# Top 10 Contenders in 2012?



## JuniorNoboa

Alot can happen over the next few months, but it still makes for good discussion.

Looking at the Big East no one jumps out. Syracuse should be on the bubble of the top 10. Louisvile could get there - they are only losing Knowles. UConn has a lot of frosh and soph around Kemba, but will they form a quality team by next year. 

ND loses all their starters and are in a rebuild. Pitt loses three senior starters - they wll be top 20 because they always are but not sure if more then that.

I can't picture Number 1 quite yet - I guess it would be Kansas if the Morris' combe back.

Texas will be highly ranked as well if it keeps Hamilton and Thompson


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Calipari will bring in a completely new team to Kentucky. If most of those guys weren't one and dones, I think they'd be up there. I'd think UK would be a legit threat either way. I think you're right on Kansas if they get both Morrises back.


----------



## HB

Kentucky and North Carolina will be 1 and 2. Not sure who goes over who.


----------



## HKF

Kentucky, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio State, North Carolina

Those five for sure.


----------



## bball2223

UK and UNC are #1 and #2 if Barnes, Henson and Knight return to school. It's completely wide open if those 3 enter the draft.


----------



## Nimreitz

Obviously talent has no bearing on it, so I'll say

Butler, VCU, ODU, George Mason, Temple, Utah State, UNLV, Northwestern, NC State, and Wisconsin.


----------



## HB

:laugh: this dude is still bitter.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

So much depends on who comes back. If Mitchell and Green are back, I can see Alabama making a serious run. 

I doubt top 10, but George Washington and St Louis are two major sleepers in the A-10...


----------



## HKF

Oh let me also add that UCLA, Washington, Arizona and Wichita State will also have strong teams.


----------



## Nimreitz

HB said:


> :laugh: this dude is still bitter.


I want to see the best teams and my team. None of those things are in this Final Four. This is supposed to be the best of the best, the peak of college basketball, but instead I get to watch a couple mid-major teams who wouldn't have got at-large bids if the field had 64 teams and a .500 team from the Big East. It's not a good thing when some of the pre-season Tournaments are better than the Final Four. I respect that these teams have put together runs to the Final Four, but they aren't great teams, and I want great teams to play for Championships. This is the equivalent of the 2011 BCS Title Game being 9-3 Bama vs. 10-2 Utah. Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather see the better teams play for a title.


----------



## HB

The most prepared teams made it to the final four, how many times do we have to go over that. Those 'great' teams didn't show up, that's on them.


----------



## Nimreitz

I'm not disputing that it's on them. It absolutely is. But it's also an inferior product and the best team won't be the champ. I'm not happy about that.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

Nimreitz said:


> I'm not disputing that it's on them. It absolutely is. But it's also an inferior product and the best team won't be the champ. I'm not happy about that.


Preparation is a part of being the best team, dude.


----------



## Nimreitz

Jonathan Watters said:


> Preparation is a part of being the best team, dude.


I'm curious how Self's preparation was the reason Kansas couldn't shoot tonight. Ditto when you go against a team that gets hot despite all their shots being contested (Pitt-Butler perhaps).


----------



## HKF

You wouldn't be saying that though if Wisconsin made it to the Final Four.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

Nimreitz said:


> I'm curious how Self's preparation was the reason Kansas couldn't shoot tonight. Ditto when you go against a team that gets hot despite all their shots being contested (Pitt-Butler perhaps).


Self's preparation was the reason Kansas got killed on screening action the entire game. Kansas obviously had an off game, but it certainly felt like they were looking past VCU. They made no adjustments whatsoever, just kept firing up bricks and giving VCU easy looks.


----------



## Nimreitz

HKF said:


> You wouldn't be saying that though if Wisconsin made it to the Final Four.


Again, I like to watch the best teams and my team. My team is Wisconsin. If someone else was similarly bitching (of course they wouldn't be because Wisconsin is a top 10 kenpom team and ranked around 15 all year while Butler and VCU, despite their runs are only up to 37 and 58 and were essentially never ranked in 2011 for good reason) maybe they would have an argument.


----------



## HB

HE just wants to see NBA prospects come late March. Shoulda been watching them all year buddy.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

Nimreitz said:


> I'm curious how Self's preparation was the reason Kansas couldn't shoot tonight. Ditto when you go against a team that gets hot despite all their shots being contested (Pitt-Butler perhaps).


Pitt did just run into a hot team, I thought they played pretty well. Obviously the final score would indicate that...

But think about this...many of the supposed "elite" teams you are talking about didn't even come close to making it. Pitt loses in the first round, ND, Purdue and Texas in 2nd, Duke and Ohio St in Sweet 16...

I think it is pretty obvious this year was extremely weak at the top. It shouldn't come as a huge surprise the top was weak, with how teams rotated in and out of both the top overall spot in the polls and the top 25 in general.


----------



## Nimreitz

Jonathan Watters said:


> Self's preparation was the reason Kansas got killed on screening action the entire game. Kansas obviously had an off game, but it certainly felt like they were looking past VCU. They made no adjustments whatsoever, just kept firing up bricks and giving VCU easy looks.


Kansas' defense was more than enough to win the game. I'm lazy, so waiting on the exact PPP, but it wouldn't shock me if Kansas' 5th worst performance on the year offensively would have ran away with this game despite no defensive change.


----------



## HKF

Nimreitz said:


> Again, I like to watch the best teams and my team. My team is Wisconsin. If someone else was similarly bitching (of course they wouldn't be because Wisconsin is a top 10 kenpom team and ranked around 15 all year while Butler and VCU, despite their runs are only up to 37 and 58 and were essentially never ranked in 2011 for good reason) maybe they would have an argument.


You keep citing KenPom, but you neglect to mention that no one likes watching Wisconsin play other than Wisconsin fans. Their brand of basketball is ugly and boring.


----------



## Nimreitz

HKF said:


> You keep citing KenPom, but you neglect to mention that no one likes watching Wisconsin play other than Wisconsin fans. Their brand of basketball is ugly and boring.


I had a huge rant about non-Wisconsin stuff, but why even bother. This has nothing to do with Wisconsin at all and everything I want to say I've already said in some way. I'm sure that if I wasn't a Wisconsin fan I'd hate watching them too, but I am a fan, so I like them. This is about college basketball as a whole... hell if recruiting doesn't matter anymore Wisconsin would be one of the biggest beneficiaries.


----------



## JuniorNoboa

HB said:


> HE just wants to see NBA prospects come late March. Shoulda been watching them all year buddy.


I don't think that is what Nim wants at all - he wants better teams in the tournament.

The thing is the NCAA Tournament exists to crown an NCAA champion in a somewhat fair process, not to crown the best NCAA team. 

A one and out system will more often then not, not crown the perceived best team in any sport. But you can't base a champion on the perceived best teams unless you want the football system.

If you increased every series to a 4 out of 7 matchup you would probably get the best team - but that is not realistic in a college setting where number of games are limited.

If you reduce the tournament size to 16, you could still get a 3-4 seed win it all in a one and done format. Say Kentucky won they still are clearly not the best team - the best team this year would still be Ohio St, Kansas and Pitt.

This is a system to crown a "CHAMP" in a generally fair way in an entertaining and profitable format. A system to crown the "BEST TEAM" is simply not feasable with 345 teams and the fact that these are student athletes that can't play more then 40 games in a season.

The only solution I can give to Nim is a 32 team field which limits the automatics. But does that pass the "Fair" test. One of the arguments against is that has been proven that teams below that can do very well in the tournament. The counter to that would be easy - you had 35 games to prove you deserved to be in here, and if you had really played well there would be no issue. (The same point I say to fans who complain their team does not make the 64-68 team tournament.)

But how would you go about a 32 team tournament. What conferences get excluded? Is it based on computer, and the lower conferences go to the NIT?


