In what has been a very up-and-down conference, put this year’s edition in the “up” category. There are a number of teams poised for a run at the post-season and a number of players looking like national Player of the Year candidates too. Good news all around, right? Well, that is, until we get to New Orleans.

2009 in a Paragraph:
Last year in this forum, I didn’t even make mention of Middle Tennessee. Not even as the “darkhorse” candidate. I won’t make that mistake again since all the Raiders did was come back with most of their starters returning and tied SBC favorite Western Kentucky for the regular season title and made the field of 64. Both teams had some positive points in the NCAAs as they came away with wins. The Hilltoppers even made it to the title round of the Oxford Regional. Can a push through to the Super Regionals be far behind?

Conference RPI: 8

2009 Results:
1- Middle Tennessee State, 21-8
1- Western Kentucky, 21-8
3- Troy, 18-10
4- Florida International, 18-12
5- Louisiana-Lafayette, 14-15
6- South Alabama, 13-16
7- Louisiana-Monroe, 12-17
7- Florida Atlantic, 12-17
9- Arkansas State, 12-18
9- New Orleans, 12-18
11- Ark-Little Rock, 7-21

2010 in a Paragraph:
You might want to discard that dismissive “mid-major” moniker right now. These guys don’t see themselves that way and have the wins over BCS schools to prove it. This season looks like more of the same as MTSU and WKU go on a mission to make it farther into the post-season. They’ll both be packed to the gills with talent and both could surpass their 2009 win totals of 44 and 42 respectively. Watch out for the development of the Sun Belt’s next major push for power, this time from Turtle Thomas’ FIU Panthers as they’ll get tested early and have the talent to make a rush to the post season as well. Troy could be there, as long as their pitching holds together long enough this time. And FAU could make a big move this season as well in year two of the McCormack era. Still, more than likely, this is one of those Big Two-Little Nine scenarios. But don’t fret Sun Belt fans, because those big two could make big noise come June.

Favorites: Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky

Contenders: Florida International, Troy

Darkhorse: Florida Atlantic

Can’t-Miss Series of the Year: Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky, May 20-22

Best Non-Conference Series: Southern Miss at La.-Lafayette, Mar. 5-7

Hot Coach: Chris Finwood, Western Kentucky

Hot Seat Coach: Steve Kittrell, South Alabama

The “You Gotta See” Player: Bryce Brentz, MTSU

Three Non-Conference Series SBC Opponents Better Take Seriously:
1- WKU at Baylor Classic, Feb. 26-28. (Baylor, Texas A&M, Texas State)
2- FIU at Coca-Cola Classic, Mar.4-7. (UC Riverside, Cal Poly, Arizona State)
3- WKU at/vs. Vanderbilt, March 16-17

Three Bold Predictions:
1- One of the big two – MTSU or WKU – will push through to the Super Regionals.
2- Former traditional powers UL-L, USA, UL-M and FAU finished 5-thru-8 last year and one of them will bust into the top four this year. (My pick is FAU)
3- The final slot for the SBC tourney field will come down to the Natural State rivals UA-LR at Arkansas State series.

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- ARKANSAS-LITTLE ROCK (16-34, 7-21)
2009 RPI: 233
Starters Returning: 3
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 2

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Adam Champion (3-7, 5.60, 23rd round pick, San Francisco)
OF Nate Brown (.306-7-42)
RHP J.R. Boling (2-3, 3.53, 3svs)
C/3B Tim Emmons (.292-10-32)

The Good News:
The Scott Norwood era didn’t get off to a flying start, but at least they didn’t get worse. Besides, the biggest improvement usually occurs between year one and two. The schedule is much more manageable and should foster a better won-loss mark. A real whiz-bang recruiting class comes to campus as a pair of J.C. All Americans should have immediate input in LHP Ryan Juris and 3B Cody Gilles, who hit .421-21-65 at Heartland CC. Also watch for flame-throwers like RHP Daniel Golden and 6′6″ Travis Henke to make a big difference.

The Bad News:
Getting sun-belted: Seven of the last eight years the Trojans have finished last or second-to-last in the Sun Belt. Only 11 players return from last year as coach Norwood brought in 26 newcomers, meaning this will be an entirely new team. Chemistry could be a real problem for much of the season.

