WAC basketball: Pre-Christmas power rankings

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LAWRENCE, KS – DECEMBER 06: Xavier Bishop /

There’s been a month’s worth of games to analyze from the teams in the WAC Conference. How do they rank compared to the preseason?

8. Chicago State 2-11 (Preseason rank 6)

It’s going to take a ton of thinking to find a worse division I basketball program than the Cougars of Chicago State. The team in 2-11 so far, with both wins against non-division I teams. They’ve allowed 86 points a game, which only a dozen schools have done worse.

The awfulness of this team came to light in a big way in a game at Northwestern. Most of the players who played in a four-point defeat a year ago came back, so the game this time around should be close, right?

Not exactly. The halftime score was 55-8. A team who by the way does have scoring talent on the roster puts up two three-pointers and a dunk. Or a couple of jump shots and two trips to the free throw line. Any combination would work, except the Cougars couldn’t do any of it. Chicago State exploded in the second half, scoring 23 more points to lose 96-31.

The biggest disappointment was leading scorer Fred Sims, who went 0/9 in the game to go scoreless. He’s averaging 14.8 ppg, four points less than the previous year. Sims has never been a great shooter, but is putting up his worst numbers yet, going 28% from deep while taking seven deep balls a game. With the top seven scorers on the team being upperclassmen, more should be expected.

7. UKMC 3-8 (Preseason rank 8)

Unlike Chicago State, the Kangaroos lost just about everyone a year ago, and primarily rely on underclassmen. The one exception has been senior Broderick Robinson, who has taken advantage of the extra minutes and leads his team with 12.6 ppg. In the biggest win of the season so far, Robinson had 26 in a win over Manhattan. He also had a 24 and 10 double-double in a shootout loss to Southeast Missouri State.

Since losing by 52 points to start off the season to Wichita State, UMKC has been competitive for the most part, despite what the overall record shows. In a rebuilding year, there are good signs for what this team will do in a future season.