Lou-Monroe

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the Sun Belt?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:02:15 -0500

Sun Belt Basketball Preview: 08-09

CHN — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:51:49 -0500

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Conference Rank: 18th

All-Sun Belt Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Josh White	North Texas	So
G	Dominic Tilford	So. Alabama	Sr
F	Desmond Yates	MTSU	Jr
F	Alex Galindo	Florida Int'l	Sr
F	Carlos Monroe	Florida Atlantic	Sr
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
Mid-Major All-Americans Carlos Monroe Desmond Yates		Points: Desmond Yates 16.0 Rebounds: Carlos Monroe 9.5 Assists: Kevin Kanaskie 3.3

Sun Belt Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

79	South Alabama	Sun Belt	1	NCAA
95	Middle Tenn St	Sun Belt	2
123	West Kentucky	Sun Belt	3
175	Ark Little Rock	Sun Belt	4
191	LA Lafayette	Sun Belt	5
201	North Texas	Sun Belt	6
213	Florida Intl	Sun Belt	7
231	Florida Atlantic	Sun Belt	8
241	Denver	Sun Belt	9
247	Arkansas State	Sun Belt	10
264	New Orleans	Sun Belt	11
280	LA Monroe	Sun Belt	12
307	Troy	Sun Belt	13

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Sun Belt?

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Rise & Fall: The Sun Belt

State of '08: Louisiana

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:17:35 -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.

Up today: Louisiana. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

LOUISIANA

LSU - There's not much to say here, because LSU is by far and away the top program in the state. The Tigers made the Final Four in 2006, though have quickly descended since then.

LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE - The Ragin' Cajuns were one of the best mid-majors from 2000 to 2005, which included 3 NCAA Tournament trips and 2 NITs. In 2007, the program was cited for rule violations, and the past three seasons haven't been up to the former standards. Last year's crew did show some promise though with an 11-7 Sun Belt record.

NORTHWESTERN STATE - Mike McConathy has done a great job in a decade at Northwestern State. In 2001 & 2006, the Demons made the Big Dance, and you might remember their epic 2006 win over Iowa in the First Round. Even last year when the team seemed to struggle, NSU still managed to upset SFA to make the Southland Championship game.

TULANE - The Wave haven't made a dent on the national scene since 2000, when they won 20 games and knocked off 6 Top 100 teams. To put that in perspective, in the last five seasons, Tulane has only beaten 6 Top 100 teams. Last year the Wave did knock off big-name programs like Georgia, Auburn, and LSU, something that most schools in the state couldn't accomplish.

LOUISIANA TECH - Last year's Bulldogs were extremely inexperienced and struggled to a brutal 6-24 record. This year's group should show substantial improvement, and will push for .500 in league play. Last year aside, La Tech has had decent success over the last decade, with scattered Top 150 and Top 100 finishes. The program's 7th NCAA Tourney trip will have to wait a couple more years.

6. NEW ORLEANS - Joe Pasternack did a nice job in his first season, leading UNO to upset road wins over BCS teams like NC State and Colorado, and finishing 8-10 in league play. This was the program's best season since making a surprise run to the Sun Belt finals in 2004.

7. SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA - SELU made its lone NCAA Tournament in 2005. In the past three seasons though, the Lions have merely hovered around .500 in SLC play. They did knock off in-state SLC rivals McNeese & Nicholls State all four times last year.

8. SOUTHERN - Since 2003, Southern has finished .500 or better every season in the SWAC. In 2006, Rob Spivery led the Jags to the NCAA Tournament in his first season at the helm.

9. MCNEESE STATE - In 2001 & 2002, McNeese enjoyed back to back postseason trips, reaching the NIT and then the NCAAs. Once 2004 got underway, there's been little success and not even one season above 200th in the RPI. This year should be similar to last with a middle of the road Southland record expected. The Cowboys did have a nice road upset of Lousiana-Lafayette last season.

10. LOUISIANA-MONROE - The Warhawks (nee Indians) haven't had much success on the basketball court in about 25 years. Outside of a surprising 2002 campaign (98 RPI), ULM hasn't sniffed the postseason in the past decade. Moving to the Sun Belt Conference a couple years ago has yet to reap any major rewards.

11. NICHOLLS STATE - From 2002 to 2005, Nicholls somehow managed to only average 2 D1 wins a year. The past couple years have been better, but nothing to write home about.

12. CENTENARY - In 2005 & 2006, Centenary was easily one of the worst programs in the country. They won a combined 5 D1 combines in that span. Last year was somewhat of an improvement with an RPI of 283, and this year's team might creep up into the 250 range.

13. GRAMBLING STATE - After an embarrassing 2000 campaign in which the Tigers went winless, Grambling has hovered around .500 in SWAC play for most of the decade. Then again, the SWAC is the country's worst conference, so .500 in league play isn't a big accomplishment. Grambling hasn't won a non-conference game against a D1 team since 2005.

Last: Kentucky - Next: Maryland

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

Who Will Win the Sun Belt?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:45:46 -0400

2007-08 Louisiana Monroe Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:12:53 -0400

Louisiana Monroe Warhawks

Overall Rank: #133

Conference Rank: #3 Sun Belt

2006-07: 18-14, 11-7, 1^st (t) West

2006-07 postseason: none

Louisiana Monroe returns five guards who averaged nearly ten points per game. None may be more important than Brandon Roberts. And, of course, that is who missed half of last season with a torn ACL. The 6-0 Van, Texas native had a tremendous freshman campaign, averaging 9.7 points and 4.7 assists in his 15 games. The recovery process is ahead of schedule for Roberts and having him on the floor for an entire season will make the Warhawks extremely dangerous.

Who’s Out:

Darien Bynum earned seven starts and was one of the big men coming off the bench during the 2006-2007 campaign. The experienced depth will be missed, but Bynum is the only contributing player that ULM loses from a team that tied for first in the West of the Sun Belt Conference. James Perkins, who saw limited minutes in 13 contests, is not returning to the basketball squad.

Who’s In:

The Warhawks do not really need to replace Bynum. They can still go eight deep. Yet, if the injury bug strikes again, the incoming freshmen will need to answer the call. It may be difficult to keep the strength and size of Mitchell Hampton on the sidelines for too long. He is a good defender and soon will be able to handle anybody in the conference on the defensive end. Raphael Turner, at 6-8 and 260 pounds, does not lack in the strength and size department either. Turner will do the dirty work under the basket and Louisiana Monroe could definitely use a player like that. Sei Paye begins the next generation of guards that Coach Orlando Early loves to coach. Paye, at 6-3, has good size, is a great shooter and can handle the ball. The depth in front of him will limit his playing time this year, but he will fit right into the system when the team needs him.

Who to Watch:

And there are a slew of talented guards ahead of Paye on the depth chart. Tony Hooper was the leading scorer a year ago as a sophomore and will be even more dangerous as a junior. Hooper will make more long balls on the year, but it is Jordan Payne who is probably the most consistent shooter from long range. Payne, who averaged 12.4 points per game, came off the bench in all but four contests. Coming off the bench seemed to work quite well for Payne in his first season with ULM after spending two years at Meridian Junior College, and it should do the team just fine again in 2007-2008. Jonas Brown also flourished in the ULM offense coming off a career at the junior college level. Brown averaged 12.3 points and 3.1 assists last year and can do damage from anywhere on the floor. Senior Lance Brasher is not the biggest of the guards, but he may be the toughest. Brasher was second on the team in rebounding with 5.8 rebounds per contest and, even at 6-2, is a good choice to play the four spot.

Final Projection:

If Coach Early needs a bigger lineup, he has that option. Afam Nweke spent most of the season as the lone big man on the floor. He is not a prolific scorer by any means, but is a good rebounder and defender. Gerard Jackson can bring some scoring to the frontcourt and the 6-5 forward is ready for a big senior season after missing much of last season due to academics. Dalky Melendez saw his playing time decrease as a sophomore, but will be a valuable big body off the bench. The team was full of junior college transfers last year and were picked to finish 7^th in the league. The pundits know better this year. ULM can win the Sun Belt and make their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1996, if they can stay healthy.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Brandon Roberts, Sophomore, Guard, 9.7 points per game

Jonas Brown, Senior, Guard, 12.3 points per game

Tony Hooper, Junior, Guard, 15.4 points per game

Lance Brasher, Senior, Guard, 10.4 points per game

Afam Nweke, Junior, Forward, 5.1 points per game

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