ECU

Conference USA Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:59:49 -0500

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Conference Rank: 11th

10 year average: 8th

All-CUSA Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Stefon Jackson	UTEP	Sr
G	Robert Vaden	UAB	Sr
G	Tyreke Evans	Memphis	Fr
G	Jermaine Taylor	Central Florida	Sr
F	Jerome Jordan	Tulsa	Jr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Robert Vaden High-Major All-Americans Stefon Jackson Jerome Jordan Jermaine Taylor Ben Uzoh Robert Vaden Jeremy Wise All-Freshman Team Tyreke Evans		Points: Stefon Jackson 23.6 Rebounds: Jerome Jordan 7.9 Assists: Jeremy Wise 4.2 Team: Memphis 79.9

Conference USA Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

?	Memphis**	CUSA	1	NCAA
47	UAB	CUSA	2	NCAA
68	Southern Miss	CUSA	3	NIT
75	UTEP	CUSA	4	NIT
106	Tulsa	CUSA	5
119	Marshall	CUSA	6
131	UCF	CUSA	7
137	Houston	CUSA	8
185	Tulane	CUSA	9
221	East Carolina	CUSA	10
260	SMU	CUSA	11
285	Rice	CUSA	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the CUSA?

Other CUSA Content

Head Coach Interviews

Larry Eustachy: Southern Miss

Mack McCarthy: East Carolina

Other

Rise & Fall: CUSA

Top Non-BCS Players: Vaden/Evans

Top Centers: Jerome Jordan

Conference USA on National TV

Mack McCarthy: East Carolina Head Coach Q&A

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:27:15 -0400

College Basketball's Best Coaches

CollegeHoops.net is lucky to have access to some of the best coaches in college basketball. As part of our preseason interview series, we thought it would be appropriate to ask these basketball minds about the best things that their team and college basketball has to offer.

Mack McCarthy: East Carolina

We continue this month long Q&A Series with long-time coach Mack Mccarthy, who has had successful stints at Tennessee-Chattanooga, VCU, and now East Carolina. Coach McCarthy was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions for CollegeHoops.net:

CollegeHoops.net) What will be the best strength of this year's team?

Mack McCarthy) We are fairly athletic, but compared to previous teams we have more offensive weapons. We’ve had some players who could shoot, but now we also have more who can simply score.

CHN) Who is the biggest leader on this year's squad?

MM) Sam Hinnant is the most respected player on our team. While he is not the vocal leader necessarily, he leads by example and the fact that he has been a starter and solid performer for four years.

CHN) What's the best change you've made in your coaching style in recent seasons?

MM) Your coaching style is an ever evolving process. We have really simplified our playbook, and therefore we spend more time on fundamentals—especially shooting.

CHN) What's the best arena you guys visit during the year?

MM) Memphis is awesome. While it’s a pro arena, those folks know how to do the entire deal. They have it all from the band, to the cheerleaders, to the dance team, to the video and audio presentations, to the tradition, to the enthusiastic and knowledgeable fans.

CHN) If everything goes according to plan, what's the best case scenario this season?

MM) I’m not sure what we’re capable of as it relates to wins and losses. I know we have to stay healthy, and improve our defense and rebounding if we are going to play well consistently.

CHN) Any last words to Pirates fans? Why should they come out and support the team?

MM) We have a small, intimate arena that can be as loud as any in the country when it’s packed. Our student population is very vocal and very supportive of our basketball team. We try to incorporate activities for them all season, which includes a closed practice session for members of our student body and alumni hosted by Charles Barkley. We have developed an entire new pregame audio and video presentation, which I think will get everybody fired up prior to tip-off. We’re even going to have the entire marching band present for some games.

CHN) Thanks coach. Everyone in Greenville or the surrounding areas should go check out an ECU game this year!

CollegeHoops.net 08-09 Preview: Interviews | Complete Top 144 Ranking | 08-09 Preview Homepage | Discuss the Preview

State of '08: North Carolina

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:45:49 -0400

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

For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

NORTH CAROLINA

NORTH CAROLINA - In the past four years, UNC has won 3 ACC regular season titles, 2 conference tournaments, advanced to 2 Final Fours, and won a National Championship. Not bad.

