We’re in the home stretch of the calendar before the season starts. Students are back on campus. The days are getting short (boo). The summer heat is beginning to cool down.
But, that also means we have schedules to look forward to. Teams across the country have dropped their non-conference (and even a few conference) slates. And that certainly gets our mouths watering for opening day on Nov. 4.
With the season only two months away, we here at Mid-Major Madness picked out a few contests we have our eyes on for the first handful of days of the 2024-25 season.
For a full breakdown of these contests, listen to the Mid-Major Madness Podcast.
The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase is a triple header on the first day of the season at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Those are three of the games spotlighted.
Below are the games discussed on the episode
Charleston vs. Southern Illinois (men; Nov. 4 at noon ET)
In one of the earliest games of the season, Charleston and Southern Illinois face off in the tipoff of the Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase at noon ET.
Charleston is coming off consecutive seasons with at least 27 wins and trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars will be led by new head coach Chris Mack following the departure of Pat Kelsey to Louisville. Ante Brzovic is the top returning scorer after pouring in 12.1 points a night last year.
SIU is coming off a 19-13 season in a tough Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis are also under a new head coach as Scott Nagy assumes the reigns. They will look to replace Xavier Johnson, who averaged a team-best 22.2 points per game last season.
Saint Louis vs. Santa Clara (men; Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. ET)
This is the second game of the triple header in Sioux Falls.
Saint Louis is beginning a new era with Josh Schertz taking over the program. He brought with him star players Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope from everyone’s favorite NCAA Tournament snub Indiana State. They led the Sycamores to the NIT title game and now look to bring the Billikens back to prominence after a 13-20 season.
Santa Clara has posted three straight 20-win seasons under Herb Sendek. The Broncos have also been above .500 in the WCC in each of those seasons after failing to do so in seven of the previous eight campaigns. Gibson Jimerson returns is back for his final season after averaging 15.8 points per game last season.
McNeese State vs. South Dakota State (men; Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. ET)
This contest between two conference champions…
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