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THE SUMMIT:
Oakland should take the conference easily ahead of.......ORU should be behind them and firmly ahead of......IUPUI loses one significant player (13ppg) from a team that finished 4th last year and lost alot of close games (lost by 1 in OT to Az State, by 3 to Indiana and 3 to NDSU) just like....SDSU returns everybody and adds a couple redshirts as well as a couple solid recruits, similar to another young rival named.....NDSU loses alot but they also have some young talent. I think they'll be better than people expect. Them and.......IPFW probably aren't good enough to finish ahead of Oak, ORU, IUPUI or SDSU but they are sure to finish above....Centenary, WIU, UMKC and SUU are all but locked into being the bottom four teams.
Predicted order of finish:
1.) Oakland
2.) ORU
3.) IUPUI
4.) SDSU
5.) NDSU
6.) IPFW
7.) SUU
8.) Centenary
9.) WIU
10.) UMKC
THE HEARTBREAKERS:
It's no secret that SDSU suffered some heartbreakers this year to say the least. SDSU lost 11 games by 8 points or less including three games by 3 or less and two overtime games. In those losses two were via halfcourt shots. If the Jacks pull off just 4 of those close 11 games we're talking about a 17 win season and a top 4 finish in conference, a very successful season. This year the Jacks will be the experienced team in the majority of their Summit contests and it's safe to believe some of those close losses will turn into wins.
THE UN-SUMMITS:
This is the only area highlighted in this post where the Jacks could finish the same or worse then last year and that's due to the competetion. It's going to be tough to get a win against any three any of the Paradise jam teams, not to mention the game at Minnesota. At least one home versus a "non-counter" will be a win and the home games against Denver and Cal-Poly are also great chances at wins. The game in Wyoming will be a tough one, but not unwinnable. With the Paradise Jam games and the Minny game I can see SDSU finishing somewhere around .500 in non-conference, something like 7-6 or 6-7 (last year SDSU went 5-8 w/ tough games vs Minny, ISU, Drake, UNI and VCU).
THE ROAD:
It's also no secret that the Jacks have, well, stunk on the road. Go figure their only road win of the year was versus a Big XII team w/ a NBA bound player in a tough arena full of "magic". A third winless year on the road simply will not happen now that the Jacks are suddenly one of the more experienced teams in conference. In fact, after their first road game of the year at IUPUI, the next 5 are all very winnable (WIU, UMKC, SUU, NDSU and Centenary). When the Jacks win their 2nd and 3rd conference road games of the year at WIU and UMKC they will have the confidence they lacked the last two years. There are just three conference road games where the Jacks are overmatched (Oak, ORU and IUPUI).
THE RETURNING RABBITS:
The Jacks welcome back all 5 starters, the top 7 scorers, top 9 rebounders...you get the picture, basically everyone is back. Of the two players leaving, Mackenzie Casey played the 7th most minutes and Troy Wipf played the least, just 29 minutes all year. Even if they were coming back there would be no spot for them. There is every reason to believe that every player will be much improved, especially considering 6 of the returners were just sophmore or freshmen last year and a guy like Kai Williams should be able to stay at his natural 3 spot and not have to log so many minutes at the 4.
THE BABY RABBITS:
A couple long wing players take off the redshirts. 6'7 James Rader and 6'8 Dwight Pederson are both guys who can stroke it from the outside. Rader averaged 18 and 9 in Colorado, where he was 2nd team all-state his senior year. Pederson transfered from USF where he played in every game as a true freshman, averaging 6 points, shot 49% from the field and led all Cougars with a 46% 3-point shooting percentage. As for the incoming freshmen, coming fresh off a SD state A championship are high school teammates 6'7 guard Chad White and 6'8 forward Tony Fiegen. The athletic Fiegen averaged 19 and 10 while shooting over 65% in the paint, set school records for points and field goals and was the SD Gatorade POTY. The do-it-all White averaged 16 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4 apg while proving to be an excellent ball handler and all around player. Brayden Carlson is the first Brrokings player in over 15 years to suit up for the hometown Jacks. The 6'5 Carlson played the point for the Bobcats this year while averaging 22 ppg, 8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2 spg, 1.5 bspg and shot 53% from the field. In one six game stretch the SD first team pick averaged 30.5 ppg. He will redshirt his first year. Another addition could be 6'10/240 center Anthony Davis. Davis, a juco transfer sat out last year due to injury and his status for this year in unknown. His sophmore year at SWCC Davis averaged 16 ppg, 6 rpg and 2 bspg. Griffan Callahan transefered from UND and wasn't able to play until last year until second semester. He averaged 16ppg, 9 rpg, 6 apg, 4 spg in Illinois where he was named first team all-state as a senior. Callahan will have the advantage this year of being eligible to play from game one. These additions will easily make this the deepest Jackrabbit team since the move to D1 five years prior.
SUMMARY:
SDSU is quite possibly the most improved team in the Summit......there is every reason to believe that some of those close losses will turn into wins....the non conference will have it's tough teams as well as overmatched opponents....the road will be a much friednlier place for a more experienced and deeper Jacks squad....all of last years impact players return to go along with a couple redshirt frosh, a couple true frosh and possibly a 6'10 junior center. 2009-10 is set to be the year that SDSU turns the corner. They should finish above .500 and could even challenge for the conference.
Oakland should take the conference easily ahead of.......ORU should be behind them and firmly ahead of......IUPUI loses one significant player (13ppg) from a team that finished 4th last year and lost alot of close games (lost by 1 in OT to Az State, by 3 to Indiana and 3 to NDSU) just like....SDSU returns everybody and adds a couple redshirts as well as a couple solid recruits, similar to another young rival named.....NDSU loses alot but they also have some young talent. I think they'll be better than people expect. Them and.......IPFW probably aren't good enough to finish ahead of Oak, ORU, IUPUI or SDSU but they are sure to finish above....Centenary, WIU, UMKC and SUU are all but locked into being the bottom four teams.
Predicted order of finish:
1.) Oakland
2.) ORU
3.) IUPUI
4.) SDSU
5.) NDSU
6.) IPFW
7.) SUU
8.) Centenary
9.) WIU
10.) UMKC
THE HEARTBREAKERS:
It's no secret that SDSU suffered some heartbreakers this year to say the least. SDSU lost 11 games by 8 points or less including three games by 3 or less and two overtime games. In those losses two were via halfcourt shots. If the Jacks pull off just 4 of those close 11 games we're talking about a 17 win season and a top 4 finish in conference, a very successful season. This year the Jacks will be the experienced team in the majority of their Summit contests and it's safe to believe some of those close losses will turn into wins.
THE UN-SUMMITS:
This is the only area highlighted in this post where the Jacks could finish the same or worse then last year and that's due to the competetion. It's going to be tough to get a win against any three any of the Paradise jam teams, not to mention the game at Minnesota. At least one home versus a "non-counter" will be a win and the home games against Denver and Cal-Poly are also great chances at wins. The game in Wyoming will be a tough one, but not unwinnable. With the Paradise Jam games and the Minny game I can see SDSU finishing somewhere around .500 in non-conference, something like 7-6 or 6-7 (last year SDSU went 5-8 w/ tough games vs Minny, ISU, Drake, UNI and VCU).
THE ROAD:
It's also no secret that the Jacks have, well, stunk on the road. Go figure their only road win of the year was versus a Big XII team w/ a NBA bound player in a tough arena full of "magic". A third winless year on the road simply will not happen now that the Jacks are suddenly one of the more experienced teams in conference. In fact, after their first road game of the year at IUPUI, the next 5 are all very winnable (WIU, UMKC, SUU, NDSU and Centenary). When the Jacks win their 2nd and 3rd conference road games of the year at WIU and UMKC they will have the confidence they lacked the last two years. There are just three conference road games where the Jacks are overmatched (Oak, ORU and IUPUI).
THE RETURNING RABBITS:
The Jacks welcome back all 5 starters, the top 7 scorers, top 9 rebounders...you get the picture, basically everyone is back. Of the two players leaving, Mackenzie Casey played the 7th most minutes and Troy Wipf played the least, just 29 minutes all year. Even if they were coming back there would be no spot for them. There is every reason to believe that every player will be much improved, especially considering 6 of the returners were just sophmore or freshmen last year and a guy like Kai Williams should be able to stay at his natural 3 spot and not have to log so many minutes at the 4.
THE BABY RABBITS:
A couple long wing players take off the redshirts. 6'7 James Rader and 6'8 Dwight Pederson are both guys who can stroke it from the outside. Rader averaged 18 and 9 in Colorado, where he was 2nd team all-state his senior year. Pederson transfered from USF where he played in every game as a true freshman, averaging 6 points, shot 49% from the field and led all Cougars with a 46% 3-point shooting percentage. As for the incoming freshmen, coming fresh off a SD state A championship are high school teammates 6'7 guard Chad White and 6'8 forward Tony Fiegen. The athletic Fiegen averaged 19 and 10 while shooting over 65% in the paint, set school records for points and field goals and was the SD Gatorade POTY. The do-it-all White averaged 16 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 4 apg while proving to be an excellent ball handler and all around player. Brayden Carlson is the first Brrokings player in over 15 years to suit up for the hometown Jacks. The 6'5 Carlson played the point for the Bobcats this year while averaging 22 ppg, 8 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2 spg, 1.5 bspg and shot 53% from the field. In one six game stretch the SD first team pick averaged 30.5 ppg. He will redshirt his first year. Another addition could be 6'10/240 center Anthony Davis. Davis, a juco transfer sat out last year due to injury and his status for this year in unknown. His sophmore year at SWCC Davis averaged 16 ppg, 6 rpg and 2 bspg. Griffan Callahan transefered from UND and wasn't able to play until last year until second semester. He averaged 16ppg, 9 rpg, 6 apg, 4 spg in Illinois where he was named first team all-state as a senior. Callahan will have the advantage this year of being eligible to play from game one. These additions will easily make this the deepest Jackrabbit team since the move to D1 five years prior.
SUMMARY:
SDSU is quite possibly the most improved team in the Summit......there is every reason to believe that some of those close losses will turn into wins....the non conference will have it's tough teams as well as overmatched opponents....the road will be a much friednlier place for a more experienced and deeper Jacks squad....all of last years impact players return to go along with a couple redshirt frosh, a couple true frosh and possibly a 6'10 junior center. 2009-10 is set to be the year that SDSU turns the corner. They should finish above .500 and could even challenge for the conference.
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