Philadelphia, PA –  year old league is but a blip on major college basketball's radar, but don't tell that to the players, coaches and fans of the small schools that will once again battle each other for the right to claim the only automatic bid to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT).

The top four teams in the Great West last season (Utah Valley, NJIT, North Dakota and South Dakota) all won double-digit games, with the top three actually winning more games individually than the bottom three (Chicago State, Houston Baptist and Texas-Pan American) did combined (17).

Despite the disparity between the top and bottom half of the league last year, it was significantly better than in 2009-10 when only one team (South Dakota) finished with a winning record.

Still, the Great West is having a difficult time establishing relevance on the national scene, although that won't deter the half dozen member schools from playing hard every time out, regardless of who they line up against or what's at stake.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION: Utah Valley

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH:

1. Utah Valley, 2. NJIT, 3. North Dakota, 4. Houston Baptist, 5. Texas-Pan American, 6. Chicago State

TEAM BY TEAM ANALYSIS:

UTAH VALLEY - You would think winning 19 games overall and claiming the Great West regular-season title with an 11-1 record would make the Wolverines happy, but such was not the case as UVU was ousted in the semifinals of the conference tournament, on its own floor no less, thus ending the team's dreams of reaching the postseason. As a result, head coach Dick Hunsaker's team is hoping to make amends as three of the league's best players this year are Wolverines. In all, four starters are back, including 2010-11 Great West Player of the Year, guard Isiah Williams. The program's first All-American, Williams averaged 17.5 ppg last season, although his .399 field goal percentage could certainly stand some improvement. Support will likely come from Ben Aird (12.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Holton Hunsaker (11.1 ppg, 3.2 apg) and Geddes Robinson (8.7 ppg, 9.4 rpg), and the Wolverines will likely only need to stay healthy to repeat as league champs.

NJIT - Coming off their best season since joining the Division I ranks in 2006-07, the Highlanders won half of their 30 games last year, and went 9-3 in conference play. NJIT was particularly impressive over the final two months of the campaign when it went 13-4. Unfortunately, coach Jim Engles' squad was upset by Houston Baptist in the first round of the GWC Tournament, but the hope is that the return of four starters, among them being leading scorer and rebounder Isaiah Wilkerson (13.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg), will have the club at the top of the standings come springtime. Chris Flores (12.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.5 apg) will lend a hand, particularly at the defensive end, but the Highlanders' success, or lack thereof this season will likely hinge on the ability of the team's big men, five guys who are at least 6-6, to establish a presence down low.

NORTH DAKOTA - The reigning Great West Conference Tournament champions, the Fighting Sioux are hoping for another successful campaign as the team returns several talented players and a veteran coach in Brian Jones. North Dakota went 19-14 last year, 8-4 in conference, and with guys like sophomores Troy Huff (13.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg), Jamal Webb (9.3 ppg, league-best 4.1 apg) and Brandon Brekke (9.2 ppg and 6.1 rpg against conference foes), as well as senior Patrick Mitchell (10.7 ppg, league-leading 56 blocks, team-high 5.8 rpg) back for another go, the Fighting Sioux could make some headway in challenging for the Great West's regular-season crown this year. Wilkerson is the key, as he has the talent to carry the team from one night to the next, but consistent play at both ends of the floor will likely determine UND's long-term fate.

TEXAS-PAN AMERICAN - The Broncs lost 25 of their 31 games last season, going a dreadful 2-10 in the Great West, but even with the loss of top scorer Perry Petty (15.7 ppg), things appear to be on the upswing in the Rio Grande Valley. The optimism, while perhaps somewhat premature, centers around the fact that 6-3 guard Brandon Provost returns after averaging 12.5 ppg last year. A former Air Force Falcon, Provost is a long-range sniper who nailed 44.1 percent of his three-point attempts in 2010-11, and he was UTPA's top free-throw shooter as well (.782). Aaron Urbanus (12.5 ppg, 2.4 apg) and Jared Maree (8.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg) are expected to offer support in the backcourt, but where the team needs to bolster production is up front. No player on the roster averaged more than 4.5 rpg in 2010-11, and the team's leading shot blocker had just 11 swats, so it's imperative for the Broncs to get consistent play from their big men.

HOUSTON BAPTIST - Picked by many to challenge for the Great West title in 2010-11, the Huskies stumbled their way to a dismal 5-26 record, which included just two wins in their 12 league bouts. Injuries took their toll early, as HBU started the year 0-6, and was just 1-16 midway through January. The loss of leading scorer Andrew Gonzalez (22.9 ppg) clearly hurts, but getting guard Miles Dixon (12.2 ppg) back to form after he appeared in just five games last season will help. The Huskies are young (five freshmen and three sophomores), and the best of the newcomers is diminutive point guard Marcel Smith (5-6, 150 pounds). Coach Ron Cottrell may have to do his best coaching job ever as the disappointment of last season coupled with a relatively inexperienced roster means there are likely to be more negatives than positives this year as well.

CHICAGO STATE - The first year of coach Tracy Dildy's tenure with the Cougars didn't exactly go according to plan in 2010-11, as the team actually regressed from the previous season when it went 9-23 and won only four of its 12 league games, by going 6-26 and 3-9 in conference. Chicago State, which will host this year's Great West Tournament, lost its top player in Carl Montgomery (17.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg), and while on the surface the cupboard appears pretty bare, Dildy is hoping some of the seven juco transfers he brought in will help hide the fact that the team's top returning scorer, senior guard Jamill Harris, averaged just 3.3 ppg last year. CSU was outscored by 20 ppg last season, so it's crucial that the team play better at both ends of the floor, particularly on defense as foes hit nearly half of their field goal attempts.