The SMS Bears were picked to finish eight in the Missouri Valley Conference. With the sudden departure of forward Eigijius Lukosius, some would say the future is even gloomier. But Head Coach Barry Hinson remains positive. The Bears open up the season with North Texas at home. SMS is the underdog in this game, but Hinson likes his team. The biggest question mark will be senior Terrence McGee. There’s no question that he’s a good player, but he will be making the switch from shooting guard to point guard this season and that is never a fundamentally tough change for someone who’s used to making shots instead of creating them. He averaged 14.2 points per game last season as the Bears went 17-15 overall and 11-7 in conference play. North Texas was 15-14 last season.