College basketball is here again.....

[wkuhillhound]

My favorite time of the year is here again....it is college basketball season. Last year mid-majors made huge strides in earning respect from the powerhouse schools. George Mason Patriots making the Final Four after some analysts did not even consider them a NCAA Tournament team and the Bradley Braves making the Elite Eight and Wichita State Shockers making the Sweet 16. Missouri Valley Conference sending 4 teams to the NCAA tournament last year sent a message. The conference has 2 teams ranked in the Top 25, (Creighton #20 and Southern Illinois #25). The Sportingnews ranked the Missouri Valley the 7th best conference in all of college basketball, very impressive. What can the Missouri Valley do for an encore this season? The answers will be discovered throughout the season.

Without further ado here is the Sportingnews magazines predictions for Mid-Major conferences 2006 - 2007 season!!!

Key = Preseason Rank/Team/2005 - 2006 record

Big East Conference (3rd)
2. Georgetown (23 - 10)
6. Villanova (28 - 5)

Missouri Valley Conference (7th)
1. Creighton (20 - 10)
2. Southern Illinois (22 - 11)
3. Wichita State (26 - 9)
4. Missouri State (22 - 9)
5. Northern Iowa (23 - 10)
6. Drake (12 - 19)
7. Evansville (10 - 19)
8. Bradley (22 - 11)
9. Illinois State (9 - 19)
10. Indiana State (13 - 16)

Atlantic 10 (8th)
1. Xavier (21 - 11)
2. Massachusetts (13 - 15)
3. George Washington (27 - 3)
4. Saint Louis (16 - 13)
5. Charlotte (19 - 13)
6. Dayton (14 - 17)
7. Fordham (16 - 16)
8. Saint Joseph's (19 - 14)
9. Temple (17 - 15)
10. La Salle (18 - 10)
11. Rhode Island (14 - 14)
12. Richmond (13 - 17)
13. St. Bonaventure (8 - 19)
14. Duquesne (3 - 24)

Colonial (12th)
1. Hofstra (26 - 7)
2. George Mason (27 - 8)
3. UNC Wilmington (25 - 8)
4. Old Dominion (24 - 10)
5. Virginia Commonwealth (19 - 10)
6. Drexel (15 - 16)
7. Towson (12 - 16)
8. Delaware (9 - 21)
9. William & Mary (8 - 20)
10. Northeastern (19 - 11)
11. Georgia State (7 - 22)
12. James Madison (5 - 23)

West Coast (14th)
1. Gonzaga (29 - 4)
2. Loyola Marymount (12 - 18)
3. Saint Mary's (17 - 12)
4. San Francisco (11 - 17)
5. San Diego (18 - 12)
6. Santa Clara (13 - 16)
7. Pepperdine (7 - 20)
8. Portland (11 - 18)

Sun Belt (15th)
East Division
1. Western Kentucky (23 - 8)
2. South Alabama (24 - 7)
3. Middle Tennessee (16 - 12)
4. Troy (14 - 15)
5. Florida International (8 - 20)
6. Florida Atlantic
West Division
1. New Orleans (10 - 19)
2. Arkansas-Little Rock (14 - 15)
3. North Texas (14 - 14)
4. Denver (16 - 15)
5. Louisiana-Lafayette (13 - 16)
6. Arkansas State (12 - 18)
7. Louisiana-Monroe

Because of time restraint I only did the Top 15 conferences, later this week I will do the rest of the conferences. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Putting aside my Cherry and White blinders i think Temple will finish higher than 9th in a A-10. Fran Dunphy is too good of a coach and will the Owls into the top half of the conference. The loss of Mardy Collins will hurt but i think once the team is at full strength, a couple key guys will miss the first dozen games, they might make a push for the NCAA's. The cupboard is not bare.

[griz37]

Has the A-10 really fallen far enough to be considered a mid-major?

[Go Lehigh TU Owl]

Has the A-10 really fallen far enough to be considered a mid-major?

It has to do with the perception of conferences based on football. Once the BCS formed the non-BCS schools were instantly labeled as mid-major even in basketball. The A-10 is the ultimate tweener conference. They have 4 or 5 programs (Temple, Xavier, Charlotte, St. Joe's, Umass) that have a national profile while the rest are more regional schools.

[TexasTerror]

SHSU is the favorite to win the SLC this year. They were runner-ups last year. I think SELA and NWST are definitely the class of the West and it'll come down to SHSU and A&M-CC out east with perhaps SFA bursting that bubble.

Southland Conference
EAST DIVISION (First place votes) Points
1. Northwestern State (8 ) 62
2. Lamar (3) 54
3. Southeastern Louisiana 45
4. McNeese State (1) 41
5. Nicholls State 23
6. Central Arkansas 21

WEST DIVISION
1. Sam Houston State (10) 65
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1) 55
3. Stephen F. Austin (1) 48
4. Texas-Arlington 33
5. Texas-San Antonio 29
6. Texas State-San Marcos 16

[wkuhillhound]

Has the A-10 really fallen far enough to be considered a mid-major?

The only reason I did the A-10 is because of the teams bolded that are listed. :)

[wkuhillhound]

Here are the rest of the conferences! Remember: it is only the opinions of the SportingNews magazine.

Horizon League (16th)
1. Wisconsin-Green Bay (15 - 16)
2. Loyola (Ill.) (19 - 11)
3. Detroit (16 - 16)
4. Wright State (13 - 15)
5. Illinois-Chicago (16 - 15)
6. Wisconsin-Milwaukee (22 - 9)
7. Butler (20 - 13)
8. Youngstown State (7 - 21)
9. Cleveland State (10 - 18)

Metro Atlantic (17th)
1. Marist (19 - 10)
2. Niagara (11 - 18)
3. Siena (15 - 13)
4. Iona (23 - 7)
5. Manhattan (20 - 11)
6. Loyola (MD) (15 - 13)
7. Rider (8 - 20)
8. Canisius (9 - 20)
9. St. Peter's (17 - 15)
10. Fairfield (9 - 19)

Southern (18th)
North Division
1. UNC Greensboro (12 - 19)
2. Appalachian State (14 - 16)
3. Elon (15 - 14)
4. Chattanooga (19 - 13)
5. Western Carolina (13 - 17)
South Division
1. College of Charleston (17 - 11)
2. Furman (15 - 13)
3. Georgia Southern (20 - 10)
4. Davidson (20 - 11)
5. Wofford (11 - 18)
6. The Citadel (10 - 21)

Big Sky (19th)
1. Montana (24 - 7)
2. Northern Arizona (21 - 11)
3. Eastern Washington (15 - 15)
4. Portland State (12 - 16)
5. Montana State (15 - 15)
6. Weber State (10 - 17)
7. Sacramento State (15 - 15)
8. Idaho State (13 - 14)
9. Northern Colorado (5 - 24)

Big West (20th)
1. Long Beach State (16 - 12)
2. Pacific (24 - 7)
3. Cal State Fullerton (16 - 13)
4. UC Irvine (16 - 13)
5. UC Santa Barbara (15 - 14)
6. Cal State Northridge (11 - 17)
7. Cal Poly (10 - 19)
8. UC Riverside (5 - 23)

Patriot League (21st)
1. Bucknell (27 - 5)
2. Holy Cross (20 - 12)
3. Lehigh (19 - 12)
4. American (12 - 17)
5. Lafayette (11 - 17)
6. Colgate (10 - 19)
7. Navy (10 - 18)
8. Army (5 - 22)

Ivy League (22nd)
1. Penn (20 - 9)
2. Princeton (12 - 15)
3. Brown (10 - 17)
4. Columbia (11 - 16)
5. Cornell (13 - 15)
6. Yale (15 - 14)
7. Dartmouth (6 - 21)
8. Harvard (13 - 14)

Mid-Continent (23rd)
1. Oral Roberts (21 - 12)
2. IUPUI (19 - 10)
3. Missouri-Kansas City (14 - 14)
4. Oakland (11 - 18)
5. Valparaiso (17 - 12)
6. Western Illinois (7 - 21)
7. Centenary (4 - 23)
8. Southern Utah (10 - 20)

Ohio Valley (24th)
1. Samford (20 - 11)
2. Tennessee State (13 - 15)
3. Tennessee Tech (19 - 12)
4. Murray State (24 - 7)
5. Austin Peay (17 - 14)
6. Jacksonville State (16 - 13)
7. Southeast Missouri State (7 - 20)
8. Morehead State (4 - 23)
9. Eastern Kentucky (14 - 16)
10. Tennessee-Martin (13 - 15)
11. Eastern Illinois (7 - 20)

Big South (25th)
1. Winthrop (23 - 8)
2. Coastal Carolina (20 - 10)
3. High Point (16 - 13)
4. Liberty (7 - 23)
5. UNC Asheville (9 - 19)
6. Charleston Southern (13 - 16)
7. Radford (16 - 13)
8. VMI (7 - 20)
Is Birmingham Southern still in the Big South Conference? It was not listed in the magazine.

Southland (26th)
West Division
1. Sam Houston State (22 - 9)
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (20 - 8)
3. Stephen F. Austin (17 - 12)
4. Texas-Arlington (14 - 16)
5. Texas-San Antonio (11 - 17)
6. Texas State (3 - 24)
East Division
1. McNeese State (14 - 14)
2. Lamar (17 - 14)
3. Northwestern State (26 - 8)
4. Nicholls State (9 - 18)
5. Southeastern Louisiana (16 - 12)
6. Central Arkansas (N/A)

Atlantic Sun (27th)
1. Belmont (20 - 11)
2. Lipscomb (21 - 11)
3. East Tennessee State (15 - 13)
4. Campbell (10 - 18)
5. Kennesaw State (12 - 17)
6. Gardner-Webb (17 - 12)
7. Stetson (14 - 18)
8. Mercer (9 - 19)
9. North Florida (6 - 22)
10. Jacksonville (1 - 26)

Northeast (28th)
1. Monmouth (19 - 15)
2. Robert Morris (15 - 14)
3. Fairleigh Dickinson (20 - 12)
4. Long Island (12 - 16)
5. Central Connecticut State (18 - 11)
6. Sacred Heart (11 - 17)
7. Quinnipiac (12 - 16)
8. St. Francis (NY) (10 - 17)
9. Wagner (13 - 14)
10. Mount St. Mary's (13 - 17)
11. St. Francis (PA) (4 - 24)

America East (29th)
1. Albany (21 - 11)
2. Vermont (13 - 17)
3. Maine (12 - 16)
4. New Hampshire (12 - 17)
5. Binghamton (16 - 13)
6. Boston University (12 - 16)
7. Stony Brook (4 - 24)
8. UMBC (10 - 19)
9. Hartford (13 - 15)

MEAC (30th)
1. Delaware State (21 - 14)
2. Hampton (16 - 16)
3. Florida A&M (14 - 17)
4. Coppin State (12 - 18)
5. Norfolk State (13 - 18)
6. Howard (7 - 22)
7. South Carolina State (14 - 16)
8. Bethune-Cookman (15 - 15)
9. North Carolina A&T (6 - 23)
10. Morgan State (4 - 26)
11. Maryland-Eastern Shore (7 - 22)

SWAC (31st)
1. Jackson State (15 - 17)
2. Alabama State (12 - 18)
3. Alcorn State (8 - 20)
4. Southern (19 - 13)
5. Alabama A&M (13 - 13)
6. Mississippi Valley State (9 - 19)
7. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (13 - 16)
8. Grambling State (14 - 13)
9. Texas Southern (8 - 22)
10. Prairie View A&M (5 - 24)

Independents
1. Chicago State (11 - 19)
2. IPFW (10 - 18)
3. Savannah State (2 - 28)
4. Texas-Pan American (7 - 24)

Enjoy comments wanted. :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :nod: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: xcoffeex