Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

#112 South Carolina State Bulldogs

MEAC

 2003-04: 18-11, 14-4, 1^st

2003-04 postseason: none

By Joel Welser

The top-seeded Bulldogs were upset by Florida A&M in the MEAC tournament last season.  SCS shot an astonishing 0 for 24 from behind the arc in that loss.  Luckily for Bulldog fans, they’ll have another chance this year to go dancing.  In his first season at South Carolina State, head coach Benjamin Betts, led the team to an 18-11 overall record.  They have restocked and you can bet Betts won’t let the team have another disappointing loss in the conference tournament. 

Who’s Out: Jermaine Cannon is the only piece not returning to Orangeburg.  Cannon only averaged 8.5 minutes per game in 26 appearances.  Losing the 8^th man off the bench won’t stop the Bulldogs from ending up on top of the MEAC once again.

Who’s In: The Bulldogs were a little slim off the bench in the frontcourt last year.  Matthew Bell missed all of last season with a knee injury and even if he isn’t healthy, a couple quality newcomers could fill in.  Julius Carter has a nice touch for a big man and is a quality scorer and rebounder.  Joe Fincher has good skills but is a little rough.  He has only played basketball for two years and will have to be coached well in order to make a big impact.  Some depth will be added to the backcourt with Derek Moore and Derrick Davis.  Neither should see too much playing time early in their careers.

Who to Watch: Thurman Zimmerman is the go to guy for the Bulldogs.  Last year the 6-6 swingman led the team with 18.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.  During his junior season he scored over ten points in 26 of 29 games, including 11 double-doubles.  He’s undersized but can crash the boards with the best of them.  There is no reason to believe that Zimmerman won’t be able to put up great numbers again.

Projected Conference Rank: South Carolina State is definitely the team to beat in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.  In the end, teams like Coppin State and Florida A&M will be looking up to the Bulldogs at the number one spot.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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