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The following conference preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the nation's most comprehensive look at all Division I teams, be sure to order the 2001-02 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518.
| Sun Belt |
|---|
| Projected order of finish |
|---|
| |
West |
|
East |
| 1 |
New Mexico State |
1 |
Western Kentucky |
| 2 |
Louisiana-Lafayette |
2 |
Arkansas State |
| 3 |
South Alabama |
3 |
Florida International |
| 4 |
Denver |
4 |
Ark.-Little Rock |
| 5 |
New Orleans |
5 |
Middle Tennessee St. |
| 6 |
North Texas |
|
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| All-Conference Team |
|---|
| Pos. |
Name |
Year |
School |
PPG |
|
G
|
Eric Channing
|
SR
|
New Mexico State
|
18.6
|
|
G
|
Chris Davis
|
JR
|
North Texas
|
18.0
|
|
F
|
Anthony Johnson
|
JR
|
Louisiana-Lafayette
|
15.5
|
|
F
|
Jason Jennings
|
SR
|
Arkansas State
|
13.9
|
|
C
|
Chris Marcus
|
SR
|
Western Kentucky
|
16.7
|
| |
| Player of the Year |
Chris Marcus, SR, Western Kentucky
|
| Newcomer of the Year |
Rodrigo Viegas, JR, Florida International
|
| Outlook |
|---|
|
Western Kentucky is a clear favorite to win the Sun Belt championship behind huge Chris Marcus, the 7-1 center who led the nation in rebounding a year ago. Marcus, who figures to be among the top five chosen in next year's NBA draft, heads a talented lineup that returns four starters from a team that went 24-7 last season. The Hilltoppers have great size, especially for a mid-major program, and a solid lead guard in Derek Robinson. New Mexico State, expected to win the West Division of the league under veteran coach Lou Henson, also returns four starters, including all-league guard Eric Channing, who has a chance to become the school's all-time scoring leader this season. Power forward James Moore, the Sun Belt's best freshman a year ago, continues to develop and will be a key weapon after averaging 11.7 points and shooting 53 percent from the field last season. Like Western Kentucky, Arkansas State has excellent size with 7-0 center Jason Jennings and 6-9 forward Kolin Weaver, both double-figure scorers a year ago. Jennings came a long way after transferring from Arkansas, where he was miscast in the Razorbacks' up-tempo game. Nick Rivers gives the backcourt some scoring punch. Louisiana-Lafayette had a somewhat disappointing season a year ago (16-13, 10-6) after earning an NCAA tournament berth the season before. But the backcourt of Blane Harmon and Kenneth Lawrence is talented, and coach Jessie Evans brought in five players 6-8 or taller, including 6-10 Michael Southall, who had previously signed with Kentucky and Georgia Tech before a year in a military school, and 6-11 Australian Chris Cameron.
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