Trib's preseason top 25

[southsider2k5]

1. Michigan State: The Spartans have Big Ten Player of the Year candidate in guard Chris Hill, their top returning scorer. And they have a bevy of other talent on the perimeter, where they feature Kelvin Torbert and Alan Anderson and others. And, most importantly, they have their customary toughness.

 

2. Duke: Senior Chris Duhon leads the Blue Devils and six experienced sophomores provide their core. But getting the most attention is Luol Deng, who can do everything from post up to handle the ball and is considered the country's top freshman.

 

3. Connecticut: Huskies feature one of the nation's best inside-outside duos in guard Ben Gordon and center Emeka Okafor, who averaged 15.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game and was the Big East's Defensive Player of the Year. They also possess that most-important ingredient, a tough-and-experienced point guard in senior Taliek Brown.

 

4. Syracuse: Even though they lost Carmelo Anthony, who bolted for the NBA after leading them to the national title as a freshman, the Orangemen are equipped well enough to make another run. They have six talented freshman, a strong backcourt in Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin and, in 6-foot-8-inch forward Hakin Warrick, one of the Big East's most athletic players.

 

5. Arizona: Wildcats were a halfcourt team last season with seniors Rick Anderson, Luke Walton and Jason Gardner. But that group is gone and replacing them are a bunch of young prospects who like to run. The best are 6-10 center Channing Frye, 6-6 wingman Andre Igoudala and freshman point guard Mustafa Shakur.

 

6. Kansas: The Jayhawks lost coach Roy Williams to North Carolina and Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison to the NBA. But they picked up Bill Self to replace Williams and return the rest of the nucleus that carried them to last spring's national title game. Will the transition to Self go smoothly? That is one big question about them. The other is the health of 6-9 forward Wayne Simien, who missed nearly half of last season with a separated shoulder.

 

7. Stanford: The Cardinal won 24 games last season and returns nine of the top 10 players. But one of those nine, point guard Chris Hernandez, broke his fifth metatarsal bone twice last season so his health is an issue. If he stays whole, the Cardinal is two-deep at every position and capable of challenging Arizona for the Pac-10 title.

 

8. Missouri: The Tigers have a wonderful talent in guard Rickey Paulding. The Tigers have an inside force in 6-9 center Arthur Johnson. The Tigers have heralded newcomers in wing Jason Conley, a transfer from VMI, and 6-8 power forward Linas Kleiza, who is from Lithuania. And the Tigers are being investigated by the NCAA, which could disrupt all of their plans.

 

9. North Carolina: The Tar Heels, who missed the last two NCAA tournaments, should return under Williams, one of the nation's best coaches. But they have no reliable backups to point guard Raymond Felton and center Sean May, who is their only reliable, inside force. So they can't afford to have either injured.

 

10. Cincinnati: The Bearcats annually are known for their toughness, but last season they were softer than a souffle. That promises to change with the arrival of 6-10, 260-pound center Robert Whaley, who was a junior college All-American last year while averaging 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a game for Barton County (Kan.) CC. He and 6-7 power forward Jason Maxiell will be a tag team tough enough for the WWF.

 

11. Texas: The Longhorns lost national Player of the Year T.J. Ford but return the four other starters who carried them to the Final Four. Still. They need to find someone who can replace point guard Ford, who was a pre-eminent ballhandler and distributor.

 

12. Louisville: Bryant Northern was kicked off the team after he had some off-the-court problems so the Cardinals have no experienced point guard to replace Reece Gaines. They also will be without leading rebounder Ellis Myles, who ripped up his knee near the end of last season, still is rehabilitating and is likely to redshirt. But they do have two sensational sophomores in forward Francisco Garcia and guard Taquan Dean.

 

13. Kentucky: The Wildcats have no big star, but they are loaded with a bunch of the blue-collar workers who helped them roar through the SEC undefeated last season. The best of them are point guard Cliff Hawkins and off-guard Gerald Fitch, who give the Wildcats a quick backcourt, and forwards Chuck Hayes and Erik Daniels.

 

14. Oklahoma: The Sooners lost guards Hollis Price and Quannas White, overachievers who provided them grit and soul. They hope to replace them with former role players who will be asked to step up. Sophomore guard De'Angelo Alexander is expected to emerge as their leading scorer. Sophomore forward Kevin Bookout is expected to be their leading rebounder. And senior Jason Detrick, the fourth leading scorer on their 2002 Final Four team, is expected to start on the wing after redshirting last year.

 

15. Illinois: They have a dynamic backcourt in Dee Brown and Deron Williams and enough talent to contend for the Big Ten title. But after losing Self to Kansas, they must adjust to the different ways of new coach Bruce Weber. That transition could hinder their development.

 

16. St. Joseph's: The Hawks are led by senior Jameer Nelson, who is arguably the nation's best point guard. He is a three-year starter who last season averaged 19.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists and was on the Atlantic 10's All-Defensive team. And they also return three other starters and two top reserves.

 

17. Notre Dame: The best news the Irish received in the off-season was that Chris Thomas, their talented point guard, was returning to school. That guaranteed them a proven performer at the most important position on the court. In 6-10 sophomore Torin Francis, they also have an inside force who should improve on a freshman season that was good enough to land him on the Big East's All-Rookie team.

 

18. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons lost ACC Player of the Year Josh Howard, an All-American and their leader. But they retain their ruggedness, their penchant for rebounding and four sophomores who gained valuable experience last season as freshmen. Keep an eye on one of them, 6-9 center/forward Eric Williams.

 

19. Wisconsin: Badgers lost top scorer Kirk Penney, but extraordinary balance has been and again will be their key. Last year, they were just one of four Division I teams with five double-figure scorers. This year, that same kind of diversity promises to be their greatest strength.

 

20. Gonzaga: The Bulldogs have had six-straight 20-victory seasons, but this team could be their best ever. Senior guard Blake Stepp averaged 18 points last season and shot 40 percent on his three-point attempts. Junior forward Ronny Turia averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, senior power forward Cory Violette averaged 11.4 points and eight rebounds and the list goes on.

 

21. Marquette: The Golden Eagles lost guard Dwyane Wade, who led them to the Final Four, but there is still much to like about them. Point guard Travis Diener is tougher than advanced calculus and broke out of Wade's shadow with some superb performances in last year's tourney. Forward Scott Merritt has improved each season and could break out, and freshman swingman Dameon Mason should be an instant contributor.

 

22. Florida: The Gators are young after losing the high-scoring Matt Bonner, three-point specialist Brett Nelson and defensive stopper Justin Hamilton. Their elder statesman is junior forward David Lee, who scored in double figures 20 times last season, but their key will be point guard Anthony Roberson. He is returning to his normal position after playing off-guard as a freshman.

 

23. North Carolina State: The Wolfpack was counting on the return of center Josh Powell, but he pulled a surprise and entered the NBA draft after his sophomore season (he went undrafted). His loss will hurt, but swingman Julius Hodge is back to serve again as their heart and soul. Back too, from a torn ACL, is sophomore forward Ilian Evitmov, who could make up for the missing Powell.

 

24. LSU: The Tigers lost three players who averaged double figures last season and were expected to struggle through a rebuilding year. But they landed an outstanding freshman class, which is expected to keep them competitive. That group includes forward Brandon Bass, a McDonald's All-American, and forward Ross Neltner, who was Mr. Basketball in Kentucky.

 

25. Michigan: The Wolverines finished a solid 17-13 (10-6 in the Big Ten) last season even though they were ineligible for postseason play. Now that the NCAA has lifted that ban, they are free to soar to higher heights behind talented sophomore guard Daniel Horton, who averaged 36.1 minutes and 15.2 points per game as a freshman

[SuperSteve]

 

[ChiSox_Sonix]

MSU #1 and UCONN #3? What a joke....did Mariotti write it?

[southsider2k5]

MSU #1 and UCONN #3? What a joke....did Mariotti write it?

It was from the Trib, not the s***-Times. Skip Myslenski looks like the guy who wrote it.

[doubleM23]

Well those are the worst preseason picks I've seen ever. Meh, the Trib just has a Big 10 bias.

[Be Good]

WERE are my Hoyas at

[whitesoxfan99]

WERE are my Hoyas at 

Where they should be out of the top 25 and probably out of the top 100.

[southsider2k5]

WERE are my Hoyas at 

I think somewhere between Southwest Missouri State and Penn State...

[Be Good]

Where they should be out of the top 25 and probably out of the top 100.

DO you have to tell it like it is, 99

[Be Good]

I think somewhere between Southwest Missouri State and Penn State...

SS2K I likely the wise ass comments

[whitesoxfan99]

DO you have to tell it like it is, 99 

When do I not?

[Be Good]

IM goin add the Hoyas logo to my sig it'll be the s***

[ChiSox_Sonix]

IM goin add the Hoyas logo to my sig it'll be the s***

the Hoyas will be lucky to make the Tournament this year, let alone be a top 25 team

[whitesox61382]

How can you have MSU at #1 with a TRUE freshman PG and almost no front court. I am telling you that MSU is going to be one of the most overrated teams this year. It is pretty obvious that they have a Big Ten bias(Michigan in the top 25???). It appears to be something thrown together at the last minute by someone with very little knowledge on college hoops. What can you expect from a paper linked to the Cubs.

[whitesoxfan99]

How can you have MSU at #1 with a TRUE freshman PG and almost no front court. I am telling you that MSU is going to be one of the most overrated teams this year. It is pretty obvious that they have a Big Ten bias(Michigan in the top 25???). It appears to be something thrown together at the last minute by someone with very little knowledge on college hoops. What can you expect from a paper linked to the Cubs.

I'm a little biased but I think Illinois is slightly underrated in these rankings. I mean behind OU, you have to be kidding me. They lost their starting backcourt plus a major contributor in Ebi Ere, Illinois returns 4 starters and the only big loss is Cook. Harrington is easily replaced. The only thing concerning me right now is the problems Spears and Head are having.

[whitesox61382]

I'm a little biased but I think Illinois is slightly underrated in these rankings.  I mean behind OU, you have to be kidding me.  They lost their starting backcourt plus a major contributor in Ebi Ere, Illinois returns 4 starters and the only big loss is Cook.  Harrington is easily replaced.  The only thing concerning me right now is the problems Spears and Head are having.

Although I am an IU fan, and hate to admit this, I think Illinois or Wisconsin are going to win the Big Ten with MSU coming in 3rd. I think teams like Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue could be sleepers, while my Hoosiers struggle to make the Tourny. It should be a fun race to watch because I don't think there are any clear favorites, and there seems to be a lot of teams that are going to be good, but not great. The Big Ten should be very balanced this next year, and watch out for my Hoosiers in 2004-2005 with the top recruiting class in the country coming in(although you can make an arguement for Texas as well).

[whitesoxfan99]

Although I am an IU fan, and hate to admit this, I think Illinois or Wisconsin are going to win the Big Ten with MSU coming in 3rd. I think teams like Michigan, Ohio State, and Purdue could be sleepers, while my Hoosiers struggle to make the Tourny. It should be a fun race to watch because I don't think there are any clear favorites, and there seems to be a lot of teams that are going to be good, but not great. The Big Ten should be very balanced this next year, and watch out for my Hoosiers in 2004-2005 with the top recruiting class in the country coming in(although you can make an arguement for Texas as well).

Yeah, you guys have a great recruiting class coming in, but I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of high school players go pro this year including Josh Smith. Even without him you still have a top 5 class though. Personally I see up to 7 HS players going pro this year.

[whitesox61382]

Yeah, you guys have a great recruiting class coming in, but I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of high school players go pro this year including Josh Smith.  Even without him you still have a top 5 class though.  Personally I see up to 7 HS players going pro this year.

I think it is a mistake for so many high schoolers to go pro, unless you are a sure-fire lottery pick. Josh Smith is about 50/50 at this point. One possitive is that he signed his LOI this past week. There was also a quote from his father that said he really likes Mike Davis and he thought his son would play at least 1 year of college ball. Most people feel that if he is a guaranteed lottery pick he will leave, but if not, he will be at IU for at least 1 year. So we will have to wait and see. With that said, if Smith does go to the NBA, IU has a wildcard.

 

Arizona and IU are currently the favorites for one of the biggest sleepers in the 2004 class. A guy by the name of Robert Rothbert, from California(born in Europe). He is a 7'1 center/sf who has been climbing the rankings and is one of the top sleepers. He has small forward ability(shotting, dibbling, passing, athletism, ect.) in a 7'0+ body. The one thing he needs to do is add weight, but most feel that he is a sure fire NBA player in a couple of years. He might not be quite as good as Smith at this point, but would be a nice replacement without much dropoff. The reports say that he is waiting until the spring signing period to see what happens with IU. 4 of the 5 recruits signed last week, and it is pretty much in stone that White, Vaden, and Ratliff are going to be in Bloomington next year. Smith signed, but as you pointed out there are still questions about him going pro. Hardy was the only one that didn't sign, however, he has stated all along that he will wait until the spring to sign(the report is that he just wants to make sure MD is staying). All in all, the IU class is still going to be one of the tops in the country and will probably include a couple of instant impact players, which will probably make them one of the favorites for the Big Ten in 2004-2005(especially if Wright stays past this year).

[YASNY]

With this obvious Big 10 bias on the part of the Tribune, do they honestly think we believe there is no bias toward the Cubs?