- (Sports Network) - OUTLOOK: Last season, Oral Roberts won its third consecutive conference championship, but the Golden Eagles will have plenty of competition for league supremacy in 2008-09. North Dakota State appears poised to challenge for the title, as the roster is loaded with returning talent. The same can be said of Oakland, which welcomes back three senior starters. Oral Roberts and IUPUI have both enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, and despite some significant departures, a major drop off is not expected. The middle of the pack is made up of teams such as IPFW, UMKC and Southern Utah, three squads that will be a tough out on any given night but aren't quite ready to win it all. As for Centenary, Western Illinois and South Dakota State, the losses figure to be much more plentiful than the wins. CONFERENCE CHAMPION: North Dakota State

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH: 1. North Dakota State, 2. Oakland, 3. Oral Roberts, 4. IUPUI, 5. IPFW, 6. UMKC, 7. Southern Utah, 8. Centenary, 9. Western Illinois, 10. South Dakota State

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

NORTH DAKOTA STATE: The Bison are finally a Division I team and eligible for postseason play. Ironically, the reclassification came at a perfect time, as this squad is poised to win the Summit League title. All five starters are back from last season's team that finished 10-8 in the league. There are two stars on the roster in guard Ben Woodside and forward Brett Winkleman, both of whom are seniors. Woodside scored 20.7 ppg to go along with 5.1 apg a year ago. As for Winkleman, he netted 19.2 ppg to go along with 8.3 rpg and 2.1 apg. Add Mike Nelson (13.8 ppg) to the mix and second-year head coach Saul Phillips has to love his chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

OAKLAND: Greg Kampe has been the head coach at Oakland for a quarter century, and he welcomes in his best crop of freshmen to date. Still, the fact that four starters are back in place suggests that any contributions made by the rookies will simply be a bonus. Derick Nelson, a 6-5 senior forward, racked up 17.3 ppg and 7.4 rpg a year ago, and he is more than capable of at least maintaining those figures. Talented teammate Erik Kangas, a 6-3 guard, netted 14.6 ppg a year ago on the strength of his deadly three-point shooting. Another stellar returning starter is Johnathon Jones, a point guard who finished the 2007-08 campaign with 14.9 ppg and 6.0 apg. The Grizzlies are loaded, and there are only a few teams capable of hanging with the squad in the Summit League.

ORAL ROBERTS: Last season, transfer Robert Jarvis only started a few games for the Golden Eagles, as he provided instant offense off the bench for the team on most nights. This year, he will be the focal point of the offense and will attempt to improve on his 16.1 ppg. Jarvis is a deadly three-point shooter and will contend for Summit League Player of the Year honors. Only one starter is back in place for Oral Roberts, which lost just two of its 18 conference contests a year ago. Three players who scored at least 9.5 ppg a year ago are gone, so a drop off is expected. Still, don't expect the Golden Eagles to fall too far.

IUPUI: Last season, George Hill was named the MVP of the Summit League, but he decided to leave school early and enter the NBA Draft. It is hard to question that decision, as he was a first-round pick of the San Antonio Spurs. Clearly, his 21.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg and 4.3 apg will be missed tremendously. So, too, will the 13.7 ppg of fellow departed starter Austin Montgomery. On a positive note, Gary Patterson and Billy Pettiford are back in place to lead the squad. Patterson scored 12.9 ppg and dished out 2.6 apg in 2007-08. As for Pettiford, he tallied 8.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 2.8 apg. Jon Avery provided 10.7 ppg off the bench a year ago, and he is ready to take his game to the next level.

IPFW: Only two starters are back in place for the Mastodons, but both were double-digit scorers in 2007-08. Ben Botts posted 10.1 ppg, and David Carson was slightly more productive with his 11.0 ppg. Still, fourth-year head coach Dan Fife will have to do a great job just to get his team to finish .500 in league play. There is no doubt that IPFW will continue to push the ball up and down the floor in their fast-paced attack. Still, there simply isn't enough talent on the roster to contend with the likes of North Dakota State, Oakland, Oral Roberts or IUPUI.

UMKC: The player to watch for UMKC is Dane Brumagin, a 6-4 senior guard who racked up 17.1 ppg last season. He figures to draw plenty of attention from opponents and will need the help of teammates, who figure to benefit with many open looks. One such teammate is Reggie Hamilton, a fellow guard, who is coming off a freshman campaign that saw him score 11.7 ppg to go along with 3.3 apg. Expect the scoring and assist numbers to go up for Hamilton, who will be forced to play a more prominent role. The hope is that forward James Humphrey is ready for a breakout season after showing promise as a freshman. Speaking of freshmen, Latreze Mushatt showed tremendous scoring ability in high school, and the 6-5 forward projects as an immediate contributor for UMKC.

SOUTHERN UTAH: The Thunderbirds were led by Geoff Payne's 20.6 ppg last season, and the team figured he would be granted a fifth year of eligibility in 2008-09. Unfortunately, Payne's application was denied, and Southern Utah can no longer be considered a serious league contender. Two starters are back in place, but neither David Marek nor Tyler Quinney are the type of player who strike fear in the hearts of the opposition. Quinney does have a chance to elevate his game, as he deferred a great deal to Payne a season ago. He will now be the go-to guy in offensive sets and must respond accordingly.

CENTENARY: Greg Gary takes over a Centenary team that finished with a 4-14 record in Summit play a year ago. The good news is that four starters are back in place, so improvement can be expected. Nick Stallings scored 15.9 ppg last season, and the 6-1 senior guard grabbed almost five boards per game as well. He is capable of even better numbers as the centerpiece of the offensive attack. Lance Hill tallied 11.7 ppg from the frontcourt, and Chase Adams does a bit of everything for the squad. Last season, Adams recorded 4.7 apg and 3.6 spg to go along with 8.2 ppg, and his versatility makes him invaluable. No one is expecting much from the Gents, but that means the squad can play without pressure. A loose team is a dangerous team.

WESTERN ILLINOIS: Jim Molinari takes over leadership of the Western Illinois program, and he will have to rebuild the Leathernecks into contenders. Last season, the squad finished 12-18 overall, including 7-11 in league play. They have only two starters back from that squad, and neither scored in double figures. David Dubois netted 9.9 ppg to go along with 5.3 rpg, and David Nurse netted 9.4 ppg. The Leathernecks' top returning scorer was a reserve last season, as James Washington tallied 10.5 ppg off the bench as a freshman. If any player is poised for a breakout campaign it is Washington, who is fully healthy after dealing with an injury a year ago.

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE: After finishing 3-15 in Summit action a year ago, South Dakota State is our pick to finish last here in 2008-09. Fortunately, Kai Williams does bring some hope to the Jackrabbits, as the rugged forward returns 14.0 ppg and 7.8 rpg to the mix. Williams has a few talented teammates around him, namely Garrett Callahan and Clint Sargent. Callahan scored 12.3 ppg last season and is certainly capable of at least maintaining that average. Clint Cargent posted 8.4 ppg and 2.8 apg in 2007-08, and the sophomore guard should be better with a year of experience under his belt. Still, coach Scott Nagy's 14th year could be a rough one.





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