USA Today Mid-Con Year in-Review

[ORUTerry]

USA Today did a pretty good job of reviewing the past Mid-Con basketball season and writing some analysis of next year's season. Here is the link.

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I think I will post the individual stories by school/team so that we can make specific comments.

[ORUTerry]

CENTENARY

GETTING INSIDE

The nicest thing you can say about Centenary's season is that the Gents met all expectations.

Unfortunately, those expectations were a last-place finish in the league, with no hopes for postseason play.

In all reality, though, Centenary should count this season, Rob Flaska's second as the head coach, as a promising one. The Gents were more competitive in the Mid-Con, despite their last-place finish, and they did it with a lot of youth on the floor. With some strong recruiting, Centenary could be poised to make a leap in the standings next season.

One player who exceeded expectations was senior Alexander Starr. The 6-foot-5 forward from Dallas turned it on down the stretch, scoring 20 points or more in his final seven games. Starr earned First-Team All-Mid-Con honors in the process.

The next step for Centenary is to find some strong inside players. With Starr graduating, the Gents will have a huge hole in the middle.

NOTES, QUOTES

?Centenary managed just a 1-13 road record this season, a sign of its youth and possibly also of an inside game, which could lead to less of a reliance on outside shooting when visiting other teams' gyms.

?With such a lack of an inside game, it is no surprise that the team attempted 170 fewer free throws than its opponents this season. Overall, the Gents were outrebounded by a margin of six rebounds per game.

THE RECORDS: 10-21 overall, 3-11 in the Mid-Con, 8th place.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: After a stretch in early to mid-February that saw the Gents win three out of four, they stumbled down the stretch, losing their last three games, including a 79-59 loss to Oral Roberts in the first round of the MCC Tournament.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I saw all our guys step up today, especially our younger guys. In the end, we just didn't have enough firepower and couldn't stop (Oral Roberts) inside." ? head coach Rob Flaska said after the season-ending loss to Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Con Tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: If teams are made or broken with their backcourt play, the Gents should be excited for next season. Down the stretch, head coach Rob Flaska relied on a three-guard starting lineup with freshman Chase Adams, sophomore Tyrone Hamilton and sophomore Nick Stallings.

THE BAD NEWS: Just about any semblance of a post game is out the door. Both Alexander Starr and Larry Logan have used up their eligibility. The two combined for 25 points and 11 rebounds per game.

KEY RETURNEES: Sophomore guard Tyrone Hamilton led the Gents in scoring (15.8 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg) and earned Second-Team All-Mid-Con honors. Backcourt mates Nick Stallings and Chase Adams should also be back along with the forward trio of Jerrald Bonham, Jeff Montague and Lance Hill.

ROSTER REPORT:

?Sophomore Bryan Baumann missed 12 games down the stretch for the Gents. He still wound up leading the team in FT percentage (89.3%) and was second in 3-pointers made with 35.

?Senior Alexander Starr earned First-Team All-Mid-Con honors after averaging 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds. He also shot 83.0 percent from the free-throw line.

?Sophomore Tyrone Hamilton led the Gents in scoring at 15.8 ppg and was one of three players (Alexander Starr, Nick Stallings) to play all 31 games.

[ORUTerry]

IUPU-INDIANA

GETTING INSIDE

Ron Hunter just knows how to win. And he knows how to recruit players who win. And he knows how to get the most out of those players.

Despite getting just five games from star guard and difference-maker George Hill, the Jaguars managed a .500 record in the league and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament for the seventh straight season. That's consistency. And that's winning.

IUPUI was primed for a big season, but that all disappeared when Hill, a 6-foot-3 scoring machine, broke his foot in November. He had surgery to repair the foot and attempted a comeback in midseason, but soon after it was decided he was going to shut it down for the year. The good news is Hill will be back next season and was granted a medical redshirt, meaning he retains two more seasons of eligibility.

In Hill's absence, Hunter saw the development of two players who will be vital to the program's future success ? junior Austin Montgomery and sophomore Gary Patterson. Montgomery had some spectacular scoring nights and was named the Mid-Con's Newcomer of the Year while Patterson joined him on the All-Newcomer Team.

Patterson got on a roll late in the season and tied the school record of nine 3-pointers in one game. He played the second half of the season with a badly injured thumb that will require immediate surgery in the offseason.

The biggest questions around this team are finding someone, whether it is players already in the program or not, who can make a difference on the interior, and replacing the steady David Barlow at point guard.

NOTES, QUOTES?Teams shot 45.9 percent against the Jags this season, quite a testament to their lack of a defensive stopper in the middle. IUPUI didn't have a regular player in its rotation bigger than senior F Angelo Smith, who is 6-9, 230 pounds.

?The Jags were swept by both Oral Roberts and Oakland, the Mid-Con's top two finishers.

THE RECORDS: 15-15 overall, 7-7 in the Mid-Con, 4th place

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: IUPUI made it to the semifinals of the Mid-Con Tournament for the seventh straight season before getting steamrolled by Oral Roberts. The Golden Eagles opened the game with a 26-7 run and never let the Jaguars back in it.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If you can find three better players than Austin Montgomery, George Hill and Gary Patterson, then let me know. Our young guys in Jon Avery, Billy Pettiford, Drew Conner are going to be solid. With Oral Roberts losing (Caleb) Green and (Ken) Tutt, I fully expect us to be at the top of the pack next year." ? IUPUI head coach Ron Hunter, about his program's future, after the Jags were beaten by Oral Roberts in the semifinals of the Mid-Con Tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Now that the season is over and the focus is on the future, George Hill's foot injury can be viewed as a positive. With Hill sidelined for most of the season, players like Austin Montgomery and Gary Patterson were thrust into the spotlight and forced to take on a bigger role than had perhaps been intended. Next season, with a healthy Hill, the trio should make up the best group in the league.

THE BAD NEWS: David Barlow learned from Matt Crenshaw, the point guard who led the Jags to their only NCAA Tournament appearance, and took over for him. But who is going to take over for Barlow? The 6-0 senior has played his last game as a Jaguar. He was the team's most indispensable player the past two seasons. The PG responsibilities will likely fall to Patterson.

KEY RETURNEES: George Hill averaged 14.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in the five games in which he played. A First-Team All-Mid-Con player when he is healthy, Hill is primed for a breakout season. Austin Montgomery and Gary Patterson combined to average 25 points on the season, but both turned their games up a notch in the second half of the season, a sign of things to come in the future.

ROSTER REPORT:

?Senior G David Barlow started all 30 games for the Jags and his 36.7 minutes per game led the club. He finished his season averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

?Senior F Angelo Smith was the only other player to start all 30 games. Smith finished with averages of 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds.

[ORUTerry]

MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY

GETTING INSIDE

A one-day reprieve from the inevitable served to take some of the sting off a highly disappointing season for UMKC and coach Rich Zvosec.

The Kangaroos entered the season with high hopes, primarily centered around three players who received preseason all-conference recognition. But they struggled most of the year, particularly on the road, with the early-season loss of senior F Dee Ayuba due to a knee injury a major blow.

UMKC atoned for some of the disappointment in the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament. The Kangaroos defeated Valparaiso 84-76 in the first round, UMKC's first-ever tournament win against the Crusaders.

But the season ended one night later in the semifinals in somewhat heartbreaking fashion. UMKC led most of the game against Oakland, but faltered down the stretch in an 83-79 loss on March 5.

So the 'Roos finished with a 12-20 record, which included a disappointing sixth-place finish after they were selected third behind Oral Roberts and IUPUI in the preseason poll. Most disheartening was a 1-14 record in true road games, and 3-16 including games on a neutral court. UMKC lost 13 consecutive road contests before breaking the skid late in the season, Feb. 22 at Western Illinois.

Zvosec and the Kangaroos admitted that the season was a disappointment, but that things could have been better with a healthy Ayuba all season. Ayuba injured his knee in the summer, had surgery in August and didn't return to action until mid-December.

"I pleased with the way these guys carried themselves all year," Zvosec said. "It would have been much more enjoyable as a coach if we would have had a healthy Dee Ayuba for the full year. I think he showed down the stretch that he had the capabilities of being a first-team all-league player. The fact that he came back from knee surgery is a real credit to him and his work ethic."

Ayuba scored 31 points in the tournament victory over Valparaiso, and ended up averaging 12.8 points and five rebounds. Senior G Quinton Day, an all-conference first-teamer, led the team in scoring with 16.9 points per game.

So replacing those two will be a tough chore for Zvosec, who had signed a contract renewal in the fall and should be safe despite the team not meeting expectations.

NOTES, QUOTES

?On the season, the Kangaroos were beaten in three key categories. They were outrebounded by an average of 37-32. They shot 42 percent overall to their opponents' 46 percent. And they made just 35 percent of their 3-pointers to 37 percent by the opposition. And their biggest problem through much of the season was extended scoring droughts leading to big runs by the other team.

?UMKC finally played up to its potential in the last two weeks of the regular season. An overtime victory at home against Oakland began a stretch of four wins in five games, including the tournament win over Valparaiso. In two of the games, the Kangaroos made 14 3-pointers. Key during the stretch was UMKC's defensive adjustment from playing primarily zone to man-to-man. It was also during that time when junior Tim Blackwell gained some much-needed confidence and played well. In three of those four wins, UMKC's opponents made less than 44 percent of their field-goal attempts.

THE RECORDS: 12-20, 6-8, sixth place in the Mid-Continent Conference.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: The Kangaroos played their best ball of the season in the final weeks, including an upset victory over Valparaiso as the No. 6 seed in the tournament. It was the seventh season in a row that the No. 6 seed won a game in the Mid-Con tourney. And they played well through most of their last game before faltering down the stretch by losing to Oakland in the semifinals. But the Kangaroos are now 0-5 in tournament semifinal games during their years in the Mid-Con.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We struggled early in the season without our best player (Dee Ayuba) in the post. Then it took us a while to get adjusted with him. We've been up and down, and we had three or four games that came down to the last possession where we had to make a stop or get a rebound. That was the difference between being 6-8 and maybe 9-5 (in the Mid-Con)." ? coach Rich Zvosec following the loss at Valparaiso.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: UMKC will return seven players with considerable experience. The school has a new athletic director whose main task is to raise more money and awareness for the athletic programs. Zvosec is a good coach who seems content with building a stable program.

THE BAD NEWS: Outside of losing Quinton Day and Dee Ayuba, the program seems to be in good shape. But does anyone in Kansas City really care? Attendance in the spacious Kemper Arena and Municipal Arena in downtown Kansas City averaged just 1,505 for 13 home games. Even with a solid team, the Kangaroos will be hard pressed to drum up interest in a sports landscape dominated by the NFL's Chiefs, and the universities of Missouri and Kansas.

KEY RETURNEES: Guard Dane Brumagin averaged 9.6 points, third on the team behind Day and Ayuba. His 275 field-goal attempts were second only to Day. As a junior next season, he'll be expected to carry the scoring load along with senior-to-be Tim Blackwell. Blackwell had a season that can only be described as mysterious. A preseason all-conference selection, Blackwell had a stretch of games where he rarely got off the bench ? and it wasn't due to injury. He finally broke out of his funk in late January, when he played well in an overtime loss to Valparaiso at home. He ended up starting 15 games, but only averaged 5.3 points after scoring 10.1 per game as a freshman and 11.4 as a sophomore. PG Dominique Johnson started 11 games this season as a freshman, and averaged 7.3 points and 2.6 assists. Other top returnees will be F Brent Stephens (9.3 ppg), F Brian Gettinger and C Alex Pledger.

ROSTER REPORT:

?G Quinton Day was named to the All-Mid-Continent Conference first team for the second consecutive season. He ranked in the top five in the conference in points (16.9 ppg), steals (54) and assists (131).

?F Dee Ayuba was a second-team all-conference selection. He played particularly well down the stretch, including a career-high 31 points in the tournament victory over Valparaiso. In that game, he made 12 field goals, which was a career best and the most by a UMKC player this season. He reached double figures in scoring in five of UMKC's final six games.

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[ORUTerry]

OAKLAND

GETTING INSIDE

The Golden Grizzlies certainly know drama.

Oakland advanced to the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament championship for the second time in three years. The opponent, again, was Oral Roberts.

Prior to that meeting, the teams battled in the regular-season finale at Oakland. The Grizzlies escaped that game with a 85-84 victory when Erik Kangas made two free throws with four-tenths of a second remaining in overtime.

Flash forward 10 days. Kangas was on fire in the first half, hitting 6-of-8 3-pointers and staking Oakland to a 45-34 halftime lead. But Oral Roberts was too strong down the stretch, and scored the last four points of the game to send the Grizzlies home with a 73-69 loss.

Two years ago in the same situation, Oakland's Pierre Dukes hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to shock ORU and send a sub-.500 team to the NCAA Tournament.

But it wasn't meant to be this time. Kangas was held scoreless in the second half, and missed a 3-pointer in the final minute that would have given the Grizzlies a one-point lead.

Nevertheless, it was a successful season for the commuter school located in Rochester, Mich., near Detroit.

Head coach Greg Kampe was named the Mid-Continent Coach of the Year for leading his squad to a second-place finish in the league.

And as for that drama ? Oakland won seven of its last 11 games. One was the crazy win over ORU when Kangas hit two free throws after being fouled on the opposite baseline. Another was a four-point win over UMKC in the tournament semifinals. And the four losses came by a total of nine points, including two in overtime.

Even in defeat, the Grizzlies were competitive and it may have come due to a pre-conference grinder of a schedule that included games against Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Arkansas, UCLA and Marquette.

Kampe loses three seniors, but will return a veteran squad that will be favored, along with IUPUI, to win an expanded Mid-Con.

NOTES, QUOTES

?Oakland ranked first in the Mid-Continent Conference in free-throw percentage at .767 during the regular season. That explains the Grizzlies' ability to keep the games close ? they were never blown out by a conference opponent.

?Oakland's turning point may have come before the season when Calvin Wooten, last year's leading scorer, was ruled academically ineligible. He averaged 19.2 points, but also took twice as many shots as any of his teammates and shot 42.6 percent from the floor. His desire to dominate didn't always sit well with his teammates or coach Greg Kampe. So, when he was lost for the season, it enabled Kampe to safely move freshman Johnathon Jones into the point guard position. Jones is a pass-first guard who played well all season and involved his teammates in the offense.

?The Grizzlies started to hit their groove after a brutal December that included one long road trip with games at Arkansas, UCLA and Marquette. Oakland won six of its next seven games after that stretch. Big non-conference wins came against Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

THE RECORDS: 19-14, 10-4, second place in the Mid-Continent Conference.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: Oakland won seven of its final 11 games, and could have won all four of the games it lost. Two were overtime losses on the road at UMKC and Southern Utah, another was a baffling one-point home loss to Western Illinois. Then, the Golden Grizzlies suffered a heartbreaking 71-67 loss to Oral Roberts in the ESPN-televised conference championship game.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we had an OK season, but we didn't reach many of the goals we set, as far as winning the championship, so it was a little disappointing." ? F Vova Severovas, after losing to Oral Roberts in the championship game.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Oakland is one of the toughest, hard-nosed teams in the Mid-Continent Conference that embodies its small, fiery head coach Greg Kampe. PG Johnathon Jones returns, along with 3-point specialist Erik Kangas and F Derick Nelson. Kampe has established Oakland as a consistent winner in the Mid-Con and there's no reason to believe it won't continue next year.

THE BAD NEWS: Losing Vova Severovas, Shawn Hopes and Rick Billings is the worst news for Grizzlies fans. The loss to Oral Roberts in the conference championship was tough to swallow, and the tournament will return to Tulsa's John Q. Hammonds Center ? in ORU's home city but not home court ? again in 2008.

KEY RETURNEES: F Derick Nelson, an honorable-mention all-conference pick, scored a career-high 23 points in the Mid-Con tournament semifinal victory over UMKC. He ended up scoring 10 points per game. G Erik Kangas, a sophomore, was a second-team all-conference performer who ranked 10th in the conference in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Freshman PG Johnathon Jones made the All-Newcomer team. He ranked 22nd in the league in scoring with 9.6 points per game and fourth in assists with 3.6 per game.

ROSTER REPORT:

?F Vova Severovas only ended up playing about 1 1/2 seasons for the Grizzlies after transferring from Wright State. At 6-foot-6, he may have been undersized but was tough to stop on the interior. He led the team in scoring with 14 points per game and went out with a bang, leading the team with 22 in the loss to Oral Roberts in the title game. He was named a First-Team All-Mid-Continent Conference selection.

?C Shawn Hopes ended an odd college career. At 6-foot-8 and nearly 300 pounds, Hopes was the bulkiest player in the Mid-Continent Conference and is actually getting calls from NFL teams about his interest in football. He was named honorable mention all-conference, and ranked 12th in the conference in scoring (12.3 ppg) and ninth in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Hopes sat out the entire 2004-05 season when he lost the desire to play. He gained weight while sitting out, but eventually regained the fire. He lost weight and came back as a redshirt junior last season.

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[ORUTerry]

SOUTHERN UTAH

GETTING INSIDE

Southern Utah started the season as the surprise team in the Mid-Continent Conference, but concluded the year in highly disappointing fashion.

The Thunderbirds lost their final three games, and four of the last five. They slumped to the No. 5 seed for the conference tournament, and turned in a disappointing performance while losing to IUPUI 71-59 in the first round.

Things that the T-Birds did so well early in the season ? good perimeter shooting and tough defense ? seemed to go by the wayside for coach Bill Evans' crew.

On the bright side, Southern Utah finished with a 16-14 record. It's an improvement over last season, when the T-Birds tallied just 10 wins.

It is SUU's first winning season since the 2000-01 team finished 25-6 and won the league tourney to earn the Mid-Con's automatic NCAA bid. The Thunderbirds haven't won a Mid-Con tournament game since 2003, when they beat Oakland in the first round.

But despite the improvement, Evans was informed a few days after the season ended that his contract would not be renewed for next season.

In a way, it is somewhat of a surprise given the T-Birds' improvement. On the other hand, Southern Utah's new athletic director, Ken Beazer, has been on the job less than two years and last year fired the women's basketball coach.

Evans is respected as a good Xs-and-Os coach. Anyone considering the Southern Utah job has to take into consideration the school's lack of resources and its remote location.

Overall, the Thunderbirds will look back on the season and wonder what could have been if they had been able to shoot better from the perimeter in road games and also get some quality minutes from their big men.

"We can't be satisfied," F Orlando Griego said after the Mid-Con tourney loss. "I think a lot of guys would be satisfied with being 16-14, and I think that?s going to be our biggest key because we can?t be satisfied on the progress that we make because every team, every person can always get better."

