2009-10 Preview

Which school from a non-BCS conference is the best in the country right now?

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:13:30 -0500

Kentucky Basketball Preview: #6

Joel Welser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:45:32 -0500

Overall Rank: #6

Conference Rank: #1 Southeastern Conference

2008-09: 22-14, 8-8

2008-09 postseason: NIT

Coach: John Calipari (First year at Kentucky, 445-140 overall)

No starting job is safe at Kentucky. Since Coach John Calipari took the team over, a great recruiting class has turned into easily the best in the nation. Coach Calipari has not only increased the level of talent on this team, but he has also brought with him the confidence to get the Wildcats back where they belong among college basketball’s elite.

Key Losses: G Kevin Galloway, G Jodie Meeks, G Michael Porter

Key Newcomers:

Many consider John Wall to be the best freshman in the nation. The 6-4 guard certainly fills a need on this team as the starting backcourt was relatively ineffective last year and most of them are gone anyway. Fellow point guard Eric Bledsoe will likely work his way into the starting rotation as well, but that is not all Kentucky has coming into Lexington. Jon Hood was the state’s Mr. Basketball last year, but he will have a hard time finding minutes and wing Darnell Dodson is one of the best junior college transfers out there. The frontcourt gets two of the best big men possible in DeMarcus Cousins and Daniel Orton. Cousins is a very polished player for a freshman and is surprisingly agile for a 6-11, 260 pound forward.

Backcourt:

With the influx of newcomers, the roleplayers, and even the former starters, will have to battle for minutes. Ramon Harris started 28 games last year, but he is pretty much on the floor for his defense and rebounding abilities. It is Darius Miller who has the potential to blossom into a prolific scorer. After spending his summer at the Under 19 World Championships, the 6-7 wing is ready to average more than 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds…especially in Coach Calipari’s system. DeAndre Liggins had a relatively successful freshman campaign, averaging 4.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds. His ability to do a little bit of everything makes him a very dangerous option.

Frontcourt:

Patrick Patterson is the star of the frontcourt and was second to the now departed Jodie Meeks averaging 17.9 points per game. Patterson is also a superb rebounder and shot blocker and the influx of talent around him will only make him more dangerous. Perry Stevenson started beside Patterson last year, but that job may be in jeopardy. Stevenson is an athletic big man who will not bang under the basket as effectively as Patterson. Although Stevenson ranked third on the team with 7.8 points per game, he is not a prolific scorer, but he is a solid rebounder and a very good defender. At 265 pounds, Josh Harrellson has the ability to eat up space in the paint, but he can also step outside and hit the mid-range jumper.

Who to Watch:

What this team lacks is a pure shooter. The best option on the team is Dodson, the junior college transfer. He may not make it into the starting lineup and will be used as a spark off the bench and that means it could be up to Bledsoe and Wall to start hoisting up the long balls. Bledsoe is more of a true point guard than Wall. Wall’s best attributes are his speed and ability to get to the basket and he is not really known for his shooting abilities. That is something that he has worked on, but this is a team that had nobody hit more than one three-pointer per game except Meeks.

Final Projection:

Finding minutes for all these talented players is one concern, but the bigger issue is the outside shooting. Miller is the best returning shooter and he only averaged 0.5 per contest and hit a mere 32.7 percent of his attempts. Patterson was so effective last year because the opposition had to worry about Meeks and his shooting. If nobody can hit the outside shot consistently, the opposition can pack it in and try to stop the slashing guards and the big guys under the basket.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Eric Bledsoe, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Jon Wall, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Darius Miller, Sophomore, Guard, 5.3 points per game

Patrick Patterson, Junior, Forward, 17.9 points per game

DeMarcus Cousins, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

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

West Virginia Basketball Preview: #7

Joel Welser — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:41:34 -0500

Overall Rank: #7

Conference Rank: #2 Big East Conference

2008-09: 23-12, 10-8

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Bob Huggins (49-23 at West Virginia, 639-234 overall)

Coach Bob Huggins has been bringing his type of players into West Virginia and those players are now experienced veterans. Only one player is gone from a team that went 23-12 overall and 10-8 in a very difficult Big East conference. The Big East will not be as good as it was last year and the Mountaineers will be much better.

