Loyal RBP readership (Kyle Murray, Pat McGuire the Sig, and irrational Sacramento Kings fan),
With the start of the 2009-10 college basketball season, our little blog is ending its summer hiatus. Please enjoy my preseason rankings. Feel free to point out my errors, mistakes, and mishaps in the comments section. More analysis to come in future posts -- including preseason All-America teams, conference breakdowns, obscure lists, and topless photos of Tyler Hansbrough.
Yours,
The Admiral
1) Kansas: No surprise here.
2) North Carolina: Sky is the limit for soph Ed Davis and frosh John Henson.
3) Villanova: For some reason, everyone's sleeping on Jay Wright's squad.
4) Texas: John Wall and Derrick Favors get all the press (deservedly so), but I, for one, am an Avery Bradley man.
5) Michigan State: Overachieving Spartans lack go-to scorer but have nation's most underrated player (Kalin Lucas).
6) Connecticut: Trio of Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, and Stanley Robinson headline talented Huskies roster.
7) Kentucky: Short on experience but the Cats possess as much talent as anyone in the country.
8) Purdue: Boilermakers have one of the country's best starting lineups, but depth and lack of bulk on the blocks are concerns.
9) Butler: Bulldogs bring everyone back, including talented trio of Matt Howard, Gordon Hayward, and Shelvin Mack.
10) West Virginia: Possibly the deepest team in the country, and Huggins' club is going to defend.
11) California: With Jerome Randle running the show, Patrick Christopher and Theo Robertson on the wings, Jamal Boykin in the post, and Mike Montgomery at the helm, the Golden Bears should take the Pac-10 crown.
12) Dayton: Flyers return almost everyone, including human highlight reel Chris Wright.
13) Washington: All kinds of talent on the perimeter, but the Huskies have questions in the post.
14) Georgetown: Ton of upside for JTIII's Hoya club, but Monroe and company need to shed their softness and play with a mean-streak.
15) Tennessee: The Vols have as much raw athleticism as anyone, but they have to play with some semblance of discipline.
16) Duke: I'm not that high on this latest installment of Dukies, but Kyle Singler and his mates will benefit from a slightly-down ACC.
17) Louisville: Gaping hole at the three spot undermines an otherwise extremely talented lineup.
18) Notre Dame: Addition of transfers Scott Martin (Purdue, former Baby Boiler) and Ben Hansbrough (Mississippi State, younger brother of G.O.A.T.) ensure that Gody's senior year will be a successful one.
19) Oklahoma: Freshman fatty Tiny Gallon teams up with super-soph Willie Warren to form a potent inside-outside duo.
20) Ohio State: You'd be hard-pressed to find a more talented pair of wings than Evan Turner and William Buford.
21) Wake Forest: With the departures of Jeff Teague and James Johnson, I think it will take some time for the Demon Deacons to find themselves, but, when they do, they will have the talent to challenge Duke for the 2 spot in the ACC.
22) Memphis: Coach Cal and Tyreke Evans are gone, but Conference-USA foes remain.
23) Vanderbilt: The Commodores are deep, long, and athletic, which seems weird, since we're talking about Vandy.
24) Xavier: Apparently, Jordan Crawford dunked on Lebron James this past offseason.
25) Gonzaga: Austin Daye, Josh Heytvelt, Jeremy Pargo, and Micah Downs are gone, but Matt Bouldin, Steven Gray, and Demetri Goodson give the Bulldogs perimeter punch.
Posts
I'm high on Davis and Henson, but are they so skinny that UNC will have trouble against beefy and physical frontlines? Are Carolina's guards good enough to take advantage of the frontcourt talent? Answer these questions unequivocally...I think you owe us that.
ReplyDeleteMy gripes:
ReplyDelete1. North Carolina is too high. Not absurdedly so, but high, nonetheless. Henson does have upside, but I'm not sure if it will materialize this year. And Carolina needs it too. Thompson and Davis are great, but I don't think it's the top frontcourt in the country. Finally, I'm not sold Drew Deuce can lead a team to the final four in his sophomore year. Maybe as a senior.
2. Michigan State is going to have a tough time winning it's own conference, and thus, cannot be ranked 5th. They are a borderline top 15 team. They overacheived last year and will underacheive this year. Lucas and the Spartans will struggle to average 60 a game this year.
3. West Virginia and Purdue have to be higher. Purdue is a top 5 team. West Virginia is a top 7 team. Both teams have excellent point guards, scoring wings, and skill in the post.
4. Ohio State is a top 15 team. Evan Turner will be a top ten pick in next year's draft. Diebler is a threat for 25 every night. Lighty is a lock down defender and has turned into a talented passer. This team has a nice rotation with a lot of specialized talent.
5. Memphis shouldn't get a pass for playing in the Conference USA. They might struggle in their preconference schedule and be unable to rebound with the lack of quality opponents in conference play.
6. Does a trio including Bouldin give anything a punch? Maybe a really slow-moving weed-induced punch that lands more like a playful shove. I refuse to believe that Bouldin can compete against quality athletic guards. Goodson and Gray will have a tough time replacing the production of Pargo and Downs. Neither passes, shoots the three, or rebounds the ball particularly well.