----------



## JuniorNoboa

HKF - who do you see as the next tier in the Big East next year after UConn? Conteders for say top 20 status. 

Cuse? Louisville? Pitt? Cincy if Gates sticks around?

I think Marquette will take another step upward next year. I don't have too much faith in Nova. St. John's will be too young. 

West Virginia loses alot but keep some top players. Georgetown loses most of their talent, and Notre Dame loses it all.


As for the usual bottom feeders, I can see Rutgers getting to or close to .500 in conference play as Rice grows the programs with , but I think they have to wait until at least 2013/2014 as his newest class develops.

So I see it as:

1. UConn
2. Syracuse
3. Louisville
4. Pitt
5. Cincinnati
6. Marquette
-------
7. West Virginia
8. Villanova


----------



## Nimreitz

TBH, I don't think the tournament would necessarily be better with 32 instead of 64. I think there's some serious problem that I'm not considering at all. There's no logical reason why there would be so much parity right now (and last year), but so little parity in, say 2008. At least that I can think of. And don't get me wrong, I want to see upsets and I like a good story, but I just don't want them actually winning the damn tournament because the whole system crumbles and it turns it into somewhat of a farce. VCU finishes 4th in a good, but certainly not one of the better, conferences with 11 losses, but they're the National Champ? I can't swallow that.

Is UConn really going to be that great next year? Kemba's coming out and they were a .500 team this year. Didn't realize it, but poor Steve Lavin is losing his entire team. Brutal.


----------



## BlueBaron

VCU could win the championship and very possibly come out not even ranked next year... crazy isn't it? If Knight stays or goes UK will be #1 next year with UNC and Kansas right behind.


----------



## HKF

UConn has seven freshman on the roster, two sophomores, Kemba, Okwandu and Donnell Beverly. UConn is without question going to be a top 5-10 team for the next two years and they add Ryan Boatright. 

As for the Big East, I have already said regarding St. John's they have a top 5 recruiting class coming in. They should make the tournament again. If I ranked the league, it would be something like this:

1. Connecticut
2. Syracuse
3. Louisville
4. West Virginia (Bryant, Jones, Pepper, Kicili all return)
5. Pittsburgh
6. Cincinnati
6. Notre Dame (Martin, Scott, Abromatis, Atkins, Cooley)
6. St. John's
9. Rutgers
10. Marquette
11. Villanova
12. South Florida
13. Georgetown
14. DePaul
15. Providence
16. Seton Hall

I think DePaul, Providence and South Florida could all compete for an NCAA tournament berth. I think those are the top 9 teams. Marquette could go either way and Georgetown and Villanova are headed for down years. However, Jay Wright is gearing up for a big year recruiting in 2012.


----------



## JuniorNoboa

But St. John's ranking is based more on the quantity of good recruits (going on their individual rankings - I don't follow more closely then that). Don't get me wrong, I really like the class, but it seems to be more suited for long term success rather then short term success Many should stay at least until they are upperclassmen. I'm just not sure if they will "get it" as a group as a freshmen, and that talent alone of the top performers may not get them over the top. 

But if I had to make a favourite for 2014, it would by St. John's -- that's too far sighted.

I underrated the WVU core of Bryant, Jones, Kilicli. They deserve to be in the upper class, especially with Huggins as coach who will use the talent and define roles appropriately.

Still not sold on Notre Dame, but Brey never allows his teams to get too far down.



I do like Marquette's potential one-two combo of Johson-Odom and Crowder. I really like what Crowder brings, sort of like a Lazar Hayward. Cadougan, a canuck seems to be finally getting it, and with Blue they should be good at the point. I think if Gardner can get in some shape and not be such a fatass, they could surprise and contend.


----------



## Nimreitz

Vander Blue HAS to make massive strides next year. If he doesn't he is a ridiculous bust. They went through all kinds of **** to get that kid away from Wisconsin. And the kid who got his scholarship, Josh Gasser, had a great freshman year and started while Blue regressed... Blue needs to step up.


----------



## SheriffKilla

HKF said:


> UConn has seven freshman on the roster, two sophomores, Kemba, Okwandu and Donnell Beverly. UConn is without question going to be a top 5-10 team for the next two years and they add Ryan Boatright.
> 
> As for the Big East, I have already said regarding St. John's they have a top 5 recruiting class coming in. They should make the tournament again. If I ranked the league, it would be something like this:
> 
> 1. Connecticut
> 2. Syracuse
> 3. Louisville
> 4. West Virginia (Bryant, Jones, Pepper, Kicili all return)
> 5. Pittsburgh
> 6. Cincinnati
> 6. Notre Dame (Martin, Scott, Abromatis, Atkins, Cooley)
> 6. St. John's
> 9. Rutgers
> 10. Marquette
> 11. Villanova
> 12. South Florida
> 13. Georgetown
> 14. DePaul
> 15. Providence
> 16. Seton Hall
> 
> I think DePaul, Providence and South Florida could all compete for an NCAA tournament berth. I think those are the top 9 teams. Marquette could go either way and Georgetown and Villanova are headed for down years. However, Jay Wright is gearing up for a big year recruiting in 2012.


Martin, Scott and Abromatis were all seniors if my info is correct.
Here is my top 10, obviously rough and based on assumptions at this point but something to go off:
1. Duke - Assuming Irving is gone, they still bring Rivers and Plumlees adnd Curry will be back as well
2. Kentucky - Assuming Jones and Knight are gone, but Lamb will be back as well as the best recruiting class in the nation
3. Syracuse - Rick Jackson is graduating but even if Kris Joseph leaves early they still bring back a wealth of talent and an excellent class.
4. Ohio State - Assuming Sullinger and Buford are back, even with Lighty, Diebler etc gone just Sullinger is enough to give them a top 10 ranking.
5. Louisville - They lose Preston Knowles but bring back pretty much everyone else and bring in a few talented freshmen.
6. Michigan - Surprise team this year brings everyone back a year older and more experienced.
7. Connecticut - Have a lot of guys returning but Kemba Walker was so great this year, he will be hard to replace with just Ryan Boatright.
8. Arizona - Losing Derrick Williams but bring in some very good recruits and the rest of the team is pretty much intact.
9. Pittsburgh - Losing some very good players but had plenty of depth this year and top 10 player Khem Birch is joining them a year early.
10. Vanderbilt - Assuming Jeff Taylor returns everyone should be back and this should be their year to finally do some damage in the tourney.


----------



## bball2223

No Carolina in the top 10? Is that just off the assumption Barnes and Henson are entering the draft?


----------



## HKF

SheriffKilla said:


> Martin, Scott and Abromatis were all seniors if my info is correct.


No, you are not correct. They all have extra years available (because of either injuries or redshirts). Those three guys will be back.


----------



## HB

Your top 10 doesn't have UNC who will be number 1 if Barnes and Henson stay. They'll have Hairston, Mcadoo, and Bullock in the fold too. How are they not the odds on favorites?


----------



## bball2223

Because UK is every bit as talented if Knight comes back. UK and UNC are the top 2.


----------



## HB

I highly doubt Knight is coming back.


----------



## EpicFailGuy

HB said:


> I highly doubt Knight is coming back.


If everybody comes back, UK, UNC are probably the most talented teams. But since John Calipari is involved, I see little chance of that happening. Cal is bringing in another loaded class of mercenaries this year.


----------



## SheriffKilla

I'm assuming Barnes and Henson are leaving... so hence no Carolina. Don't see why they wouldn't at this point. Very rare for someone to pass up being a lottery pick. Yes, I know it has happened before but just don't see it. Would be crazy though if Barnes, Henson, Sullinger and Kyrie all came back.


----------



## kansasalumn

I think KU would be top 5 team is morris brothers and Selby comes back. It owuld be twins, Johnson, Taylor and Selby as the starting line up. If Marc leave put in TRob. If twins leave top 15 if one leave top 10


----------



## Diable

I'm not sure Henson is going to be a lottery pick. He looks like a huge project to me. On the other hand this is probably his only chance to go relatively highly. Frankly he looks a lot like Hilton Armstrong to me, but Armstrong went in the middle of the first round too. He probably has nothing to gain by staying in school given that he's unlikely to go higher next year than he would this year.


----------



## HB

SheriffKilla said:


> I'm assuming Barnes and Henson are leaving... so hence no Carolina. Don't see why they wouldn't at this point. Very rare for someone to pass up being a lottery pick. Yes, I know it has happened before but just don't see it. Would be crazy though if Barnes, Henson, Sullinger and Kyrie all came back.


Roy doesn't recruit 'one and dones.' Barnes will most likely come back to try and win everything next year. He'll still be a lottery pick next year, maybe not as high as this one.


----------



## EpicFailGuy

HB said:


> Roy doesn't recruit 'one and dones.' Barnes will most likely come back to try and win everything next year. He'll still be a lottery pick next year, maybe not as high as this one.


I will give you that. I think Barnes is gone though...can't pass up millions. That's also why I think Knight leaves Kentucky.


----------



## Diable

Carolina wasn't recruiting John Wall?


----------



## HB

Smoke screen


----------



## Nimreitz

HB said:


> Roy doesn't recruit 'one and dones.' Barnes will most likely come back to try and win everything next year. He'll still be a lottery pick next year, maybe not as high as this one.


That's bull****. Roy starts recruiting sophomores, and he recruits the best sophomores. You have no idea if they'll be the 1 and done type even by the time they accept your offer before their senior year.


----------



## HB

Since he has coached UNC, the only guys that left after their first season were Marvin Williams and Brandon Wright. Marvin because the Tar Heels had won the championship, what else was left to achieve? Wright I suppose because he was going so high in the lottery. Look at the type of guys he goes after, usually character guys who fit into his system. He gets mileage out of his players.

P.s. forgot Zeller is a Jr, with him coming back next year (hopefully), we are going to be so deadly it will be unfair.


----------



## Nimreitz

HB said:


> Since he has coached UNC, the only guys that left after their first season were Marvin Williams and Brandon Wright. Marvin because the Tar Heels had won the championship, what else was left to achieve? Wright I suppose because he was going so high in the lottery. Look at the type of guys he goes after, usually character guys who fit into his system. He gets mileage out of his players.
> 
> P.s. forgot Zeller is a Jr, with him coming back next year (hopefully), we are going to be so deadly it will be unfair.


How many 1 and dones do you expect? You think he's going to get 1 every year? How many have been at Duke in that time? Or UCLA or Georgetown or Syracuse or UConn or whatever.


----------



## HB

Duke most likely got one in Austin Rivers. But Duke is just like UNC, actually all those schools you mentioned are like UNC in that their coaches have a particular type player they go after. Pretty sure coaches aren't too excited that their best players keep leaving after one year.


----------



## Blue

Florida might have the most talented backcourt in the country next yr.. but frontcourt experience is a concern.


----------



## HKF

HB said:


> Roy doesn't recruit 'one and dones.' Barnes will most likely come back to try and win everything next year. He'll still be a lottery pick next year, maybe not as high as this one.


What were Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright? I don't recall them making it to their sophomore seasons.


----------



## HB

Explained a few pages back BUT Marvin had nothing else to achieve in college, they won it all that year. Wright was in the lottery, pretty sure Roy wasn't expecting he'd leave so soon.


----------



## HKF

Barnes is in the lottery too. If a player goes pro after his freshman year, guess what you recruit one and dones. No one thought Daniel Orton or Eric Bledsoe would leave after one year, but guess what? They did. THE END!


----------



## HB

He recruits players that 'fit' into his system. He builds teams that are very similar to his championship winning teams. Good shooters, quick points, solid big men. Barnes was actually surprising when he committed to UNC.


----------



## Blue

Roy Williams has a history of one and dones. If you coach @ UNC, u always go after the best players..


----------



## Geaux Tigers

HB said:


> Explained a few pages back BUT Marvin had nothing else to achieve in college, they won it all that year. Wright was in the lottery, pretty sure Roy wasn't expecting he'd leave so soon.


Saying Marvin had nothing else to achieve in college is wild...flat out wild talk...How about an opening tip?


----------



## SheriffKilla

Yeah, Henson is questionable right now even though I do believe it would be in his best interests to leave. Barnes is a top 5 pick though, don't see why he'd stay.
I understand the college championship is something to look forward to but it's not like it'd be guaranteed. Look what happened with Duke this year for example.


----------



## ATLien

HKF said:


> What were Marvin Williams and Brandan Wright? I don't recall them making it to their sophomore seasons.


Only in my dreams


----------



## Diable

Marvin could have gotten to start a game


----------



## JuniorNoboa

HB said:


> Since he has coached UNC, the only guys that left after their first season were Marvin Williams and Brandon Wright. Marvin because the Tar Heels had won the championship, what else was left to achieve? Wright I suppose because he was going so high in the lottery. Look at the type of guys he goes after, usually character guys who fit into his system. He gets mileage out of his players.
> 
> P.s. forgot Zeller is a Jr, with him coming back next year (hopefully), we are going to be so deadly it will be unfair.


Who is the last UNC player that was a legit guarantee for the lottery that stayed at UNC?

Guys like Hansbrough, Felton, McCants, May, Lawson were not guaranteed lotto picks at any point prior to their final year at UNC, so its hard to say their is a trend. Good, but not lotto type picks, have stuck around.

Henson is an idiot so its hard for me to try to logically think like he would. HB, it may be something your capable of.


----------



## HB

Lol at this guy coming on here to talk tough. I dont even know why I am trying to argue this with you. What the heck do you know about draft positions, have you ever contributed in draft talk? Talking about those guys were not guaranteed lotto picks at any point in their careers....you do realize the lotto is 14 picks right? I guess its convenient to bring this up now, knowing there's no way to prove if you are right or not. Funny how all the guys you named were all selected in the lottery with the exception of Lawson, so what the heck are you talking about? I am sure I remember correctly, people saying Tyler coming back was a big mistake and his draft stock would take a hit.

FYI Henson is very first year of committing to UNC was talked of as a lottery pick.

Go back to making predictions about the bubble, I thought 'numbers' were all you were concerned with.


----------



## HB

Anywhoo, I was coming on here to say Duke is stacked at the wing positions. That's a lot of wing players for one school.


----------



## bball2223

This is how I see the top 4 teams:

UK
UNC
Duke
Kansas

-This is provided UK returns Knight, UNC gets Barnes/Henson back, Duke returns Irving and Kansas returns the Morris twins. If this scenario takes place I think these four have to be the favorites. UK is probably still an elite team without Knight, but the other three will be on that 2nd tier (still teams who could make a final 4 run, but not quite elite) if they don't return those players. These next few weeks should be very interesting.


----------



## SheriffKilla

Well Barnes is supposedly going to announce that he is returning to UNC on Tuesday. If he and Sullinger indeed come back, next year is going to be really strong talent wise.


----------



## bball2223

Barnes coming back is huge. So is Sullinger for Ohio State, but losing Diebler, Lighty, Lauderdale and possibly Buford is going to hurt them big time. Now they don't have the shooters to take some of the defensive attention off of Sullinger and they lose depth inside. If Sullinger/Buford come back OSU is a top 10 ish team again. Without those two they would have to fight to make the tournament next year.


----------



## dwilliams01

Nimreitz said:


> I want to see the best teams and my team. None of those things are in this Final Four. This is supposed to be the best of the best, the peak of college basketball, but instead I get to watch a couple mid-major teams who wouldn't have got at-large bids if the field had 64 teams and a .500 team from the Big East. It's not a good thing when some of the pre-season Tournaments are better than the Final Four. I respect that these teams have put together runs to the Final Four, but they aren't great teams, and I want great teams to play for Championships. This is the equivalent of the 2011 BCS Title Game being 9-3 Bama vs. 10-2 Utah. Thanks but no thanks, I'd rather see the better teams play for a title.


there were no great teams this season. it is what it is


----------



## Drewbs

All 3 are coming back for UNC. Can you say pre-season #1?


----------



## EpicFailGuy

Brandon Knight, UK hardly knew ye.


----------



## Geaux Tigers

bball2223 said:


> This is how I see the top 4 teams:
> 
> UK
> UNC
> Duke
> Kansas
> 
> -This is provided UK returns Knight, UNC gets Barnes/Henson back, Duke returns Irving and Kansas returns the Morris twins. If this scenario takes place I think these four have to be the favorites. UK is probably still an elite team without Knight, but the other three will be on that 2nd tier (still teams who could make a final 4 run, but not quite elite) if they don't return those players. These next few weeks should be very interesting.


Damn it's like the 90's again.


----------



## Ghost

UNC
Kentucky
Pitt
Syarcuse
Florida
Gonzaga(HOMER PICK I KNOW)
Duke
Kansas
Ohio State
Michigan State

Thats my early top 10 in no order


----------



## xu95

With Tu returning Xavier will be close to that list.

xu95


----------



## bball2223

Ryan Harrow, a 5* PG from the 2010 class, is transferring from NC State to Kentucky. He has some maturing to do, but sitting out a year should help him out.


----------



## Geaux Tigers

bball2223 said:


> Ryan Harrow, a 5* PG from the 2010 class, is transferring from NC State to Kentucky. He has some maturing to do, but sitting out a year should help him out.


He's a pretty exciting player. What a great get for UK. I thought it was odd for him to go to NC State anyway.


----------



## bball2223

Geaux Tigers said:


> He's a pretty exciting player. What a great get for UK. I thought it was odd for him to go to NC State anyway.


Me too. He was never a fit for Lowe's system and Lowe hasn't developed anybody. The year out should help him tremendously and with the lack of elite PG's in 2012, he should have 2-3 years to start. His skill set will flourish in Caliparis dribble drive motion.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

1. UNC
2. Ohio St
3. Kentucky
4. Duke
5. Vanderbilt
6. Syracuse
7. Alabama
8. Xavier
9. Florida
10. Louisville


----------



## bball2223

I like that list. The SEC East is going to be very strong at the top next year.


----------



## Jonathan Watters

bball2223 said:


> I like that list. The SEC East is going to be very strong at the top next year.


In terms of talent, Vanderbilt might be #1. They have the best shooter and best true center in the country, along with a swingman who has the ability to start in the NBA someday. The bench is deep and extremely talented as well. 

I just watched the Commodores fail to play up to their potential too many times last year. It was a lack of toughness and killer instinct. Still, clearly a Top 5 team headed into the season...


----------



## zagsfan20

No love for my Zags?

Kevin Pangos is going to be the real deal and I'm anxious to see how the scoring machine Sam Dower has progressed over the offseason.


----------



## Ghost

zagsfan20 said:


> No love for my Zags?
> 
> Kevin Pangos is going to be the real deal and I'm anxious to see how the scoring machine Sam Dower has progressed over the offseason.




A killer instinct would help a lot


----------



## bball2223

Incoming UK freshman Michael Gilchrist has changed his name to Mike Kidd-Gilchrist.


----------



## gi0rdun

UNC has like 6 NBA guys on their roster.


----------



## SheriffKilla

Kentucky has like 4 of the top 10 picks on theirs. Plus Doron Lamb who is a possible lottery pick and a likely 1st round pick.


----------

