Sun Belt Conference Preview

Here are Ken Pomeroy's rankings for the Sun Belt Conference. The number next to each team is its national ranking:

EAST
160. Florida Atlantic
179. Mid. Tennessee St.
265. W. Kentucky
295. S. Alabama
297. Florida Int'l
299. Troy

WEST
159. Denver
184. Arkansas St.
227. Louisiana Lafayette
260. Ark-Little Rock
278. N. Texas
313. Louisiana Monroe

The Sun Belt consists of Western Kentucky and a bunch of schools without much interest in basketball. Here are its recent tournament winners:

2003: W. Kentucky
2004: Louisiana Lafayette
2005: Louisiana Lafayette
2006: S. Alabama (beat W. Kentucky in the conference final)
2007: N. Texas
2008: W. Kentucky
2009: W. Kentucky
2010: N. Texas
2011: Ark-Little Rock

The Sun Belt tournament is always played in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and unless Western is really good, very few people turn up. This lends an air of randomness to the whole proceeding, and -- unless Western is participating -- makes the Sun Belt final one of the more depressing parts of March Madness. They really should play this tournament at the gym of whichever school has the best regular-season record.

Unfortunately for the Belt, Western has been in decline in recent years. Here's how the Tops did under Darren Horn:

2004: 15-13
2005: 22-9
2006: 23-8
2007: 22-11
2008: 29-7 (reached the NCAA Sweet 16)

Here's how the Tops have done under Horn's replacement, Ken McDonald:

2009: 25-9 (reached the NCAA round of 32)
2010: 21-13
2011: 16-16

That is a dreadful pattern, and one that bodes ill for Western's chances this season. I know that the folks at HilltopperHaven, the world's angriest message board, are hopeful about some of Western's young talent, but my guess is that Pomeroy's pessimism is a more accurate reflection of Western's season.

Nevertheless, we will hope that the Tops can get things turned around. They have one of the great programs in college basketball, and the sport is always better when they are good. We live in a world where George Mason and VCU can reach the Final Four, and I still hope to see Western there again someday.