A look ahead towards college basketball...

[iggymcfly 0]

I say Duke just goes ahead and wins the title this year.

 

In college basketball, it seems like whenever some team gets super hyped before the season, it ends up being because they are the best, and then they end up winning the title.

 

(See UConn two years ago and Carolina last year.)

 

Just watch, they'll lose to someone like Bucknell early in the season, and everyone will be talking about how overrated they are, but then come April, they'll be cutting down the nets.

[Matt Young 0]

Here's to hoping Illinois will return to the title game and win this year.

 

I'm also interested to see if UCLA's any good, since I'll be gettingalot of their games locally.

[Mik 0]

Tarheels start the season off ranked 35th. Go Heels. Well, at least I'll have last year's championship DVDs to watch at some point this year.

[2GOLD 0]

Fighting Blue Hens represent 2Gold.  They need to get rid of Henderson though.  He's been steadily making the program worse.

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Well, when the coach before you is Mike f'n Brey, it's hard NOT to go any direction but south. Not to mention moving to the CAA, which now has Georiga State for fuck sake. Henderson has brought in some decent guys, but definately not the cailber of guys that allowed UD to hang with Duke (who is REALLY starting to hate schools from Delaware).

 

They still have All-American candiate Harding Nana so things look positive for the short run. We'll see

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Speaking of the Colonial (I am a Hofstra Student so, this is a subject of intrest), some of the fans honestly think that this is the year for them to acutally get an at large bid.

 

You may commence laughing, now.

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The Colonial conference has no shot in hell at an at-large bid. Your conference has to do some damage for two or three years consecutively before you can start grabbing at-large bids. Can the CAA become a mid-major someday? Yes, cause they have all proven they can hang with the power conference teams. No? No chance in hell.

 

CAA is getting one and that one is getting a 13 at highest.

[Damaramu 0]

OU usually chokes in college basketball but I hope they can live up to a top 10 ranking this year.

[JustJoe2k5 0]

Tarheels start the season off ranked 35th. Go Heels. Well, at least I'll have last year's championship DVDs to watch at some point this year.

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I can't believe how positive the local media is about this team. Roy Williams is a great coach, but even he can't lose his entire team and still compete. UNC fans are likely to be brought back down to earth this year, no matter how good their recruits are.

[Mik 0]

I'm not surprised. I only lived in Chapel Hill for one year (and what a good one I picked) but it seemed like they would support the Heels no matter what.

[mike546 0]

Marcus Price was suspened for the entire season due to his arrest, but Marcus Williams will be back in December according to ESPN.

[cabbageboy 0]

My thoughts on at least some of this:

 

1. Duke--This is a no brainer. Duke is the only team with seemingly everyone back. Whether that's good or not is up for some debate.

2. Connecticut--I don't really get this. More on past rep than anything. They lost some guys off a 2nd round team and don't some of their players have legal trouble?

3. Texas--Did they have some insane recruiting class? Christ, they lost 1st round last year.

4. Villanova--Finally a pick that makes sense, they seemed like a team on the cusp of greatness last year.

5. Michigan State--No real problem with this pick either, made the FF last year and still have quite a bit.

6. Oklahoma--I dunno. If they can actually hit the broad side of a barn, maybe. Otherwise...no.

7. Gonzaga--No Turiaf, dudes. They're going nowhere.

8. Louisville--Right now U of L isn't even a top 20 team, sad to say. Injuries all over the front line, but we have nobody good but UK until conf. play so hopefully we'll heal up.

9. Arizona--I think Stoudamire went pro, right? I think this Zona team has all the earmarks of their usual choker tourney teams.

10. Kentucky--Dare I say UK might be a bit underrated? If they actually step up the pace as Tubby has said they should be a lot more exciting. Morris' eligibility is a question mark, but he ain't THAT great anyway.

11. Boston College--If they can get to the Sweet 16 they'll be doing good.

12. Memphis--Should be the class of C-USA now, not that anyone gives a shit.

13. STANFORD--Should finish decent enough in a bleh Pac 10.

14. Alabama--Ludicrously overrated. Hell, they don't have Kennedy Winston anymore off a team that was also overrated to hell last year. The SEC is just UK and a bunch of jobbers.

15. West Virginia--Here is a team I think is underrated. Returning nearly everyone from a team that was an eyelash from the FF.

16. Syracuse--They still have McNamara so they'll be ok.

17. Illinois--I know they lost some guys but doesn't this seem a bit low for the runner up?

18t. UCLA--I'd probably pick them 2nd in the Pac 10 over Stanford, but then I'm just marking for the UCLA name.

18t. Wake Forest--I have no confidence in these guys to do anything.

20. Iowa--Just a Big 10 JTTS. Maybe an 8 seed in the tourney, gone 2nd round as usual.

21. Maryland--Can they actually put it together? In a really down ACC they can make a run.

22. Indiana--IU is total garbage.

23. Iowa State--I have no idea, maybe like Iowa just an 8/9 type seed, gone 2nd round at most.

24. George Washington--Might be a nice little sleeper team to win a game or so in the tourney.

25. Nevada--This dude I know from Reno swears they will be at least Sweet 16 like in 2004.

 

Truthfully I think the best teams by year's end will be Duke, UK, Nova, and maybe someone we aren't thinking about as much (OU?).

 

Does the SEC suck or what though? Dear God, 2 teams in the top 25, one of which isn't any good (Bama). I'd rank LSU ahead of them easy, even losing Bass.

[Damaramu 0]

OU claims they finally have shooters. And they still have Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout who are absolute forces.

[Guest Vitamin X]

OU usually chokes in college basketball but I hope they can live up to a top 10 ranking this year.

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Ah, so just like their football team...

 

 

EDIT: Wait, they're not even getting a top-10 ranking this year either.

[Damaramu 0]

OU usually chokes in college basketball but I hope they can live up to a top 10 ranking this year.

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Ah, so just like their football team...

 

 

EDIT: Wait, they're not even getting a top-10 ranking this year either.

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7 national titles and the most since WWII. Those chokers!

[mike546 0]

I don't know what your talking about, as UConn has everyone back beside Villenueva. Gay, Brown, Williams, Boone, and Rashaad Anderson are all back.

[cabbageboy 0]

Okay, I get that. But they lost their most notable player (Villanueva) and were only 2nd round and done last year....and had a 2 seed they didn't remotely deserve. I am just unsure how this = #2 in the nation, whereas Villanova seems like a team more ready for a big run.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Well Nova would be the team ready for the big run.....except Curtis Sumpter is now done for a couple months after another inury. D'oh...

[therealworldschampion 0]

Tarheels start the season off ranked 35th. Go Heels. Well, at least I'll have last year's championship DVDs to watch at some point this year.

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I can't believe how positive the local media is about this team. Roy Williams is a great coach, but even he can't lose his entire team and still compete. UNC fans are likely to be brought back down to earth this year, no matter how good their recruits are.

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I'd say UNC will have a bit of a down year, but they'll be better by the end of the year. Watch out in 2006-2007 when all the kids get experience.

 

I know Duke has most of their guys back, but I want to see J.J. Reddick actually shoot well in a big game, despite all of Dookie V's ass-kissing that would suggest otherwise. Michigan State absolutely punked him out last year in the Sweet 16.

[SilverPhoenix 0]

Okay, I get that.  But they lost their most notable player (Villanueva) and were only 2nd round and done last year....and had a 2 seed they didn't remotely deserve.  I am just unsure how this = #2 in the nation, whereas Villanova seems like a team more ready for a big run.

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Villanova for all purposes should be number 2, the only thing stopping them is Sumpter's injury. However, this Villanova team almost beat UNC without him, so one could Assume that with him, they could challenge Duke for the Pre-Season #1 (They already are my preseason number 1).

 

Duke.....I will say this right now.

 

They will not win the National Title. My reasoning, it comes down to these points.

 

1) Reddick is a choker. This guy cannot shoot when it's all on the line. Not to mention, Michigan State exposed him big time, last year. The forumla is out there, double team this guy, and he folds like a house of cards.

 

2) Sheldon Willams. Like Cabbage Boy said before....Just get this guy into Foul Trouble, and he's not a factor.

 

3) They're expecting FAR too much from the new players. All damn off season, I've heard how Josh McRoberts is the next Carmelo Anthony, and will be a big factor to leading Duke to a Title....But they forget one thing.

 

Carmelo Anothony was not something that was predicted. What happened with Carmelo was a stroke of luck, that happened to click at the right time, to expect it again, is only setting up McRoberts to dissapoint.

 

Looking at the OOC schedule, the NIT Pre-Season Tournament is going to be the first big test for Duke. We're going to see if they're worth the number 1 ranking.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Dukie Vitale attaches head up Coach K's ass again...

[cabbageboy 0]

Here's one thing. U of L is NOT remotely a top 10 caliber team. After watching that awful exhibition against Bellarmine the other night (70-63 win over a division II school) U of L doesn't look like a tourney team this year. What's sad is that the pre conf. schedule is so crappy that we should be 7-0 and ranked highly when going into Rupp...where we're going to be massacred.

 

I have to ask this question very seriously: Why is everyone sleeping on UK this year? Considering they have quite a bit back from an Elite 8 team there isn't any reason U of L should be ranked ahead of them (especially when we lost: Francisco Garcia, Larry O'Bannon, Ellis Myles, Otis George, etc.). It also helps UK in that seemingly everyone on their schedule is down: UNC is way down, IU is crap anyway, Kansas is somewhat down, U of L is insanely overrated at #8, and the SEC as a whole is a fucking farce. If UK loses more than 3 games this year I'd be shocked.

[Damaramu 0]

What really sucks is that Duke will be scary good this year so I'll have to listen to Vitale kissing ass all year.

DUKE BAAAAAABYYYYYYYY~!~!~! and shit like that.

[LooseCannon25 0]

my Georgetown Hoyas should surprise many this season. Their talented 3 freshman are back for year 2, Bowman is back, and Hibbert is a 7'2" center. The Hoyas i predict, will win over 20 games and end in the Top 25. They have a very tough ooc schedule though, including hosting Duke and at Illinois