It’s that time of year again people. Get excited. No, I’m not talking about the holiday season; it’s much much better than that. Behold: college basketball season, the greatest time of the year. I know that I slacked off at the end of last season and didn’t follow through as I kinda-sorta abandoned the blog after the Sweet 16. Don’t worry though, this is a new year and I am re-dedicated and intend to start fresh. Let’s begin.
I like to think of college basketball season as 4 months of Christmas, followed by three weeks of Halloween. Let me see if I can explain my reasoning for this. It’s four months of joy and happiness, with little presents scattered in randomly along the way like Texas v. UCLA (12/4), Michigan State v. UNC (12/3), and UConn v. Gonzaga (12/20) just to name a few, and that doesn’t include any of the conference schedules. Then, to cap the whole thing off, the greatest gift that God ever bestowed upon his beloved children: March Madness. Three weeks of being overwhelmed by an orgy of college basketball greatness, where legends are born and buzzer beaters are abundant. It’s so much excitement in such a short time period; that is why I compare it to a three week Halloween. The kids are completely consumed by going around the neighborhood collecting candy and then indulging in it all night, leading to an extreme sugar high, followed closely by vomiting and then passing out. I can say that this is similar to the experience I share each year come March Madness. Sheer ectasy for three weeks, followed by confusion and sickness, with side of minor depression. There is nothing better. I can already hear the sweet sound of Bill Raftery’s voice: “A little nylon for the big fella!!!” Now let’s get to my Top 25:
#1 North Carolina- This seemed like a fairly obvious selection. They return the reigning national player of the year in Tyler Hansbrough and all their starters from a year ago. There’s no reason to see why this team should miss a beat from last year when they were the #1 overall seed in the dance and made it to the final four. The season-ending injury suffered by freshman hopeful Tyler Zeller against Kentucky hurts, but they still have another freshman big in Ed Davis to help Hansbrough and Deon Thompson out. Ellington, Lawson, Green and Co. will continue to run opposing teams off the court.
#2 Connecticut- Calhoun’s team is absolutely stacked with talent. Jerome Dyson and A.J. Price form one of the most explosive backcourts in the nation, and freshman phenom Kemba Walker and Craig Austrie provide some quality backup as they are both averaging double figures after the first 4 games. Inside, good luck getting a shot off with Mutomb—I mean Thabeet roaming the paint, and Adrien bullying and physically abusing opponents. If Calhoun can get these guys focused and avoid off court problems, this team is going to be scary.
#3 Louisville- The Cardinals young talent has another year of experience and maturity under their belt. Terence Williams and Earl Clark are freak athletes who will surprise people by how much they step up this year. Normally you would think losing David Padgett, Derrick Caracter, and Juan Palacios would be a big loss inside, but UL won’t miss a step with highly-touted recruit Samardo Samuels. He’ll be one of best freshman in the country this year.
#4 Pittsburgh- I love this team. They are gritty, physical, and tenacious, and no one is going to push them around. That is the Pitt attitude, and man-child DeJuan Blair is going to make sure it stays that way. With leadership and experience from Levance Fields and Sam Young (who each seems like they’ve been there for ten years), the Panthers are going to be one of the best in the Big East and the nation.
#5 UCLA- Ben Howland brought that Pitt attitude to UCLA when he arrived there in ’03, and that’s why they’ve been to the final four in each of the last three years. They lose Kevin Love from last year, but they still have Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, and one of the best freshman classes in the nation, including standout Jrue Holiday. With this much talent and their exceptional defense, don’t be surprised to find the Bruins in Detroit come early April.
#6 Duke- DeMarcus Nelson led the Blue Devils at 14.5 ppg last season, but Duke had five players average double figures and they will be able to compensate. Duke always seems to be ranked in the top 10 no matter who they lose, and this year will be no different. Freshman Elliot Williams joins Paulus, Singler, Henderson, and Scheyer (the other four who averaged double digits) as the Dukies will look to compete with the Heels for the ACC title.
#7 Texas- It’s not easy to replace a first team all-American in D.J. Augustin, but Texas has the tools to be just as good as they were last year. Rick Barnes has decided to move Damion James to more of a perimeter oriented role, which I believe is a good move. James has the talent and athleticism to play out there, it’s just a matter of getting accustomed to his new position. Justin Mason will manage the point so A.J. Abrams can work off screens for open shots as he is deadly from deep, and fifth year big Connor Atchley is a tough matchup.
#8 Michigan State- This will be Raymar Morgan’s breakout year. Yeah he averaged 14.0 ppg last year, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. This year he will be Big Ten player of the year. Diaper dandy-to-be Delvin Roe adds more depth to the frontline, while Kalin Lucas gives the Spartans a spark on the outside.
#9 Notre Dame- It’s all about Luke Harangody. I know you thought the same thing when you first saw him that I did: this guy is an oaf! He looks like Shrek! I’ll be surprised if he can run up and down the court without tripping over his own feet! There’s no way he’s going to be good. And what did he do? Not much, besides winning Big East player of the year of course. He’s obviously got the talent, and he’s a lot more athletic than people know. He’ll lead the Irish to an impressive season as they return almost everyone from last season’s 25-8 campaign.
#10 Purdue- The Baby Boilers are all grown up. Well, maybe not completely grown up, but at least a year older. E’Twaun Moore and Robbie Hummel lead this team that returns all its key members from last season’s 15-3 performance in the Big Ten. I think the key will be the play of point guard Chris Kramer. He’s an underrated player who really served as the glue of this team last year, and his leadership and stellar defense will play an important role again this season.
#11 Marquette- The Golden Eagles are a three-headed monster led by arguably the best backcourt in the nation. Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Matthews all return to lead a team that can handle any other team in the nation on the perimeter. I look for Maurice Acker and David Cubillan to show a lot of improvement after getting lots of minutes last year, giving Marquette one of the deepest backcourts as well. They are undermanned and undersized up front, but Lazar Hayward is a beast who plays tough and a lot bigger than he is. It will be interesting to see how all these upperclassmen deal with the loss of head coach Tom Crean.
#12 Gonzaga- Watch out for Austin Daiye; I think this season will be his coming out party. The sophomore turned it on at the end of last season to finish the year averaging 10.5 points a contest and he’s already averaging 15.5 this year. The ‘Zags will need consistency from talents like Jeremy Pargo and Josh Heytvelt, as well as consistency on the defensive end of the court.
#13 Memphis- How can a team lose three players like Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Joey Dorsey, after losing a heartbreaker (which they blew) in the national championship, and still return to prominence? Well, if your coach is John Calipari, then easily. The Tigers still have key members from last year’s team like Shawn Taggert, Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier, Willie Kemp and Doneal Mack, along with a trio of dynamite freshman led by Tyreke Evans.
#14 Oklahoma- The Sooners game plan is very simple: give the ball to Blake Griffin, and then get the hell out of the way. Every opponent knows exactly what this game plan is, but they most likely won’t be able to do anything about it. Surround him with solid players like Austin Johnson, Tony Crocker, and freshman Willie Warren, and Oklahoma will be a tough team to beat. (P.S. did you know Griffin is averaging 19.8 boards through the first four games!!??)
#15 Arizona State- I love James Harden. I love the way he plays and I like his ability to take control of the game for the Sun Devils. I thought ASU got robbed of an NCAA berth last year (if you remember they were the only team I predicted incorrectly to make the dance) and I think Harden, Pendergraph and Co. are mad about it, as they should be. With a down year coming for the Pac-10, I expect ASU to do very well.
#16 Villanova- I had my mind made up about this team after their first round victory over Clemson in the tourney last year. They were getting run out the gym (I believe they trailed by 18-20 points?) and looked hopeless, and then did a complete one-eighty and dominated the Tigers. Now granted, they played as bad in the beginning as they did well in the end, but I’m a glass-half-full kind of guy. Scottie Reynolds leads a deep backcourt that can literally catch on fire from distance, and Dante Cunningham heads an undersized frontcourt that always seems to do a good job against bigger teams.
#17 Tennessee- Well, they still have one Smith left. Ramar and JuJuan are gone, as well as silky smooth Chris Lofton, but the versatile slasher Tyler Smith remains. He will be an SEC player of the year candidate, and he still has familiar faces in J.P. Prince and Wayne Chism to support him. Scotty Hopson will be a freshman to watch for the Volunteers, and his play will be intricate for UT’s somewhat thin backcourt.
