the mercy of the computer to decide their job fate.

That being said, I hope to have some reports if not tonight, then tomorrow. Finishing the coach hiring period, the scheduling, tournaments, and conference predictions. If any human coaches want an evaluation of their roster as far as who is back, I will do so.

[collegesportsfanms]

Well as it stands, I was going to work on the next step tonight, but when I went to the next round of head coach moves, there were some very interesting moves. Mitch Linn decided to leave Memphis for the Notre Dame job, and Memphis wants some of our coaches.

Chris Prewitt and Darren Schoenfeld were offered the job at Memphis, who is coming off a 33-4 season and an elite eight appearance. This may be the best job that comes open, and as much as I would like to keep some FOFCers in the GWAL, I would implore either of these coaches to take this position.

So hoopsguy, I will wait to hear from you. If you don't want to go to Memphis, then New Mexico or Central Florida are open. If you want to stay at Wichita Northwest, that's fine too. No problems there.

[hoopsguy]

Memphis questions:
1.) What conference are they in at this time? What is that conference ranking?
2.) What were Memphis records the last 3 seasons before the 33-4 run? Assuming NCAA tournament, how deep did they go?
3.) What does the Memphis incoming freshman class look like?

[collegesportsfanms]

hoopsguy,

To answer your questions..

1) Memphis is in conference USA, and unfortunately I can't tell you what their conference RPI is. That doesn't seem to show up in the history.

2) Here is a history of Memphis' success since I started this dynasty.

  Season Team        W   L  CW  CL  Rank  RPI  PRS Result                        
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    2018 Memphis    33   4  15   1    11    6   85 Loss in NCAA Elite Eight      
    2017 Memphis    27   6  13   3    14   10   82 Loss in NCAA Sweet Sixteen    
    2016 Memphis    29   6  14   2     8   13   80 Loss in NCAA Sweet Sixteen    
    2015 Memphis    28   7  13   3    20   14   78 Loss in NCAA Tourney Round 2  
    2014 Memphis    29   7  12   4    11   18   78 Loss in NCAA Tourney Round 1  
    2013 Memphis    23  11   9   7    51   42   79 Loss in NIT Round 1           
    2012 Memphis    28   6  13   3    18   16   83 Loss in NCAA Sweet Sixteen    
    2011 Memphis    23  11  12   4    68   31   83 Loss in NIT Round 2           
    2010 Memphis    27   7  13   3    38   55   85 Loss in NCAA Tourney Round 1  

As you can see, they seem to be getting better every year.

3) As far as the incoming freshman, Memphis had a recruit ranking of #32. Your current team, Wichita Northwest, had a recruit ranking of #29. The Grizzlies got a top 50 recruit, while Memphis' best recruit was the 71st ranked recruit.

As far as the rosters go, the Grizzlies will be losing a lot more after the upcoming season with not much returning, while Memphis looks to be solid for the next few years.

Hope that helps.

[hoopsguy]

OK, I think I pretty much have to take a gig like Memphis even with Northwest having a standout class coming in. Top 20 five years running, 3 straight S16 appearances, and it sounds like they are loaded to keep those kind of runs going.

Out of curiosity, what happened to the other coach? Retired? And if he moved on, where did he go?

[collegesportsfanms]

hoopsguy, for some curious reason, he went to Notre Dame, which befuddles me because Notre Dame has barely been able to produce a winning record over the last few seasons.

I'll get you moved to Memphis and then hopefully that will be it for the coaching changes for this season.

[hoopsguy]

Possible alumnus? If Illinois came calling, I would probably take that gig even if they were terrible (I think they at least started out pretty good in this universe).

[ntndeacon]

I feel the same about Wake Forest, hoops.

[collegesportsfanms]

2 changes in the GWAL.. Darren Schoenfeld left Kapaun to be the new coach at New Mexico, and as expected, Chris Prewitt is the new coach at Memphis.

I decided to add my own coach into the game as the new head coach at Wichita Northwest. Here is my coaching card.

 Mike Schaplowsky - Head Coach - Wichita Northwest
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Age:             40
 High School:     Wichita West High School
 Hometown:        Wichita, KS
 Alma Mater:      Cowley College
 
 Current Level:   9
 Career Record:   0 - 0
 
 Recruiting:      100
 Scouting:        20
 Offense:         60
 Defense:         100

 
 Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season Team                     Position      W   L  CW  CL  Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          No awards won.
 
 Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2019     Hired by Wichita Northwest (Head Coach)

Also, I have rehired Reggie Taylor to be the new coach at Kapaun. He has been out of coaching for a while, and he's always been a good guy to me, so here is his chance. A look at his card.

Reggie Taylor - Head Coach - Kapaun Mt. Carmel
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Age:             50
 High School:     Joppatowne High School
 Hometown:        Joppa, MD
 Alma Mater:      UC Davis
 
 Current Level:   8
 Career Record:   117 - 108
 
 Recruiting:      65
 Scouting:        83
 Offense:         43
 Defense:         69

 
 Coaching History:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season Team                     Position      W   L  CW  CL  Postseason
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2016   Wichita West             Head Coach   11  21   5  11  No Postseason
 2015   Wichita West             Head Coach   20  14   7   9  Loss in CBI Round 2
 2014   Wichita West             Head Coach   14  18   9   7  No Postseason
 2013   Wichita West             Head Coach   15  17   7   9  No Postseason
 2012   Wichita West             Head Coach   15  16   6  10  No Postseason
 2011   Wichita West             Head Coach   23  11   9   7  NIT 3rd Place
 2010   Wichita West             Head Coach   19  11   8   8  Loss in NIT Round 2
 
 Awards & Achievements:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Award
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          No awards won.
 
