Ray Floriani of College Chalktalk is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

EAST ORANGE , NJ -  The conference play started on Thursday with Marist visiting Fairfield. With everyone having roughly seven games in the book it is time to look at the conference from a tempo-free angle. Again thanks to BBstate.com for making this information possible and easy to obtain. When conference play heats up in January we will look at the figures from a conference games only perspective. For now all games are considered.  Efficiency is points per possession multiplied by 100. Siena at 101 actually averages 1.01 points per possession. On the other end the Saints allow .91 points per possession, a nice defensive figure.  At this point the conference average pace is 70.3 possessions per game. A fast pace, largely the result of different matchups and opposite playing styles. Expect that figure to hit the sixties in league play.

Standings (through 12/3)

Player of the Week. Julius Coles (G), Canisius – Averaged 26.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in non-league wins over Howard and Buffalo. On the week Coles shot 54% from the floor and 50% from three.

Rookie of the Week. Derek Needham (G), Fairfield – Needham’s week was highlighted by a 13 point, 7 assist performance in a win at American.

A Tempo Free Look… (through 12/3)

Conference Notes.

• The ’10 Old Spice Classic field has been announced. The eight team tournament played in Orlando is sponsored by the MAAC . The conference representative next year will be Manhattan. The Jaspers will be joined  by Boston College, California, Georgia, Notre Dame, Temple, Texas A & M and Wisconsin. Florida State won the recently completed edition of the Classic, edging Marquette in the final.
• The MAAC is one of the conferences where members play two league games before the new year. Conference play began on Thursday with Fairfield defeating Marist 70-61 at the arena at Harbor Yards. Anthony Johnson of Fairfield led the way with 15 points. Marist trailed at the half 29-25 and led by one with just over 8 minutes remaining. The Stags then went on a run to seal the contest. A bright spot for Marist was 7 of 14 shooting beyond the arc.

Team Breakdowns.

• Canisius – The win over Buffalo was the first for the Griffs over their city rival in 5 years. Canisius rallied from 10 points down and it was the first time they came back from a halftime deficit to win since March 7, 2008. Senior guard Frank Turner won the game with a runner in the lane with 1.5 seconds remaining.
• Fairfield – Yorel Hawkins came back from preseason surgery to lead the Stags twice in scoring averaging 17 ppg. The Stags block 6.4 shots per outing and are considered one of the conference’s top defensive units. The chart above confirms Fairfield’s work on the defensive end. The 92 defensive efficiency equates to a .92 points per possession for Stag opposition.
• Iona - The Gaels finished 1-2 at the Old Spice Classic. They dropped a 54-49 opener to eventual champion Florida State. The next game was an overtime loss to Baylor before rebounding with a 63-55 triumph over Creighton. Iona began their matchup with Florida State at the free throw line as the Seminoles were assessed for dunking in warm-ups. Sophomore guard Jermel Jenkins and freshman forward Mike McFadden were consistent performers through the three games at Old Spice.
• Loyola (MD) – The Greyhounds defeated Dartmouth 58-41 on the road. The 41 points were the lowest allowed since February of 1984 when the Greyhounds held Marist to 41. Back then both schools were ECAC Metro Conference (later Northeast Conference) members.  Dartmouth was limited to one field goal and a single free throw in the final 12 minutes of the contest. After having one game in a week, Loyola faced a four game stretch in eight days prior to exams.
• Manhattan – Battle of the Bronx went to the Jaspers  68-44 in the 102^nd meeting with rival Fordham. Manhattan opened the week with a 73-66 victory over Florida Atlantic, coached by former St. John’s mentor Mike Jarvis. Sandwiched between the Florida Atlantic and Fordham wins was a nice road victory at American. Antoine Pearson (16 points on 6 of 8 shooting) earned the John ’Doc’ Johnson MVP award in the ‘Battle of the Bronx’. Jamal Crawford was instrumental in the win at AU with a 26 point, 6 board outing.
• Marist – The young Red Fox club is in the midst of a long road swing. Marist’s first 6 games were scheduled away from the McCann Center. The long road and youth are two of the reasons for the team’s struggles. The three leading scorers, Candon Rusin (10.7), Rob Johnson (10.0) and Sam Prescott (9.0), are freshmen. Marist opened the MAAC schedule dropping a competitive meeting at Fairfield (see highlights). The tempo free chart shows the Red Foxes are struggling at both ends of the floor, but especially on the offensive end.
• Niagara – The Purple Eagles ended a stretch with 6 of 7 on the road. They defeated Mt. St. Mary’s and lost to Akron both away from the Gallagher Center’s friendly confines. Good news for Niagara was the return of Tyrone Lewis. He came off the bench and led the purple Eagles in scoring both games. Lewis made 10 threes and moved into second place on the school’s all-time list in that category. Just a thought. If there was a three back then where would Calvin Murphy have finished ?
• Rider – Broncs were 1-3 at the Cancun Challenge with the lone win over Florida A & M. Ryan Thompson and Justin Robinson earned Mayan Division All-Tournament honors at Cancun. Exotic locale aside, Lawrenceville is home. Rider returned to their ‘Broncs zoo’ to earn victories over Binghamton and St. Joe’s. That’s 25 victories in their last 29 games at their campus facility.
• St. Peter’s – They had three players in double figures.  Jeron Belin scored a career high 22 points. It was not enough as the Peacocks dropped a 77-71 decision at LIU. John Dunne’s club bounced back to defeat Lafayette on the road. Belin, as well as teammates Ryan Bacon, Wesley Jenkins and Nick Leon give St. Peter’s four solid players capable of hitting double figures on a given night.
• Siena – The Saints split at the Philadelphia Hoop Group Classic defeating Brown and Delaware while losing competitive contests to Temple and undefeated St. John’s. They faced former mentor Paul Hewitt on Wednesday in a 74-61 loss at Georgia Tech. The much anticipated  ‘Battle of Albany’ is Saturday as Fran McCafferey’s club hosts Albany of the America East. Ronald Moore continues solid play at the lead guard spot.  Moore averaged 8.2 assists per game through the first five games, including 11 against Brown, a game he played with an ankle injury.

