Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Connor Hope
March Madness 2025: 25 players who will shape the NCAA Tournament — Heat Check CBB
From senior stars to freshman phenoms, the NCAA Tournament is shaped by the moments and performances of its individual players. From Jack Gohlke’s 10 3-pointers in Oaklands upset win over Kentucky last March to Kemba Walker’s unforgettable championship run with UConn in 2011, every tournament has players that will go down in the history books.
Ticket Punched: Previewing the UC San Diego Tritons for the 2025 NCAA Tournament — Heat Check CBB
Heading into conference tournament week, there was a lot of talk about the potential for a two-bid Big West. This would have required UC Irvine to beat UC San Diego in the title game, followed by faith in the selection committee to recognize a 29-win, top-40 NET team as deserving of an at-large bid. The Tritons did not leave their NCAA fate to chance, however, knocking off the Anteaters 75-61 in the Big West final.
Big Ten Men's Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview: Braden Smith, Purdue hold slight edge over Illinois, Indiana, UCLA — Heat Check CBB
A lot can be said about the elite teams at the top of other conferences, but when it comes to the sheer number of NCAA Tournament-caliber teams, it is difficult to find a conference with more than the Big Ten. Last year was the first season since 2018 in which the Big Ten did not have the most bids.
SoCon Men's Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview: Will Samford bring Bucky Ball back to the Big Dance? — Heat Check CBB
The Southern Conference might be one of the most underappreciated leagues in college basketball. It has been a top-15 conference in five of the past six years, per KenPom. The SoCon has also accounted for two wins in the past five NCAA Tournaments, with Wofford beating Seton Hall as a 7-seed in 2019, and Furman’s 13-over-4 upset of Virginia at the buzzer in 2023.
Season Preview '24-25 Archives — Heat Check CBB
HC+ Season Preview '24-25 Words Mountain West Men’s Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview: Boise State poised to advance in NCAA Tournament The Mountain West sent a record six teams to the Big Dance in March.
ASUN Men's Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview: Lipscomb's Ognacevich, Pruitt return to help Bison break through — Heat Check CBB
For five seasons, Liberty was the class of the ASUN. Without the Flames to buoy the league, the ASUN struggled to re-establish itself last year, finishing as the 26th-best conference in the KenPom rankings, and without a single top-150 team. This year, a fully healthy Lipscomb aims to change that, but several teams are nipping at the Bison’s heels.
Big West Men's Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview: UC Irvine looks to repeat as regular-seson champions — Heat Check CBB
Last season was an interesting one in the Big West. For the second straight year, UC Irvine won the regular-season title after being picked to finish fourth in the preseason poll. The top three teams in the preseason poll all finished fourth or worst. And Long Beach State was led to the NCAA Tournament by a coach who would be fired at the end of the season.
NCAA Basketball: How each former Pac-12 team fits into their new conference — Heat Check CBB
Conference realignment is one of the most sensitive topics among college sports fans, with some embracing their favorite teams’ new reality. Others, meanwhile, lament that some of the nation’s best intraconference rivalries will be unlikely to continue. In the biggest realignment move since the creation of the American Athletic Conference in 2013, the Pac-12 will disband following the conclusion of the 2023-24 athletic year. As a result, each of its 12 members will join new conferences.
NCAA Final Four: UConn rolls to its second-straight national title, beating Purdue 75-60 — Heat Check CBB
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — The highly anticipated national title game started competitively enough. Two-time National Player of the Year Zach Edey and the Purdue Boilermakers stayed within one possession for the first 15 minutes — before the defending champs UConn quickly turned into a clinic. The Huskies won 75-60 on Monday night to secure their second-consecutive national title and sixth overall for the program. Cam Spencer was the source of UConn’s early offense.
UConn Basketball: Tristen Newton steady hand fuels Huskies through historic run — Heat Check CBB
From Khalid El-Amin to Ben Gordon, Kemba Walker to Shabazz Napier, UConn basketball has had its fair share of elite point guards over the past three decades. In March, point guard play is often the difference between teams making deep runs and going home early. The Huskies have had more success in this department than most others. Against this history of great guard play, Tristen Newton has established himself as perhaps the most successful.