Schedule Note:
Same ole, same ole in the Sun Belt.
in a strange twist, the Trojans will, for the second straight year, travel to Florida Atlantic and then host Florida International. Don’t they usually trade off every year? As mentioned above, look for the Trojans to match last year’s win total early on as they’ll open with a pretty easy slate leading up to SBC play, including 18 straight home games.

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- ARKANSAS STATE (23-30, 12-18)
2009 RPI: 178
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 0

All Conference Candidates:
OF Todd Baumgartner (.350-8-43, 13SBs)
DH/1B Murray Watts (.305-10-44, 44BBs)
RPH Jacob Lee (2-5, 5.32, .250OBA)

The Good News:
Small steps were made in Tommy Raffo’s first season at the helm. Expect more to follow. Especially since they proved some mettle by winning weekends over UL-L, UL-Monroe and South Alabama last season. Between Lee, Andy Ferguson (5-5, 4.65) and Drew Benes (4-4, 8.41), the Red Wolves have 140 innings and 15 starts between them coming back. Baumgartner is one of those do-it-all types that can cover a lot of ground in the meadow. He’ll team with Watts for good power bats. SS Jordan Kimball (.268) and 2B Gioanni Garcia (.267) are sound middle-infielders.

The Bad News:
Amazingly, State still hasn’t had a winning season in SBC play since 1998. Raffo has got to change that redundant tune sometime soon. The bullpen has been decimated, losing every effective arm, including Chris Bullington, Nick Lambert and Jett Jones, who combine for 70 appearances and all six saves last season. The offenses loses three of the top four hitters, including the steady leadership of Brandon Eller, who hit .311 and was a rock at 1st base.

Schedule Note:
31. Lucky 31 again.
For the second season in a row the Wolves will play 31 home games (as opposed to 25 roadies) and will hope to get the favor of some home cooking shining down on them to help reverse their fortunes. The rivalry series with Arkansas-Little Rock takes place in Jonesboro. Let’s just hope it has some bearing on the post-season this time.

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- FLORIDA ATLANTIC (30-26, 12-17)
2009 RPI: 86
Starters Returning: 4
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
LHP Barry Rooks (3-2, 5.46)
RHP Glen Troyanowski (4-3, 5.75, 6svs)
SS Nick DelGuidice (.321-6-38)
OF Colby Gratton (.333, 10SBs)

The Good News:
The first season of the John McCormack era had some positives, including a sweet 13-3 start that gave the team some confidence. The 30 wins comes despite having to work in three new weekend starters on the hill. But Rooks and RHP Mike Gipson (4-5, 5.93) handled the pressure fairly well and will have bullpenners Troyanowski and Hugh Adams (3-2, 6.26, 3svs) as solid backups again this season. The offense hit .313 and returns three of the top five sticks, including DelGuidice and Gratton, who are joined by part-timer Mike “Iron Owl” Albaladejo, who hit .373 last season. A decent influx of talent comes in and J.C. transfer Andy Mee, an OF/RHP, and frosh RHP Kevin Alexander (a 39th round pick of Baltimore) should both make a big splash.

The Bad News:
The pitching was stuck out like a sore thumb, with an ERA of 6.37 and issuing a conference-high 281 walks. In addition, five .300+ hitters have gone the way of the buffalo, including most of the home run generating power in the order. The Blue Wave were also anything but a blue streak, stealing just 53 bases in 2009, many of those have moved on. When things went bad, things went REALLY bad, as 14 of their losses were by giving up double-digit run totals. Yikes.

Schedule Note:
Early tests will be telling.
The Owls will wing on up to Auburn in the second weekend of the season to play the home-team Tigers along with Missouri and Boston College. That should be able to tell us whether this team is ready to make a jump or not. Home weekends against Cincinnati and BC bracketing that weekend will also be great competition.

