I woke up Thursday with a grin on my face and a pep in my step.  Why, might you ask? The Sixers of course! But they lost by 17 to a very average Celtics. Yeah but it was such a great game! They had 12 assists and 22 turnovers! Really, that’s it? I thought they had way more turnovers than that. So what the hell are you going on about then? I’m talking about the future maaannnn, the future…

Like Spongbob looking for someone to celebrate Leif Erikson day with, I couldn’t understand why people weren’t more excited. Sports talk was still bashing the Eagles and Chip Kelly into the ground, admittedly deservingly but shit’s old news. Hey coworker, want to talk about the Six… no, you don’t watch basketball huh. Oh nice, Mike Missanelli is going to interview Sixer owner Scott O’Neil, this might be good. Nevermind! The radio was turned off when Missanelli said the Sixers are going to have more loses than the previous two years. I’m not letting any pessimism ruin my sunny Sixers disposition.

So what’s going on? Am I on Mugato’s crazy pills or something? Possibly, but also it seems like the talking heads in Philly are missing the point. There’s been so much talk in this offseason about how the tank job has not gone as planned. How agents are telling their clients not to work with the Sixers. How Dario Saric is never coming over. How Joel Embiid is a lard ass. About how if you feel something on your head it’s not rain, it is in fact the entire sky falling...

Before I get to the excitement of a new Philadelphia 76ers season (Yes, I am one of those guys that gets excited about a new 76ers season), I must come, hat in hand, chin to chest, and admit my follies and ask for the forgiveness of you, my audience. A couple of posts ago I foolishly predicted that Pierre Jackson would make the cut for the final 15. That did not happen. Instead, he shot 1-14 in the three games that he was able to play in, was abused regularly on defense and not surprisingly had a very poor +/-. Certainly a nagging groin injury didn’t help him but Pierre looked overmatched. It’s going to take a hell of a performance overseas or in the D League for Pierre to get another training camp invite next year.

​Last Season: 13-18 (7-11 Atlantic 10)

Saint Joseph's entered a rebuilding phase one season ago. Coming off an NCAA Tournament berth in 2013-2014 where they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in overtime, the Hawks had the unenviable task of replacing three starters in 2014-2015.

The Hawks would suffer growing pains throughout a 13-18 season, but would see sophomore DeAndre' Bembry emerge as a star and gain attention not just in the Atlantic 10, but nationwide.
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In 2015-2016, Saint Joseph's will rely on Bembry to drive their success. Coming off an offseason in which he was one of 20 college players in the nation invited to take part in the Nike Basketball Academy with instructors such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, the expectations for Bembry are sky high.

Last Season: 17-16 (8-10 Atlantic 10)

Just like the elevator business, the 2014-2015 season for the La Salle Explorers had its ups and downs.  They finished 17-16 overall and 8-10 in conference play, good for 9th in the Atlantic 10 standings.  The Explorers started out very streaky, winning their first four games of the season, then immediately losing their next four games.  

Unfortunately, that wasn't their only major losing streak last season.  They lost four consecutive games at the end of February, losing to Saint Louis, Fordham, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph's.  Before that stretch, the Explorers were 15-11 and on pace for a top 6 seed in the A-10 Tournament.  The Fordham lost hurt the most.  Losing to a program as bad as Fordham's is a huge blow to a team's confidence.  

A higher seed in the A-10 tournament would have been great for the Explorers to have.  They defeated Massachusetts in the first round, but lost to the number one seeded Davidson in the next round.  Just two seasons removed from a memorable Sweet 16 run, the Explorers will look to some new faces to try and reach those same heights soon.
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Last Season: 26-11 (13-5 American)

Temple's 2014-2015 season featured its highs and lows as the Owls fell just short of an NCAA Tournament appearance. After getting off to a slow start that included losses to UNLV and Saint Joseph's, the Owls began to find a bit of a groove.

Once Jesse Morgan became eligible, the Owls appeared to be a much more complete team, rattling off six straight wins, including a 77-52 rout of #10 Kansas. Unfortunately for the Owls, they would follow that streak with a three game losing streak.
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They would put together a seven-game win streak after that, but would end their conference tournament hopes with a loss to #20 SMU, keeping the Owls out of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.
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As the #1 seed in the NIT Tournament, the Owls would reach the semifinals before bowing out to Miami. Now Temple looks to retool a bit and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in two years.