Another wretched college football season in Colorado is heading down the home stretch, and usually fans in this state can look toward another wretched college basketball season.
Alas, the round ball may indeed bounce truer in Colorado than the oblong spheroid that only Air Force seems to understand. College basketball in Colorado is on an upturn.
However, for those of you who couldn’t find Coors Events Center with MapQuest, here’s a look at the national college basketball season as it kicks off tonight with Rhode Island at Pittsburgh:
Top story lines
Can Duke repeat?
Coach Mike Krzyzewski probably doesn’t have the same quality of team as he had when he repeated in 1992. These top-ranked Blue Devils return only two starters, but they are player- of-the-year candidate Kyle Singler and NCAA hero Nolan Smith. They welcome freshman star Kyrie Irving, and Liberty transfer Seth Curry, Stephen’s brother, is also debuting.
Will Kansas State take over the state?
Welcome to the nation’s next great rivalry. The Wildcats reached the Elite Eight and return top scorer Jacob Pullen (19.3 points per game). Kansas didn’t get past the second round and lost Sherron Collins, Cole Aldridge and Xavier Henry. K-State and KU are ranked third and seventh, respectively. Circle the date of their first meeting: Jan. 29 at Kansas.
Rise of college hoops in Colorado.
No need to stay home and watch ESPN. Colorado is picked near the middle of the pack in the Big 12 and could get its first NCAA bid in eight years. Colorado State tops the Mountain West darkhorses. Denver has four starters back from a team that won 19 games, and Tad Boyle left plenty at Northern Colorado after a 25-win season. Air Force? Well, don’t expect much.
The fall of Baylor.
First, Bears assistant coach Mark Morefield violates NCAA rules for excessive texts, one of which threatened Colombian basketball star Hanner Perea if he didn’t sign. Then star guard LaceDarius Dunn is suspended indefinitely after being charged with aggravated assault for allegedly breaking his girlfriend’s jaw. Trust us. No opposing coach feels sorry for Scott Drew.
Will Bruce Pearl survive?
It sounds like the NCAA has him dead to rights after he admitted he lied to the organization’s investigators about hosting a high school junior off campus. The NCAA is also investigating excessive phone calls, and for allowing recruits and families to stay longer on official visits. Tennessee can fire Pearl for “acts of fraud.”
Programs on the way up
Florida.
Last year’s 21-win season was Billy Donovan’s second-worst season in 12 years and the third straight to end in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But back are five starters, including three seniors, and Donovan may get back to his pressing style. If guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton shoot better, the ninth-ranked Gators could be a force in March.
Wichita State.
Remember Northern Iowa’s magical March run? Wichita State could do the same. The Shockers have nine upperclassmen back, including four starters, from a 25-10 team that crashed in the first round. That shouldn’t happen this year with frontcourt stars J.T. Durley and Aaron Ellis. And two 7-footers will come off the bench.
UCLA.
Blame recruiting mistakes and the early departure of point guard Jrue Holiday for last year’s 14-18 pratfall. Three tried the point and failed, but JC transfer Lazeric Jones is decent and UCLA has enough talent to be the runner-up in another awful year for the Pac-10. We’re assuming coach Ben Howland will crack the whip on defense, which finished 261st in shooting defense (.448) and led to losses to Cal State-Fullerton and Long Beach State.
Colorado.
Yes, it is moving up. It has a potential mid-first-round draft pick in sophomore Alec Burks, a four-year starter in Cory Higgins and front-line force in Marcus Relphorde. This is Colorado’s most talent since Chauncey Billups and Co. in 1997. Boyle arrives from UNC with promises to step on the gas. Point guard Nate Tomlinson is the fourth returning starter on a team that finished 15-16.
Georgia.
The Bulldogs have one NCAA Tournament win in 14 years. Ex-Nevada coach Mark Fox has turned them around in his second year. He has one of the SEC’s best one-two punches in Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie. Clemson released forward Marcus Thornton when coach Oliver Purnell left, and now Fox has Georgia’s Mr. Basketball from last year.
Programs on the way down
Connecticut.
Coach Jim Calhoun, 68, survived the admission of eight NCAA violations for excess contact by assistants, but his team might not survive the season. The team dropped to 7-11 in the Big East and missed the NCAAs for the second time in four years. The number of returnees who averaged at least five points a game is one.
Oklahoma.
OK, we know Jeff Capel could coach Blake Griffin. Who couldn’t? Capel couldn’t coach Willie Warren, who left early for the pros after helping Oklahoma to nine straight losses to end a 4-12 Big 12 campaign. Four other underclassmen bolted, leaving the team’s fate to nine newcomers.
Georgia Tech.
Coach Paul Hewitt knew Derrick Favors was one and done. But Gani Lawal probably didn’t know he’d last until the 46th pick when he also left early. That left Hewitt, whose Yellow Jackets have one winning ACC record in his 10 years, hoping redshirt freshmen (never a good sign) Kammeon Holsey and Daniel Miller step up.
Southern Illinois.
Four years ago, Chris Lowery was one of college coaching’s bright young stars. Now his Salukis have slumped to 46-48 the last three years, and he lost two huge recruits, including Illinois’ Mr. Basketball, Kevin Dillard, from a big-time 2008 recruiting class. Lowery is counting on four jucos.
Oregon.
Dana Altman is walking into a new state-of-the-art arena and a state-of-the-art roster mess. He returned four of the top five scorers from a 16-16 team, then he lost center Michael Dunigan to a pro contract in Israel under the cloud of an NCAA probe and guard LeKendric Longmire to academics. Five players left, leaving Altman with eight scholarship players until two late additions.
Impact freshmen
Harrison Barnes
North Carolina, F, 6-7, Ames (Iowa) High
He should be the No. 1 NBA draft pick next spring. The nation’s top recruit isn’t flashy, but he’s physical and a polished all-around offensive player. He already has a deadly fadeaway jumper and will likely play shooting guard or small forward.
Kyrie Irving
Duke, G, 6-2, St. Patrick’s High, West Orange, N.J.
By far the best point guard in the nation, he’s been billed as a John Wall who can shoot. Very smart player who rarely turns the ball over, he should start for Duke from Day One.
Brandon Knight
Kentucky, G, 6-3, Pine Crest High, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Gatorade High School player of the year is second on Florida prep list with 3,515 points. Led Pine Crest to four state title games and is John Calipari’s latest one-and-done star.
Josh Smith
UCLA, C, 6-10, Kentwood High, Kent, Wash.
He is Ben Howland’s best recruit in a few years, and he could step in now as starting center, where his best moves are with his back to the basket. He’s lost a ton of weight, but his 280 pounds make him a demon on the boards.
Jared Sullinger
Ohio State, F, 6-9, Northland High, Columbus, Ohio
Widely ranked as the nation’s top power forward recruit and among the top three players overall. First Ohioan to win High School Naismith Award since LeBron James in 2003. At 280 pounds, he’s still agile and a good ball handler.
Player of the year candidates
Kyle Singler
Duke, F, 6-foot-8, Sr. He’s never had to be Duke’s leader. Now he leads the Blue Devils’ attempt at a repeat. He’s the nation’s best player on the nation’s best team, and he’ll get his chance to shine.
Jacob Pullen
Kansas State, G, 6-0, Sr. He won’t have Denis Clemente to help, but he’s one of the nation’s best players and a top defender. Just ask the BYU guy here.
Harrison Barnes
North Carolina, F, 6-7, Fr. Yes, he’s a freshman. He’s either that good or the hype is that off base. He was the nation’s top high school player and will star on a team hurting for perimeter scoring. They say he’s the best wing at Carolina since Vince Carter.
Jimmer Fredette
Brigham Young, G, 6-2, Sr. If stats and wins mean anything, Fredette will land on many All-America teams. His fadeaway jumper has been stopped only by Pullen.
Durrell Summers
Michigan State, G, 6-4, Sr. Spartans are ranked second behind Duke, and if they overcome the defending champs — starting with a showdown at Duke on Dec. 1 — Summers will be the reason. He averaged 18.8 ppg in NCAA Tournament.
Coaches on the hot seat
Doc Sadler, Nebraska, fifth year, 70-58.
He has yet to record a winning Big 12 record or earn an NCAA Tournament berth. He hasn’t taken them past the second round of the NIT. Attendance has dropped the last four years, bottoming out at an average of 9,964 last season. Plus, they enter the Big Ten next season and a new arena in 2013.
Keno Davis, Providence, third year, 31-33.
Remember when he turned Drake into Cinderella? He has turned Providence into the ugliest duckling in the Big East. A complete ignorance of defense plummeted the Friars to 4-14 in the league, and they’re picked to finish last this season. His best player, Jamine Peterson, was kicked off the team.
Sidney Lowe, North Carolina State, fifth year, 71-62.
The Wolfpack hasn’t danced yet with Lowe, thanks to no ACC record better than 6-10. He has a terrific frontcourt but also a new AD in Debbie Yow, who has watched him from her old job at Maryland.
John Beilein, Michigan, fourth year, 46-53.
West Virginia fans not only enjoyed the struggles of ex-football coach Rich Rodriguez at Michigan but also of Beilein. He has the worst team in the Big Ten. Three top starters are gone from a team that averaged 48 points over the last two months of the season.
John Pelphrey, Arkansas, fourth year, 51-47.
He’s gone from 23 wins to 14 and has lost much of its homecourt edge at Bud Walton Arena. Razorbacks are expected to take a step back this year after losing point guard Courtney Fortson and Michael Washington, one of their best forwards in history.