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- FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (34-23, 18-12)
2009 RPI: 82
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 4

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Scott Rembisz (6-3, 4.69)
LHP R.J. Fondon (7-2, 5.05, 2svs)
OF/DH Mike Martinez (.335-6-37)
1B Tim Jobe (.364-10-48)
SS Junior Arrojo (.316-3-32, 23SBs)

The Good News:
Look for the Turtle Thomas factor to kick into high gear this season as he becomes more and more familiar with the lay of the land as a head coach. If the offense has anything to say about it, FIU will make a huge splash, returning from a .324 season and featuring five hitters that went .300+ and a lot of speed. SS Arrojo and CF Lammar Guy (.265, 15SBs) can both fly and will help the defense with their quick feet. 3B Raiko Alfonso (.300) and OF Pablo Bermudez (.313) will be more comfy in their second seasons. The incoming recruiting class was rated the best in the Sun Belt by Collegiate Baseball (hey, we ARE talking about Turtle Thomas here, one of the best recruiters in the nation). The Texas Rangers must hate coach Thomas since he kept OFs Jabari Henry (39th round) and Yoandy Barroso (42nd round). RHP Alberto Cardenas (50th round, Minnesota) could be another immediate contributor.

The Bad News:
Back in May, FIU was on the radar for an at-large berth in the NCAAs, but a 7-8 finish sunk those hopes. As for 2010, on the mound, Fondon and Rembisz are stout and will have Eric Befkowitz (2-2, 5.24, 3svs) and Jorge Marban (1-2, 7.50, 4svs) to help out in the latter innings, but both must improve their numbers. That goes for the whole staff, who allowed opponents to hit .300 last season. Not good. The defense was only the 9th-best in the conference at .957, though there IS hope with three returning infield starters.

Schedule Note:
A rare trek out West.
It probably has a lot to do with the fact that coach Thomas was a former Arizona State assistant, but the Panthers will take part in the Coca-Cola Classic in Arizona in week three of the season, going up against ASU, Cal Poly and UC Riverside. Prior to that, they’ll get a visit from Oral Roberts and Maryland, a pair of interesting non-conference matchups.

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- LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (27-30-1, 14-15)
2009 RPI: 93
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
RHP Justin Robichaux (3-3, 1.98, 2svs, .252OBA)
RHP Zach Osborne (5-3, 3.44, .262OBA)
SS Greg Fontenot (.329)
OF Kyle Olasin (.305, 10SBs)

The Good News:
The Fighting Peppers showed some spicy play at times, burning opponents like Southern Miss, Nebraska, LSU, Houston and even sweeping (not a misprint) Middle Tennessee. Wow. Coach Tony Robichaux’s charges had some wicked hurlers that helped them post a Sun Belt-best 5.01 team ERA. Beyond the senior-experienced Robichaux and Osborne (a nice luxury to have, eh coach?), look for mid-weeker Michael Cook (5-3, 5.88) to take on a bigger role. Also watch for 2nd-year phenoms like RHP Blake Wascom (1-0, 3.91, .220OBA) and LHP Alex Fuselier (2-2, 6.50), who is also a stud outfielder that only hit .245 but should improve. The defense should get better as well with SS Fontenot joining the double-play combo of 2B Kyle Bostick (.289, 10SBs) and 1B Chad Keefer (.282-8-47), who brings some bash to the offense.

The Bad News:
Two straight disappointing seasons just don’t usually happen to the Cajuns. This is weird, man. A huge problem to the 2009 season was the lack of effective bats, as the team hit a bony-armed .278 which was 2nd-to-last in the SBC. I’m not making any headlines by saying that must change for this to be a good season. Players like Fuselier and Matt Goulas (.265, but went .288-7-31 in ‘08) must play up to potential. Losing hitters like Travis Whipple, Scott Hawkins and Les Smith means saying goodbye to most of the power on the team (28 combined HRs) and three solid leaders too.

Schedule Note:
A brutal month of May.
The final season of the month could be a crusher if the Cajuns aren’t locked in, taking on SBC favorites Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky at home and traveling to UNO and UL-Monroe. That’s pretty harsh. Oh, and I really like how UL-L and Southern Miss have been able to hook up the last few seasons in pre-conference play. That’s a solid matchup of teams that made great strides in the past decade.

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- LOUISIANA-MONROE (32-27, 12-17)
2009 RPI: 95
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
INF/RHP Jordy Poche (.365-3-362-7, 6.72)
OF Perry Smith (.365-5-34)
2B Boomer Blanchard (.351-12-38, 11SBs)
3B Nick Wade (.342-9-36)
OF Matt Laird (.301-10-55)

The Good News:
The Warhawks got hot at the right time in the SBC tourney and nearly fought all the way to the NCAAs last May. Hopefully that momentum will continue this season. Man, can this team bash and dash! They hit .325 and also pulled 278 walks as well. All five returnees are .301+ and are legitimate All-SBC candidates as listed above. Plug a few holes and this team will hit with anybody. RHP Don Williams (6-2, 5.47) threw three complete games and also relieved five times last season. Coach Jeff Schexnaider brought in a lauded recruiting class that features J.C. RHP James Jones, a 45th round pick of Cleveland, who should pay dividends pretty soon and may even push for a weekend spot.

The Bad News:
Year three was a rough one on the WarHawks as they dipped to their first conference losing mark in recent memory. And finishing two runs short of the NCAA tournament was frustrating as well. Ben Soignier, who has been the focal point of the program the last few years, has finally moved on to pro ball. The bullpen was (and is) a wreck, going to a saves-by-committee form – seven pitchers picked up a save. It would be nice if one dominant shut-down stud could emerge this year. And while we’re at it, two weekend spots will need to be filled as well. Lots of questions.

Schedule Note:
Tougher than a two-dollar steak.
ULM will have to hit the ground running or run the risk of being flat run-over. They’ll travel to Ole Miss for three games, then go to Texas for a tournament featuring Creighton and Northwestern State and play road games at Southern Miss and at LSU. That’s all in the first 11 games. As if that wasn’t enough, in SBC play they’ll open at Middle Tennessee, host UNO and then travel to WKU, all in the first three weekends. Aye Caramba!

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- MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (44-18, 21-8)
2009 RPI: 38
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 3
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
OF/RHP Bryce Brentz (.465-28-73/5-3, 4.57, .265OBA, All American)
LHP Kenneth Roberts (11-1, 3.04, .225OBA)
RHP Nick Montgomery (4-1, 4.74)
SS Tyler Burnett (.344-7-37, 10SBs)
1B Blake McDade (.340-6-51)

The Good News:
2009 was a breakthrough season for the Raiders, including a Sun Belt title and a win over hated Vanderbilt in the NCAAs. Not a chance in hell the college baseball community will underestimate them this year. The big key is a plethora of pitching and a beat-you-to-death offense. Roberts leads the three weekend starters and is a classic ground out pitcher. Both mid-week starters, RHP Brett Wilson (3-2, 5.65) and RHP Jud Stoltz (2-1, 7.90) will improve and help make this a deep staff. This team will go arm-for-arm with just about anyone. Offensively, they hit .340 last year and the order is definitely junior-senior heavy – a coach’s best friend. And get this, all six returning starters hit .312 or better and accounted for 57 of last year’s 101 home runs. Expect much more of the same. Okay, lemme see, what am I forgetting here?… Oh wait, I didn’t mention Bryce Brentz yet. Silly me. This guy is the Terminator of college baseball. A true five-tool player AND a remorseless killing machine on the diamond. As Lou Pavlovich of Collegiate Baseball noted, he came to college as a drafted pitcher and will leave college as a drafted hitter.

The Bad News:
Even though this has the potential to be the best MidTenn team in history, there are a few nit-picky things for bad news. For instance, two of the best hitters were Rawley Bishop (.398) and Nathan Hines (.352), who won’t be around to protect Brentz in the order this year. Also, the ace closer Coty Woods, who had 15 saves, won’t be around to lean on any longer.

Schedule Note:
Damn! Nowhere near me.
I am bound and determined to check this team out at some point this season, but lo, they aren’t scheduled to play anywhere outside of their region all year long. Even their pre-conference roadies are at Memphis, at Southern Illinois and at Jacksonville State. Oh well, maybe I’ll get the lear jet out. Oh, the final weekend of the regular season is a SBC showdown at Western Kentucky. Niiiiiice.

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- NEW ORLEANS (22-33, 12-18)
2009 RPI: 160
Starters Returning: 7
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 5

All Conference Candidates:
INF Nick Schwaner (.332-12-53)
OF Rodarrick Jones (.299-7-28, 12SBs)
OF Jay Morris (.362)
1B Alan Harris (.344-9-44)

The Good News:
The Privateers had a modicum of inexperience entering last season, but now it’s ready to blossom. Bruce Peddie becomes the 6th coach in school history and has a lot to work with. Of the nine players that started 25 games or more in 2009, seven of them are now seniors and also six of the seven hurlers back are juniors or seniors as well. That kind of experience is a huge intangible. Improvement is imminent as five .299+ hitters return and 46 of the 54 team HRs. Schwaner and Jones will provide plenty of bash and pop and be team leaders.

The Bad News:
Not a lot of good for the Privateers, as last year saw them finish with a losing record and their hyper-successful coach, Tom Walter, moved on to different horizons. Not only that, but the off-season saw the near-elimination of the entire athletic program (it was reversed), though the move down to Division III is imminent. Yikes. The Sun Belt’s worst pitching staff needs to clamp down as Joe Zimmerman (3-4, 6.01) and Cory Myers (2-8, 9.31) are the returning weekend starters but have poor ERAs. In fact, reliever Randy Verdin (2-1, 5.40) is the only staffer back with an ERA below 6.00. Most importantly, the defense struggled mightily, with a .948 fielding percentage.

Schedule Note:
Snowbird refuge.
UNO will play a lot of home games early on and will welcome in St. John’s in the opening weekend, followed by Youngstown State and Fairleigh Dickinson in pre-conference play. Then they’ll host Western Kentucky in the SBC opener. They’ll return the favor in May when they play at Creighton to wrap up the regular season. How’s that?… they’ll play their final game in Rosenblatt Stadium.

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- SOUTH ALABAMA (25-30, 13-16)
2009 RPI: 130
Starters Returning: 6
Weekend Starters: 0
Mid-Week Starters: 2
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
CF Adam Heisler (.390, 16SBs)
3B Jake Overstreet (.336)
OF Sean Laird (.295-7-21)
LHP Lance Baxter (3-3, 3.74, 6svs)
RHP D.D. Hanks (3-0, 5.85)
OF/DH Clint Reynolds (.328, 18SBs)

The Good News
A good bit of the offense that hit .328 as a team last season, returns for ‘10, including four players that hit .300 or better. Zach Grinchor (.305, .974fielding) is a solid 2B and should help improve the .966 defense. Heisler and Reynolds will give pithers the heeby-jeebies with their speed on the bases. There’s a lot of excitement over the impressive incoming class which features J.C. All Americans in OF Taylor White (hit .480), IF Tyler Vick (24HRs), C Brent Tanner (15HRs and formerly at Mississippi State in ‘08) and RHP Garrett Harris (formerly a starter at Southern MIss).

The Bad News:
Three straight losing seasons has some long-time Jags fans feeling quite salty, and with good reason. Losing marks used to be as rare as a snow storm in Mobile. Now? Well, here we are. The Jags MUST have better bullpen play after getting outscored by 46 runs in the 8th and 9th innings last year. Also, three players that hit over .330 are gone, including the only power threat from last year in David Doss. The ERA of 6.70 is a huge no-no. C’mon Jags, hunker down.

Schedule Note:
Easing the newbies along.
With all the new faces coming in, the schedule is pretty finely set for bringing them along slowly as 14 of the first 16 games are at home. But there are some potential potholes as games with Alabama, Wichita State, Mississippi State and Tulane are included in that. Three of the final four SBC weekends will be at home as well with UL-M, FAU and Troy will come to Mobile.

