Non-BCS Top 25

[EPJr]

Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Non-BCS Top 25

As I’ve mentioned several times before on this site, I don’t like the term “mid-major” at all—there is too much gray area when people want to know which conferences and teams it is referring to. Therefore, when discussing the teams outside of the major conferences, I like to use the term “Non-BCS.” Yes, it’s a football term, but it’s much easier than calling the poll the “Every Conference but the Big Six Top 25.” As a result, this is what I have done. Every team and conference that is not the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10, and SEC is eligible for this poll. The easy way out? Sure. But there was no easy way to rank the Top 25 teams outside the Big Six conferences.

1. Memphis
2. Davidson
3. Gonzaga
4. Southern Illinois
5. Xavier
6. Butler
7. VCU
8. UAB
9. St. Joseph’s
10. George Mason
11. New Mexico State
12. Southern Miss
13. BYU
14. Bradley
15. Rhode Island
16. Saint Louis
17. Houston
18. Western Kentucky
19. Creighton
20. Nevada
21. Saint Mary’s
22. Missouri State
23. Utah State
24. Loyola (Md.)
25. Austin Peay
Others Considered: Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Winthrop, UNLV, San Diego State, Utah, New Mexico, Dayton, Illinois State, Western Michigan, Akron, Kent State, South Alabama

[EPJr]

LINK TO ARTICLE
http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/mar ... op-25.html

[SuperHornet]

Uh, dude, there's no such thing as "B(C)$" in hoops....

[skinny_uncle]

While there is no BCS in basketball, the schools who are in the BCS have a definite advantage in terms of money over teams who are not. That was the whole point of forming the BCS.

[igo4uni]

While there is no BCS in basketball, the schools who are in the BCS have a definite advantage in terms of money over teams who are not. That was the whole point of forming the BCS.

Sad but true.

[skinny_uncle]

I like the Mid-Major Sleepers to Watch article from the site.

And I'm not including teams from the Atlantic-10, Missouri Valley, Conference-USA, Mountain West, WAC, or Gonzaga, because the top teams in those leagues simply aren't sleepers.

We now have an in-between level.
1. BCS
2. Conferences and teams who are awake.
3. Mid-major possible sleepers.

[igo4uni]

2. Conferences and teams who are awake.

Yawn........what did you say???

[BigApp]

Memphis is not a mid-major basketball program by any stretch.

[pantherrob82]

UNI should definitely be included. If anyone saw footage from their games in Thailand they would be getting more respect.

[igo4uni]

UNI should definitely be included. If anyone saw footage from their games in Thailand they would be getting more respect.

Yup!!

[skinny_uncle]

This poll is underrating SIU!

[Ibanez]

Uh, dude, there's no such thing as "B(C)$" in hoops....

That's what I was thinking.

[skinny_uncle]

SIU is rated #24 in the AP poll and #23 in the ESPN preseason poll. Although I expect Davidson to have a good team, they are not on either list.

[skinny_uncle]

Things are good at SIU. Our recruiting class for next year is looking fine.

By Tom Weber
http://www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saluki men's basketball head coach Chris Lowery unveiled his three-man 2007 recruiting class on Thursday, calling it "clearly the best one ever at Southern Illinois."

SIU received signed commitments from point guard Kevin Dillard (Homewood, Ill./Homewood Flossmoor H.S.), wing guard Torres Roundtree (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North H.S.) and forward Anthony Booker (Florissant, Mo./McCluer North H.S.).

Dillard is currently ranked #135 in a listing of the nation's top prospects by Rivals.com. The 5-foot-11 senior averaged 17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 3.7 apg last season and earned Illinois Basketball Coaches Association all-state honors.

"He's a very talented point guard who can score and can pass with either hand," Lowery said. "He's fearless. He has the ability to play-make, and he can do that at a high level."

Dillard hails from the same high school as Julian Wright, the former Kansas player who was the #13 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by New Orleans.

"Having a year to play with Bryan Mullins, we may have the two best point guards in school history on the same team at one time," Lowery said.

Roundtree was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch All-Metro Player of the Year last season after averaging 17.9 ppg 6.4 rpg and 2.9 apg for McCluer North. Along with teammate Booker, the 6-foot-3 senior helped lead his club to a 26-3 record and Missouri 5A state championship.

"He's going to be a crowd-pleaser, because he's very athletic and has the ability to play to the crowd," Lowery said.

Roundtree scored a career-high 38 points to go with 13 rebounds in the championship game win over Kansas City Rockhurst, 69-57.

"He can score in so many different ways," Lowery noted. "He also has a high basketball IQ."

Although Booker averaged only 9.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg as a junior, the 6-foot-8 senior blossomed into a much-sought-after recruit during summer AAU competition. His performance last July at the Adidas Super 64 event in Las Vegas was so impressive that he leaped all the way to #29 on the Rivals.com rankings, and the service lists him as the ninth-best power forward prospect in the nation.

"He's a program-changer," Lowery said. "He's a terrific athlete with great size. He can score inside and out. He has a tremendously high ceiling."

Lowery concluded, "All three of these kids are blue-chip recruits. It's exciting to see the level of kid we're getting to come play in our program."