Key Losses: G Alex Ruoff

Key Newcomers:

The biggest issue in this recruiting class is replacing Alex Ruoff at the shooting guard spot. Coach Huggins did just about as well as he could with the addition of the much acclaimed junior college transfer Casey Mitchell. The National Junior College Player of the Year is a superb shooter and could immediately replace the impressive shooting of Ruoff. This group needs some depth on the perimeter too and the versatile Dalton Pepper is just what the doctor ordered. The newcomers up front will find it more difficult to find playing time, but Deniz Kilicli should be a great player in a year or two and Danny Jennings is a physical presence under the basket.

Backcourt:

The point guard position looked good for a while when freshman Darryl Bryant replaced the injured Joe Mazzulla seven games into the 2008-2009 season. Everybody expected both to be back, but some off the court issues made their return questionable. However, both have been cleared to play and that gives the Mountaineers two superb ball handlers. Bryant will use his strength to get to the basket, but he is also a decent shooter. Mazzulla will not score as much, but he is a better distributor at this point in his career. Due to a lack of depth on the perimeter, do not be surprised if both are playing at the same time during certain situations.

Frontcourt:

This is where WVU gets really good. Wellington Smith, Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks all started at least 34 games last year and should once again find themselves in the starting lineup, although younger players will be pushing them for minutes. Smith will not put up eye popping numbers, but he is the prototypical glue guy. Butler led the team in scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game last season and is one of the most dangerous inside-outside players in the nation. Sixth man Kevin Jones was very productive when he could find minutes and John Flowers is an active forward who can score in bunches.

Who to Watch:

Yet, it is Ebanks who is the emerging star of this team. As a freshman he averaged 10.5 points and a team high 7.8 rebounds and those numbers should go up with a year of experience. More importantly, Ebanks is tilting the scales at about 220 pounds now as opposed to about 195 pounds when he arrived in Morgantown. That extra strength will make him a dominating player in a frontcourt that should dominate most teams.

Final Projection:

Thanks to the return of Bryant and Mazzulla, West Virginia has everything it needs to win the Big East. Even if it takes the newcomers some time to adjust to the level of play, Bryant and Mazzulla can do enough to get the ball to the forwards. Having Mitchell emerge as a consistent outside shooter would be beneficial, but Butler and Bryant are both capable shooters and can stretch out the defense enough to give space to Ebanks under the basket.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Joe Mazzula, Junior, Guard, 5.6 points per game

Casey Mitchell, Junior, Guard, DNP last season

Wellington Smith, Senior, Forward, 5.2 points per game

Da’Sean Butler, Senior, Forward, 17.1 points per game

Devin Ebanks, Sophomore, Forward, 10.5 points per game

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

Poll: Who Will be the National Player of the Year?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:29:02 -0500

Duke Basketball Preview: #8

Joel Welser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:28:20 -0500

Overall Rank: #8

Conference Rank: #2 Atlantic Coast Conference

2008-09: 30-7, 11-5

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (760-215 at Duke, 833-274 overall)

Duke continues to do what Duke has been doing lately. They finish in the top two in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beat the teams they should beat and lose a couple times to North Carolina. Then they make a run in the conference tournament before bowing out earlier than Blue Devil fans hope in the NCAA Tournament. Expect more of the same this time around.

Key Losses: G Gerald Henderson, F David McClure, G Greg Paulus, G Elliot Williams

Key Newcomers:

The lack of guards in this recruiting class is painful. Andre Dawkins is not the highly touted recruit one would expect to step foot in Cameron Indoor Stadium and make a huge impact. He will have to play some minutes due to lack of options, but he will not be a game changer as a freshman. Power forwards Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee are the highly touted recruits. Kelly is a big man at 6-10 and 220 pounds, but he also is a superb outside shooter who can stretch out the defense. Plumlee is a skilled player, but he might need some time to add some strength before he can effectively battle under the basket in the ACC.

Backcourt:

Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer are the only two returning guards who will make an impact. Unfortunately, neither are point guards. Smith can try, but he almost committed as many turnovers last year as he did assists. While Smith could turn into a decent scorer and is not a bad defender, he is not a point guard. Neither is Scheyer, but at least he can take care of the ball. Last season Scheyer tallied 14.9 points, 2.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per contest. He may not be as effective of a scorer with the ball in his hands, but if Smith does not get his act together, Coach Krzyzewski will not have much choice.

Frontcourt:

The strength and depth of this team has moved into the frontcourt. Kyle Singler can finally play at the small forward spot and that leaves Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Lance Thomas to battle it out with the newcomers for playing time under the basket. Zoubek will be the man in the paint after starting 17 games there last season. The 7-1 senior is a massive presence under the basket and, while his numbers may not reflect it, he is an important player on this team. Miles Plumlee, brother of incoming freshman Mason, will at least add some depth, but it is Thomas who could be in for a surprisingly decent senior season if given the opportunity.

Who to Watch:

Singler is the star of this team after averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists during his sophomore campaign. Singler was forced to spend most of his time at the power forward position last year due to lack of frontcourt options. The exact opposite is true this year and the 6-8 junior could play some shooting guard in a pinch. But no matter where he plays, Singler has proven that he can score and do everything his team needs him to do to win.

Final Projection:

The lack of depth on the perimeter could be a huge problem for the Blue Devils. After Smith and Scheyer, the pickings are slim. Singler is athletic enough to play the two guard spot and this would suddenly turn into a team that is very large, athletic and has a surprising amount of outside shooting. There are not many shooting guards out there that Singler cannot shoot over. But Scheyer and Singler cannot play 40 minutes per game without tired legs in March. This might be a great team on any given day, but they will rely on the outside shot too much and get tired by the end of the year. That means another early NCAA exit for Duke.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Jon Scheyer, Senior, Guard, 14.9 points per game

Nolan Smith, Junior, Guard, 8.4 points per game

Lance Thomas, Senior, Forward, 5.3 points per game

Kyle Singler, Junior, Forward, 16.5 points per game

Brian Zoubek, Senior, Center, 4.1 points per game

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

Tennessee Basketball Preview: #9

Joel Welser — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:23:16 -0500

Overall Rank: #9

Conference Rank: #2 Southeastern Conference

2008-09: 21-13, 10-6

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Bruce Pearl (98-37 at Tennessee, 415-121 overall)

Tennessee underachieved last year, but it was a young team that relied on some unproven talent who had some big shoes to fill. It took some time for the Volunteers to find their way and consistency was an issue. However, Coach Bruce Pearl’s team still won 21 games and made the NCAA Tournament and now they return every player of importance and the high expectations are warranted.

Key Losses: none

Key Newcomers:

Point guard was a problem last year and junior college Melvin Goins will compete for a starting job right away. Even if he does not win that job, the 5-11 speedster will at least give the team a capable backup. Josh Bone, a transfer from Southern Illinois and Skylar McBee will help bolster the depth on the perimeter. Yet, outside of Goins, it is power forward Kenny Hall who has the skills to make an impact right away. Hall is a true low post scorer and while the Vols have a superb frontcourt, they could use a big body who will stay in the paint.

Backcourt:

Bobby Maze did an admirable job running the point. His assist to turnover ratio was two-to-one and he averaged 8.2 points per game. But his minutes will likely go down with the addition of Goins. Josh Tabb spent some time playing the point, but now he will be able to play off the ball and provide the team with some solid defense off the bench. Cameron Tatum was the team’s sixth man a year ago and is a good, albeit streaky, three-point shooter. Scotty Hopson and J.P. Prince are the likely starters on the wing. Hopson had huge expectations heading into his freshman campaign and he did pretty good with his 9.2 points per game. If his outside shot starts falling more consistently, he will turn into the dominating scorer that everybody thought he would be from day one. Prince is not much of a shooter, but he does everything else. He was the backcourt’s top scorer last year and also averaged 4.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals.

Frontcourt:

Wayne Chism is the big man who will spend most of his time under the basket, although he does have the ability to stretch out the defense with his three-point shooting ability. Even though Chism spends quite a bit of time on the perimeter, he is a great rebounder and a decent shot blocker. Brian Williams is an underappreciated rebounder who grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game despite only averaging 16.4 minutes. Add the emerging sophomore Emmanuel Negedu, if he can stay healthy, and Hall to the rotation and Coach Pearl has more than enough bodies to go ten deep without much of a drop off in talent.

Who to Watch:

It seems like every year we wonder if Tyler Smith is coming back or going to the NBA. Once again, Smith is back in college and the do-it-all forward is poised for a huge senior season. Last year he easily led the team with 17.4 points per game. He got to the free-throw line an incredible 6.5 times per contest, but he is not just a slasher or post player…Smith can hit the long ball, although he would be better off sticking to his mid-range game and attacking the basket. No matter how he does it, Smith will score in bunches and help the team out on the glass and create open looks for his teammates.

Final Projection:

Last year’s relatively disappointing season has somewhat stymied the expectations of the 2009-2010 Tennessee team, and that should not be the case with so many players returning. This is a team that has the talent, depth and experience to win the Southeastern Conference and make a deep, deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Bobby Maze, Senior, Guard, 8.2 points per game

Scotty Hopson, Sophomore, Guard, 9.2 points per game

J.P. Prince, Senior, Guard, 9.9 points per game

Tyler Smith, Senior, Forward, 17.4 points per game

Wayne Chism, Senior, Forward, 13.7 points per game

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

The BIG List: CHN's 2009-10 Preview Index

CHN — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:34:09 -0500

2009-10 PREVIEW: THE BIG LIST

No one has more college basketball preview material than collegehoops.net.. not even ESPN (and if you don't believe me, I dare you to read every single preview article we put online.. it might blind your eyes.. and maybe even your ears). Here's a comprehensive list of 2009-10 preview content to keep you busy for the next few months. Bookmark this page and check back daily for new preview goodness. Like what you see? Spread the word..

As always, thanks for stopping by the site!

By Shawn Siegel

CHN Editor

Latest Additions 11/4

- Five-Year Rankings - Ranking BCS conference teams over the last 5 years

- SEC Fantasy Preview

- Best Non-BCS conference? - Poll

144 Teams in 144 Days runs from June to November!

Top 144 RSS Feed

Top 144 Team Previews

Check back daily as we add new previews

By Joel Welser

Preview Editor

- Teams #26 to 40 - #26 Georgia Tech, #27 Louisville, #28 Texas A&M..

- Teams #41 to 60 - #41 Creighton, #42 ASU, #43 BYU..

- Teams #61 to 80 - #61 Richmond, #62 Utah, #63 LSU..

- Teams #81 to 100 - #81 Marquette, #82 Buffalo, #83 VCU..

- Teams #101 to 120 - #101 Long Beach St, #102 Northeastern, #103 TCU..

- Teams #121 to 144 - #121 Santa Clara, #122 Mt. Saint Mary's, #123 Iowa..

- Alphabetical Team Previews/Ranking - Easy access to your favorite team's preview/ranking.

- 348 Team D1 Ranking - 145-200 - 201-275 - 276-348 (coming soon!!)

DAILY CONFERENCE POLLS

Who will win all 31 D1 conferences?..


ACC?	A10?	B. East?	Big Ten?	Big 12?	HL?	MVC?	MWC?	P-10?	SEC?	WCC?

..ALL 31 LEAGUES vote early, vote often

Other Polls

- Who will be preseason #1?

- What will be the best conference?

- Best Non-BCS conference? (new)

- Best Freshman?

- Best Player?

CONFERENCE BY CONFERENCE

In-depth previews of all D1 conferences, including league & team rankings, previews, CHN's All-Conference teams, and more.

CONFERENCE PREVIEWS / RANKING (w/ commentary)

1 Big Ten

2 Big 12

3 ACC

4 SEC

5 Big East

6 Pac-10

7 Atlantic 10

8 MVC

9 MWC

10 CUSA

11 WAC

12 Horizon

13 Colonial

14 Sun Belt

15 MAC

16 WCC

17 MAC

18 Big West

19 Summit

20 Big Sky

21 Southland

22 Ivy

23 Southern

24 America East

25 Atlantic Sun

26 Patriot

27 OVC

28 Big South

29 NEC

30 MEAC

31 SWAC

Five-Year Rankings - BCS teams ordered by a formula that counts postseason success & conference winning %

- ACC - Big 12 - Big East - Big Ten - Pac-10 - SEC (new)

High-Low Rankings - A range or projected finishes for BCS teams

ACC - Big 12 - Big East - Big Ten - Pac-10 - SEC

BRACKETOLOGY, OTHER NATIONAL RANKINGS & POLLS

Get a head start on your 2009 NCAA Tournament bracket

2010 TOURNEY BRACKET

CHN's Top 144 plugged into a bracket. Start drooling about March in October.