NCAA Final Four: Purdue rides hot-shooting guards to 63-50 victory over NC State — Heat Check CBB
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Overcoming a struggling point guard to win in the NCAA Tournament is an uphill battle. Doing so in the Final Four is nearly impossible. The Purdue Boilermakers were able to do just that, overcoming an uncharacteristic poor performance from Braden Smith, securing a 63-50 victory over 11-seed NC State and a spot in Monday’s national championship game.
NCAA Tournament Final Four preview: Can Zach Edey lead Purdue to its first championship? — Heat Check CBB
Winning should come easy when you have the best player in college basketball. Add an elite shooting team on top of that, and the season-long dominance of Purdue is no surprise. Yet, for various reasons, there are still those who want to discount the Boilermakers’ accomplishments. Purdue doesn’t care. As Zach Edey said right after punching his ticket to the Final Four, “We are f—ing winners, it’s what we do.” It is certainly what they do.
NCAA Tournament Final Four preview: Can UConn finish its quest for back-to-back titles? — Heat Check CBB
There was no national championship hangover for UConn this year. The Huskies are 35-3 — and counting — and have both the nation’s top offense and a top-five defense. Tristen Newton is an All-American, Donovan Clingan is a monster on defense, and head coach Dan Hurley is still not satisfied. Hurley made a big deal about UConn’s perceived “tough region,” but the results didn’t bear that out.
NCAA Tournament 2024: Power rankings for every Sweet 16 team — Heat Check CBB
It was a fun first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, with plenty of madness in the first round and very little in the second. The lack of Cinderellas in the Sweet 16 — the only “mid-majors,” if you can call them that, are Gonzaga and San Diego State — has led to what should be a second weekend for the ages. Every team except NC State appears in KenPom’s top 25, and of that group, only Clemson and SDSU sit outside the top 16.
NCAA Tournament 2024: Intrigue rankings for all 16 second-round games — Heat Check CBB
Day 5 of the NCAA Tournament is here, and the event is already halfway over in terms of total games. The season has ended for 36 teams, but the 32 others are still very much alive. We have had overtimes, controversial calls, and huge upsets galore, and several players have had career-defining games. Now, that 32-team group will be cut to just 16. Let’s take a look at how all 16 second-round games stack up.
NCAA Tournament 2024: Intrigue rankings for all 32 first-round games — Heat Check CBB
The 2024 NCAA Tournament is just four games deep, and we have already seen three close games. We;ve had overtime, a double-digit comeback and a controversial shot-clock error. Thursday and Friday of the First Round, however, is the best time of year for college basketball. Now that we have a full 32-game slate, it is time to plan what games to focus on. With as many as four games being played simultaneously, it can be difficult to know which games to put on the TV.
March Madness 2024: 25 players who will shape the NCAA Tournament — Heat Check CBB
The NCAA Tournament is where legends are made and breakouts happen. Whether it is a role player having the game of his life, a defensive stopper making their opponents miserable or a star putting his team on his back, the NCAA Tournament is often decided on the performances of a few select players. From top seeds to dark horses to mid-major darlings, this list identifies the 25 players whose performances will determine how the next three weeks unfold.
Champ Week 2024: Intrigue rankings for all 32 conference tournaments — Heat Check CBB
It’s time to start punching some NCAA Tournament tickets. From juggernaut conferences like the Big XII and SEC to less-heralded leagues like the Ohio Valley and Horizon, there are 32 automatic bids up for grabs over the next two weeks. And while this is arguably the most action-packed portion of the college basketball calendar, it’s impossible to watch every conference tournament closely.
NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Day 2 of the Maui Invitational — Heat Check CBB
After Day 1 of the Maui Invitational gave us an incredible slugfest between UCLA and Marquette, Day 2 provided perhaps the strongest semifinal slate in nonconference MTE history. Four Top 10 teams left it all on the floor for two spots in the finals. Similarly, Syracuse and Gonzaga had a hard-fought battle to avoid a zero-upside game against the host team Chaminade (which lost to UCLA later in the day).
NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from Day 1 of the Maui Invitational — Heat Check CBB
The first day of the Maui Invitational is in the books, and all four favored teams are heading to the winners’ bracket. Despite early scares from Syracuse and Gonzaga respectively, Tennessee and Purdue were able to pull away late and move on to the next round. Marquette won a thriller against UCLA after having its own scare, including a 12-point deficit with 15 minutes left. Kansas also won against the hosts, Chaminade.