 Job Movement:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Season   Move
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 2019     Hired by Kapaun Mt. Carmel (Head Coach)
 2017     Fired by Wichita West
 2010     Hired by Wichita West (Head Coach)

[collegesportsfanms]

Before I get into coach evaluations, I am going to say that I am going to combine my ideas. From now on, I am going to let the computer AI decide when to fire a coach. This goes for all FOFC coaches and all GWAL coaches. The reason for this is because sometimes it is too taxing for me to decide when to fire a coach, and I really don't like doing it anyways. So its in the computers hands now, and coach evaluations will be based straight off what the computer decides. The only exception is new GWAL coaches. They get a 1 year grace period no matter what.

GWAL Hot Seat Ratings

Mike Schaplowsky (Wichita Northwest) and Reggie Taylor (Kapaun Mt. Carmel) are new GWAL coaches and they will get the 1 year grace period.

Cool Hotseat Rating

Rick Jolley (Wichita North) is safe, and is expected to win the conference championship.

Average Hotseat Ratings

James Davis (Bishop Carroll) is expected to lead his team to a postseason tournament.

Garry Prendergast (Detroit) is expected to have a .500 conference record.

Shane Kormelink (Valparaiso) is also expected to win the conference championship. I would think a top 2 finish would suffice.

Rudy Arellano (Wichita Southeast) is expected to compete for the conference championship.

Danger (On the Hotseat)

Mike Brown (Wichita East) - It's real simple, the Blue Aces need to compete for the conference championship. Anything less than a top 2 or 3 finish may see Mike Brown on the unemployment line.

Ralph Snowden (Wichita Heights) - This is even more dissapointing, as Heights was supposed to be a perennial title contender. They are expected to make the Sweet Sixteen this season.

Other FOFC Coaches

Charlie Shocker (UNC Asheville) - He's been doing well, and the goal this season is a .500 conference record.

Deacon Palmer (Michigan State) - Playing in a power conference should bode well for Deacon. All he has to do is make the NCAA tournament.

Charlie Woods (Georgia State) - He is expected to lead his team to a .500 conference record, or at least get close.

Chris Prewitt (Memphis) - Memphis is expected to get back to the Sweet Sixteen this season. Should be fairly easy.

Kuji Chagulia (Wichita South) - His seat is getting warm.. Not hot yet, but very warm. The Titans are expected to make the postseason.

B.B. Gunn (Hawaii) -- His seat is also warm. But the task is a little more challenging for Mr. Gunn... it's NCAA tournament or bust.

[collegesportsfanms]

2019 Preseason Tournaments

Hawaii is the fifth seed in the Alaska Invitational. They'll take on fourth seed Alabama.

Wichita South is the second seed in the Boulder Classic. They'll take on third seed North Florida.

Michigan State is the fifth seed in the Coaches Invitational. They'll take on 12th seed Western Kentucky.

Wichita North is the sixth seed in the Coaches Invitational. They'll take on 11th seed South Florida.

Memphis is the second seed in the GDS Classic, where they'll get 15th seed Loyola-Maryland.

Wichita Heights is the fifth seed in the GDS Classic, they'll get 12th seed Northern Iowa.

Kapaun Mt. Carmel is the top seed in the 4 team GDS Tip-Off tourney, and they'll take on fourth seed Cal St. Bakersfield in the first round.

Detroit is the fourth seed in the Island Invitational. They'll get fifth seed New Mexico State.

Wichita East is the eighth seed in the Las Vegas Shootout. They'll get ninth seed Chattanooga.

Bishop Carroll is the 12th seed in the Preseason NIT, and they'll take on fifth seed Saint Josephs.

Wichita Northwest is the fourth seed in the Puerto Rico Challenge. They'll get fifth seed Minnesota.

[collegesportsfanms]

Here are the preseason top 25 polls:

   #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Villanova                (67)     0-0    1791    7  Big East Conference          
   2.  Miami                     (3)     0-0    1694   11  Atlantic Coast Conference    
   3.  Connecticut                       0-0    1612   21  Big East Conference          
   4.  Florida                           0-0    1570   NR  Southeastern Conference      
   5.  Mississippi State                 0-0    1481   NR  Southeastern Conference      
   6.  Duke                              0-0    1394   NR  Atlantic Coast Conference    
   7.  Texas                     (2)     0-0    1380    8  Big 12 Conference            
   8.  Illinois                          0-0    1258   12  Big Ten Conference           
   9.  Wisconsin                         0-0    1181    3  Big Ten Conference           
  10.  Oregon                            0-0    1059   NR  Pacific-10 Conference        
  11.  Maryland                          0-0     993   NR  Atlantic Coast Conference    
  12.  Tennessee                         0-0     985    1  Southeastern Conference      
  13.  Vanderbilt                        0-0     905   19  Southeastern Conference      
  14.  Syracuse                          0-0     778   16  Big East Conference          
  15.  Kansas                            0-0     765   13  Big 12 Conference            
  16.  Georgia Tech                      0-0     760   NR  Atlantic Coast Conference    
  17.  California                        0-0     604   NR  Pacific-10 Conference        
  18.  Arizona                           0-0     495    2  Pacific-10 Conference        
  19.  Seton Hall                        0-0     479   23  Big East Conference          
  20.  Memphis                           0-0     382    9  Conference USA               
  21.  Notre Dame                        0-0     312   NR  Big East Conference          
  22.  Oklahoma                          0-0     267   NR  Big 12 Conference            
  23.  Kentucky                          0-0     237   NR  Southeastern Conference      
  24.  UCLA                              0-0     178   25  Pacific-10 Conference        
  25.  Dayton                            0-0     147   NR  Atlantic 10 Conference       
                                                                                        
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                            
       Xavier                            0-0      95       Atlantic 10 Conference       
       Boston College                    0-0      84       Atlantic Coast Conference    
       Clemson                           0-0      78       Atlantic Coast Conference    
       Texas A&M                         0-0      76       Big 12 Conference            
       Alabama                           0-0      61       Southeastern Conference      
       Temple                            0-0      49       Atlantic 10 Conference       
       South Carolina                    0-0      42       Southeastern Conference      
       Missouri                          0-0      40       Big 12 Conference            
       Southern California               0-0      28       Pacific-10 Conference        
       Nevada                            0-0      24       Western Athletic Conference  
       Ohio State                        0-0      21       Big Ten Conference           
       Bradley                           0-0      20       Missouri Valley Conference   

    #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Virginia Tech                     0-0      16       Atlantic Coast Conference    
       Brigham Young                     0-0      15       Mountain West Conference     
       Georgetown                        0-0       8       Big East Conference          
       Louisville                        0-0       8       Big East Conference          
       Providence                        0-0       6       Big East Conference          
       Pepperdine                        0-0       5       West Coast Conference        
       Saint Joseph's                    0-0       5       Atlantic 10 Conference       
       Wichita State                     0-0       4       Missouri Valley Conference   
       Houston                           0-0       3       Conference USA               
       Pittsburgh                        0-0       3       Big East Conference          
       Rhode Island                      0-0       1       Atlantic 10 Conference       
       Utah                              0-0       1       Mountain West Conference     

[collegesportsfanms]

Nov. 2019 Tournament Wrap-Up

2019 Alaska Invitational

Hawaii opened the tournament by losing to (4) Alabama 70-50, then lost the consolation semifinal 81-78 to (8) Akron. They lost a tough 7th place game to surprising (2) Michigan, 85-83.

2019 Boulder Classic

Wichita South lost the first round game to (2) North Florida, 66-44. The Titans rebounded to win the 3rd place game over (4) Alabama A&M, 81-78.

2019 Coaches Invitational

Michigan State won their first round game against (12) Western Kentucky, 74-64. Then they lost 84-70 to (4) Mississippi State.

Wichita North won their first round game against (11) South Florida 60-52. Then they won their quarterfinal game 67-60 against (14) Boise State. The semifinal game against (2) Miami resulted in a 74-65 win. The Redskins then went on to win the 2019 Coaches Invitational with a 72-60 victory over (4) Mississippi State! Congrats to coach Rick Jolley.

2019 GDS Classic

Wichita Heights lost their first round game 76-68 against (12) Northern Iowa.

Memphis rolled in the first round, beating (15) Loyola-Maryland 96-47. They then defeated (10) Middle Tennessee 80-44 in the quarterfinals, and kept rolling by beating (3) Georgia Tech 97-70 in the semifinals. Head coach Chris Prewitt gave the Tigers the title by defeating (8) Fresno State 71-68 in a tough championship game! Congrats to Mr. Prewitt.

2019 GDS Tip-off Tourney

Kapaun Mt. Carmel beat (4) Cal St. Bakersfield 66-57 in the semifinals, and won the championship with a tough 58-57 win over (2) Mercer. A nice re entry back to the GWAL for Reggie Taylor.

2019 Island Invitational

Detroit beat (5) New Mexico State 70-61 in the first round, then lost to (1) Milwaukee 72-53 in the semifinals. In the third place game, they lost a heartbreaker, 67-66, to (2) Penn State.

2019 Preseason NIT

Bishop Carroll had a short stay in this tournament, losing their first round game 77-60 to (5) Saint Josephs.

2019 Puerto Rico Challenge

Wichita Northwest beat (5) Minnesota 75-54 in the first round, then lost to (1) Pepperdine 73-61 in the semifinals. They then lost to (3) Oklahoma State 102-86 in the third place game.

So not bad. A tournament title, a couple third place finishes, but still way too many early exits and bad finishes. That's all I have for now, getting ready to eat dinner. Will have more sometime before the weekend is up.

[hoopsguy]

Good to see this dynasty up again. Looking forward to following Northwest and the rest of the GWAL. Terrific job by North bringing home a title and wins against several power conference foes.

[muns]

Agree this is a fun thing to watch/play out

[ntndeacon]

Let's Go Sparties! ANd Panthers (I think)

[collegesportsfanms]

Just so you know, I am going to kind of combine November and December. I will mainly just report on all the season tournaments for the GWAL and FOFC teams, then at the end of December, I will give GWAL standings and reports for the FOFC teams in the GWAL, then I will have a separate post for the FOFC teams that are not in the GWAL. In other words, there won't be a team by team report in November, just in December.

[collegesportsfanms]

Dec. 2019 Wrap-Up

Only one tournament to tell you about this week, so lets get to that.

2019 Las Vegas Shootout

Wichita East won their first round game against (9) Chattanooga 76-73, then were hammered by (1) Villanova 96-54 in the quarterfinals.

Here are the GWAL standings through December of 2019:

 TEAM                           CW  CL   Pct   W  L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #14 Wichita North Redskins      0   0  .000  12  1  .923   13        73
 Detroit                         0   0  .000  10  2  .833   97        52
 Valparaiso                      0   0  .000   9  2  .818   41        70
 Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders     0   0  .000   8  5  .615   55        56
 Wichita Northwest Grizzlies     0   0  .000   8  3  .727   85        66
 Wichita Southeast Buffaloes     0   0  .000   7  3  .700  342        68
 Wichita East Blue Aces          0   0  .000   6  5  .545  110        51
 Bishop Carroll Eagles           0   0  .000   6  3  .667  275        53
 Wichita Heights Falcons         0   0  .000   6  6  .500  282        61

The biggest surprise is definitely Detroit so far at 10-2. Granted, the Titans' schedule hasn't been real tough, but they did defeat Dayton, who was ranked 18th with the top RPI in the nation at the time of the matchup. That's a huge win. What I'm most pleased about is that not one GWAL team has a sub .500 record to this point. Obviously that will change when conference play starts.

Valparaiso (Shane Kormelink) has only lost to Dayton and IUPUI so far. Unfortunately, that is probably the best 2 teams they have played to this point. They have beaten Creighton and Green Bay, which are decent wins.

Wichita North (Rick Jolley) had a lone loss to former GWAL foe Wichita West, who is a surprising 8-5 so far this season. The biggest wins for the Redskins were the wins in the Coaches Invitational.

Wichita Northwest (Mike Schaplowsky) started the season 1-3, with 3 straight losses, but have since rolled off 7 in a row. They beat Wichita West, and also beat Missouri State, Tulsa, and a solid USC Upstate team.

Wichita Southeast (Rudy Arellano) had 3 bad losses to Idaho State, Eastern Illinois, and Seattle. Their best wins on the young season are Georgia Tech, Iowa, and Baylor. Sadly, they did not play a team in the first 2 months that has a current winning record.

[collegesportsfanms]

UNC Asheville (Charlie Shocker) -- 2-9, 0-2 Big South. It hasn't been easy for Asheville at all. Their 2 wins are against Toledo or UNC Greensboro. To their credit, their last 4 losses have all been by single digits, including the 2 conference losses.

Michigan State (Deacon Palmer) -- 6-4, 0-0 Big Ten. Deacon hasn't had it easy with the Spartans so far, as they were upset by McNeese St. in early December, then finished the month off with a loss to GWAL team Wichita Heights. Probably their best win was against Wright St.

Georgia State (Charlie Woods) -- 3-7, 0-0 CAA. The highlight so far for Mr. Woods is only losing by 10 to an undefeated Clemson team, but the lowlights are back to back losses of over 20 points. Jackson State beat them by 24 and Samford beat them by 39! Ouch!

Memphis (Chris Prewitt) -- 12-1, 0-0 C-USA. It has been a heck of a ride so far for Mr. Prewitt, as his Tigers have beaten just about everybody they've played by double digits. The exceptions were just a 3 point win against Fresno State, and their only loss was to California by 3 points. Cal is a top 25 team.

Wichita South (Kuji Chagulia) -- 4-8, 1-0 Horizon. The Titans started off conference play right with a 3 point win over Youngstown State, and also beat former GWAL foe Bishop Carroll. They are getting hot at the right time, but they've got a lot of work to do. Most of their losses have been by 15 points or more.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 4-8, 0-0 WAC. Hawaii opened December with a nice win against Providence, then had a huge 30 point win over LaSalle and ended the month with a win against Milwaukee. Everything in between was bad.

Here are the top 25 polls as we enter January:

   #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Villanova                (72)    12-0    1800    1  Big East Conference              
   2.  Miami                            12-1    1694    2  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   3.  Clemson                          14-0    1674    3  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   4.  Mississippi State                10-1    1584    5  Southeastern Conference          
   5.  Duke                             10-1    1505    8  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   6.  Oklahoma                         11-1    1329    7  Big 12 Conference                
   7.  Connecticut                       9-2    1289    6  Big East Conference              
   8.  Illinois                         11-2    1267   13  Big Ten Conference               
   9.  Memphis                          12-1    1213    4  Conference USA                   
  10.  Florida                           9-2    1178   11  Southeastern Conference          
  11.  Kentucky                         11-1    1116   10  Southeastern Conference          
  12.  Alabama                          11-1    1060   16  Southeastern Conference          
  13.  San Francisco                    12-0     953   14  West Coast Conference            
  14.  Wichita North                    12-1     822   17  Greater Wichita Athletic League  
  15.  Arizona                           9-2     811    9  Pacific-10 Conference            
  16.  Texas A&M                        11-2     746   25  Big 12 Conference                
  17.  Maryland                          8-3     600   23  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  18.  Dayton                            8-2     522   15  Atlantic 10 Conference           
  19.  Wake Forest                      10-1     469   21  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  20.  South Carolina                   10-2     421   NR  Southeastern Conference          
  21.  Vanderbilt                        9-3     315   19  Southeastern Conference          
  22.  California                        8-3     274   NR  Pacific-10 Conference            
  23.  Virginia Tech                     8-2     159   12  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  24.  Xavier                            7-2     128   NR  Atlantic 10 Conference           
  25.  Syracuse                          8-3      97   18  Big East Conference              
                                                                                            
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                
       Brigham Young                    11-2      96       Mountain West Conference         
       Valparaiso                        9-2      52       Greater Wichita Athletic League  
       Detroit                          10-2      29       Greater Wichita Athletic League  
       Saint Louis                       8-2      29       Atlantic 10 Conference           
       Southern Mississippi              9-2      24       Conference USA                   
       Oregon                            8-3      23       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Washington State                  8-2      20       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Florida State                     7-3      19       Atlantic Coast Conference        
       Notre Dame                        8-3      15       Big East Conference              
       Stanford                          7-2      13       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Kansas                            8-3      12       Big 12 Conference                
       Cal State Northridge             10-2      11       Big West Conference                                
       West Virginia                     9-2      10       Big East Conference              
       Kansas State                      9-2       7       Big 12 Conference                
       San Jose State                   10-3       6       West Coast Conference            
       Pittsburgh                        8-2       4       Big East Conference              
       Texas                             9-4       2       Big 12 Conference                
       Presbyterian                      9-3       2       Big South Conference             

Great to see a GWAL team in the top 15, and then 2 more GWAL teams right on the cusp of being ranked.

