Spartans to Play Asheville in "Secret Scrimmage"

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports has posted this year's confirmed list of "secret scrimmages" for this season. Each team is allowed by the NCAA to play either 2 closed door scrimmages, 2 open exhibition games against lower division teams a combination of both. UNCG will be playing on Saturday against UNC Asheville. I'm not sure if there will be much information to leak out of this scrimmage as it is closed door and there really isn't a set format for any of these games. Here is the entire list ...

Thursday, Oct. 25
William & Mary at Longwood
Hampton at VMI

Friday, Oct. 26
Robert Morris at Penn State
Presbyterian at Western Carolina

Saturday, Oct. 27
Clemson at Georgia
Georgia Tech vs. Tennesseein Chattanooga
VCU at Virginia
Wake Forest at Charlotte
TCU at Texas A&M
Davidson at Texas
Texas Tech at Texas Southern
Xavier at West Virginia
St. Mary's at Arizona State
Colorado at SMU
Fresno at USC
Montana State at Utah
Tulane at Mississippi
Princeton at La Salle
UMass at Drexel
Richmond at Elon
St. Louis at Indiana State
Kent State at St. Bonaventure
Temple vs. Niagara in Scranton, Pa.
Pepperdine at UC Santa Barbara
Long Beach State at San Diego
Oregon State at Nevada
Loyola (Md.) at Delaware
Hartford at Hofstra
UNC Wilmington at Coastal Carolina
Drake at Northern Illinois
Boston University at Yale
UMBC vs. Maryand-Eastern Shore
Central Connecticut at Stony Brook
Montana State at Utah
Portland State vs. Seattle at Centralia CC
Sacramento State at UC Riverside
Boise State at Weber State
East Tennessee State at Furman
Tennessee State at Lipscomb
North Florida vs. FAU at Flagler
Charleston Southern at Mercer
Norfolk State at Campbell
USC Upstate at Gardner-Webb
UNC Greensboro at UNC Asheville
San Jose State at Pacific
UT San Antonio at UT Pan American
Ball State at Wright State
Lafayette at Columbia
Siena at Cornell
Fairfield at Quinnipiac
St. Francis (NY) at Iona
Manhattan at Wagner
Marist at Monmouth
Mount St. Mary's at Howard
Sacred Heart at St. Peter's
Holy Cross at Bryant
Middle Tennessee at Murray State
Bucknell at Youngstown
Belmont at Chattanooga
College of Charleston at East Carolina
Northwestern State at Louisiana-Lafayette
UMKC at Air Force
IPFW at Illinois-Chicago
Texas State at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
UT-Arlington at Southeastern Louisiana in Shreveport
Albany at NJIT
Seattle vs. Portland State at Centralia CC
Georgia Southern vs. Jacksonville
Arkansas Little-Rock at Centenary
Sunday, Oct. 28
Maryland at George Washington
Miami at South Florida
North Carolina at Georgetown
Ohio at Virginia Tech
DePaul at Wisconsin
Marquette at Illinois State
Rutgers at Harvard
Nebraska at Iowa State
Creighton at Iowa
Mississippi State at UAB
LSU at Rice
South Dakota State at Wichita State
St. Francis (Pa) at Binghamton
Wofford at Liberty
Bowling Green at Eastern Kentucky
Nicholls at Southern University
Samford at South Alabama
Tuesday, Oct. 30
NC State at East Carolina
NC Central at High Point

Thursday, Nov. 1
Stanford at St. Mary's

Goodman Interviews Wes Miller

Jeff Goodman's column "Eye on College Basketball" ran a featured story on UNCG coach Wes Miller yesterday. Good stuff, but I really like this quote ...

"One of the players told me that, but I haven't even looked at it," Miller said. "I know we're not where we want and need to be. We're not afraid to talk about big goals and dreams, but in order to do that we have to take it one practice and one game at a bime."

Secret Scrimmage List

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports has posted his yearly list of known "secret" scrimmages. This year UNCG is only playing one of these because they are playing an open exhibition game against Greensboro College. The Spartans will be taking on UNC-Asheville this coming Saturday. In years past, UNCG has played UNC-Chapel Hill, Radford, High Point and Winthrop.

Thurs., Oct. 27
Cal State Fullerton at UCLA (Sports Arena)
Minnesota State at South Dakota State

Fri., Oct. 28
East Carolina at N.C. State
UT-Pan American vs. Sam Houston in Austin
Merrimack at New Hampshire

Saturday, Oct. 29
West Virginia at Xavier
Virginia at Vanderbilt
Davidson at Texas
TCU at Texas A&M
Seton Hall at Boston College
Wisconsin at DePaul
Colorado at Creighton
VCU at Virginia Tech
LSU at Rice
Georgia Tech at South Carolina
Charlotte at Wake Forest
Iona at Rutgers
Air Force at USC
Arkansas-Little Rock at Mississippi
St. Mary's at Arizona State
St. Bonaventure at Kent State
Boston University at Rider
Nevada at Cal Davis
Stony Brook at Central Connecticut
Weber State at Boise State
Hofstra at Hartford
Drexel at UMass
Northern Illinois at Drake
Portland State at Utah
San Francisco at Cal Poly
San Diego at Long Beach State
Houston Baptist at SMU
Delaware at Loyola (Md.)
North Florida at FAU
Quinnipiac at Northeastern
Youngstown at Bucknell
Ball State at Wright State
Fairfield at Brown
Canisius at Colgate
Long Island at Albany
Lipscomb vs. Southeast Missouri in Memphis
Appalachian State at Liberty
Mercer at Charleston Southern
Winthrop at Furman
Bowling Green vs. Loyola (Ill.) in Indianapolis
San Jose State at Sacramento State
Lafayette at Cornell
UNC Asheville at UNC Greensboro
High Point at William & Mary
Pepperdine at UC Santa Barbara
IPFW vs. Green Bay at Triton CC
Yale at NJIT
Bryant at Holy Cross
Tennessee Tech at Radford
Delta State at Tulane
Cal Poly Pomona at Cal State Northridge

Sunday, Oct. 30
Georgetown at North Carolina
Kansas State vs Marquette in Omaha
Georgia at Clemson
Ohio at Ohio State
Washington at Santa Clara
Central Florida at Florida
Indiana State vs. Indiana in Indianapolis
Western Kentucky vs. Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.
George Washington at Maryland
South Florida at Miami
Fordham at Villanova
Iowa State at Nebraska
Michigan at Toledo
Montana vs. Washington State in Idaho
Murray State at Middle Tennessee State
UW-Milwaukee at Northwestern
Western Illinois at Iowa
La Salle at Princeton
Elon at Richmond
UT Arlington at Wichita State
Wofford vs. Belmont in Knoxville
Lafayette at Southeast Louisiana
Gardner Webb at USC Upstate
Texas Southern at Texas State

Mon., Oct. 31
Alabama State at Troy

Wed., Nov. 2
San Francisco at Stanford
Radford at Longwood
William & Mary at Norfolk State

Fri., Nov. 4
Charleston Southern at South Carolina State

Sat., Nov. 5
Texas vs. Gonzaga in Denver
Marquette at George Mason
Baylor at Virginia
Georgetown at James Madison
St. Mary's at California
Chattanooga at Virginia Tech
Temple at Drexel
UMass at Seton Hall
Northern Colorado at Colorado
Tennessee State at Georgia Tech
Long Beach State at USC
Loyola Marymount at UNLV
Northeastern at Harvard
Cornell at Siena
Columbia at Hartford
Marshall vs. Miami (Ohio) in Oxford
Morgan State at Delaware
Liberty at Wofford
Iona at Quinnipiac
Army vs. UNH at Trinity College
Brown at BU
Texas State at Rice
Buffalo vs. Cleveland State in Erie
SMU at UT Arlington
Bucknell at Albany
Stony Brook at Yale
Navy at Howard
San Diego at UC Riverside
Arkansas-Little Rock vs. Stephen F. Austin in Shreveport
Colgate at LeMoyne

Sun., Nov. 6
American at Longwood
Kennesaw State at Gardner Webb
High Point at East Carolina
Merrimack at Bryant

VCU Previews, Scrimmage Notes and Dement's Comments

Sort of a weird grouping of things to post tonight. We've got less than 24 hours before the season gets underway. So let's start with some previews of opponent #1, Virginia Commonwealth.

- Here is a VCU preview from USA Today. This quote is frightening to UNCG fans ...

Deep and aggressive on defense, this is a lineup that can make life uncomfortable for any opponent, no matter the NCAA classification.

- Rush the Court's CAA preview predicted VCU to finish 2nd in the Colonial and get a #12 seed in the NCAA tournament. They also selected PG Joey Rodriguez to the All-Conference team.

-VCU Ram Nation posted this game preview. It is very tough to argue with the author's logic here ...

Friday’s matchup has 2 teams each introducing 6 new players into their lineups and having lost their star all-conference player from last season. The difference is that one team went 27-9, while the other went 8-23.

Coach Dement was on Sports Drive with Taylor Zarzour this morning and talked about his concerns with having a young team and very difficult schedule. He said that the team was young and he thought they would definitely improve throughout the season.

Here is a YouTube video from the Tom Ward Tipoff Luncheon that basically echos those same comments.



And finally, Jeff Goodman had an article leaking some of the info from the UNCG-UNC scrimmage on Oct 30.

UNC Greensboro was overwhelmed talent-wise by UNC, but there were a few bright spots: Junior college big men Aloysius Henry and Aaron Brackett – as well as 6-foot-7 wing David Williams – all competed and showed flashes.

No one from the university is allowed to discuss these "closed" scrimmages. I've recieved no reports from the UNCG-Radford scrimmage (and I don't expect to hear anything about it).

Jackson Transfers

I have received quite a few emails asking me what happened to DeAngelo Jackson on this year's roster. Well, I came across this a long time ago, but completely forgot to post it.

According to Jeff Goodman, Jackson transferred to College of Idaho.