PRESEASON TOP 50: Kansas #1

The Editor's take.. different from the official Top 144 ranking

2009 NCAA TOURNAMENT PROJECTION (coming soon!!)

Its never to early to project the Field.. all 65 heading to the Dance

National Media Rankings

- Coaches Poll

- AP Top 25

- The Preview Magazines: Consensus Top 25

MARCH MADNESS ALL SEASON

Get prepared for the season with CHN's Jeff Borzello. Players, teams, conferences -- it's all here.

- Position Rankings: PG SG SF PF C

- Best Backcourts

- Best Frontcourts

- Group Rankings: Inside-Outside Combos Trios Wing Duos

- Old Faces, New Places: Impact Transfers

- Fifty Impact Freshmen

- Player Rankings: Defenders, Three-point Shooters, Break-Out Players, Mid-Major Stars, Go-to Guys

- Biggest Shoes to Fill

- Non-Conference Games to Watch

- Non-BCS Top 25

- Mid-Major Sleepers

Conference Previews

No. 33: Independents Preview

No. 32: Great West Conference Preview

No. 31: SWAC Preview

No. 30: MEAC Preview

No. 29: Atlantic Sun Conference Preview

No. 28: Northeast Conference Preview

No. 27: America East Conference Preview

No. 26: Patriot League Preview

No. 25: Southland Conference Preview

No. 24: Ohio Valley Conference Preview

No. 23: Big South Conference Preview

No. 22: Ivy League Preview

No. 21: Big Sky Conference Preview

No. 20: Summit League Preview

No. 19: Southern Conference Preview

No. 18: Mid-American Conference Preview

No. 17: Big West Conference Preview

No. 16: Sun Belt Conference Preview

No. 15: MAAC Preview

No. 14: Horizon League Preview

No. 13: West Coast Conference Preview

Nov. 5: Nos. 6-4 Conference Previews

Nov. 6: Nos. 3-1 Conference Previews

Nov. 9: Preseason Top 25, Preseason All-Americans and Awards, Preseason Bracket Breakdown and NCAA Tournament Predictions

March Madness All Season Feed

By Jeff Borzello

March Madness All Season Blog

FANTASY COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Projected stats, player rankings, etc

Fantasy Stats Previews - Fantasy Preview Archive

Projected stats for all starting BCS players

- ACC - Big East - Big 12 - Big Ten - Pac-10 - SEC

PLAYER AWARDS

All-Americans, All-Conference & More

CollegeHoops.net Awards - Voted on by CHN contributors.

- All-America Team (& commentary)

- High-Major All-Americans (& commentary)

- Mid-Major All-Americans (& commentary)

- All-Freshman Team (& commentary)

ALL AWARDS

Editor's Picks

- 2009-10 All-America Teams

National Awards

- AP All-America Team

Official Coaches/Media Polls & All-Conference Teams

- ACC

- MVC

- SEC

- More

CHN Top 100
1	?
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Complete Ranking our annual favorite!

Purdue Basketball Preview: #10

Joel Welser — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:42:18 -0500

Overall Rank: #10

Conference Rank: #2 Big Ten Conference

2008-09: 27-10, 11-7

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Matt Painter (83-50 at Purdue, 108-55 overall)

Purdue reached the Sweet Sixteen last season and the expectations are only going up. This is a team that wants to win the Big Ten and take the short trip to Indianapolis for the Final Four. With just about everybody who started a game returning, there is little reason to believe that the Boilermakers cannot obtain their lofty goals.

Key Losses: F Nemanja Calasan, G Marcus Green

Key Newcomers:

For a team that only loses a few players, there is a big group of newcomers. Guards like Steve Loveless, Andrew Day, Dru Anthrop and Kyle Coleman will not make a big impact this year, but redshirt freshman John Hart and wings Kelsey Barlow and D.J. Byrd will be given the opportunity to provide a spark off the bench. More important than the backcourt is depth up front. That is where Patrick Bade and Sandi Marcius come into play. Bade is a versatile big man who has more than enough strength to battle in the paint in the Big Ten and Marcius is a traditional back to the basket center.

Backcourt:

Outside of E’Twaun Moore, the backcourt lacked a consistent scorer. But that does not mean there are not options and potential. Chris Kramer is a scrappy defender who tallied 2.1 steals per game and will occasionally do a little scoring. Keaton Grant is the best outside shooter of the bunch and was fourth on the team with 7.9 points per game last year and will likely be the team’s sixth man. Lewis Jackson is the player who will get the scorers the ball. Jackson is very quick and did a great job finding his teammates as a freshman. With a year of experience under his belt his turnover numbers should go down. However, just as importantly, he could turn into a great player if he can consistently hit the mid-range jumper.

