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| | Tuesday, November 7 Mid-Continent Breakdown | |||||||||||||||||||||||
ESPN.com
Junior, 6-5, Oakland Junior, 6-4, Oakland Junior, 6-8, Valparaiso Junior, 6-7, UMKC Senior, 7-1, Chicago State Player of Year ... Michael Jackson, F, Missouri-K.C. Can't repeat as newcomer of the year, but should repeat as conference's top player. He's a junior now, and after being the first picked as both a year ago, Jackson might improve on his 19.8 ppg. and 5.7 rpg. He leads the league in scoring on a team that went 8-22, so don't feel too bad if you haven't heard of him. Introducing ... Maurice Williams, G, Indiana/Purdue Indianapolis The Jags got Williams in a package backcourt deal with Sylvester Allen out of Cincinnati State Technical College. But Williams is the player they wanted. The 5-11 junior was a preseason All-American pick and didn't disappoint, scoring 18.3 points and handing out 5.5 assists a game. Allen isn't bad either (17.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.). Best backcourt ... Oakland: Jason Rozycki and Brad Buddenburg. While Buddenburg could be considered a 6-5 swingman, he qualifies in the backcourt because of his outside shooting, which produced 17.4 ppg. His size allowed him to grab 5.4 rebounds a game. But the key here is Rozycki, who nailed 84 3-pointers and averaged 15.1 points a game in being selected to the all-conference team as a sophomore. Mychal Covington can run the point but has to protect the ball better. If he falters, Steve Houston can come in and distribute the ball. There are also five freshmen who'll vie for minutes behind this trio. Good thing because the Golden Grizzlies don't have much up front. Best frontcourt ... UMKC: Michael Jackson, Will Palmer and Myron Brown. Jackson came into the league and made things look way too easy, shooting 59 percent from the floor -- 13th-best in the nation. Palmer was second in UMKC scoring as a sophomore (9.5 ppg.), also hitting over 53 percent of his shots. See a trend here? Brown scored just 5.8 points a game, but he didn't hurt the FG percent any -- sinking 53 percent of his attempts. Waiting for extra minutes will be Marcus Golson and Randall Atchison, who were each effective from behind the 3-point arc. Team on way up ... Missouri-K.C.: The Kangaroos were a deep team last season. They are deep and experienced team this season. Look for Jackson's teammates to help more in the coach's East Coast offense. Team on way down ... Western Illinois: Even three conference victories will be tough to match. The Leathernecks shot a school record 567 3-pointers last season, making a respectable 210. But opponents actually shot 14 more long-range bombs and make 11 more. Such is life in Macomb, Ill. Tournament tough ... NCAA: Valparaiso | ALSO SEE ESPN.com Preseason Top 25 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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