TOP 65: 65. Old Dominion, 64. UTEP

65. Old Dominion

Two seasons ago Old Dominion was the controversial at-large selection from the CAA as it really arrived on a national stage after shocking Georgetown in D.C. Last season was considered to be a rebuilding job for the Monarchs as they sought to replace their big time scorer Valdas Vasiliyus. Fortunately for ODU, the CAA had not been quite as strong as recent years and they managed to finish in the upper tier, finding the new Monarch cornerstone, Gerald Lee (Jr.). Lee averaged 13 and 6 in his sophomore season earning first-team all conference accolades.

The Monarchs need to replace about 25% of their scoring due to the graduations of success stories Brian Henderson and Brandon Johnson, but this young team could sneak up on a few teams and really make some noise in the Colonial. They are young, but incredibly athletic and talented. Baby-faced sophomore guard Darius James looks to replace Henderson and lead the backcourt as the top threat; he averaged 22 minutes per contest last season. Head coach Blaine Taylor welcomes in six new faces to the Monarchs led by local product Nick Wright (Fr.) who should compliment the skill of Lee very nicely. The bulk of the Monarchs will be in the frontcourt with Lee, Wright, 6’9 freshman Chris Cooper, and 6’8 sophomore Frank Hassell. Hassell is the x-factor as he will see a drastic increase in his playing time and will need to attract some of the double teams off Lee.

You will not find Old Dominion on too many people’s radar for a top 50 countdown, but with the skill of Lee being the biggest post presence in the CAA and the size of the Monarchs inside, they should be able to make a little conference noise this season. If the freshmen grow up quickly, look for ODU to make a run for the league crown and an outside shot at an NCAA bid.

64. UTEP

The Miners return three of the top four scorers off of a campaign which saw them participate in the first annual CBI. UTEP went 19-14 on the year, and were a .500 team in the C-USA, finishing in sixth position. The great news for UTEP? 13-2 at home last season and on occasion looked like the second best team in the league . Unfortunately not every game could be played at the Don Haskins Center (R.I.P. Coach Haskins). UTEP gave undefeated Memphis all they could ask for in the Music City so there is some foundation to build upon.

6’5 guard Stefon Jackson (Sr.) returns to the fray for the Miners and he averaged 23.6 points per game while leading the league in scoring. Backcourt mate Randy Culpeper returns as well and he will assume the point guard duties from graduate Marvin Kilgore. The Miners should have no problem putting points on the board with Jackson and Culpeper on the outside, they combined for 40 points per game last year. What should really tip the tables in improvement for this squad will be the return of transfer Kareem Cooper (Jr.). The 7’0 Cooper sat out last season after transferring from Memphis, and will certainly bolster the Miner frontcourt which did not have a single player average more than five boards per game and the frontcourt chipped in barely 20 per contest.

Rebounding and hot shooting will be the key to the Miners success this campaign. There is no question that Jackson can fill it up with anyone in the nation as evident in his 33% three-point clip last season. They must be able to set up a force in the paint and Cooper promises to improve it. Outside of Memphis, the Miners have the best home court in the league and most certainly the high-powered offense to contend. The difficulty will be managing to shoot well, rebound and defend during conference road games. Hopefully for UTEP, it will set them apart from last year’s team. Certainly one of the more entertaining teams to watch this season.