NCAA Basketball: Looking at Week 1 winners and losers on West Coast Wednesday — Heat Check CBB
College basketball is now in full swing, and we are less than a week away from the start of many nonconference MTEs that will take place over the Thanksgiving holiday. While some teams have only played a few “warmup” games, others have taken on tough foes and scored big wins. The way the NCAA Tournament selection process works, these early-season games take on extra weight for some teams.
WCC Basketball: Santa Clara more than a regular-season test for Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga — Heat Check CBB
Making the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid out of the WCC, like any mid-major league, is an incredibly difficult task. Not only does conference play lack many resume-building games, but a lot of mid-majors with a real shot at making noise find it difficult to schedule high-caliber games. On top of those issues, most teams are just not good enough to win the opportunities they do get in nonconference play.
West Coast Wednesday: Silver linings from the Pac-12 implosion — Heat Check CBB
We knew it was coming when USC made the decision to join the Big Ten and took UCLA along with them. We knew it was coming when rumors started swirling that the Big 12 had its eyes set on the Four Corners. We knew it was inevitable when the conference’s television negotiation hit a standstill. Now, we know it for sure: As of the 2024-25 season, the Pac-12 will be no more. And fans are not happy. The frustration makes sense.
West Coast Wednesday: 2023-24 'sophomore leap' candidates from each conference — Heat Check CBB
As the 2023-24 season quickly approaches, players who spent last season in limited roles will work to prove they deserve more minutes, more shots and more love from the fans. As coaches figure out their rotations, some of these players will emerge as potential breakout candidates in their respective conferences.
NCAA Tournament Final Four preview: Will UConn dominate its way to a championship? — Heat Check CBB
UConn has engineered one of the most dominant Final Four runs in recent memory. Will the Huskies dominate their way to a national title? UConn has had an incredibly weird season, to put it mildly. Through Dec. 28, the Huskies looked like the best team in the country and had just one game decided by single digits. Then came the slump, during which UConn lost six of eight. Since Jan.
NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking the Elite Eight games — Heat Check CBB
We’re down to just eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. Here’s a look at the last games before the Final Four. After an epic Sweet 16 Thursday, the games on Friday were defined by falling 1-seeds and no-doubt wins. Alabama and Houston are both gone, and the top four teams remaining by seed are Texas, Gonzaga, Kansas State and UConn. With FAU being the only Cinderella team remaining, the potential for all four games this weekend to be close is high.
NCAA Tournament: Ranking all eight Sweet 16 games — Heat Check CBB
Which Sweet 16 matchups will be must-watch TV? Check out our rankings of each of the Sweet 16 games on Thursday and Friday. The best weekend in college basketball is over, and the NCAA Tournament has already had 52 teams eliminated. Just 16 squads remain and that number is set to be cut in half on Thursday and Friday. With the relative lack of Cinderella runs in this tournament, almost every game promises to be tightly contested with star power on full display.
NCAA Tournament 2023: Ranking all 16 second-round matchups — Heat Check CBB
Who’s headed to the Sweet 16? We take a look at all the second-round matchups and rank them from worst to best. We are entering Day 5 of the NCAA Tournament and already 36 of the 68 teams have had their seasons ended. We have seen some fantastic game-winning shots, a bunch of miracle upsets, and a plenty of incredible individual performances. As we enter Saturday, we know the entire 16-game slate for the second round. Eight games will be played Saturday, and eight will be played Sunday.
NCAA Tournament: Ranking all 32 first-round games — Heat Check CBB
Every NCAA Tournament game is important, but some matchups are must-watch television. The NCAA Tournament has tipped off. The First Four games have been played, and we finally have a complete list of matchups for the First Round. Thursday and Friday of the First Round is the best time of year for college basketball, and this season’s Big Dance promises to be no different. With as many as four games being played simultaneously, it can be difficult to know which games should be put on the TV.
March Madness 2023: 30 players that will shape the NCAA Tournament — Heat Check CBB
We’re identifying the 30 NCAA Tournament players who will be the most influential in shaping this year’s March Madness bracket. March Madness is finally here, and while college basketball is a team sport, the games in the NCAA Tournament are often won and lost on individual performances. Whether it is a buzzer beater three, clutch free throws to secure a win, or simply a stifling defensive performance, the players who play the game shape how the bracket breaks.
March Madness 2023 West region preview: Win probabilities, Cinderellas, storylines, more — Heat Check CBB
The Kansas Jayhawks have entered the “Region of Doom” where anything can happen and chaos is inevitable. Kansas may have the most Quadrant 1 wins in the country, but they were handed the No. 3 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, being shipped to the West Region as a result. The Jayhawks also happened to be the No. 3 overall seed last season, en route to a National Championship.
Champ Week: Intrigue rankings for all 32 conference tournaments — Heat Check CBB
Having trouble deciding which conference tournaments to watch? We ranked each of the 32 tournaments by their overall intrigue to help. Champ Week is here, and we have already been treated to two excellent games so far. With over 300 conference games over the next two weeks, it may be a challenge to decide which games to watch. Do you want to see tournament locks duke it out in a heavyweight battle?
College basketball: 10 noteworthy takeaways from opening night — Heat Check CBB
From the Big Ten’s 13-0 start to San Diego State’s second-half explosion, here are the top takeaways from the first day of the college Basketball Season. After an offseason full of speculation and projection, we finally have college basketball games to discuss, in fact, more 200 of them! While some of the blowouts are difficult to analyze, there were Day 1 matchups that provided some insight into what we can expect from various team moving forward.
One reason why every preseason Heat Check CBB Top 25 team will win the national championship (And one reason why they won’t) — Heat Check CBB
From Gonzaga’s work-in-progress defense to Miami’s made-for-March roster, what are the cases for and against every team in the Heat Check CBB Top 25 as national title contenders? The college basketball season is finally upon us, and it’s time to let the play do the talking for each of D1’s 363 teams. Heat Check CBB, along with every other media outlet, released their preseason Top 25 with over two dozen teams aiming to compete not only for conference titles, but also to cut down the nets in April.
Way-too-early WCC basketball preview 2022-23: Projected standings, sleeper team, more — Heat Check CBB
Coming off a successful three-bid season, the WCC has plenty of reasons to be excited. Can the league build on its momentum for a successful encore in 2022-23? While it is unlikely that we see a return of the three-bid WCC this season, this may be one of the strongest seasons the league has had from top to bottom. With its returning starters and incoming transfers, Gonzaga will once again be a national championship contender.
March Madness 2022: Five best first-round NCAA Tournament matchups — Heat Check CBB
By Connor Hope on March 17, 2022 March Madness is here! Check out the five best first-round matchups on Thursday and Friday. The time is finally here! The brackets are seeded, the matchups are set, and 68 teams are preparing for the best two days in college basketball. Yes, four teams will not make it to Thursday, but First Four games are NCAA Tournament games too.
March Madness 2022: Ten players who will shape the NCAA Tournament bracket — Heat Check CBB
By Connor Hope on March 14, 2022 Why Arizona’s Christian Koloko and UAB’s Jordan Walker are among the players who will shape the March Madness bracket. The NCAA Tournament is where legends are made, and this year will be no different. Whether a player is the team’s top scorer, reliable playmaker, or suffocating defender, there are plenty of opportunities to make a name in March Madness. Below are the ten players who are most likely to determine the story of their team’s 2022 March Madness runs.
Hope’s Heat Meter: Big Ten struggles; BYU and Seton Hall shine; Virginia revisited — Heat Check CBB
By Connor Hope on November 17, 2021 In “Hope’s Heat Meter,” Connor Hope analyzes the hottest takes in college basketball and determines if there’s any substance behind the Internet’s wild opinions. With over a week of games already in the books, there are plenty of new college basketball takes spewing about, and the heat is only continuing to rise. In this week’s Heat Meter, we take a look at three reactions from Tuesday’s biggest games.
Hope’s Heat Meter: Virginia's roster; UCLA and Indiana's tourney hopes; Julian Strawther's potential — Heat Check CBB
By Connor Hope on November 10, 2021 In “Hope’s Heat Meter,” Connor Hope analyzes the hottest takes in college basketball and determines if there’s any substance behind the Internet’s wild opinions. The college basketball season is finally here, and with it comes a ton of new takes. These takes can be pretty on point, relatively hot and reactive, or even the infamous “Not Take” — a take so hot that it isn’t really a take at all.
PODCAST: Hope & Rauf - Big East Basketball Preview and Predictions — Heat Check CBB
By Connor Hope on September 30, 2021 Hope & Rauf presented by Heat Check CBB: Connor is joined by Lukas Harkins to discuss their takes on the Big East in the next edition of the conference preview series. Topped, as always, by Villanova, how many teams in the Big East have legitimate NCAA Tournament dreams? And who do Lukas and Connor view as the other Top 25 caliber squads? Listen to their projected standings and break down all 11 teams, before they give their bold predictions for the season.
March Madness: Impactful player matchups for every NCAA Tournament second round game — Heat Check CBB
The March Madness second round begins Sunday, and there are a few matchups that could determine how these games play out. After three days of nonstop basketball action, we are finally down to 32 teams remaining for the ultimate prize. We have already had a ton of incredible individual performances from Max Abmas propelling Oral Roberts in its upset over Ohio State to Jabari Walker’s 24 points off the bench in Colorado’s rout of Georgetown.
March Madness 2021: Top 10 player matchups of NCAA Tournament first round — Heat Check CBB
The NCAA Tournament tips off on Thursday, and these individual matchups will be must-watch affairs. While the past few days have been all about filling out brackets and making Final Four picks, that all ends when the 2021 NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday. While we should all know the teams that are in the field, some of the top individual matchups may still be flying under the radar.
March Madness: Top 10 tips for filling out your brackets
Filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket for your office pool can seem like a daunting task. Here are some tips to make it just a bit more enjoyable. With everyone in offices across the country becoming huge college basketball fans during the months of March and April, it can be a struggle to put together that “winning” bracket. Tons of research and time can be poured into analyzing every game and making the best picks.
March Madness: Top reason why each 1-seed won’t win the national championship
No team is unbeatable, and everyone loves upsets. Learn what could be the downfall for each 1-seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. For the last three weeks, a group of four teams has emerged as overwhelming favorites to win the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship. The debate between Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, and Michigan has been heated, without any other challenger entering the conversation for over a month.
March Madness: Winners and losers from Selection Sunday
Which teams are smiling and which ones are scratching their heads after Sunday’s NCAA Tournament Selection Show? We have them! After almost two full years, we finally have new NCAA Tournament brackets to fill out! The NCAA selection committee revealed its field of 68 teams Sunday evening, and with all the jubilation came a lot of justifiable confusion. This season of COVID has thrown many teams’ seasons into disarray, but the brackets came out about as well as most people would have liked.
Big Ten basketball tournament 2021: Bracket, predictions, players, stats, history
If you are a fan of absolute slugfests for five straight days, the Big Ten tournament will be the most “must-watch” tournament the season. Move over, Big East, there is a new rock fight in the college basketball universe, and it goes down in Indianapolis. It is no secret that the Big Ten has become one of the two best conferences in the country, and their conference tournament has too many NCAA Tournament seeding implications to ignore.
Pac-12 basketball tournament 2021: Bracket, predictions, players, stats, history
The Pac-12 has gone through some cannibalization in conference play. Will that continue in Vegas? The Pac-12 has been one of the more underwhelming conferences in the country from top to bottom. With four teams looking like NCAA Tournament locks, this could be a prime spot for a potential bid steal heading into Selection Sunday. However, outside of this wrinkle, there isn’t a ton that will excite casual fans in Vegas.
WAC basketball tournament 2021: Bracket, predictions, players, stats, history
It’s the WAC tournament where Grand Canyon tries to take advantage of New Mexico State’s down season. It was pretty clear before the season even started that this New Mexico State team was not on par with those from the last few years. This step back, along with their issues with COVID protocols, meant that the Aggies were never able to find any rhythm. As a result, Grand Canyon finally cashed in and won a share of the WAC regular season championship along with Utah Valley.
Big West basketball tournament 2021: Bracket, predictions, players, stats, history
Who will be this season’s intriguing NCAA Tournament upset pick out of the California Bus League (plus Hawaii)? Over the past five years, the Big West Conference has become one of the most intriguing conferences in the country when it comes to possible low-seed upsets in the NCAA Tournament. With four teams sporting a positive adjusted efficiency margin in KenPom right now, this year shouldn’t be any different.
WCC basketball tournament 2021: Bracket, predictions, players, stats, history
Can anybody end Gonzaga’s undefeated season and steal the West Coast Conference auto-bid? The Gonzaga Bulldogs may have had a few tightly contested slow starts to end the season, but they are two wins away from entering the NCAA Tournament without a loss. With the conference using KenPom’s adjusted winning percentage to seed the tournament, the conference will hopefully be set up for several close games.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Connor
Contact Connor, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack