Conference Preview: Big 12

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Chad

70% of the Big 12 conference played in the NCAA tournament last year.  7 out of 10 teams.  Percentage-wise, that is an amazing statistic.  And you can add to it the fact that all seven NCAA teams were single-digit seeds, with a 2 (Kansas), 3 (Iowa State), 5 (Oklahoma), 6 (Baylor), 7 (Texas), and a pair of 9s (Kansas State and Oklahoma State).  West Virginia made it 80% of the conference in postseason play by accepting an NIT bid.  That was the good news.  The bad news for the Big 12 last season was its actual performance in the NCAA tournament.  Three teams fell in the Round of 64, two more in the Round of 32 and the last two fell in the Sweet 16.  The Big 12 certainly had the regular season to stake a claim at being called the top conference last year, but it was completely unable to follow-up that claim in the Big Dance.  The conference will need to do better in March if it wants to vie for the top spot this season.

The Kansas Jayhawks have won or shared ten consecutive Big 12 regular season championships, and we are predicting that the number will grow to 11 this year.  Bill Self simply reloads this team every year, and has the pieces coming in to make up for losing Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins to the NBA draft.  The top contenders to knock the Jayhawks off their perch appear to be Texas, Iowa State and Oklahoma.  West Virginia is also a team to keep an eye on as the Mountaineers look poised to return to the NCAAs for the first time in three years.  On the other side, Baylor and Oklahoma State appear to be in rebuilding mode and will need a lot of things to come together just right to return to the tournament this season.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  Kansas: Who else?  The Jayhawks will look for their 11th straight championship behind the leadership of Wayne Selden Jr. and Perry Ellis.  Top recruits Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre will help make up for the offseason losses, while Ukranian phenom Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk could be the wild card to push this team over the top if he is ready to compete at this level.
2.  Texas: Virtually the entire roster is back for Rick Barnes led by Jonathan Holmes.  If Kendal Yancy can step up after a weak freshman campaign and top recruit Myles Turner is all he is hyped to be, the Longhorns could have what it takes to dethrone Kansas.
3.  Iowa State: The Cyclones look to have another solid team with UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones joining Monte Morris, Georges Niang and more.
4.  Oklahoma:  With Buddy Hield and Ryan Spangler leading the returning cast, the Sooners appear to be strong enough to cruise back into the NCAA tournament.
5.  West Virginia: Juwan Staten’s decision to return for his senior season was huge, and when added to a deep team that includes Devin Williams, transfer Jonathan Holton and freshman Elijah Macon, there is no reason the Mountaineers will not be in the tournament discussion in March.
6.  Kansas State: Marcus Foster and Thomas Gipson can both play, but they might not be enough to land the Wildcats on the right side of the bubble.
7.  Oklahoma State: The Cowboys enter rebuild mode after losing Marcus Smart and Markel Brown, but Le’Bryan Nash, LSU transfer Athony Hickey and Michael Cobbins’ return from injury will help keep them in the hunt for a postseason bid.
8.  Baylor: Scott Drew’s teams seem to be on an every other year cycle, and this is the off year.  The Bears simply lost too many pieces from last season’s team to be serious about a return to the NCAAs.
9.  TCU: The Horned Frogs have a legitimate star in Kyan Anderson.  Unfortunately, that appears to be all they have as Trent Johnson may be on the hot seat in Forth Worth.
10.  Texas Tech: We have no doubt that Tubby Smith will build the Red Raiders into a tournament team.  Unfortunately, he lost three starters off of last year’s 14-18 squad and this year may be the step back before they are ready to seriously move forward.

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Conference Preview: Big Ten

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Chad

Prior to the start of the 2013-14 season there was at least some debate as to which conference, top to bottom, was the best — the ACC or the Big Ten.  One needs to look no further than postseason success (after both conferences secured six NCAA tournament bids) to have that simple answer.  The ACC had only one team left after the first weekend of the tournament, and that team (Virginia) fell in the regional semifinals — to Michigan State.  Although Iowa, Ohio State and Nebraska all lost their first game played, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin were three of the Elite Eight teams last season.  Wisconsin continued on and advanced to the Final Four, losing there to Kentucky in the national semifinals.  As if that wasn’t enough success, Minnesota added the NIT championship to the conference’s accolades, and both Illinois (NIT as well) and Penn State (CBI) joined their conference mates in postseason play, meaning 75% of the conference played on after the Big Ten tournament.

This season sees the Big Ten expand to 14 teams with the additions of Maryland from the ACC and Rutgers from the Big East/American.  While odds are that the two newcomers will not be NCAA tournament teams (though Maryland could be in the hunt), the rest of the conference looks strong enough to exceed last year’s 6 bids, with 7 or even 8 a possibility.  The odds-on favorite to win the conference, and a legitimate Final Four contender, is Wisconsin.  The Badgers return the vast majority of last season’s Final Four team.  Ohio State and Nebraska both appear loaded as well and are the most likely contenders to take the crown if the Badgers falter.  Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Iowa should all be serious contenders for NCAA tournament bids as well.  Minnesota is getting a lot of preseason love from media sources, though quite frankly we here at HOOPS HD think they will struggle to meet expectations and are by no means an NCAA tournament lock.

One other team worth mentioning here is the Indiana Hoosiers.  On paper, the talent level is there for this team to be in the hunt for a tournament bid with Yogi Ferrell leading the way and James Blackmon, Jr. coming in as one of the nation’s top recruits.  However, the Hoosiers have also had no less than four separate instances in the past year involving players getting into off-court trouble with alcohol and/or drugs.  Now it is a fact of life that underage college kids will party and drink, but when something as horrible and frankly idiotic as one player getting drunk, then getting behind the wheel of a car and running over his teammate occurs (and we wish all the best to Devin Davis as he recovers from his injuries), it leads to serious questions about the values being taught to the student-athletes, the leadership being demonstrated among teammates, and the intelligence of all involved*.  In this writer’s humble opinion at least, those are virtues that need to come from the head coach and move down through the team.  Certainly Tom Crean was not directly at fault for anything that happened — but one questions just how much he is teaching these kids about life off of the court.  As far as the game on the court goes, these events also make one question whether this team has the leadership, camaraderie and intelligence to actually win games.  Maybe the Hoosiers can put all this behind them and use it as a way to bond, grow up, and become a contender.  One can only hope, because the last thing we ever want to hear about is college kids ending up in the hospital due to such utter stupidity.

* CORRECTION: The driver apparently was not legally drunk under Indiana law though there was alcohol in his blood (and he was underage and the appointed Designated Driver for the night).  Devin Davis allegedly was so drunk he tried to jump onto the hood of a moving car.  These facts change nothing in my opinion as to the lack of leadership and, quite frankly, the lack of brains on the train-wreck known as Indiana Hoosiers Basketball.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  Wisconsin: Frank Kaminsky, Traevon Jackson and Sam Dekker lead the way for this loaded team that should be the best in the conference.
2.  Ohio State: Despite losing three players that averaged 9.8 points per game or more, the Buckeyes are reloading with the additions of Anthony Lee from Temple and perhaps the Big Ten’s best freshman, D’Angelo Russell.
3.  Nebraska: The return of all five starters, including Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields, give the Cornhuskers a shot to not only return to the NCAAs, but actually advance this year.
4.  Illinois: John Groce’s team looks ready to make that next step up towards the top of the conference standings.  The Illini return all five starters including Rayvonte Rice and Tracy Abrams, plus add in Ahmad Starks, Leron Black and more.
5.  Michigan: The Wolverines look to reload after losing three starters, but D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton Jr., Zak Irvin and Caris LaVert will all help to pick up the slack and should have this team dancing again.
6.  Michigan State: Branden Dawson and Denzel Valentine will need to step up, but never underestimate Tom Izzo’s ability to turn his weaker looking teams before the season into overachievers by the end.
7.  Iowa: With Aaron White and Mike Gesell leading the way, and a good mix of talent both inside and out, the Hawkeyes look like they will be able to survive the loss of Roy Devyn Marble.
8.  Minnesota: The Gophers seem to be loved by the media heading into the season, but to us they look like a team full of transfers and Jucos — and that won’t work in the Big Ten.  That being said, Deandre Mathieu is the real deal and will be needed if the Gophers want to be in a better tournament than the NIT this year.
9.  Maryland: Dez Wells is going to be tough for other teams to contain, but the Terps will need to find some other pieces to help him out if they want any shot at an NCAA bid.
10.  Indiana: If not for the off court issues, the Hoosiers would be picked higher than this.  Yogi Ferrell and freshman James Blackmon Jr. should form a top backcourt.  If the team can come together and a frontcourt develops, the NCAA tournament is an achievable goal.
11.  Northwestern: Chris Collins is starting to put together the young talent to finally get the Wildcats their first ever NCAA bid, but it probably won’t be this year.
12.  Penn State: The combination of D.J. Newbill, Brandon Taylor and Ross Travis will make the Nittany Lions dangerous enough to pull off a few upsets.
13.  Purdue: A.J. Hammons is legitimate, but the rest of the team appears to be too young to avoid a long season in West Lafayette.
14.  Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights will be introducing Big Ten teams to one of the toughest places for visitors to play — as many an old Big East foe knew.  Myles Mack and Kadeem Jack can both light up the scoreboard and will be key if Rutgers wants to pull off a couple of shockers this year.

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Conference Preview: Big East

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Chad

Even though some of the names are familiar, this is no longer the Big East that most of us remember.  It is not the collection of relatively nearby schools such as Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, Villanova and Boston College that started the conference in the 80’s.  And it is not the huge powerhouse that expanded eventually out to sixteen teams including the likes of Marquette, Cincinnati and Louisville in the 00’s.  Instead, this is a group of ten solid programs that do not worship the college football gods.  In theory, that is the ideal that all of us college hoops fanatics wish would be the mentality at times.  In practice, at least in its first season, the Big East seemed to have been more of an afterthought on the national stage.

Last year the Big East placed four teams into the NCAA tournament.  That group included Providence, which won the automatic bid and got an 11 seed, thus signifying a decent chance the Friars would have been in the NIT had they not won the conference tournament championship game.  It also included a Xavier team that was sent to Dayton to play in the First Four, where they promptly lost.  Villanova and Creighton both got very high seeds (2 and 3 respectively), but none of the four teams made it past the first weekend of the tournament.  Georgetown and St. John’s received the conference’s only other postseason bids, both to the NIT, but failed to advance deep in that tournament as well.

This year, the Big East is clearly led by the Villanova Wildcats.  ‘Nova will be looking to establish themselves on the national scene and is definitely on the list of preseason potential Final Four teams.  Jay Wright’s squad returns four starters from a team that won 29 games last season and went 16-2 in Big East play.  The only other team in the Big East that looks, on paper, like an NCAA tournament team is Georgetown.  The Hoyas bring back D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, one of the conference’s top guards, and should hopefully finally find a way to get solid, consistent production out of Josh Smith down low.  Xavier, Providence and St. John’s all have enough talent to also be in the at-large discussion this season, while Creighton looks to fall back in the pack now that Doug McDermott has graduated.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  Villanova: Darrun Hilliard, Ryan Arcidiacono, JayVaughn Pinkston, Daniel Ochefu and more give the Wildcats the strength and depth to compete with almost any team in the nation.
2.  Georgetown: With Smith-Rivera and Jabril Trawick in the backcourt, Josh Smith down low, and top recruit Isaac Copeland, John Thompson III looks like he has the tools to get the Hoyas back into the NCAA tournament.
3.  Xavier: Dee Davis is solid at the point and Indiana transfer Remy Abell will look to fill in at the shooting guard position.  If Matt Stainbrook continues to get better and a talented recruiting class is ready to play, the Musketeers could end up dancing in March.
4.  Providence: Bryce Cotton is gone, meaning that it will be up to LaDontae Henton and Tyler Harris to lead the way.  Kris Dunn and Rodney Bullock both missed last season and should be back to help fill in the holes for the Friars.
5.  St. John’s: D’Angelo Harrison may prove to be the best player in the league, but the Red Storm do not appear to have enough other pieces to contend.
6.  Seton Hall: Sterling Gibbs is among the top point guards in the Big East, but beyond him the Pirates will need their recruits to step up.  Freshmen Isaiah Whitehead and Chier Ajou could be among the top newcomers in the conference.
7.  Creighton: Austin Chatman is the only returning player that averaged more than 8 points per game last season, making this a clear rebuilding year as the post-Doug McDermott era begins.
8.  Butler: Chris Holtmann is the interim head coach and may end up in that position a lot longer than expected with Brandon Miller still on a leave of absence.  The Bulldogs will need Kellen Dunham to lead offensively.  Roosevelt Jones’ return from injury and the addition of Indiana transfer Austin Etherington should help as well.
9.  Marquette: Wojo takes over head coaching duties, but does so with a team that consists of Matt Carlino and a ton of question marks.  This looks like it could be a long season in Milwaukee.
10.  DePaul: Billy Garrett, Jr. should be the Blue Demons’ top player and Illinois transfer Mike Henry should contribute, but another last place finish appears likely.

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Conference Preview: Atlantic Ten

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Chad

Make sure you check out our first Bracket Racket of the season: https://hoopshd.com/2014/11/10/hoops-hd-bracket-racket-11092014/

Dayton’s magical run to the Elite Eight last season certainly captured the attention of the nation and once again put the Atlantic Ten in the spotlight as a top level college basketball conference.  This is even more accentuated by the often-forgotten fact that Dayton finished the regular season all the way down in a tie for fifth place in the conference regular season standings.  The Atlantic Ten had a very solid six entrants into the 2014 Big Dance with VCU, George Washington, Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s and Saint Louis all joining the Flyers, though noone else made it beyond the Round of 32.

This season, four of last year’s NCAA participants will be among the contenders for the league title — namely VCU, Dayton, George Washington and Massachusetts.  Joining these teams in the battle for the league’s top spot and at-large consideration should be an up and coming Rhode Island team and one of our dark horse teams in the entire country, perennial A10 doormat Fordham.  St. Joe’s and Saint Louis both look like they will slide back into the pack this year.  The newest A10 member, Davidson, looks like they will struggle as well despite having gone 15-1 in the SoCon last season and playing in the NIT.  In the end, it will be very difficult for the Atlantic Ten to match last season’s six bids, with three or four appearing much more likely this year.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  VCU: The Rams are our pick to win the regular season title with Treveon Graham, Briante Weber and Melvin Johnson, plus some key frontcourt recruits including Terry Larrier and Mike Gilmore.
2.  Dayton: The Flyers should be even better than last year (in the regular season at least) with the returns of Dyshawn Pierre and Jordan Sibert as well as having Scoochie Smith take over as the starting point guard.
3.  George Washington: The Colonials will need a healthy Kethan Savage and Joe McDonald to contend for the league crown.
4.  Rhode Island: Dan Hurley is on the verge of turning the Rams into an NCAA tournament team.  With Xavier Munford gone, they will rely on E.C. Matthews to lead the scoring.  If Matthews gets help from the rest of the roster, this could be a fun season.
5.  Massachusetts: It could be tough for the Minutemen to replace Chaz Williams, but if they do there is no reason they will not be in the hunt for another bid.  Derrick Gordon will be a key player on the roster, and we can only hope there is no negative feedback against him after he came out during the offseason as the first openly gay player in Division I.
6.  Fordham: One of our picks as a surprise team this year, Tom Pecora’s squad may finally be ready to turn things around in the Bronx.  Jon Severe, Mandell Thomas, Serbian import Nemanja Zarkovic and freshman Eric Paschall could all be key pieces for the Rams.
7.  La Salle: The Explorers have a solid frontcourt with Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright.  If Auburn transfer Jordan Price and Georgia Southern transfer Cleon Roberts can step in and play, they may end up even better than this pick.
8.  Richmond: Kendall Anthony and Terry Allen should both have very good years, but there may not be enough other pieces here to challenge for an at-large bid.
9.  St. Joseph’s: DeAndre’ Bembry will be the star of this team, but losing three of their top four scorers from last season probably pushes an NCAA tournament bid beyond their grasp.
10.  Saint Louis: Jim Crews has had a ton of success in his first two seasons leading the Billikens, but all five starters are gone and this will be a rebuilding year.  The good news is that there is some very strong talent coming into the program and it won’t be long before they are back near the top.
11.  St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies could pull off a few upsets with Youssou Ndoye anchoring a solid frontcourt and a pair of players with the same name in the backcourt (Jalen Adams and Jaylen Adams).
12.  Davidson: Brian Sullivan is a solid player that can shoot the three, but with three starters gone from last season and a major step up in class from the Southern to the A10, this could be a tough season.
13.  Duquesne: Micah Mason led the nation in 3 point percentage last season — but there just does not seem to be enough other pieces around him for the Dukes to avoid finishing near the bottom of the league.
14.  George Mason: Jalen Jenkins and Patrick Holloway will need to become legitimate stars for this team to have any success, but right now it looks like this may be Paul Hewitt’s final season as head coach for the struggling Patriots.

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Conference Preview: ACC

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Chad

If you have not done so yet, make sure you check out the season’s first Bracket Racket here: https://hoopshd.com/2014/11/10/hoops-hd-bracket-racket-11092014/

Last March was not a good one for the ACC.  Despite putting six teams into the NCAA tournament, including #1 seed Virginia, #3 seed Syracuse and #5 seed Duke (in addition to North  Carolina, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State), only Virginia survived the first weekend of the tournament, and the Cavaliers fell in the regional semifinal round to Michigan State.  In fact, arguably the most successful teams from the ACC in postseason play were Clemson and Florida State, both of whom lost in the semifinals of the NIT.  Regardless, if the ACC truly wants to claim the mantle as the best conference in college basketball, its teams will need to perform a lot better in the NCAA tournament this year.

The ACC has upgraded its roster of schools this season by saying farewell to Maryland (off to the Big Ten) and welcoming in former Big East (and for one season American Athletic Conference) member Louisville.  The Cardinals won the NCAA championship two seasons ago and head coach Rick Pitino is among the elite coaches in the entire nation.  Louisville did follow-up their 2013 national championship with a run to the Sweet 16 last season, but fell there to eventual national runner-up Kentucky.

As far as this season goes, the clear favorite to win the ACC is the Duke Blue Devils.  Coach K’s team returns three starters and adds one of the most talented recruiting classes in the nation, headlined by Jahlil Okafor, rated by many as the #1 recruit in the entire country.  The North Carolina Tar Heels, if they can avoid off-court distractions including an ongoing NCAA inquiry, do appear to have the talent to contend for the conference title as well.  Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, Syracuse and Pittsburgh could all be in the running for at-large bids also.  Finally, be certain to keep an eye on Virginia Tech, where Buzz Williams takes over as head coach and should have this Hokies vastly improved from last season’s 9-22 record.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  Duke: With Quinn Cook, Rasheed Sulaimon, Amile Jefferson, and top recruits such as Okafor and Tyus Jones, the sky is the limit for the Blue Devils.  Perhaps the only question is whether or not they are too young — but we seem to ask that of the top teams in the nation at this time every season.
2.  North Carolina: Assuming the off-court issues stay off the court, the talent is here for a vast improvement on last season (which was a very solid 24-10 and 13-5 in the ACC).  Marcus Paige, Brice Johnson, J.P. Tokoto and Kennedy Meeks should all excel.
3.  Virginia: While Joe Harris may be gone, there is no reason the Cavaliers will not be right up among the league leaders again this season.  Malcolm Brogdon, London Perrantes and Justin Anderson should lead the way.
4.  Florida State: The Seminoles have three seven-footers on their roster this season — Kiel Turpin, Boris Bojanovsky and Michael Ojo.  They also have a solid backcourt with Devon Bookert, Montay Brandon and Aaron Thomas.  All the tools appear to be there for the ‘noles to not only be an NCAA tournament team but to potentially be in the race for the ACC title as well.
5.  Louisville: Montrezl Harrell passed on the NBA draft and Wayne Blackshear may finally be ready to become a top-level scorer.  All that being said, the losses of Russ Smith and Luke Hancock off of last season’s squad will make contending for the ACC title in their first trip through the conference difficult.
6.  Miami: A pair of transfers, Sheldon McClellan from Texas and Angel Rodriguez from Kansas State, could make the Hurricanes a surprise upper division finisher this year.  Nigerian big man Tonye Jekiri’s ability to improve his game could be the key to the season.
7.  Syracuse: The Orange are dealing with off-court issues and lost their top four scorers from last season’s team, meaning a step back in the standings is likely.  Trevor Cooney and Rakeem Christmas are still around, but freshman Kaleb Joseph will need to run the show from the point.  ACC title contention seems unlikely, but it is tough to imagine Jim Boeheim not finding a way to put this team into the NCAA tournament.
8.  Pittsburgh: The Panthers have been known for years as a team that wins with its defense, but seemed to go away from that trait fairly successfully last year. With their top two scorers gone, Pitt will need to return to reliance on D to succeed this year, led by Cameron Wright and Durand Johnson who is trying to return from a torn ACL.
9.  Virginia Tech: While an NCAA bid would be a shock in Buzz Williams’ first year in Blacksburg, the Hokies should have a solid backcourt with Adam Smith, Devin Wilson and Ben Emelogu.  The frontcourt is going to be a different story altogether.
10.  Notre Dame: Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton should both be lighting up the scoreboard and filling out the stat sheets this season.  Unfortunately for the Irish, the game is not played two-on-two.
11.  North Carolina State: Mark Gottfried’s team will take a step back this season with the loss of T.J. Warren.  Look for Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner to try to pick up the scoring slack.
12.  Clemson: K.J. McDaniels is gone and the pieces do not to appear to be here to replace him.  The health of Jarod Blossongame could be the key if the Tigers want to be back in postseason play again this year.
13.  Georgia Tech: Brian Gregory is definitely on the hot seat this year, and will need Marcus Georges-Hunt, Robert Sampson (Ralph’s son), and freshman Tedric Jackson to all excel if he wants the Yellow Jackets to move up in the standings — and if he wants to keep his job.
14.  Wake Forest: Danny Manning takes over as head coach and does have a few pieces here with Codi Miller-McIntyre, Devin Thomas and Darius Leonard.  It may not be this year, but with Leonard being the only senior, it would not be a shock to see the Demon Deacons rise in the standings soon.
15.  Boston College: Olivier Hanlan may arguably be the best wing in the ACC.  Unfortunately for new head coach Jim Christian, there is not much else on the roster beyond him.

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Conference Preview: American

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Chad

Don’t miss our first Bracket Racket of the season: https://hoopshd.com/2014/11/10/hoops-hd-bracket-racket-11092014/

The “power conferences” are allegedly defined as the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC.  But don’t tell that to the American Athletic Conference.  After all, as the AAC enters its second season, it is for the second time the home of the defending national champions.  Of course, last year’s defending champion Louisville is now a member of the ACC . . . but no other conference out there can claim anything near the ratio of defending national champions to seasons of existence that the American can.

The AAC underwent a shift in membership this offseason with both Louisville’s exit as well as Rutgers heading off to join the Big Ten.  The conference welcomes in three new members from Conference USA: East Carolina, Tulane and Tulsa.  While none of those three names conjure up ideas of top flight college programs, all three newcomers did play in the postseason last year, with East Carolina and Tulane both getting CBI bids while Tulsa won CUSA’s automatic bid into the NCAA tournament.  Of the eight returning AAC schools, half were in the postseason as well, with Memphis and Cincinnati joining UConn in the Big Dance (Louisville was an NCAA team out of this conference as well last year) and SMU playing in the NIT where the Mustangs lost to Minnesota in the championship game.

This season, the American will definitely be a multiple bid conference, though we are currently predicting it to probably only have three teams, and no more than four, in the Dance.  The top two teams appear, on paper, to be locks — SMU and Connecticut — while Tulsa, Memphis and Cincinnati all should at least be in the conversation for bids.  The pick to win the conference title is Larry Brown’s SMU Mustangs.  The Mustangs were mentioned at the start of the offseason as a potential Final Four pick when they landed star point guard recruit Emmanuel Mudiay.  Mudiay then changed his mind and chose to spend the year playing pro basketball overseas, and everyone seemed to forget about this team.  The fact is that Mudiay would have been a luxury on this squad, not a necessity.  After all, Nic Moore was one of the top point guards in the conference last season and returns for his junior year.  He is joined on the team by Markus Kennedy, Yanick Moreira, Justin Martin (from Xavier) and Jordan Tolbert (from Texas Tech) to make this still one of the deepest and most talented teams in the country, easily capable of winning the conference title this season.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1.  SMU: Moore, Kennedy, Moreira, Martin, Tolbert and more make the Mustangs not only the best in the conference but good enough to make a deep run in March.
2.  Connecticut: The Huskies look to reload in the post-Shabazz Napier era, though Ryan Boatright is still here.  He will be joined in the backcourt by Rodney Purvis, while Amida Brimah and freshman Daniel Hamilton will both be solid players as well.
3.  Tulsa: Frank Haith takes over for Danny Manning and will benefit from having most of last year’s NCAA tournament team back including Rashad Smith, James Woodard and D’Andre Wright.  The Golden Hurricane should be in the mix for an an-large bid in their first AAC season.
4.  Memphis: Shaq Goodwin and Austin Nichols give the Tigers a strong frontcourt, but there are some questions in the backcourt that need to be answered if Memphis wants to return to the NCAA tournament in March.
5.  Cincinnati: With their top three scorers gone from last season, this could be a rebuilding year for the Bearcats.  Shaquille Thomas will need to step up his game for any chance at success.
6.  Tulane: With virtually all of their key players back from last season, the Green Wave have a chance to improve off of last season’s .500 record despite the move up to a tougher conference.
7.  Houston: Jherrod Stiggers should be a solid player, but there is not much else here for Kelvin Sampson in his return to college coaching.
8.  South Florida: Orlando Antigua takes over as head coach after Steve Masiello was hired . . . and then unhired.  A rebuild project appears to be ahead, though both Chris Perry and Anthony Collins should put up good numbers.
9.  Temple: Will Cummings and Quenton DeCosey combine for one of the conference’s top backcourts, but there are too many holes down low.
10.  East Carolina: The move to the American and the loss of top scorer Akeem Richmond could make this a rough season for the Pirates.
11.  Central Florida: The Knights have a solid, young core of players that could be dangerous as they develop and mesh together — just not this year.

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