Southern Utah Picked 8th in the Summit League

Future Big Sky member Southern Utah was pegged as the 8th best team in the Summit League for their swan song in the Conference.

Two-time defending champion Oakland received four first-place votes and finished second in the poll, followed by South Dakota State, who received the remaining first-place vote, in third. IUPUI, North Dakota State, IPFW, UMKC and Southern Utah held spots four through eight while Western Illinois and Summit League newcomer South Dakota, rounded out the poll.

The Thunderbirds did not have any players on the first or second team, which was dominated by Oral Roberts.

Follow me on Twitter @bigskybball

Southern Utah Looks Forward By Looking Back

As Southern Utah embarks on its final season as a member of the Summit League (in preparation for its entrance into the Big Sky Conference in 2012-13, here is a nice reflection on the memories for the T-Birds in the Summit, because you can't know where you're going until you know where you've been.

The glory moment for men's basketball at Southern Utah came with its Mid-Con championship in 2001. The T-Birds finished that year with a 25-6 record and got a bit of revenge by beating Valparaiso 62-59 in the tournament final in Fort Wayne, Ind., after losing to the Crusaders in the title game the season before.

SUU went on to the NCAA Tournament and nearly beat Boston College in a 3-14 first-round match-up.