Conference Winner: Wichita State
Another year, another top 10 team for the Shockers.
Sure they lose Tekele Cotton and Darius Cotton but they bring back the core of
the team in Fred Van Vleet and Ron Baker. Holding up the front court are
returning big men Shaq Morris and Zach Brown, both who grew a lot last
year. Rounding out the starting lineup and six man are Evan Wessel and
freshman Markis McDuffie. McDuffie is rail thin ay 6-8, 185 but should
fit in well with the rest of the team. Any concerns about depth should be
answered in December when Kansas transfer, Connor Frankamp becomes
eligible. This guy is the prototypical mid-major shooter who reminds me a
lot of Rotnei Clarke who went from Arkansas to Butler. I hesitate to call
this a final four team but it wouldn’t “shock” me if they made the elite eight
Possible At-Large: Evansville
Here’s another shocker as I have the Purple Aces picked to
finish second in the Valley. The Aces improved a ton last year and
finished the season by winning the “C” league tournament, the
CollegeInsider.Com Bowl…or something. Either way, it was a huge success
for a program that has been down for a long time. Looking to build on
this Evansville return all 5 starters and most of the reserves. An
at-large is going to come down to the non-conference slate and whether they can
get a split with Wichita State.
Others Worth Watching:
Illinois State
Northern Iowa
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