Non-Conference slate is now finished with the Southland Conference now ahead. It's time to figure out who's on top of the heap going forward. Give us your thoughts about where things stand halfway through the season.


My starter take:

Halfway in, it feels like we're still trying to get kick this season off. TJ, Aaron, Comeaux, Sammy, and lately Jovan's absences have made our "veteran" squad look like a talented but undisciplined team. There are definitely signs of life moving forward - especially if everyone save TJ returns, but momentum has been tough to build.

Three D1 wins. While TJ's loss affects the interior more than we know, this season has come down to point guards - or the lack thereof. It's no surprise that even with Karl and Mitch benched, the biggest comeback of the year was Aaron's first game of the season. A true point able to distribute gave Shannon and freshman Jock Hughes the ability to mount the upset (Down 12 with 3:40 left). It is also no surprise that Aaron's third (and last) game to play was our most dominant of the season blasting Milwaukee by double digits. Baylor may have been the highlight win so far with no point, but there's no doubt that Aaron and John are going to complete this team if they can stay healthy.

This team doesn't quit. They can be very undisciplined at times, and it seems like we're still working on how our offense can penetrate tight zones, but even though we've spent most of the season down, we don't stop until the final buzzer. Marist - down 12 under 4 to come back and win. Baylor down 8 under 3 to come back and win. Louisiana Tech down 13 to tie and force overtime. Down 18? to ULM to comeback to 4. Down 12 to Alabama to pull within 3. There's no deficit that our team doesn't think they can't pull back. Hopefully double digit deficits are a thing of the past, but even so, we know that we're still in the game - no matter what.

We can be the SLC victor this year, but we have work. It starts Wednesday night. What's your take on where we stand?

I'll give my two cents worth later, but riddle me these for now.... Why did Jock see the floor for less than a minute last night? And why are some saying that Aaron will be back soon and others are saying he's done for the rest of the year?

I'm no expert on basketball but we looked totally different with John on the floor. That could be just what we need to shine in the SLC. I'm with Ed, why thy tight lips on Aaron?

I don't think there's tight lips more than any other injured player. Coach in his interview about 10 days ago said that Aaron would be back when he's recovered from mono - hopefully by February. He said John would be back by January 1st and he surpassed that.

Regarding Aaron, I was happy to see him court side for the game. If he wasn't mostly recovered, I don't think he would be there. He hasn't been since he got sick if I recall correctly. Mono is fairly contagious, so, if he was still severely ill, they likely would have told him to stay home. My guess is he comes back soon, but I have no inside information. Just observations.

I think we are well on our way to a 17 or 18 win regular season conference. While we have struggled, injuries have hurt us and our non-conference schedule was no joke. Everybody keeps talking about Abilene Christian as our conference competition this year, but their schedule so far has been pretty weak. If we play the way we have in the last two weeks, we should find ourselves in the tournament once again.