Upcoming Games.

Saturday Dec 5

• Albany at Siena

Sunday Dec 6

• Manhattan at Canisius
• Fairfield at St.Peter’s
• Loyola at Niagara
• Marist at Rider

Monday Dec 7

• Siena at Iona

Wednesday Dec 9

• Holy Cross at Fairfield
• Manhattan at Hofstra
• Buffalo at Niagara
• LaSalle at Rider

Saturday Dec  12

• Siena at Northern Iowa

Matt Poindexter is a regular RTC contributor.

Predicted Order of Finish:

East

1. Western Kentucky (17-1)
2. Troy (14-4)
3. Middle Tennessee (11-7)
4. Florida Atlantic (6-12)
5. South Alabama (5-13)
6. Florida International (2-16)

West

1. North Texas (15-3)
2. Denver (12-6)
3. Arkansas-Little Rock (11-7)
4. Louisiana-Lafayette (9-9)
5. Louisiana-Monroe (8-10)
6. Arkansas State (5-13)
7. New Orleans (2-16)

All-Conference Team:

• A.J. Slaughter (G) – Western Kentucky
• Nate Rohnert (G) – Denver
• Desmond Yates (F) – Middle Tennessee
• Rudy Turner (F) – Louisiana-Monroe
• Jeremy Evans (C) – Western Kentucky

6th Man: Brandon Hazzard (G) – Troy

Impact Newcomer: Isiah Thomas. Usually, this is where we pick out the best incoming freshman or transfer in the conference. But for the first time in a very long time, people are paying attention to a Sun Belt team in a month that is not March. One can’t be sure if Isiah’s hiring at FIU will be a huge boon for the conference in terms of exposure, or if his actions will make him a white elephant, but his impact will be unparalleled either way. As far as on the court, New Orleans guard Billy Humphrey, a transfer who averaged 12.2 PPG for Georgia before being dismissed from the team following a DUI, is the most proven and highest rated player to make a Sun Belt debut in 2009-10.

What You Need to Know:

• If you’re going to pick out guy to win Player of the Year, it has to be WKU’s A.J. Slaughter. He probably would have won the honors in 08-09, but his teammate Orlando Mendez-Valdez overshadowed him. Now that Mendez-Valdez has graduated, expect Slaughter to outshine everyone else in the Sun Belt.
• For the past two years, Western Kentucky has been the team to beat in the Sun Belt. In 2008 and 2009, they won the conference tournament and went on to NCAA tournament upsets, beating a #5 seed each year in Drake and Illinois. If not for poor free throw shooting, the Hilltoppers very well could have claimed a victory over Gonzaga in last year’s tournament to go to the Sweet 16.
• Isiah Thomas isn’t the only one who has moved out of a powerful program and into a Sun Belt coaching position.  John Brady, coach at LSU during their 2006 Final Four run, is now at Arkansas State and Mike Jarvis helmed the St. John’s program prior to his current job at Florida Atlantic. North Texas’ Johnny Jones was the last coach (for one season) at Memphis before some guy named Calipari took over.

Predicted Champion. Western Kentucky (NCAA Seed:  #11). Since North Texas made a run and won the conference tournament in 2007, it has been WKU all the way in the Sun Belt. Even though conference Player of the Year Mendez-Valdez is no longer with the Hilltoppers, the return of guard A.J. Slaughter should mean that the conference championship trophy stays in Bowling Green for another year. Couple that with the increased inside presence of WKU center Jeremy Evans and the fact that they return 4 starters from last year, and there’s no reason to bet against the Hilltoppers.

