The disappointment over Louisiana-Monroe's season set in long before the Warhawks made a first-round exit in the Sun Belt tournament.

After emerging as the Sun Belt's most surprising team in 2006-07 by winning a share of the West Division championship in its first season in the conference, ULM entered the 2007-08 season with five returning starters and picked to win the West.

Instead, the Warhawks opened their Sun Belt schedule with six straight losses and never recovered. Even when they won two straight games in January, they followed it with three straight losses.

Closing the season with five straight losses and a 74-69 loss at Middle Tennessee in the first round of the Sun Belt tournament just added another chapter to a long, frustrating season.

In the process, the Warhawks (10-21, 4-14 Sun Belt) may have missed their shot to make a run at the Sun Belt title. Leading scorer Tony Hooper returns in 2008-09 but coach Orlando Early will have to start over without three seniors who played principal roles over the past two seasons.

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