[collegesportsfanms]

GWAL Dec. 30, 2019-Jan. 5, 2020

Game of the Week

North @ Detroit - Jan. 2 -- The Redskins are dominating so far, only losing once, while Detroit is the surprise of the conference, with just 2 loss. The question is, are the Titans for real, or will they come down to earth once GWAL play starts?

Other Key Games

Northwest @ Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Jan. 4 -- 2 teams with new coaches that are hoping to finish in the top 3 of the GWAL. One of these teams should be off to a good start after this week.

East @ Heights - Jan. 4 -- Both teams are struggling over the last few years, and both coaches jobs could be on the line. Both teams need a win, but who wants it more? I guess we'll find out.

Game Scores

Dec. 31, 2019

at Valparaiso 87, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 50
at Wichita East 70, Bishop Carroll 66

Jan. 2, 2020

at Wichita Southeast 84, Wichita Northwest 76
#14 Wichita North 70, at Detroit 65

Jan. 4, 2020

Wichita Northwest 85, at Kapaun Mt. Carmel 78
at #14 Wichita North 97, Bishop Carroll 51
Wichita East 50, at Wichita Heights 46
Valparaiso 90, at Detroit 81
Arkansas-Little Rock 84, at Wichita Southeast 83 (non-conference)

Game of the Week Recap

North @ Detroit -- It was a lot closer game than I personally expected, but the Redskins shot almost 10% better from the field. North shot 49.1% from the field while Detroit was just 38.2% from the field. The Titans fought hard, but North won in the end, 70-65.

Key Game Recaps

Northwest @ Kapaun -- 4 starters in double figures for the Grizzlies, led by Reed Robeson who had 28 points and 8 boards. Northwest wins 85-78.

East @ Heights -- A low scoring battle, as both teams struggled to put the ball through the hoop. In the end, the Aces pulled out a 50-46 win.

Here are the standings after the first week of conference play.

TEAM                           CW  CL    Pct   W  L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #11 Wichita North Redskins      2   0  1.000  14  1  .933    5        73
 #21 Valparaiso                  2   0  1.000  11  2  .846   31        70
 Wichita Southeast Buffaloes     1   0  1.000   8  4  .667  334        68
 Wichita East Blue Aces          2   0  1.000   8  5  .615   79        51
 Wichita Northwest Grizzlies     1   1   .500   9  4  .692   72        66
 Detroit                         0   2   .000  10  4  .714   92        52
 Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders     0   2   .000   8  7  .533   45        56
 Bishop Carroll Eagles           0   2   .000   6  5  .545  184        53
 Wichita Heights Falcons         0   1   .000   6  7  .462  298        61

Although it is way too early to read anything into the standings, it appears that Detroits soft non-conference schedule will hurt them in conference play.

[collegesportsfanms]

UNC Asheville (Charlie Shocker) -- 4-9, 2-2 Big South. Good week for Shocker, as his team won 85-79 at Coastal Carolina then beat Charleston Southern 60-46.

Michigan State (Deacon Palmer) -- 8-4, 1-0 Big Ten. The Spartans started the week with a 55-50 non-conference win at Western Michigan, then won their conference opener against Penn St. 71-60.

Georgia State (Charlie Woods) -- 5-7, 2-0 CAA. They beat Drexel 77-56 then won at VCU 54-38. A pretty easy week for Mr. Woods.

Memphis (Chris Prewitt) -- 13-1, 0-0 C-USA. 1 non-conference game this week for the Tigers, as they won 83-63 at Baylor.

Wichita South (Kuji Chagulia) -- 5-9, 2-1 Horizon. A split this week for the Titans, as they beat Illinois-Chicago 71-67, then lost a heartbreaker to Cleveland St. 58-57.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 5-9, 0-0 WAC. 2 non-conference games for Hawaii this week. They lost 72-67 at Toledo, and beat Texas-Arlington 67-59.

Here are the top 25 polls for the week beginning Jan. 6th.

 #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Villanova                (72)    13-0    1800    1  Big East Conference              
   2.  Miami                            13-1    1709    2  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   3.  Clemson                          14-0    1625    3  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   4.  Mississippi State                12-1    1609    4  Southeastern Conference          
   5.  Duke                             11-1    1521    5  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   6.  Connecticut                      10-2    1366    7  Big East Conference              
   7.  Memphis                          13-1    1360    9  Conference USA                   
   8.  Florida                          10-2    1258   10  Southeastern Conference          
   9.  Alabama                          12-1    1200   12  Southeastern Conference          
  10.  Kentucky                         11-1    1195   11  Southeastern Conference          
  11.  Wichita North                    14-1    1048   14  Greater Wichita Athletic League  
  12.  San Francisco                    13-0    1022   13  West Coast Conference            
  13.  Illinois                         12-3     932    8  Big Ten Conference               
  14.  Oklahoma                         11-2     926    6  Big 12 Conference                
  15.  Texas A&M                        11-2     794   16  Big 12 Conference                
  16.  California                       10-3     692   22  Pacific-10 Conference            
  17.  Syracuse                          9-3     524   25  Big East Conference              
  18.  Vanderbilt                        9-3     481   21  Southeastern Conference          
  19.  Kansas                            9-3     433   NR  Big 12 Conference                
  20.  South Carolina                   11-2     335   20  Southeastern Conference          
  21.  Valparaiso                       11-2     318   NR  Greater Wichita Athletic League  
  22.  Maryland                          9-3     260   17  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  23.  Brigham Young                    11-2     223   NR  Mountain West Conference         
  24.  Arizona                          10-3     146   15  Pacific-10 Conference            
  25.  Stanford                          9-2     106   NR  Pacific-10 Conference            
                                                                                            
