TennesseeFan07
Give me 3 more!!!
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- Mar 12, 2007
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I know football season comes first, but I've been wanting to do this for a long time. Don't know if you guys care for a basketball list but here goes.
1.North Carolina-Hansbrough is simply incredible, this coming from a Duke fan. Wright is a big loss and Terry was a good player as well. But Deon Thompson is going to step in and pickup right where Brandan Wright left off. And Alex Stephenson is a great player as well. Of course there's Ellington and Lawson at the guard spot and add in Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor, and Danny Green and you have some great depth at the guard position.
notable ooc games: Ohio State and Kentucky
2.UCLA- The Bruins will be looking to make their 3rd consecutive final 4 appearence this season and with the addition of big Kevin Love this seems like a very likely scenario. I think Darren Collison is one of the most underated players in college basketball and will have a great year. Add in Josh Shipp, Lorenzo Matta, and Mbah a moute and they're loaded.
notable ooc games: Michigan, Texas, and George Washington
3.Memphis- They lose no one, but Jeremy Hunt and they add in Derrick Rose who will contribute early for the Tigers. First, Dorsey, and Dozier are going to be tough to handle down low to go along with Antonio Anderson, Douglas-Roberts, Doneal Mack and 2 great guards in Andre Allen and Willie Kemp.
notable ooc games: Tennessee, Gonzaga, USC, and are competing in a very competitive coaches vs cancer classic.
4.Kansas-The loss of Julian Wright really hurt, but other than that, this team is going to be tough to stop in the Big 12. Russell Robinson, Chalmers, Arthur, and Collins are all great players. The thing worrying me about Kansas right now is Brandon Rush. I don't know how that knee injury is coming along for him, and he's a valuable piece to the Jayhawks puzzle. I'm sure RockChalk has some info as well.
notable ooc games: USC, GT, and Boston College
5.Tennessee- The three Smiths will play a critical factor for the Vols this season to go along with Chris Lofton. Wayne Chism and Duke Crews have both had an offseason to improve as well as Ryan Childress who was really shooting the ball well at the end of the season. Josh Tabb, Jordan Howell, and JP Prince all will be valuable reserves to go along with Cam Tatum.
6.Michigan State- Drew Nietzel may have been the most underated player in the nation last year. This season he has help though. Marquise Grey, Suton, and Raymar Morgan all will be valuable parts for the Spartans to make a run.
7.Georgetown- The only thing keeping the Hoyas from being a top 5 team or higher is the departure of Jeff Green, but they still have Roy Hibbert, Jonathon Wallace, Vernon Macklin, Ewing Jr, and Summers to go along with top recruit Austin Freeman.
8.Louisville- They lose Brandon Jennings, but still keep Juan Polacios, Edgar Sosa, David Padgett, and Terrance Williams
9.Washington State- Defending coach of the year Earl Bennett will have another great team. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver will lead the Cougars to a great season. WSU will once again have a great defense.
10.Indiana- DJ White will lead the Hoosiers as they try to battle for the Big 10 Championsip. A strong recruiting class lead by Eric Gordon will have this team improving as the season goes on.
11.Arizona- Chase Buddinger will lead the Cats to another nationally ranked finish this season. A strong recruiting class will help Lute Olson's chances for his team to make it into the big dance. Jamelle Horne and Jerryd Bayless are both great impact recruits for the Wildcats.
12.Duke- Coach K's team is going to be mad about last years buzzer beating loss to VCU in the Tournament. Greg Paulus will be much improved from last season as well as Gerald Henderson and Demarcus Nelson. Don't dismiss Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Taylor King as great recruits who will come in and contribute for this team in there Freshman year.
13.Stanford- Pretty much everyone returns for the Cardinals this season as they will contend for the Pac 10 crown. Lawrence Hill and the Lopez's will play key roles in how much success the Cardinals have this season.
14.Ohio State- They lost alot from last year's NCAA Championship runners up. David Lighty, Othello Hunter, and Jamar Butler will have to have great seasons if the Buckeyes want to contend this year. Also Kosta Koufos will be an awesome addition to this squad.
15.Pitt- I've yet to be impressed with Jamie Dixon, but maybe this is the year. Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, and Mike Cook will lead the Panthers this season after the loss of Aaron Grey.
16.Texas- They could be alot higher, but a disapointing exit by Rick Barnes' club last season has them down a little lower. Abrams, Augustin, Mason, and James are all great players who could possible carry the Horns to a deep run in the Tournament.
