Southern

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the SWAC?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 16:26:12 -0500

SWAC Basketball Preview: 08-09

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:10:28 -0500

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Conference Rank: 31st

All-SWAC Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Andrew Hayles	Alabama St	Sr
G	Trant Simpson	Alabama A&M	Sr
G	Darrion Griffin	Jackson St	Sr
G	Chris Davis	Southern	Sr
F	Grant Maxey	Jackson St	Jr

SWAC Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

143	Alabama A&M	SWAC	1	NCAA
202	Jackson State	SWAC	2
234	Alabama State	SWAC	3
273	Miss Valley St	SWAC	4
297	Southern	SWAC	5
305	Texas Southern	SWAC	6
321	Prairie View A&M	SWAC	7
325	Grambling State	SWAC	8
336	Alcorn State	SWAC	9
338	Ark Pine Bluff	SWAC	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the SWAC?

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)

Cheerleader of the Day: Southern

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:44:49 -0400

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Cheerleader of the Day

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we have access to thousands of great college & NBA basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, along with our Picture of the Day, we'll be featuring a Cheerleader of the Day. After a brief mid-summer run of NBA dancers, we're back with college girls..

Southern: Football

- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- Also check out the Picture of the Day!

Turnarounds: 31 Teams to Watch: Part Four

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:49:33 -0400

With the off-season now upon us and the spring signing period well under way, this is a good opportunity to attempt to forecast some of the teams who could make the jump next season. Is there a team out there like this past season’s Drake Bulldogs, who went from ninth place to a dominating run through the Missouri Valley? Or how about Arizona State, a team that went from dead last in the Pac-10 to fifth place and could have the makings of a conference title run this season? With one pick for each conference, here are 31 teams you should keep an eye on next season.

Part Four

SEC: South Carolina

2007-08 Record: 14-18 (5-11)

There hasn’t been a whole lot of optimism around the Gamecock basketball program since a group led by Renaldo Balkman won its second straight Postseason NIT title a couple years back. But into the desk left open by the retired Dave Odom slides Darrin Horn, who led Western Kentucky to four straight twenty-win seasons and a Sweet 16 this past season. Given what we saw from the likes of Courtney Lee and Tyrone Brazelton during the Tournament, maybe Horn can add a little more to the game of Devan Downey and unleash some of the athletic talent in the South Carolina frontcourt. While it would be far-fetched to expect the Gamecocks to win the SEC East, look for them to make a return to postseason play next year.

Southern: College of Charleston

2007-08 Record: 16-17 (9-11)

It’s tough when you’re in the same division as Davidson, but for the Cougars to finish below .500 in conference play last season had to be a disappointment for Bobby Cremins and his staff. Four players, led by Tony White Jr., averaged double figures in scoring and they’ll all be back in 2008-09. Davidson will still be the odds-on favorite to win the Southern Conference, but don’t expect Charleston to simply roll over for the Wildcats. And the scary thing is that they may be even better the following season.

Southland: Nicholls State

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (5-11)

The Colonels are another team that suffered due to its lack of experience last season. But with Adonis Gray being the lone departure, look for Nicholls to repay some of the teams who took advantage of their youth this past season. Head coach J.P. Piper should have a full complement of players at his disposal next season, including three signed recruits and Michael Czepil for an entire season. And given the fact that they’re in the division opposite Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston State, the Colonels can make a run at a division title.

SWAC: Southern

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (9-9)

Head coach Rob Spivery loses two seniors from last season’s team, Geri Guillory and Joe Holliday, but his top three scorers will all be back in Baton Rouge. Chris Davis led the Jaguars in scoring at fifteen per game, and look for Barry Honore and Steffon Wiley to increase their production in order to become better compliments to Davis on the offensive end. The key in the SWAC, like the MEAC, is to not get buried by those “guarantee games” that many of the member schools have to play for the sake of their athletic department’s finances. I think Southern will have enough returning experience to make sure they don’t suffer that kind of letdown next season.

Summit: Centenary

2007-08 Record: 10-21 (4-14)

The Centenary Gents struggled mightily at times last season, and if not for South Dakota State they would have finished last in the conference. They only lose one senior from last season’s squad, and he (Iman Shokouhizadeh) averaged a mere four minutes per game. Three players averaged double figures in scoring, led by Tyrone Hamilton and Nick Stallings. They’ll both be back, and will be focal points as head coach Rob Flaska looks to move Centenary to the top half of the Summit League, if not win the automatic bid itself.

Sun Belt: Denver

2007-08 Record: 11-19 (7-11)

The Pioneers will have quite the task this season as their location doesn’t even remotely fit into the geographical footprint of the rest of the Sun Belt. But second-year head coach Joe Scott should be more familiar with his roster and each player’s strengths and weaknesses. The Pioneers lose four seniors, most notably David Kummer and Adam Tanner, but I think they can improve their standing within the West Division thanks to key losses incurred by other teams within the division. A full off-season in the system that Scott wants to run should also help with the completion of the coaching transition.

West Coast: Portland

2007-08 Record: 9-22 (3-11)

Personally, I thought that the Pilots should have performed better than their 3-11 record within the WCC. But with their only senior loss being Sherrard Watson, I think this could be the year in which Portland get to the middle of the pack in the WCC. Nik Raivio, who led the team in scoring last season, will be back along with fellow guard Taishi Ito and forward Rob Smeulders. Look for head coach Eric Reveno to have a vastly improved team in his third season at the helm.

WAC: Louisiana Tech

2007-08 Record: 6-24 (3-13)

Kerry Rupp heads into his second year in Ruston with a lot of young players returning after getting a taste of the “hard knock life” in 2007-08. Add to this group LSU transfer Magnum Rolle combined with other WAC teams losing some key contributors and you may have a team that can move up to the middle of the conference standings in 2008-09. In regards to competing for the conference title, that may be a little premature at this stage. But the cupboard certainly won’t be bare for the Bulldogs in 2008-09.

Part One: ACC, Big East, Big Ten etc

Part Two: Big 12, CUSA, etc

Part Three: MVC, MWC, Pac-10, etc