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                
       Texas                             9-4     101       Big 12 Conference                
       Saint Louis                       9-2      74       Atlantic 10 Conference           
       Seton Hall                        8-3      73       Big East Conference              
       West Virginia                    10-2      65       Big East Conference              
       Cal State Northridge             11-2      47       Big West Conference              
       Kansas State                     10-2      44       Big 12 Conference                
       Notre Dame                        9-3      37       Big East Conference              
       Boston College                    8-3      25       Atlantic Coast Conference        
       Chattanooga                       9-2      16       Southern Conference              
       Louisiana State                  11-3      16       Southeastern Conference          
       Xavier                            8-3      12       Atlantic 10 Conference           
       Sacramento State                 11-2       7       Big Sky Conference               

[muns]

2-2 in the conf. Charlie will take it!!!

[collegesportsfanms]

GWAL Jan. 6-12, 2010

Game of the Week

East @ Valparaiso - Jan. 11 -- 2 teams that are off to 2-0 starts in the GWAL. The Blue Aces have been a bit of a surprise, as they are fighting for their head coach. Valpo has been very successful since joining the GWAL.

Other Key Game

North @ Southeast - Jan. 11 -- Also a battle of undefeated teams so far in the GWAL, although SE has only played 1 conference game. Either way, it is a good way to knock the Redskins out of the top spot early.

Game Scores

Jan. 6, 2020

at Bishop Carroll 82, Air Force 60 (non-conference)
at North Carolina Central 78, #11 Wichita North 67 (non-conference, and a huge upset!)

Jan. 7, 2020

at Kapaun Mt. Carmel 111, Wichita Heights 105 (OT)

Jan. 9, 2020

at Wichita Northwest 96, #21 Valparaiso 91
Detroit 63, at Wichita East 52
at Bishop Carroll 67, Wichita Southeast 57

Jan. 11, 2020

at Wichita Southeast 65, #11 Wichita North 37
at Wichita Northwest 58, Wichita Heights 54
at #21 Valparaiso 91, Wichita East 80
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 77, at Detroit 63

Game of the Week Recap

East @ Valpo -- This was a 1 point game at hafltime, but Valpo slowly pulled away in the second half. Valpo was led by Oliver Thomas who had 25 points. Wilbert Carnahan and Abe Bush added 20 and 18, respectively, as Valpo got the 91-80 win.

Key Game Recap

North @ Southeast -- The Redskins continued their slide as they were never in this game, shooting just 33.3% from the field, and they went 1 for 20 from behind the arc. It was actually a 4 point game at the half, but Southeast outscored North 38-14 in the second half to win going away, 65-37.

Here are the wild and wacky standings after 2 weeks:

 TEAM                           CW  CL   Pct   W  L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Wichita Northwest Grizzlies     3   1  .750  11  4  .733   38        66
 Valparaiso                      3   1  .750  12  3  .800   22        70
 Wichita Southeast Buffaloes     2   1  .667   9  5  .643  265        68
 #20 Wichita North Redskins      2   1  .667  14  3  .824    6        73
 Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders     2   2  .500  10  7  .588   35        56
 Wichita East Blue Aces          2   2  .500   8  7  .533   72        51
 Bishop Carroll Eagles           1   2  .333   8  5  .615  150        53
 Detroit                         1   3  .250  11  5  .688   97        52
 Wichita Heights Falcons         0   3  .000   6  9  .400  260        61

Still way too early to tell, but it was a bad week for East and North. Northwest had a solid week.

[collegesportsfanms]

UNC Asheville (Charlie Shocker) -- 4-11, 2-3 Big South. A 69-45 loss to Tennessee started the week, then a conference loss at Gardner-Webb, 86-71, left mister Shocker less than shocked.

Michigan State (Deacon Palmer) -- 10-4, 3-0 Big Ten. The Spartans got a couple nice wins: 95-85 at Purdue and 62-50 vs. Ohio St.

Georgia State (Charlie Woods) -- 6-8, 3-1 CAA. They won 79-70 at George Mason, then dropped a heartbreaker 71-69 vs. James Madison for their first conference loss.

Memphis (Chris Prewitt) -- 14-1, 0-0 C-USA. The Tigers had 1 final non-conference game before they start C-USA play. They rolled through St. Louis 85-53

Wichita South (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-10, 3-2 Horizon. The Titans lost 68-66 at Wichita West, then rallied to beat Loyola-Illinois 70-60.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 6-10, 1-1 WAC. Hawaii opened WAC play with a bad 99-82 loss at Gonzaga, then beat New Mexico State 75-65.