17.Oregon-They only lost 1 starter, but he was a big one. Aaron Brooks had an outstanding season last year and graduated to the pros, but Tajuan Porter and Malik Hairston will try to carry the load left by Brooks.
18.North Carolina State- This Wolfpack squad almost upset UNC last season in the ACC Tournament Championsip Game. Sidney Lowe had a great 1st year last season and something to build upon. Brandon Costner, and Ben McCauley will lead this team.
19.UCONN-After a great start against weak opponets Jim Calhouns team was in way over its head when Big East play started. Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrian will be 2 top contributors on this years team to go along with some other young players.
20.Kansas State-They certainly had an eventful offseason. They lose Bob Huggins, but have Michael Beasley and Bill Walker to try to lead them to a Big 12 title.
21.Arkansas- They finally got rid of Stan Heath who was leading this team down the wrong road to success, but they pickup John Pelphrey who has yet to coach at a big time program. Patrick Bevearly, Sonnie Weams, Gary Ervin, Charles Thomas, and Steven Hill will all be valuable to this team's success.
22.Kentucky- Tubby's gone and Billy Clyde is in. He inherits some talent with Ramel Bradley, Jodie Meeks, Joe Crawford, and Perry Stephenson. They add highly recruited Patrick Patterson to their lineup, but also lose Randolph Morris to the NBA.
23.Mississippi State- Jamont Gordon and Charled Rhodes lead the way for the Dogs, but I get the feeling that this team is in for a disapointment.
24.Southern Cal- I'm a huge fan of what Tim Floyd has accomplished out in LA, but I get the feeling that this whole OJ Mayo debacle will not turn out well at all. Nich Young and Gabe Pruitt both have moved on from USC.
25.Villanova- 3 great recruits to go along with one of the most underated players in the nation in Scottie Reynolds. This team could get better as the season progresses.
Predictions
John Brady, and Mark Gottfried both will be coaching there last season with there schools. Ole Miss will continue to improve under Andy Kennedy and they will make the NCAA Tournament. Billy Donovan will struggle with the youthfullness of his team early before it comes together for a late season run to make the Tournament. Dennis Felton at UGA realizes that this is his year to do something and he will compete with Kentucky for the number 2 spot in the SEC East. Kevin Stallings will have a disastorous season and the Vandy faithful will be calling for his head, but he'll be given another year.
Like I said at the beginning, you guys probably don't care for this until another 4 months, but I had some time on my hands and decided to do something.
1.North Carolina-Hansbrough is simply incredible, this coming from a Duke fan. Wright is a big loss and Terry was a good player as well. But Deon Thompson is going to step in and pickup right where Brandan Wright left off. And Alex Stephenson is a great player as well. Of course there's Ellington and Lawson at the guard spot and add in Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor, and Danny Green and you have some great depth at the guard position.
notable ooc games: Ohio State and Kentucky
2.UCLA- The Bruins will be looking to make their 3rd consecutive final 4 appearence this season and with the addition of big Kevin Love this seems like a very likely scenario. I think Darren Collison is one of the most underated players in college basketball and will have a great year. Add in Josh Shipp, Lorenzo Matta, and Mbah a moute and they're loaded.
notable ooc games: Michigan, Texas, and George Washington
3.Memphis- They lose no one, but Jeremy Hunt and they add in Derrick Rose who will contribute early for the Tigers. First, Dorsey, and Dozier are going to be tough to handle down low to go along with Antonio Anderson, Douglas-Roberts, Doneal Mack and 2 great guards in Andre Allen and Willie Kemp.
notable ooc games: Tennessee, Gonzaga, USC, and are competing in a very competitive coaches vs cancer classic.
4.Kansas-The loss of Julian Wright really hurt, but other than that, this team is going to be tough to stop in the Big 12. Russell Robinson, Chalmers, Arthur, and Collins are all great players. The thing worrying me about Kansas right now is Brandon Rush. I don't know how that knee injury is coming along for him, and he's a valuable piece to the Jayhawks puzzle. I'm sure RockChalk has some info as well.
notable ooc games: USC, GT, and Boston College
5.Tennessee- The three Smiths will play a critical factor for the Vols this season to go along with Chris Lofton. Wayne Chism and Duke Crews have both had an offseason to improve as well as Ryan Childress who was really shooting the ball well at the end of the season. Josh Tabb, Jordan Howell, and JP Prince all will be valuable reserves to go along with Cam Tatum.
6.Michigan State- Drew Nietzel may have been the most underated player in the nation last year. This season he has help though. Marquise Grey, Suton, and Raymar Morgan all will be valuable parts for the Spartans to make a run.
7.Georgetown- The only thing keeping the Hoyas from being a top 5 team or higher is the departure of Jeff Green, but they still have Roy Hibbert, Jonathon Wallace, Vernon Macklin, Ewing Jr, and Summers to go along with top recruit Austin Freeman.
8.Louisville- They lose Brandon Jennings, but still keep Juan Polacios, Edgar Sosa, David Padgett, and Terrance Williams
9.Washington State- Defending coach of the year Earl Bennett will have another great team. Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver will lead the Cougars to a great season. WSU will once again have a great defense.
10.Indiana- DJ White will lead the Hoosiers as they try to battle for the Big 10 Championsip. A strong recruiting class lead by Eric Gordon will have this team improving as the season goes on.
11.Arizona- Chase Buddinger will lead the Cats to another nationally ranked finish this season. A strong recruiting class will help Lute Olson's chances for his team to make it into the big dance. Jamelle Horne and Jerryd Bayless are both great impact recruits for the Wildcats.
12.Duke- Coach K's team is going to be mad about last years buzzer beating loss to VCU in the Tournament. Greg Paulus will be much improved from last season as well as Gerald Henderson and Demarcus Nelson. Don't dismiss Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and Taylor King as great recruits who will come in and contribute for this team in there Freshman year.
13.Stanford- Pretty much everyone returns for the Cardinals this season as they will contend for the Pac 10 crown. Lawrence Hill and the Lopez's will play key roles in how much success the Cardinals have this season.
14.Ohio State- They lost alot from last year's NCAA Championship runners up. David Lighty, Othello Hunter, and Jamar Butler will have to have great seasons if the Buckeyes want to contend this year. Also Kosta Koufos will be an awesome addition to this squad.
15.Pitt- I've yet to be impressed with Jamie Dixon, but maybe this is the year. Ronald Ramon, Levance Fields, and Mike Cook will lead the Panthers this season after the loss of Aaron Grey.
16.Texas- They could be alot higher, but a disapointing exit by Rick Barnes' club last season has them down a little lower. Abrams, Augustin, Mason, and James are all great players who could possible carry the Horns to a deep run in the Tournament.
17.Oregon-They only lost 1 starter, but he was a big one. Aaron Brooks had an outstanding season last year and graduated to the pros, but Tajuan Porter and Malik Hairston will try to carry the load left by Brooks.
18.North Carolina State- This Wolfpack squad almost upset UNC last season in the ACC Tournament Championsip Game. Sidney Lowe had a great 1st year last season and something to build upon. Brandon Costner, and Ben McCauley will lead this team.
19.UCONN-After a great start against weak opponets Jim Calhouns team was in way over its head when Big East play started. Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrian will be 2 top contributors on this years team to go along with some other young players.
20.Kansas State-They certainly had an eventful offseason. They lose Bob Huggins, but have Michael Beasley and Bill Walker to try to lead them to a Big 12 title.
21.Arkansas- They finally got rid of Stan Heath who was leading this team down the wrong road to success, but they pickup John Pelphrey who has yet to coach at a big time program. Patrick Bevearly, Sonnie Weams, Gary Ervin, Charles Thomas, and Steven Hill will all be valuable to this team's success.
22.Kentucky- Tubby's gone and Billy Clyde is in. He inherits some talent with Ramel Bradley, Jodie Meeks, Joe Crawford, and Perry Stephenson. They add highly recruited Patrick Patterson to their lineup, but also lose Randolph Morris to the NBA.
23.Mississippi State- Jamont Gordon and Charled Rhodes lead the way for the Dogs, but I get the feeling that this team is in for a disapointment.
24.Southern Cal- I'm a huge fan of what Tim Floyd has accomplished out in LA, but I get the feeling that this whole OJ Mayo debacle will not turn out well at all. Nich Young and Gabe Pruitt both have moved on from USC.
25.Villanova- 3 great recruits to go along with one of the most underated players in the nation in Scottie Reynolds. This team could get better as the season progresses.
Predictions
John Brady, and Mark Gottfried both will be coaching there last season with there schools. Ole Miss will continue to improve under Andy Kennedy and they will make the NCAA Tournament. Billy Donovan will struggle with the youthfullness of his team early before it comes together for a late season run to make the Tournament. Dennis Felton at UGA realizes that this is his year to do something and he will compete with Kentucky for the number 2 spot in the SEC East. Kevin Stallings will have a disastorous season and the Vandy faithful will be calling for his head, but he'll be given another year.
Like I said at the beginning, you guys probably don't care for this until another 4 months, but I had some time on my hands and decided to do something.
eace2:
