By Mike Castiglione Nov 2, 2006, 18:31 GMT
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. Northern Arizona, 2. Montana, 3. Eastern Washington, 4. Portland State, 5. Idaho State, 6. Sacramento State, 7. Weber State, 8. Montana State, 9. Northern Colorado
TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:
NORTHERN ARIZONA - Last year's regular season champ returns the lion's share of its offensive firepower. With plenty of weapons back in the fold, the Lumberjacks are poised for another run at the Big Sky title. Last year, the 'Jacks won 12 of their 14 conference games during the regular season. Leading the charge this year will be all-conference forward Ruben Boykin Jr., who averaged 13.3 ppg and 7.2 rpg a year ago. He will be counted on to hold down the front line. Fellow senior Tyrone Bazy (11.5 ppg) is a solid player at guard, while point man Josh Wilson should have a better feel for the offense with his freshman season now in the rearview mirror. Last year, Wilson averaged a team-leading six assists per game, though he also turned the ball over nearly four times per tilt. His ability to take care of the ball and run the offense will be key for the Lumberjacks' success. Having Steven Sir out on the perimeter to drain threes is an added bonus. Sir, who is the school's all-time leader in three-point percentage (.489), was granted another year of eligibility. Forward Ryan McCurdy started 22 games last year, though coach Mike Adras is no doubt counting on the 6-9 junior to improve upon the 4.2 rpg he averaged.
MONTANA - The Grizzlies have really turned a corner the last few years, winning the conference tournament title in each of the past two seasons. Montana is searching for its third straight invite to the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Nevada in the first round last year. Over the summer, coach Larry Krystkowiak decided to try his hand at the NBA level. In his place steps Wayne Tinkle, a former Grizzly who is well respected by the Montana community and has also spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach. As for the make-up of the team, 6-8, 245-pound forward Andrew Strait draws the most attention. Last year, he shot an impressive 61.4 percent (11th in the nation) while averaging 16.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg. He will team with Jordan Hasquet (6-9, 245 pounds) to form a rather imposing front line. Matt Martin, who led the team in assists and steals, returns to the backcourt along with 6-6 swingman Matt Dlouhy (7.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
EASTERN WASHINGTON - Mention Eastern Washington basketball these days and one name comes to mind. That name is Rodney Stuckey, the conference's reigning Player of the Year. It's hard to dissect which is more impressive, the fact that he outscored every Big Sky player from the past 30 years by averaging 24.2 ppg (eighth in the nation), or that he did it as a freshman. In either case, all eyes will be on Stuckey this season, as he tries to give an encore from his national Freshman of the Year season. However, some other players must step up if the team is going to make its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, considering the team's leading scorer for the final 27 games of the season was Stuckey. The coaching staff is high on a trio of guards who are new to the team, but the burden will fall more to the five other returning players with starting experience to produce. Paul Butorac (10.3 ppg and a school-record 51 blocks) and Kellen Williams (8.0 ppg) provide some additional scoring punch, while Matt Penoncello and Neal Zumwalt are legitimate three-point threats.
PORTLAND STATE - Beyond the expected top three finishers in the Big Sky, it's anybody's game. And one of those anybodies are the Portland State Vikings. The strength of the Vikings lies in the frontcourt with returning starters Juma Kamara (11.4 ppg) and Scott Morrison (9.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) back in the fold. Morrison is a solid shot blocker from his center position, while Kamara is able to draw defenders out to the perimeter after leading the league by shooting 53 percent from three-point range in 2005-06. The Vikes will also have their point guard back, as Ryan Sommer returns after averaging 10.2 ppg and nearly four assists per game. That trio helped fuel a late-season run in which the Vikings won their final four games to get into the conference tournament. Beyond those three, however, Portland State is a young squad. For the Vikings to improve upon last year's 12-16 record, some of the new faces will have to step up.
IDAHO STATE - Had David Schroeder not been granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA, who knows what kind of a mess new head coach Joe O'Brien would have found himself in when he took over during the offseason. Although Schroeder had three seasons cut short due to knee injuries, he is within only a few trips down the hardwood from becoming the school's all-time leader in three-pointers. Last year, he averaged 15.4 ppg. Logan Kinghorn is the only other returning starter, though he averaged just 6.8 ppg. Akbar Abdul-Ahad had originally declared early for the NBA draft despite starting just one game, though he later decided another year of college ball was in his best interest. He did manage to lead the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio and free throw shooting. Another player who figures into the starting lineup is John Ofoegbu, a Texas Tech transfer who sat last season out due to NCAA regulations.
SACRAMENTO STATE - The Hornets are looking to build upon the program's best season in 15 years. Head coach Jerome Jenkins has instilled a winning attitude in his players, and that attitude has his team looking beyond last season's 15 wins. The success of this year's squad rests mainly on the shoulders of All-Big Sky selection Alex Bausley, who averaged 13.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg. DaShawn Freeman, the conference's all-time steals leader, has moved on, but sophomore guard Loren Leath, who is a dangerous three-point shooter, returns after averaging 11.6 ppg as a freshman. Six of the team's top eight scorers are back for another season, including seniors Haron Hargrave (8.6 ppg) and Clark Woods (7.3 ppg). Only three teams have reached the Big Sky Tournament in each of the last four seasons, and Sacramento State is one of them.
WEBER STATE - New head coach Randy Rahe was busy filling an empty cupboard during the offseason, as former coach Joe Cravens picked a good time to move on. Only two years removed from a 26-6 season, the Wildcats have fallen on hard times. Last year, the team failed to make the conference tournament for the first time since 1980-81. With just three players back from last year's dismal squad, Rahe brought along seven juco transfers. The most promising of that group is Arturas Valeika, who originally hails from Lithuania. He stands at 6-9 and possesses solid ball skills, though it remains to be seen how he fits in with Rahe's plans. The team lost its top two scorers, and nine lettermen in all. Among the few who actually played for the purple and white last year is David Patten, who averaged 10.8 ppg but will be pushed by Valeika at power forward. Beyond that, the 'Cats are without a single post-up player on the roster.
MONTANA STATE - Though Montana State finished an even 15-15 last year, the odds are stacked against the Bobcats to do the same here in 2006-07. After all, the team's top four scorers are gone. Despite coming off the bench last season, Derrick Edmonds is the top returning scorer, though his 8.8 ppg hardly demanded any double teams. Other notable returnees include Nick Dissly (7.2 ppg), Casey Durham (6.1 ppg) and Ted Morris (5.2 ppg). But the new coaching staff was not ready to head into a new season without some reinforcements. Brad Huse did what he could bringing in players over the offseason, even adding a pair of players in October. Huse has added seven new faces, including four juco transfers. There is certainly some talent among those signed by Huse, but the team lacks a bona fide scoring threat capable of consistently creating his own scoring opportunities.
NORTHERN COLORADO - The Bears are playing in a brand new conference with a brand new coach. Forgive the preseason pundits if that combination does not elicit visions of championship banners hanging from Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion. Handling the clipboard for the Bears this season will be Tad Boyle. The good news is that four starters return. The bad news is that those four played on last season's dismal 5-24 squad. Still, big things are expected from junior Sean Taibi, who averaged 15.3 ppg a year ago. Beyond that, however, the roster is loaded with freshmen who will be thrown into the fire from the season's opening. Should the Bears turn some heads under coach Boyle, they would not be eligible for a conference title or NCAA Tournament berth until next season.
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