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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Georgia State
- Louisiana
- Texas State
- Appalachian State
- South Alabama
- Arkansas State
- Coastal Carolina
- Little Rock
- Troy
- UT Arlington
- Georgia Southern
- UL Monroe
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-Georgia State had an impressive year last year where they finished in first place in their division before losing in the SBC Championship game. All five starters are back so expectations are again high. Coach Rob Lanier is doing a good job of continuing the success that Ron Hunter built with this program.
-Louisiana has three starters back and adds some key transfers to the mix: they seem to be poised to have a big year this year as well. They certainly have a lot of solid pieces in both the frontcourt and the backcourt and also guys who can contribute off the bench.
-Texas State has really turned it around in recent years: as TJ Johnson enters his second year as head coach he seems to be in position to take another big step forward with this program. Four starters are back from a team that went 12-3 in league play last year. They play an up-tempo style, they have experience, and guys who can score.
-Appalachian State surprised everyone last year when they ended up winning the conference tournament. They were just 7-8 in conference play heading into the tourney. With three starters back, all of whom averaged double figures last year, they are looking to carry that momentum into this season.
-South Alabama will have to replace some of their top players from a year ago, and while they still have some pieces and add some transfers that saw some limited minutes at bigger programs I don’t think they’ll be in the hunt for the top of the standings.
-Arkansas State has all five of their starters back from a year ago: it is often said that experience can sometimes equal success. They were under .500 in conference play last year so they’ll need to step up this year if they want to be contenders.
-Coastal Carolina has four starters back from what was a pretty solid team a year ago. Unfortunately DeVante’ Jones is not one of them, but I’m kind of surprised the Chanticleers did not get a little more love in the preseason poll. Cliff Ellis is a legendary coach, and while none of the four returning starters are NBA prospects I do think they’ll be able to step up in this conference and produce.
-Little Rock went through some growing pains last year and finished just 7-11 in the conference. They do have some experience back, including their top scorer, so there is reason to expect improvement this year.
-Troy won just four SBC games a year ago and there isn’t a whole lot of reason to think they’d be picked to finish any higher than where they were, but I am a big believer in Scott Cross as a coach. With all five starters back I do think they can develop and show noticeable improvement this year. Having said that, they did totally crap out down the stretch last year.
-UT Arlington, Cross’s former program, has taken a bit of a step back since he left. They have two starters back and will be relying on them along with some key transfers this season.
-Georgia Southern was hardly great last year but they weren’t at the bottom of the league either. With four starters coming back I’m a little surprised to see them picked to finish this low.
-UL Monroe being picked this low really isn’t a surprise at all. They struggled last year with just seven total wins and appear to be looking to rebuild this year.