Here are the polls for the week beginning Jan. 13, 2020

    #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Villanova                (72)    15-0    1800    1  Big East Conference              
   2.  Miami                            13-1    1694    2  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   3.  Clemson                          15-0    1624    3  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   4.  Mississippi State                14-1    1618    4  Southeastern Conference          
   5.  Connecticut                      12-2    1505    6  Big East Conference              
   6.  Memphis                          14-1    1462    7  Conference USA                   
   7.  Florida                          11-2    1330    8  Southeastern Conference          
   8.  Duke                             12-2    1248    5  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   9.  Alabama                          14-1    1239    9  Southeastern Conference          
  10.  Kentucky                         13-1    1234   10  Southeastern Conference          
  11.  California                       12-3    1055   16  Pacific-10 Conference            
  12.  Texas A&M                        12-2    1019   15  Big 12 Conference                
  13.  Oklahoma                         11-3     878   14  Big 12 Conference                
  14.  Illinois                         13-4     771   13  Big Ten Conference               
  15.  San Francisco                    14-1     750   12  West Coast Conference            
  16.  Brigham Young                    13-2     622   23  Mountain West Conference         
  17.  Maryland                         11-3     610   22  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  18.  Texas                            11-4     603   NR  Big 12 Conference                
  19.  Boston College                   10-3     392   NR  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  20.  Wichita North                    14-3     362   11  Greater Wichita Athletic League  
  21.  Syracuse                         10-4     327   17  Big East Conference              
  22.  Cal State Northridge             13-2     287   NR  Big West Conference              
  23.  Kansas                           10-4     267   19  Big 12 Conference                
  24.  Xavier                            9-3     136   NR  Atlantic 10 Conference           
  25.  Kansas State                     12-2     121   NR  Big 12 Conference                
                                                                                            
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                
       South Carolina                   12-3      91       Southeastern Conference          
       Valparaiso                       12-3      82       Greater Wichita Athletic League  
       Seton Hall                       10-3      65       Big East Conference              
       Sacramento State                 13-2      42       Big Sky Conference               
       Oral Roberts                     12-3      36       Summit League                    
       North Carolina                   11-3      32       Atlantic Coast Conference        
       Arizona                          11-4      29       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Virginia Tech                    10-3      25       Atlantic Coast Conference        
       Washington State                 10-3      15       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Notre Dame                       10-4      11       Big East Conference              
       West Virginia                    11-3      11       Big East Conference              
       Texas Tech                       11-3       7       Big 12 Conference                

Not surprising to see North and Valpo slip in the rankings. I guess I should be grateful that North is still in the top 25.

[muns]

lol spoke too soon i see

[collegesportsfanms]

GWAL Jan. 13-19, 2020

Game of the Week

Northwest @ North - Jan. 16 -- Northwest is the hot team in the GWAL right now, while North is really struggling. Could we have a changing of the guard this season? This game could go a long way to deciding that.

Other Key Game

Southeast @ Valparaiso - Jan. 18 -- 2 teams that have a great chance to finish in the top 3 of the conference. Southeast needs this game a little more, but Valpo is tough in conference.

Game Scores

Jan. 15, 2020

Wichita East 73, at Longwood 52 (non-conference)

Jan. 16, 2020

at Wichita Southeast 68, Detroit 49
at #20 Wichita North 75, Wichita Northwest 60
Valparaiso 99, at Wichita Heights 67
at Bishop Carroll 103, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 89

Jan. 18, 2020

at Kapaun Mt. Carmel 81, #20 Wichita North 76
at Valparaiso 64, Wichita Southeast 57
at Wichita Heights 85, Bishop Carroll 81
Wichita Northwest 80, at Wichita East 78
at Florida A&M 80, Detroit 74 (non-conference)

Game of the Week Recap

Northwest @ North -- The Redskins forced 19 turnovers and held the Grizzlies to 31.5% shooting in this one as they rolled to a 75-60 win.

Key Game Recap

Southeast @ Valparaiso -- This was a much closer game, as Valpo led by 5 at the half. It was nip and tuck the whole way, but Valpo held on to take control of the GWAL with a 64-57 win.

Here are the GWAL standings thru 3 weeks:

 TEAM                           CW  CL   Pct   W   L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 #20 Valparaiso                  5   1  .833  14   3  .824   11        70
 Wichita Northwest Grizzlies     4   2  .667  12   5  .706   36        66
 Wichita Southeast Buffaloes     3   2  .600  10   6  .625  203        68
 Wichita North Redskins          3   2  .600  15   4  .789    7        73
 Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders     3   3  .500  11   8  .579   32        56
 Wichita East Blue Aces          2   3  .400   9   8  .529   82        51
 Bishop Carroll Eagles           2   3  .400   9   6  .600  158        53
 Detroit                         1   4  .200  11   7  .611  102        52
 Wichita Heights Falcons         1   4  .200   7  10  .412  228        61

Valpo had a big week to jump on top of the conference race, while those Redskins keep struggling. Wichita Heights remains the only team in the GWAL without a winning overall record.

[collegesportsfanms]

UNC Asheville (Charlie Shocker) -- 4-13, 2-5 Big South. Asheville lost to VMI 67-53 then lost to Liberty 72-57.

Michigan State (Deacon Palmer) -- 11-5, 4-1 Big Ten. The Spartans lost a tough one to Illinois 72-68, but rebounded to hammer Michigan 91-71.

Georgia State (Charlie Woods) -- 7-9, 4-2 CAA. A 73-66 loss to Northeastern was followed up by a 67-43 thrashing of William and Mary.

Memphis (Chris Prewitt) -- 15-2, 1-1 CUSA. The Tigers opened conference play with an upset loss to SMU 79-68, then beat Central Florida 87-80.

Wichita South (Kuji Chagulia) -- 6-12, 3-4 Horizon. 2 losses this week for the Titans, as they lost 73-46 to Milwaukee and 74-57 to Butler.

