7. Indiana State

Preseason poll: 7th

Most teams that lose their best returning player aren't thought of very highly by pollsters. But, with Indiana State, the "addition by subtraction" scenario might be working.

Marico Stinson, who averaged 12 points per game, left the program in early October. No official explanation has been given other than "personal reasons," but it's reasonable to assume that something happened which would have been detrimental to the team. Whether or not he had a family emergency or disliked his coach, any of these would likely hurt his ability to contribute to the team.

To make matters worse, guard Harry Marshall (6'0" Jr.) was declared academically ineligible for the first semester of the season. Marshall (10.1 PPG, 2.3 APG) will almost certainly take over the starting point guard role once he's allowed to play with the team.

So how can the Sycamores finish as the best of the "play-in" teams?

Start inside with forwards Jay Tunnell (6'8" Sr.) and Isiah Martin (6'8" So.). They combined for more than 13 points and 8 rebounds per game last season. Both must be key contributors on the interior if the Sycamores are to have success.

An even more intriguing prospect is forward/center Josh Crawford (6'11" Jr.). Even though he played sparingly, Crawford's first college stop was at Iowa, so it's clear he has talent. Let's see what he can do when given some playing time at the Division I level.

Similar to the front court players, Indiana State will rely on a combination of returnees, freshman and transfers to fill out their lineups. Transfer guard Rashad Reed (6'1" Jr.) will undoubtedly be asked to fill Marshall's shoes while he's out. The Sycamores also have talented guard Carl Richard (6'4" Fr.) coming to Terre Haute.

Lastly, who could forget this guy??

Okay, maybe that's the wrong Nick Carter.

But this Nick Carter (6'4" So.) should be able to knock down some 3-pointers for Indiana State this season (23-of-71 last year).

With the loss of Marshall and a tough non conference schedule, there's a good chance that the Sycamores will have the worst record of MVC teams going into conference play. But, similar to Bradley's team last year, some of the new faces will get a quick baptism into Division I basketball. This will make Indiana State stronger when facing conference foes.