Top Contenders:

• Though North Texas finished with only an 11-7 in conference record last year, they return five starters from that team to this squad, all of whom will be seniors or juniors this year. That superior experience should be enough to vault the Mean Green to the top of the Sun Best West. However, North Texas lacks something the Hilltoppers have — a go-to guy that can control the game down the stretch. Unless someone steps up in Denton, the Mean Green will be at a loss in close, end of game situations.
• Troy has a proven game changer that should be able to match Slaughter shot for shot in senior guard Brandon Hazzard. On top of that, they won 14 conferences games last year and return three players that played more than 20 minutes a game. The problem is that Troy lost both of last year’s frontcourt starters, including 7-foot rebounding and blocking extraordinaire Tom Jervis. Without any height, players like Middle Tennessee’s Desmond Yates, and the stable of forwards at WKU will have a field day with Troy’s defense.

Top 5 RPI Boosters:

• Nov. 11, 2009 – Florida International at North Carolina (7 pm ESPNU)
• Nov. 17, 2009 – Louisiana-Monroe at Oklahoma  (7 pm)
• Nov. 20, 2009 - Troy at Florida  (7 pm)
• Dec. 19, 2009 – Western Kentucky at Louisville  (4 pm ESPN2)
• Dec. 23, 2009 – Louisiana-Lafayette at Louisville (7 pm)

Key Conference Games:

• Jan. 14, 2010 – North Texas at Troy
• Jan. 21, 2010 – Western Kentucky at Troy
• Jan. 28, 2010 – North Texas at Western Kentucky
• Feb. 13, 2010 – Denver at North Texas
• Feb. 16, 2010 - Troy at Western Kentucky

Digging Deeper. These days, the Sun Belt almost always sends a single team to the NCAA Tournament, and that team inevitably has a seed in the double digits. However, in 1977, the first year of the Sun Belt’s existence, they sent a team to the Final Four and almost to the national title game. UNC Charlotte lost to eventual champion Marquette 51-49, led by future NBA finals MVP Cedric “Cornbread” Maxwell. To date, no Sun Belt team has been able to match the success UNCC had in their first year.

Fun With KenPom.  Three Sun Belt teams had really interesting profiles last year in terms of the differences between offensive and defensive efficiency.  Troy (14-4) and North Texas (11-7) were competitive teams who won with offense – their difference in terms of ranking between offensive and defensive efficiencies were off the charts – Troy was #90 in offense and #296 in defense, for a difference of 206.  North Texas was #86/#271 for a difference of 185.  Conversely, Arkansas-Little Rock (15-3) was a good defensive team but not such a great offensive one.  They rated at #220 on offense and #96 on defense, for a difference of 124 spots.  It goes to show that successful teams in this conference can use different way to achieve the same results. 

NCAA Tournament History.  The Sun Belt has revitalized itself in the NCAA Tourney the last two years behind Western Kentucky’s three wins, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2008.  Before that, you have to go back to 1995 to find a win by the league in the Big Dance (WKU again).  And you need to go back even further to find another school winning a game (1992 – Louisiana-Lafayette).  The bulk of the conference’s 24 wins (24-48, .333) came in the 80s, though, with teams like UAB and VCU joining WKU on runs to the S16 and generally carrying what was then a much stronger league. 

Final Thoughts. This year, the Sun Belt might be one of the best mid-major conferences to follow this year. On the court, North Texas’ experience should create a real threat for Western Kentucky’s talent. Of all the non-BCS conferences, the Sun Belt is bound to receive more media attention than any other, thanks to the Isiah Thomas Traveling Roadshow. Most importantly, if WKU can make it through the conference tournament unscathed, expect them to be the most popular upset pick in the first round of March Madness.

You may remember Mr. Thomas (not to be confused with the mercurial rising star Isaiah Thomas from the Washington Huskies) from his days as a player at Indiana (national champs in ’81), or as a Detroit Piston (world champs in ’89 and ’90), or as a relatively successful Indiana Pacers coach, or his most recent disastrous stint as team president and coach for the New York Knicks.  If Thomas actually takes this coaching position, he’ll join other Sun Belt retreads John Brady (LSU to Arkansas St.) and Mike Jarvis (St. John’s to Florida Atlantic) as coaches with the uncanny ability to turn water to vomit in the blink of an eye.  Somewhere Stephen A. Smith, Bill Simmons and Will Leitch all began independently yet simultaneously typing in unison. 

The problem with Thomas in New York was his utter incompetence in the ability to successfully put a team together (well, that and the sexual assault thing).  He seemed to believe that having fifteen me-first guards on the roster was a healthy concoction, and the thought of him getting to craft and coach his own team of players in the combustible environment of Miami should break all kinds of blogosphere records throughout his tenure there. 

On its face, this job makes absolutely no sense unless Thomas is now importing packages through South Florida from Bolivia and he wants to keep a close eye on his product.  He has absolutely no college coaching experience whatsoever, and the truth is that he still could have gotten a bigger ‘name’ job had he heretofore shown any interest.  Additionally, why wouldn’t he wait for another NBA opening?  He may be damaged goods in many fans’ eyes, but that’s never stopped stupidity in the form an NBA GM before.  At least Thomas would still be in his comfort zone, though.  We can already envision Thomas trying to sell an unsuspecting mother of some 16-year old prodigy on the virtues of FIU Basketball, with his snakeskin shoes and 100-watt smile beaming across the room. 

