Sun Belt

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Sun Belt?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:02:15 -0500

NCAA Basketball Conference Ranking: 2008-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:31:09 -0500

CHN's 31 conference ranking, including 10 year historical averages based on average RPI finish. For more information on historical RPI averages, check out the Conference Data Page. Links lead to league preview pages.

Big East

10 Year Average: 3

10 Year Average: 1

10 Year Average: 2

10 Year Average: 5

10 Year Average: 6

10 Year Average: 4

10 Year Average: 10

10 Year Average: 7

10 Year Average: 9

WCC

10 Year Average: 12

11 Conference USA

10 Year Average: 8

12 Colonial

10 Year Average: 14

13 MAC

10 Year Average: 13

14 WAC

10 Year Average: 11

15 MAAC

10 Year Average: 17

16 Horizon

10 Year Average: 15

17 Southern

10 Year Average: 19

18 Sun Belt

10 Year Average: 16

19 Big West

10 Year Average: 18

20 Patriot

10 Year Average: 23

21 Southland

10 Year Average: 27

22 Ivy

10 Year Average: 24

23 Big Sky

10 Year Average: 20

24 America East

10 Year Average: 21

25 Summit

10 Year Average: 26

26 OVC

10 Year Average: 22

27 NEC

10 Year Average: 28

28 Atlantic Sun

10 Year Average: 25

29 Big South

10 Year Average: 29

30 MEAC

10 Year Average: 30

-Independents

31 SWAC

10 Year Average: 31

Sun Belt Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:51:49 -0500

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Conference Rank: 18th

Conference Page

All-Sun Belt Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Josh White	North Texas	So
G	Dominic Tilford	So. Alabama	Sr
F	Desmond Yates	MTSU	Jr
F	Alex Galindo	Florida Int'l	Sr
F	Carlos Monroe	Florida Atlantic	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Carlos Monroe Desmond Yates		Points: Desmond Yates 16.0 Rebounds: Carlos Monroe 9.5 Assists: Kevin Kanaskie 3.3

Sun Belt Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

79	South Alabama	Sun Belt	1	NCAA
95	Middle Tenn St	Sun Belt	2
123	West Kentucky	Sun Belt	3
175	Ark Little Rock	Sun Belt	4
191	LA Lafayette	Sun Belt	5
201	North Texas	Sun Belt	6
213	Florida Intl	Sun Belt	7
231	Florida Atlantic	Sun Belt	8
241	Denver	Sun Belt	9
247	Arkansas State	Sun Belt	10
264	New Orleans	Sun Belt	11
280	LA Monroe	Sun Belt	12
307	Troy	Sun Belt	13

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Sun Belt?

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Rise & Fall: The Sun Belt

College Football: 2008 Sun Belt Preview

Raphielle Johnson — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 12:18:33 -0400

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Last season was a special year for the young program at Florida Atlantic, where Howard Schnellenberger’s team won its first conference title in school history. Form there it was on to the New Orleans Bowl, where the Owls soundly defeated Memphis 44-27 for the school’s first bowl victory. But can 2008 be the year of seconds for the Owls? There’s a good chance that the answer may indeed be a yes, led by Sun Belt Player of the Year Rusty Smith. Both sides of the ball are absolutely loaded, making FAU the clear favorites to win the conference.

Their biggest challenger could be the team they beat on the road last season to clinch the title: Troy. Fourteen starters return for the Trojans, but they’ll need a good year from sophomore quarterback Jamie Hampton, who steps in for two-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year Omar Haugabook. Another issue for the Trojans will be a schedule that includes trips to LSU and Ohio State. Good lick with that.

The two Louisiana schools in the conference could be next in line, with a winning season possibly being the perfect remedy for Louisiana-Lafayette’s Ricky Bustle. In order for that to happen, however, the Ragin’ Cajuns need to improve a defense that ranked 104^th in total defense and 113^th against the run in 2007. All three linebackers return, led by Antwyne Zanders (team-high 93 tackles in 2007). The combination of QB Michael Desormeaux and RB Tyrell Fenroy eclipsed 2,000 yards on the ground, but Desormeaux needs to be more consistent in the passing game.

Louisiana-Monroe returns all three starters at wide receiver and quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster, which could be good news for an offense that was 106^th in passing offense a season ago. Like their rivals from Lafayette the Warhawks return all three starting linebackers, and this unit could be the key to Charlie Weatherbie’s program building upon their upset of Alabama.

Arkansas State changed their nickname in the offseason, going from Indians to Red Wolves. But they return just thirteen starters, led by quarterback Corey Leonard and running back Reggie Arnold, both of whom were All-Sun Belt selections last season. Unfortunately for the Red Wolves they have to replace all four starters in a secondary that helped ASU finish 19^th in pass defense last season. Middle Tennessee is also light in the returning starters category, but at least they return RB Desmond Gee, who is one of the Sun Belt’s more versatile players. The defense, however, needs to improve against the run given their ranking of 102^nd in run defense last season.

North Texas will look to make some strides in the second season under Todd Dodge. Giovanni Vizza may be the incumbent at quarterback, but the head coach’s son Riley could be the best fit for the system. Sixteen starters return, including eight on an offense that ranked 47^th nationally last season. However, a defensive unit that returns six starters must play better than they did in 2007, ranking 113^th in total defense and giving up at least thirty points ten times (and more than sixty three times). Florida International is also looking to improve in their second season under Mario Cristobal, but the best news may be the new on-campus stadium that opens with South Florida visiting on September 20^th. The Panthers were atrocious on both sides of the football last season, ranking 118^th in total offense and 105^th in total defense. There really isn’t anywhere to go but up for FIU.

Players of the Year: QB Rusty Smith (Florida Atlantic) and LB Frantz Joseph (Florida Atlantic)

Coach of the Year: Howard Schnellenberger (Florida Atlantic)

Newcomers of the Year: QB Riley Dodge (North Texas) and CB Nate Brown (Louisiana-Monroe)

Three Best Non-Conference Games

1. Florida Atlantic @ Texas (August 30^th): The Owls get their first major test of the season in the opener. They probably won’t win in Austin, but they can make the Longhorns sweat for a bit.

2. Troy @ Ohio State (September 20^th): This game follows Ohio State’s trip to USC, so one of two things can happen. Either the Buckeyes will be in a really bad mood, or they’ll all show up with smiles on their faces. Either way, the Trojans are in trouble.

3. Maryland @ Middle Tennessee (September 6^th): This could very well be the Sun Belt’s best chance to notch a win against a BCS opponent.

Conference Game of the Year

Troy @ Florida Atlantic (October 7^th): Last year’s regular season finale saw the Owls win at Troy to clinch the Sun Belt title. The Trojans will look to return the favor in early October in a game that will go a long way in deciding who heads to the New Orleans Bowl.

How they’ll finish

1. Florida Atlantic

2. Troy

3. Louisiana-Monroe

4. Louisiana-Lafayette

5. Arkansas State

6. Middle Tennessee

7. North Texas

8. Florida International

Rise & Fall: Mid-Major Conference Review

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:34:35 -0400

In recent weeks, the Rise & Fall series has chronicled the progress (or regress) of college basketball's major conference teams. But if I equated each team to a civilization, I was mistaken. It is really the NCAA conference that equates to a burgeoning civilization or nation, each with its sometimes stable and sometimes rotating member states. Like civilizations, the prestige and power of conferences wax and wane..

Today, I'll start with the status of the mid-major conferences before moving up to the big boys. (See the Rise & Fall: Data article to see how the league groupings were made).

MID-MAJORS

BIG WEST - DECLINING (VERY SLOWLY)

The BW rides the fence between the "mid-major" and "low-major" categories. It hasn't finished in the top-half of the RPI in at least the last dozen years, but yet it tends to avoid any major embarrassments. Following the departure of Utah State in 2005, the league RPI plummeted to a low of 23rd but has since rebounded. However, this has been due to a bit of smoke and mirrors, as the BW's non-conference schedule is one of the worst out there. In 2007 for example, the BW managed to play an easier schedule than the independents (a rare accomplishment) and last season's was only marginally better. Its highly possible that just on BW team will finish in the Top 100 RPI this time around.

COLONIAL - STATUS QUO

While things have returned to normal following the banner 2006 year (two tourney teams including the George Mason run), that success was really just an aberration. The CAA usually finishes around 13-14th in the RPI, and its teams manage to win about 50% of their non-league games. While VCU has a chance to be one of the year's big mid-major success stories, the CAA should hover around its norm.

