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Sports - College BasketballCollege Basketball Preview - Metro Atlantic Athletic ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: After such a successful 2008-09 season, Siena thinks it is about time to make an even bigger statement on a bigger stage and that's what the Saints are aiming for in 2009-10. Siena was just one of three programs in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference last season to finish better than .500 in league play and there's not much of a chance that that will change this time around. College Basketball Preview - Big East ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: The Big East Conference makes and the rest of the basketball world takes should be the theme for this league as it enters the 2009-10 campaign. Last season, the Big East sent both Connecticut and Villanova to the Final Four in Detroit and although neither program brought home the trophy, it was still a strong sign that college basketball is more than just alive and well in the region. Another indication that the Big East has the makings of a basketball superpower is that, of the top 14 picks in the latest NBA Draft, four came from the league. Overall, the conference was drained of nine top performers in the two rounds of the event, which is both good and bad for this year's version of Big East basketball. College Basketball Preview - West Coast ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Every season in the West Coast Conference of late, resembles the one before it, as Gonzaga wins the conference crown going away and everyone else falls in line behind. The 2008-09 season was no different, as the Bulldogs won their ninth straight regular season crown, made it to their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament (Sweet Sixteen) and amassed 28 victories overall. College Basketball Preview - Big Sky ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Last season saw the Big Sky boast of two 20+ win teams in Portland State (23-10) and Weber State (21-10), but there was only one other program, Montana (17-12), that finished above .500 overall. In-conference was a different story as Weber State ran over the Big Sky competition, winning 15 of its 16 league tilts, followed by Portland State jumped up and won the tourney title and take Weber State's NCAA Tournament bid. It was the second straight ticket to the Big Dance for the Vikings, who earned the spot, despite finishing four game behind the Wildcats in the league standings. Montana finished tied with PSU in league play at 11-5 and won 17 games overall. College Basketball Preview - Western Athletic ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: For 2009-10, Western Athletic Conference basketball will not look all that dissimilar from what the member schools put out on the hardwood last season. Of the 10 players named to the All-WAC First and Second Teams at the conclusion of the 2008-09 campaign, all but two are returning to their respective teams and that is good news for a league that continues to fight for national recognition. All of those top-notch performers will provide the WAC with some credibility right off the bat, especially as 14 of the league's top 15 scorers from a year ago make it back for another turn as well. College Basketball Preview - Southwestern Athletic ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: The Alabama State Hornets posted one of their best seasons in school history by claiming the SWAC regular season and Conference Tournament titles, while earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Hornets did not last long in the Big Dance, losing to Morehead State in the play-in game. College Basketball Preview - Ohio Valley ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: There was plenty of success in the Ohio Valley Conference last season, beginning with the Morehead State Eagles who won the league tournament and made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 25 years. The Eagles defeated Alabama State in the play-in game, but were no match for Louisville in the opening round. College Basketball Preview - Mid-Eastern Athletic ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: From start to finish last season the Morgan State Bears were the top team in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, reeling off 13 league wins, while also claiming the MEAC Tournament title and earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament. College Basketball Preview - Horizon LeaguePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Last season was supposed to be a down year for Butler basketball. With a bunch of fresh new faces coach Brad Stevens' squad was entering a rebuilding phase. However, someone forgot to inform the Bulldogs, as four freshmen helped lead Butler to a Horizon regular season title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Bearcats freshman Stephenson cleared to play by NCAACincinnati Bearcats freshman men's basketball player Lance Stephenson, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound forward who was named the 2009 Big East Conference Preseason Rookie of the Year, has been cleared to play by the NCAA. NCAA penalizes RichmondThe NCAA has penalized eight teams from the University of Richmond, including the men's and women's basketball squads, and the football team, due to impermissible recruiting text messages and telephone calls to prospective student-athletes. College Basketball Preview - Patriot LeaguePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Holy Cross is the only team that has ever been able to string together three straight Patriot League titles (2001-03) and while American has a chance to match that feat, the odds of it happening for head coach Jeff Jones and his crew are not good. The Eagles have the unenviable task of competing with an entirely new starting five, a fact that will more than likely keep American from even finishing in the top half of the standing in 2009-10. College Basketball Preview - Mid-American ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: The Mid-American Conference was tremendously lopsided throughout the 2008-09 campaign, as the East Division boasted five teams with winning ledgers in league play, including Akron and Buffalo, which both posted 20-plus win seasons. In fact, the Zips and Bulls collided in the MAC title game and, although Akron was the fifth seed in the tournament, the Zips walked away with their first-ever league tournament championship. The West Division was an entirely different story as each team finished under .500 in league play, while four teams (Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, and Toledo) posted a 20-plus loss campaign. Ball State grabbed the division title with a mere 7-9 mark in MAC action, but the team did not last long in the league tournament. With a new year approaching it seems the Zips have only gotten stronger and have the personnel to defend its MAC Tournament title. However, that will not be an easy task College Basketball Preview - Southern ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Once again the Southern Conference was dominated by the Davidson Wildcats in 2008-09, as Bob McKillop's squad reeled off 27 victories and another regular-season title. However, the Wildcats were dumped in the Southern Conference Tournament by the College of Charleston Cougars who were, without question, the second-best team in the league. The Cougars, who also grabbed 27 victories last year, along with Davidson were clearly the top teams in the conference. The Citadel posted a shocking 20-win campaign, after only winning six games a year earlier, and Wofford added 16 victories, including 12 in league play. The North Division was shared between Western Carolina and Chattanooga, as both teams finished with an 11-9 mark in league play. However, the Mocs claimed the tournament title and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament as a reward. The good news for the teams in the Southern Conference that have chased Davidson over the past f College Basketball Preview - Mountain West ConferencePhiladelphia, PA (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: In 2008-09, the Mountain West Conference experienced all of the highs and lows that no conference should ever have to endure in such a short span of time. At one end of the spectrum there were BYU, Utah and New Mexico, all of which finished 12-4 in league play during the regular season, while San Diego State dominated non-conference play before being held back to the second tier of the MWC. The struggles of teams like TCU and Colorado State were extremely disappointing, but Air Force brought all of that to a new low as the Falcons finished without a single conference victory in 16 attempts and had only one road win in 10 tries. |
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