CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL
- New Orleans
- Sam Houston State
- Abilene Christian
- SFA
- Central Arkansas
- Lamar
- McNeese
- TAMU Corpus Christi
- Houston Baptist
- Southeast Louisiana
- Nicholls
- Northwestern State
- Incarnate Word
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND 1ST TEAM
Ian DuBose – Houston Baptist, JR G
Kevon Harris – SFA, SR G/F
Kai Mitchell – Sam Houston State, SR F/C
Payten Ricks – Abilene Christian, SR G
Bryson Robinson – New Orleans, SR G
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SOUTHLAND 2ND TEAM
T.J. Atwood – Lamar, SR G/F
Roydell Brown – McNeese, SR G
DeAndre Jones – Central Arkansas, JR G
Sha’Markus Kennedy – McNeese, SR F
Hayden Koval – Central Arkansas, JR C
NOTES FROM DAVID. Abilene Christian was one of the more intriguing stories in college basketball last year that most people probably weren’t aware of. As a team that just recently completed their transition to D-1, they were very competitive and very fun to watch, and continued to be after they lost a key player during the season. They finished 14-4 in league play and went on to win the conference tournament and make their first-ever NCAA Tournament. Four starters are gone from last year’s team, so they should suffer a bit of a setback, but their program is definitely on the right track.
New Orleans is the preseason favorite. They were hit hard by the injury bug a year ago, so they should be better if they can stay healthy this year. They had pretty good depth and balance, and should finish at or near the top.
Sam Houston State, who ran away with first place last year and is traditionally one of the stronger teams, is picked to finish second despite losing three starters. They do have Kai Mitchell, who is one of the better players in the conference, as well as some key JUCO transfers and some guys who saw quality minutes last year.
SFA, who dominated this league for years on end and even made some noise in the NCAA Tournament a couple of times, has stumbled somewhat. They finished below .500 in league play last year and actually missed the Southland Tournament, which would have seemed like an impossibility just a few years ago. One of the reasons they struggled so much was because of injuries, so we should see a significant improvement if they’re able to stay healthy this year.
Not a whole lot of love for Nicholls, which makes sense due to them only winning 10 D-1 games a year ago, but with four starters back they should be improved just based on their experience.
Central Arkansas has three starters back, and while they didn’t have that great of a season last year, they did finish with some momentum in winning four of their last five, including a win at Sam Houston State, before losing in the conference tournament.
After that, it kind of feels like a cluster of teams that will fight it out for those last few spots in the conference tournament. Lamar won 20 games a year ago, but with four starters gone they will be in rebuilding mode. McNeese has an overhauled roster and is looking to improve from just nine wins a year ago. TAMUCC lost a key player in Kareem South, who transferred to Cal, so they’ll have their work cut out for them as they try and reload. Houston Baptist has just two starters back and also had to deal with some would-be key players transferring out.
Not seeing much to be excited about from SELA, Northwestern State, or Incarnate Word.