HORIZON - RISING (SLOWLY)

The last two years have been as good as it gets in the Horizon. Led by Butler's amazing success, league teams not only played challenging schedules, but they actually won a fair share of games against top teams.. leading to Top 10 non-conference RPI's each year. Cleveland State beat an ACC & Big East team, while Wright State & Valpo each knocked off multiple Top-100 non-con opponents. Butler will inevitably fall back this year following the big senior losses, but there's enough positive momentum in place to prevent a relapse to the low of 2005 (19th RPI and only one team over 16 wins).

MAC - STATUS QUO

If I hadn't looked the numbers, I probably would have guessed the MAC is in a slight decline. It just seems like the member teams aren't as relevant on the national scene as they once were. But last year's numbers were in line with the usual MAC season (RPI of 12 compared to a 12.7 average over the last decade). Kent State's Top 25 ranking in the computers was the best by a MAC team since the banner year of 1999 when both Miami and Kent made the big dance. If the league finishes 14th or worse (for the 4th time in 6 years), it would constitute a decline, but for now it hangs on the "status quo" edge.

MAAC - STATUS QUO

The MAAC tends to do better than its low profile suggests.. its also one of the most volatile leagues. Its best seasons are akin to or better than the Big West and Sun Belt, but its worst seasons are low-major quality (for example, a non-conference RPI of 25 in 2007). Thus while Siena is coming off a nice season (66th overall) thanks in large part to the huge Stanford win and Rider was solid thanks to Jason Thompson, its hard to know what to expect in 2009. In general, league form has remained the same for quite some time.. hence the "status quo."

SUN BELT - DECLINING (VERY SLOWLY)

From 2007 to 2008, the Sun Belt made serious strides coming off one of its worst ever seasons. The league's non-conference winning % jumped from .386 to .480. Before last year's mini-renaissance I would have said the league was in a bit of a decline. 2006 & 2007 weren't nearly as good as 2003-2005. Part of this is due to league membership changes.. low quality teams like Troy and Louisiana-Monroe joining in, while New Mexico State moved out. As WKU and USA lose top talent in the off-season, I expect the RPI to return to the 18 to 20 range this year which would constitute the continuance of a very slight decline.

WCC - STATUS QUO

While Gonzaga raises the profile of the West Coast Conference, its really just a middling league. In fact, its fallen between 12th and 15th in the RPI in 8 of the last 10 years. But I give the WCC credit for always playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Its been one of the two hardest in the country each of the last three years. This means that most seasons, the WCC's non-conference RPI (which is probably a better indicator of league power) is usually a little better than its overall RPI. Despite the glory of three tournament teams last season, the numbers suggest the WCC wasn't any better than usual.. the bad teams were just so bad that they made the good teams look good.

- Note that league power isn't quite as fluid as team power, so seemingly small baby steps end up counting more..

- Up Next: Mid-Majors

BCS

ACC

Big 12

Big East

Big Ten

Pac-10

SEC

High-Major

Atlantic 10

Conference USA

MVC

MWC

WAC

Mid-Major

Big West

Colonial

Horizon

MAC

MAAC

Southern

Sun Belt

WCC

2008 CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major All-Americans

CHN — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:12:32 -0400

CollegeHoops.net Mid-Major Player of the Year: Stephen Curry (Davidson)

CollegeHoops.net First Team Mid-Major All-American
G: Stephen Curry (Davidson)
G: Mike Green (Butler)
G: Courtney Lee (WKU)
F AZ Reid (High Point)
F: Jason Thompson (Rider)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team Mid-Major All-American
G: Lester Hudson (UT- Martin)
G: Patty Mills (Saint Mary’s)
G: George Hill (IUPUI)
F: Reggie Williams (VMI)
F: Gyno Pomare (San Diego)

CollegeHoops.net Third Team Mid-Major All-American
G: Al Fisher (Kent State)
G: Bo McCalebb (New Orleans)
F: Charron Fisher (Niagara)
F: Kyle Hines (UNCG)
F: Ryan Wittman (Cornell)

CollegeHoops.net FourthTeam Mid-Major All-American
G: Alex Harris (UCSB)
G: AJ Graves (Butler)
G: Demetric Bennett (South Alabama)
F: Tim Pollitz (Miami)
F: Thomas Sanders (Gardner Webb)

Mid-Major Honorable Mention:
Josh Alexander (Stephen F Austin), Marqus Blakely (Vermont), John Bryant (Santa Clara), J’Nathan Bullock (Cleveland State), Scott Cutley (Fullerton), Jeremiah Dominguez (Portland State), Justin Hare (Belmont), Brandon Johnson (San Diego), Dior Lowhorn (San Francisco), Jason Richards (Davidson), Jonathan Rodriguez (Campbell), Greg Sprink (Navy)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up tomorrow are our All-Rookie teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

