NC Asheville

Big South Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:06:28 -0500

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Conference Rank: 29th

All-BIG SOUTH Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Amir Johnson	Radford	Jr
G	Chavis Holmes	VMI	Sr
G	Anthony Smith	Liberty	Sr
F	Charles Corbin	Winthrop	So
F	Omar Carter	Charleston So.	So
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
none		Points: Chavis Holmes 18.3 Rebounds: Kenny George 7.0 (injured) Assists: Amir Johnson 5.5

BIG SOUTH Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

104	UNC Asheville*	Big South	1	NCAA
139	Winthrop**	Big South	2
164	Gardner-Webb	Big South	3
209	High Point	Big South	4
232	Radford	Big South	5
252	Liberty	Big South	6
276	Coastal Carolina	Big South	7
295	Charleston So	Big South	8
330	VMI	Big South	9
343	Presbyterian	Big South	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

** returning conference champion

Note: A lot has changed for UNCA since this preview was written months ago, and they would almost certainly not be our #1 pick at this time.

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big South?

Other BIG SOUTH Content

Conference Media Poll

Big South Poll: Winthrop the Favorite

Other

Rise & Fall: Big South

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)

Clip of the Day: An Ode to Kenny George

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:26:07 -0400

Clip of the Day

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to watch every second. Every day (or so) we'll feature a new movie to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

Kenny George Mix

The big man is most likely out for the season but still #1 in our hearts.. (Mute this if you're at work or near small children..)

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

2008-09 UNC Asheville Preview: #104

Joel Welser — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:33:37 -0400

UNC Asheville Bulldogs

Overall Rank: #104

Conference Rank: #1 Big South

2007-08: 23-10, 10-4, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: NIT

Kenny George needs help. Four starters are gone (George was not a starter) off of a UNC Asheville team that won the Big South regular season title. While the pieces fill in around him, George will have to lead the way. The 7-7 center averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per contest last year. When he is on the floor, the game is not the same as it was before. On his own, George forces opponents to stay out of the paint and he can back down anybody on the other side of the floor.

Who’s Out:

The biggest losses are on the perimeter where Bryan Smithson and K.J. Garland must be replaced. The team’s top two scorers, Smithson and Garland combined to average 29.7 points, 10.1 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 3.2 steals during their senior seasons. George will be far less effective if nobody can get him the ball and shoot from the perimeter. Forwards Vincent James and Garrett Moles started all 33 contests. James was a good scorer and Moles did the dirty work around the basket, but only averaged 16.5 minutes per game despite his starting status.

Who’s In:

Ten newcomers will look for important minutes right from the get go. None will be more important than point guard Donovan Jones. Jones played two years ago for the Bulldogs and garnered a couple starts during his rookie campaign. After redshirting last season, Jones has the experience with the team to turn into a leader. Incoming freshmen J.P. Primm, Matt Dickey and Madison Davis can all provide depth at the point. Primm is the likely candidate to emerge from that group and see quality minutes backing up Jones. Chris Stephenson is probably the most talented of the bunch. The 6-4 wing is a great athlete who can shoot like a guard and post up like a forward. The names keep coming as forwards Jeremy Harn, Sean Hobbs, Quinard Jackson, Matt Kittrell and Terrence Turner will battle for minutes off the bench in the frontcourt. At 7-2 Hobbs has size, Kittrell has the most experience and Turner is the most talented. It will be interesting, and very important, to see who can emerge and provide the much, much needed depth in the paint. Outside of finding a new point guard, the development of the reserves up front will be the most important thing to keep an eye on.

Who to Watch:

Fortunately, none of the newcomers have to be ready to start in the frontcourt. Small forward Reid Augst is the only returning starter. After averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, the 6-6 senior will become a leader on the floor. Augst can knock down the three-pointer relatively well and he has the versatility to play the two, three or four spot. But he will spend most of his time at the three while John Williams works his way into the starting lineup. Williams is smaller than Augst, but he is a solid rebounder and has the potential to develop into a decent scorer both inside and out. With George starting at the center spot, all the depth will have to come from the newcomers and Jason Ridenhour and Eric Stubbs. Those two averaged less than four minutes per game last year, but Stubbs has the potential to have a breakout sophomore year and be a decent substitute for George.

Final Projection:

Not all of the minutes on the perimeter will be eaten up by the new guys. By default Sean Smith is the best shooter on the team. The 6-6 Swede garnered four starts a year ago and could be in for a huge season now that he will be given every opportunity to turn into the main scoring threat in the backcourt. Rashad Gill hardly saw any playing time as a freshman, but he is another big and versatile guard. The backcourt needs to come around quickly if the Bulldogs want another conference title. The talent is there for the unit to be successful, but if the guards cannot hold their own, it will not matter how talented the big guys are.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Donovan Jones, Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season

Sean Smith, Junior, Guard, 5.0 points per game

Reid Augst, Senior, Forward, 10.6 points per game

John Williams, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 points per game

Kenny George, Senior, Center, 12.4 points per game

2008 NIT Capsule: UNC Asheville

Joel Welser — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:39:49 -0400

North Carolina Asheville Bulldogs

Big South (23-9, 10-4)

Big Wins: 1/5 at South Carolina (61-58), 2/2 Winthrop (71-56), 3/1 at Winthrop (63-50)

Bad Losses: 2/9 at Liberty (54-83), 2/16 VMI (75-97), 2/20 at Radford (53-62)

Coach: Eddie Biedenbach

Probable Starters:

K.J. Garland, Senior, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 5.9 apg, 4.4 rpg

Bryan Smithson, Senior, Guard, 16.4 ppg, 4.1 apg, 4.1 rpg

Reid Augst, Junior, Forward, 10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.0 apg

Vincent James, Senior, Forward, 10.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Garrett Moles, Senior, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Sean Smith, Sophomore, Guard, 5.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg

John Williams, Freshman, Forward, 6.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg

Kenny George, Junior, Center, 12.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 3.4 bpg

Why They Can Surprise:

You know how most coaches and announcers look really, really short when they are talking to a 6-8 player? UNC Asheville has a guy that makes those 6-8 guys look short. Kenny George, now listed at 7-7, is nearly impossible to stop for any opposing center. He is not a very polished player and rarely even starts, but when you can back down anybody without worrying about getting your shot blocked, it is a good offensive strategy to wait for George to get down the court and give him the ball as close to the basket as possible.

George will block shots, grab rebounds and put in any shot within arms length of the rim, but the Bulldogs have another dynamic to their game. Guard Bryan Smithson is a solid three-point shooter and K.J. Garland will knock some down as well. Those two make this team tick, despite all the press going to George. Smithson and Garland combine to dish out over ten assists per game and few teams in the nation share the ball as well as the Bulldogs.

Why They Can Disappoint:

Asheville will need to have a near perfect game to win in March. But the turnovers can be a little high, the rebounding is not that great and the free-throw shooting is mediocre at best. Smithson and Garland can be blamed for some of the turnovers, but they do a decent job considering they always have the ball in their hands. George will grab a ton of boards when he is on the floor, but forwards Vincent James, Reid Augst and Garrett Moles could do a little more to help him out. As long as the Bulldogs keep the ball in the hands of Smithson or Augst at the end of games, the free-throw shooting will not be a huge deal, but they will need every point they can get.

Who To Watch:

At 6-7, James and Moles are often overshadowed, both figuratively and literally, by George. Yet, James is a solid scorer in the paint and can be a very productive player in the scoring and rebounding columns. Moles does not put up big numbers, but he does the dirty work around the basket and plays a very important role on the team.

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Seven Day Stretch: The Week in College Hoops

Rob Carpentier — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:53:27 -0500

Okay, this may now become a curse…I have written this column two times now and each time I’ve written about a savior (team), that team, or teams, seems to flop the following week. This past week’s victims are the teams from New Jersey, specifically Seton Hall and Rutgers who were both 0-fer for the week in the Big East. It was an especially bad week for the Hall as the Pirates had won a nice stretch of games to put themselves in position for an NCAA Tournament bid and are now, at best, back on the bubble. Hey, at least Princeton won both of their Ivy League games this past week. Well, here we go this week…

Seven Day Savior (Team): Drake Bulldogs

I’ve finally given in to the groundswell that is Drake. Much of the college basketball landscape has fallen in love with Coach Keno Davis and his Bulldogs as they have become the mid-major darling of the college hoops world. This week they definitely deserve the accolades. Drake went 2-0 this past week, winning both on the road in the tough Missouri Valley Conference. The Valley may be “down” this season, but it is still one of the premier second-tier conferences in the country. To win on the road is an accomplishment in this league. The topper, though, was that Drake beat a tough Indiana State team to begin the week and then essentially clinched the conference by coming back from 16 points down in the second half to defeat second place Illinois State. At this point Drake is now positioning itself for a 3-seed in the Big Dance.

Seven Day Savior (Player): K.J. Garland, UNC-Asheville

The senior guard scored 26 points in a huge win over Big South Conference rival, Winthrop. The game between Asheville and Winthrop was a battle for first place in the Big South. The game was all the more important for Asheville because it was a home game, (the return game is at Winthrop on March 1). Many have heard of Winthrop because of their 7’7” post player, Kenny George. George, who would be a handful in any conference, is dominant in the Big South, but he sat out the Winthrop game with an injury. KJ Garland stepped up in a huge way, hitting all 4 of his shots from behind the arc while going 9-11 overall from the floor. He was also 4-6 on his free throw attempts. It was a huge game for the Bulldogs and Garland, and the senior came up big.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): NC State at Maryland

I typically like to pick an important mid-major game each week, but there really aren’t any match-ups in the smaller conferences that scream “big game”. Instead I turn to the ACC and a game between two teams that are bunched in the middle of the pack trying to emerge as a solid third or fourth candidate for NCAA Tournament out of the ACC. Maryland started the year poorly, losing to American, Ohio and VCU. They have come on strong as of late, as evidenced by their win at North Carolina and woulda, coulda, shoulda game against Duke. North Carolina State looked dreadful in their loss to the tar heels and collapsed in the second half at Duke. In the last week they have taken a step in the right direction with wins over Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, both of whom are bunched together in the mess that is the middle of the ACC standings. NC State has the better RPI but they probably need this game more. They can’t seem to win on the road and that loss to the Tar heels was honestly bad enough to keep the Wolfpack out of the NCAAs unless they can get a couple of decent road wins.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Purdue Boilermakers

It is unusual to call the co-leaders of the Big Ten a team that is “under the radar,” but in all honesty, outside of Indiana, who’s really talking about the Purdue Boilermakers? They sit atop the Big ten with a conference mark of 9-1, (tied with Wisconsin), and have already beaten the Badgers. Their lone conference loss was a three point nail biter at Michigan State. They’ve already won three of four conference road games, which is good considering that 5 of their last 8 are on the road. To top it off, Coach Matt Painter is relying on two freshmen, E’Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel, to not only be key contributors, but to lead the team. The Boilers will no longer be under the radar if they can win this Saturday when they travel to Madison to play the return engagement against Wisconsin.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Ernie Kent, Oregon

Tow weeks ago, Oregon State fired Coach Jay John. Last week, I wrote that fellow Pac-10 coach Ben Braun of California was feeling the heat. Now I return to the Pac-10 once again to find another coach whose bottom might be getting a bit warm. A bit of history here; Kent was in serious trouble of losing his job just two seasons ago. His team had tanked in the second half of that season and his kids were holding player-only meetings that were called to discuss whether the players should go to the athletic director and ask him to fire Kent. There was some serious dissention in Eugene. Kent held onto his job and thanks to Aaron Brooks and an athletic supporting cast, Oregon had a successful year last season. This season, players like Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor and Maarty Leunen were supposed to make Oregon a legitimate contender for the Pac-10 Conference crown. Instead, Oregon sits in a tie for 7^th place in the conference and still has to travel to Los Angeles and the Bay Area. Oregon is in real danger of missing out on the NCAAs. It only gets worse for Kent. He graduates three starters and has no significant replacements on the horizon. Barring an unforeseen recruiting coupe by Kent, Oregon will be one of the two worst teams in the Pac-10 next season. The Oregon athletic department may not wait that long to hand Kent his walking papers.

News of the Week: Bobby Knight’s Retirement

This was an obvious choice. Knight’s stepping down from the head job at Texas Tech has had many pundits commenting on the General’s career, both positively and negatively. I, for one, could care less that Knight decided it was time for a rest and time for his son to take over. Knight had become a shell of himself at Texas Tech. For the life of me, I can’t see why Knight took the job in the first place. His chase for both the all-time wins record and 900 wins were mere afterthoughts to a career that had seen Knight win three national titles and an Olympic gold medal, when the medal actually meant something. There was no question that the man could teach the game as well as anyone, but his ability to change, even slightly, how he dealt with players was what many remember about him. He won with players that made little name for themselves at the next level, Isaiah Thomas aside, but he didn’t win any popularity contests. More importantly, he wasn’t as respected as many would have you think. Knight ran a “military” program wherever he was coaching. That meant that he ruled by fear and intimidation. The world of Bob Knight was and always will be black and white. That means it was always either his way or the highway. That’s what Knight will be remembered for by me.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: Knight’s “Retirement”, Part Deux

I may catch some serious flak for this, but how many of you think Knight would have left when he did if his Texas Tech team had a record of 17-4 instead of its current 12-9? I, for one, do not think Knight would have stepped down until the end of the season. The Red Raiders could be looking at a losing record this season, what, with Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Kansas State and Baylor still left on the schedule. My feeling is that Knight knew this, too. However, even if I am wrong, and I very well could be, the real head scratcher here is wondering why Knight would leave his son Pat in such an unenviable position. Pat Knight has no head coaching experience and his only assistant coaching experience comes from being on his father’s staff. Knight is a great teacher, but there at least a hint of nepotism there. Now Texas Tech has a head coach with no head coaching experience, taking over a team mid-season from a coach who is revered by many in the basketball community. There is a chance that Pat Knight’s players may not listen to him because he’s not Bobby Knight. Look, this probably is overplaying the situation, but why would Knight put his son in a position where any of these questions could even be reasonably asked?

Daily Dribble: Saturday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 02:01:41 -0500

The Report Card

A new series of articles I'll be writing daily, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - Herb Sendek

Though a home win over Oregon State isn't that big a deal, the Sun Devils improved to 12-2 and 2-0 in Pac-10 play with the win. Those are gaudy win totals for a team that won only 8 games all of last year and went 2-16 in conference play. Sendek deserves all the credit, for bringing in skilled freshman James Harden, and for simply finding ways to win with a lot of the same holdover talent from last year.

B - UNC Asheville / Kenny George

The Bulldogs picked up their 11th win of the season, 61-58 at South Carolina, leaving them just a game behind last year's total. This is a program that hasn't beaten 10 D1 teams since 2003, and who hasn't beaten a BCS conference team in at least the last 10 years (probably more too but I got tired of checking beyond that). What's more amazing is that 7-5 Kenny George is contributing substantially, coming off the bench to average 13 points and 9 boards in just 21 minutes per game. He did it once again with 16 and 13 against the Gamecocks.

C - Presbyterian

The Blue Hose dropped to 1-18 today, losing for their 17th time on the road. But despite the brutal schedule and record, they've been very competitive and pushed NC State to the limit today. The game was tied with just 13 minutes to go before before a 4 minute scoring draught did them in. They get to face Army at home (their last and only 2nd D1 home opponent) this week, so that becomes a must-win.

D - Southern Illinois

To say this team's offense is bad is an understatement. Its absolutely putrid. The Salukis scored just 13 points in the first half against Illinois State, and ended up shooting just 26% on the game. At 6-8, their season is sliding downhill faster than a Tommy Moe spill.

F - Kentucky

For the Wildcats, the so-called "Dream Game" against rival Louisville was more like a nightmare. Ramel Bradley showed up (27 points), but the rest of the team shot 33%. It was UK's unthinkable 4th loss at Rupp in non-conference play. Guess who is the highest ranked opponent UK has beaten so far? 244th ranked Texas Southern. Things don't get any easier with unbeaten Vanderbilt in town next.

Previous Top Grades

- Today is the first

Daily Dribble: Surprises by Conference

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 12:49:00 -0500

Today's column is the first in a Surprise Teams series, in which I list a surprise team from each conference. Some, like Texas are, are positive surprises, while others, like Louisville, have been disappointing..

America East

Vermont (3-7) – The Catamounts were by no means expected to roll in the AE, but we had them projected at 3^rd in the conference, and most had them in the top half. Instead, they’ve lost 4 of 5, including a bad home loss to bottom feeder Delaware. The problem has been depth. There’s virtually no production outside of Mike Trimboli and Marqus Blakely

A10

George Washington (3-5) – GW has been one of the country’s underrated programs in recent years, but things aren’t looking to good for 2008. The Colonials are coming off a 12 point loss to Binghamton, following a 32 point shellacking by Virginia Tech. The biggest key to GW’s blunders has been the horrendous start by senior Maureece Rice. Coming off a season in which he averaged 15 ppg on 45% shooting, Rice is down to 9 ppg on 33%. He also has more turnovers than assists, half as many rebounds, and half as many steals. Eeek.

ACC

Maryland (6-5) – No one thought the Terps were going to be great this year. But we had them pegged at 47^th in the country, on the fringe of making the Big Dance. Instead, the Terps are 100 spots lower in the RPI, sitting at 141^st. The latest debacle was a home loss to Ohio, a team that then went to Kansas and lost by about 100 points, just their 4^th non-conference home loss in 19 years. Its not like Maryland has no talent, and with teams like Delaware, AU, and Savannah State coming up, a new winning streak is almost certain.

Atlantic Sun

Kennesaw State (1-7) - Too be honest, the A-Sun is mostly going according to plan. Belmont is at the top as expected, followed by ETSU and Jacksonville, just as CHN predicted. For some reason though, we did put Kennesaw State 5^th.. and they’ve been absolutely atrocious, one of the bottom 20 teams in the nation

Big 12

Texas (11-0) – I personally had the Longhorns rated higher than most other pundits, but I didn’t see 11-0 coming. Honestly, I did see 10-1 because outside of the road trip to UCLA, their schedule has been mostly soft (no disrespect to Tennessee). That will change this week with a road trip to Michigan State and then a game against Wisconsin. Except for the squeaker against the Bruins, Texas has been winning big, outscoring opponents 84 to 62. Individually, things have all gone as planned: Augustin’s manning the point like a champ, Abrams is knocking down threes, James is hitting the boards, and Atchley improves every week.

Big East

Louisville (6-3) – Like Texas above, I really thought Louisville would be for real.. but they’ve simply been really disappointing. Granted, they’ve faced some adversity with more Padgett injuries and the suspension of Derrick Caracter, but no one has looked particularly sharp. Even in home wins to Miami (OH), Marshall, and Old Dominion, not exactly murderers row, they’ve often been down at half and had to work overly hard to pull off wins. Basically, it comes down to the fact that they have no true dominant point guard, no one’s hitting threes, and their bigs have been injured or suspended. Not a good combination.

Big Sky

Portland State (7-5) – This is admittedly an odd choice for this list. The Vikings have the 2^nd best record amongst Big Sky teams, and we projected them to be 2^nd.. so nothing exciting going on there. Last year, they started with the exact same 7-5 record as this year. What is surprising though is that the Viks have an early RPI of 68, a highly impressive number for a Big Sky team. The reason has been neutral court wins over decent teams like IUPUI and Akron, and competitive losses to Colorado State and Washington State.

Big South

UNC Asheville (8-3) – The great record is somewhat deceiving because 3 of the wins have been against D2 squads. Still, the Bulldogs started last year 1-10 against D1 teams, so .500 is a substantial improvement. The one name you may know on UNCA is Kenny George, a huge 7-6 center who has actually been contributing this year. After averaging just 5 and 4 last year, the Chicago native is averaging 11 and 9. More importantly, he’s been a force on D with 5.8 blocks per game including 10 against Campbell.

- More surprises coming soon!