SUN BELT MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- James Madison
- Arkansas State
- South Alabama
- Troy
- Old Dominion
- Marshall
- Appalachian State
- Texas State
- Louisiana
- Georgia Southern
- Georgia State
- Southern Miss
- Coastal Carolina
- UL Monroe
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 1ST TEAM:
-Robert Davis Jr. – JR, G – Old Dominion (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Bradley Douglas – SR, G – James Madison
-Thomas Dowd – JR, F – Troy
-Tyren Moore – SR, G – Georgia Southern
-Jalen Speer – SR, G – Marshall
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 2ND TEAM:
-Eren Banks – JR, G – Appalachian State
-Mark Drone – SR, G – Texas State
-Jelani Hamilton – SO, G – Georgia State
-Chandler Jackson – JR, G – Arkansas State
-RaSheed Jones – JR, G – Coastal Carolina
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SBC 3RD TEAM:
-Jordan Battle – SR, G – Old Dominion
-John Broom – SO, G – South Alabama
-Kaden Gumbs – JR, G – Texas State
-Matt Van Komen – SR, C – Marshall
-Nakavieon White – SR, F – Georgia Southern
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
Before the season even started last year this conference got our attention with their super-extended-ladder format to the conference tournament. The difference between finishing 4th and 6th was SUBSTANTIAL given how many rounds you could bye into the conference tournament. Once conference play started, it was a logjam all season long, which made every game feel incredibly meaningful and exciting! As crazy as we thought the format was, it actually made the regular season a ton of fun!
-James Madison was last year’s 1st-place team and is again the favorite this year despite having just one starter back. In fact they lost their top-five scorers, so they appear to be starting over. Cliff Davis had a pretty solid season for UTRGV last year, Justin McBride saw some quality minutes at Nevada last season, and Gabe Newhof was a standout player in NAIA last year, so the Dukes have some pieces.
-Arkansas State had a fantastic season last year with 25 total wins, a tie for 1st place in the league, and some pretty big wins along the way. Unfortunately they are starting completely over with all five starters being gone from a year ago. They have a smattering of guys that transferred in after seeing limited minutes at bigger programs, and Matt Hayman had a really good year at Stephen F. Austin last year, so they do have a few pieces to work with.
-South Alabama has just one starter back and has turned to some standout players at D-2 and NAIA to try and rebuild their roster. They have some guys that appear to have potential, but the question is how well will they perform at the D-1 level?
-I have long been a fan of Scott Cross as a coach, and Troy had their 4th straight 20+ win season last year as they finished in a tie for 1st place. Unfortunately, like a lot of other teams, most of their key players from a year ago are gone. Thomas Dowd returns, who was very strong in the frontcourt a year ago. They will look to some guys who saw limited minutes off the bench last year to step into bigger roles and be bigger contributors this year, along with some pretty impressive-looking freshmen who have future potential.
-Old Dominion was underwhelming for most of last season, particularly in the latter part of the season where they lost seven straight before barely winning their season finale prior to the conference tournament. Having said that, there is reason to be optimistic this year. Robert Davis Jr. returns to the roster, who is arguably the best player in the conference. Two other key starters also return, and they went into the transfer portal to pick up KC Shaw (who put up big numbers for Maryland Eastern Shore last season), LJ Thomas (who was a prominent player for Austin Peay), and Jordan Battle (who is a fantastic outside shooter from Coastal Carolina). Old Dominion is looking MUCH improved!! So much so that they are my pick to win the league this year despite the lack of preseason love.
-Marshall finished just one game out of 1st place last year! But was ultimately 5th in the conference standings after all the tiebreakers, which gives you an idea of just how crazy this league was. Only one starter is back from that team, and while Jalen Speer is a very solid player, there are not too many others on the roster with solid D-1 experience, so it could be a rebuilding year for the Herd.
-Appalachian State won just 17 games last year, so the season wasn’t so HOT HOT HOT. And, with just one starter back, it may not be so HOT HOT HOT this year either. Eren Banks comes in from Georgia Southern, and Kasen Jennings put up some pretty good numbers at South Florida, and they have some standout players from lower divisions. I can see them finishing in the top half of the conference, but I do not see them competing for 1st place.
-Texas State, like everyone else, is having to replace most of their key players. Jalen Bolden comes in from UL Monroe after putting up some big numbers for them a year ago, and he is certainly a guy that knows this conference. Other than him it is a transfer-heavy team that consists mostly of guys with limited D-1 experience.
-Louisiana had a pretty poor season overall last year, but they were starting to look a little better down the stretch. Only three players are returning, but two of them were starters. It is a transfer-heavy team consisting largely of guys from bigger programs who saw limited minutes and appear to be seeking more playing time.
-Georgia Southern is having to replace their entire starting lineup, and while Nakavieon White gave them some quality minutes off the bench last year and should be a key player this year, they appear to be lacking in proven D-1 experience.
-It has been a rough few years for Georgia State, and after just 14 wins in each of the last two seasons it may be another rough year for the Panthers this year. Two starters do return, and Jelani Hamilton transferring in from Iowa State is a huge addition to the roster. They have added a few JUCO players who may be able to contribute as well. I do not think the Panthers will have a strong season, but I do think they will do a little better than where they have been picked in the preseason.
-Southern Miss won just 11 games last year and is faced with having to rebuild their roster this year. They have turned to some guys who put up big numbers in JUCO and NAIA, and we may see some improvement this year, but with so little D-1 experience it is hard to imagine them finishing in the top half of the standings.
-Coastal Carolina’s days of being a top-level under the radar program now seem like a lifetime ago. They have been really bad the last three years, and all signs point to them being bad again this year. Rasheed Jones gave them some quality numbers last year, and AJ Dancler was a good pickup from Le Moyne, but they are lacking in proven D-1 experience. This is a program that, at least to me, seems like it should be performing at a much higher level than they have been in recent years, but it does not seem like they will be turning things around this year.
-UL Monroe won just 7 total games a year ago, and is tasked with replacing all five starters, which may not be the worst thing in the world. They have been one of the weaker programs in the SBC in recent years, and no one seems to be expecting much of them this year.
