UNI 3-Peat?

[LittleBrave]

Provided Ben Jacobsen remains the UNI coach next season, do you think they'll be good enough to win the league...again?

IMO:
Unfortunately, yes. They will be one of the teams to beat. I would think with recruiting on the upswing for UNI, they will get another big to go with Jake Koch and Lucas O'Rear. Kwadzo and Johhny B Good (for 3) will return. Sonnen and James are very good outside shooters - fill the shoes of Ali F.
They have an underrated bench player, Kerwin Dunham, who has improved year after year.
Their staple will be tough D, and unless that fails them, they will be good.

I would be surprised to NOT see them finish in the Top 3 of the Valley.

[BUFAN]

I agree, ben has done a fine job their and remember when he took over the program they were still playing on the football field. Very commendable indead.

[DUBrave5]

Provided Ben Jacobsen remains the UNI coach next season, do you think they'll be good enough to win the league...again?

IMO:
Unfortunately, yes. They will be one of the teams to beat. I would think with recruiting on the upswing for UNI, they will get another big to go with Jake Koch and Lucas O'Rear. Kwadzo and Johhny B Good (for 3) will return. Sonnen and James are very good outside shooters - fill the shoes of Ali F.
They have an underrated bench player, Kerwin Dunham, who has improved year after year.
Their staple will be tough D, and unless that fails them, they will be good.

I would be surprised to NOT see them finish in the Top 3 of the Valley.

I thought I heard that Lucas O'Rear was likely to be drafted this summer by the MLB and probably wouldn't be back next year? Or am I just thinking of someone else?

[BradleyBrave]

I don't see another championship, but I think they'll be better than people think. Farokmanesh, Koch, and Egelseder are big shoes to fill, and it's no guarantee that O'Rear returns (he'll likely be toiling in the minors somewhere). I'll say they're a top half team though.

[tornado]

Sure they could repeat..in fact they are presently tied for 1st place in the 2010-2011 race...

but the loss of their 3 best players will be hard to overcome...
Moran did seem to hit some big shots, but overall this season he was 30-111, or just 27%..worse even than Osiris Eldridge...

[Rusty 54]

Wichita State is going to be real tough next year, I am more worried about them

[peoriaspitfire]

I can easily see them in the top half. WSU and ISU blue look solid, SIU has the talent, EU has to get better and MSU has some weapons. I'm seeing even more parity than ever next year. Baring significant injuries and/or defections, I only see a couple of reasons why we shouldn't be one of the teams to beat next year.

What's the early over/under conference champion losses next year?

[BUfan14]

Wichita State is going to be real tough next year, I am more worried about them

Me too, I think BU and WSU will be in a race for the championship next year if they find a decent PG (Williams hasn't looked bad) and we find a decent big man.

I think there will still be several other very good teams including MSU, ISU blue, Southern, and Creighton. UNI and Evansville will be pretty decent as well, IL. St. will be average, and I think Drake will be at the bottom. That's how I see it now, barring probably a lot of changes.

But I think BU and WSU look to be the best 2 teams in the league next year IMO.

[SaintLouBrave22]

So...lets see...

A lineup of


Ahelegebe
Moran
Sonnen
J Koch
_________


As I don't believe O'Rear will be back...


Looks good enough to compete top 3 for me...Just compare to other teams returning....


I expect Wichita to be the team to beat though...

[peoriaspitfire]

Looks good enough to compete top 3 for me...Just compare to other teams returning....

I expect Wichita to be the team to beat though...

What if both of these coaches get opportunities elsewhere? What if ours does?

[SaintLouBrave22]

What if both of these coaches get opportunities elsewhere? What if ours does?

Jacobsen maybe...

Marshall quite possibly...


Les, don't kid yourself...we're stuck with him!

[BUfan14]

What if both of these coaches get opportunities elsewhere? What if ours does?

I hope they both stay, we need to keep more coaches in the Valley. These 2 have done a nice job. I can see Marshall staying as he probably realizes he could get even better offers after next year, and he has just build up the program to have a great year next year, why leave now?

But I can definitely see Jacobson leaving UNI after losing a lot of good players this year, and with 2 NCAA appearances in a row, this might be his perfect opportunity to "upgrade". Hope they stay, but I think at least one of them is gone for sure.

JL will be here next year, and I for one am glad.

[SaintLouBrave22]

But I can definitely see Jacobson leaving UNI after losing a lot of good players this year, and with 2 NCAA appearances in a row, this might be his perfect opportunity to "upgrade". Hope they stay, but I think at least one of them is gone for sure.

With the players he did recruit and where he got them, who wants him though?

I understand he has done a good job, but that with mostly under the radar guys or early signees...

Can he really compete recruiting in a BCS conference?

[Da Coach]

That's what lower and mid-level coaches do, though. Gregg Marshall won at Winthrop with under-the-radar recruits. Weber won at SIU without highly recruited stars, as did Painter. Keno did it at Drake.

[BUfan14]

With the players he did recruit and where he got them, who wants him though?

I understand he has done a good job, but that with mostly under the radar guys or early signees...

Can he really compete recruiting in a BCS conference?

He seems to find guys who fit his system well and I think that is a more mid major attitude. BCS guys go for the best athletes and players. But how much of his success was the last coaches recruits (he was on staff) and how much his coaching i don't know. But he is a great game plan coach (some call X's and O's coach) with his system. I don't know if he will be successful at the BCS level, but most guys don't stop to think about that they just take the job because it is "better."