By Joel Welser

The Matadors made an improbable run to the Big West Conference Tournament final last year, upsetting Santa Barbara and Utah State before losing in the final seconds to Pacific. The run wasn’t that surprising though with the return of Chris Davis and Joseph Frazier, who were suspended during most of the conference schedule. Northridge played undermanned much of the year and proved that when at full strength they could compete with anybody in the Big West.

Who’s Out: Michael Scott is the only player that has run out of eligibility. He played in 28 games, but only averaged 1.7 points per outing. The Matadors will loss some much needed depth with the transfers of Chris Davis and Antoine Parker. They are both headed to Cal State San Bernardino. The 6-9 Davis would have provided a nice big body on the first option off the bench. Also transferring away from the Matadome is Sergei Lepiashinski, who averaged two points per game in 24 outings.

Who’s In: More will be asked of these incoming freshmen then was expected before all the transfers. The young guys will have to step up and see some major minutes off the bench. Greg Okwudibonye, a 6-3 shooting guard, is a smart player on both ends of the floor. He should make an immediate contribution off the bench. Small forward Jonathan Heard averaged 18.2 points and 8.9 boards his senior year in high school. Calvin Chitwood is the final new member of the Matadors. Like the other incoming freshmen, Chitwood is an athletic player that will help the Matadors run the floor.

Who to Watch: Ian Boylan is the do-it-all player that holds together the Matador squad. The 6-6 senior has put up consistent numbers across the board his entire collegiate career. Last year he averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals. The small forward has a great passing ability and could run the point if such a thing were necessary. Boylan is a clutch performer and averaged over 23 points per game in the Big West tourney.

Projected Conference Rank: Utah State and UC Santa Barbara will be right on the heels of the Matadors. If the Northridge freshmen can manage to have some quality minutes and the injury bug stays away, the Matadors could finish in 2nd place.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT