2009 Summit League Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
Written March 6, 2009 by Jason Lowry
This Saturday the Summit League Conference Men’s Basketball tournament is set to get underway from Sioux Falls, SD. Only eight of the ten teams make it to the tournament, so both Western Illinois and UMKC have no shot at earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that goes to the winner of this tournament. The No.1 seed is North Dakota State, as they had just two miscues in conference play, but because they play in such a weak conference they to have to win this tournament to get into the Big Dance, as their RPI is nowhere near the level needed to get an at-large bid. Here are a look at my 3 favorites to win the Summit League Tournament, and a sleeper who I feel could steal the show over the 5 day span. Bet Summit League Basketball Tournament at Bookmaker.com.
1. North Dakota State Bison (23-6, 16-2 Summit)
The Bison come into the tournament strong and ready to prove their rank in the Summit League Conference. The Bison are riding a 4 game winning streak into the tournament, including their most recent win over Oral Roberts to finish off the regular season. The Bison have a couple players that can really score the basketball in Ben Woodside and Brett Winkelman, as the two combine for nearly 42 points per game, with Woodside leading the way with a solid 23 points per game.
2. Oral Roberts Golden Eagles (16-14, 14-4 Summit)
The Golden Eagles might be coming into tournament play off their loss to North Dakota State, but they lost by just 3 points and had won 5 games in a row before that. The Golden Eagles will face South Dakota State in the first round, and this is a team they have beat twice this season, including a 63-58 win just a little over a week ago. The Golden Eagles are led by the play of senior Robert Jarvis, who averages a nice 17.4 points per game.
3. Oakland Golden Grizzlies (20-11, 13-5 Summit)
The Golden Grizzlies are my pick to win this tournament, as they have won 7 straight games to finish off the regular season, and have wins over both Oral Roberts and North Dakota State during conference play. The Golden Grizzlies have 3 guys averaging over 10 points a game, with Erik Kangas leading the way at 18.9 points per game.
Sleeper: Southern Utah Thunderbirds ( 10-19, 8-10 Summit)
The Thunderbirds don’t really look like much of a threat with nearly twice as many losses as they have wins, but I got a good feeling about this team, and I really think that win over North Dakota State in conference play is going to give this team confidence that they can beat anyone in this league. They are going to need a huge tournament from Davis Baker, who is averaging a team-best 17 points per game.
Prediction: Oakland Golden Grizzlies
For those of you looking to do some NCAA basketball betting this March, check out our great college basketball picks and make sure you have the best college basketball odds for all the tournament games at Betfirms.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- NCAA Tournament Preview: North Dakota State vs Kansas
- 2009 Patriot League Conference Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Horizon League Conference Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
- 2009 SWAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Predictions
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