xubrew

here is my prospectus for the season.


ORDER OF FINISH:

EAST:

1. WESTERN KENTUCKY. despite going through a major transition period, i look for the hilltoppers to sit atop the conference once again. they are coming off their third straight 20+ win season and ncaa tournament appearance. one of the standout players on this team is mike wells. he is a smothering defensive player and an excellent shooter. they'll also get quite a bit of help from juco transfer nigel dixon. after struggling to get some big name teams on their ooc schedule, they've managed to land some this year. they open the season at auburn, host mississippi state for their home opener, and will play louisville in nashville. winning some of these games and finishing with 20+ wins should put the hilltoppers in position for an at large bid. it is somewhat of an adjustment period as they have a first year coach in darrin horn, but i look for it to be a smooth transition.

2. MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE. after somewhat of a dissapointing start last year, the blue raiders really got rolling and won 10 of their last 14 before losing to western kentucky in the conference tournament championship game. coach kermit davis and companly look to continue that momentum into this season. some players to watch this year are guards tommy gunn and michael cuffy who have already raised some eyebrows after combining for 43 points in their first exhibition win. some standouts on the ooc include a home and home with wyoming and a trip to cincinnati. it should be a fun year for the blue raiders and i look for them to be a force in the conference.

3. ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK. the trojans are coming off of a fairly successful 18-12 season. in addition to having a new coach, they also have six new members on the roster. they are led by senior guard and possible nba prospect nick zachery, who averaged over 14 points a game last year. they open their season at arizona state and then travel to saint bonaventure. other standouts on their schedule include a potential matchup with iowa state in a midseason tournament, creighton, and a home game against mississippi state. the return of zachery should give them a much needed boost, but with a new coach and a lot of new players they trojans may struggle through this transition period.

4. ARKANSAS STATE. the indians lost four of their last six games to end the season last year and finished an unimpressive 13-15. coach dickey nutt is looking to get the team back on track this year. the indians are led by preseason all conference senior guard tevoris thompson who is a lights out shooter who averaged more than 15 points a game last year. he will be vital to their success. there aren't really any standout teams on their ooc schedule, but that can be a good thing for a team that is trying to develop a winning attitude.

5. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL. the panthers had are coming off of an awful season where they won just 7 games against div 1 teams and only 1 conference game during the regular season. after three straight seasons where they have failed to win 10 games, coach donnie marsh is trying to right the ship and get the panthers back on track. they will be aided by juco all american transfer point guard marcus robinson, but i do not expect for this program to turn around overnight.



WEST:

1. NEW MEXICO STATE. coach lou henson has had an amazing run with the aggies and he is coming off yet another impressive year last year where the team finished 19-9. this is a team that could easily challenge louisiana lafayette for the division title. the aggies are led by senior forward james moore who was recently voted the sun belt preseason player of the year. he averaged close to 19 points a game last year as a junior and will be a strong force underneath. the ooc probably is not as strong as it needs to be to get this team the quality wins it needs to be considered for an at large bid. some notables do include the home and home with in state rivals new mexico and a trip to tulsa.

2. LOUISIANA LAFAYETTE. the rajun cajun are thinking big this year. after posting an impressive 20-9 record last year, the cajun are hoping to position themselves for a spot in the ncaa tournament this year. they open the season against georgia tech in the nit and have an excellent chance to get some quality wins early. they also play dayton, xavier, valpo, and could potentially face arizona in the fiesta bowl classic. they should be battle tested when conference play begins. although it is easier said than done, if they can knock off some of those teams out of conference, they could find themselves on pace for an at large bid to the ncaa tournament. junior center michael southall is one of the players to watch as he should be a major force for them underneath.

3. DENVER. in case their fans have not noticed, and judging by the interest in the team they haven't, the pioneers have managed to improve each and every year under third year coach terry carroll. after what was an impressive start to the season last year, the pioneers flatlined in the middle of conference play and lost seven straight. despite the midseason collapse, they still managed to get themselves together and win 5 out of 6 before losing to middle tennessee state in the conference tournament. they still finished with a winning record at 17-15. they look to continue that success this year. they are a well balanced team this year, the front court is solid, and they have their best recruiting class under coach carroll coming in this year. some big names on their schedule are gonzaga, colorado state, and wyoming. i look for this team to continue its improvement.

4. SOUTH ALABAMA. the jaguars went into the tank last year towards the end of the season. at one point they lost five straight conference games all in february. coach john pelphrey and company will look to improve this season. the jaguars will be led by preseason all conference players chris young and malerick bedden. out of conference notables include mississippi state and georgia. this should be an improved team this year.

5. NEW ORLEANS. last year the privateers were 7-8 in conference and 15-14 overall, but really did not play well down the stretch and had a losing record against div 1 teams. experience should not be a problem as they return eight players from last year's team, but tallent very well could be. the privateers are led by senior guard johnell smith who averaged over 13 points a game last season. i look for them to be an improved team from last year, but i still think they are behind some of the other teams in the conference. out of conference notables include trips to texas, mississippi state, and auburn.

6. NORTH TEXAS. the eagles are coming off a dissapointing 7-21 season that saw just 5 div 1 wins and 1 conference win. its been quite some time since they've had a winning season and 2001-02 marked the first time since 1996-97 that they managed to win more than ten games. head coach johnny jones is trying to build up the program, but he's got a long way to go. one player to watch is senior center shawnson johnson who was a top ten juco player before tranfering to north texas. the eagles play indiana and arkansas out of conference, but other than that it is pretty weak. having said that though, it is not a bad idea to play a weak schedule when you want to get your team used to winning.


SITE OF CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT: Western Kentucky

NUMBER OF TEAMS IN NCAA TOURNAMENT: 1 (western kentucky)

OTHER NOTES:
-this could be the last hoorah for the sunbelt as it could be plagued by conference expansion. it is an important season for all the teams because they must position themselves to be in good standing as the conference dominoes continue to fall. an ncaa tournament appearance could make a world of difference when trying to jockey for position in conference realignment.

-mississippi state mind as well join the conference seeing is how they play nearly half the teams in it anyhow.

WKU Topper Jeff

Not too bad Xubrew... I just don't have the love for MTSU that others are showing... here is a little of what I wrote about MTSU.

Beware of the big Gunn, Tommy Gunn that is. Tommy Gunn rightfully selected first team Sun Belt Preseason team, will be loaded! But he might be the only loaded weapon MTSU has. Kermit Davis has done a remarkable job building the Raider program in just one season. MTSU is going to have to rely heavily on Gunn to lead a young MTSU team. MTSU only returns three guys that played on last year’s team, Gunn the lone starter. Seven players leave the second place Sun Belt East Division and conference tournament runner-up Raider team. Losing John Humphrey (9ppg) and William Pippen (15.5ppg) is not going to be easy to fill.

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WKU Topper Jeff

The west is going to be VERY STRONG. I feel anyone who picks ULL to win must put a * next to their preview. At the bottom the * should read "if all players are eligible. ULL once again is having probs keeping their players up to grade. If they are all playing, they will be good.

New Mexico State has hints of success, but for some reason can't seem to put it all together.

Denver ended strong last year, defeating ULL in the second round of the SBC tournament last year. I think Denver is gonna be for real this year.

South Alabama could be the dark horse. I think they have th coach, and he is getting the staff to make some noise.

New Orleans and UNT, they will fight for last place. I think UNT will get it. They lost Davis from last year, and that was all they really had in the first place.

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