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Conference Preview: Its Nate Wolters or bust in The Summit League

Nate Wolters

Throughout the month of October, CollegeBasketballTalk will be rolling out our previews for the 2012-2013 season. Check back at 9 a.m. and just after lunch every day, Monday-Friday, for a new preview item.

To browse through the preview posts we’ve already published, click here. To look at the rest of the Top 25, click here. For a schedule of our previews for the month, click here.

With the departure of Oral Roberts to the Southland Conference, the Summit League title is up for grabs, and the spotlight will shift from Tulsa, OK to Brookings, SD, home of Nate Wolters and the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Remember how popular Damian Lillard and Isaiah Canaan were last year? That’s how big Nate Wolters is going to get this season. I mean, we’re talking huge. Not quite to Jimmer-levels of pandemonium, but it’s gonna be close. The 6-foot-3 senior dynamo is one of the best scorers in the country and he has a savory touch from outside the arch. In short, he is everything you love about college hoops, and everything you need in order to become a superstar. Wolters does have some help (Senior forward Jordan Dykstra), but the Jackrabbits will ultimately go only as far as Wolters can take them.

But if for some reason the Jackrabbits stumble, the Bison of North Dakota State are there to steal the spotlight. The top three scorers from last season return, led by first team All-Conference guard Taylor Braun. The 6-foot-7 junior was the team’s top scorer last year (15.6ppg) and has all the makings of a high-octane scorer that the Summit League is becoming know for. Since we’re talking about high scoring affairs and the Summit League, we cannot forget about Greg Kampe’s Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Last season the Golden Griz ranked ninth in the country in points per game (79.6ppg) and although Reggie Hamilton is gone, Travis Bader returns and is expected to do the majority of the scoring this season.

The Summit League also features a talented Western Illinois program that should be much improved this season, as well as a first-year program in Nebraska-Omaha.

Then there is the curious case of the shortened acronyms. The Summit League has long been known for housing some of the most interesting school and mascot names in the country. But league officials decided during the offseason that Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) will change to Kansas City, and Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne (IPFW) will change to Fort Wayne. Luckily, officials did not mess with Indiana Univeristy - Purdue Univeristy Indianapolis (IUPUI).

All-Conference Team (* denotes Player of the Year)
G Travis Bader, (Oakland)
G/F Taylor Braun, (North Dakota State)
G Ceola Clark III, (Western Illinois)
G Frank Gaines, (Fort Wayne)
G Nate Wolters, (South Dakota State)*

Predicted Standings
1. South Dakota State
2. North Dakota State
3. Oakland
4. Western Illinois
5. IUPUI
6. Fort Wayne
7. South Dakota
8. Kansas City
9. Nebraska-Omaha

Troy Machir is the managing editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @TroyMachir.