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With the addition Belmont to the conference (rut-ro) this conference splits into two divisions.  For all intensive purposes the teams that matter here this year are the aforementioned Belmont, Tennessee St. & Murray St.  I’ve seen Murray St. ranked in the top 25 in one pub and I just have one word for that….ludicrous.  I’ll give it to them Isaiah Canaan is a damn good ball player, BUT the team is not the same as it was last year.  The losses of Long, Poole & Aska can’t be seen as insignificant.  For that matter, I don’t even see them as the best team in the OVC conference….3^rd best.  I think they still manage to win their half of the conference this year, but only because they didn’t draw Tennessee St. or Belmont in it.

The other half of this conference with Belmont and Tennessee St. is very interesting to me because I think whichever team comes out on top is the one headed to the madness.  I will lean Belmont.

Belmont

Head Coach: Rick Byrd

Returners:

Ian Clark sr G 12.7 ppg, 40.5% 3pt%, - Atlantic Sun defensive POY, Atlantic Sun 1^st team

Kerron Johnson sr G 13.8 ppg , 5.2 apg, 51.8% fg%, - Atlantic Sun 1^st team

Blake Jenkins jr F reserve 53.6% fg%

Adam Barnes sr G reserve 57.6% fg%

Chad Land so C reserve 62.1% fg%

Reese Chamberlain so G reserve 50% fg%

Losses:

Drew Hanlen G 10.8 ppg, 3.9 apg, 48.2% 3pt% - Atlantic Sun 1^st team

Mick Hedgepeth F/C 9.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 53.2% fg%- Atlantic Sun 2^nd team

Scott Saunders F/C reserve 10.2 ppg, 5 rpg, 54.7%  fg%

Newcomers to watch:

Drew Windler jr F (samford transfer) 42.6% 3pt%, 14.4 ppg, - So-con 3^rd team