Cheney, Washington, is a town of roughly 11,000 tucked into the Pacific Northwest. Eastern Washington University is located there.
Last year, Eastern Washington star Tyler Harvey (22.9 points per game) led the nation in scoring, and then the Orlando Magic selected the 6-foot-4 guard from Torrance, California, in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft. It was a great story, both for EWU and the Big Sky. The spotlight on Eastern Washington grew after its nonconference win over Indiana.
But the Big Sky is bigger than one player or program. Three members of last season's all-conference first team remain (EWU's Venky Jois, Montana's Martin Breunig and Northern Arizona's Kris Yanku).
Montana and Eastern Washington shared the regular-season crown in 2014-15, but Eastern Washington held off the Grizzlies in the Big Sky tournament championship. Those two will joust for the crown again this season. But Northern Arizona, Sacramento State and Weber State could be in the mix, too.
There's no star like Harvey, but the Big Sky won't disappoint.
Favorite
This is a tough call. Montana has Breunig (16.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 61 percent inside the arc), and he's not alone, as Brandon Gfeller (8.9 PPG) and Mario Dunn (8.8 PPG) return. But the Eagles, even without Harvey, might have a slight edge over its rival. Why? Well, Harvey struggled (6-for-15) in the Big Sky championship. Jois (3-for-5) and sophomore Bogdan Bliznyuk (13 points, five rebounds) showed up when the lights came on and their team needed them. Those two will progress in 2015-16 and elevate Eastern Washington to the top of the league again.
Sleeper
We can't call Montana a sleeper, but what about Sacramento State? The Hornets finished 65th in adjusted offensive efficiency last season while committing turnovers on just 16.6 percent of their offensive possessions (42nd), per KenPom.com. Sacramento State split its regular-season matchups against Eastern Washington and defeated Montana in their only meeting. The Hornets started 10-1 in league play last season. If they can get off to another fast start and avoid the 3-4 unraveling in their final seven conference games, coach Brian Katz's squad could finish in the top tier and championship conversation. The Hornets must replace Mikh McKinney, last year's league player of the year. That's a difficult task, but Cody Demps (9.8 PPG) and Eric Stuteville (7.1 PPG, 1 BPG) will put up bigger numbers in 2015-16.
Team that could fall on its face
The good news for Weber State is that its most important players from a year ago return in 2015-16, including Jeremy Senglin (15.8 PPG) and Joel Bolomboy (13.3 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 1.7 BPG). Senglin and Bolomboy could anchor a title run, but there is no proof of that. This is essentially the same group that went 2-6 from Jan. 17 to Feb. 14. Weber's experience will be a positive, but last year the group stumbled in a key stretch and missed the postseason. It's hard to put big money on the Wildcats.
Top pro prospect
Bolomboy, Weber State
Bolomboy is an active, 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward who is a strong rebounder and shot-blocker. In a 2014 NCAA tournament matchup against No. 1 seed Arizona and lottery pick Aaron Gordon, Bolomboy finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds and a block. His offensive game is inconsistent, but he's the kind of athlete who might get into an NBA tryout and surprise a franchise or two with his raw abilities and energy. He'd really help his cause if he developed a consistent touch around the rim and a nice 15-footer.
Projected all-conference team
G: Kris Yanku, Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
F: Venky Jois, Eastern Washington
F: Martin Breunig, Montana
F: Joel Bolomboy, Weber State
F: Bogdan Bliznyuk, Eastern Washington