Bearkats soaring in the rankings
12/12/2007 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE ? Off to the best start since moving up to Division I basketball, the Sam Houston State men's team is starting to get some recognition around the nation.
Last week the Bearkats received the first vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll in school history, and have remained in the poll again this week.
On Tuesday, ESPN.com columnist Kyle Whelliston rated the Bearkats as the top mid-major program in the nation. Whelliston's poll is based on a “brand-new ratings system that uses a lot of good basketball sense, per-game team performance ratings and degradation of older results to rank the teams from No. 1 to 341.” He then takes out the programs in the top conferences in the nation and compiles the list of the top programs from “teams in the lower 21 conferences.”
“The Bearkats take the top spot this week because the computer loves great road performances, and dayum was that a great one on Saturday afternoon at Saint Louis,” Whelliston wrote on his personal Web site www.midmajority.com. “Sure, the Billikens are having a sort-out year to begin the Majerus era, but they've won six games to date and shouldn't be held to just 29 percent shooting on its home floor.”
The Bearkats edged out Xavier, Butler, South Alabama and Saint Mary's to capture the top spot in his top 5. Xavier (No. 17), Butler (No. 18) and Saint Mary's (No. 24) are all currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
The Kats are also moving up the list in the collegeinsider.com mid-major poll. This poll is voted on by a panel of coaches and this week the coaches have the Kats up to No. 9.
The last time a Sam Houston team was unbeaten eight games into the season was in 1973 when the Kats' Lone Star Conference titlists went 28-0 before falling in the second round of the NAIA national tournament.
Continuing a Bearkat tradition, Sam Houston State already has rolled up victories over four top NCAA Division I programs. The Bearkats' 56-54 victory over Texas Tech was Bob Marlin's second victory over Bob Knight in their four meetings. Sam Houston handed Knight his first loss as Red Raider head coach in 2001. SHSU also has defeated Fresno State, a 2007 NIT participant, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a 2006 NCAA tournament second round team, and Saint Louis. The Billikens are coached by another legendary coach, Rick Majerus, who ranks among the top 10 in active coaches with 422 career wins.
Sam Houston produced an 8-6 record in pre-Southland play last year. The Bearkats won over Wisconsin-Milwaukee (defending Horizon Conference champion) and Loyola Marymount (West Coast Conference tournament finalist in 2006). Sam Houston also had an outstanding performance against No. 1 UCLA, leading the Bruins for most of the first half and being down by only four points with 12 minutes to play.
The Bearkats are 50-33 against non-Southland foes in Bob Marlin's 10 seasons at Sam Houston including road victories over Texas Tech, Missouri, Nebraska, Central Florida, Houston and Saint Louis.
SHSU will be on the road again Saturday when they travel to Houston to take on Texas Southern. They return home Dec. 20, and will put their 42-game non-conference home-court winning streak on the line against California-Irvine.
