The Yarnell will be detailed in its own thread, but I'll go ahead and provide the preview here. Note all previews, ratings, and rankings are based on the status in the preseason.
By the way, I know these world boards like Iba are not as accessible as in the past, so there are probably a good number of folks in Iba D2 who haven't been to the boards. I'll keep these previews up even if it gets kind of sparse here, but if anyone fro other conferences wants to contribute like the old days, I'd sure appreciate it.
This year’s participants, with preseason rankings are:
#1 Wisconsin, Parkside (GLV)
#3 N Florida (Peach Belt)
#11 Pfeiffer (CVAC)
# 20 Wayne St. (Northern Sun)
#27 W Florida (Heartland)
#39 Seattle (Great NW)
Wisconsin, Parkside – After earlier D2 stints at Grand Canyon and Seattle, in which the NT title was won in season 79, tcole23 is now in the 4th season coaching UWP. Already in a short stint, tcole has the Rangers contending, coming off a Final 4 appearance last season and ranked pre-season #1 this season. Bringing a veteran squad of 9 upperclassmen into the season, UWP will run a flex/man system that sports the highest overall ratings in D2 (680). Expect tcole to run a very balanced attack and get everyone involved, as only junior PG George Laymen averaged more than 10 pts (10.9 pts/gm) on a team that has nearly everyone returning. Look at a team here that does a lot of things quite well, with elite ratings in multiple categories. ATH (6th), REB (1st), DE (3rd), BLK (6th), LP (13th), PE (5th).
N. Florida – What is there to say that hasn’t been said? Having won 4 of the last 7 NT’s, you already know teamvip’s squad will be elite and hard for anyone to beat. This year, the Ospreys have a slightly younger team, with 5 upperclassmen, but the pre-season rank of #3 suggests that won’t matter much. What stands out is that UNF has the 2nd rated athleticism in D2 and the top-rated defense. The player to key in on will be 1st Team All-American Daniel Forsyth. Averaging over 17points last season, not only does he have a 100PE rating, but he also is athletic (80), fast (82), elite defensively (100), and can handle and pass the ball (74 & 82). While teamvip has plenty of other effective options to go to, expect to have to contain Forsyth if you want to beat N Florida, not to mention overcoming an elite team defense.
Pfeiffer – Returning to the Yarnell to represent the CVAC, zorzii’s Pfeiffer team comes into the season ranked 11th after a short rebuild that saw the Falcons squad into the NT as a 16th seed. This year, the team does not particular stand out in any one category, yet still has the overall 20th rated team. However, zorzii has individual contributors that are elite at their respective positions that overall ratings do not capture. Perhaps the best individual player in this year’s Yarnell is 1st Team All-American SF Bryon Rey, who averaged 23.7 points/game as a junior. With top-notch speed (86) even for a guard, Rey creates a lot of match-up issues for the defense as a small forward. Plus, he can rain down 3’s at a 40% clip with a 100 PE rating, or he can slash and cause foul problems by driving toward the basket (LP 86).
Wayne St. – Representing the Northern Sun and playing the role of host in place of NMHU this season is jtreeves72 and his Wayne St team. Since it is best to get elite teams into the Yarnell each season, jt’s team fits the bill much better than a rebuilding NMHU squad. Wayne St has received 32 straight NT bids, and most recently went to the Final 4 in season 85. While jt’s squad enters the season ranked 20, they usually start the season a little under-ranked, and they have the 2nd rated team in D2. While the Wildcats will bring a competitive squad to any game through 5th athleticism (66) and the 8th rated defense (66), it is the 2nd rated perimeter play that might cause the teams the most trouble. Having 6 players with a 75 or better PE rating, jt can move the ball around to various scoring options. If a team focuses on the outside too much, the team’s best player might be Honorable Mention All-American C Lawrence Allen with a 98 LP rating. Sr Edgar Craft (98SP, 72BH, 81PAS) also provides a lot of direction and leadership at the Point.
W. Florida - Representing the Heartland this season is cspangler’s W Florida. Entering the 9th season at W Florida, cspangler has gone to multiple Sweet 16’s and one elite 8. This season the Argonauts enter ranked just outside the top 25, at 27. The overall team rating would rank them 14th. A couple of things stand out. First, the freshmen on the team that have not yet developed might weigh on the overall ratings. For instance, the freshmen average 42.5 on defense and 40 in athleticism. To the extent cspangler can shorten the games and limit the freshmen minutes could determine how successful the Argonauts are in the Yarnell. The other factor that catches the eye is the post play, which ranks as the best in D2 (57). Led by 2nd Team All-American PF Daryl Crockett (LP 91), W Florida has several good options, like Luther Potter (LP 100) and John Spence (LP 90). Look for senior SG David Loya (PE 90) to carry a lot of the load as well. The halfcourt press/zone defense could also be an interesting system to see how it works in this tournament.
Seattle – To be fair, while this is a very good team, this probably wasn’t the best season for Seattle to be in the tournament in terms of the class structure, but they have been very good every season, even in years without a lot of seniors, and I really wanted to get them in the Yarnell (ranked 5th in the dynasty rankings). In the last 5 seasons, Seattle has two Sweet 16’s, one Elite 8, and one Final 4 (beating NMHU to get there). This year, the team has only one senior and 6 freshmen. In other recent seasons that they had more freshmen than seniors, davidcrone’s team made the S16 and E8. This season, look for George Jorgenson to play a major role, as he averaged over 10 pts/gm off the bench and shot at a 47% clip from the perimeter. Sr C Max Curtis, honorable mention All-American is also a well-rounded player that could cause some teams issues, with high athleticism, defense and rebounding, but is also a rare center with both post (70) and perimeter (54) ability.