DeAngelo Jackson, 6-8, F, Soph., UNC-Greensboro – COLLEGE OF IDAHO

You'll remember that this is same school that hired assistant coach Rod Jensen this off season. So, I want to take this opportunity to thank DeAngelo for his effort while being at UNCG and wish him luck in the future.

Secret Scrimmage

According to Fox's Jeff Goodman, UNCG will be scrimmaging High Point on Saturday. Here's the list from his blog. SoCon teams in bold.

Friday, Oct. 30
San Diego at Long Beach State
Montana vs. Washington State in Spokane
San Jose State at Sacramento State
Illinois-Chicago at Chicago State
Northwestern State at Louisiana-Monroe

Saturday, Oct. 31
Villanova at George Washington
Northeastern at Boston College
Western Kentucky at Georgia Tech
Arizona State at Texas Tech
Davidson at Texas
South Carolina at Wake Forest
Boston University at UMass
Saint Mary’s at Nevada
Virginia Tech at Charlotte
East Carolina at Richmond
La Salle at VCU
UC Irvine at Stanford
Penn State at Duquesne
DePaul at Bradley
Colorado at Utah
Winthrop at UNC Wilmington
Hofstra at Bucknell
UT Arlington at Lamar
Murray State at Lipscomb
Cal State Fullerton at Pepperdine
Buffalo at St. Bonaventure
New Orleans at Southeast Louisiana
Toledo at Youngstown State
UNC Greensboro at High Point
Jackson State at Middle Tennessee State
Rider at Columbia
Savannah State at Georgia Southern
UC Davis at San Francisco
Hartford vs. Towson at Stevens Tech
Northwestern State at Louisiana-Monroe
Lafayette at Cornell
Hampton at James Madison
Norfolk State at William & Mary
Bowling Green at Oakland
Drake at UMKC
Stephen F. Austin at SMU
Jacksonville at College of Charleston
Charleston Southern at Furman
Central Connecticut at Stony Brook
Presbyterian at USC Upstate
Niagara vs. Robert Morris in Erie

Sun, Nov. 1
North Carolina at Vanderbilt
St. John’s at St. Francis (NY)
Marquette at Virginia
Georgia at Clemson
LSU at South Alabama
Kansas State at Wichita State
Michigan at Eastern Michigan
San Jose State at California
Iona at Rutgers
Baylor at TCU
Wyoming at Fresno
Marist at Long Island
Albany at Colgate
Southern Mississippi at Samford
Quinnipiac at Penn
Wofford vs. Belmont

Eargle Leaving Greensboro

I'm sure most Spartan fans figured out that there was going to be one more player leaving the program (in addition to Oliver and Clement). It was confirmed yesterday by Fox's Jeff Goodman that Damian Eargle would be that player.

This shouldn't come as much of shock to most fans as it was discussed on a UNCGfans.com thread several weeks ago. This is just the first official confirmation that I've seen. Without knowing anything about the situation, I just want to wish Damian luck and hope he finds future success.

Transfers, Rule Changes and the APR

Even though most of us have realized that UNCG would be losing a couple of players, here is some official notice from Fox Sports blogger Jeff Goodman.

TRANSFER ADDITIONS Aaron Austin, 6-3, G, Fr., Radford Landon Clement, 6-1, G, Soph., UNC Greensboro Tony Dennison, 6-3, G, Jr., Hofstra Kyle Desmarais, 6-2, G, Fr., Central Connecticut StateAaron Garriott, 6-3, G, Fr., SIU-Edwardsville Aaron Hall, 6-3, G, Soph., Central Connecticut State Jacob Iati, 5-11, G, Fr., High Point Khalil Mumford, 5-11, G, Soph., St. Peter’s Jake Nielson, 6-3, G, Fr., Southern Utah Daniel Oliver, 5-10, G, Soph., UNC Greensboro Kevin Payton, 6-5, G, Jr., Minnesota C.J. Reid, 6-4, F, Fr., St. Peter’s Mark Socoby, 6-5, G, Jr., Maine Ryan Staker, 6-7, PF, Jr., UC Irvine Anthony Thomas, 6-5, F, Fr., Howard Torrance Timothy, 6-5, G, Fr., Howard Isiah Tucker, 6-1, G, Soph., Winston Salem State Omar Wattad, 6-5, SG-SF, Soph., Georgetown Barry Wellington, 6-0, G, Jr., SIU-Edwardsville Joey Rodriguez, 5-10, G, Soph., VCU

Here's another good article written by Goodman discussing the ramifications of a new rule that the NCAA has implemented for this season.

The NCAA instituted a ridiculous and baffling rule recently in which college coaches are no longer able to watch players at AAU events in April.

It would seem that, like every other NCAA rule, this one started with good intentions. However, the unintended consequences will cause coaches to really have to go out of their way to see players or taking players that they never see play in person. That will undoubtedly lead to more transfers.

Finally, congratulations are in order for 2 UNCG teams. Women's basketball and women's tennis earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking in the top 10 percent of APR in their respective sports. Individual scores will be released on May 6. UNCG fans should be looking closely for the APR scores in men's basketball and baseball. Those 2 sports fell below the NCAA mark and were penalized this season.