DUKE - In most other states, Duke would be the run away top program.. but UNC happens to be in the middle of a nice run. Still, the Blue Devils have reached the Sweet Sixteen in 8 of the last 11 years.

DAVIDSON - Bob McKillop's teams have long dominated the Southern Conference. The Wildcats have finished 1st or 2nd in the conference in 12 of 13 seasons, including at least 10 league wins in those 12 years. But last year, the program reached another level by advancing to the Elite Eight.

WAKE FOREST - For obvious reasons, the past few seasons have been disappointing for the Wake community. But most fans are expecting a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, and perhaps the Deacons' first Sweet Sixteen trip since 2004.

NORTH CAROLINA STATE - For whatever reasons, NC State was never satisfied with Herb Sendek even though he took over a program struggling under Les Robinson, and led them to five straight NCAA Tournaments from 2002 to 2006. Sidney Lowe will most likely end his 3rd season without a Tournament bid, though next year's recruiting haul is impressive.

6. CHARLOTTE - From 1995 to 2005, the 49ers made the Big Dance in 8 of 11 seasons. In the last three years since joining the A10, there's just been a pair of NIT selections. This year's team should once again be in the postseason mix.

7. UNC WILMINGTON - Ever since Jerry Wainright took over in 1995, UNCW has been one of the most consistent teams in the CAA. From 2000 to 2006, UNCW made 4 NCAA Tournaments. Third year coach Benny Moss will have to probably wait until at least 2010 for his first postseason trip.

8. APPALACHIAN STATE - Houston Fancher's 8 year tenure at App State has been solid, but he's still looking for that elusive NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2007, the Mountaineers did make the NIT after finishing the regular season with an RPI of 65.

9. UNC ASHEVILLE - Coming off one of the program's better seasons (19 D1 wins, and a conference finals trip), the Bulldogs should struggle once again in 2009. UNCA did make the Tourney in 2003, coming out of nowhere to win the Big South after a sub-par regular season.

10. UNC GREENSBORO - The Spartans knocked off Georgia Tech early last year on their way to a solid 19-win season. It was their best campaign since 2002, when they reached the NIT a year after losing to Stanford in the Big Dance.

11. HIGH POINT - Considering the program is barely a decade old at the D1 level, High Point's limited success is actually impressive. In both 06 & 07, the Panthers were a Top 200 RPI team, something that very few programs in the state can claim. 2009 should be the 4th season in a row with a finish of .500 or better in the Big South.

12. GARDNER-WEBB - The Bulldogs join the Big South this year, after less than a decade in the A-Sun. Except for a disappointing 2007 campaign, the program has actually been respectable recently.

13. ELON - 2006 was arguably the high-water mark in Elon history. The Phoenix shocked Clemson, and finished 10-4 in the Southern Conference. Last year, despite a mediocre regular season, Elon surprised many by reaching the conference title game.

14. EAST CAROLINA - While ECU has had some success on the football field, the hardcourt is another story. In the last two years, the Pirates have won just 12 D1 games and even lost to an NAIA squad last December.

15. WESTERN CAROLINA - In the last decade, WCU hasn't finished above .500 in the Southern Conference, and their top RPI finish is 230th.

16. CAMPBELL - The Camels lone NCAA Tournament came in 1992. The next one might be years away.. Campbell hasn't even reached .500 in the Atlantic Sun since 2000. There is at least some hope for respectability in 2009 thanks to star Jonathan Rodriguez.

17. NORTH CAROLINA A&T - From 03 to 06, A&T was one of the worst teams in the country. The team has at least been competitive in the MEAC the past two years, but its still the MEAC..

18. WINSTON-SALEM STATE - The Rams improved in their 2nd season at the top level, winning an impressive 11 D1 games. The team should be good enough in 2009 to perhaps knock off their first Top 200 team.

19. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL - The Eagles transition to D1 started slowly with a 4-26 record last year.

Last: New York - Next: Ohio

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

A stunner in Ann Arbor, and other happenings on the season's first Saturday

Raphielle Johnson — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 01:44:29 -0400

Well, by now you know that two-time Championship Subdivision champ Appalachian State went into Michigan and left with a 34-32 win, closing it out with a blocked field goal with six seconds remaining. How does this happen? For one, the Mountaineers didn't go into the Big House with their collective tail between their legs. Secondly, the Michigan defense continued its sieve-like performance for the third straight game. To be honest, the offense minus Mike Hart didn't show too much either. Without Hart's 188 yards and three scores, this one could have been worse than it actually was. Lastly, the Michigan players may have focused more on the "1-AA" part of the opponent rather than the fact that the Mountaineers can play some football. So where do the Wolverines go from here? Oregon comes to town next week in a game that has all the looks of an 0-2 start when you compare the offensive styles of Oregon and Appalachian State. Both teams like to spread out defenses and use their speed on the perimeter. If Michigan and defensive coordinator Ron English can't take care of their issues in the coming week of practice and film study, things could go from bad to worse for Lloyd Carr as far as job security is concerned. Two other games that caught my eye were a pair of wins for Mountain West schools at home. Naturally, the two games were part of a doubleheader on Versus, making the wins by Wyoming and BYU all the more important for the conference. Wyoming held Virginia to three points in a 23-3 win that in all honesty wasn't that close. The Cavs, who some liked to make a move in the ACC Coastal, did very little on offense, and Jameel Sewell didn't look 100% recovered from off-season left wrist surgery. And BYU handled Arizona in Provo, 20-7. Two players making their first appearance on the college stage, QB Max Hall and RB Harvey Unga played extremely well, and a defense that made huge strides a year ago in winning the MWC held Arizona scoreless until the game's final minute. For fans of the Cats who were hoping that the hiring of Sonny Dykes to run the offense would mean an explosive attack, slow down the thinking. When your playmakers don't have a history of consistently making plays (that's a big difference from simply having talent), a new system doesn't turn an average attack into the Indianapolis Colts. Have patience, there's still a long way to go. A great scene in Blacksburg this afternoon as well, but I wouldn't read too much into the final score (17-7) too much for two reasons. One, the emotion of the day was something that no other football team has had to deal with. Secondly, ECU is pegged as one of the better teams in CUSA this season, meaning that they're no slouch. Of course, there were some turnovers that could be deadly in Baton Rouge next weekend, but the Hokies will work out those kinks throughout the week. With all the attention being paid to "Bowden Bowl IX" on Monday, people had better pay more attention to Boston College, who beat Wake Forest 38-28 in Chestnut Hill. Matt Ryan threw for 408 yards and five scores, and corner DeJuan Tribble had three picks on the afternoon. The most important development in this one could actually be the separated throwing shoulder of Wake QB Riley Skinner. Redshirt sophomore Brett Hodges played well in Skinner's stead, but you know that the Deacs will need Skinner if they want to repeat as ACC champs. Right up there with the Michigan game in terms of excitement was Colorado's comeback win over CSU in overtime. Cody Hawkins performed well in his first start for the Buffs, taking some pressure off of the head coach had things not gone so well. Oh, the head coach is his father, which could make for an interesting dynamic in terms of fan opinion if Cody struggles. But with Cody at the helm, the future looks bright in Boulder. Lastly, not to take anything away from Auburn and their comeback win over Kansas State, but the Tigers had no business winning that game. But thanks to 18 penalties and a seeming unwillingness to give left tackle Alesana Alesana consistent help with All-American defensive end Quentin Groves in his first college start. Groves wreaked havoc on the KSU offense in the fourth quarter, pressuring Josh Freeman countless times and forcing the fumble that was returned for the game-clinching touchdown. Auburn is a young team overall, so they should be able to work out the kinks as the season progresses. Almost forgot, don't ever...ever kick the ball to Cal's DeSean Jackson. If you decide to out of bravado and end up getting burned as Tennessee's Britton Colquitt did tonight, you essentially dug your own grave. Not too smart.