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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
I just want to start with this!! THIS IS AN AMAZING GRAPHIC!!! FOUR STARS!!! A PACMAN STYLE GRAPHIC WINS!!!! Motion to offer the Summit League TWO auto-bids this year simply because of how awesome their Media Day graphics are!!!
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:
-Max Abmas – JR, G – Oral Roberts
-Josiah Allick – JR, F – Kansas City
-Sam Griesel – SR, G – North Dakota State
-Rocky Kreuser – SR, F – North Dakota State
-Baylor Scheierman – JR, G – South Dakota State
-Douglas Wilson – SR, F – South Dakota State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:
-Will Carius – SR, F – Western Illinois
-Tyree Eady – SR, G – North Dakota State
-Noah Freidel – JR, G – South Dakota State
-Xavier Fuller – SR, F – South Dakota
-Tasos Kamateros – JR, F – South Dakota
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-I love this league. I think it deserves far more national exposure than what it gets, but nevertheless if you have the premium cable or satellite package that you need to watch this league: it is well worth it!!
-South Dakota State was last year’s first place team and all five starters are back. It seems like we say this every year about the Jackrabbits but I think they’re good enough to play their way onto the bubble this year. Douglas Wilson is a forward who can really score and he’s got a very good supporting cast around him.
-North Dakota State also has all five starters back with high expectations. They did hit a skid at the beginning of February last year, but other than that they were really strong and if they can consistently play up to their level they’ll be right in the mix for first place.
-Oral Roberts was a national feel-good story last year. I’ll admit I was surprised when they won the Summit League Tournament. I just didn’t expect it to happen and hadn’t seen them kick it into that high of a gear. I was astounded when they beat Ohio State in the Round of 64, then knocked off Florida to make the Sweet Sixteen, and then had a shot in the final seconds at knocking off Arkansas to make the Elite Eight. On February 27th, this team was below .500. Anyone proclaiming them to be one possession away from the Elite Eight would have been sent to a home somewhere. Four starters are back from that team, including some outstanding outside shooters, and while they did lose a key player to the transfer portal in Kevin Obanor, there is enough here to once again expect big things out of ORU.
-The Yotes!! South Dakota returns three starters from an impressive team a year ago that finished 2nd in the league. They did lose some key players, but with the experience they have coming back, along with a key juco transfer, they could end up making some noise this year.
-Western Illinois is a team that we are used to seeing at the bottom of the league. They have a history of wreaking havoc in the conference tournament but rarely finish in the top half of the standings. With all five starters back from last year, and seeing as how they won six straight games down the stretch before heading into their final series with Oral Roberts, the expectations have been raised a little bit for the Leathernecks.
-Kansas City isn’t getting a ton of love in the preseason…and I guess I can kind of see why, but I do think you’ll see a lot of improvement out of the Roos this year. They return a couple of key players and went into the transfer portal to pick up some nice additions.
-North Dakota returns three starters from a team that finished in the middle of the pack a year ago, and I think that’s about where they’ll end up this year. They are by no means a doormat but I don’t see them competing for the top spot either.
-Omaha is coming off of a rough season where they won just five total games and finished 8th in the conference. It could be another rough ride this year.
-Denver won just two games a year ago, and expectations aren’t all that high for them this year. They do welcome in a new coach in Jeff Wulbrun, who definitely has his work cut out for him.
-Saint Thomas begins their transition up to D1 this year. They’re coming all the way up from D3, and while they were a very successful program at that level, the teams in this conference are not low level D1 teams. It could be a rough transition. I do think the Tommies have the potential to be successful in the future, but they will likely take their lumps for a year or two as they begin the transition.