Stunning, but he's spot on.

As I've posted elsewhere, Elton did the MAC preview for the very good Sporting News annual preview. He picked Ohio first in the East, and the favorite to win the conference tournament. So, this doesn't surprise me at all.

Interesting. We all hate Elton til he says something nice about us, LOL.

Guys, SN, Athlon and Lindy's all pale in comparison to the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook. 400 pages (bigger pages, BTW), no pictures. Small type. Nothing but solid, much more up to date info than you'll find in any other mag.

One example: Elton talks about Tony's "6'9" 265 pound frame..." Meanwhile, the guys at Blue Ribbon actually talked with Saul, and get a full paragraph from him about how Tony's weight is down to 250, how hard he's worked, and how getting in better shape has unlocked more athletic ability. Imagine! Actually calling up a coach and getting current info.

2nd example: Elton emphasizes Wadley. But Blue Ribbon gets to him later, mentioning him last among the veterans, talking about how he wore down last year because of the effects of Crohn's disease. Saul said as much during Columbus coaches' stop in May.

Does Elton even mention the need for defensive improvement? Yes, but Blue Ribbon goes into detail with stats to back it up and quotes from Saul.

On and on it goes with Blue Ribbon. "Dozier...will have to hunt for minutes...Gollon will redshirt this year..."

You'll find the same amount of detail for virtually every D-1 school.

You have to order online. It's about $30 with shipping. But I consider it required preseason reading, not just for what it says about Ohio, but every one of our opponents as well...

Absolutely. It's fantastic. The digital/print combo is less than $35 and worth every penny. I love having both. Printed copy on the coffee table while I'm watching games. On the IPhone if I'm looking something up away from home.

That was a well thought out and ringing endorsement. I know several guys here who read it .....I think TRMD memorizes it cover to cover....amazing memory and regurgitation of facts.

Sounds like the Blue Ribbon Yearbook = Phil Steele's College Football Preview in some ways, which is my go-to in that area. Thanks for the endorsement and pulling money out of my pocket.

Blue Ribbon yearbook arrived in yesterday's mail. I've read a few pieces on fellow MAC schools. The most notable thing was how close the grades were across all the teams in the conference. They also remarked about the climb in conference RPI over the last few years.

I know that Akron has been at the top and they deserve the mention but am I the only one scared of Northern (Maric plus 3 other double-figure scorers), Western (best duo this side of Court Street in Haymond and Wilder), Beefs (3 double figure scorers and a solid recruiting coach), Eastern (JT4 and Ray Lee) or Balls (lot of returning talent)? And Kent always scares me. Seems like Sendy finds a way to save his job EVERY year.