Season Previews

[TheDoctor]

These collegehoops.net idiots don't even acknowledge us as a contenders this year. Can you belive this???

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2008/03/summit-league-tournament-preview.html

Kyle Whelliston and the boys at ESPN have it figured out:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/notebook?page=notebook/shootaround/summit

A great preview asking the only question this conference needs to ask this year......Will NDSU's Patience Pay Off????

Feel free to add other articles previewing the Summit! I know I will! ;)

[NDSUstudent]

B1SON easy on the collegehoopsnet guys, I don't know what their deal was in March but they love us now....

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/200809-north-dakota-state-preview-118-47293

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/2009-ncaa-tournament-projection-late-summer-update-85059

[TheDoctor]

B1SON easy on the collegehoopsnet guys, I don't know what their deal was in March but they love us now....

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/200809-north-dakota-state-preview-118-47293

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/2009-ncaa-tournament-projection-late-summer-update-85059

Thats what I am talking about! Thanks for finding the articles written AFTER they came to their senses. Seriously though, Flowers adds MUCH needed size and athleticism inside. Luke can clear the lane the way he did for Dre and Flowers will flourish. ;)

[NDSUstudent]

Thats what I am talking about! Thanks for finding the articles written AFTER they came to their senses. Seriously though, Flowers adds MUCH needed size and athleticism inside. Luke can clear the lane the way he did for Dre and Flowers will flourish. ;)

I hope so, if Flowers comes through this team will be tough to beat. We'll need a lot of inside help against Tubby.

[ndsubison1]

wow the more i read about this team, the more excited I am... imagine how huge it would be if they made the big dance...

[BisonAccountant44]

These collegehoops.net idiots don't even acknowledge us as a contenders this year. Can you belive this???

http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2008/03/summit-league-tournament-preview.html



That was a preview of the tournament last spring. Not the upcoming regular season.

[TheDoctor]

That was a preview of the tournament last spring. Not the upcoming regular season.

WOW! The title off the article is even "Summit League Tournament Preview". :rofl: Not sure how I missed that one. No woder we weren't mentioned, we weren't eligible for it! ;)

[NDSUstudent]

Here is another preview....

http://www.collegesports-fans.com/basketball-previews/2008-2009-previews/north-dakota-state-preview.html

[ndsubison1]

With all of these big expectations, how are there not more people on here talking about this team? Seems like there should be more comments and threads here...

[BisonBlogger]

I will put my two cents in Ming.

I have always been one to tone down expectations. I have been around too long to put any validity to anything written about teams on paper. Each team and each season is different. If you are to believe what prognosticators are saying, it seems like Oakland would be the strongest team. They have all five starters back and have added some highly regarded D1 calibur recruits.

As for the Bison, there is no question they should be considered near the top during the regular conference season. The conference tournament however is really a crap shoot that probably any of the top five seeds will have a shot at if they are playing well at the end of the season.

Here are the positives for the Bison:

1. The Big Three along with LM are battle tested. If they can play at the level of last year, we should be a better team.
2. The Bison are an excellent shooting team. With the new 3-point line being moved a foot further out, I would hope it would favor a good shooting team over the course of the season. Free Throw Shooting has been very good and is always important to success.
3. After a rocky early conference performance last year, team defense became a focus and great strides where made. This must continue.

Here are the negatives:

1. Defense in the paint did not hold up. Quite a few average post players made it look easy against the Bison.
2. Low post scoring would have been almost non-existent for it not for the many brilliant games an undersized power forward Winks had last season.
3. Our guard play was exposed by teams that had superior athletes or in some cases more athletes on the perimeter. Turn overs continuted to be and issue in the losses.
4. Teams game planned our motion offense and too many times we relied on Woody to score or create off the high screen and roll. When Woody had problems, we had problems.
5. And of course, the much talked about lack of scoring off the bench. It started to improve towards the end of the season but there is no question that when one or two of the Big-Three have match ups where they are held below their averages, we need some other people to step up scoring wise.

Having said all that, because of the experience the Bison have this year, I would expect improvement. Any improvement in any of the negative areas I mentioned would make them a very good team. Improvement in all of them will be needed to be a post season team.

[d3boys]

I just hope they dont read the press clippiongs like the football team
just get down to business

[BisonAccountant44]

I just hope they dont read the press clippiongs like the football team
just get down to business

That thought has crossed my mind too, but I think having played through the conference schedule already, and realizing how tough it is, is one big advantage that the basketball team will have over the football team in that area.

[NDSUstudent]

The basketball team also didn't have a 10-1 type of season last year, in fact part of it was quite a struggle. I think last years struggles will make this team very hungry and ready to take on the challenges in front of them.

[TheDoctor]

http://www.in-forum.com/Sports/articles/218781