They'll need to do it without their two best players, guards Steve Barnes and Justin Allen who both earned all-conference recognition, and also their long-time head coach.

Evans departs with a 209-223 record (.484). The T-Birds made one NCAA Tournament appearance under Evans, in 2001.

NOTES, QUOTES

?Home record: 12-2. Road record: 4-11. Neutral court record: 0-1. Those bottom-line numbers basically tell the story of Southern Utah's season. It's a tired old refrain, but it's tough for teams to make their way to Cedar City, Utah and muster up enough energy in the thin mountain air to beat a generally solid fundamental team. On the other side of the equation, it certainly isn't easy for the T-Bird players to travel great distances and reach their peak performance level in road games. And that was evident down the stretch, as a tired T-Bird squad lost their last three games to end the season.

?Southern Utah played well during the early portion of the season, somewhat of a surprise considering there were seven new players on the roster. The T-Birds won eight of their first 11 games, and then late in the conference season had a four-game winning streak which included a victory at IUPUI.

THE RECORDS: 16-14, 6-8 Mid-Continent Conference, fifth place.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: After soaring to a dramatic overtime victory against Oakland in the home finale on Feb. 17, the Thunderbirds plunged to the ground. They ended the season by losing their final two road games, at Valparaiso and Western Illinois, and falling to IUPUI in the conference tournament. The loss at Valpo was acceptable, the loss at Western was not. Entering the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, Southern Utah didn't put up much of a fight while losing to an injury-riddled Jaguars squad.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I?m not satisfied, I can tell you that. We won 16 games, and I think there?s only two teams in our league that have won overall more than 16 games. Satisfaction?s not a good thing and we want to get better. We need to get the right combination of guys and keep working hard and good things happen to people who work hard." ? outgoing SUU coach Bill Evans following the season-ending loss to IUPUI in the Mid-Con tourney.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: Thunderbirds fans always seem to get a pretty good show at home, and Cedar City is the only place most of them are able to see a game without taking out a loan for travel expenses. Southern Utah was 12-2 at The Centrum, where the program has a 215-44 record for a .830 winning percentage over 21 seasons. SUU will return a veteran team that includes five seniors.

THE BAD NEWS: Barring unforeseen developments, Southern Utah will remain in the Mid-Continent Conference. The league loses Valparaiso but has added North Dakota State and South Dakota State, as well as IPFW. That will make the travel even more difficult, particularly for the T-Birds. Winning on the road has been a problem for Southern Utah since joining the league in the late 1990s. Now, it'll have to do it with a new man in charge.

KEY RETURNEES: F Nurudeen Adepoju and F Orlando Griego proved to be the top recruits this season. Both JC transfers, Adepoju ranked third on the team in scoring (9.6 ppg) and also grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game. Griego ranked first on the team in rebounding (4.2 per game) and averaged 8.0 points. Both started all 30 games and are eligible return for another season. C Tate Sorensen, a junior who started 19 games while battling back spasms, was fifth on the team in scoring (7.6 per game), while F Swaney Cooper was a solid sixth man (7.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg). Backup PG David Marek, a sophomore, didn't see a lot of action, but he'll need to fill the huge void left with the loss of leading scorer Steve Barnes, who finished his career with the second-most assists (439) in school history.

ROSTER REPORT:

?PG Steve Barnes closed out an excellent career with three sub-par games for the Thunderbirds. In the tournament loss to IUPUI, he had just two points on 1-for-11 shooting. In the final regular-season road trip to Valparaiso and Western Illinois, he was 1-for-10 against the Crusaders and 0-for-3 against the Leathernecks. But he finished the season as the Thunderbirds' leader in scoring (12.9 ppg) and assists (5.73 apg), which ranked 16th in the nation going into the conference tournament. His 439 career assists ranks second in school history. His total of 172 assists is the second-best single-season effort in school history. He only had one game in his career, Feb. 10 at Oral Roberts, when he failed to record an assist.

?F Justin Allen was named the Mid-Continent Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He led the team with 36 steals (1.1 per game) but probably earned the award for shutting down two of the premier guards in the league ? UMKC's Quinton Day and Oral Roberts' Ken Tutt. Allen ranked second on the team in scoring behind Barnes, and will best be remembered for his desperation 3-point buzzer beater in the T-Birds' dramatic 87-85 overtime victory against Oakland in the home finale.

[ORUTerry]

WESTERN ILLINOIS

GETTING INSIDE

After a season in which the Leathernecks endured a 12-game losing streak that spanned almost two months and seemed to be playing with little cohesion at times, one has to seriously question the direction of the program.

And the feasibility of bringing back head coach Derek Thomas.

The Leathernecks were simply non-competitive in many games, including their final loss ? a 74-57 drubbing at the hands of Oakland in the Mid-Con Tournament. In that game, Western fell behind 18-6 early and trailed by more than 20 points in the first half.

After four seasons, Thomas is 28-86, and the Leathernecks have finished in ninth, fifth, eighth and seventh place.

The crowds are sparse at Great Western Hall, as the Leathernecks draw less than 1,000 fans per game. The excitement is not there. The results certainly aren't.

Thomas has proven to be an adequate recruiter throughout his career, but his inability to translate that potential into results may be the hallmark of his time at Western.

NOTES, QUOTES

?After beating Culver-Stockton 74-48 on Dec. 19, the Leathernecks did not win again until a 45-42 home win over Centenary on Feb. 1.

?There were a couple of highlights this season ? Western went into Oakland and beat the Grizzlies 64-63 on Feb. 8, ruining Oakland?s chances for a potential conference title. They also played in one of the nation's longest games ? a 5-OT affair at IPFW on Nov. 21, a game they lost 97-95.

THE RECORDS: 7-23 overall, 3-11 in the Mid-Con, 7th place.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: After the 12-game losing streak, Western actually finished pretty decently, winning three of its final eight games. For the most part, however, the Leathernecks were just too non-competitive in the games they did lose.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I don't think it was them (Oakland). They are a very physical basketball team, but I thought it was more us, the jitters, wanting to do so well. And we talked all week about how hard the rims are and the balls are and that we needed to slow down and I tried to explain to them about the game before us, the Oral Roberts-Centenary game where both teams had about 20 turnovers and both teams were playing kickball out there and I just told them you are going to have jitters but to just try to slow down." ? Western Illinois head coach Derek Thomas after his team's loss to Oakland in the first round of the Mid-Con Tournament.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: The Leathernecks return three of their top five scorers, including all-conference G David Jackson. Freshman G James Washington started five games early in the season and had his career off to a good start, averaging 5.2 points and 3.3 assists, but suffered an injury and missed the remainder of the season. He should be back as well.

THE BAD NEWS: There are questions hanging over this program. Will head coach Derek Thomas be brought back? If so, what's the plan for improvement? If not, who will the administration bring in, and how many players will ultimately leave? Senior G Sammy Hunter was the ultimate glue guy ? he started every game for the Leathernecks ? and he won't be back.

KEY RETURNEES: David Jackson averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds this past season. F Jerryck Owens-Murrey averaged 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor.

ROSTER REPORT:

?If he wants to take his game to another level, junior G David Jackson needs to work on his outside shot. Jackson is a known penetrator who likes to get into the lane, but his inability to hit the jumper from deep allows opponents to sag off of him. Jackson was just 18-of-72 (25.0%) from 3-point range this season.

?Senior G Sammy Hunter was the only Leatherneck to start every game this season. He finished second on the team in scoring at 11.5 ppg.

[ORUTerry]

ORAL ROBERTS

GETTING INSIDE

The Golden Eagles' season went basically according to script.

Oral Roberts won the Mid-Con regular season title for a third straight year, won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year, senior forward Caleb Green was named the Mid-Con Player of the Year for the third straight time, and at the end, the program had to say goodbye to Green and fellow senior Ken Tutt, who combined for more than 4,500 career points.

The highlight of the regular season was a win at then-No. 3 Kansas, back in November. From there, it was nothing more than a march to March.

The only thing that can be considered a blight, if you want to look at the negatives, was a failure to win a game in the NCAA Tournament as the Golden Eagles, the 14th seed in the East Region, were knocked out in the first round by Washington State.

The challenge now will be replacing the production and leadership of Tutt and Green, who led the program to 86 wins in their four years, including two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT appearance.

And no doubt some school will come calling, looking to talk to head coach Scott Sutton. Will he listen? He has been extremely loyal to ORU in the past.

NOTES, QUOTES

?Senior forward Caleb Green was the victim of Washington State's defensive prowess in their first-round NCAA Tournament matchup. Green, who came into the game averaging more than 20 points per game, was held to just 13 points on just four of 16 shooting.

It was his lowest scoring output since scoring just 12 points in a loss to Loyola-Marymount to open the season.

"I really wanted to send the program out on a right note by winning a game in the NCAA Tournament," Green said. "But the best player on our team had one of his worst performances this season."

In the game, however, Green topped the 2,500-point barrier for his career, becoming just the 18th player in D-I history to amass 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

?Senior guard Ken Tutt led the Golden Eagles with 19 points to finish his career with 2,019 points.

?ORU was undone by a sequence right before halftime as it gave up a lay-up then had the ball stolen on the inbounds pass for a dunk by WSU as the horn sounded. It was part of 13-0 run by WSU. Oral Roberts still held the halftime lead at 28-26.

THE RECORDS: 23-11 overall, 12-2 in the Mid-Con, 1st place.

HOW THE SEASON ENDED: The Golden Eagles lived up to the hype, winning the Mid-Con Tournament title before falling to Washington State 70-54 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I told our guys after the game there are going to be a lot of doubters out there that don't think we can get back (to the NCAA Tournament) without those two players. As soon as we get back from spring break, we're going to get back to work. I'm excited about the challenge. I'm excited about some of these guys that have kind of been in the shadows of Ken and Caleb, so to speak. And we've done a good job of recruiting. I'm looking forward to next year and hopefully of getting back in this position." ? ORU head coach, to the Tulsa World, about having to replace seniors Ken Tutt and Caleb Green, who have led the Golden Eagles to 86 wins in the past four seasons.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

THE GOOD NEWS: The best news of all is that ORU, led by Scott Sutton, has had the same coaching staff in place longer than any program in America. That continuity has led to overwhelming success, so barring any breakups, the staff will be back in place. And every other player who has seen significant minutes other than seniors Ken Tutt and Caleb Green will return next season.

THE BAD NEWS: Wow. When you lose a player like Caleb Green, who has scored more than 2,500 career points and pulled down more than 1,000 career rebounds, your program is going to feel the sting. He was the chief amongst all the Indians. And Ken Tutt has taken and hit almost all the big shots for the program since his freshman year. These are intangibles that walk out the door.

KEY RETURNEES: Forward Marchello Vealy, the Mid-Con's Sixth Man of the Year, will get his chance to start and play more of a starring role next season while point guard Adam Liberty may also be counted on as more of a scoring option next season. Swingmen Moses Ehambe and Kelvin Sango bring athleticism and the ability to score in bunches back with them.

ROSTER REPORT:

?Other than Caleb Green and Ken Tutt, Moses Ehambe was the only other player to score in double figures in the NCAA Tournament game. Ehambe had 10 points. He finished the season averaging 7.5 points per game.

?Junior C Shawn King had solid first season for ORU. The junior college transfer was third on the team in rebounds with 5.7 per game and fifth in scoring at 7.2 points per game. King led the team with 78 blocked shots and he started 32 of the team's 33 games.

[ORUTerry]

Link

GETTING INSIDE

Even sickness and adding football players to the roster can't slow North Dakota State. The Bison still have 20 victories in sight in their third year in Division I.

A road trip that saw the Bison criss-crossing the United States ? it covered about 6,000 miles from Fargo to New Jersey to Fargo to Utah to Texas to Fargo ? left four players with the flu. That included key reserve Lorenzo Riley, who was sick enough that he didn't suit up for a victory against Winston-Salem State.

But an even shorter bench than normal and the addition of two NDSU football players plus a former basketball walk-on for insurance didn't affect what the Bison do best ? have their top four players put the ball in the basket often and efficiently.

Ben Woodside, Andre Smith, Mike Nelson and Brett Winkelman are all averaging more than 15 points a game and NDSU is shooting 50 percent as a team. The Bison are the only team in the nation that has four players averaging at least 15 points per game. NDSU's shooting percentage ranks fifth among Division I teams.

In a victory over South Dakota State, the Bison shot 65 percent in the second half.

"We shot 65 percent in the second half and we've done that a lot. That really sounds odd to say, but, they can do a lot. We cut hard, we have an inside-outside mix, we have good moves. That's a good mix," Bison coach Tim Miles said.

NOTES, QUOTES

??An 86-69 victory over South Dakota State gave NDSU a season sweep of the Jackrabbits for the first time since 1991.

-?The Bison are not eligible to rank in national statistics until next year, but they would fare well this season. They would rank in the top 50 nationally in field-goal percentage, rebound margin, 3-point percentage, blocked shots per game and scoring margin.

Individually, Andre Smith (rebounds) and Ben Woodside (assists) would rank nationally.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Any college team, that's the only option you have because it doesn't count against your scholarships. That's naturally where you have to go if you need help. We were at the point Monday where we had three assistant coaches practicing. Have you seen our assistant coaches? You don't want those guys practicing. It's painful." ? NDSU coach Tim Miles on why he added two football players and a former walk-on to his roster for the season's final four games.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Jerimiah Wurzbacher, a tight end, and Nick Mertens, a quarterback, were the football players added. Dotun Obadina, a walk-on last season, was the former basketball player. They all played against South Dakota State.

Miles said he'll add a junior-college point guard to back up Woodside next season. He also said it's likely frontcourt recruit Eric Carlson (Shakopee, Minn.) will play as a true freshman.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual four starters ? F Andre Smith, F Brett Winkelman, G Mike Nelson and G Ben Woodside, G Austin Pennick. Key subs ? F Lorenzo Riley, F Sam Sussenguth, G Josh Vaughan.

ROSTER REPORT

?The Bison shot 43 free throws against South Dakota State, compared to 18 for the Jackrabbits.

?Miles has 97 victories at NDSU, tied for fourth place on the all-time list with Tom Billeter.

?Despite a winter storm, the NDSU drew 4,059 against South Dakota State. That was their second-largest home crowd of the season.

[ORUTerry]

Link

GETTING INSIDE

After eight straight losses ? and 13 of 14 ? South Dakota State is ready to look toward next season. Constant losing will do that to a basketball team. Even with a couple of games left in this season, the Jackrabbits are already looking ahead to next year.

"It just wears on you and you don't feel like competing any more," SDSU true freshman forward Kai Williams said. "But if we lay down and just lose and let teams walk over us, don't fight back, then that's not showing any character."

This season has been a carbon copy of the past couple of seasons for the Jackrabbits ? players lost to injury, personal matters, you name it ? and the result is the most defeats in program history. Without a win in their final two games, the Jackrabbits will drop 25 games.

The attrition has left the Jackrabbits too young and with too little talent to compete in Division I. There has been virtually no progression of players who've come in as freshman and grown into experienced upperclassmen.

"All I can do is work with the players we have and try to develop a system where guys stay and are juniors and seniors and our better players," SDSU coach Scott Nagy said.

In the meantime, youngsters like Williams and true freshman point guard Garrett Callahan have learned on the job and it has not been easy. Nagy hopes that if he can surround those players with more talented players next season, things will improve.

NOTES, QUOTES

-?Matt Cadwell, a sophomore guard who's led the Jacks in scoring the past two seasons, has totaled 13 points in the past four games. That includes three straight games in which he scored two points. Nagy said Cadwell is simply worn down physically and mentally.

-?SDSU's top scorer the past month has been Williams. He's averaging 11.8 points for the season, second to Cadwell's 12 ppg.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we made some mistakes, probably about 25 percent of the mistakes, the decisions we've made in terms of recruiting. And probably about 75 percent are things completely out of our control. There's nothing I can do about it." ? SDSU coach Scott Nagy on the player losses his program has suffered the past three years.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scott Nagy has gone with mainly a three-guard lineup since Christmas. Among many things, he's particularly unhappy with his frontcourt play.

Freshman Blake Yackley, who started six games early in the year, has had his minutes reduced sharply. He played just three minutes against North Dakota State.

PLAYER ROTATION: Usual starters ? F Kai Williams, F Michael Loney, G Jose Frias, G Garrett Callahan, G Matt Cadwell. Key subs ? G Andy Kleinjan, F Thomas Bassett, G Mackenzie Casey.

ROSTER REPORT:

?Nagy said SDSU might have as many as seven new players next season.

?The Jackrabbits had four players foul out at North Dakota State. A skirmish broke during the physical contest. NDSU shot 43 free throws in the game, compared to 16 for SDSU.

[Old Titan]

Great find, Terry - though a little dated:  apparently written immediately following the season, before coaching changes at UMKC and North Dakota State.

I couldn't help but notice a decided ORU perspective to all of the team capsules.  I wonder who wrote this piece.  Obviously, someone with an intimate knowledge of ORU and the Mid-Con.  Blevins?  Brown? YOU??

[mickeyb]

IUPU-INDIANA

Shouldn't a paper like USA Today be able to get this right?

[Old Titan]

Shouldn't a paper like USA Today be able to get this right?

Shouldn't a Division-1 school be able to get a better name??

In light of the addition of sister school IPFW to the Mid-Con, you would think the Jags would wise up and go to the more subtle "IPI" moniker...

[Mike Minyard]

The problem with IUPUI's name is that the newspapers just don't get it.  IUPUI doesn't ever want to be referred to by full name or partial name... just IUPUI.  Texas Christian is the same way... just call them TCU.  They never want their full name printed.  IUPUI does it because they want their own identity, while TCU probably wants to dodge the word "Christian" in their name.  I've often wanted us to just go by ORU.  I don't like the Oral Rob or OROB on the ticker or ESPN.  I wish we would just be recognized as ORU all the time.

[orumom]

The nicest thing you can say about Centenary's season is that the Gents met all expectations.

Unfortunately, those expectations were a last-place finish in the league, with no hopes for postseason play.

I know it shouldn't have struck me as funny.....but I'm still laughing.

I've often wanted us to just go by ORU

But, on a serious note, I prefer when we go by ORU also and I still want the flame back in the R in the logo.

[ORU Eli]

ODU is not THAT well known and I always see their initials used...if they can, we should also.

[ManiacAlum]

I still think that we should go ahead and change our name to Oklahoma University-Oklahoma State University at Tulsa or OUOSUT. Then the Mid-Con can just be called the AAC or the 'Abbreviation Athletic Conference'. The confusion with the ACC could only help, barring any litigation on their part.

Just kidding, I always hate it when I see the OROB or the ORAL ROB also...I think we've played enough on national television enough to be recognized as ORU