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Big 12 Basketball Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:38:45 -0500

While Kansas may be too much for the rest of the Big 12 too handle, no league features as many intriguing individual stars (young & old) on a nightly basis. Arguably the best conference in the country.

Conference Rank: 2nd

10 year average: 5th

Big 12 Page

All-BIG 12 Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Sherron Collins	Kansas	Sr
G	Willie Warren	Oklahoma	So
G	James Anderson	Oklahoma St	Jr
F	Craig Brackins	Iowa State	Jr
C	Cole Aldrich	Kansas	Jr
Second Team
G	Denis Clemente	Kansas St	Sr
G	Avery Bradley	Texas	Fr
G	Xavier Henry	Kansas	Fr
F	Damion James	Texas	Sr
C	Bryan Davis	Texas A&M	Sr

Player of the Year - Sherron Collins Freshman of the Year - Avery Bradley
CHN Award Winners		Returning Leaders
CHN All-Americans Cole Aldrich (1st Team) Sherron Collins (1st) Willie Warren (3rd) James Anderson (4th) Craig Brackins (4th) Avery Bradley Denis Clemente Damion James All-Freshman Team Avery Bradley (1st) Xavier Henry (1st) Keith Gallon (2nd) Jordan Hamilton (3rd) Tommy Mason-Griffin (3rd) Wally Judge		Points: Craig Brackins 20.2 Rebounds: Cole Aldrich 11.1 Assists: John Roberson 6.4 Team: Missouri 81.5

Big 12 Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

1	Kansas	Big 12	1	NCAA
5	Texas	Big 12	2	NCAA
25	Kansas State	Big 12	3	NCAA
29	Texas A&M	Big 12	4	NCAA
35	Oklahoma State	Big 12	5	NCAA
37	Oklahoma	Big 12	6	NCAA
49	Missouri	Big 12	7	NCAA
58	Baylor	Big 12	8	NIT
77	Iowa State	Big 12	9	NIT
107	Nebraska	Big 12	10	CBI/CIT
130	Texas Tech	Big 12	11
170	Colorado	Big 12	12

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the Big 12?

Other Big 12 Content

Big 12 Fantasy Stats Preview

Big 12: Top 25 Players

Big 12: Five Year Ranking l

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Cheerleader of the Day: Texas

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:25:36 -0500

Each day (just about), CollegeHoops.net features a Cheerleader (or Dancer) of the Day. Today's picture is courtesy of Icon Sports Media. Check out the archive for more

-- TEXAS

More Cheerleaders!
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- Check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

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Speeding Towards Indy: A College Hoops Preview

Matthew Ryter — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:43:33 -0500

College Hoops is here. Finally! (This also means we get more of Gus Johnson! I’m excited!) We know all about Coach Cal’s new colors, Pitino’s “family” issues, and most of the big name players and teams in the country. Plus two Isaiah/Isiah Thomases this year. We’re in for a treat.

Here are some games, names, and predictions to watch out for this year…

There was Durant and Oden. Followed by Rose, Beasley, Mayo, and Love. After a year off, the Freshmen are back. There will be multiple “one-and-done” guys this year. Here are five freshmen to look out for:

1. John Wall (Kentucky): There has already been a great deal of hype surrounding this kid. The 6’4” guard at Kentucky has the ability to take Calipari and company to Indianapolis. Derrick Rose flourished in Coach Cal’s system and I see John Wall doing the same (maybe even earning himself a #1 pick like Rose did in ’08) This kid’s got talent

2. Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech): He’ll be a household name in the ACC before year’s end. Georgia Tech may contend for the ACC title because of Favors. This 6’10” freshman will most likely be a one-and-done and land himself in the top 5 of next year’s draft.

3. Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati): He’s cleared to play. Several schools passed on him due to attitude concerns and off-the-court issues. He’s the next big thing out of Lincoln HS in NYC. It’ll be interesting to see him go up against the tough guard play in the Big East.

4. Avery Bradley (Texas): TJ Ford, DJ Augustin, and AJ Abrams all had great collegiate careers under Barnes. Avery Bradley is next. (The only thing he’s missing is the abbreviated first name.) Bradley can drive, shoot, and defend. He should compliment Damion James nicely for the Longhorns.

5. Xavier Henry (Kansas): He landed at Kansas. Henry was recruited heavily by just about every top program in the country. It’ll be interesting to see if he’ll “accept” being the 3^rd option (Collins and Aldrich) on his loaded Jayhawk team. The 6’6” southpaw guard can flat out score and is a deadly shooter.

We know the preseason All-Americans (Collins, Aldrich, Harangody, Singler, Patterson). There are some other names that may not necessarily be under the radar, but they need to have your attention this year.

1. Devan Downey (South Carolina): He can take over a game. He can score in bunches and gives opposing defenses fits. He hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament yet and that will only make him better this season.

2. Isaiah Thomas (Washington): It must be the name. As a freshman he had 207 free throw attempts last season. What’s that mean? He can get to the rack…quickly.

3. Gordon Hayward (Butler): He’s got Bulldog fans thinking Final Four. Hayward helped the United States win the gold in the under-19 World Basketball Championships.

4. Craig Brackins (Iowa State): If he had any help at Iowa State, he’d be a household name. He averaged 20.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg as a Sophomore last season.

5. Devin Ebanks (West Virginia): He came into his own during the Big East tournament last year as a freshman. A year of experience both in the Big East and under Huggy Bear should help for a breakout sophomore campaign.

Same face, different place. Here are some important coaching changes:

1. John Calipari, Kentucky (from Memphis)

2. Tony Bennett, Virginia (Washington State)

3. Sean Miller, Arizona (Xavier)

4. Anthony Grant, Alabama (VCU)

5. Isaiah Thomas, FIU (no former team)

This year, like every year, features a ton of great non-conference games. Here’s a look at a few games to look out for:

1. Michigan State at North Carolina (December 1^st)

2. Kansas at UCLA (December 6^th)

3. North Carolina at Kentucky (December 5^th)

4. West Virginia at Purdue (January 1^st)

5. Louisville at Kentucky (January 2nd)

6. ~~Butler at Ohio State~~ Ohio State at Butler (December 12^th)

7. North Carolina at Texas (December 19^th)

8. Texas at Connecticut (January 23^rd)

9. California at Kansas (December 22^nd)

10. Washington vs. Georgetown (December 12^th)

Here are a few predictions…some are bold, some are not so bold

1. Texas will win the national championship. They have an NBA caliber player in Damion James. Transfer, Jai Lucas, will become eligible mid-December. They have two stud freshmen in Avery Bradley and Jordan Hamilton (said to be a Paul Pierce clone). They are extremely deep and have a great coach in Rick Barnes.

2. Freshman John Wall will win POY. He’s exciting to watch, and damn good. I think he has what it takes and will flourish in Calipari’s system

3. Butler will make the Final Four. Led by Gordon Hayward and Matt Howard, Butler is this year’s sexy pick to make a deep run into March. I’m buying this.

4. Northwestern will make their first ever NCAA tournament appearance. They just missed the cut last year and will go dancing this year. (Editor: Northwestern lost its best player, Kevin Coble, shortly before this article was set to go on-line.. perhaps the curse of Matthew Ryter??)

5. Paul Hewitt will win Coach of the Year. Thanks to Derrick Favors, Gani Lawal, and Iman Shumpert this team will finish in the top 3 in the ACC. They were last in the ACC last year (2-14) and will be much improved.

Matthew Ryter keeps you up to date on the world of college basketball with his "Ryter's Block" column. What do you think about this story? Post your comments below:

Top 20 Prospect Tristan Thompson Joins Texas

Press Release — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:56 -0500

AUSTIN, Texas — Tristan Thompson (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday. Thompson will join the Longhorns for the 2010-11 season.

“Tristan is a big, athletic forward who can really rebound the basketball and run the floor well,” Barnes said. “He comes from an excellent Grass Roots Canada AAU program coached by Ro Russell and has had the opportunity to play for his Canadian National Team as well. We know he’ll also continue to grow and develop this year while at Findlay Prep, both as a person and on the basketball court.”

Thompson (6-9, 240), a forward from Findlay College Prep (Henderson, Nev.) who plays under coach Michael Peck, is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the nation by Scout.com, No. 11 by ESPNU and No. 17 by Rivals.com. Thompson played in just five games for Findlay last year after transferring in February from St. Benedict’s Prep Academy in New Jersey.

During those five games, Thompson averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while playing alongside current UT freshman Avery Bradley. The duo helped lead Findlay to a 33-0 mark and the mythical high school national championship. In 21 games at St. Benedict’s last year, Thompson averaged 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.

Preseason All-Freshman Team: 2009-10

CHN — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:12:32 -0500

CollegeHoops.net's Preseason All-Freshman Team is led by Kentucky uber-prospect John Wall. Wall's teammates DeMarcus Cousins & Eric Bledsoe also make the 2nd and 3rd team respectively. The list is dominated by power-conference players, but 3 make it from non-BCS leagues: La Salle's Aaric Murray, San Diego St's Kawhi Leonard, and Greg Smith of Fresno State. Besides Kentucky, other teams with multiple players include Arizona, Duke, Georgia Tech, UNC, Oklahoma, and Texas.

CollegeHoops.net Preseason Co-Freshman of the Year: John Wall (Kentucky)

CollegeHoops.net First Team All-Freshman

John Wall	Kentucky	G
Avery Bradley	Texas	G
Kenny Boynton	Florida	G
Xavier Henry	Kansas	G
Derrick Favors	Georgia Tech	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Second Team All-Freshman

Abdul Gaddy	Washington	G
Lance Stephenson	Cincinnati	G
Keith Gallon	Oklahoma	F
DeMarcus Cousins	Kentucky	C
Mouphtaou Yarou	Villanova	F/C

CollegeHoops.net Third Team All-Freshman

Eric Bledsoe	Kentucky	G
Maurice Creek	Indiana	G
Tommy Mason-Griffin	Oklahoma	G
Jordan Hamilton	Texas	F
Dante Taylor	Pittsburgh	F

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention All-Freshman

John Henson	UNC	F
Tyler Honeycutt	UCLA	F
John Jenkins	Vanderbilt	G
Wally Judge	Kansas State	F
Ryan Kelly	Duke	F
Kawhi Leonard	San Diego St	F
Aaric Murray	La Salle	F
Kyryl Natyazhko	Arizona	F
Alex Oriakhi	UCONN	C
Mason Plumlee	Duke	F/C
Durand Scott	Miami	G
Greg Smith	Fresno State	F
Peyton Siva	Louisville	G
Michael Snaer	Florida State	G
Dexter Strickland	UNC	G
Hollis Thompson	Georgetown	F
Mfon Udofia	Georgia Tech	G
Derrick Williams	Arizona	G

Other CollegeHoops.net Preseason Awards

Big 12 Basketball: Top 25 Players

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:42:19 -0500

Ranking players is more art then science. How do you compare the potential of freshmen with seniors who have already peaked? How much does physical talent come into play versus intangibles and experience? How big a role do numbers play?

In some situations, the bigger challenge is deciding what position to list a player. College basketball is filled with combo guards, wings who can play from the 2 to 4, centers who are really power forwards, and so on.

All of these questions make lists like this fun and debatable.. if you disagree with CHN's rankings, post what you think below.

BIG 12

PG
1. Sherron Collins - Kansas
2. Denis Clemente - Kansas State
3. Tommy Mason-Griffin - Oklahoma
4. Donald Sloan - Texas A&M
5. John Roberson - Texas Tech

SG
1. James Anderson - Oklahoma State
2. Willie Warren - Oklahoma
3. LaceDarius Dunn - Baylor
4. Cory Higgins - Colorado
5. Avery Bradley - Texas

- This is a talented set of guards overall. Warren might be the best pro prospect of the bunch, but he's still improving. Collins is one of the front-runners for national Player of the Year. Higgins is an underrated performer for Colorado.

SF
1. Damion James - Texas
2. Mike Singletary - Texas Tech
3. Obi Muonelo - Oklahoma State
4. Kim English - Missouri
5. Marqus Gilstrap - Iowa State

PF
1. Craig Brackins - Iowa State
2. Marcus Morris - Kansas
3. Gary Johnson - Texas
4. Keith Gallon - OKlahoma
5. Jamar Samuels - Kansas State

C
1. Cole Aldrich - Kansas
2. Dexter Pittman - Texas
3. Bryan Davis - Texas A&M
4. Ekpe Udoh - Baylor
5. Christopher Niemann - Nebraska

- Compared to some other leagues, the Big 12's big man crop is impressive, though the wing position isn't quite as strong. Freshman Jordan Hamilton of Texas might have more pure talent then any other SF in the league, but it might take him time to become a top-level performer.

-- SEC Top 25 Players

-- Pac-10 Top 25 Players

-- Big Ten Top 25 Players

-- Big East Top 25 Players

Poll: Who Will Win the 2010 National Championship?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:30:41 -0500

Texas Basketball Preview: #5

Joel Welser — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:39:15 -0500

Overall Rank: #5

Conference Rank: #2 Big 12 Conference

2008-09: 23-12, 9-7

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Rick Barnes (270-105 at Texas, 472-239 overall)

The 2008-2009 season was not what Texas fans have come to expect. The team struggled to a 9-7 conference record and was home by the end of the first weekend of NCAA Tournament play. A poor assist-to-turnover ratio and a complete lack of consistent outside shooting did them in, but Coach Rick Barnes hopes a year of experience and a talented group of newcomers can change all of that.

Key Losses: G A.J. Abrams, C Connor Atchley

Key Newcomers:

Jai Lucas, a transfer from Florida, could put an end to the point guard concerns once he is eligible after the fall semester. He is not a true point guard and will do his fair share of scoring, but Lucas is a talented ball handler who will run the point at times. Avery Bradley has improved greatly over his last year of high school and is ranked among the best recruits in the nation. He will attack the basket with ease and has a nice mid-range game, but it might be asking a little too much to expect him to replace Abrams outside shooting. J’Covan Brown will add some quality depth on the perimeter. The wings get a couple potential stars in Jordan Hamilton and Shawn Williams. At 6-7 and 6-6, respectively, those two will bring some size to the backcourt.

Backcourt:

Dogus Balbay improved as last season progressed, but the 6-1 junior only started 13 games. He is not much of a scorer, but he did dish out 3.1 assists per game and only turned the ball over 1.4 times. Justin Mason filled in much of the time at the point, leading the team with 4.0 assists per contest, but he does his best work off the ball. Mason struggled to score because he spent so much time on the ball. Mason is not much of a shooter either, but he can be a very dangerous scorer if Balbay and Lucas can handle the point. Varez Ward, another potential starter at point guard, had a decent freshman campaign and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble and get to the foul-line.

Frontcourt:

Hamilton and Williams may battle for the starting small forward spot if Coach Barnes wants to play big, but the 6-7 Damion James will likely spend most of his time at the four spot. That leaves Dexter Pittman as the starter at the five spot. Pittman, a 6-10, 290 pound center, emerged as a relatively consistent scorer around the basket and a capable rebounder and shot blocker. Gary Johnson averaged 10.0 points per game while coming mostly off the bench. With a player of Johnson’s caliber, assuming he can stay healthy, able to come off the bench will make this frontcourt nearly impossible to stop. Add Clint Chapman, Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene to the mix and this group has a ton of quality depth.