Hawaii (B.B. Gunn) -- 8-10, 3-1 WAC. Great week for Hawaii, as they hammered Louisiana Tech 95-56 then beat up on Utah State 63-54.

Here are the top 25 polls for the week starting Jan. 20, 2020

    #  Team                      FPV  Record  Points  Prv  Conference                       
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1.  Villanova                (64)    16-1    1786    1  Big East Conference              
   2.  Miami                     (2)    15-1    1713    2  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   3.  Clemson                   (6)    17-0    1644    3  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   4.  Mississippi State                16-1    1625    4  Southeastern Conference          
   5.  Kentucky                         15-1    1500   10  Southeastern Conference          
   6.  Memphis                          15-2    1428    6  Conference USA                   
   7.  Florida                          13-2    1342    7  Southeastern Conference          
   8.  Duke                             13-3    1267    8  Atlantic Coast Conference        
   9.  Alabama                          15-2    1177    9  Southeastern Conference          
  10.  Texas A&M                        14-2    1118   12  Big 12 Conference                
  11.  Connecticut                      12-4    1062    5  Big East Conference              
  12.  Oklahoma                         13-3    1040   13  Big 12 Conference                
  13.  Texas                            13-4     900   18  Big 12 Conference                
  14.  Maryland                         13-3     881   17  Atlantic Coast Conference        
  15.  San Francisco                    16-1     771   15  West Coast Conference            
  16.  California                       12-4     695   11  Pacific-10 Conference            
  17.  Brigham Young                    15-2     684   16  Mountain West Conference         
  18.  Illinois                         14-5     526   14  Big Ten Conference               
  19.  Xavier                           11-3     461   24  Atlantic 10 Conference           
  20.  Valparaiso                       14-3     375   NR  Greater Wichita Athletic League  
  21.  Arizona                          13-4     369   NR  Pacific-10 Conference            
  22.  Seton Hall                       12-3     317   NR  Big East Conference              
  23.  Syracuse                         11-5     156   21  Big East Conference              
  24.  Oral Roberts                     14-3     141   NR  Summit League                    
  25.  Boston College                   11-4     121   19  Atlantic Coast Conference        
                                                                                            
     Others Receiving Votes:                                                                
       Kansas                           11-5      97       Big 12 Conference                
       Washington State                 12-3      64       Pacific-10 Conference            
       Wichita North                    15-4      48       Greater Wichita Athletic League  
       South Carolina                   13-4      31       Southeastern Conference          
       Cal State Northridge             14-3      27       Big West Conference              
       Kansas State                     13-3      17       Big 12 Conference                
       Virginia Tech                    11-4      13       Atlantic Coast Conference        
       Dayton                           10-5       2       Atlantic 10 Conference           
       Chattanooga                      12-3       1       Southern Conference              
       Sacramento State                 14-3       1       Big Sky Conference               

[collegesportsfanms]

GWAL Jan. 20-26, 2020

Game of the Week

Valparaiso @ North - Jan. 25 -- North is struggling a bit this year, already with 2 conference losses. Valpo is leading the conference, and if Valpo can win this game, they will have a great chance to run away with the GWAL.

Other Key Game

Southeast @ Kapaun Mt. Carmel - Jan. 23 -- 2 teams that are middle of the pack teams, looking to break into the upper echelon. Both teams could also be in the running for an NCAA or NIT bid, so this game will go a long way in deciding who gets what.

Game Scores

Jan. 21, 2020

at #20 Valparaiso 88, Florida Atlantic 70 (non-conference)
at Longwood 61, Wichita Northwest 55 (non-conference)

Jan. 23, 2020

Wichita Southeast 68, at Kapaun Mt. Carmel 58
at Wichita Northwest 96, Bishop Carroll 67
at Wichita North 67, Wichita East 58
at Detroit 73, Wichita Heights 70
Delaware State 73, at #20 Valparaiso 61 (non-conference) (bad loss)

Jan. 25, 2020

at Wichita Southeast 66, Wichita Heights 54
at Wichita North 76, #20 Valparaiso 67
at Wichita East 68, Kapaun Mt. Carmel 63
at Bishop Carroll 69, Detroit 66

Game of the Week Recap

Valapraiso @ North -- The Redskins trailed by 1 at halftime but got it going in the second half, holding Valpo to just 33% shooting overall. North won 76-67.

Key Game Recap

Southeast @ Kapaun Mt. Carmel -- Southeast took control of this game from the beginning, as 2 players scored 19 points each. The final was 68-58 in favor of Southeast.

Here are the GWAL standings halfway through the season.

TEAM                           CW  CL   Pct   W   L   Pct  RPI  Prestige
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Wichita Southeast Buffaloes     5   2  .714  12   6  .667  173        68
 #20 Wichita North Redskins      5   2  .714  17   4  .810    5        73
 Wichita Northwest Grizzlies     5   2  .714  13   6  .684   42        66
 Valparaiso                      5   2  .714  15   5  .750   31        70
 Wichita East Blue Aces          3   4  .429  10   9  .526   79        51
 Bishop Carroll Eagles           3   4  .429  10   7  .588  132        53
 Kapaun Mt. Carmel Crusaders     3   5  .375  11  10  .524   50        56
 Detroit                         2   5  .286  12   8  .600  106        52
 Wichita Heights Falcons         1   6  .143   7  12  .368  232        61

What a log jam at the top! a 4 way tie for first, and all those teams are 2 games ahead of the second place team. I'm sure it'll weed itself out as the season progresses. Good to see Southeast in the mix.