Welser Wonders: WAC Struggles & Sun Belt Battle

Joel Welser — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:53:26 -0500

How can you not feel bad for Brody Angley? And it has nothing to do with the hair. The poor guy is in the 1,000 point club and has been a superb leader for Santa Clara for four years, but he might now be mostly remembered for losing the game against Gonzaga this week. Angley was a little over aggressive at the end of regulation and fouled a Bulldog with virtually no time left on the clock. It was a dumb play, but it was an aggressive foul, and it is hard to blame anybody for hustling. But that led the game to overtime where the Broncos lost. The status of UNC’s Ty Lawson dominates what “Welser Wonders…”

…when Ty Lawson will return?

North Carolina is a different team without their point guard. Usually the Tar Heels could survive thanks to quality depth provided by Bobby Frasor. However, Frasor is done for the year. That leaves Quentin Thomas. Thomas has some of that senior leadership in his favor, but he has never been expected to contribute a large amount of minutes.

This goes beyond the Duke game last night. UNC has had an excuse to lose that one and it’s not like it goes down as a bad loss anyway. Yet, if Lawson is out for a larger period of time, it could put a big damper on the Tar Heels record and seeding come March.

…when the WAC will get better?

If you haven’t noticed, the

Western Athletic Conference still exists. It’s just nobody is paying attention. And that is for a good reason. As a whole, the conference is horrible compared to what we have become used to seeing. Being sandwiched between the Metro Atlantic and Big West on the conference RPI rankings is not a good place to be unless you’re the SWAC. The conference is a one-bid league this year and that is a very odd thing to say in early February. Even if Utah State, Boise State or Nevada win out the rest of the year, it will be very unlikely that they will earn an at-large bid.

Those are the only three teams in the league with a winning record. Louisiana Tech is one of the ten worst teams in the nation, being surprised by such powerhouses like Longwood, Presbyterian and The Citadel according to the RPI numbers. The WAC still has an opportunity to save face this season by winning some of the BracketBusters games, but even most are those are pretty bad match-ups that won’t do much for public perception.

…why the race for the Sun Belt title has gone so widely unnoticed?

Maybe it is the lack of television exposure…most of us would need one heck of a dish to pick up WKYU PBS in Bowling Green, Kentucky. But South Alabama and Western Kentucky are both having great years. The Jaguars (that’s USA (that’s University of South Alabama)) are 18-4 overall. They’ve beaten teams like San Diego and Mississippi State and their four losses are at Mississippi, at Vanderbilt, at North Texas and to Miami (OH) on a neutral floor. Besides the UNT loss, who represented the conference in the NCAA Tournament last year, those are all understandable defeats.

Western Kentucky lacks the quality win to get an at-large bid, but they still have beaten everybody they should beat and are 18-5 overall. South Alabama won the first battle between the two

Sun Belt East leaders, but WKU will look for revenge on their home floor on February 21^st. Yet, it will be the third meeting between the two teams in March that will be the most important.

This is a rivalry that has been very interesting to watch over the last few years. Western Kentucky has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2003 when they nearly knocked off Illinois in the first round, but they have continued to be the team to beat in the conference. South Alabama is trying to become the cream of the crop after winning at least 20 games the last two years. But the pundits have always found an excuse to keep the expectations of USA up where they belong. A coaching change and some key graduations have made most of us, myself included, write off USA as a one year wonder. This year proves that they are not going anywhere and another trip to the NCAA Tournament will cement their spot as the new team to beat in the Sun Belt for years to come.

…what everyone is worried about?

Skipping all that Bob Knight stuff, we’ll jump right to new Texas Tech coach Pat Knight. It was not long ago when we were all worried about the nepotism of college basketball. Dr. Tom Davis handed the reins to his son Keno and, one of my all-time favorites, Dick Bennett gave way to his son Tony. Drake is only 21-1 at the moment and we all know what the younger Bennett has done at Washington State over the last year and a half.

There is something to be said about the traditional road to big time college basketball coaching…paying your dues, working your way up…but it’s not like Pat Knight doesn’t know a thing or two about hoops. The guy has spent his entire adult life preparing to be a head coach behind a man who knows more than a thing or two about the college game.