Come to think of it, maybe this will make for a good fit after all. 

Final Results Are In

A couple things were expected.  And a lot was not.  WKU sitting out the first round is no shocker.  UALR atop the West was expected as well.  But MTSU was expected to do a lot better.  Additionally,  who would have “thunk” that head coaches Mike Jarvis and John Brady would finish at the bottom of their respective divisions and as 12th and 13th seeds?  Wow.  Lastly, how does Troy, a team that actually was picked to finish in the basement, obtain a first round bye and sit all alone in second in the East?  Weird wild stuff!  And, of course, why we all love the sport of basketball.  Anything can happen on any given night.  And especially over the course of a season.  Troy has a decent shot at making it to the finals given they can get past UALR.  But WKU will prove a tall order.  The Trojans lost both regular season games to the Toppers.

All Sun Belt Team Announced

No surprises here.  With a rash of injuries to key early season picks such as Carlos Monroe, Alex Galindo and Russell Hicks, there are a couple fresh faces on the final listing for the most prestigious 1st Team, and individual awards:

• Shane Edwards, UALR (SR, F)
• Nate Rohnert, Denver (JR, G/F)
• Desmond Yates, Middle Tennessee (JR, F)
• Brandon Hazzard, Troy (JR, G)
• Orlando Mendez-Valdez, WKU (SR, G)

Player of the Year:  Orlando Mendez-Valdez, WKU
Coach of the Year:  Don Maestri, Troy

Bracketology

Minus the eventual tournament winner, it is highly unlikely that a SBC Team, outside of possibly WKU, would be considered for an at-large.  And even then, they would seemingly have to get to the finals and lose to the likes of UALR by 1 point.  Regardless, most sources have them favored to win it.  Although we picked UALR at the start of the season, that was before Steven Moore got the boot, leaving the Trojans without their top scorer when they make the short drive to Hot Springs on March 8th.  Now it looks even to us that WKU is poised to take it all, and solely represent the SBC in The Big Dance.

It’s Tournament Time!

Action gets underway tonight with seeds 4 through 13 going head to head on the host team’s home courts.  All times are time zone specific.

• 7:00 PM – No. 13 Florida Atlantic at No. 4 North Texas (Denton, TX)
• 7:00 PM – No. 12 Arkansas State at No. 5 Middle Tennessee (Murfreesboro, TN)
• 7:30 PM – No. 9 Florida International at No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette (Lafayette, LA)
• 7:30 PM – No. 11 New Orleans at No. 6 South Alabama (Mobile, AL)
• 8:00 PM – No. 10 Louisiana-Monroe at No. 7 Denver (Denver, CO)

From there, it’s on to Hot Springs, AR, for the final three rounds.

Rohnert Seals Two Quality Wins  for the Pioneers

Denver’s recent streak of bad luck in close games came to an end last weekend against East with a 78-74 win at home over Western Kentucky.  The Hilltoppers pulled within two points in the final minute last Saturday, but Denver’s Brian Stafford connected on a bounce pass to cutting teammate Nate Rohnert for a backdoor layup. This put the Pioneers up by four points with 13 seconds left to finish off the Toppers.  WKU saw its four game winning streak come to an end.    On their next outing, Rohnert struck again, scored 12 points, and made the game-winning basket with five seconds left to lead the Pioneers to a 56-54 victory over South Alabama at Magness Arena.  “We’ve been playing well every game for the past three weeks, but tonight at those critical moments we made the shots and didn’t turn the ball over…I thought our big turning point could be a win on the road, but why can’t it be beating the class of our conference at home?”, said Denver Coach Joe Scott.

Troy Exceeding Expectations

When you think of the East, you think Western Kentucky.  Middle Tennessee.  South Alabama.  But Troy?  Yep, the Trojans are in a dog fight for the top spot in the East and have far exceeded pre-season expectations on all levels and are off to the best start in league play since joining the Sun Belt.  The success comes as a shock since Troy lost all five starters from last season’s 12-19 squad and was picked by the league’s coaches to finish last in the division.

Jarvis Whacked With Three Technicals

After an errant out of bounds call under the basket where the referee awarded  the Louisiana-Monroe the ball, FAU head coach Mike Jarvis could not contain his frustration.  The FAU bench was immediately hit with a technical for vocal objection (which may have been him).  Jarvis, who continued to protest, was then hit with three successive technical fouls on his own.  As a result, FAU suspended Jarvis for it’s next game versus John Brady’s squad – which was billed to be the leagues most high profile coaching match-up at the start of the season.

Tidbits from Around the League

• Florida International has been whacked by the injury bug yet once again. Florida State transfer Josue Soto (thumb) and preseason all-conference center Russell Hicks (stress fracture) finally returned to action but then star freshman center Freddy Asprilla (back spasms) then missed the last two games. Currently, Asprilla leads the Sun Belt in rebounding .
• New Orleans beat MTSU, 69-65, Saturday despite having only seven scholarship players and one walk-on available. Point guard Darrian McKinstry, second in the league in steals, has been suspended for the second time in less than a month.
• Florida Atlantic saw its losing streak grow to a concerning 13 games at the  hands of poor shooting, dropping yet another to the Trojans of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock by a final score of  59-66.  The Owls are down to eight scholarship due to injuries and academic problems.  Preseason all-conference forward Carlos Monroe is expected to miss at least another week due to a chronic heel problem.
• Arkansas State forward Eric McKinney, who leads the SBC in blocks per game,  was suspended indefinitely for missing the second half of a recent 60-57 loss to MTSU.  According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, McKinney ripped off his jersey in reaction to being benched by John Brady late in the first half.   He did not return to the bench after the half time break.  Brady said McKinney could return to the team if he meets a certain set of criteria.

That’s the Stat Jack

• The Denver Pioneers, despite their recent quality home wins, have lost 40 straight on the road.  Ouch!

Game of the Week

• Sat, Feb 7th    South Alabama @ Western Kentucky    1:00PM CST    ESPN

]]> http://rushthecourt.net/2009/01/30/checking-in-on-the-sun-belt-6/feed/ 0 http://rushthecourt.net/2009/01/16/checking-in-on-the-sun-belt-5/ http://rushthecourt.net/2009/01/16/checking-in-on-the-sun-belt-5/#comments Sat, 17 Jan 2009 02:07:29 +0000 rtmsf http://rushthecourt.net/?p=3826 Rick Henderson of The Owl’s Nest is the RTC correspondent for the Sun Belt Conference.

Toppers Move into Two-way Tie for First

We pegged University of Arkansas-Little Rock and Middle Tennessee as the teams to beat this season, and thus far, that is the case.  However, Middle Tennessee was defeated last night by the Hilltoppers in a nail biter 61-63.  Steffphon Pettigrew’s offensive rebound and subsequent put back with four seconds remaining sealed it for WKU.  Unbelievably, the Blue Raiders have not won at Diddle Arena since 1977.

Bi-Polar Pioneers

Denver, who was red hot as of late, has recently become ice cold; dropping four of their last five.  Most recently, Collin Dennis of North Texas scored 14 points and the Mean Green rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat Denver 69-62.  Just for the math challenged, that is a 28 point swing.  Yikes!

Aspirilla Starting to Shine

Florida International rookie center Freddie Asprilla dominated the paint against two of the Sun Belt Conference’s top programs last week. First, he scored a career- and team-high 21 points when FIU snapped a six-game losing streak in an 81-79 upset victory over the Western Kentucky. But then Asprilla  picked up his 7th double-double in points and rebounds, in the last nine games, with 10 points and 12 rebounds on the road at Florida Atlantic. Asprilla has a near double-double average of 13.0 points and 8.5 boards each time out, and leads the SBC in rebounding.

Owls Continue What Could be a Record Slide

FAU can’t buy a win lately.  The Owls are on an 0-9 stretch going all the way back to their last win against Southeastern Louisiana on December 13th, 2008.  FAU has played a ridiculous 12 games on the road; while only having 6 at home.  If this keeps up, Mike Jarvis will enjoy his worst season as a Division I head basketball coach, since going 14-15 with St. John’s in 2000-2001.

Tidbits From Around the League

Middle Tennessee’s Brandon Davis scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead MTSU to a 90-57 rout of Louisiana-Monroe recently.

Kyndall Dykes scored 23 points to lead New Orleans in a 77-56 win over Loyola-New Orleans on Monday night.  The Privateers lead the whole way, and a 23-9 first half run put the game out of reach.  UNO has been a bit of a surprise story this year given the scoring losses they faced after last season with the departure of Bo McCalebb.

Junior guard Donald Boone led Arkansas State with a 25.5 points per game average in his last two starts, while shooting an impressive 62 percent (18-29) from the floor and 70 percent (7-10) from beyond the arc.

Rick Henderson of The Owl’s Nest is the RTC correspondent for the Sun Belt Conference.

No Sweep for Trio

The talented trio of newcomer Head Coaches John Brady, Mike Jarvis, and Ken McDonald fared differently in first contests with thier programs.  Mike Jarvis (Florida Atlantic) gained his first victory as the Owls defeated Monmouth to open the season, while John Brady (Arkansas State) and Ken McDonald (Western Kentucky) dropped contests to  Houston and Ole Miss, respectively.

UNO Happy to be Back “Home”

New Orleans will take the court this season in a quite impressive Lake Front Arena now that rennovations are complete from the heavy damage that was caused by Hurricane Katrina.  “This is something that has us up to date with the rest of the top college basketball programs,” said Head Coach Joe Pasternack.

Middle Tennessee Pegged by SI.com

Sports Illustrated has the Blue Raiders ranked amongst the Top 10 mid-major powers in a recent article, where they enjoy the company of Gonzaga, Creighton, and Davidson.  “Five returning starters have chances to make early statements with games against Vanderbilt and Tennessee,” said Bill Trocchi of The Mid Major Report.

Carlos Monroe, Steven Moore out Indefinitely

Mike Jarvis’ roster experienced a set back recently when Florida Atlantic announced that All-SBC and potential player of the year power foward Carlos Monroe would not be eligible to begin regular season play.  The ruling stems from a spring semester academic issue.  University administration is working diligently to restore his eligibility.

University of Arkansas-Little Rock sharpshooter Steven Moore has been suspended indefinitely due to conduct detrimental to the team.  This is a blow for the Trojans given the fact that Smith drained 42 three pointers; an impressive 43.3%, and third best in the Sun Belt last season.

Busy Early Signing Period for The Belt

November 12th marked the first day of the early signing period, and SBC programs wasted no time landing some talented newcomers.  Middle Tennessee inked five, Florida Atlantic three, and Western Kentucky, who is believed to have the top class, signed three as well.  “The recent success of Sun Belt teams in the postseason is certainly helping the Conference as a whole in recruiting”, said said Jerry Myer, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

Recent Results

Sun Belt Conference teams are doing fairly well (11-10, .524%) so far against non-conference competition. Teams have taken on the likes of mid-major and major powers including Pepperdine, N.C. State, Arizona, Oklahoma State, Houston, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Preaseason All-SBC North Texas point guard Josh White had an impressive 23 points in an 100-88 loss at Oklahoma State on Monday, while Florida Atlantic guard Paul Graham scored a game high 23 in the Owls’ loss to Arizona.

Upcoming Games of Note

Middle Tennessee will host the Tennessee Volunteers, currently ranked 14th nationally, this Friday, November 21st, in Murfreesboro.  The game is scheduled to air live on College Sports Southeast (CSS) beginning at 7:00 CST.

Florida Atlantic, just off two games in the desert against Arizona and Santa Clara, will take on Davidson and Stephen Curry on Monday, November 24th.

The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky will take on a very talented Louisville squad Sunday, November 30th at 2:00PM EST in Louisville.

The Preseason NIT, the Granddaddy of all the Preseason Tourneys, begins tonight, with all sixteen teams in action at four regional pods (Chestnut Hill, MA; W. Lafayette, IN; Norman, OK; Tucson, AZ).  Unlike many of the D2 and whatever-else teams thrown into the pods of the CvC last week, the PNIT at least uses all D1 teams for its sacrificial lambs.  A new feature is that each of the sixteen teams was seeded, although we’re not sure how BC and Arizona ended up with protected seeds over Davidson (also, why isn’t #1 Purdue playing #16 Miss. Valley St., and #2 v. #15, etc.?).  We suppose BC fans would buy more tickets in Manhattan next week?  Whichever.   Below is the regional bracket, and our thoughts and picks follow.

Best first-round game. #8 St. John’s v. #9 Cornell.  You don’t think that Big Red is looking forward to sticking it to their Big East brethren to the south?  Click here if you don’t believe us.  These two NY teams have never played, but we’re thinking that Cornell will ride its three-point shooting to the upset win in Chestnut Hill tonight.

Other Upset Possibilities. Keep an eye on these two games in the Tucson regional:

• #3 Arizona v. #15 Florida Atlantic.  Nobody has a clue how Arizona is going to respond to all of its turmoil from the offseason, or whether half of its players will even be available tonight (apparently so), but if there’s one thing we’ve learned about college basketball and despite trite cliches to the contrary - adversity generally does NOT end well.  New FAU head coach Mike Jarvis knows how to coach up a team for one game, and this could be a rude awakening for Russ Pennell as a D1 coach.
• #7 UAB v. #11 Santa Clara. The recipe for an upset here is clear.  WCC talent is generally underrated.  This is a west-coast team playing an east-coast team in the Pacific time zone.  John Bryant inside the paint.  Robert Vaden may still be feeling the effects from his recent arrest hanging over his head (4 pts last game on 2-13 FGs).  UAB head coach Mike Davis has been known to lay an egg or two in his career.  UAB will have no answer for Santa Clara big man

Will MVSU Break 30? #2 Oklahoma v. #16 Mississippi Valley St. Knowing what we know about Oklahoma’s defense, and knowing also what we know about MVSU’s inability to score the basketball, we foresee something along the lines of 75-35 in this game.

They Should Roll. BC at home v. Loyola (MD).  Purdue at home vs. Eastern Michigan.  And Davidson in Norman vs. James Madison.  No way any of these three loses tonight.

Two Evenly Matched Bad Teams. #6 Georgia v. #10 Loyola (IL). Wow, the PNIT should commend itself for getting two Loyola into this tournament.  Was Loyola Marymount not available?  No further comment on this game, other than to say either team could win, and Purdue will blast said winner tomorrow night.

Regional Picks. We’ve got BC, Purdue, Davidson and Santa Clara (taking advantage of the FAU upset).  We really didn’t want to pick against Oklahoma at home, but then again, how do you justify picking against Stephen Curry?  If the Wildcats can contain Blake Griffin inside, they can win that game and head to MSG.

Enough with ESPNU!!!! Three of the four televised games tonight in this tournament are on the U.  Look, we understand why the games are on there.  But why not also put them on the ESPN Full Court package so that those of us held completely hostage by our cable companies can actually take advantage of those games as well?  We already pay for the FC service, so what possible harm could it do to expose more paying customers to your product?  Make us pay $10 if you like, but just give us access to it!

Rick Henderson of The Owl’s Nest is the RTC correspondent for the Sun Belt conference.

Predicted Order of Finish:

East

1. Middle Tennessee  (19-11, 13-5)
2. Western Kentucky  (18-11, 12-6)
3. South Alabama  (18-11, 11-7)
4. Florida Atlantic  (17-14, 10-8)
5. Florida International  (15 -16, 8-10)
6. Troy  (12-20, 5-13)

West

1. Arkansas-Little Rock  (17-9, 12-6)
2. North Texas  (16-13, 10-8)
3. Louisiana-Lafayette  (15-14, 10-8)
4. Arkansas State  (14-15, 8-10)
5. Denver  (12-17, 7-11)
6. Louisiana-Monroe  (15-14, 7-11)
7. New Orleans  (11-19, 4-14)

WYN2K.  The Belt took a step forward last season with the NCAA Tourney appearance of South Alabama, and the deep run of Western Kentucky into the Sweet 16, jumping from 17 to 14 in the RPI rankings.  Accordingly, recruiting is on the way up all around.  However, this year the final league standings should look different as both teams lose key contributors from last year’s roster (we’ll get to that later).  You can expect a couple games difference in parity within the final standings at season’s end.  Here are our preseason SBC All First Teamers and Player of the Year picks:

• Desmond Yates – MTSU
• Carlos Monroe – FAU  (Player of the Year)
• Josh White – NT
• Russell Hicks – FIU
• Brandon Davis – USA

Trio of new Head Coaches a big plus for the League.  The SBC welcomes the return of Mike Jarvis to the coaching ranks as the new Head Coach for the Fighting Owls of Florida Atlantic.  Jarvis boasts a conference best resume with 350 career wins and a myriad of post season tournament appearances – 9 NCAA and 5 NIT.  He is confident the Owls are a stock on the rise, having all but promised that they will make a return trip to The Big Dance in the very near future.  Jarvis is known for the development of NBA Hall of Fame player Patrick Ewing, and also coached a talented Ron Artest while at St John’s University. He has added a pair of nationally recognized prep guards to the already solid nucleus he inherits at FAU. PF Carlos Monroe (15.5 ppg, 9.8 rpg) will get some much needed double team help from this duo.  A little further north and west, John Brady joins The Sun Belt assuming the reins of the recently rebranded Arkansas State Redwolves program.  Brady enjoyed very successful tutelages with Samford (89 wins), and LSU (192 wins), where he led the Tigers all the way to The Final Four in 2006.  A heralded recruiter, Brady has coached an impressive 25 All TAAC (now The Atlantic Sun) and Southeastern Conference selections.  He hit the JUCO recruiting trail hard in the off-season, with four transfer signees heading to Jonesboro for the upcoming season.  Rounding out the trio of newcomers, Ken McDonald returns to Bowling Green to take over for the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky.  McDonald previously served as an Assistant Coach at WKU and most recently as the top assistant under Rick Barnes at the University of Texas.  He is a talented recruiter and was instrumental in the Longhorns signing of NBA draftees Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin.  McDonald will have his hands full though, as this year’s team will be without the services of Courtney Lee, who was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the first round of the NBA draft (22nd).
 
Predicted Champion. Arkansas-Little Rock (#13 Seed NCAA).  Bold pick?  Absolutely.  Realistic?  Definitely. Destiny?  Perhaps.  Here’s why:  The Trojans have finished atop the West Division in three of the last five years, but have never won the crown.  Unlike all other West Division teams (and even the East minus MTSU), all five starters return for UALR.  Couple this with a weaker East Division, and a potential homecourt advantage for the SBC Tournament and you have the makings of a championship.  Rest assured that someone will knock out one of the higher eastern seeds given its parity this season – paving the way for UALR.  The Sun Belt has gained much needed size all around this year, but UALR will display the truest balanced attack.  They will feature the league’s lone true big man down low in Ole Miss transfer Mike Smith 6-7, 295Lbs (52.9 FG%).  And that will be a big advantage (pun intended) along the way.  Joining him will be SG Steven Moore who should emerge even more this season after shooting a staggering 42-97 (43.3%) from downtown last season.  The clincher:  come March they can both click their heels like Dorothy, and say “there’s no place like home.”  Despite the fact that the SBC front office claims the tournament site is neutral this season, the championship will be played in Hot Springs, AR, which is 52 miles from UALR.  This virtually ensures them home court advantage during the SBC Tournament.
 