#18 Miami (FL)- Jack McClinton is one of the best player’s you’ve never heard of, or at least don’t know that much about. On top of that, he leads a team that is compiled of solid players that no one knows about. Frank Haith has done a great job down in Miami, and this is the year that people are going to start to take notice.
#19 Florida- They may not show just how good they are at first, but this team will get better with every game. Nick Calathes is a do-it-all type player: a guard who can score, rebound, and assist. He’s triple-double threat. A poor man’s Jason Kidd (a very, very poor man). Although just a sophomore, he will learn to become a leader as the season wears on, as he will be responsible for handling and developing the terrific freshman class the Gators brought in.
#20 Georgetown- I still like the Hoyas because they still have players left over from their final four run two years ago in Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers. These are two savvy players who have the experience and know what it takes to win and win on a big stage when it counts. Do you remember that Elite Eight game against UNC? Unbelievable. Austin Freeman and Chris Wright have had a year to learn JT III’s Princeton offense, and the Hoyas may have lost Hibbert, but they haven’t lost a go-to big man. Freshman Greg Monroe is already averaging 17.0 ppg in his first two games and will be one of the best freshmen big’s in the nation. Wow, I really like this team, maybe I should have ranked them higher.
#21 Wake Forest- I’m going to have to use the “baby” nickname again. It’s actually probably more appropriate for the Baby Deacons, as they will rely mostly on sophomores Jeff Teague and James Johnson and freshmen Al-Farouq Aminu and Tony Woords. This team is fun to watch they are not shy with the trigger and love to shoot three’s , it’s just a question of whether they learn to calm down when they need to and play smart. I’m worried about how their lack of strength in the nonconference schedule may affect them come ACC play however.
#22 Davidson- Everyone knows Stephen Curry from Davidson’s improbable Elite Eight run last year, but I wonder how many fans paid enough attention to remember Jason Richards and his 8 assists per game? The big question mark for the Wildcats coming into this season was how Curry would adjust to playing the point more often and not having Richards to feed him the rock. His response? 35.0 ppg and 8 assists per game through the first five contests.
#23 Baylor- A similar situation to that of the Miami Hurricanes here with Baylor in that they have talented players people don’t know about. LaceDarius Dunn went under the radar last year as a freshman as the nation focused on Beasley and Rose, but this kid can play. He and Curtis Jerrells spearhead an experienced, senior-laden team that is coming off their first NCAA appearance since 1988.
#24 Syracuse- I’m surprised the Orange didn’t start the season ranked. With Eric Devendorf getting another year of eligibility, the backcourt combination of him and Johnny Flynn is very formidable, and I expect Flynn to get even better with Devendorf beside him. Combine that with Paul Harris’ athleticism and Arinze Onuaku’s size down low, and I fully believe the ‘Cuse will compete with the top teams in the Big East.
#25 Xavier- The Musketeers lost half of their “Big 6” that brought them so close to the Final Four last season. Drew Lavender, Stanley Burrell, and Josh Duncan are all gone. I would argue that the three with the more raw (though perhaps unharnessed) talent remain in B.J. Raymond, Derrick Brown, and C.J. Anderson. The question will be whether these three can step up their game and while at the same time taking the young talent around them under their wing, which I think they will in a depleted A-10 conference.
Other teams to watch:
Kansas: I am a huge fan of Sherron Collins. I have felt that he is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, and now that he is the man in Lawrence, he will. That being said, I could not put the Jayhawks in my top 25. They lost all five starters from last year’s national championship run. That’s just too much to recover from all at once. Don’t be surprised to find them there as the year goes on though. It all depends on how much Cole Aldrich steps up, and how their heavily touted freshman class develops.
Wisconsin: Any team coached by Bo Ryan will always be competitive. The guy knows how to coach, and he knows how to win games. Bottom line is, I think they will have a tough time adjusting without Michael Flowers and Brian Butch. Who will do the scoring for the Badgers? Can Trevon Hughes and Marcus Landry make up for their loss?
USC: I’m not as big on the Trojans as everyone else. They still have Dwight Lewis, Taj Gibson, and Daniel Hackett, and DeMar DeRozan will have an outstanding freshman year, but they don’t realize how much they are going to be affected by the losses of O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson. It’s going to take some time to get used to life without those two.
UUUGGGHHH
16 years ago
