SB Nation - Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

KNOW THY ENEMY: Missouri Tigers

BracketCat — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:00:17 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Like Justin Safford, Missouri's tournament hopes have taken a few shots. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

OK, it's time to get these started again. Admittedly, I faltered a bit due to work, but things are back under control for now. These will proceed largely as before, but with a few exceptions:

Instead of reformatting the player bios like I did before, which was majorly time-consuming and part of the reason these fell by the wayside for so long, I'm merely going to link to the appropriate page. I will add player stats to the tables, however.
Originally, these were season previews. Obviously, much of the non-conference season already has been played, so now they're more like conference season previews. Also, what I've seen of these teams has changed my predictions for the conference's outcome, so I reserve the right to alter my predicted orders of finish from what they previously were.
Instead of twice a week, these are running every day from now until New Year's Eve. Call it the Big 12 Days of Christmas Basketball, if you like.

So, hit the jump for the rundown on the defending conference tournament champion, Missouri. And for more, head over to the Unholy Alliance Auxiliary Headquarters (pending Big Ten absorption): Rock M Nation.

The Story So Far

The Tigers are 7-3, with dominating home victories over Tennessee-Martin, Texas-Pan American, Chattanooga, Oregon, Fairleigh Dickinson and Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

They also collected a nice neutral-court win against Old Dominion, who just knocked off Georgetown.

But close losses to Richmond, at Vanderbilt and at Oral Roberts probably will come back to haunt the Tigers in much the same way as K-State's three-game, non-conference losing streak last December hindered the Wildcats.

Current Missouri RPI: 179

The Coach

Mike Anderson
Fourth Season

72-38 (25-23) at Missouri (as of today)
161-79 (67-43) overall

Bio

The Departures

Starters

DeMarre Carroll (28 minutes per game | 16.6 points per game | 7.2 rebounds per game)
Matt Lawrence (20.8 minutes per game | 9.2 points per game | 2.2 rebounds per game)
Leo Lyons (23.3 minutes per game | 14.6 points per game | 6.1 rebounds per game)

The Veterans

		#3 Miguel Paul Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 172 Winter Haven, Fla. Bio 14 minutes per game \| 4.2 points per game \| 0.9 rebound per game

		#4 J.T. Tiller Senior Guard 6-3 \| 200 Marietta, Ga. Bio 23.3 minutes per game \| 9.6 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#11 Zaire Taylor Senior Guard 6-4 \| 189 Staten Island, N.Y. Bio 27.8 minutes per game \| 9 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#12 Marcus Denmon Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 20.1 minutes per game \| 10.5 points per game \| 3.9 rebounds per game

		#15 Keith Ramsey Senior Forward 6-9 \| 217 Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bio 25.4 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#21 Laurence Bowers Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 205 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 19.8 minutes per game \| 10.2 points per game \| 5.6 rebounds per game

		#23 Justin Safford Junior Forward 6-8 \| 230 Bloomington, Ill. Bio 18.4 minutes per game \| 7.6 points per game \| 3.8 rebounds per game

		#24 Kim English Sophomore Guard 6-6 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 22.1 minutes per game \| 16.1 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#25 Jarrett Sutton Junior Guard 6-3 \| 190 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 4 minutes per game \| 1.8 points per game \| 0.2 rebound per game

		#32 Steve Moore Sophomore Center 6-9 \| 264 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 11 minutes per game \| 1.6 points per game \| 1.4 rebounds per game

The Newcomers

		#10 Michael Dixon Jr. Freshman Guard 6-1 \| 175 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 18.1 minutes per game \| 8.2 points per game \| 1.6 rebounds per game

		#33 Tyler Stone Freshman Forward 6-7 \| 225 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 4.3 minutes per game \| 1.7 points per game \| 1.2 rebounds per game

		#35 John Underwood Freshman Forward 6-9 \| 208 Phoenix, Ariz. Bio 5.3 minutes per game \| 1.3 points per game \| 2.8 rebounds per game

My thanks to the Missouri sports information department for the photos.

The Analysis

Missouri is, of course, a tricky team to nail down because of the style they play. Mike Anderson likes to throw waves of guards at you off the bench in a constant, full-pressure style they call "The Fastest 40 Minutes," which is what they had to change the name to when it became apparent UAB owned the rights to "40 Minutes of Hell."

Thus, no Missouri player averages more than 30 minutes per game and so far, eight different players have started for the Tigers. So, rather than talk in terms of 1-5, I'll break down the guards and the forwards as two large groups.

The three most prominent and experienced players in the Missouri backcourt are returning starters J.T. Tiller, Zaire Taylor and Kim English. Not coincidentally, they're logging the most minutes.

Tiller has been bothered by injuries and missed three games, which I imagine has contributed to the Tigers' struggles this season. Taylor, who made the game-winning shot against KU last year, has seen his scoring average dip now that more guards are contributing. But English has continued his steady play from last season and even picked his game up a bit.

Miguel Paul and Marcus Denmon both played quite a bit last year as freshmen, so they're quick off the bench in the rotation and each has started several games. But the biggest surprise of the guard group is Michael Dixon Jr., who is having more of an impact than I anticipated.

Jarrett Sutton is a career backup and doesn't play very much.

If this group has a weakness, it's that there doesn't appear to be a true replacement from sharpshooter Matt Lawrence, meaning that I'm not sure they have a guy who can knock down a contested 3-pointer. when they most need it.

That said, Missouri's problems start and end in the frontcourt. The loss of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons cannot be overstated. Together with Lawrence, the departed trio accounted for more than 50 percent of the Tigers' points and rebounds during Missouri's Elite Eight season. And to date, no one has stepped up to replace them.

Hopes were high for sophomore Laurence Bowers, but he only has started three games. He is averaging more than 10 points per game, but seems to disappear when they need him most. More disconcerting is that he only averages five rebounds per. In fact, Missouri as a whole has been out-rebounded by all but one opponent. The Tigers don't really try to dominate the boards, and I think it's really going to cost them in Big 12 play.

Keith Ramsey and Justin Safford draw the most starts in the paint, but each is collecting even fewer statistics than Bowers. Sophomore center Steve Moore, and freshmen forwards Tyler Stone and John Underwood, are giving the Tigers even less. This is a serious weakness area that will be exposed against teams such as Kansas and Texas.

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup


J.T. Tiller	Zaire Taylor	Kim English	Keith Ramsey	Justin Safford
1	2	3	4	5

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves


Miguel Paul	Michael Dixon Jr.	Marcus Denmon	Laurence Bowers	Steve Moore
1	2	3	4	5

The Final Verdict

I've already stated Missouri's problems above, so I won't rehash them here.

Suffice it to say that the Tigers already have several ugly losses on their resume. At home, they've been nearly unbeatable for the past year and a half, but I think their deficiencies will catch up to them.

Sure, they're probably the third- or fourth-best team in the North, but when every South team looks to have a chance to make the tournament, that equates to a basement finish. Missouri reminds me of K-State last season: One more recruiting class and a few post players away from being an NCAA team. In the meantime, I smell NIT.

Big 12 preseason prediction: 7th

My predicted finish: T-9th (with Iowa State)

Best-case scenario: 7th

Against K-State?: Loss in Manhattan, toss-up in Columbia

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Wednesday (12/16/09) Edition

WVUIE97 — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:39:15 -0000

Welcome, By-Godders, to the Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU's best place for sports links, information and some fun distractions. Today we're being brought to you by Victoria Bitter Gold in honor of today's Miss Throwdown.

The big news everywhere seems to be B11 expansion. Almost every article I found of fellow BE football members want their team considered. That does say something about the state of our conference, regardless of your or my personal opinions. Plenty inside about that. I've also got something special planned for around 1pm today. So make sure to check back then. Tips, suggestions and requests would be greatly appreciated. Here we go...

What You May Have Missed:

Gold and Blue Report for Wednesday - WVMETRONEWS.COM

2009 CFN All-Big East Team & Top 30 Players - Scout.com

Big East better watch out for Big Ten expansion - ESPN

Big Ten to explore possibility of expansion in next 12 to 18 months - ESPN

Expanding to 12 teams could hurt Big Ten in BCS, pocketbook - SI.com

Time is right to explore Big Ten expansion - ESPN

College Football Live Extra: Dec. 15th - ESPN Video
ESPN Video: Should the Big Ten expand?

Momentum seems to be on side of Big Ten expansion -- chicagotribune.com
"Joe Paterno's strong comments at the Big Ten meetings in May were "catalytic," according to a league source. Paterno's criticism that the league "goes into hiding for six weeks" between the regular season and the BCS bowls prompted some to re-examine their views on a league title game."

Mountaineers in the NFL - WVIllustrated.com

What's On Tap:

UCF vs. South Florida - SI.com
Tonight at 7 from the Sun Dome in Tampa on ESPN 360. The Bulls are giving 8.5.

Oral Roberts vs. Louisville - SI.com
Tonight at 7 on ESPN 360 from Freedom Hall. No line given. Can ORU pull the upset for their recently departed patriarch?

Cincinnati Bearcats vs. UAB Blazers - ESPN
Tonight at 7 from Birmingham. Cinci is favored by 1.5. No TV that I can find.

Video of Interest:

Thanks to WVIllustrated.

Video of (Dis)Interest:

An appetizer for later today.

Cool Toy Gallery of the Week:

Hey!!! It's not all T&A around here...sometimes.

via coedmagazine.files.wordpress.com

Miss Throwdown:

Today's Miss Throwdown is a gorgeous Aussie actress. Say G'Day to Nicky Whelan. The link leads to a message board posting. The gallery is at the top if it's slow loading for you.

via img249.imageshack.us

This seems to be her. I say close enough.

Victoria Bitter Gold image via www.jankvollmer.de

RPI WATCH: 12/10/09

BracketCat — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 06:00:16 -0000

WTF, Mizzou?

Other than that clunker, our other opponents performed pretty much as expected Wednesday night — which mostly was positive for us, as evidenced by our eye-popping, single-digit numbers.

Hit the jump to see how they all did.

Current Kansas State Record = 8-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 8

Current Kansas State SOS = 9

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI, Xavier

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30
Western Illinois (4-5, 0-2) | RPI = 307: Win over Culver-Stockton (73-36)
Boston (3-6) | RPI = 156
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18
Dayton (6-2) | RPI = 36
IUPUI (7-3, 2-0) | RPI = 60: Loss at Notre Dame (93-70)
FHSU (7-1): Win over Northwest Missouri State (78-66)
Washington State (7-2) | RPI = 151: Win over Idaho (76-64)
Xavier (5-3) | RPI = 68
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-3) | RPI = 99: Loss at Oral Roberts (60-59)
No. 16 Texas A&M (8-1) | RPI = 21
Colorado (6-3) | RPI = 249
No. 2 Texas (7-0) | RPI = 3
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (8-0) | RPI = 45: Win over Radford (99-64)
Nebraska (5-2) | RPI = 112
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187
Oklahoma (6-3) | RPI = 210: Win over Centenary (86-62)
No. 23 Texas Tech (9-0) | RPI = 18

Official Mizzou News and Notes on Wednesday’s Oral Roberts Matchup

Evan Pfaff — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:30:15 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Missouri head coach Mike Anderson returns to Tulsa to take on Oral Roberts on Wednesday (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

Mizzou has released the 23-page "Mizzou Basketball News and Notes 2009-10" highlighting the Oral Roberts game on Wednesday.

Some of the interesting tidbits found in the release:

Series: Missouri leads 5-0; last on Nov. 30, 2008, 92-83 win for Mizzou in Columbia, Mo.
Wednesday will be a Homecoming for Anderson and his wife Marcheita ... Marcheita is from a small town just outside of Tulsa and att ended high school in Bixby and of course Coach Anderson played (and coached) collegiately at Tulsa for Nolan Richardson ... In fact Richardson is back in Tulsa coaching the new WNBA team, formerly the Detroit Shock.
Missouri is playing its fi rst non-conference road game against a team from a conference other than the Big Ten, SEC and Pac-10 since traveling to a very good Davidson club (82-73 loss) during the 2005-06 season.
Missouri has enjoyed great success in the state of Oklahoma since Mike Anderson's arrival in Columbia ... The Tigers are 5-2 all-ti me, with a pair of wins at Oklahoma State and of course the 2009 Big 12 Tournament Championship.

Read the entire Release (PDF)

Evan Pfaff
Senior Editor
evan.pfaff@big12hoops.com 
Twitter @MizzouHoops

Poll

Who wins the Missouri-Oral Roberts game?

Mizzou

26 votes

Oral Roberts

5 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

Scouting report: Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

MRickman84 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:30:31 -0000

Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0-0) vs. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (0-0)
8 pm, Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum
ISP Sports Radio Network

Oral Roberts has perennially been a solid mid-major which hasn't quite been able to break through and win an NCAA Tournament game since they made it to the Regional Final against Kansas in 1974. Despite this, they made three consecutive trips to the Big Dance from 2006-2008 (in both the Mid-Con and Summit conferences), before finishing 16-15 a year ago.

If Oral Roberts (the man, not the school) had his way, God would lead the Golden Eagles to victory every game. But since that hasn't happened (yet?), their leader is head coach Scott Sutton. Does that name sound familiar? It should. Sutton's father is legendary coach and drinker Eddie Sutton. But Scott is quickly creating a legacy of his own.

One would look at ORU's record from a year ago and consider it a down year, but the Golden Eagles finished 14-4 in conference and had a murderer's row of a non-conference schedule, playing North Carolina, Missouri, USC, Tulsa and Creighton. In fact, KenPom actually ranked their non-conference schedule at .819, good for toughest in the country.

This year, Oral Roberts obviously would like to make it back to the Tournament, but they lost their top two scorers, G Robert Jarvis (17.2 ppg) and F Marcus Lewis (13.3 ppg, 7.2 rebounds). They return Dominique Morrison and Kevin Ford, who combined for 19 ppg a year ago.

ORU had a pretty poor 1:1.1 A:TO ratio, and was a mediocre shooting team (44% FG, 67% FT, 31% 3PT). Despite these numbers, Sutton's team was a solid 87th in the KenPom ratings and were the 41st most efficient defense.

They are similar to Wake in that only 22% of their points come from 3 pointers and opponents only scored 23% of points from downtown.

Wake Forest should be able to have a ton of mismatches against ORU, as although they have two players at 6-10, Damien Bell ( ) is a freshman and junior Javier Nasar is a transfer from Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. Both will have an adjustment period, and that could be a tough start against Tony Woods, Chas McFarland and David Weaver. Ford, at 6'9" will probably draw Woods, and that should give Tony some ample scoring and blocking opportunities.

In addition, it looks as though Morrison (6'6") will be matching up against Al-Farouq Aminu, who has a definite height advantage.

Wake could get a bit of a challenge in their first game of the season from the Golden Eagles, but the mismatches and the questions surrounding who will step up for Oral Roberts should ultimately lead to a Demon Deacon victory.

Deacon Dump 11/13: A jam-packed Deacon sports weekend

MRickman84 — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:39:09 -0000

Basketball starts tonight and I'll be making the trek down to the Dash to get my fix (plus it gives me the chance to see the seniors one more time). We all know the importance of the FSU game and make sure to check out Tomahawk Nation for our answers to their Q&A. Enjoy the links on your Friday.

Deacs set to tip off season
With last year's two leading scorers, Jeff Teague and James Johnson, now in the NBA, Coach Dino Gaudio said it will take stiff defense and relentless rebounding to keep the Deacons from sinking in the ACC standings. "That has to be our identity -- it really does," Gaudio said yesterday. "And if it is, we have a chance to win every game that we play."

Page 2 — College Basketball Futures - Odds to Win the ACC Championship — BetUS Locker Room
WAKE FOREST (+1500) was rated #1 in the country at one point last season, but dropped quickly, lost to Cleveland State in the NCAA's and watched as James Johnson and Jeff Teague left town. Because they have a nice leftover from last year's freshman class (namely forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Tony Woods) they can hang in there, and should be in the running for one of the conference's NCAA bids.

Today's College Basketball - CharlotteObserver.com
Oral Roberts (0-0) at Wake Forest (0-0) 8 p.m., Joel Coliseum This will be the teams' first meeting. The Golden Eagles return five letter winners, including two starters, from a squad that went 16-15 overall and 14-4 in the Summit League. The Deacons have won 15 straight openers, but only guard L.D. Williams, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and center Chas McFarland return as starters. This might be a test for Wake Forest without James Johnson and Jeff Teague. RB

CFB: The buzz, predictions of upcoming games | HonoluluAdvertiser.com | The Honolulu Advertiser
Florida State (4-5) at Wake Forest (4-6), noon, ESPNU THE BUZZ: Both teams are in desperation mode when it comes to becoming bowl eligible. Wake must win out over Florida State and Duke, while FSU has to win two of three while playing Wake, Maryland and Florida. FSU, which is without QB Christian Ponder, has lost three in a row to the Demon Deacons. THE LINE: Wake by 5. THE PICK: Wake 34-27.

Bowl list could be a bit short for ACC
If the ACC qualifies only seven teams, the No. 9 (Mobile) and No. 8 (D.C.) bowls will come off the list. If Wake Forest and Carolina are the sixth and seventh qualifiers, one might wind up in Charlotte and the other in either San Francisco or Nashville.

Wake Forest aims to avoid losing season - Sports - The News Herald
"As an assistant and a head coach I’ve been doing this about 35 years," Grobe said. "I’ve had two or three games in a season where we played right to the wire and came up short, but not this many times."

Central Catholic’s boys, girls hoop stars sign letters - BostonHerald.com
"Last season, it was tough with all the recruiting going on," said Desrosiers. "At some points I wasn’t 100 percent mentally for the team, thinking about recruiting things. Now, obviously it’s all over and I can just concentrate on this season."

Deacons announce three of their five
Three of Wake Forest's highly regarded five-man recruiting class signed letters of intent yesterday, and the other two are expected to sign today. Travis McKie, Carson Derosiers and J.T. Terrell signed their letters yesterday according to Steve Shutt, Wake Forest's assistant director of athletics for media relations. Although Wake Forest isn't allowed by NCAA rules to comment on a recruit until he has signed, sources familiar with the program expect Tony Chennault and Melvin Tabb to sign today.

My Take on Wake - The Starters Who Will Get it Started | JournalNow.com
Based on what I was hearing from the earliest days of practice, I half-expected Ari Stewart, a 6-7 freshman from Marietta, Ga., to begin his college career in the starting lineup. He’s the athletic wing with the ability to slash to the basket and help on both backboards that most college teams deploy. Gaudio said that the more Stewart progresses, the harder it will be to keep him on the bench. "He’s right on the fringe,‘’ Gaudio said. "We are just really excited about his raw talent. When he starts to figure out defensive positioning—we have a battery of sets and stuff that he’s still trying to get a grip on. When he does that, there’s no question he’ll be playing a lot of minutes for us.‘

My Take on Wake - Live Chat Set For Friday, 1 p.m. | JournalNow.com
This old dog is about to learn a new trick. On Friday (tomorrow) at 1 p.m., I’ll be your host ready to post on a live chat that can be accessed through our home page http://www.journalnow.com. Too bad there’s nothing to chat about pertaining to Wake Forest athletics these days, like the opening of basketball season or Saturday’s football game against Florida State that the Deacons must win to have any chance at a bowl bid. But I’m sure we can come up with something.

Tulsa World: Sports Extra - Blogs - ORU
The 6-foot-5 Craion will probably have to play much larger Friday when he guards Wake Forest's All-American candidate, 6-foot-9 Al-Farouq Aminu. Sutton said Craion and 6-foot-5 Kyron Stokes will probably take swipes at Aminu as the Golden Eagles open the regular season in Winston-Salem, N.C., facing the Demon Deacons of the Atlantic Coast Conference. "He's a great player, and it's a big challenge for whoever defends him," Sutton said.

SCACCHoops.com: Wake Forest Demon Deacons 2009-2010 Season Preview
Despite the departures of Teague and Johnson, Dino Gaudio has an experienced roster. Aminu is the type of player that can win games by himself, and don't be surprised to see a player like LD Williams step up his offensive game. In a season where the ACC is up for grabs, Wake has a chance at an ACC title. But, if the Deacs struggle shooting from the perimeter, they could be left in the middle of the ACC standings and outside of the NCAA tournament.

Life as a Rookie: Jeff Teague - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
"I'm going to get him in there," Woodson said after Teague played less than two minutes in Wednesday's win over the Knicks. "Mo (Evans) was playing pretty well for us, but (Teague is) going to play. Trust me. I'll sit him down tomorrow and explain to him. He kind of knows what's happening." "Coming out of college, you play a lot," Teague said. "Here you have to wait your turn. You have a lot of veteran guys that have been in this league for a long time and they're really good."

Canadian Content

rbala — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:53:12 -0000

There are many game summaries from the last few days, not to mention the team previews, the great look on the talent coming out of Quebec, the PBL Quebec Kebs are holding tryouts and some news on the National Team member Carl English in today's Canadian Content.

Here's a great look from an SB affliate on our Captain Canada. The awesomeness that is Steve Nash - Bright Side Of The Sun

Some headlines from Canada Basketball ...

