Towson relies on defense, pressure

Unfortunately, as of late, the winning has been about as rampant as the nonsense, which is to say, not much.

Last season, the Tigers finished ninth in the America East conference, at 8-20. Their biggest improvement came on defense, where they went from worst to first in points allowed. The Tigers shaved 12.9 points off of their 1996-'97 average of 78.9 a game.

And this high-pressure defense almost gave the school a win over Michigan last year, as Michigan escaped Maryland with a 75-72 victory. Jaskulksi thinks the success of this season's team could depend on his eight-man recruiting class.

"We have a lot of versatility," he said in a released statement, "and we have the ability to use a variety of combinations and change our look from possession to possession."

And if the Tigers live up to Jaskulski's billing, it might just come down to good, old-fashioned common sense.

- Rick Freeman

Replacing Wells tough for Cards

Michigan has been playing Ball State for a while now, and Wells was always the best player on the Cardinals, and sometimes on the entire court.

The two-time Mid-American Conference player of the year, Wells was one of the more versatile players in the nation. He led the team in scoring, rebounds, assists and steals, and was a first-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in last June's draft.

With Wells, Ball State finished at 14-4 record in the MAC's West Division last year, tied with Western Michigan for first place. They earned a berth to the NIT, where the Cardinals fell to Memphis in the first round.

Now there's some great news for Ball State's opponents - Wells is finally gone.

Bad news for coach Ray McCallum, who is searching for a way to replace his superstar.

"We're going to have to make up for Bonzi's production with more balance," said McCallum, a former Michigan assistant coach. "We won't have a focal guy to start the season."

The Cardinals do return three starters, led by shooting guard Duane Clemens. The junior averaged 10.6 points per game last year while playing almost 30 minutes a contest. Point guard Mickey Hosier, also a junior, gives the Cardinals a fairly experienced backcourt.

It's under the basket where Ball State will struggle. The Cardinals have plenty of of size, but a lot of it comes with players who are short on experience. Freshmen Corey Harris (6-foot-8) and Josh Murray (6-7) will challenge 6-9 sophomore Brian Burns for playing time in the post.

"We need someone to be productive on the inside," McCallum said. "Last year, we had balance in both our backcourt and frontcourt. Someone is going to have to emerge down low."

McCallum is keeping the Cardinals' trip to Ann Arbor for Michigan's home opener in perspective.

"We look at the Michigan game as a great opportunity for our team," McCallum said. "We get to face one of the top 10 programs of the 90's."

- Andy Latack

Pirates prepare to board

Oops, that's just one year, but this year the erstwhile Division II Pirates are eligible for post-season play. And while they may not have the horses to take a run at the Big Dance, or even the NIT, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tourney is wide open to them.

And that isn't a not-important tournament at all, especially since South Carolina State upset Coppin State - the regular-season champ for the past six years - and stole its spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Since the Pirates return four of last season's starters, including MEAC rookie of the year Tarvis Williams, they might have a chance at going deep into the tournament.

But just like Michigan, the preseason pundits can't seem to figure them out. Sometimes, even the same publication has trouble with them. One even listed the Pirates tenth, then said "the Pirates should challenge for the conference title."

Huh?

That would take some serious shivering of their conference opponents timbers. But if they make Michigan walk the plank, it might be a start.

- Rick Freeman

Seniors lead Florida

Well, Florida coach Billy Donovan has heard the stories and seen the mistakes of others, to the point where he is clear on one issue - seniors are going to be the core of the 1998-99 Florida Gators.

"The success of our team this year will lie with the senior leadership of Greg Stolt and Eddie Shannon," Donovan said. "As much publicity as our recruiting class has received, they are still freshmen. They will have their ups and downs.

"They will take a cue from the guys that have been through the (Southeastern Conference) wars and know what it's like to compete at this level."

So just who are these freshmen that are causing all the commotion down in Gainesville? The top-five class includes 3-point ace and floor general Ted Dupay and shooting guard LaDarius Halton, both from Florida. Teaming up on the front lines are swingman Mike Miller, a player likened to Christian Laettner, and center Udonis Haslem.

- Pranay Reddy

11-12-98