SIUC comes into the1995-96 season ranked fifth in the conference preseason poll due to a combonation of losing four of his five starters and having a young, inexperienced team returning.

Lump that in with a tough schedule and the result id the fifth place ranking.

We’re excited aboutour schedule for this season, Saluki coach Rich Herrin said. It’s tough, but you’ve got to be competitive to attract national rankings and that’s our ultimate goal.

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Shane Hawkins is Herrins top returnee and only member of last year’s MVC Tournament Championship team.

Bradley’s head coach, Jim Molinari, has his team sitting atop the MVC preseason poll, but don’t tell him his Braves are a lock for MVC Champion just yet.

I think there’s a lot of teams that can win this league, he said. When you have an 18-game race, when you don’t play everyone either, it’s tough.

Molinari’s bunch returns 12 of his players from last season including junior Anthony Parker, who was named to the MVC Preseason All-Conference Team at guard. Parker averaged 14.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per game last season.

Tulsa has a new head coach, as the Golden Hurricane brought in Steve Robinson from the University of Kansas to fill the vacancyl eft by Tubby Smith.

Just because Robinson is a new coach, and Tulsa will be leaving the MVC after the season to join the Western Athletic Conference, he said not to count them out of the title hunt.

I want our kids to compete every night out and understand that they have to compete in practice, to work extremely hard in order for us to compete and achive the same kind of success Tulsa has had in the past, he said.

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Robinson, like Molinari, is returning a 1995-96 Preseason All-Conference Team member.

Shea Seals, who was also selected the MVC’s Preseason Player of the Year, comes back to Tulsa after scoring 18.8 points per game and grabbing 6.9 boards per contest.

Illinois State, which was chosen to be third in the MVC this season, will return eight members of last year’s 20-13 squad, but also brings in eight newcomers as well.

Redbird head coach Kevin Stallings said he is in a situation simlar to SIUC’s, with a blend of young and experienced members, and said the third-place ranking may be a bit premature.

I think our basketball team is a team that potentially could become good enough to win the league, but there are four, five or six teams that could win the league, too, he said.

Stallings has two members of the MVC Preseason All-Conference Team.

Senior guard, Maurice Trotter (11.4 ppg) and Preseason Newcomer of the Year, LeRoy Watkins (25 points, 12 rebounds per game in high school) will lead the charge for the Redbirds.

Evansville will try to continue its streak of nine straight winning seasons this year without the services of forwards Andy Elkins (20.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Reed Jackson(13.8 ppg, 9 rpg).

We can’t ask anyone to step in and take over for Andy and Reed. That’s impossible, Aces head coach JIm Crews said. We just need everyone to understand their roles and play their part in making us successful.

There will be eight newcomers trying to fill the shoes of the Evansville stars, most notably Justin Farley, who averaged 28.6 points per contest at Brebeuf High School in Indianapolis, Ind. last season.