Who to Watch:

But it is still James who is the star of this team and when he pulled out of the NBA Draft, Texas’ expectations went through the roof. After tallying 15.4 points and 9.2 rebounds a year ago, James will be a consistent double-double threat. James is only 6-7, but he is a strong 225 pounds who is obviously not afraid to mix it up in the paint. Yet, James can also step outside and hit the long ball.

Final Projection:

Williams might be the best pure shooter on this team and his versatility will be a big plus. But can he and Bradley turn a team that finished last in the Big 12 in three-point field-goal percentage into a team that can knock down the long ball to compliment their already established interior scorers? That appears to be a bigger issue than the point guard situation which should at least be serviceable with Balbay, Lucas and Mason.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Varez Ward, Sophomore, Guard, 4.2 points per game

Justin Mason, Senior, Guard, 6.1 points per game

Shawn Williams, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Damion James, Senior, Guard, 15.4 points per game

Dexter Pittman, Senior, Center, 10.1 points per game

Next Top 144 Teams
6		7		8		9

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Who Will be the Freshman of the Year?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:45:38 -0500

Big 12 Basketball: 5-Year Ranking

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:14:50 -0500

BIG 12 FIVE-YEAR STANDINGS

CHN's annual 5-year ranking answers a simple question is in a simple manner: Who has been the best team in the Big 12 over the last five years?

Teams get points for league wins, making the postseason (NIT or NCAA) and winning games in the Big Dance. NIT wins are meaningless here, as are non-conference wins. Also, league tournaments wins are not taken into account. (An original trial-scoring system included points for conference tourney wins. But the flukish nature of these tourney's did more harm than hurt: ie, 2008 Georgia, 2006 Syracuse, and 2004 Maryland ended up getting too much credit despite the reality that they were mediocre to sub-par teams.)

100 total points is set up to be the equivalent of batting .300 in baseball.. anything above and beyond is all-world stuff. 50 points is mediocre and you only start to get bad below 40 points.

Pos.	Was	Team	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	Wins	Gms.	Points

1	1	Kansas	12	13	14	13	14	66	80	83	Win %
			1st Round	1st Round	Elite 8	Champs	Sweet 16			30	Post Pts.
										113

2	2	Texas	9	13	12	13	9	56	80	70	Win %
			1st Round	Elite 8	2nd Round	Elite 8	2nd Round			26	Post Pts.
										96

3	5	Oklahoma	12	11	6	9	13	51	80	64	Win %
			2nd Round	1st Round	X	2nd Round	Elite 8			18	Post Pts.
										82

4	6	Texas A&M	8	10	13	8	9	48	80	60	Win %
			NIT	2nd Round	Sweet 16	2nd Round	2nd Round			19	Post Pts.
										79

5	3	Okla. State	11	6	6	7	9	39	80	49	Win %
			Sweet 16	NIT	NIT	NIT	2nd Round			13	Post Pts.
										62

6	7	Kansas St	6	6	10	10	9	41	80	51	Win %
			X	X	Nit	2nd Round	NIT			6	Post Pts.
										57

7	4	Texas Tech	10	6	9	7	3	35	80	44	Win %
			Sweet 16	2nd Round	1st Round	X	X			12	Post Pts.
										56

8	8	Missouri	7	5	7	6	12	37	80	46	Win %
			NIT	X	X	X	Elite 8			9	Post Pts.
										55

9	10	Nebraska	7	7	6	7	8	35	80	44	Win %
			X	NIT	X	NIT	NIT			3	Post Pts.
										47

10	9	Iowa St	9	6	6	4	4	29	80	36	Win %
			2nd Round	X	X	X	X			4	Post Pts.
										40

11	12	Baylor	1	4	4	9	5	23	80	29	Win %
			X	X	X	1st Round	NIT			3	Post Pts.
										32

12	11	Colorado	4	9	3	3	1	20	80	25	Win %
			X	NIT	X	X	X			1	Post Pts.
										26