SE Missouri State at Loyola Marymount

New Head Coach Mike Dunlap completely gutted the roster at Loyola Marymount, so many feel he will struggle this season. He was probably right in doing so since they finished 4-14 in conference play a season ago, and he felt that he had a better opportunity with his own players. The only significant piece remaining is sophomore guard Evan Payne, who averaged 15.5 points during his freshman campaign, which is a good place to start. He brought in a lot of JUCO transfers and European players, and he has a history of success and plays with a frenetic pressing end-to-end style, and he is going to sneak up on some teams. Southeast Missouri State finished 8-8 in the Ohio Valley last season, and lost their top scorer, top rebounder, and leader in Tyler Stone (19.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg). They are going to have to deal with 40 minutes of pressure defense, and at this stage I think they are going to be surprised. Play on Loyola, Marymount.