This may be my last season preview for this conference, so I better make it a good one! The once proud WAC is in disarray after eight of its members decided to form a better conference, and numerous others are preparing to do the same in the near future. Nevada is slated to join the conference next season, but more vacancies might need to be filled if it expects to survive another year. If anything, it should be interesting to see what happens.
OK, enough slamming of the conference. On the upside, there are a number of good teams this season that should make the conference title chase very competitive. Fresno St., SMU, TCU & Tulsa are all capable of winning the conference championship, so it may come down to whoever stays healthy or elevates their game come February. I expect all of them to reach the postseason, but probably only 1 or 2 will make it to the Big Dance. The rest of the teams won't be that horrible, but will mostly beat up on each other with the occasional upset here or there. I don't expect to be seeing any of them still playing in March.
ON THE RISE: SMU
The
Mustangs started last season horribly, but really pulled it together
as the season went on. Look for that to continue this season,
as the young frontcourt improves to help take the pressure off
of the best backcourt in the conference. They also have a superstar
in Jeryl Sasser, who backs up his flashy play by producing some
big-time numbers. He reminds me of Dr. J (fro and all!). Look
for this team to make some noise this season!
IN DECLINE: Rice
The
Owls lost gunner Robert Johnson to graduation, which means they
lost most of their offense as well. This, along with the loss
of Derek Michaelis on the inside, leaves them with little hope
of scoring many points this season. Add in a bench full of freshmen,
and you've got a major rebuilding year (or two..or three...).
I'm not sure why Coach Wilson's name always comes up for vacant
coaching positions, but I'm sure that will be coming to end here
shortly.
|
Courtney Alexander Jeryl Sasser Willie Davis Marquise Gainous Brandon Kurtz |
6' 5" 6' 6" 6' 6" 6' 9" 6' 10" |
Sr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. |
G G F F C |
Fresno St. SMU SMU TCU Tulsa |
1. FRESNO ST.
Strengths:
Good
shooting team that scores a lot of points. Team quickness. Force
many turnovers.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Suspect team defense. Lack
of depth.
Outlook: Tark may finally have a team talented enough to
make it to the NCAA Tournament, if they can stay healthy &
out of trouble!
|
Probable Starters PG: Demetrius Porter, Jr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Travis Robinson, So. |
2. SMU
Strengths:
Very
deep & talented backcourt. Good ball-handling. Aggressive
defense.
Weakness: Poor shooting team from everywhere. Poor rebounding
team.
Outlook: The Mustangs are a big man away from a WAC title.
Looks like a potential bubble team.
|
Probable Starters PG: Stephen Woods, Sr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Mike Niemi, So. |
3. TULSA
Strengths:
Solid
backcourt. Good rebounding team. Excellent team defense. Good
3-pt shooting team.
Weakness: Poor ball-handling & distribution. Poor FT
shooting team. Losing Ruffin's toughness.
Outlook: Another good year for the Golden Hurricanes. With
some luck, they may end up winning the WAC.
|
Probable Starters PG: Tony Heard, Sr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Greg Harrington, So. |
4. TCU
Strengths:
High
powered offense. Shoots the ball well from everywhere. Good depth.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Poor rebounding team.
Outlook: Should once again put a lot points on the board.
Now if they just step it up on defense, postseason play would
be assured.
|
Probable Starters PG: Thomas McTyer, Jr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Vladimir Jaksic, Jr. |
5. UTEP
Strengths:
Good
team defense. Solid backcourt that handles the ball well. Good
3-pt & FT shooting team.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Small frontcourt, with
little off the bench.
Outlook: A decent team, but the loss of the "Bear"
may prevent an NIT bid.
|
Probable Starters PG: Eggie McRae, Sr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Rico Nelson, Sr. |
6. HAWAII
Strengths:
Decent
shooting team. Deep backcourt.
Weakness: Horrible rebounding team. Poor team defense.
Too many turnovers.
Outlook: The Rainbows really sucked last season! Don't
look for a big turnaraound, but they definitely will be better.
|
Probable Starters PG: Johnny White, Sr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Roy de la Cruz, Jr. |
7. SAN JOSE ST.
Strengths:
Good
3-pt shooting team. Highly regarded recruiting class.
Weakness: Poor team defense. Limited offense. Poor FT shooting
team. Many new faces, including coach.
Outlook: Virtually a new team, so it's hard to tell how
they'll fare!
|
Probable Starters PG: R.J. Powell, Sr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Rashaad Hines, Jr. |
8. RICE
Strengths:
Excellent
team defense. Big frontline.
Weakness: Poor rebounding team. Poor ball-handling. No
depth. Lost most of offense (Johnson).
Outlook: A pleasant surprise last season, but without Robert
Johnson, the Owls will struggle to score points.
|
Probable Starters PG: Mike Wilks, Jr. |
Top Reserves 6th: Brandon Evans, Fr. |
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