Arizona

Chase Budinger: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Fri, 09 May 2008 13:38:57 -0700

Chase Budinger

Class: Sophomore

Position: SG/SF

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 203bs

Accolades: Third Team All-Pac-10 (08), Second Team Freshman All-American – CHN (07), Pac-10 Freshman of the Year (07), co-MVP McDonald’s All-American Game – high school (06), McDonald’s All-American – high school (07), First Team All-American – Parade – high school (06), MVP Nike Junior World Championship (06).

Scouting Report: A long-range bomber who can also jump out of the gym.

Strengths: Incredible leaper – his vertical is apparently over 40 inches. Big-time scorer – put up very good scoring numbers both years in college. Played in one of the toughest conferences around, the Pac-10. Despite only playing two years of college ball, he played big minutes both years. Amazing athlete – excels in volleyball also. Good outside shooter – hit over two three-pointers a game this past year. Solid rebounder for a wing player. Solid passer and ball-handler.

Weaknesses: Not always aggressive enough. Needs to work on his defense. Can take too many outside shots – shot almost six three-pointers a game. Inconsistent – can be a streaky scorer. Needs to improve his assist to turnover ratio – had almost as many turnovers as assists.

Projected 2008 Draft Range: Mid to late first round pick.

Consensus: Chase Budinger has all the tools to be a very good NBA player. However, his game (and body) still needs work and another year in college to get physically stronger, improve his defense and become more consistent would probably be his best bet.

Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=31642

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential

= Potential NBA All-Star

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= 6th Man/Fringe Starter

= Career Reserve

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues

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Shawn Siegel — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:27:53 -0700

Early 2008-09 All-Freshman Projections

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:42:30 -0700

Following my 2009 Field of 65 & Projected All-Americans, here is an early look at the 2008-09 All-Freshman Team.

First Team
G - Jrue Holiday - UCLA
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
F - Greg Monroe - Georgetown
F - Samardo Samuels - Louisville

Second Team
G - Demar DeRozan - USC
G - J'Covan Brown - Texas
F - Tony Mitchell - Alabama
F - Drew Gordon - UCLA
C - BJ Mullens - Ohio State

Third Team
G - William Buford - Ohio State
G - Willie Warren - Oklahoma
G - Scotty Hopson - Tennessee
F - Devin Ebanks - ?
C - J'Mison Morgan - LSU

Fourth Team
G - Chris Singleton - Florida State
F - Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest
F - Luke Babbitt - Nevada
F - David Lobeau - Texas A&M
C - Jeff Withey - Arizona

Early 2008-09 All-American Projections

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:16:37 -0700

Following my projected 2009 Field of 65, here is an early look at the 2008-09 All-Americans.

First Team
G - DJ Augustin - Texas
G - Stephen Curry - Davidson
G - Brandon Jennings - Arizona
F - Luke Harangody - Notre Dame
F - Tyler Hansbrough - North Carolina

Second Team
G - James Harden - Arizona State
G - Terrence Williams - Louisville
G - Tyrese Rice - Boston College
F - Kyle Singler - Duke
F - Jon Brockman - Washington

Third Team
G - AJ Price - UCONN
G - Tyreke Evans - Memphis
F - Blake Griffin - Oklahoma
F - Trent Plaisted - BYU
F - Patrick Patterson - Kentucky

Fourth Team
G - Jrue Holiday - UCLA
G - Eric Maynor - VCU
G - Dominic James - Marquette
F - Samardo Samuels - Louisville
C - AJ Ogilvy - Vanderbilt

*Of course I've had to make a lot of assumptions about who will go pro or not. For example, DJ Augustin and Tyler Hansbrough may very well enter the Draft, but for now I'm going on the premise they return. This list will be updated in a couple weeks once all decisions are made.

**Coming soon are my early All-Rookie teams for next season.

2008 Parade High School All-Americans

Press Release — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 09:22:06 -0700

PARADE ALL-AMERICANS

FIRST TEAM (Name, School, City, Height)

Brandon Jennings - Arizona - Mouth of Wilson, Va. - 6'2"
Samardo Samuels - Louisville - Newark, N.J. - 6'9"
Tyreke Evans - ? - Aston, Pa. - 6'6"
Jrue Holiday - UCLA - North Hollywood, Calif. - 6'4"
Tyler Zeller - UNC - Washington, Ind. - 7'0"
Al-Farouq Aminu - Wake Forest - Norcross, Ga. - 6'9"
B.J. Mullens - Ohio State - Canal Winchester, Ohio - 7'1"
Demar DeRozan - USC - Compton, Calif. - 6'6"
William Buford - Ohio State - Toledo, Ohio - 6'5"
Greg Monroe - Georgetown - Harvey, La. - 6'10"

SECOND TEAM

Ed Davis - UNC - Richmond, Va. - 6'9"
Derrick Favors - 2009 - Atlanta, Ga. - 6'9"
Kemba Walker - UCONN - New York, N.Y. - 6'2"
Lance Stephenson - 2009 - Brooklyn, N.Y. - 6'6"
Luke Babbitt - Nevada - Reno, Nev. - 6'8"
Elliot Williams - Duke - Collierville, Tenn. - 6'4"
Sylven Landesberg - Virginia - Flushing, N.Y. - 6'6"
Scotty Hopson - Tennessee - Hopkinsville, Ky. - 6'7"
Xavier Henry - 2009 - Oklahoma City, Okla. - 6'6"
Mike Rosario - Rutgers - Jersey City, N.J. - 6'3"

THIRD TEAM

Willie Warren - Oklahoma - Fort Worth, Tex. - 6'4"
Michael Dunigan - Oregon - Chicago, Ill. - 6'10"
JaMychal Green - Alabama - Montgomery, Ala. - 6'9"
Chris Singleton - FSU - Dunwoody, Ga. - 6'9"
Larry Drew - UNC - Woodland Hills, Calif. - 6'0"
Iman Shumpert - Georgia Tech - Oak Park, Ill. - 6'4"
Leslie McDonald - 2009 - Eads, Tenn. - 6'4"
Dexter Strickland - 2009 UNC - Elizabeth, N.J. - 6'3"
Howard Thompkins - Georgia - Norcross, Ga. - 6'9"
Darius Miller - Kentucky - Maysville, Ky. - 6'7"

FOURTH TEAM

Kenny Boynton - 2009 - Plantation, Fla. - 6'2"
DeQuan Jones - Miami - Marietta, Ga. - 6'6"
Tony Woods - Wake Forest - Rome, Ga. - 6'11"
Renardo Sidney - 2009 - Los Angeles, Calif. - 6'11"
Terrelle Pryor - Ohio State - Jeannette, Pa. - 6'6"
Yancy Gates - Cincinnatti - Cincinnati, Ohio - 6'9"
Draymond Green - Michigan State - Saginaw, Mich. 6'7"
Kevin Jones - West Virginia - Mount Vernon, N.Y. - 6'7"
Malcolm Lee - UCLA - Riverside, Calif. - 6'5"
Henry Sims - Georgetown - Baltimore, Md. - 6'11

2008 CollegeHoops.net All-Freshman Team

CHN — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:11:58 -0700

CollegeHoops.net Freshman of the Year: Michael Beasley (Kansas State)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman
G: OJ Mayo (USC)
G: Derrick Rose (Memphis)
G: Jerryd Bayless (Arizona)
F: Kevin Love (UCLA)
F: Michael Beasley (Kansas State)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman
G: Eric Gordon (Indiana)
G: Nick Calathes (Florida)
G: James Harden (Arizona State)
F: Patrick Patterson (Kentucky)
F: Blake Griffin (Oklahoma)

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman
G: Jonny Flynn (Syracuse)
F: Bill Walker (Kansas State)
F: Kyle Singler (Duke)
F: Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
C: AJ Ogilvy (Vanderbilt)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman
James Anderson (Oklahoma State), DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), LaceDarius Dunn (Baylor), Donte Greene (Syracuse), JJ Hickson (NC State), Davon Jefferson (USC), James Johnson (Wake Forest), Dominique Jones (South Florida), Patrick Mills (Saint Mary’s), Anthony Randolph (LSU), Chris Warren (Ole Miss)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up tomorrow are our High & Mid-Major All-Freshman teams.

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Picture of the Day: Brandon Jennings' New 'Do

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:18:13 -0700

Thanks to our friends over at Icon Sports Media, we now have access to thousands of great college basketball photos to use on the site. Each day, CHN will feature a Picture of the Day, which might include a newsworthy, funny, or simply interesting subject. At the bottom will be a caption or headline that might be informative or amusing. The possibilities are endless!

Brandon Jennings: Style

Is Kid n' Play in the house? Nope.. its just Arizona recruit Brandon Jennings showing of his new 'do. Not much you can say except for.. Wow.

- Check out recent Pictures of the Day!

- Also check out the Cheerleader of the Day!

And Then There Were 16.. Weekend Review

Jason Brubaker — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 06:56:22 -0700

What a weekend in college basketball. A plethora of close games. A few Cinderellas trying on their dancing shoes. Buzzer-beaters. Fired-up coaches. Chest-thumping players. And at the end of it all, 48 teams have been sent packing, their championship hopes dashed. The final 16 teams includes two 12 seeds, as well as a 10 and 7 seed...who would've thought? Here's a look back at four days of Madness

- How in the world did every major school miss on Stephen Curry? The sharp-shooting Davidson sophomore averaged 35 points per game in leading the Wildcats to wins over Gonzaga and Georgetown on their way to the Sweet Sixteen. Lightly-recruited by bigger schools, Curry has proven time and time again he has no problem match-up up against elite players. He nailed 13 shots from beyond the arc in the first two rounds, using textbook form and a lightning-quick release. The Wildcats will again be giving up size when they face Wisconsin next round, but with Curry on the floor, you can't count them out.

- UCLA and Stanford occupied most of the spotlight in the Pac-10 this year, but don't forget about Washington State. The Cougars had as impressive of a weekend as anyone, pounding upstart Winthrop 71-40, and then shutting down Notre Dame in a 61-41 victory, holding them to an average of 27% shooting from the field. The Cougars calling card all season has been their defense, and they proved why, engulfing Big East POY Luke Harangody and holding him to just 10 points. Their defense will be tested in the next round however, by North Carolina, who has scored over 100 in each of their first two games.

- The RPI aside, most people would agree that the Pac-10 and Big East were the nation's toughest conferences this year, and the remaining teams are proof. Both conferences have three teams still standing, while the ACC and SEC each only have one. However, while the Pac-10 teams (UCLA, Stanford, Washington State) were somewhat expected, the three Big East might be a little surprising. No Georgetown, no Notre Dame and no Connecticut...replaced by West Virginia (5th in the conference) and Villanova (8th in the conference). Madness indeed.

- Out of the six mid-major at large teams, five lost in the first round, including ugly losses by Kent State and South Alabama. However, Xavier is still very much alive, having grinded out tough wins over a hot Georgia team and a scrappy Purdue squad. The Muskies have an incredibly balanced attack, and really get after teams defensively, denying passing lanes and just generally frustrating opponents. Diminutive point guard Drew Lavender, the heart and soul of the team, is a joy to watch as he speeds by defenders, while fellow seniors Stanley Burrell and Josh Duncan are as tough-minded as they come. Guards CJ Anderson and BJ Raymond are versatile players, while forward Derrick Brown has NBA-athleticism. If Jason Love continues to produce down low, Xavier should be able to knock off West Virginia in the next round, setting up a potentially interesting game with UCLA with a Final Four berth on the line.

- Duke haters can rejoice again after another tournament sees the Devils fail to make it past the first weekend. Last year, it was VCU shocking the Devils; this year West Virginia did the deed, exposing Duke's over-dependency on three-point shooting and lack of inside presence. Thought to be the weakest of the 2-seeds in the field, Duke did nothing to disprove that, barely escaping Belmont in the first round before bowing out to the Mountaineers. A severe lack of athleticism outside of Gerald Henderson once again doomed the Devils, who couldn't stay in front of anyone on defense. Another early exit next year, and the over-rated chants will be louder than ever.

- In other over-rated news, how does a team with Arizona's talent keep getting bounced early? The Wildcats boast two probably future lottery picks in Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, along with future NBA player Jordan Hill, yet they won't see the second round of the tournament for the second straight year. It was a trying year to be sure, with the Lute Olson distractions and nagging injuries, but at some point, you'd like to see them start playing up to their potential.

- Indiana concluded their bizarre season by mailing in most of the game against Arkansas in bowing out in the first round. When Kelvin Sampson was replaced as head coach on Feb. 22 following an investigation into NCAA violations, the Hoosiers spiraled downwards, going 3-4 under interim coach Dan Dakich. Star freshman guard Eric Gordon struggled against Arkansas, going 3-15, and many of the Hoosiers appeared uninterested in playing defense. Indiana is too proud of a program to let this bog them down for too long, but there's no doubt this was not the same team that entered February at 17-3.

- Thanks for stopping by Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo. The two superstar freshmen, both likely headed to the NBA, saw their seasons over the weekend. Beasley showed why he's up for POY honors as he led the Wildcats to a first-round victory over USC and Mayo, totaling 23 points and 11 rebounds. The Wildcats then ran into an experienced Wisconsin team in the second round, bowing out despite another good effort from Beasley (23 and 13). But both kids should hold their heads high. They entered the season with enormous expectations and lived up to them, not an easy task for a young kid.

- It's hard to pin down the best game over the weekend, but there were a few that stood out. Western Kentucky and Drake put on a shoot-out for the ages in the first round, with WKU winning in OT on a Ty Rogers' 30-foot heave at the buzzer. Following that, San Diego stunned UConn, getting giant performances from Brandon Johnson and Gyno Pomare, plus a buzzer-beater of their own by De'Jon Jackson. UCLA needed late-game heroics from Darren Collison to hold off Texas A&M on Saturday, while Stanford got a baseline shot from Brook Lopez with one second left to knock off Marquette in overtime. Then, Tennessee needed late free throws to hold off a gritty Butler team in overtime on Sunday, while Memphis grinded out a three-point win over a tough Mississippi State squad. All in all, even though my brackets are destroyed (Siena anyone??), it was a great weekend for hoops.

- Similarly, it's hard to put out a list of the best individual performances of the weekend, since there was so many. But a few that simply can't be ignored: Davidson's Stephen Curry (40 pts vs. Gonzaga, 30 pts vs. Georgetown), Kentucky's Joe Crawford (35 pts vs. Marquette), Marquette's Jerel McNeal (30 pts vs. Stanford), West Virginia's Joe Mazzulla (13 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast off the bench vs. Duke), Arkansas' Sonny Weems (31 pts vs. Indiana), Miami's Jack McClinton (38 pts vs. St. Mary's), Stanford's Brook Lopez (30 pts vs. Marquette), WKU's Tyrone Brazelton (33 pts. vs. Drake), Xavier’s Drew Lavender (18 pts, 9 ast vs. Purdue), Duke's Gerald Henderson (21 pts, 7 reb, 5 stl vs. Belmont) and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds (25 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast vs. Siena).

Bracket Tactics: Wednesday Night's Tip

Jon Teitel — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:47:25 -0700

Leading up to the 2008 NCAA Tournament, we'll be presenting daily tips to help you fill in your bracket.

Today's Bracket Tactic

FACT: While #7 seeds are 57-35 vs. #10 seeds in the 1st round since 1985, #10 seeds have had much more success against #2 seeds in the 2nd round: #10 seeds are 17-18 in the 2nd round during that time (including an average of 1 upset win per year over the past 11 years), while #7 seeds are only 17-40 in the 2nd round over the same time period.

BRACKET TIP: Pick two or three #7 seeds to win in the 1st round, but try to find one #10 seed who can make it all the way to the Sweet 16.

Editor's Follow Up: Based on Jon's tip today.. the best bet for a 10 seed advancing beyond the first round would probably be Davidson or Arizona.

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Straight-Forward Tourney Commentary: Overrated Teams

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:24:32 -0700

This column is not the place for in-depth team information (which you can find here), or in-depth game previews (which you can find here).. this here is all about straight-forward, honest, to-the-point, useful NCAA Tournament commentary:

Overrated Teams

Vanderbilt (4)

Why? 7-7 away from home is rather pathetic for a 4 seed, especially considering their best non-home win was on a neutral floor against 71st ranked Utah State. Luckily for the Commodores, Siena shouldn't be an issue in the first round.. but they might not make it past the Round of 32.

Davidson (10)

Why? Everybody loves to love Davidson and Stephen Curry. But they didn't even win a single Top 100 game all year. The only other tournament team with a similar mark of futility is 15th seeded Belmont. If Davidson was also a 15 seed, I'd say they were dangerous and capable of surprising someone, but they're overseeded as a 10. No doubt they'll give Gonzaga a serious run in Round One, but too many people will fall in love with the Wildcats.

Kansas (1)

Why? The Jayhawks only decent non-conference win was against USC early in the year. In fact, you could argue that their only other decent win all year was in the Big 12 Title game against Texas. The Jayhawks looked good on Sunday, but I don't think they're built to make a deep tourney run. Mainly for two reasons: A) I don't trust Bill Self's coaching ability compared to the other big-timers like Howland, Coach K, and Calipari. B) They lack a true go-to star, which will hurt them down the stretch.

Arizona (10)

Why? This bothers me because I've always tended to like the Wildcats.. but really this team is a fraud. In the last month, they have one win over a top 250 ranked team. Considering Oregon State is basically a D2 team, you could say Zona finished 2-8 against D1 teams. Jerryd Bayless is no doubt a stud talent, but Chase Budinger seems unwilling to become a big-time player, and its not fair for Bayless to have to do everything for them to win. If you think Beasley plays a big role for Kansas State, then Bayless take it to another level. He's often a one-man team.

Oregon (9)

Why? I'm not suggesting Oregon doesn't deserve to be a tourney team, but a 9 seed was oddly high. None of the numbers suggest the Ducks will do damage beyond the opening round. 6-10 away from home is weak.. 5-5 to finish the season is weak.. and just 4 wins in 13 tries against Top 50 teams is weaker. There's no doubt Oregon can beat Mississippi St in the opening round, but the #9 seed wasn't fair to begin with.

Kentucky (11)

Why? Is the March version of Kentucky really that much better than the December version that lost to Garder Webb, Houston, UAB, and San Diego? Sure the Wildcats have improved somewhat in recent months, but the gaudy 12-4 SEC record is mostly due to the overrated nature of the entire conference. There was no greater proof of the league's mediocrity than Georgia's run through the SEC tournament. The Wildcats 4-8 record away from home is one of the worst amongst Top 100 RPI teams. In fact the only one's with a worse record are Oklahoma St, Nebraska, and Wake Forest.. ie, NIT teams. Kentucky is basically a glorified NIT team.

- My Underrated Teams will be up soon.