Others Considered.  They will be formidable opponents on a number of nights this season, but Western Kentucky has flat out lost too much: a whopping 60.3% of total offense, 59.2% of total assists, 50.3%  of total steals, and 39.6% of total rebounds.  A lot of this can be attributed to the departure of both SG Courtney Lee (20.4 ppg), and PG Tyrone Brazelton (14.4 ppg).  The same goes for South Alabama who must find backcourt answers for the losses of 1st Team All SBC guard Demetric Bennett (19.7 ppg), and 2nd Team All SBC guard Daon Merritt (11.5 ppg, 5.5 apg).  North Texas could be in the race for the West Division with the return of PG Josh White (13.9 ppg), but like the others considered, they face key losses with only two starters returning.  MTSU should be atop the East Division as season’s end, and does have talented returnees in both Desmond Yates (16.0 ppg) and Demetrius Green (12.5 ppg), but it’s a long drive to Hot Springs come tournament time. 
 
Games to Watch.  Traditional powers South Alabama and Western Kentucky will face off in a nationally televised contest that is sure to be entertaining.  The Deuce will also air the SBC Championship live:

• South Alabama @ Western Kentucky (02.07.09) 1:00PM ESPN2
• Sun Belt Conference Championship Game (03.10.09) 9:00PM ESPN2

RPI Booster Games.  Quite a few non-conference games could help elevate the SBC in the RPI standings this season.  SEC opponents are strewn throughout league schedules, as well as a few quality west coast opponents.  Winning these contests would certainly offer nudges here and there.  And some are winnable.  But upsetting the bad boys below would do some serious damage.  Are they winnable?  Probably not.  Cliché alert: That is why they play the game. Well, that and some guarantee money.  Without any further ado, please cue: “Facing the Giants.” 

• Florida Atlantic @ Arizona (11.17.08) 10:00PM
• Tennessee @ Middle Tennessee (11.21.08) 7:00PM
• Western Kentucky @ Louisville (11.30.08) 2:00PM

Odds of Multiple NCAA Bids.  Last year was a pleasant surprise, with both WKU and USA making the tourney.  If the West Division represents the SBC in The Big Dance, there is a long shot that an East Division top finisher could get in.  But it is highly unlikely and would take some serious non-conference results to convince the committee.

65 Team Era.  During the era, the Sun Belt is 13-34 (.277), but with WKU’s two additional wins last year, the Hilltoppers are responsible for seven of those wins and both of the conferences trips to the Sweet 16.  In fact, WKU is the only Sun Belt team to win an NCAA game in the past sixteen seasons (Louisiana-Lafayette won a game in 1992).  Seven times during this era has the Sun Belt gotten more than one team into the Dance, including last year’s duo of S. Alabama and W. Kentucky.  Speaking of which, who can forget what was arguably the (second) most exciting moment of the 2008 Tournament?

 
Final thought.  The SBC is one to two years away from making the climb back to where it was prior to adding football as a sponsored collegiate sport.  Serious recruiting classes have come in during the off-season.  It will be fun to watch some of the young talent begin to develop and blossom on the hardwood this upcoming season.

• Former Georgetown guard Jeremiah Rivers will transfer to Indiana (perhaps he sees immediate PT awaiting in 2009-10?).
• Who’s coming back? Memphis guard Antonio Anderson, Marquette guard Jerel McNeal and Alabama guard Alonzo Gee declared their intentions to return to school, ensuring that Memphis will have at least one starter back from its national runner-up team. One intriguing name who is still undecided, WVU’s Joe Alexander, described his daily routine in Vegas getting ready for the pre-draft camp.
• Speaking of which, the Orlando Pre-Draft Camp begins tomorrow. Here is the list of players invited.
• Frank Burlison at Scout.com has an interesting rumors/tidbits report on where players are likely to land in the NBA Draft – his most interesting takes were questioning Michael Beasley’s true size (6’8ish?) and Robin Lopez getting selected before his more accomplished brother, Brook.
• It’s official – Mike Jarvis will take over as the head man at Florida Atlantic.
• There will be no payout for Bill Duffy Associates, the agency allegedly supplying OJ Mayo with money through street agent urchin Rodney Guillory, as Mayo has “restructured” his inner circle by parting ways with his BDA agent, Calvin Andrews.
• Will the Class of 2008 produce far fewer 1-and-dones than the last two years?
• We always thought there was something bizarre about the NCAA F4 ticket-request process. Looks like we weren’t the only ones.
• We’ll end with Joakim Noah’s completely unsurprising evening in Gainesville Saturday night.