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Talking A Little Hoops By Ron Jumper First off, this isn’t a preview article. This isn’t a predictions article. This is just simply me putting into words what I can’t wait to see unfold this season in college basketball. While I love football season, nothing gets me more excited than when it is time to talk hoops. I am as knowledgeable an NBA guy as you will find but, that being said, it doesn’t compare to how much I follow every aspect of college basketball. From the powerhouses down to the mid-majors, I have to plenty to talk about. For starters, I’m still a loyal Razorback fan. With this season looking like a great time to be a Razorback fan, I figured I’d start there first. This Razorback team went 21-14 last season and returns its top 9 guys. That still leaves plenty of question marks though, like how long of a transition period will there be with new coach John Pelphrey taking over. Just because they have every player coming back doesn’t mean there are no personnel issues though. They still have up-and-down point guard Gary Earvin at the helm. Earvin had a handful of good games, but was downright awful just as often. His poor shot selection and over-dribbling cost the Hogs many games last season. On the positive side, Pelphrey wants to speed things up and make the Hogs a full-court team. If that is the case, that could be a simple way to limit some of the mistakes Earvin makes without actually putting handcuffs on him. It is certainly something to keep an eye on at the beginning of the season. Now, to the rest of the SEC. Some would say this is going to be a down year in the SEC. I think that is absolutely crazy. Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi State are all pretty darn good basketball teams. I think Florida is going to be up and down, as they are just so young this season. We have all heard over and over about how good Tennessee is going to be and how Billy Gillespie is going to bring back Kentucky basketball, so I won’t bother you with that. However, I am going to tell you about my surprise team in the SEC this season: the Mississippi State Bulldogs. I love Rick Stansbury’s squad this season, as they have a nice collection of talent. We all know about Jamont Gordon and Charles Rhodes, so I’ll skip that part. I’m going to fast forward to now-eligible Louisville transfer Brian Johnson. Johnson is a 6’9” 245 pound forward that should help add some depth to the Bulldogs front court. They also have a very underrated recruiting class coming in that starts with Ravern Johnson. Fortunately, I’ve been able to watch Ravern develop over the years. He has such a complete arsenal, as he can elevate above the rim and shoot the lights out of the ball at 6’7.” They also have another big time freshman joining the roster in 6’9” F Kodi Augustus. Some Hog fans will remember him, he is the guy who wanted to sign with the Hogs but Stan Heath yanked his scholarship in hopes of signing James Anderson. As we all know, that didn’t turn out so good for Hog fans, but I bet Bulldog fans are excited none the less. Moving out of the SEC, the most popular mid-major choices as bracket busters are Davidson and Virginia Commonwealth. However, I think the forgotten team that helped pave the road to the parity in college basketball is also worth mentioning. George Mason was only 18-15 last season, after their magical Final Four run. Many have forgotten about this basketball team, but I sure haven’t. The best two players from last season are back (G/F Folarin Campbell and PF Will Thomas), as well as the rest of last season’s starting five. When you consider the Patriots have had success on the recruiting trails as well, this should be a very good team for head coach Jim Larranaga. I expect them to battle it out with VCU for first-place in the CAA. While the Missouri Valley Conference is still considered the best mid-major conference, I would dare to say the CAA is on the same level. Look at what George Mason, VCU, Hofstra, and Drexel have done over the last few years and tell me it isn’t just as impressive. Now, we’ve talked about some different sleeper teams so it only makes sense to talk about some players that could break out onto the scene. My personal favorite is Georgetown’s Dajuan Summers. At 6’8” 240, he has great size to match his shooting ability and athleticism. With Jeff Green gone, expect Summers to emerge as the go-to-guy for the Hoyas this season. While everyone loves Roy Hibbert, I just don’t see him having the monster season everyone projects he will. Expect Summers to be the leading scorer and climbing the mock drafts by mid-season. On to my sleeper that you’ve never heard of, that would be Xavier F C.J. Anderson. Anderson sat out last season as a transfer from Manhattan. During his last season at Manhattan, C.J. averaged 18.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks. That all led to me nicknaming him “Mr. Everything” prior to last season. It was a shame Manhattan went through a coaching change because that was going to be a great Jaspers team had Anderson decided to stay put. On to this season, I expect Xavier to be a very good team and build off of last season. Remember, this squad had Ohio State on the ropes before letting the game slip away in the closing minutes during the NCAA Tournament. Expect Anderson to give this team another nice piece to the puzzle, as they should run away with the Atlantic 10. Now for the opposite of sleepers, here are some potential busts. Everyone seems to love Duke freshman Kyle Singler, except me. I just don’t see him doing much of anything without getting stronger and faster. He gets credit for being “versatile” but I can almost guarantee he ends up being just a spot-up shooter once ACC play begins. As far as teams that could be busts, I can’t look any further than Louisville. They always get ranked so high in the pre-season and then come crashing down once Big East play gets underway. I don’t see this season being any different. Expect them to be good and make the tournament in March. However, don’t expect them to stay in the top 10 for long. Well, there you have it. That is what I’m looking forward to watching unfold this college basketball season. November 6, 2007 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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| NCAA Basketball | |
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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