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- TROY (33-23, 18-10)
2009 RPI: 69
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 1
Mid-Week Starters: 1
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 3

All Conference Candidates:
OF Miles Hoyle (.350-9-35)
1B/OF Ryan Ditthardt (.327-7-54)
OF Chad Watson (.317-6-29, 10SBs)
SS Adam Bryant (.312-4-32)
RHP Tyler Ray (7-3, 4.60)

The Good News:
As usual with the Trojans, they don’t sweat anyone, having beaten Alabama, Kennesaw State and Western Kentucky and also won a series vs. Middle Tennessee last year. This time around, they’ll need to rely more on their hitting and defense, since three of the top four batters from ‘09 return, led by Hoyle and Ditthardt who both posses some gap power. Watson is a burner (7triples) who could be utilized more. Bryant and 2B J.R. Myers (.326 in part-time duty) should make for a solid middle and keep the defense up to its .970 performance of a year ago. Not sure if it’ll translate to this year as well, but Troy batters were plunked 68 times last year. But that’s just their mentality… no fear.

The Bad News:
The pitching just fell apart on Troy in the latter part of the ‘09 season, giving up double-digit run totals in six of their last ten losses, including bad routs to end the season in the SBC tournament. As a unit they went 6.32 in team ERA and a .299OBA. That’s too high if they’re ever going to make that big push to elite mid-major status. Two of the three weekend studs have bailed along with relievers Chris Sorce and Jeff Green, who had 47 appearances between them. In case you haven’t figured it out, lots of work to do on the mound.

Schedule Note:
Fit to be Hog tied.
The men of Troy will make one of the more difficult road trips of any team in the country in the second weekend of the season as they dare to venture into the pig pen and play Arkansas, a CWS team last year. If they survive that, another test follows as they’ll welcome fellow mid-major Bethune-Cookman to town the next weekend in what should be a solid matchup. The rivalry series with South Alabama winds things up at the end of the regular season in Mobile.

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- WESTERN KENTUCKY (42-20, 21-8)
2009 RPI: 41
Starters Returning: 5
Weekend Starters: 2
Mid-Week Starters: 0
Key Relievers (20+inns.): 1

All Conference Candidates:
C Matt Rice (.399-10-72)
RHP Matt Ridings (8-2, 4.84, 93Ks)
RHP Shane Cameron (5-2, 5.03)
1B Jake Wells (.314-5-36)

The Good News:
Three of the last five seasons have seen the Hilltoppers dipping their toes in the NCAA tournament waters – and winning too. WKU hopes to go further than the regional title round like they did last season, extending Ole Miss to a third game in Oxford. Freakin’ impressive. Team ace Ridings returns for his senior year despite being drafted in the 25th round by the Nationals last summer. That’s a huge boon to an already talented team. He’ll team with Cameron for a great one-two punch and they’ll have RHP Bart Carter (6-1, 6.00, 4svs) to back them as a valuable fellow senior starter/reliever. Also, look for the return of RHP Rye Davis, who missed all of 2009 after being hit in the eye by a line drive during the pre-season. They’ll throw toss with catcher Matt Rice, a real block of granite behind the dish with a cannon arm. The team moves into a brand new one-million dollar clubhouse at Nick Denes Field, no more basketball locker room for these guys.

The Bad News:
WKU had a 5.47 team ERA (3rd in the SBC), but beyond Ridings, Cameron and Carter, the cupboard is pretty bare in the hurling department after last season’s exodus by so many quality relievers. Good middle relief and a clamp-down arm must be cultivated from a stock of newbies. The Hilltoppers were awesome thieves last season, stealing 100 bases, but Wade Gaynor, Chad Cregar and Matt Hightower were responsible for 65 of them and each hit .300+. 2B Matt Payton (.307-3-34) is a sweet glove, but will be teamed with greenhorns at SS and 3B, so hopes of coming close to the .979 defensive team they had last season will be tough.

Schedule Note:
The newbies will have to grow up quickly.
Unlike last year’s fairly breezy start to the season, WKU will have to hit the ground running in 2010. They’ll open with a home weekend vs. MAC monster Kent State, then go to the Baylor Bears Tournament (where they’ll take on BU, Texas State and Texas A&M), and finish up pre-SBC play with Illinois-Chicago. That’s pretty good. Once again, the two favorites of the Sun Belt will face off in the final weekend of the regular season, as WKU plays the host to Middle Tennessee this time.