1. Paine--The Lions have been tapped as the preseason favorite to win the SIAC title after finishing last season 15-13 overall, and 13-7 in conference play. However, a quarterfinal loss to Lane in the quarterfinals of the SIAC tournament has left a bitter taste in the Lions mouth, something they hope will be washed out this season. Preseason All-SIAC second teamer Daniel Lomax must produce quality minutes if Paine is to dish out some pain towards fellow conference opponents.
2. Morehouse--The Maroon Tigers had a "down" season in 2004-05, reaching the semifinals of the SIAC tournament before losing Albany State 70-52 to finish 16-13 overall. Brandon Childs will be expected to step for the Morehouse men in 2005-06. The Maroon Tigers face a brutal non-conference schedule early, including games against NCAA tournament participants Bowie State, Columbus State, and Florida Gulf Coast, as well as defending NCAA Division II national champion Virginia Union.
3. Benedict--The Tigers finished second in the SIAC at 14-6, but couldn't advance past the quarterfinals of the SIAC tournament, as an upset loss to Kentucky State ended their season at 18-10. Joel Brown and Joshua Obiajunwa must step up if Benedict has any chance of contending for the SIAC championship.
4. Kentucky State--The Thorobreds hope to gallop their way towards the SIAC title this season after reaching the semifinals of the SIAC tournament, and finishing 15-15 ovearall. Deshondre Watters will lead the way for KSU in hopes of moving up higher in the conference standings this season.
5. Albany State--The Golden Rams reached the championship game of the SIAC tournament last season, only to fall one game short of winning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, as the Golden Rams lost to Lane to finish the season 18-12. If ASU is to earn that elusive trip to the "Big Dance" this season, Frank Pinson must step up, and provide quality minutes.
6. Lane--Despite being seeded seventh, the Dragons caught fire when it counted the most, as they won four straight games to win the SIAC tournament title, and finishing the season 16-16 after a first round loss to eventual Final Four participant Lynn. Don't count out for consideration to win the regular season title, though.
7. Miles--The Golden Bears had one of its better seasons in quite some time, finishing SIAC play at 11-9, but fell to Morehouse in the quarterfinals of the SIAC tournament to finish the year 16-11. Junior forward Jesse Bailey, at 6'4", and 220 lbs., returns in hopes of helping Miles stay in the thick of the SIAC chase this year.
8. Fort Valley State--Travis Williams begins his second season as the Wildcats head coach after posting a 10-19 overall, and 8-12 SIAC mark. The early season schedule includes contests against the likes of Florida Gulf Coast, North Carolina Central, and West Georgia.
9. Stillman--The Tigers fell one game shy of .500 in their final season as an NCAA Division II independent, finishing with a 13-14 record. But, in their inaugural season as an SIAC member, Stillman might find itself fighting an uphill battle, as the Tigers face a tough schedule playing teams such as Florida Gulf Coast, Montevallo, and North Alabama, as well as NCAA Division I foes Alabama A&M and Troy. And that's just the non-conference schedule. Still, in an SIAC that has so much parity, this squad could still end up winning the conference tournament (see Lane).
10. LeMoyne-Owen--The Magicians hope to begin a long climb in the SIAC standings after finishing the 2004-05 season 6-22 overall.
11. Clark-Atlanta--The Panthers struggled to find the bottom of the net, averaging just 63 points per game offensively in finishing a disappointing a 6-22 overall, and next-to-last in the SIAC at 6-14.
12. Tuskegee--The Golden Tigers have a long way to go after finishing last season 7-21 overall.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment