Team Previews

[BEARZ77]

With rosters pretty well set,the conference schedule in place, and given I imagine practice viewing restricted some and no exhibition games to use as early indicators, thought it'd be timely to get posters to give their home team previews. Things like projected starting lineups, depth/rotation, potential impact of new players etc. For the Bears had the one time team intro/preview scrimmage last weekend with of course only a day of actual practice, to use as some barometer.

The Bears have 5 returning players, 8 new scholarship players and 3 walk-ons for a total of 16. Smart I think given the potential roster disruptions from covid. Of note given Scott is little used, and Carper will probably redshirt, the Bears will not have a single player in the likely rotation with more than 1 year experience playing D-1 basketball. Ridder will be a 4th year sophomore, but actually only played 2/3 of one year. With that said, this what I expect at least early.

Starters:

PG Demarcus Sharp, 6'3 Jr, 1st team juco AA. True pg, DPOY in conf. Av. 16ppg,5.6 as, 4.7 rbs, 2.5 stls, 44% 3pt.

SG Ja'Monta Black 6'4 So, forced to play pg late last yr, had 2:1 assist/to and shot 39% 3pt playing out of position.

SF Isiaih Mosley 6'5 So, averaged 8ppg, 47%fg,40% 3pt,86% ft. Will be focal pt of offense with Prim

PF Jared Ridder 6'8 rs/so Finally healthy and up to 230. Like Mosley former Mr Basketball state of Mo.

C Gaige Prim 6'8, Came in as #2 Juco nationally but had leg problems all year. still averaged 13 ppg. Now healthy , down to 235 to ease leg stress. very skilled low post scorer.

2nd Team

PG Lu'cye Patterson 6'1 Fr, unique body at 230 lbs. Aggressive bull going to basket. Av 21pts,7 as, 6 rbs in prep school.

SG Skylar Wicks 6'5 Fr Was pg in prep school. Offers from DePaul /TCU av 16pts,6 rbs, 4.4 as

SF Raphe Ayres 6'5 Fr, Another prep school kid. Very good 3 pt shooter . Smart player. Surprised so far.

SF Keaton Hervey 6'7 # 40 Juco , Started as fr at Incarnate Word. probably have to play some PF. Skilled /Athletic

C Nick Tata 6'10 , # 63 Juco . Aussie has totally remade body from once being over 300 lbs, now about 260. Very skilled offensively , shot 74% fg last yr. Gives Bears a big , skilled backup to Prim.

Reserves ;

Darrian Scott 6'11 rs/Jr little used to date, but gives some size depth
Melvyn Ebonkoli 6'7 . Raw but has great frame, had offers from Seton Hall /UCF . Needs seasoning, but has potential
Dawson Carper 7'0, transfer from Hawaii. Started 22 games last yr , av 6 pts and shot 63% fg. Big dude at 278 lbs, likely rs.

Walkons: 6'1 Elijah Bridgers, 6'2 Spencer Brown, 6'1 Jake Branham

Really like the composition of this team other than lack of experience. Much more balanced with players comfortable playing their roles vs competing to be the main guy. Not a lot expected [ middle of pack] but could surprise, but of course all comes down to Coach Dana Ford . Not a critical year yet, but needs team to show more consistency and team play or could be soon.

[siudawgs]

Nice job on the Missouri State preview. I'll go next with the Salukis, who are similar to Mo State in the sense that they have a promising starting 5 and then a young/inexperienced bench that has some upside.

Likely starters

PG - Lance Jones (So.). Part of a really strong group of sophomores, Jones was SIU's best player in February and against Bradley at Arch Madness. Explosive slasher, and his 3-point stroke came around late in the year.

SG - Ben Harvey (So.) Big guard who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern Illinois before sitting out last year. A shooter, but not one-dimensional.

SF - Marcus Domask (So.) Versatile forward was Valley FOY last year despite wearing down late in the season. Fundamentally sound, very skilled offensively and has monster work ethic. Could challenge for First Team All-Valley with more depth around him this year.

PF - Anthony D'Avanzo (Sr.) 6-8 grad transfer from D-II Lewis University is a stretch 4 coming off a really nice junior year at Lewis (16 ppg, 8rpg). Should also help the Salukis improve their rebounding woes.

C - JD Muila (Jr.) Indian Hills JUCO product is a really good athlete who will anchor Salukis' defense and should be able to hedge/recover with the best of them. Not polished offensively, but should be good for some put-backs and transition baskets.

Likely bench

Dalton Banks (Fr., G) Banks had a monster senior year in Eau Claire, Wis., and should be another drive-and-dish weapon to take advantage of Salukis' deep pool of shooters.

Steven Verplancken (So., G) Verplancken is another DII transfer who averaged around 16 ppg as a freshman and shot it really well from 3. Another big guard who Saluki fans are pretty jazzed about. Just received waiver to be eligible right away.

Trent Brown (So., G) Brown played quite a bit off the bench as a freshman despite struggling with his shot, which was supposed to be his forte. He's scrappy and Mullins digs his intangibles, but he'll have to earn his PT with more options around him this year.

Sekou Dembele (So., F/C) Dembele, one of the last Hinson recruits still aboard, is supposed to be a physical rebounder/interior defender, but he's been injury-plagued, and his outlook after breaking his leg in January is still hazy. Hadn't been cleared for contact drills as of last week.

Jakolby Long (Sr., G) Grad transfer from Southern Utah after starting his career at Iowa State. Has underachieved relative to his billing coming into college, but he's a big guard who lends some experience to a very young bench.

Eric Butler (Fr., G) Was PG for a state champion team in Florida last year. An athletic 6-3 guard, his best chance to crack the rotation early will likely be as a defensive spark.

Kyler Filewich (Fr., C) Burly freshman who also played football as a high schooler in Canada. Salukis hope he can eventually turn into a poor man's Cameron Krutwig. Might have a chance to spell Muila this year, especially with Dembele's health a question mark.

The Salukis are deeper and more talented than Mullins' first team, and SIU could be one of the league's top 3-point shooting teams with Domask, Harvey, D'Avanzo, Verplancken, etc. They'll be solid on defense with Mullins always emphasizing that side of the ball. For SIU to do better than their 5th place projection, Muila/D'Avanzo will have to help the Salukis rebound better and the youngsters will have to add some scoring punch off the bench, which was another weakness last year. Overall, though, the arrow is pointing up in Carbondale.

[Salukimadness86]

Nice job on the Missouri State preview. I'll go next with the Salukis, who are similar to Mo State in the sense that they have a promising starting 5 and then a young/inexperienced bench that has some upside.

Likely starters

PG - Lance Jones (So.). Part of a really strong group of sophomores, Jones was SIU's best player in February and against Bradley at Arch Madness. Explosive slasher, and his 3-point stroke came around late in the year.

SG - Ben Harvey (So.) Big guard who averaged 10 ppg as a freshman at Eastern Illinois before sitting out last year. A shooter, but not one-dimensional.

SF - Marcus Domask (So.) Versatile forward was Valley FOY last year despite wearing down late in the season. Fundamentally sound, very skilled offensively and has monster work ethic. Could challenge for First Team All-Valley with more depth around him this year.

PF - Anthony D'Avanzo (Sr.) 6-8 grad transfer from D-II Lewis University is a stretch 4 coming off a really nice junior year at Lewis (16 ppg, 8rpg). Should also help the Salukis improve their rebounding woes.

C - JD Muila (Jr.) Indian Hills JUCO product is a really good athlete who will anchor Salukis' defense and should be able to hedge/recover with the best of them. Not polished offensively, but should be good for some put-backs and transition baskets.

Likely bench

Dalton Banks (Fr., G) Banks had a monster senior year in Eau Claire, Wis., and should be another drive-and-dish weapon to take advantage of Salukis' deep pool of shooters.

Steven Verplancken (So., G) Verplancken is another DII transfer who averaged around 16 ppg as a freshman and shot it really well from 3. Another big guard who Saluki fans are pretty jazzed about. Just received waiver to be eligible right away.

Trent Brown (So., G) Brown played quite a bit off the bench as a freshman despite struggling with his shot, which was supposed to be his forte. He's scrappy and Mullins digs his intangibles, but he'll have to earn his PT with more options around him this year.

Sekou Dembele (So., F/C) Dembele, one of the last Hinson recruits still aboard, is supposed to be a physical rebounder/interior defender, but he's been injury-plagued, and his outlook after breaking his leg in January is still hazy. Hadn't been cleared for contact drills as of last week.

Jakolby Long (Sr., G) Grad transfer from Southern Utah after starting his career at Iowa State. Has underachieved relative to his billing coming into college, but he's a big guard who lends some experience to a very young bench.

Eric Butler (Fr., G) Was PG for a state champion team in Florida last year. An athletic 6-3 guard, his best chance to crack the rotation early will likely be as a defensive spark.

Kyler Filewich (Fr., C) Burly freshman who also played football as a high schooler in Canada. Salukis hope he can eventually turn into a poor man's Cameron Krutwig. Might have a chance to spell Muila this year, especially with Dembele's health a question mark.

The Salukis are deeper and more talented than Mullins' first team, and SIU could be one of the league's top 3-point shooting teams with Domask, Harvey, D'Avanzo, Verplancken, etc. They'll be solid on defense with Mullins always emphasizing that side of the ball. For SIU to do better than their 5th place projection, Muila/D'Avanzo will have to help the Salukis rebound better and the youngsters will have to add some scoring punch off the bench, which was another weakness last year. Overall, though, the arrow is pointing up in Carbondale.

SIUDawgs, your analysis on this years team gets this Saluki fan super pumped for this season. Let's hope Sekou can contribute. Should be a fun Valley season.

[BCPanther]

Here's UNI---

Likely Starters--

PG- AJ Green (6-4 Jr)--Not much I can write here that people don't already know. Jake has said that he committed to getting quicker over the summer and to becoming a better defender. Also has added some more arc to his jumpshot to try to get a few more friendly bounces

SG- Tywhon Pickford (6-4 Sr)--Best defender on the team. Very good rebounding guard. Will never be a great offensive player but does enough other things to contribute.

SF/WG- Trae Berhow (6-5 Sr)--One of the best 3 point shooters in the country last year by percentage. Needs to get better at using his length on the defensive end. Also needs to be able to put the ball on the floor a little better than he has in the past

PF- Noah Carter (6-6 So)--Showed lots of promise in limited opportunities last year. Very good offensive player that has some defensive ground to make up. Has dropped another 15 pounds to get into the 220 range after playing last year at 235 and most of his high school years around 250.

C- Austin Phyfe (6-9 Jr)--Has worked to add to his face up game and perimeter shooting. Upper body strength makes him a very good post defender. No reason to not expect at least last year's numbers if not a little improvement.

Bench

C James Betz (6-7 So)--Started last year as Phyfe's primary backup before Justin Dahl emerged as the true #2 post player. Betz is able to stretch the floor as a very good outside shooter. Still questions about how well he guards taller post players

PG Antwan Kimmons (6-0 So)--Did well as a change of pace from Green in his role last year. Quick with the ball and probably team's best on ball defender. Seemed to play his best in the biggest games including 13 points against Loyola.

PG/SG Nate Heise (6-4 Fr)--Finished 4th in Minnesota Mr Basketball voting last spring (very rare for a kid from outside the cities) and averaged 29-7-5 last year. Long limbed kid that plays a little taller than 6-4.

PG Bowen Born (5-10 Fr)--Mr Basketball in Iowa last year and the state's 6th all time leading scorer. Averaged 38 points per game last year in Iowa's 2nd largest class. Elite but undersized offensive player. If he was 6-2, he wouldn't be at UNI. Dad played at Iowa State and is now a scout for the Clippers.

PF Tytan Anderson (6-6 Fr)--College ready defender that can guard 1-4, Decent shooter but offensive game has room to grow. Role is going to be as a 5 minute a night energy boost type kid.

C Cole Henry (6-10 RS Fr)--Lost last year due to a knee injury. Outstanding passer that was a 6-0 PG as a Sophomore in HS before growing 10 inches in 18 months. Plays well in the high post but some real questions about post offense and how he fits defensively

PF Derek Krogmann, SG Evan Gauger, SF Logan Wolf and PF Drew Daniel are all walk-ons that aren't expected to have much of a roll. Krogmann could conceivably see the floor due to his ability to rebound. SF Goanar Mar is a sit out transfer from George Mason that will help lessen the blow of losing Pickford and Berhow next year.

OVERVIEW---

We all know what we're getting in Green, Phyfe, Berhow and Pickford. The question is how ready are guys with expanded roles (Kimmons and Betz) and the freshman (especially Heise and Born) to play at a high level. This is probably Jake's most talented roster but it's not one of his more experienced teams that tend to play consistently at a high level. This team will obviously challenge for a league title with Loyola and Bradley but I do have some depth concerns.

[Blers]

Always love reading these! Thanks everyone who put it together. Loyola enters the season with the most experience and roster cohesion arguably ever in Moser’s tenure. And the team’s depth offers a lot of flexibility and has a lot of Rambler fans really excited. Though it’s worth noting that Moser has said in preseason shows that he likes to keep his rotations around 8-9 players so competition for minutes will be fierce.

The biggest difference between this year and last year’s team will be shooting and experience (the team will likely start 5 seniors). The Ramblers have been pretty “meh” the last two years from range, I was hopeful for a rebound from deep last year with the addition of Tate Hall to help spread the floor, but with a preseason injury to Kaifes, and an early season injury to starting point guard Keith Clemons, the shooting didn’t really start coming on until the end of the year. This year we finally have the guns to give Krutwig more space inside.

Starters:
PG – Keith Clemons (SR). Savvy and steady is the name of the game with Clemons. He does everything well but isn’t particularly great at any one thing. He had a knack for getting late game steals to put games away, love his confidence and he frequently came up big in big games.

G- Lucas Williamson (SR). Ace Defender, good intangibles. I think folks know who he is. He really seemed to struggle with the extended 3pt line last year as he shot 8% below his career average (33.3% vs. 41.4%). Hoping to see that rebound this year, a similar thing happened to Donte Ingram his sophomore season.

G- Tate Hall (SR). – The D2 transfer came in right away and exceeded my expectations. Great shooter, tough as nails player that can defend multiple positions and actually flashed some impressive post up ability when matched up with a smaller defender, was the team’s second leading scorer.

F- Aher Uguak (SR). – If there’s anyone that’s gonna be most affected by depth this season it’s Uguak. He’s struggled to meet high expectations his first season, but morphed into a suplementary defensive ace for the team. He also showed the ability to hit the offensive boards and act as a weapon in transition. That said, with his inability to shoot I could see his play time and potentially even his starting role fade over time.

C- Cam Krutwig (SR). – Still kinda confused on the eligibility thing for next season… but ultimately I never want him to graduate.

Bench:
G- Marquise Kennedy (SO). – Returning Sixth Man of the Year, lighting quick and extremely athletic. Kennedy showed the ability to completely take over games last year. He plays bigger than listed with his long arms and bounce, but is definitely more of a SG than a true point. While primarily a slasher, he seemingly adjusted his 3 point shot midway through the season to get more rotation and raised his percentage to 38% from the late 20’s. Skies the limit for him, and I expect big numbers from him once the log jam clears (maybe?) after this year.

PG- Braden Norris (R.SO). – Transfer from Oakland. Forced to start almost immediately as a freshman at Oakland, the small pg came in and averaged 8.4 ppg and 5.2 assists, all while shooting 48.6% from 3 on 138 attempts (!!). Made the horizon league all-freshman team and will likely get a lot of time sharing the backcourt with Clemons and Kennedy.

G- Cooper Kaifes (R. SO) – Back from a season ending hip injury, Kaifes returns as a great spark plug off the bench and a lethal shooter making 46.5% of his threes. Made the 18-19 all-freshman team, limitless range from deep and an underrated ball handler/distributor. Will be interesting to see how he fits in this year.

The Rest
G- Paxson Wojcik (SO.) – Solid freshman year, has all the intangibles you want, dives on loose balls, plays hard on defense, smart and willing passer, solid shooter. Will likely be able to slide into a larger role next season.

F/C- Tom Welch (SO.)- I think a lot of fans love what Welch can potentially bring down the line. Similar to Wojcik, great attitude, plays hard, takes charges… it will be interesting to see where he plays forward. He was forced to play some backup center last year due to injury and was a little undersized, but as the season went on he looked a lot better moving with the ball at his more natural wing spot; potential mismatch guy this season at 6’8.

C- Frank Agunanne (Jr) - Built like a pro, but still figuring out how to use his body, he’s got all the tools and great touch around the rim, but I’m not sure his skillset fits the offense we currently run with Krut. Still, he’s occasionally had really nice spurts of play, and is good enough for what’s needed this year.

G- Baylor Hebb (FR.)- Any other season I would be really excited to see Hebb play. Had several ball is life mixtapes go viral throughout his high school career. Can score at all three levels and has a really smooth handle, definitely needs to add weight though (could be some fun match ups between him and Bowen Born in the future if they both pan out). Moser has a history of playing the best players on the team and that historically has included at least one freshman… but there’s a lot in front of him at the moment.

Redshirts
F- Damezi Anderson (Jr) – Transfer from Indiana, former top 100 prospect who never found a rhythm with the Hoosiers, struggled with his shot despite being a stellar shooter in high school. I’m not 100% sold as we’ve usually recruit players transferring up a level, but his story is pretty similar to Custer’s, and we’ve historically done really well with sit outs.

C Jacob Hutson (FR) – Really talented center out of Minnesota. Moser has said he’s one of the best shooters on the team at 6’10. Taking a redshirt year with Krutwig and Frank still on the squad. Given this year doesn’t count towards eligibility, worth wondering if he’ll sneak into a few games.

Overall this is the most excited I’ve ever been in the preseason. On paper this team has everything it needs to win. Shooters, slashers, ace defenders, and proven depth. 1-11 on this team all has shown the ability to come in and make an impact on games (ten have scored in double figures at least once in their careers). That all said, all this optimism makes me nervous, and it doesn’t matter until it happens on the court!

[siudawgs]

Always love reading these! Thanks everyone who put it together. Loyola enters the season with the most experience and roster cohesion arguably ever in Moser’s tenure. And the team’s depth offers a lot of flexibility and has a lot of Rambler fans really excited. Though it’s worth noting that Moser has said in preseason shows that he likes to keep his rotations around 8-9 players so competition for minutes will be fierce.

The biggest difference between this year and last year’s team will be shooting and experience (the team will likely start 5 seniors). The Ramblers have been pretty “meh” the last two years from range, I was hopeful for a rebound from deep last year with the addition of Tate Hall to help spread the floor, but with a preseason injury to Kaifes, and an early season injury to starting point guard Keith Clemons, the shooting didn’t really start coming on until the end of the year. This year we finally have the guns to give Krutwig more space inside.

Starters:
PG – Keith Clemons (SR). Savvy and steady is the name of the game with Clemons. He does everything well but isn’t particularly great at any one thing. He had a knack for getting late game steals to put games away, love his confidence and he frequently came up big in big games.

G- Lucas Williamson (SR). Ace Defender, good intangibles. I think folks know who he is. He really seemed to struggle with the extended 3pt line last year as he shot 8% below his career average (33.3% vs. 41.4%). Hoping to see that rebound this year, a similar thing happened to Donte Ingram his sophomore season.

G- Tate Hall (SR). – The D2 transfer came in right away and exceeded my expectations. Great shooter, tough as nails player that can defend multiple positions and actually flashed some impressive post up ability when matched up with a smaller defender, was the team’s second leading scorer.

F- Aher Uguak (SR). – If there’s anyone that’s gonna be most affected by depth this season it’s Uguak. He’s struggled to meet high expectations his first season, but morphed into a suplementary defensive ace for the team. He also showed the ability to hit the offensive boards and act as a weapon in transition. That said, with his inability to shoot I could see his play time and potentially even his starting role fade over time.

C- Cam Krutwig (SR). – Still kinda confused on the eligibility thing for next season… but ultimately I never want him to graduate.

Bench:
G- Marquise Kennedy (SO). – Returning Sixth Man of the Year, lighting quick and extremely athletic. Kennedy showed the ability to completely take over games last year. He plays bigger than listed with his long arms and bounce, but is definitely more of a SG than a true point. While primarily a slasher, he seemingly adjusted his 3 point shot midway through the season to get more rotation and raised his percentage to 38% from the late 20’s. Skies the limit for him, and I expect big numbers from him once the log jam clears (maybe?) after this year.

PG- Braden Norris (R.SO). – Transfer from Oakland. Forced to start almost immediately as a freshman at Oakland, the small pg came in and averaged 8.4 ppg and 5.2 assists, all while shooting 48.6% from 3 on 138 attempts (!!). Made the horizon league all-freshman team and will likely get a lot of time sharing the backcourt with Clemons and Kennedy.

G- Cooper Kaifes (R. SO) – Back from a season ending hip injury, Kaifes returns as a great spark plug off the bench and a lethal shooter making 46.5% of his threes. Made the 18-19 all-freshman team, limitless range from deep and an underrated ball handler/distributor. Will be interesting to see how he fits in this year.

The Rest
G- Paxson Wojcik (SO.) – Solid freshman year, has all the intangibles you want, dives on loose balls, plays hard on defense, smart and willing passer, solid shooter. Will likely be able to slide into a larger role next season.

F/C- Tom Welch (SO.)- I think a lot of fans love what Welch can potentially bring down the line. Similar to Wojcik, great attitude, plays hard, takes charges… it will be interesting to see where he plays forward. He was forced to play some backup center last year due to injury and was a little undersized, but as the season went on he looked a lot better moving with the ball at his more natural wing spot; potential mismatch guy this season at 6’8.

C- Frank Agunanne (Jr) - Built like a pro, but still figuring out how to use his body, he’s got all the tools and great touch around the rim, but I’m not sure his skillset fits the offense we currently run with Krut. Still, he’s occasionally had really nice spurts of play, and is good enough for what’s needed this year.

G- Baylor Hebb (FR.)- Any other season I would be really excited to see Hebb play. Had several ball is life mixtapes go viral throughout his high school career. Can score at all three levels and has a really smooth handle, definitely needs to add weight though (could be some fun match ups between him and Bowen Born in the future if they both pan out). Moser has a history of playing the best players on the team and that historically has included at least one freshman… but there’s a lot in front of him at the moment.

Redshirts
F- Damezi Anderson (Jr) – Transfer from Indiana, former top 100 prospect who never found a rhythm with the Hoosiers, struggled with his shot despite being a stellar shooter in high school. I’m not 100% sold as we’ve usually recruit players transferring up a level, but his story is pretty similar to Custer’s, and we’ve historically done really well with sit outs.

C Jacob Hutson (FR) – Really talented center out of Minnesota. Moser has said he’s one of the best shooters on the team at 6’10. Taking a redshirt year with Krutwig and Frank still on the squad. Given this year doesn’t count towards eligibility, worth wondering if he’ll sneak into a few games.

Overall this is the most excited I’ve ever been in the preseason. On paper this team has everything it needs to win. Shooters, slashers, ace defenders, and proven depth. 1-11 on this team all has shown the ability to come in and make an impact on games (ten have scored in double figures at least once in their careers). That all said, all this optimism makes me nervous, and it doesn’t matter until it happens on the court!

Thanks for affirming my pick of Loyola to win the league. That's a legit 8 starters on the roster, with shooters galore, experience, size and few weaknesses. The one thing I'd say is I'd be awful tempted to boot Uguak from the starting lineup and use him as needed off the bench if a certain matchup dictates more length/athleticism at the 4. I'd hate to see guys like Kennedy and Kaifes sitting too long with him on the floor when you could just slide Hall or even Williamson to the 4.
In a normal year, I'd say anything less than winning the league, 25+wins and winning at least a game or two in the NCAA would be a disappointment with this roster, but obviously this is not a normal year, so we'll see how it all goes.

[BEARZ77]

Four down;good job on previews for UNI/Loyola/SIU. Always interesting to hear home fan perspectives even if a lot of the info is available elsewhere. I honestly believe this might be as competitive a year in the Valley as we've seen in awhile if nature will just let it play out. I know everyone looks at the top 3 as UNI/BU/LOC, but I think that sells Indiana State a bit short, and then the next 3-4 teams are all capable of while not possibly winning the MVC, making a run at the top half as well. Hope to see more previews as we close in on a month away from action.

[Blers]

Thanks for affirming my pick of Loyola to win the league. That's a legit 8 starters on the roster, with shooters galore, experience, size and few weaknesses. The one thing I'd say is I'd be awful tempted to boot Uguak from the starting lineup and use him as needed off the bench if a certain matchup dictates more length/athleticism at the 4. I'd hate to see guys like Kennedy and Kaifes sitting too long with him on the floor when you could just slide Hall or even Williamson to the 4.
In a normal year, I'd say anything less than winning the league, 25+wins and winning at least a game or two in the NCAA would be a disappointment with this roster, but obviously this is not a normal year, so we'll see how it all goes.

I'm also with you on every account. I'd be surprised if Uguak didn't see his minutes shrink to around 10-15 mpg by seasons end even if he continues to start... I really felt by the end of last season that this team would have a real chance to make the second weekend on their own merit... but COVID makes everything harder, especially being in Chicago.

Also, nice preview on SIU! They're gonna be tough for years to come. I know he'll always be a Saluki, but Mullins spent a lot of time as a Rambler, so they're easily my second favorite team in the league. It's really funny listening to him talk during media days because he clearly took a lot of "Porter-isms" while still putting his own spin on it. The recruiting strategies are identical as well... any time either Moser or Mullins offers someone the other program usually quickly follows suit. It's great for the league!

[BEARZ77]

Lets get a few more previews and then we can start the preseason picks for awards, finish, etc. Hoping to see something on the Indiana schools as well as Drake/Illinois State/Bradley etc.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

Speaking on behalf of ISUr fans. We suck pretty much sums it up. Anything they say is just blind hope. We do have a good back court and a bunch of unproven players. Fisher is overrated. Muller is overrated. I expect to see more chucking 3's even though they can't hit them, turnovers, and poor free throw shooting. Due to Governor Pritzker at least we can pretend the empty arena is because of Covid-19.