SB Nation - South Dakota St. Jackrabbits

Defend That, Digger! Week 1 (and a non-conference update)

BoilerTMill — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:55:49 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

Big East basketball fever: Where offensive ineptitude happens. The 22 combined points were the fewest in a first half of a Division I game since the shot clock era began in 1985, when there was a 45-second clock, rather than the 35-second clock adopted in 1993. The teams broke the previous record held by Mississippi (15 points) and South Carolina (13 points), which combined for 28 points on Jan. 8, 2003. South Carolina ended up winning that game 55-49, but Pittsburgh won this one, 47-32. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

Browse more photos »

As promised, it is the premier of what will hopefully be a pretty regular weekly feature. Defend That, Digger is meant to make fun of our Big East and ACC brethren, showing them that defense is not a bad thing and that they aren't exactly the greatest teams in the country because the Worldwide Leader in Hyperbole says they are. Here is this week's exhibit A:

Pittsburgh 47, New Hampshire 32 - I thought the Big East was all about offense? Don't they have so much talent they can score 100 on anyone in the country? Pittsburgh was a #1 seed in last season's tournament (one of three from the all-powerful Big East). Now they are struggling against the Wildcats of New Hampshire. New Hampshire is one of the oldest teams in college basketball, yet they have never made an NCAA or NIT Tournament. In this game they scored just seven points in the first half, yet trailed by eight.

That's right, the halftime score was 15-7.

No, this was not football.

I know Pittsburgh is racked with injuries, but 15-7? From a former number one seed? Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit B:

Connecticut - The Huskies get called not for one game, but four. They have struggled with the NCAA powers Harvard (79-73) Hofstra (76-67), and William & Mary (75-66) this year. That is sure going to prepare them for the grueling Big East schedule. They are also currently ranked 13^th, though something tells me when they play real teams that won't last long. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit C:

William & Mary 78, Wake Forest 68 - This is the second appearance by the Tribe on here, so they might be a legitimately good team. Still, there is absolutely no excuse for Wake Forest, who was #1 at one point last season, to trail by double digits for most of a game at home against William & Mary. Wake is a legitimately good team. I have seen them in person now. But there is no defense for this. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit D:

Illinois 76, Clemson 74 - A prime example here. Illinois used, imagine this, solid second half defense to overcome a 23 point deficit and give the Big Ten the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Oh, and they did it on the road in an imposing ACC gym. There is no excuse for ever blowing a 23 point second half lead at home. Ever. Clemson, you are a pretend ACC program. You always will be. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit E:

UNC-Charlotte 87, Louisville 65 - The Big East's third number one seed from last season lost by 22 at home. This isn't UNC. This is UNC-Charlotte, a State-City school that while decent, should never beat a #16 team on its home floor by 22 points. Maybe Rick Pitino should watch some game film of the 49ers instead of boinking Louisville-area waitresses. At least he gets a slight discount at Applebee's. Defend That, Digger!

Exhibit F:

Notre Dame - Because playing a "National Schedule" of North Florida, St. Francis (PA), Long Beach State, Liberty, Kennesaw State, Idaho State, and Central Florida is much better than developing "tradition" and "natural rivalries." I though the Irish valued tradition. Defend That, Digger!

The comments are now open for Big East and ACC bashing

Enough laughing at the greatest conferences in the world. Let's see what our own non-conference opponents are doing to help our resumes.

Cal State Northridge (4-4) - The Matadors have played quite a vagabond schedule as a low-major. They have played just twice in their home gym so far, but are a respectable 4-4. Among their wins is a 95-93 win over Idaho. The Vandals responded by crushing Portland by 20 (the same Portland that made a big run in the '76 classic over UCLA and Minnesota). Northridge's most recent game was a respectable 8-point loss at Washington.

South Dakota State (3-5, 1-1 Summit) - The Jackrabbits have already begun conference play with a 1-1 record. The beat Western Illinois, but lost by 22 at conference leader IUPUI. The Western Illinois win was their first since before heading to the Virgin Islands.

St. Joseph's (3-4) - Since starting the year 3-0 and upsetting Boston College in the Paradise Jam the Hawks haven't done much. They followed up their loss to us with a loss to DePaul. They then dropped consecutive road contests to Rider and Cornell by a combined 20 points. They could do us a big favor in their next game by upsetting #3 Villanova Wednesday night.

Tennessee (6-1) - The Volunteers are maintaining their ranking, but they haven't played anyone. College of Charleston and East Tennessee State are their latest victims, but us and maybe DePaul remain their only true competition.

Central Michigan (3-5) - The Chips had a dominant 78-40 win at home against Chicago State, but lost 75-62 at Illinois State this weekend. Expect the losses to pile up. They don't play at home against until January 13^th against Ball State.

Wake Forest (5-2) - I thought the losses would pile up a bit after the underwhelming performance against William & Mary, but Wake followed up their loss to us with a very nice 77-75 win at Gonzaga. Going cross-country like that is not an easy trip. Beating the Bulldogs in their house is even tougher. They have interesting non-conference games coming up against Xavier and a tough Richmond squad.

Buffalo (3-3) - We all know what happened in their last game. They get a regional rivalry this week against a tough low-major in Niagara. Sadly, that may be the best team they have left on the schedule.

Valparaiso (3-5, 0-1 Horizon) - Valparaiso may have played the toughest schedule in the country lately. We're the fourth preseason top 10 team they will play. Their only Division 1 win was over Georgia Southern, but they played North Carolina to an 11 point game. They also lost to Michigan State by 30 and Butler by 17. Watch out for Kokomo Wildkat Brandon Wood, who averages 22 per game and had 30 against North Carolina.

Alabama (6-2) - This is shaping up to be an interesting game. The Crimson Tide dropped its opener to Cornell (who also beat St. Joseph's). They also lost a neutral site game to a decent Florida State team. Their best win? 68-66 over Michigan. Stay tuned for more this week on them and Valpo with appropriate previews this week.

Ball State (2-3) - The Cardinals haven't played in a week, but have lost three straight to Butler, UC Davis, and Temple. They do have wins over common opponents Valparaiso and SIU-Edwardsville.

Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2-6) - The Cougars have played the vagabond schedule of an independent, but they won two in a row over Drake and Texas-Arlington after an 0-6 start. This is easily the weakest team on our schedule. They opened the year with a 96-69 loss at Illinois.

West Virginia (5-0) - The Mountaineers are ranked just behind us in the AP poll. They won the '76 Classic against an impressive field (though Texas A&M was their toughest game). Like us, they open conference play with a home game (Marquette) before our New Year's Day game. A very interesting trip to a dangerous Cleveland State on December 19^th could stand between them and an unbeaten record when they face us.

RPI WATCH: 12/06/09

BracketCat — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:00:20 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

Dominique Sutton, as predicted, pretty much did this to the Cougars all night long — and now the Cats are knocking on the door to the Top 25. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

View full size photo »

Quite a bit of basketball action yesterday, mostly among our non-con opponents — most of whom won, thankfully.

And the Big 12 virtually is assured of winning the Hardwood Series outright for the first time, holding a 6-2 record after Saturday's games and with Kansas scheduled to bash UCLA's brains in this afternoon.

Game results after the jump. Also, be sure to vote in my quick poll. I'm interested in seeing where Wildcat Nation's sentiments lie on this one.

Current Kansas State Record = 7-1

Current Kansas State RPI = 10

Current Kansas State SOS = 17

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (5-2, 1-1) | RPI = 30: Win at UW Milwaukee (69-64)
Western Illinois (3-5, 0-2) | RPI = 301: Loss to South Dakota State (80-74)
Boston (2-6) | RPI = 162
Ole Miss (7-1) | RPI = 18: Win over Southern Miss (81-79)
Dayton (5-2) | RPI = 45: Win over Lehigh (89-71)
IUPUI (7-2, 2-0) | RPI = 79: Win over NDSU (86-74)
FHSU (5-1): Win at Nebraska-Omaha (79-68)
Washington State (6-2) | RPI = 153: Loss at Kansas State (86-69)
Xavier (5-2) | RPI = 77
No. 24 UNLV (7-0) | RPI = 12: Win at Santa Clara (66-63)
Alabama (6-2) | RPI = 82: Win over UL Monroe (74-46)
UAPB (0-6) | RPI = 273: Loss at Michigan (67-53)
Cleveland State (3-6, 0-2) | RPI = 222: Loss at Detroit (69-62)
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (5-2) | RPI = 92: Win over Oregon (106-69)
No. 19 Texas A&M (7-1) | RPI = 19
Colorado (5-3) | RPI = 226
No. 2 Texas (6-0) | RPI = 2
Oklahoma State (7-1) | RPI = 26: Win over UTSA (61-55)
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105
No. 1 Kansas (6-0) | RPI = 38
Nebraska (5-1) | RPI = 81
Iowa State (6-3) | RPI = 187: Loss at Cal (82-63)
Oklahoma (4-3) | RPI = 206
Texas Tech (8-0) | RPI = 42

Poll

Have the Cats done enough to deserve being ranked in this week's Top 25?

RPI WATCH: 12/04/09

BracketCat — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:00:22 -0000

by Charlie Riedel - AP

On Saturday, the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series comes to Manhattan. Are the Wildcats ready to battle for victory? (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

View full size photo »

The Big 12 finished Thursday night with a 4-0 advantage in the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.

Of course, it's more like an unofficial 5-0 advantage since Texas Tech beat Oregon State earlier this year.

Meanwhile, several of our non-cons did us no favors by losing their conference openers — some by fairly large margins.

To see how everyone fared, click the jump.

If for some reason you absolutely need to know up-to-date numbers, I get them here.

Current Kansas State RPI = 11

Current Kansas State SOS = 14

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

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Loyola (4-2, 0-1) | RPI = 28: Loss at UWGB (90-69)
Western Illinois (3-4, 0-1) | RPI = 205: Loss to NDSU (60-55)
Boston (2-6) | RPI = 162
Ole Miss (6-1) | RPI = 39
Dayton (4-2) | RPI = 46
IUPUI (6-2, 1-0) | RPI = 63: Win over SDSU (79-57)
FHSU (4-1)
Washington State (6-1) | RPI = 112
Xavier (4-2) | RPI = 114
No. 24 UNLV (6-0) | RPI = 5
Alabama (5-2) | RPI = 52
UAPB (0-5) | RPI = 229
Cleveland State (3-5, 0-1) | RPI = 208: Loss at Wright State (73-64)
South Dakota (5-3) | RPI = 143
Missouri (4-2) | RPI = 107
No. 19 Texas A&M (6-1) | RPI = 8
Colorado (5-2) | RPI = 181
No. 2 Texas (6-0) | RPI = 2: Win over USC (69-50)
Oklahoma State (6-1) | RPI = 18
Baylor (7-1) | RPI = 105: Win at Arizona State (64-61)
No. 1 Kansas (6-0) | RPI = 38
Nebraska (5-1) | RPI = 81
Iowa State (6-2) | RPI = 148
Oklahoma (4-3) | RPI = 206
Texas Tech (8-0) | RPI = 42: Win over No. 12 Washington (99-92 in overtime)

Blitzing through the Paradise Jam: A review/preview thing

BoilerTMill — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:24:42 -0000

More photos » by Brennan Linsley - AP

22 days ago: Purdue's E'twuan Moore takes a shot against Saint Joseph's during a Paradise Jam basketball tournament game in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. Purdue won 85-60. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Browse more photos »

Let's face it, it was a busy weekend. With the basketball team playing three games in four days and our annual defense of the Bucket now complete it has been hard to find time to elaborate on things. Fortunately, all has gone well. The Boilers averted disaster in a tougher-than-expected contest against South Dakota State, then dominated the second half against a solid St. Joseph's team. Admittedly, we might have dodged a bullet by missing Boston College in round two, but we can only play who the schedule says. Before looking at tonight's game against #11 Tennessee, here is a look back at the previous two games.

South Dakota State W 74-63

This effort was a bit sluggish to say the least. Most Summit League teams aren't deep enough to challenge top 10 teams, but I will give the Jackrabbits credit. They had a solid gameplan and never truly went away. It would have been nice to follow this game, but even ESPN denied live stats. We were left to Larry Clisby's dulcet tones over the radio for our only description of this game.

Ultimately, this was a Milton Berle game. We were challenged a little, but took out enough to win in the end. Our depth and physicality won out in the end as SDSU ran out of gas late. E'Twaun put the team on his back to get through this with 22 points. I mentioned in the returning players preview how E'Twaun had that ability, so it was nice to see it. He can take over a game with his ability and, if you believe in trends, it is his turn for a breakout year after Robbie as a freshman and JJ last year. Speaking of Robbie and JJ, they had 14 and 13, respectively, without shooting well.

Free throws were an issue in this one, as was 3-point shooting. We're going to have to shoot better than 57% from the line and 14% from long range. We can get away with that against the South Dakota State's of the world, but not against teams like Tennessee and Wake Forest.

St. Joseph's W 85-60

We're not going to get 16 points from Ryne Smith and 10 from Mark Wohlford in every game. Wohlford had four points in his career before last night. What I like about it, though, is that we showed we have more weapons than E'Twaun, JJ, and Robbie. With Smith and Wohlford notching career highs we now have eight players who have scored in double figures this season. That is what keeps teams guessing on defense because they have no idea who is going to score. Teams now don't get a break from long range when Smith comes in to spell E'Twaun or Keaton Grant. They now have to commit a man to Mark Wohlford when he plays because he can hurt them. That only frees up the floor for others.

Chris Kramer sounded like his normal annoying self in this one. I was also very pleased with the way E'Twaun's defense created transition baskets. Once things got rolling for us we couldn't be stopped. We played like we were capable of playing against a good opponent and blew them out. JJ had 18 and 10 in the middle with several thunderdunks. That is the sign of a team that is playing well. They shook off another cold start to simply dominate an opponent. It made the second half very fun to listen to.

As a team we caused 23 turnovers and committed just nine. Free throw shooting was much better at 85% with Ryne Smith splashing all seven of his attempts. I am very pleased with this game because we didn't need monster games from our starters. That allowed them to rest for tonight's game against Tennessee.

Tennessee preview

Record: 4-0

2008-09 Record: 21-13 (lost to Oklahoma State in NCAA First Round 77-75)

Blog Representation: Rocky Top Talk

Series with Purdue: Tied 1-1 (first meeting since 1981)

Our defense will be tested. DePaul held Tennessee to its lowest scoring output of the season in its 57-53 semifinal loss. Other than that, The Volunteers have scored 83, 124, and 105 in their first three games this season. That is impressive, but DePaul is really their first major opponent. East Carolina is losing to SDSU in the 7^th place game as I write this. Austin Peay and UNC-Asheville will not be confused with the 1996 Chicago Bulls any time soon, either. As a result, it is hard to judge just how good the Volunteers are. This is especially true with DePaul, as the Blue Demons were awful last year and picked to finished 14^th in the Big East.

The high scoring games naturally lead to some pretty good statistics. Bruce pearl's squad ahs four players averaging in double figures. The team is also averaging 22.5 assists as a team per game. They are getting everyone involved and playing total team offense. 6'7" sophomore guard Scotty Hopson is leading the team with 17.5 points in 24 minutes a night. DePaul held him in check, however, with just four points on 2 of 10 shooting. Tyler Smith and Cameron Tatum are each averaging 12.5 per game. Smith is a talented 6'7" senior forward that also averages 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Tatum is a 6'6" sophomore that can play both guard and forward. This is a big team in the backcourt, but I think we have the size and quickness to match them.

Wayne Chism is the final double figures scorer. The 6'9" senior forward's scoring is down a bit from last year at 10.5ppg, but it is still early. He is also the team's top rebounder at 6.8 per game. Tennessee does not employ a true center like we do with JaJuan Johnson, but they are plenty good in the paint anyway.

Tennessee is also a very deep team, but again, playing three straight blowouts have a lot to do with that. Ten players are averaging 10 minutes per game and have played in all four games so far. This includes Bobby Maze and Melvin Goins who each average 7.8 points per game. Maze was held scoreless by the Blue Demons though.

Based mostly on the DePaul game, Chism and Smith are the big guns. Smith had 14 points against DePaul while Chism had 13. They are not players that play much on the perimeter. As a team, Tennessee is not a strong 3-point shooting team like our last two opponents. Hopson and Tatum are the biggest three point threats, with Hopson averaging over three 3-pointers per game. Skylar McBee can be a dangerous 3-point threat off the bench, as he is 5 of 15 on the season. Tennessee is shooting just under 50% from long range, but that was severely limited against DePaul.

Tennessee wants to use its size to dominate games. The Vols are grabbing almost 40 rebounds per game, so we must limit them from getting second chance points, especially with their big guards crashing the glass. What we might be able to do is force turnovers. Tennessee also tends to run more than Purdue, which will be a big factor. J.P. Prince and Maze are solid distributors that are excellent at creating points in transition.

Not that this really has much bearing on a game being played thousands of miles from each campus, but I really want to win t is game because of the level of jackassery caused by Tennessee fans on Purdue's GBI forum. All you need to do is take a look and see what I am talking about. Fortunately, their real fans have been much more respectful. Rocky Top Talk is one of the finest blogs out there as well, so we'll be in good hands tonight on the SBNation side of things.

Keys to the Game for Purdue

Make them play our style
Force turnovers with E'Twaun and Kramer
Deny on the perimeter and don't allow easy transition baskets
hassle their guards and slow each possession
Rebound like our lives depend on it.
Continue hot shooting from outside (second half edition last night)

Prediction: Purdue 69, Tennessee 65

Paradise Jam Preview part 1: South Dakota State, Boston College, St. Joseph's

BoilerTMill — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:45:41 -0000

Since I can't seem to narrow down TV coverage for this one I'll be tuning towards the radio and gametracker for Friday night's Paradise Jam opener. Since this tournament is striving to become a Maui East I am surprised they haven't worked out better TV coverage. Ah well. In all honestly I don't think we need to be glued to our TV sets for the opener. Even with LewJack and Sandi Marcius both being hurt we have little trouble with the Jackrabbits. Meeting Boston College in round 2 could be a different story.

To be accompanied by Michael Jackson's JAM video this week.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Conference: Summit League

2009-10 Record: 2-0

2008-09 Record: 13-20 (upset Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament)

Blog Representation: SDSUFans.com (warning: this is a very user unfriendly site, but it is an SDSU blog. I searched that hard for you!)

SDSU may be a little better this season, as they have started 2-0. One victory is over non-D1 Mayville State, whom they crushed 89-56. The opening season victory is a decent one though over Mountain West Conference member Wyoming 77-61. The Cowboys were a 19-14 team a season ago that made one of the postseason tournaments, so an easy Jackrabbit victory does turn some heads. This is just the second season of full Division 1 eligibility for SDSU.

SDSU features a balanced scoring attack led by senior guard Garrett Callahan. Callahan averages 12.5 points per game and is a 3-point shooting threat having hit 3 of 9 from long range so far. He is actually down a bit from last season's 15.8 ppg average, but obviously the season is very young. His most telling statistic from last season was a 42.7% clip from long range. He is also an accurate free throw shooter when he gets to the line.

6'6" senior forward Kai Williams is next in scoring at 12.5 per game. His average is weighted by a 17 point performance in the opener at Wyoming. Williams has been a double-digit scorer in all four seasons at SDSU except last season when he dipped to 9.8ppg. He is a tough rebounder that can also step out and shoot the three. This makes him a versatile weapon, like a poor man's Robbie Hummel. It is interesting that he is only playing about half as many minutes this season as he has averaged in his career, yet his numbers are similar.

Anthony Cordova (11ppg) and Clint Sargent (18ppg) give the Jackrabbits four double figures scorers, showing their offensive versatility. Both are juniors, making SDSU a team that is dominated by upperclassmen. Sargent did not play against Mayville State after hitting five 3-pointers as Wyoming. Cordova has nice size at 6'7" 245lbs.

South Dakota State will live and die by the 3-pointer against us. They hit 11 of 21 against Wyoming to build a big lead early. Michael Palarca paces the offense by distributing the ball well at 6 assists per game. We can also expect to see Giffan Callahan (Garrett's younger brother), Nate Wolters, Dale Moss, and Josh Cassaday in a nine man rotation. The younger Callahan has shown a talent for rebounding at 5.5 per contest.

This is not a team that should dominate us on the glass. Their tallest player, 6'10" Mark Engen, is a senior that barely plays. Most of the team is between 6'4" and 6'7", but they lack the sheer physicality that we have as a Big Ten team. We should absolutely be able to dominate the interior and focus on defending from the perimeter. I can see this game being close only if SDSU gets insanely hot from outside and starts raining threes. On paper they are about equal with Cal State Northridge, and we had little trouble with the Matadors. Purdue 85, South Dakota State 57

Boston College Eagles

Conference: ACC

2009-10 Record: 1-0 (They play St. Francis tonight and St. Joseph's in round 1)

2008-09 Record: 22-12 (lost to USC 72-55 in round one of NCAA Tournament)

Blog Representation: Eagle in Atlanta, BC Interruption

Our round two opponent will likely be our first true test of the season. The same was true last year, as we squeezed out a 71-64 win over the Eagles at Madison Square Garden in the preseason NIT semi-finals. Joe Trapani had 14 points and eight rebounds against and he is back. 6'10 center Josh Southern (9 points, 11 rebounds) is also back. We are basically facing most of a team walked into North Carolina last season and won. They also beat Duke, but lost WTF games against Harvard and St. Louis.

It is hard to guess how well the Eagles will respond this season. Cory Raji and Rakim Sanders are returning starters that were suspended for the opener against Dartmouth and tonight's game against St. Francis. They must also replace leading scorer Tyrese Rice who graduated. Rice had a great game against us in New York, so missing him will not help their chances. This is still a young team that features just one senior in Tyler Roche. Roche only went for 30 against Dartmouth, but we are not Dartmouth.

We should have a better idea of what to expect from BC once they get everyone back from suspension. This is still not a team we can take lightly, however. I seem to remember North Carolina having a pretty good season last year and BC beat them seven in their own house. Still, they followed up that monster win with a loss to Harvard three days later. That tells me that consistency will be a major issue with them.

To win again we have to make sure they don't dominate the paint. Southern, Trapani, and Roche could give us some matchup problems in the paint if all three are playing. We have to keep them off the offensive glass and limit second chance points. We did a pretty good job of that last year, but we have to keep it up. Sanders and Raji are capable scorers that can create their own shot as well. This will be the first true test of our team defense.

Saint Joseph's Hawks

Conference: Atlantic 10

2009-10 Record: 1-0 (Holy Cross tonight and Boston college in round 1)

2008-09 Record: 17-15 (no postseason)

Blog Representation: None

I expect to play Boston College in round 2, but here is a brief preview of St. Joseph's anyway. St. Joseph's was one of the many teams that had a dominating win over Indiana last year, beating the Hoosiers 80-54 in the Maui Invitational. This means they are not strangers to big preseason tournaments, so this should be interesting. So far this season they have a 77-67 overtime win over Drexel.

Forward Idris Hilliard had a breakout game in the opener with 16 points and seven rebounds. He was also 10 of 11 from the line, so we don't want to foul him. Guard Darrin Govins was the leading scorer with 23 points on 6 of 17 shooting. He is a smaller shooting guard at 6'1", but he can score from anywhere on the floor. Garrett Williamson and Carl Jones were double figures scorers with 11 and 13 points, respectively. Overall St. Joe's hit 33 of 42 free throws against the Dragons, so we have to keept hem off the line.

Honestly, I am preparing to face Boston College in round two. St. Joseph's is well coached and they play in a surprisingly tough Atlantic 10 conference, but the Eagles are the better team. It would take an upset for St. Joe's to get past them, and if they do I don't think they have two int hem to get past us. They don't have much size outside of 6'11" center Todd O'Brien, so if we can neutralize him we should own the interior. I certainly trust our perimeter defense to stop anyone in the country from there.

The Can Ball Report's NC-Double Eh Player of the Week

rbala — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:15:10 -0000

In an effort to expose more of the Canadian talent that has been exported to the NCAA ranks, The Can Ball Report will be giving out a weekly award highlighting who we feel is the the player that gave the best overall performance over their games. We've also included today's scheduled games also so without further adieu, our first POTW honoree ...

NCAA Player of the Week

Olu Ashoalu (Toronto) – RS-Soph., Louisiana Tech

Ashoalu will be expected to contribute to a newly resurgent Louisiana State Bulldog squad this season. In his team’s lone game this week to start the season which resulted in a win, Olu put up career highs in what should be his first of many starts. In 33 minutes of action, he posted career highs in both points and rebounds for his second career double-double dropping 18 and 12 in the win against Texas-Pan American on Nov. 14. He also added 3 assists and 3 steals to round out his stat line. Olu shot 6-8 from the floor and mirrored that at the free throw line earning him the first Can Ball Report’s NCAA Player of the Week honor.

Honorable Mention: Jared Mintz, Lafayette – 20 pts, 10 rbs, 2 asts, 2 stls, a block, 23 mins

Stat Line of Week

Andy Rautins (Jamesville, NY) – RS-SR, Syracuse

On Nov. 11, Rautins had a great game against Robert Morris in the 2K Sports Classic. Following a game that saw him make no field goals in 21 minutes, Andy shot the lights out to post 22 points in 21 minutes of action on 7 of 10 shooting. Did I mention that all ten shots came from behind the three! He also added a rebound, three assists and four steals to the mix as well to earn him the stat line of the week nod.

Honorable Mention: Kai Williams, South Dakota State – 17 pts, 6-7 FG, 4-5 3PT FG, 3 rbs, 1 ast, 2 stls, 18 mins on Nov. 14

NCAA Schedule for Today

Nov. 16

Stephan F. Austin @ Minnesota

Virginia Military @ Richmond

Wilmington, DE @ Delaware State

Eastern Washington @ Washington State

Menlo College @ Santa Clara

Ferris State @ Central Michigan

Mayville State @ South Dakota State

Milwaukee @ Western Kentucky

Central Connecticut State @ Savannah State

Tennessee Tech @ Central Arkansas

Elon @ Charlotte

Cal-Northridge @ TCU

The Can Ball Report's NCAA Canadian Player Preview

rbala — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:00:34 -0000

The Can Ball Report gives what can only be described as the only NCAA Canadian player preview that matters. Join us for a look at the Canuck ballers that we expect to be making big waves this season.

So it’s is finally here people! All the waiting is over because the NCAA basketball season will officially start in a few days. There are roughly about 75 Canadians on Division 1 men’s basketball rosters this season and it looks like it will be a good one for our boys. We have two bona fide stars headlining what can be said is the most talented set of Canadian players playing at this level, ever. There are upperclassmen that have earned preseason honors; there are two reigning conference rookies of the year; there are a whole host of preseason all conference selections as well as players who will play major roles to their respective teams’ success. Since we are all basketball enthusiasts (I’ll let you gauge the degree of your enthusiasm in silence now for a moment) the Can Ball Report has compiled a list of players that we feel are worthy of early notice. Now some of you may know a few of the names already, if you do then good for you. For those of you who are not so familiar with them we suggest you, to quote Clinton Sparks, get familiar quickly. The players listed below are guys we feel you'll be hearing a lot about on this site, and any other Canadian media outlet for that matter, from the opening tip to the One Shining Moment in March and we want you to get it here first. So here we go people, the first annual Can Ball Report’s NCAA Canadian Player preview.

Most Outstanding Player – Harouna Mutombo, G - Western Carolina

A consensus pre season Southern Conference First Team selection this season after an incredible Rookie of the Year campaign, Mutombo is poised for a big (ger) year. He led the Catamounts in scoring, rebounding and steals on his way to a Second Team All SoCon nod so I wonder what the encore will be this season.

Top Newcomer – Manny Arop, G - Gonzaga

Arop may not have the best shot nor be the best rebounder as a freshman, but he does everything well enough that he will be an impact player for the Zags from day one. The team will be short on frontcourt help this year so he will be given every opportunity to contribute on a small ball lineup. Of all the newbie Canadians playing this year at the D1 level, Arop should be the best of them come March.

Best Shooter – Andy Rautins, G - Syracuse

Do you really need any explanation here? He is the best deep threat on a perennial national power team. Check his stats. He took 279 threes last year with gunner Eric Devendorf on the team and Rautins made an average of 2.8 makes per game. And that’s high quality defense in his face night in, night out. We don’t need to say anymore.

Best Defender – Andrew Nicholson, F/C – St. Bonaventure

After hitting the weight room this summer, the rookie record setting block machine is back to hold down the lane for the Bonnies. A legit Mutombo-like game changer, teams better rethink the attack when he’s they see his shadow looming.

Best Situation – Chretien Lukusa, G - Binghamton

The scandal that rocked Binghamton earlier this school year sent three starters and three supporting players packing, including two conference first teamers. An accomplished defender, Lukusa is the only returning starter so he pretty much should be good to go on both ends from day one.

Worst Situation – Ryan Wright, F - Oklahoma

The much ballyhooed Wright left UCLA for Oklahoma last year. Now with Blake Griffin in the NBA, the pressure is on him to contribute immediately to a team that has no real experienced frontcourt players returning. This may be a sink or swim situation that could turn against Wright in a hurry.

Most Important to Team – Andrew Nicholson, F/C – St. Bonaventure

Not enough can be said about Nicholson’s importance to his team this year so we’ll only use one word: very. He was the difference between a dead last finish and going .500 last season in the perennially tough A-10 Conference. This year, the team’s success will hinge largely on him and his improvements on both ends of the floor.

Super Sleeper – Willie Galick, F – Cal State-Northridge

Galick has been steadily flying under the radar for most of his college career finally breaking out last season as a junior transfer at Cal State-Northridge. Last year he started 25 of 33 games averaging 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, both fourth and second respectively on the team. This year, he will get the starting nod at the power forward spot from the beginning of the season for the Matadors and should really shine in the California sun.

Best Down the Road – Manny Arop, G - Gonzaga

Call me crazy but a having great games against the best in the world at your age group should be an indicator of how good you are. Arop showed how good he was in New Zealand at the U19 Worlds this summer. He will have every chance this season to show why he may be the best recruit in the Zags class this year and will only get better with experience.

Due for a Breakout - Rob Sacre, C - Gonzaga

Last season, Rob Sacre was hindered by a foot injury that kept him out of all but five games. After spending the summer working out with the Canadian Senior Men's National Team, the recovered Sacre will be the man in the middle with the departures of Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye. With Sacre getting the first look at the starting center spot and a lack of real interior players, expect the breakout to come sooner than later.

Redemption Time – Maurice Joseph, G - Vermont

MoJo was another heralded Canadian export from the 2004 high school class along with Wright. He started out at Michigan State and was a big contributor to the team’s Tournament run in ’06 but he decided to transfer to Vermont after his sophmore campaign. Last season amid very high expectations, he began as a starter but finished coming off the bench. This season is the Montreal native’s final year to prove that he was worthy of big expectations when he became a Catamount.

Don’t Call It a Comeback – Olu Ashoalu, G/F – Louisiana Tech

Ashoalu has been on the top end of many school recruiting lists since he was a high school sophomore in Atlanta. He chose to follow the coach that recruited him to Louisiana Tech and got lost in the mix somehow. He was expected to play a big role in the team’s turnaround but red shirted his first year. Last year he showed flashes of what he could do averaging 5.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg playing in all 33 games. This year he will be asked to shoulder more of the load on both ends and should finally begin to play the way many predicted he would at this level.

Remember Me – William Archambault, F - Davidson

If you’re not aware of whom Archambault is you’ll know by the end of this season. With Stephen Curry starting in the NBA and taking with him much of the experienced outside shooting from last year’s team, the sweet shot forward will be the Wildcats’ primary outside gunner. He was the third leading scorer for the team despite starting only nine games and can light it up in a hurry. He is selected as a pre season SoCon All Conference selection, by the coaches no less, so we should all expect a big senior season from Archambault.

Diamond in the Rough - Max Boudreau, F - Buffalo

There seems to be something in the Quebec water that has the province producing seemingly unathletic yet highly efficient basketball players. Max Boudreau can arguably be the most underrated player on any team. He only averaged 13.8 minutes per but quietly put up 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds playing in all 33 contests. He managed to lead the team in scoring four times and rebounding six times last years, with two of those feats coming in the post season. This year may be the year for him to finally play more and potentially be a starter, finally.

Fab Five All Canadian First Team:

Andrew Nicholson, F/C - St Bonaventure

Harouna Mutumbo, G – Western Carolina

Andy Rautins, G - Syracuse

William Archambault, G/F - Davidson

Rob Sacre, C - Gonzaga

Ten Players to Watch:

Alex Johnson, G – Cal State-Bakersfield

Kai Williams, F – South Dakota State

Jon House, G – Belmont

Bol Kong, F – Gonzaga

Devoe Joseph, G – Minnesota

Hernst Laroche, G – New Mexico State

Tyrone Watson, G – New Mexico State

Marc Trasolini, F – Santa Clara

Francis Cedric-Martel, G/F – Richmond

Alwayne Bigby, G/F – Northeastern

Poll

Who will have the best season this year in the NCAA?

Andy Rautins - Syracuse

34 votes

Andrew Nicholson - St. Bonaventure

11 votes

Manny Arop - Gonzaga

144 votes

Harouna Mutombo - Western Carolina

16 votes

Other

12 votes

217 votes | Poll has closed

Basketball 2009-10: The Schedule

BoilerTMill — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:39:31 -0000

This is why I love blogging.

When I was watching the World Series the other night, Fox interviewed Cliff Lee after his masterful game one performance. They asked him about what the Phillies thought because, though they were the defending champs, many people were already giving this series to the Yankees. Lee went on to say the usual bland answer of, "Well, we believe in ourselves as a team and blah, blah, blah..." This quote would have impressed me more:

"The last time I checked, we're the defending champs and we're not letting go until you pry it from our cold, dead hands."

The reason I love blogging is that I can say things like that. I know last year at one time I ripped Purdue's women's team for losing to Valparaiso. There was none of this," well Valapariso is a good team and yada, yada, yada..." No. We had no business losing to a team like that and it needed to be said.

That is why I am going to have some fun with this entry. When it comes to the individual team previews close to game time I will return to my fair and balanced statistical analysis. This time, however, it is time for the third and final installment of the overall basketball season preview: a look at the schedule with wins and losses predicted. Remember, these are off the cuff, first impression predictions.

Our Time is Now

11/13 vs. Call State Northridge - W - This is the first of the, "there is no excuse to lose this one" games. The Matadors were an NCAA tournament team a year ago. They lost virtually all of their scoring from a 15 seed. We're playing at home, tipping off the most anticipated basketball season in decades. If we're truly the #7 team in the country that equates to being a 2 seed. Therefore, we need to do what 2 seeds do to 15's.

11/20 vs. South Dakota State (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W - Another game that should be a win no matter what. The Jackrabbits are a lower tier Summit League team. Those teams do not win games against the top 10. It has the potential to be the biggest blowout of the year.

11/22 vs. Boston College or St. Joseph's (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W,W - Assuming we play the Eagles in game two of the tournament it will be our first true test of the season. They were our best non-conference victory last year in a 7-point victory that came at Madison Square Garden. They are now a year older and more experienced too. They have enough talent that this is not a mortal lock for a victory on a neutral floor. St. Joseph's was 17-15 last year, but did not get invited to any postseason tournament. That is saying something when Oregon State was 13-17, yet was invited to (and won) the College Basketball Invitational. Expect a tight game here against a pretty good Boston College team.

11/23 vs. DePaul, Northern Iowa, East Carolina, or Tennessee (U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam) - W, W, W, W - Of these four teams I think first Tennessee, then Northern Iowa is likely to meet us in the final. I think both will win their first round games, meaning we would have to lose to SDSU to play DePaul or East Carolina. That won't happen. Northern Iowa fought us hard in the first round of last year's NCAA's, but their two best players in Adam Koch and Jordan Eglseder are gone. Tennessee is probably the favorite to make it to the final, and playing them will be easier than Boston College. Sorry SEC, but you suck at basketball unless you are Kentucky (historically) or Florida (more recently). Both of those programs were down last year. I think I would fear the Tennessee women's program more. And yes, I know they are ranked 11^th. I don't care.

We're supposed to take this seriously? Would Matt Painter ever do this?

11/28 vs. Central Michigan - W - A 12-19 MAC has no chance of beating us in Mackey Arena unless we are bored or disinterested. Maybe Dan LeFevour will play and make it a game.

12/1 vs. Wake Forest - W - This is another test against a solid ACC team. Wake is always dangerous in the first half of the season, so we had best be careful. They usually don't fall apart until midway through the ACC season. I give you last year as an example. They started 16-0 and were ranked number one. They lost to Virginia Tech at home, dropped four of their following eight games, then got drilled in round one by... Cleveland State. I know the Vikings are a good team, but that was embarrassing for all major conference basketball teams.

12/5 vs. Buffalo - W - Though this kind of is our Wooden opponent since we moved Ball State to the game at Conseco, the Bulls are a better team. They were 21-12 last year and won the MAC regular season title. We still should win, but it will be closer than people think.

12/9 vs. Valparaiso - W - Mmmmmm, cupcakes. See the same explanation for Central Michigan. I will be excited to see how former Kokomo Wildkat Brandon Wood performs in his closest game to home.

12/12 at Alabama - W - If Alabama is worth anything they will be undefeated prior to this game. They play absolutely no one. We, however, will be battle tested already. This is either a trap game or one in which we exert our will.

12/19 vs. Ball State (Conseco Fieldhouse) - W - I admit, this is not the best game for the Wooden Tradition. We handled Ball State last year at Ball State and two years ago at Mackey. They are getting better, but they are not on the level where they can compete with top 10 teams yet.

12/22 vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville - W - Here is how major college basketball teams rank opponents on their level of worry based on name alone:

Toughest: State U.

City U. (or College)

Directional State U.

State (Hyphen) City U.

Easiest: Directional State (Hyphen) City U.

Need I say more?

12/29 at Iowa - W - There shouldn't be an 0-2 conference start this year. Not when we play the consensus worst team in the league to start. Road wins will be difficult in conference play this year. We have to get this easy one.

1/1 vs. West Virginia - W - They are #9 in the preseason poll, so all eyes will be on this one. Another key factor to remember here is that this is a Christmas break game. That means no Paint Crew. You hear me alumni? You had better step up and make Mackey loud on your own. If you don't want to cheer, don't come. Since this is a Big East team Digger will automatically pick the Mountaineers by 25. Since it is New Year's Day we might steal some headlines from the college football world too. This game got a little more interesting as incoming forward Deniz Kilicli was recently suspended for 20 games, including this one.

And you thought Bruce Pearl was poorly dressed.

1/5 vs. Minnesota - W - Just a tough first home game in conference play. I expect every game in the conference this year short of Iowa to be a war. The team that defends its home courts best will win the conference.

1/9 at Wisconsin - W - Can we do the unthinkable and win three straight at the Kohl Center? No Joe Krabbenhoft says yes.

1/12 vs. Ohio State - W - Playing them at Mackey gives me tons of confidence. We took two of three from them last year, dominating the second half in both wins. I like it even better if Robbie is healthy.

1/16 at Northwestern - L - I know what you're thinking. I haven't lost my mind. We could potentially be the #1 team in the country and lose to Northwestern. Think about it though. Basketball is about matchups. Northwestern is a HORRIBLE matchup for us. We didn't handle their trap in either game last year and would have been swept had they not choked the game away in Evanston. Their style of play negates all of our advantages because they want to extend every possession and they play all the passing lanes to disrupt offensive flow. That kills us at both ends of the floor.

1/19 at Illinois - W - This is a dangerous team, but I think we grit one out in Champaign after getting humbled a bit in Evanston.

1/23 vs. Michigan - W - It is all about defending the home court for this game and the next one. That is what the entire Big Ten season will come down to. Did you defend your home court?

1/28 vs. Wisconsin - W - Maybe one of the easier home wins, but that does not mean it is an easy one. Just easier.

1/31 vs. Penn State - W - This isn't the NIT, Nittany Lions.

2/4 at Indiana - W - If we don't win at Indiana this year it will be awhile before we do it again. They will be better, but they are still too young to be taken seriously.

2/9 at Michigan State - L - I am just fine with a split, Mr. Sparty. Let's just do that and decide everything in Indianapolis first at Conseco, then at Lucas Oil. Deal?

2/13 vs. Iowa - W - If we don't win this one we don't deserve to go to the NCAA Tournament, let alone win the Big Ten.

2/17 at Ohio State - W - What is the only Big Ten basketball venue that Purdue has never won in? Value City Arena on the campus of Ohio State. We're due.

2/20-21 vs. Illinois - W - Defend the home court.

2/24 at Minnesota - L - I don't like this game and we're due for a late season stumble. The questions will arise, just before we get home and get ready for a tournament roll.

2/27-28 vs. Michigan State - W - I expect this game to decide the Big Ten regular season title. Anything less would be a shock. I have us with three losses at this point. I think someone will get MSU a couple of times before this game, so they won't be unbeaten in conference.

3/2-3-4 vs. Indiana - W - If we control our own destiny in the Big Ten there is no <expletive deleted> we lose to Indiana on Senior day.

3/6-7 at Penn State - W - If we control our own destiny in the Big Ten there is no <expletive deleted> we lose to Penn State. Not when we lost a close game playing with a six man team there last year (no Kramer or Hummel).

So yeah, I have us going 27-3 and winning at least a share of the Big Ten with a 15-3 conference record. It is a good thing we do not have to go to Michigan. Playing a horrible matchup for us like Northwestern once is also very good. Michigan State has the bad luck of getting Indiana (generally only better than Iowa) just once and they must go to Bloomington for that game. Their other one play team is Ohio State.

What do you readers think? Other predictions?

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

Spreading the Wealth: The Conferences and 2009 Exempt Events

Chris Dobbertean — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:50:53 -0000

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Mark Fox's Georgia team is one of the four from a BCS conference who won't participate in an exempt event in 2009-10. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Browse more photos »

You may remember the bad old days. You know, the long forgotten days of the early 21st century. The time when the NCAA, in an ill-fated attempt to get more teams involved in early season events, implemented the "two-in-four" rule. In this dark age, teams were limited to participating in only two multi-team events in a four-year period. (Unless, of course, they had previous contracts. Then they could compete in three in a four-year period.)

Tournament promoters, wanting to stay in business, naturally fought this in court and won. In this Andy Katz ESPN.com story from before the 2003-04 season, there's a telling statistic about how the rule impacted the number of events.

"Last season was the turning point," said Bill Markovits, attorney for the plaintiffs. "The judge was looking to see what would happen and he saw what we predicted, and that was a decrease in output and quality of events."

Markovits said the NCAA certified 28 exempted events for the 2002-03 season, but only 17 were able to go forward. The other 11 events weren't able to fill their fields with eligible teams. As a result, the number of exempt games decreased from 251 in 2001-02 to 144 last season. There were 25 exempted events in the 2001-02 season.

The reason for the decline in events is simple. Schools with bigger fanbases (read, BCS schools) are obviously going to be the main draws for exempt events. As much as I'd like to see more schools from non-BCS leagues in these tournaments, I do understand that if you cut down on the pool of schools that can be invited on an annual basis in half (which is what the two-in-four rule did), you will soon run out of teams that will sell seats at events. Certain events, like the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic and CBE (then Guardians) Classic, tweaked their formats to meet the rule and were able to survive. Others weren't so lucky.

Join me after the jump for more about how the market for exempt events is just a little bit different six years after the decision striking down the two-in-four rule and three years past the NCAA's legislated more flexible scheduling rules.

Before we look at exempt events, here's Men's Division I basketball scheduling for Dummies. The NCAA lets teams play 29 regular season games. However, schools can up that number to 30 or 31 by playing in an exempt event (27 single regular season games, plus 3 or 4 in the event).

A team can play in a single exempt event each season., unless it decides to not use this exemption. Nicholls State is actually doing this in 2009-10 to participate in both the Great Alaska Shootout and the round-robin WorldVision Basketball Classic.

On the flip side, a team cannot participate in the same event more than once in five years. ESPN has brilliantly set up five such events (San Juan, Charleston, Disney World, Disneyland, and Honolulu), so a team can have their five separate appearances all occur on the ESPN networks. For example, this year's San Juan field includes three teams (George Mason, Kansas State, and Villanova) that played at Disney World in 2007.

Remember that there were only 17 exempt events in 2002-03, back in the bad old days of the two-in-four rule. This year we have 29 exempt events. There are 20 that feature anywhere from 6 to 16 teams. Some of these are three-game elimination tournaments, others are some sort of round-robin, while still others have games on campus sites, followed by elimination games on neutral sites. There are also 9 tournaments that feature 4 or 5 teams. These are exclusively round-robin to get each team 3 or 4 games.

So, with 12 extra events on the schedule, there should be more opportunities for schools from both BCS schools and mid- and low-major conferences, right?

Let's see what the numbers tell us.

There are 348 teams in Division I this year, including transitional schools. Of these, 212 are participating in an exempt event. That's a shade under 61 percent. Note that the true number of participants is actually 213 because of Nicholls State double-dipping. There's an odd number of participants because the West Coast Classic features 5 teams in its round-robin. Four Division II schools are participating in Division I exempt events this season, with two--Alaska-Anchorage and Chaminade--hosting; however, they aren't included in this analysis.

While 61 percent is a good number, there isn't a ton of equality between the different levels of schools in Division I.

Let's start by looking at the 73 teams in the six BCS conferences. A staggering 94.5 percent of these (69) are going to participate in an exempt event this season. The only four who won't are the ACC's Wake Forest, Georgetown and Seton Hall from the Big East, and Georgia from the SEC. None of the 69 schools are in an event where they haven't been selected to participate in the marquee matchups at the final site. Additionally, only five BCS schools--Oregon, Oregon State, Providence, Texas Tech, Washington--are in round-robin events. The Beavers are the only BCS team who will play in a round-robin event that they aren't hosting.

Next, we'll look at the non-BCS conferences. In terms of grouping these leagues, I've divided them into two tiers. The first tier includes 11 conferences who have dstinguished themselves in the NCAA tournament over the past few years either through obtaining multiple bids or the performance of individual teams. These conferences are the A-10, CAA, C-USA, Horizon, MAAC, MVC, MWC, Southern, Sun Belt, WAC, and West Coast. There are 110 teams in these 11 leagues and 71 of them (64.5%) will participate in exempt events this year.

21 of these 110 teams will take part in tournaments where they're expected to be easy wins for the power conference schools (and not feature in the marquee matchups at the final site--with the exception being the NIT Season Tip-Off). Duquesne, among the preseason favorites in the Atlantic 10, is the most noteworthy of this group. They're participating in the CBE Classic, where they won't have a chance to win the title, even if they win at Iowa in the tournament's early rounds.

Of these 11 conferences, the Mountain West did the best in terms of getting its teams into exempt events. Eight of the nine MWC members will participate in one, with Air Force being the only exception. Other noteworthy teams from these conferences who won't participate in an exempt event this season include New Mexico State, Southern Illinois, UTEP, and VCU.

The 14 15 remaining conferences (need to include the new Great "West") and independents form the third group-- the one least attractive to organizers. These are leagues that--more often than not--don't win games in the NCAA Tournament. There are 156 teams in these leagues and only about 43 percent of them (67) will participate in exempt events this season. A bit more than half of these 67, 39 in fact, will not be able to participate in the marquee games in their events (except for the NIT again). A further 19 of the 67 will participate in a round-robin event. That means only 9 of the 67 participants from this level are in an event where they have a legitimate chance at winning the title. Those lucky schools are Boston University, Brown, Howard, IUPUI, Long Beach State, Nicholls State, South Dakota State, and Western MIchigan--though in the case of the Brown Bears, the strange Philly Hoop Group format may limit their actual chance for the trophy.

In closing, the fact there are only a handful of power conference schools not participating in an event this season means that we've probably reached a saturation point in terms of exempt events. Since organizers are likely to invite at least four name schools to an eight-team event, there's probably only room on the schedule for one, perhaps two more such tournaments. And when you consider how congested sports television is during late November, there may not be the broadcast opportunities needed to make such an event profitable.

I guess we college hoops fans will have to be satisfied with 29 exempt events and not 30 or 31.

Now that I've talked numbers, I'll be back during the weekend with a more in-depth look at this year's major exempt tournaments.