EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 Television
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

Big Sky overview

Matadors are loaded, ready for a title

Special to CNNSI.com

Mike Adras' NAU team was a surprise NCAA participant last season. Ted Jacobsohn/Allsport

Order of Finish 1. Cal State Northridge 2. Eastern Washington 3. Weber State 4. Montana 5. Portland State 6. Northern Arizona 7. Montana State 8. Idaho State 9. Cal State Sacramento

Top storylines

Montana State exceeded the limit of non-Division I opponents last year and will be penalized by being forced to play a schedule of entirely Division I foes this season.

Eastern Washington recruit Jeremy McCulloch, a 7-footer, was drafted by the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League. McCulloch, EWU's first 7-footer since Uli Siedz (1978-80), is from Ladysmith, British Columbia.

Cal State Northridge senior Brian Heinle led all Division I centers in 3-point field goals made (37-of-100) and assists (89).

Cal State Northridge will leave the Big Sky for the Big West after this season. The league currently has no plans to replace Northridge, leaving eight teams in the conference. Of the eight remaining, four -- Montana, Montana State, Weber State and Idaho State -- were charter members when the league was founded in 1963.

Players to Watch

Top Three Players

Brian Heinle, C, Cal State Northridge • A 6-10 senior, Heinle presents tough matchup problems because of his outside shooting ability. He led all Division I centers in three-point shooting last season, making 37-of-100 shots. Heinle is also an adept passer, averaging 3.0 a game. Anthony Lackey, F, Portland State • The Vikings are solid at power forward with 6-5 junior Lackey (12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) returning. Lackey picked up his scoring pace after Udoka's injury, getting career-highs of 27 points and 15 rebounds against Montana late in the year. Markus Carr, G, Cal State Northridge • Carr, a 6-1 junior, finished second in the league to Weber State's Eddie Gill in assists and steals last season. In a conference tournament semifinal, Carr harried Gill into a 1-for-13 shooting night to help the Matadors earn their way to the finals.

Top Newcomer

John Burrell, G, Cal State Northridge • Burrell, a 6-3 senior who sat out last season after transferring from Nevada, was the second-leading scorer in the Big West two years ago at 16.4 ppg.

Coaches

Hot Coach

Bobby Braswell, Cal State Northridge • The Matadors posted a school-best 20 wins last season and fell in a thrilling overtime game to Northern Arizona in the championship of the league tournament in Missoula, Mont. Four starters and seven other lettermen return from that team, making Northridge the prohibitive favorite to win the league title in just their fifth season in the league.

Coach on the Hot Seat

Jerome Jenkins, Cal State Sacramento • First-year Sacramento State coach Jenkins isn't fooling himself. He knows the challenge that lies ahead. The nine wins posted by the Hornets last season were their most since moving to Division I in 1991. Success has been slow to find Sacramento State and Jenkins knows it. For instance, Sac State has yet to win a Big Sky road game in four years in the league, going 0-32 in that span.

Mark Your Calendar

Nov. 21, Cal State Northridge at UCLA • The league favorites test their strength against the Bruins. Jan. 20, Eastern Washington at Cal State Northridge • Cal State needs a home victory here. Mar. 1, Cal State Northridge at Eastern Washington • This could be quite a showdown just before the league tournament.

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.