South Alabama

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Sun Belt?

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

Sun Belt Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:51:49 -0500

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Conference Rank: 18th

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

2008-09 South Alabama Preview: #79

Joel Welser — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:16:26 -0400

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South Alabama Jaguars

Overall Rank: #79

Conference Rank: #1 Sun Belt

2007-08: 26-7, 16-2, 1^st East

2007-08 postseason: NCAA

South Alabama lost a couple key players out of the backcourt, but there is one returning who can pick up the slack. Domonic Tilford finally found a home after spending one year at Cincinnati and one at New Mexico Junior College before playing for the Jaguars during the 2007-2008 campaign. The 5-10 guard tallied 12.5 points per game last year and, especially if his shot falls a little more consistency, Tilford can lead this team to big things.

Who’s Out:

Yet, can Tilford replace Demetric Bennett and Daon Merritt’s production? Bennett led the team with 19.5 points per game and was easily the team’s most dangerous and consistent three-point shooter. Bennett’s ability to score from anywhere on the floor will be missed greatly. Merritt was no slouch in the scoring department either, but it was his ballhandling and leadership skills that propelled USA to the NCAA Tournament.

Who’s In:

Tilford could play the point, but the team would be better off if he was at the two guard spot. And whether or not Tilford can spend most of his time at the shooting guard position is up to a couple new point guards. Bryan Sherrer racked up quite a few awards during his two years at Three Rivers Community College in Missouri. The clutch shooter will score when he has to, but he does his best work getting to the basket and finding his teammates or getting fouled. Demarius Jones and the speedy C.J. Garner should be solid enough backups to keep Tilford at the two guard spot most of the time. LaShun Watson could even handle the ball if necessary; however, the 6-5 wing will likely spend most of his time backing up Tilford. Tracy Parks will add even more depth on the perimeter. The need for depth is less of an issue in the paint. Cameron Moore and DeAndre Hersey are both high scoring forwards who can play the three or four and center Charles Tabet is back after redshirting last season.

Who to Watch:

The strength of the Jaguars has quickly shifted into the frontcourt, although that may change once the newcomers get an opportunity to show their stuff. Brandon Davis leads the way after averaging 10.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks last season. Davis is only 6-6, but he works hard around the basket and will get the tough rebounds and the tough baskets. DeAndre Coleman and Ronald Douglas can score around the basket too. Coleman is also a superb rebounder, while Douglas can help in the shot blocking department. They both probably will not start, but that is some quality, quality depth up front. Daniel Hayles did not have a great year after transferring in from Auburn, but he is an athletic small forward who can score around the basket and grab some rebounds.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt has plenty of weapons, but South Alabama has gotten to the NCAA Tournament on strong guard play. Tilford can hold his own, but the newcomers need to step up and put some points on the board. B.J. Ford started 16 games last season, but only averaged 8.6 minutes per contest. Ford is not going to be the guy who picks up any of the scoring slack, but he can provide an important role playing solid defense. In the end, if Sherrer can handle the point guard duties South Alabama will be the best team in the Sun Belt conference. Overall, the conference will not be as strong as it was last year, so reaching the NCAA Tournament via an at-large bid is not likely this time around.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Bryan Sherrer, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Domonic Tilford, Senior, Guard, 12.5 points per game

Daniel Hayles, Senior, Forward, 3.6 points per game

Brandon Davis, Senior, Forward, 10.8 points per game

Ronald Douglas, Senior, Center, 6.5 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

State of '08: Alabama

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:26:28 -0400

What is the top D1 basketball program in each state.. and which program is the worst? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a state by state ranking based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Alabama.. the first of the individual state articles. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

Reader Poll: What is the Best Program in Alabama?

ALABAMA

Alabama - The Crimson are coming off a down season with an RPI of 114. But that still topped SEC rival Auburn, and for most of the past decade Alabama has been a Top 50 team.. even breaking into the Top 20 at times. From 2002 to 2006, Bama made the NCAA Tournament five-straight times and could very well be back there again in 2009.

UAB - During the same period that Bama was consistently making the Tourney, UAB was also in the midst of a nice run.. dancing for three straight seasons from 2003 to 2006. Mike Davis is finally getting things back on track following the departure of Mike Anderson. After an NIT bid last year, another NCAA Tournament trip is definitely possible now that Robert Vaden returns for another go-around.

South Alabama - Ronnie Arrow picked up where John Pelphrey left off, and the Jaguars made the postseason for the third straight season. While this year's group won't be able to match last year's 24 wins or Top 40 RPI, they should once again be in the running for a Sun Belt Conference title.

Auburn - The last five seasons have been pretty brutal for Auburn fans, as the Tigers have basically been a mediocre .500 team in that time. There's no reason to expect they'll break out of that trend, and another sub-100 RPI should be expected.

Samford - While not a powerhouse by any means, Samford has had decent success under veteran coach Jimmy Tillette. In '99 & '00, Samford made back to back NCAA Tournaments.. though the wins have slowed down of late. 2006 was Samford's last quality run with 18 wins and an RPI of 107.

6. Alabama State - The Hornets actually won the SWAC regular season title with a 15-3 record last season, but MVSU won the Tournament bid. The Hornets made the Big Dance in 2001 & 2004, but hadn't had much to cheer about in the meantime.

7. Troy - While the Trojans occasionally make some noise on the football field, there's nothing to get excited about on the hardwood. The usual season recently is basically 11-12 wins and an RPI of 240.

8. Alabama A&M - While not quite as bad as Jacksonville State, A&M has run into some lean years since making the Big Dance in 2005. Even that season, they started 1-8 against D1 teams and didn't beat anyone ranked better than 240th all season.

9. Jacksonville State - With the exception of a decent 15 win season in 2006, JSU has been awful recently. Last year, they were 3rd worst in the country in RPI, with provisionals North Florida and NJIT finishing at the bottom.

State of '08: The 7 Two-Program States

State of '08: The Introduction

State of '08 Poll: What is the Best Program in Alabama?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:58:36 -0400

Let the Madness Begin: Some Love for the Committee & Other Thoughts

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:18:46 -0400

Let the Madness begin! With the dance cards officially punched, the best three weeks in sports are set to begin. Among the participants:

- Georgia, who battled fatigue and tornados, not to mention four SEC opponents, to claim the Sec Tournament crown. The 17-16 Bulldogs completed their surprising run, which included two buzzer-beaters, by knocking off Arkansas on Sunday, in front of a small crowd on Georgia Tech’s campus. With fans, media and tournament officials all scrambling after the severe weather in Atlanta on Friday night, somehow the Bulldogs kept their poise and earned a date with Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tourney.

- USC and Kansas State, in a 6-11 match-up figures to be one of the better ones, as two young teams follow their freshman leaders. OJ Mayo and Michael Beasley both figure to be wearing NBA uniforms at this time next year, so advancing to the tournament gives college basketball fans at least one more weekend to enjoy these phenomenal talents.

- South Alabama, who earned at-large bid from the Sun Belt. The Jaguars, who own wins over Mississippi State and San Diego, and two over conference foe Western Kentucky, earned a 10 seed, marking the first time in 14 years the Sun Belt has sent two teams to the Dance.

- Arizona, who despite a mediocre 19-14 record, sneaks into the tourney as a 10 seed in the West. The Wildcats, who battle injuries to guard Nic Wise and Jerryd Bayless as well as the Lute Olson distraction all year, apparently did enough to sway the committee. With the team back at full strength, and with Olson set to return next year, the Wildcats have a great chance to pull off the upset against West Virginia in the first round.

- Hats off to the selection committee – easily one of the toughest jobs in sports. To anyone who thinks they could be a part of it, sit down and draw up your own brackets, complete with the 31 conference winners and 34 at-large teams. Keep in mind the travel conditions, conference affiliations, team schedules (possible rematches, etc) and injury situations. Also, be sure to at least glance at the RPI, the polls, conference standings, tie-breakers, non-conference schedule and injuries for each of the teams. Now, after you spend all that time, add in a surprise conference winner (i.e. Georgia) at the last moment. Finally, be prepared to be ripped and criticized by anyone and everyone with an opinion. Not quite so easy is it? This isn’t to say they don’t make mistakes, but all in all, they get it right more often than not.

- As a final note to all the coaches and fans pushing for an expanded tournament, such as 128 games…give me a break. If your team hasn’t done enough after 30-35 games to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they’re among the best 34 teams in the country, they probably don’t deserve to be there. We can argue RPI and non-conference schedules all day long, but the bottom line is that teams have all season to prove themselves. Expanding the field to 128 would mean nearly every one of the 73 BCS-conference teams would make the tournament, as well as fifth and sixth-place teams in smaller leagues…providing for such ground-breaking first round match-ups as Oregon State-Duquesne. The bottom line is that each year, 4-6 teams will feel that they deserved a berth, and they may be right, But to advocate adding another 63 teams to accommodate these bubble teams is just plain ridiculous. The tournament as it is now places enough importance on the regular season to make it relevant, but also allows for enough leniency to mean a loss here or there won’t kill you. I’ll argue all day that the system works the way it is, and doesn’t need to change. Let the Madness begin!

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: South Alabama

Joel Welser — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:54:04 -0400

South Alabama Jaguars

Sun Belt Conference (26-6, 16-2)

Seed: #10

East Region

RPI: 37

Big Wins: 12/15 Mississippi State (71-67), 1/5 Western Kentucky (65-61), 2/21 at Western Kentucky (69-64)

Bad Losses: 11/22 vs Miami Ohio (59-64), 1/31 at North Texas (68-70), 2/14 at Middle Tennessee State (70-76)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, First Round loss to Florida

Coach: Ronnie Arrow (1-2 in 2 NCAA appearances)

Probable Starters:

Daon Merritt, Senior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 5.6 apg

Domonic Tilford, Junior, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 2.1 apg

Demetric Bennett, Senior, Guard, 20.1 ppg, 2.6 apg, 5.9 rpg

Brandon Davis, Junior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg

DeAndre Coleman, Junior, Forward, 7.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

B.J. Ford, Junior, Forward, 2.1 ppg

Daniel Hayles, Junior, Forward, 3.4ppg, 2.2 rpg

Ronald Douglas, Junior, Center, 6.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 bpg

Why They Can Surprise:

In college basketball, three-point shooting is the great equalizer when you are outmatched physically and South Alabama has a few dangerous long range shooters. And none are more dangerous than senior Demetric Bennett. Bennett hits over 41 percent of his shots from downtown and will hit nearly three a game. It is a bad game for Bennett when he fails to reach the 20 point mark and he can explode on any night, just like when he scored 39 points against Mississippi State in December.

Domonic Tilford is nearly as prolific as Bennett from beyond the arc. The former Cincinnati Bearcat will not look to shoot as much as Bennett, but he still averages 12.7 points per game. Daon Merritt adds another scoring threat from the perimeter. The 5-8 point guard will use his speed to be a surprisingly effective scorer getting to the basket.

Why They Can Disappoint:

South Alabama will not be the biggest team playing in the postseason. Tilford and Merritt are both under 6-0 and their shot blocker, Brandon Davis, is only 6-6. Davis is an effective scorer around the basket, and a superb rebounder, but scoring and rebounding will become much more difficult when he is matched up against an athletic big man. DeAndre Coleman, at 6-7, mans the five spot. Another former Bearcat, Coleman is a monster on the glass and a decent scorer who can step out and hit the mid-range jumper. At 233 pounds, Coleman has enough girth to battle with taller centers, but South Alabama’s impressive rebounding skills might be neutralized against teams outside of the Sun Belt.

Who To Watch:

Coach Ronnie Arrow does not have an extremely deep bench to work with, but the group does not lack in experience. B.J. Ford played at Eastern Michigan before heading to Mobile. The 6-0 junior is listed as a forward and has started over half the games this season. He will not fill up the stat sheet, but he plays solid defense and has plenty of versatility. Daniel Hayles has had a couple decent games this year, but again, he will not have a lot of big games. Center Ronald Douglas might be the most important player coming off the bench. He must keep up the scoring and rebounding production when Davis or Coleman run into foul trouble or need a rest.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 75.5 (59^th in nation, 4^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.9 (85, 3)

Field-Goal Percentage: 47.5 (29, 1)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.7 (78, 2)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.7 (161, 6)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.5 (110, 5)

Free-Throw Percentage: 71.2 (105, 7)

Rebound Margin: 6.4 (14, 1)

Assists Per Game: 15.7 (43, 1)

Turnovers Per Game: 13.9 (130, 4)

Joel’s Bracket Says: First Round loss to Butler

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Team of the Day: South Alabama

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:40:14 -0500

South Alabama 22-5 (14-2 Sun Belt) Computer numbers: 37 RPI, 131 SOS While Thursday is a night when many train their eyes to the Pac-10, Ronnie Arrow's Jaguars picked up a huge road win that could go a long way in determining their fate come March. In the 69-64 win at Western Kentucky, USA completed a season sweep of the Hilltoppers and put themselves in the driver's seat in the Sun Belt's East Division. Despite eighteen turnovers, the Jaguars held WKU to 33.8% shooting from the field and took ten more foul shots (23-31 to WKU's 13-21) in the victory. Can the Sun Belt get two bids? It's definitely a possibility, and tonight's win should help USA if they need a boost in the room come selection time. On the clock: Davidson. The Wildcats, winners of sixteen straight (they haven't lost in 2008), head to Winthrop for the TV opening of O'Reilly BracketBusters weekend in a game that will really help the winner's tournament resume.

Games of the Night: South Alabama at Western Kentucky

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:48:06 -0500

Games of the Night

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

South Alabama (21-5) at Western Kentucky (21-5)

8:00 PM ESPN

The top two teams in the Sun Belt meet up with first place on the line. WKU has a 13-1 league record, while USA is 13-2. Both of these teams are in the running for an at-large bid, but the Jaguars have the edge in RPI and overall resume. Ideally, if you're a Sun Belt fan and want two teams to make it.. you'd need USA to win this game, and win out until the conference tournament.. where they lose to WKU in the finals. This would probably give them enough strength to make it as an at-large team.

Prediction: Western Kentucky

UMASS (16-9) at Rhode Island (20-6)

7:00 PM ESPN

A rare quality non-BCS matchup that is televised, this A10 clash features two teams vying for NCAA Tournament position. A week ago, URI looked like they would cruise into the Big Dance, but back to back losses dropped them 6-5 in league play with an RPI of 31. Two weeks ago these teams met back in UMASS and the Rams almost pulled out a victory, despite Will Daniels not being 100%. URI has a very favorable schedule the rest of the way, and a win tonight will be the start of a big finish.

Prediction: Rhode Island

Oregon (15-10) at USC (15-9)

11:00 PM FSN

Today's third game also doesn't include a ranked team.. but simply two teams focused on the NCAA Tournament. Oregon is firmly on the edge of the bubble.. the last team in the field as of now according to some. But the dreaded trip to LA to face USC and UCLA will not help the cause. A loss in both of these upcoming games would drop them to 6-9 in Pac-10 play, which won't get it done. Thus tonight's game is pretty huge for the Ducks.. and I expect them to give a very good effort. Still, USC is the pick.. but I like Oregon against a 5.5 point spread.

Prediction: USC

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 67-38)

February 20th - UNC at NC State (3-0)

February 19th - Purdue at Indiana (2-1)

February 18th - Texas A&M at Texas (2-1)

February 16th - Stanford at Arizona (1-2)

February 14th - Wisconsin at Indiana (2-1)

February 12th - Michigan State at Purdue (2-1)

February 11th - Kansas at Texas (2-1)

February 10th - Indiana at Ohio State (2-1)

February 9th - Georgetown at Louisville (2-1)

February 7th - UCLA at Washington State (2-1)

February 6th - Duke at North Carolina (1-2)

February 5th - Florida at Tennessee (2-1)

February 4th - Gonzaga at SMC (1-2)

January 30th - Indiana at Wisconsin (1-2)

January 29th - VCU at George Mason (2-1)

January 28th - Louisville at UCONN (1-2)

January 27th - Duke at Maryland (2-1)

January 26th - Georgetown at West Virginia (3-0)

January 24rd - Dayton at Xavier (2-1)

January 22nd - Akron at Kent State (2-1)

January 21st - Drake at Creighton (1-2)

January 20th - Texas at Oklahoma State (3-0)

January 19th - Marquette at UCONN (2-1)

January 18th - Illinois State at Drake (2-1)

January 17th - Vanderbilt at Tennessee (2-1)

January 14th - Georgetown at Pittsburgh (2-1)

January 12th - Stanford at Oregon (3-0)

January 9th - Rhode Island at Dayton (2-1)

January 8th - Florida at Alabama (2-1)

January 7th - Robert Morris at Boston College (1-2)

January 6th - North Carolina at Clemson (2-1)

January 5th - Western Kentucky at South Alabama (3-0)

January 4th - American at Brown (0-3)

January 3rd - UCLA at Stanford (3-0)

January 2nd - Houston at UMASS (2-1)

Daily Bracketology: Wednesday's Update

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 02:56:57 -0500

Another day, another Field of 65. As you should know by now, I'm projecting the NCAA Tournament field on a daily basis for the rest of the year (except no Saturday's since there's little action Friday). This is a field based on how the tourney looks "as of this moment." For one-bid leagues, I simply include the conference leader at the time of publishing. In case of ties, I use my projected winner.

Arrows indicate a team that moved up or down based on last night's performance. (Just because a team won or lost doesn't necessarily mean they'll move substantially.)

Note on Wednesday's Movement: Indiana's big win over Purdue bumps the Hoosiers back up to a 4 seed for the first time in awhile. Purdue drops down to a 4, allowing conference rival Wisconsin to move back up to a 3 (not a bad jump for doing nothing). Indiana's move to a 4 was made easy due to Drake's loss to Bradley. Drake is now in the middle of the 5's. Despite a loss to a weak FSU squad, Clemson barely falls, simply switching spots with Arizona. Oklahoma however, moves up to an 8 for the first time after another close win.. while their opponent Baylor falls back firmly in the 10 pod. OU's gain also knocked USC back to a 9. Also in today's update, South Alabama moves up a bit just due to the updated RPI.

ONE

TWO

THREE

Xavier*

UCONN

Butler*

Wisconsin

FOUR

Stanford

Purdue*

Louisville

Indiana

FIVE

Kansas State

Drake*

Michigan State

Notre Dame

SIX

Washington State

Saint Mary's

Marquette

Pittsburgh

SEVEN

Vanderbilt

Arizona

Clemson

Gonzaga*

EIGHT

Texas A&M

BYU*

Arkansas

Oklahoma

NINE

USC

Rhode Island

Mississippi State

West Virginia

TEN

UNLV

Baylor

South Alabama

Ohio State

ELEVEN

Maryland

Oregon

Arizona State

Syracuse

TWELVE

Kent State*

Saint Joseph's

Florida

Western Kentucky*

THIRTEEN

Davidson*

VCU*

Oral Roberts*

Boise State*

FOURTEEN

CS Northridge*

UNC-Asheville*

Rider*

Cornell*

FIFTEEN

UMBC*

Belmont*

American*

Lamar*

SIXTEEN + ONE

Robert Morris*

Austin Peay*

Portland State*

Morgan State* /Alabama State*

* = Conference champion

League Winners (31)

America East - UMBC

A-10 - Xavier

ACC - Duke

Atlantic Sun - Belmont

Big 12 - Kansas

Big East - Georgetown

Big Sky - Portland State

Big South - UNC-Asheville

Big Ten - Purdue

Big West - CS Northridge

CAA - VCU

Conference USA - Memphis

Horizon - Butler

Ivy - Cornell

MAAC - Rider

MAC - Kent State

MEAC - Morgan State

MVC - Drake

MWC - BYU

Northeast - Robert Morris

Ohio Valley - Austin Peay

Pac-10 - UCLA

Patriot - American

SEC - Tennessee

Southern - Davidson

Southland - Lamar

SWAC - Alabama State

Summit - Oral Roberts

Sun Belt - Western Kentucky*

WAC - Boise State

WCC - Gonzaga

Last In: Arizona State, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's, Florida

Last Out: Dayton, UMASS, Houston, Wake Forest

- Check out yesterday's Daily Bracketology to compare the subtle changes.