Mean Green

The regular season is over and the Sun Belt tournament is about to begin.

Over the next few days, I will take a look at the potential matchups between UNT and Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette, the teams who will play in the first round for the right to face the Mean Green in the quarterfinals.

For tonight, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at who will be on the All-Sun Belt team for UNT. I sent in my vote tonight.

Now that I have looked through who the teams nominated, I think one can make a very good case that UNT ought to have multiple players on the team this year. UNT has historically not fared very well when it comes to the all-league team. Calvin Watson was UNT's only pick in 2007, when the Mean Green won the league tournament. And he was a third-team pick.

There are a few good reasons UNT doesn't do all that well, but the best is the Mean Green tends to be a very balanced team. UNT had four players finish averaging double figures this year.

Josh White, George Odufuwa, Tristan Thompson and Eric Tramiel all have a chance of making the team.

What I am interested to see is if Johnny Jones is named the Coach of the Year. Troy coach Don Maestri is the likely pick, but one can also make a good case for Jones. UNT was picked to win the Sun Belt West Division, but lost Dominique Johnson for the season after he played just four games and lost Tramiel for four games in the middle of the conference season. UNT still won the SBC West, shared the overall conference crown and finished with the best overall record in the Sun Belt during the regular season at 21-8. UNT also finished the regular season having won eight straight games.

Jones will likely get bumped off due to Troy winning the tiebreaker for the league title and taking the No. 1 seed in the tournament, not that the tiebreaker makes any sense.

If I had to guess, Josh White and George Odufuwa will be UNT's two picks on the all-conference team.

Odufuwa averaged a double-double 11.5 points and 10.2 rebounds on the season. He averaged 10.4 rebounds and 12.4 points a game in Sun Belt play. Odufuwa has to be a lock.

White ranked 10th in the Sun Belt with an average of 14.9 points a game and handed out 102 assists. He was a preseason All-Sun Belt pick and has a good reputation for a good reason. He should be UNT's second pick.

A case could also be made for Thompson and Tramiel. Thompson ranked second in the Sun Belt in scoring during conference games at 17.0 points a game. He was the guy teams tried to take away most of the year, and he hit plenty of big shots.

There were a lot of times this season when Thompson was UNT's best player. Louisiana-Monroe was just the latest team to go to a box-and-1 or diamond-and-one defense to try to keep the ball away from him. You just wonder if UNT can get three players on the all-league team.

Which brings us to Tramiel, who might be the best power forward in the Sun Belt. He averages 13.0 points and 5.3 rebounds a game and is a great post defender. I just wonder if he isn't going to end up being passed over after missing four Sun Belt games due to injury.

We will find out when the team is announced at the tournament.

There was a good reason UNT was picked to win the Sun Belt Conference's West Division at the beginning of the year.

UNT had three of the best guards in the league in Josh White, Dominique Johnson and Tristan Thompson and two of the top big guys in George Odufuwa and Eric Tramiel.

What was so impressive about the way UNT reached expectations with a 74-71 win over ULM that clinched the division on Saturday was that the Mean Green got there in a season where so much went wrong.

UNT lost Johnson, who averaged 11 points a game as a junior, to a broken ankle, saw Eric Tramiel suffer a wrist injury that kept him out for four games and saw one of its key reserves who started for much of the season in Richard Thomas leave the team for personal reasons.

And still, UNT is sitting there at 21-8 with the division title and the second seed in the conference tournament that begins next week. UNT will play the winner of a game between Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday night.

This has to be the best coaching job Johnny Jones has done at UNT. He came up with the second-line idea that continues to pay dividends and has his guys playing well at the right time.

UNT's veterans continue to be clutch in close games. Thompson, and especially White, were huge down the stretch today.

So now it's on to the conference tournament. UNT has as good a shot as anyone to win the title.

Middle Tennessee would be a tough matchup in the semifinals, but it is a game should be favored to win, especially on a neutral court. It's tough to tell what will happen in the finals.

When it comes to the postseason, I am sticking by my opinion that the Sun Belt's tiebreaker system is, well, broken. There is no way the league should not break the ties in a division before breaking the tie for the No. 1 overall seed and the guaranteed NIT bid, especially when there is a rule that says the division winners get the top two seeds.

It does make one wonder if UNT doesn't win the tournament if it will have a shot at an NIT bid, though. UNT has 21 wins that count as far as its record, but the selection committees will only count 19 as of now. UNT played two non-Division I teams.

UNT is sitting at 139 in the realtimerpi rankings and has a strength of schedule of 282.

It should be interesting to see how it plays out.

UNT has a very, very good shot to win the whole ball of wax next week and head to the NCAA Tournament again.

UNT is still hasn't won back-to-back games since late November. UNT is going to have a tough matchup in the first round of the conference tournament.

UNT is trying to mount a comeback late. The Mean Green is within four. Ravven Brown just hit a layup and has a chance to convert a 3-point play at the line. with 3:56 left.

UNT was down 11 just a few minutes ago.

UNT is falling apart down the stretch. ULM has scored the last eight points and is up 11. UNT is having one of its worst games offensively of the season. UNT has just 14 points in the second half.

ULM has scored the last four points of the game and is up three on UNT. Denetra Kellum has 11 points for UNT.

UNT was down five at halftime, but has pulled a little closer in the second half.

Denetra Kellum has 11 points for UNT.

ULM has come all the way back from an early eight-point deficit to tie up its game with ULM.

UNT has 12 turnovers already, which is absolutely killing the Mean Green.

UNT was up eight early in the first half, but has seen its lead cut in half.

Denetra Kellum is having a nice game so far with seven points.

UNT is off to a good start here early in its game against ULM. Caitlin Hawkins just hit a 3-pointer for UNT.

Johnny Jones brought up the golf analogy a minute ago. UNT has posted its score. The pressure is on Middle Tennessee now to win at Florida Atlantic.

An FAU win gives UNT the overall conference title.

Nice win for UNT. I will be back for the women's game.

Tristan Thompson has UNT's last six points.

Thompson converted a rare four-point play after ULM had pulled to within six and then hit a couple of free throws.

UNT appeared as if it would get a layup, but Collin Mangrum fumbled a pass out of bounds.

Mangrum has 10 and is having a good game, though.

Every time it looks like UNT is going to put ULM away, the Warhawks hit a big shots. ULM just hit a 3.

Alzee Williams just hit a huge 3 to put UNT back up 10 with 7:28 left in the second half.

Josh White has 12 points for UNT, but has missed three free throws, which is not like him. George Odufuwa has 14 rebounds.

UNT is shooting just 40 percent from the flooor.

UNT appeared to have this one in the bank when Tristan Thompson hit a 3-pointer to put the Mean Green up 47-32.

ULM put on some fullcourt pressure and has run off four straight points and is headed to the line for a couple of free throws.

Josh White has 12 points.

UNT is up 12 at the first media timeout of the second half. Josh White is having a great game. He has 11 points and is headed to the line for two shots.

ULM is shooting 29 percent from the field.

UNT has a 42-30 edge in rebounds.

There is no one here. I thought it might fill in, but there are only a couple hundred people in the stands.

UNT closed the half on an 8-2 run and is up 11 at halftime.

Josh White made a great play with 4.7 seconds left, when he grabbed a rebound, scored and drew a foul. White completed the 3-point play to extend UNT's lead to double figures at the break.

White has 11 points in the first half. George Odufuwa has six points and nine rebounds.

UNT had a great first half defensively, holding ULM to 23 points.

UNT is going to have a chance to seal the deal early in the second half.

UNT pushed its lead to 11 on a pair of Josh White free throws. ULL has answered and pulled to within six.

White is headed to the line for a pair of free throws. UNT is just 3-for-8 from the line.

White, Tristan Thompson and Collin Mangrum all have five points for UNT.

UNT is starting to find its groove and is up seven at the 7:57 mark of the first half.

The Mean Green is on an 11-1 run.

George Odufuwa has four points and eight boards. Collin Mangrum has five points off the bench.

UNT has a 15-8 edge on the glass.