Canada Basketball | CANADA BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMER TO JOIN CANADA'S SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Canada Basketball | ENGLISH SCORES 12 IN UPSET SPANISH LEAGUE LOSS

Crown Magazine looks at the rising ballers from Quebec. Quebec Producing Major Talent | Crown Magazine

Here's a couple of looks on the U of Alberta exhibition game against Gonzaga last night. There are some great mentions of the Canucks on the Zags squad.

Zags roll past Alberta | Spokesman.com | Nov 2, 2009

Few Likes What He Sees In 94-53 Exhibition Victory - GONZAGA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Here's a look at the exhibition game between UBC and Oral Roberts last night.

Golden Eagles Cruise in Exhibition Opener, 82-57 - ORUGoldenEagles.com - Official Athletic Website of Oral Roberts University

Here are some previews for some CIS schools ...

Thunderbirds Season Preview: Women’s Basketball | Sports

Thunderbirds Season Preview: Men’s Basketball | Sports

Hoops Lancers revamp lineup

Some weekend results ...

T-Birds sweep Spartans in home openers | Sports

Abbotsford News - UFV WEEKEND WRAP: Men's hoopsters sweep WolfPack

And the Quebec Kebs of the PBL are going to be holding open tryouts soon. kebsdequebec.com: News

BtB 2009-10 Summit League Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:03:07 -0000

Much like the other two one bid leagues I've covered so far in this series of season previews, the America East and Patriot League, the Summit League is likely to feature a new champion in 2009-10 thanks to significant losses for the defending champion. Last March, North Dakota State, a team led by a core group of fifth-year seniors who led their team an NCAA berth in their first year of eligibility, caused an outbreak of Bison Fever in the upper Midwest. Now that Summit League MVP Ben Woodside (23.2 ppg, 6.2 apg), first-teamer Brett Winkelman (18.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Mike Nelson (11.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Lucas Moorman (4.5 ppg, 4 rpg) have graduated, Saul Phillips has some holes to plug to make his team a contender again.

In offseason news, the conference's membership, which has settled into a level of stability that's rare for it's history, was the dominant topic. The Summit League will indeed experience some change in the coming seasons. South Dakota will leave the fledgling Great West and join the conference in 2011-12. The Coyotes won't be eligible for the league championship until the next season, however, as that's when their transition into Division I ends. North Dakota had hoped to join the other three Dakota state schools and join the league's as its 12th member, but as I explained in this post, the conference won't look at them until they resolve the controversy surrounding their Fighting Sioux nickname, a topic that won't be resolved until the end of this month.

North Dakota's chances at received a further boost later in the offseason, as there will be an additional opening. Centenary, long the league's hoops doormat and a fringe member geographically, decided to in July to de-emphasize athletics and drop to Division III, effective with the 2011-12 academic year. They'll continue to compete in the conference before they leave D-I.

No matter the membership, the Summit typically a competitive league, and with such a void at the top, it should be a epic tussle for the championship this season. More on each team after the jump.

Here are my picks for the 2009-10 Summit League season, presented in reverse order.

Centenary (last NCAA: None) The Gents begin the first of two lame duck years in the conference with little to play for. They're already banned from the postseason for APR shortcomings. Then, Summit League Defensive Player of the Year decided that he'd had enough and transferred to Pittsburgh. With only one returning starter, 6-8 F Jerrald Bonham (2.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and nowhere to really go, second year head coach Greg Gary has one of the most unenviable jobs in college sports.

Western Illinois (last NCAA: None) The Leathernecks went 9-20 a year ago, while not even averaging 60 points a game. Add in the fact that WIU's two leading scorers from last season, David DuBois and Josh Rivers, graduated, and it could be an ugly year in Macomb. Guards David Nurse (8.4 ppg) and Ceola Clark (7.7 ppg) will have to lead the way offensively, while the frontcourt is rather thin. The one reason to pay attention to the Leathernecks this season is that Emeka Okafor, Jr. may feature more in that frontcourt. No, he's not the former UConn star's son, but he is a cousin.

UMKC (last NCAA: None) The Kangaroos lost two very productive starters, swingman Dane Brumagin (15.3 ppg) and guard Reggie Hamilton (12 ppg), but the three returning starters, G Bakari Lewis (10.8 ppg), F Spencer Johnson (10.7 ppg), and F Latreze Mushatt (9.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are a serviceable group. Coach Matt Brown's group of newcomers could provide a real boost, however. They include Jay Couisnard, a 6-6 F who will be eligible after transferring from Evansville; Max Rockmann, a 6-6 German forward; and 6-7 F/C Kirk Korver, youngest brother of former Creighton star and NBAer, Kyle.

IPFW (last NCAA: None) Dane Fife is only 30, but is entering his fifth season in charge of the Mastodons. His team could be poised for a breakout year, as IPFW returns four starters and the defending Summit League Sixth Man of the Year, Deilvez Yearby (9.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg). If guard Ben Botts (11.3 ppg) can score and Yearby and the 6-10 Trey McCorkle can take care of things inside, the Mastodons could do well during conference play. A non-conference slate featuring Gonzaga, Michigan State, Washington State, and Wisconsin will provide plenty of tests beforehand.

North Dakota State (last NCAA: 2009) Earlier, I talked about everything the Bison lost after last year's championship. 6-7 F Michael Tveidt (9.8 ppg, 44.9% on 3-pointers) is the lone returning starter. Last year's bench players, led by F Dejuan Flowers (3.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and G Josh Vaughan (2.8 ppg, 1.8 rpg), will have to step it up for there to be any chance at a repeat. If you're looking for someone who could replace Ben Woodside, pay attention to freshman G Mike Felt, who was second-team all-Minnesota last year, averaging 30.3 points per game.

Southern Utah (last NCAA: 2001) Head coach Roger Reid brought in a whole bunch of recruits to support all-Summit League selection Davis Baker (17.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg). The newcomers, led by 6-10 Australian Matt Hodgson and 6-11 Canadian Dallin Bachynski, will be expected to fill the void left by the graduation of F Tyler Quinney (13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and C John Clifford (9.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg). Matt Massey, a 6-9 Australian transfer from Nova Southeastern, will also see significant time after sitting out last season.

Oral Roberts (last NCAA: 2008) The Golden Eagles' run atop the Summit League ended at the hands of South Dakota State in the first round of last year's conference tournament. They'll have a hard time getting back, as they lost three starters, including the team's two leading scorers, Robert Jarvis and Marcus Lewis. The frontcourt should in be good shape, thanks to the return of 6-9 Kevin Ford (9.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg) and 6-6 Dominique Morrison (9.6 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and the arrival of JC transfers Michael Craion and Javier Nasarre. In the backcourt, Kyron Stokes (7 ppg) will have to prove he's recovered from ankle surgery and Southeast Missouri transfer Rod Pearson has to show he's ready to take over the offense from the graduated Kelvin Sango.

IUPUI (last NCAA: 2003) The Jaguars have recorded a .500 mark or better in the Summit League for seven straight years. With four starters returning off last year's squad that got better as the year went on, they should make it eight. Robert Glenn (14.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) was the conference's Newcomer of the Year last season, and he'll be a serious contender for Player of the Year honors this season. Frontcourt-mate Alex Young (11.0 ppg) was the only other Jaguar to average in double-figures, but three-point sharpshooter Leroy Nobles (9.9 ppg, 41.7% from 3) and Jon Avery (9.1 ppg) should join the club this season. Billy Pettiford, a 6-7 senior F who averaged a bit more than 5 points and 5 boards a game, could be a factor too, if he performs more consistently.

South Dakota State (last NCAA: None) The Jackrabbits could very well replace their Northern rivals at the top of the league this season, as they can follow a similar formula. SDSU returns all five starters, and four top-10 scorers. 6-1 Garrett Callahan (15.8 ppg) and Clint Sargent (14.1 ppg) will anchor the backcourt. Callahan's brother, Griffan also features on the roster, as he averaged 5.4 points and 3 boards a game last season. Meanwhile, Anthony Cordova (12 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Kai Williams (9.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg) are two players who can be counted on to do the hard work inside. The Jackrabbits also have the advantage of having the conference tournament in their backyard, as Sioux Falls is only an hour south of Brookings on I-29.

Oakland (last NCAA: 2005) Last March, the Grizzlies very nearly eradicated Bison Fever before it ever reached the Metrodome. They should be able to finish the job this season thanks to an excellent crop of returnees. 6-11 C Keith Benson, the league leader in blocks (2.4 bpg) and field goal percentage (62.2 %) and second-leading rebounder in the Summit (7.8 rpg) is back. Point guard Johnathon Jones, the country's best assist man (8.1 apg), is back too. So is Derick Nelson, who redshirted last season after a foot injury. The 6-5 PF averaged 17.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg during the 2007-08 campaign. Head coach Greg Kampe even picks up St. John's transfer Larry Wright to replace the only major loss from last year's squad, Erik Kangas (18.9 ppg), who set the Summit League's single-season record for 3-pointers.

With all of that firepower, it's no wonder that the Grizzlies are my preseason pick for the Summit League crown. You'll see them in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket on November 9. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Summit League team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Summit League Team

Player of the Year: Keith Benson, 6-11 C, Jr. (Oakland)

Remainder of the Team
Davis Baker, 6-4 G, Sr. (Southern Utah)
Garrett Callahan, 6-1 G, Sr. (South Dakota State)
Johnathon Jones, 5-11 G, Sr. (Oakland)
Derick Nelson, 6-5 F, Sr. (Oakland)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Summit League this season? (Since Centenary is not postseason eligible, they're not listed.)

IPFW

4 votes

IUPUI

1 votes

North Dakota State

2 votes

Oakland

10 votes

Oral Roberts

2 votes

South Dakota State

0 votes

Southern Utah

3 votes

UMKC

2 votes

Western Illinois

1 votes

25 votes | Poll has closed

Championship Monday Review/Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:17:51 -0000

The last Sunday of the regular season for the BCS leagues was a busy one, and thrilling conference tournament action as well. Let's get right to the recap. As always, box scores are from Basketball State.

Only one team punched their ticket on Sunday. Northern Iowa is the second straight surprise Missouri Valley champion. The Panthers defeated Illinois State, 60-57 in overtime. Ali Farokhmanesh got the better of Valley POY Osiris Eldridge in the extra stanza, as Eldridge missed time with cramping. I feel bad for the people of Richmond, who couldn't see this game. Their CBS affiliate carried Raycom's telecast of Virginia Tech at Florida State instead.

Four teams will make the field this evening.

Colonial (ESPN2, 7 EDT)- VCU and George Mason survived ODU and Towson, respectively, after another thrilling afternoon of action in Richmond. The Tigers really gave the Patriots a battle. The predominantly VCU crowd definitely tried to give them a boost, especially since I didn't need both hands to count the number of Towson fans present at the Coliseum.

Southern (ESPN, 7 EDT) - College of Charleston upset CBS darling Davidson, 59-52, meaning the chances of seeing Stephen Curry in this year's tournament are slim. Curry managed 20 points, but only on 5-18 shooting, including 2-11 from outside. The homestanding Chattanooga Mocs will be the Cougars' next opponent, as they knocked out conference newcomer Samford, 80-71.

Metro Atlantic (ESPN2, 9 EDT) - Homestanding Siena defeated Fairfield handily, 80-65. The Saints had a lot of balanced last night, with five players hitting double figures. Kenny Hasbrouck was surprisingly not one of them, as he only scored 9. Next up for Siena is a rubber match with 2 seed Niagara. The Purple Eagles needed a Tyrone Lewis three to tie it at the end of regulation, but they ended up getting past Rider, 93-89 in double OT.

West Coast (ESPN, 9 EDT) - Gonzaga had no problem with Santa Clara, winning by 25. In the other semi, Saint Mary's got Patty Mills back. The Aussie was a bit rusty (12 points on 25% shooting with 4 assists), though he did look far better in the second half. The Gaels defeated Portland for the second time this year, 71-61.

Two other conferences had their semifinals Sunday, but their championship games won't be until later in the week because of TV considerations.

America East - Binghamton will host Maryland-Baltimore County on Saturday morning. The sixth-seeded Retrievers knocked off the homestanding and seventh-seeded Albany Great Danes, 64-58. The top-seeded Bearcats are on track for their first ever NCAA appearance. They defeated fourth-seeded New Hampshire, 72-67.

Patriot - American hosts Holy Cross Friday afternoon. The Eagles had a hard time shaking Army, winning 61-60, while the Crusaders prevented a second straight AU-Colgate final, 61-44.

If that's not enough for you, the Summit League (7 EDT, Full Court) and Sun Belt (7:30 EDT, Full Court) semifinals are also on available. In the Summit, there was a big upset in the quarterfinals Saturday, as 7 seed South Dakota State knocked three-time defending champion Oral Roberts out. The Jackrabbits face 3 seed Oakland. Top seed North Dakota State looks to keep their hopes of a first-ever tournament bid (in their first year of eligibility) alive. The Bison face the 5 seed, Southern Utah. In the Sun Belt, the higher seeds were having their way in the quarterfinals, until sixth-seeded South Alabama upset the 3 seed, Troy. The Jaguars next face 2 seed Arkansas-Little Rock. Top seeded Western Kentucky takes on the 4 seed, 2007 tournament champion North Texas.

Outside of Auto-Bid Land

Virginia Tech lost to Florida State, 63-53. That means the Hokies are in the 8/9 game in the ACC tournament. Their opponent is Miami, which makes that first round tie a virtual bubble elimination game.

If Auburn has life in the SEC, Vanderbilt must as well. The Commodores made it to 8-8 in the stronger East division by (oddly enough) beating a Western opponent - Arkansas, 75-58.

UNC is in good shape for a #1 seed after beating Duke, 79-71. Michigan State continued to build their case for a 2, as they knocked off Purdue, 62-51. Wake has a case too after beating Clemson (who looks likely to be on the outside looking in when it comes to a protected seed), 96-88.

Ohio State got a big win over Northwestern, 52-47. Evan Turner had 17 for the Buckeyes, and it seemed like his sole purpose for the evening was to keep the Wildcats' dance drought going. I'm not ready to write Northwestern off yet, as they play Minnesota in the 8-9 game on Thursday in Indianapolis. If they win that, they get another shot at Michigan State Friday.

I'll be around this evening to talk about the four big championship games and whatever else you're thinking about here in the stretch run.

The First Annual Mascot Awards

Brian Burke — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:45:08 -0000

Since the Oscars will be on at the same time as the Wake-Duke game, clearly no one is going to watch the Oscars this year. So to quench everyone's award show thirsts, I present to you: the First Annual Mascot Awards...

This is just the first of three installments of the 2009 Mascot Awards. Check back soon for part 2!

Coolest Mascot You've Never Heard Of

Just because your team sucks doesn't mean your mascot has to. Here are the five awesomest mascots from schools that you only hear about because Duke beat them by 30 a few years ago:

5. Coast Carolina Chanticleers - You probably haven't heard of this badass rooster unless you're from North Carolina or love the Canterbury Tales, but just look at him. Taken from the main character in one of Chaucer's Tales, Chanticleer has a cocky attitude, and well... technically he is a cock.

4. Campbell Fightin Camels - Normally I wouldn't give props to anything that sounds so similar to Cole Hamels, but this is a special case. Any camel-based mascot is already pretty cool in my book, and this one's a fighter. And let me ask you, what would you guess the name of this ferocious creature is? Humpy? Spitter? Cole Hamels? Nope. Gaylord. Seriously.

3. Canisius Golden Griffins - I want to shake the hand of the man who stopped Canisius' marketing meeting and said, "hey guys, a griffin's pretty cool on its own, but...and hear me out on this one... let's make it golden." Besides looking totally awesome, the concept of a golden half lion, half eagle makes this creature the king of the jungle and the skies. Unfortunately, that doesn't make it very good at basketball.

2. Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Mastodons - What's a mastodon you ask? Check out what dictionary.com has to say here, I especially like definition #2. Enough said.

1. Arkansas Pine Bluff Golden Lions - I mean, just look at it. And as if the sharp teeth and red eyes weren't cool enough, check out how the flowing mane, while still maintaining its beauty, faintly spells outs "U A P B" or... Universty of Arkansas Pine Bluff. Awesome.

Cheesiest Mascot

When drawing a mascot, most people try to make it fierce, intimidating, and scary. These look like they were drawn by someone's good-sportsmanship obsessed mom.

5. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles - Proving that putting "golden" in front of your name doesn't automatically make you cool, this bird is way too proud of his poorly drawn tank top and lack of pants. Named Eli, this eagle looks like he has something up his sleeve, and that thing is a good old fashioned high five.

4. Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens - You are most certainly not number 1, Mr. Hen. I don't know which is most frustrating, his incorrect number of fingers or the fact that he has fingers. His actually name is YoUDee, which isn't helping his cause either.

3. Valparaiso Crusaders - Although I'm impressed with The Crusader's (That's his name) ankle flexibility, I'm not nearly as impressed with his plume. He barely looks like he's hit puberty and he wants to fight someone? For his sake, I hope an attacker doesn't come from the left. His basketball team has already fought 27 times this year, and they lost 20 of those fights.

2. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils - To start, this little guy looks like he's making an absurdly loud nasally moan. Don't you just want to punch him in the face? I don't know how Central Connecticut State managed to make a devil look like the annoying kid who picks his nose in physics class, but they did, and they even got the physics of his trident wrong.

1. Grambling State Tigers - Wow. Where to begin? At least now I know what Ashlee Simpson based that dance off of. I would punch this guy in the face too, but he would probably just say "Oh I'm sorry, my face got in the way of your fist... totally my fault." And that's not even mentioning his awkward holding of the pennant and the fact that pennant letters never go that way. I don't know what he's so happy about either, as his basketball team is 6-18 right now. Everything is wrong with this. Everything.

Check back in soon for the second installment of the Mascot Awards!

		#3 Miguel Paul Sophomore Guard 6-1 \| 172 Winter Haven, Fla. Bio 14 minutes per game \| 4.2 points per game \| 0.9 rebound per game

		#4 J.T. Tiller Senior Guard 6-3 \| 200 Marietta, Ga. Bio 23.3 minutes per game \| 9.6 points per game \| 2.3 rebounds per game

		#11 Zaire Taylor Senior Guard 6-4 \| 189 Staten Island, N.Y. Bio 27.8 minutes per game \| 9 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#12 Marcus Denmon Sophomore Guard 6-3 \| 185 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 20.1 minutes per game \| 10.5 points per game \| 3.9 rebounds per game

		#15 Keith Ramsey Senior Forward 6-9 \| 217 Murfreesboro, Tenn. Bio 25.4 minutes per game \| 5.9 points per game \| 5.9 rebounds per game

		#21 Laurence Bowers Sophomore Forward 6-8 \| 205 Memphis, Tenn. Bio 19.8 minutes per game \| 10.2 points per game \| 5.6 rebounds per game

		#23 Justin Safford Junior Forward 6-8 \| 230 Bloomington, Ill. Bio 18.4 minutes per game \| 7.6 points per game \| 3.8 rebounds per game

		#24 Kim English Sophomore Guard 6-6 \| 200 Baltimore, Md. Bio 22.1 minutes per game \| 16.1 points per game \| 3.1 rebounds per game

		#25 Jarrett Sutton Junior Guard 6-3 \| 190 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 4 minutes per game \| 1.8 points per game \| 0.2 rebound per game

		#32 Steve Moore Sophomore Center 6-9 \| 264 Kansas City, Mo. Bio 11 minutes per game \| 1.6 points per game \| 1.4 rebounds per game

SB Nation - Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

KNOW THY ENEMY: Missouri Tigers

The Story So Far

The Coach

The Departures

The Veterans

The Newcomers

The Analysis

Projected Big 12 Starting Lineup

Projected Top Big 12 Reserves

The Final Verdict

Previously on KNOW THY ENEMY...

The Shotgun/Throwdown: Wednesday (12/16/09) Edition

What You May Have Missed:

News of Note (FB):

News of Note (BB):

Recruiting:

Around the League (and Beyond):

What's On Tap:

Video of Interest:

Video of (Dis)Interest:

Cool Toy Gallery of the Week:

Miss Throwdown:

RPI WATCH: 12/10/09

Official Mizzou News and Notes on Wednesday’s Oral Roberts Matchup

Who wins the Missouri-Oral Roberts game?

Mizzou

Oral Roberts

Scouting report: Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Deacon Dump 11/13: A jam-packed Deacon sports weekend

Canadian Content

BtB 2009-10 Summit League Preview

Preseason All-Summit League Team

Who is your pick to win the Summit League this season? (Since Centenary is not postseason eligible, they're not listed.)

IPFW

IUPUI

North Dakota State

Oakland

Oral Roberts

South Dakota State

Southern Utah

UMKC

Western Illinois

Championship Monday Review/Preview

The First Annual Mascot Awards

Coolest Mascot You've Never Heard Of

Just because your team sucks doesn't mean your mascot has to. Here are the five awesomest mascots from schools that you only hear about because Duke beat them by 30 a few years ago:

Cheesiest Mascot

When drawing a mascot, most people try to make it fierce, intimidating, and scary. These look like they were drawn by someone's good-sportsmanship obsessed mom.