Frontcourt:

Their frontcourt lacks depth, but the two starters are two of the best in the conference. Robbie Hummel has been slowed by a back injury but that appears to be a thing of the past. Even while not 100 percent, Hummel tallied 12.5 points per game and added a team high 7.0 rebounds. At 6-8, he has the size to battle in the paint, but he is just as comfortable hanging out on the perimeter and he even led the team with 1.8 three-pointers made per contest. His frontcourt mate is JaJuan Johnson. Johnson is the bruiser under the basket who can stretch out the defense with his mid-range jumper. Johnson is also a great defender and should be one of the best shot blockers in the conference during his junior campaign.

Who to Watch:

The frontcourt will do a majority of the scoring, but Moore could lead the team in scoring yet again. The 6-4 guard will put up a lot of points and do a little bit of everything else. He is a solid rebounder off the wing and is an underappreciated passer and defender. Moore will use his size and speed to get to the basket, but he can also knock down the long ball. If he starts hitting his outside shot a little more consistently, Moore will be nearly impossible to stop.

Final Projection:

The Boilermakers will have to rely on some freshmen even if Coach Matt Painter opts to go eight deep again this year. Last season Nemanja Calasan and Marcus Green could back up Hummel and Johnson, this year it will have to be a freshman or two that plays those minutes. The good news is Johnson and Hummel are not foul prone, but they still cannot play 30 to 35 minutes per game and the opposition can take advantage of those stretches when Hummel or Johnson are on the bench if the newcomers are not ready to play.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Lewis Jackson, Sophomore, Guard, 5.9 points per game

Chris Kramer, Senior, Guard, 5.2 points per game

E’Twaun Moore, Junior, Guard, 13.8 points per game

Robbie Hummel, Junior, Forward, 12.5 points per game

JaJuan Johnson, Junior, Center, 13.4 points per game

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

Butler Basketball Preview: #11

Joel Welser — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:39:37 -0500

Overall Rank: #11

Conference Rank: #1 Horizon League

2008-09: 26-6, 15-3

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Brad Stevens (56-10 at Butler, 56-10 overall)

Coach Brad Stevens has lost a grand total of ten games during his two years at Butler. That average of five losses per season could become even more impressive after year three. The Bulldogs return absolutely everybody from a team that was given a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round to LSU.

Key Losses: none

Key Newcomers:

With nine players back who averaged ten minutes per game or more, it will be difficult for the newcomers to make much of an impact. However, the Bulldogs could always use some more size and Andrew Smith and Emerson Kampen should provide just that. Smith, a true freshman, is 6-11 and 239 pounds, making him the biggest player on the roster and Kampen, a walk-on who turned down scholarship offers from other schools, is 6-9. The other newcomer is redshirt guard Chase Stigall who could be a steady contributor in the future.

Backcourt:

Starters Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored were big surprises for Butler during the 2008-2009 campaign. Nobody really expected the freshmen to step in and immediately be so productive. Mack is the more dynamic scorer of the two after averaging 11.9 points per game. His outside shooting was a little inconsistent at times, but Mack was still second on the team with 1.8 three-pointers per contest. Just as importantly, Mack dished out 3.5 assists and grabbed 4.4 rebounds per game. Nored started all 32 games, but he averaged just 4.2 points per game. He is a solid ballhandler and will only get better with experience. The elder statesman of the backcourt is Willie Veasley. The 6-3 senior is a versatile glue guy who averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds last season.

Frontcourt:

The frontcourt has two superstars if you count Gordon Hayward as a frontcourt player. The 6-9 wing was yet another freshman who exceeded expectations and tallied 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and proved to be a superb outside shooter. His presence made things much easier for Matt Howard, who was named the Horizon League’s Player of the Year last season and Newcomer of the Year two years ago. During the 2008-2009 campaign Howard led the team with 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Howard will be the go-to-scorer once again, but that may change as the rest of the team gets more experienced. With Avery Jukes and Garrett Butcher joining the newcomers, the frontcourt has more than enough depth.

Who to Watch:

However, depth in the backcourt is a minor issue. Since Nored is not much of a scorer, somebody needs to step up and provide a spark off the bench. Zach Hahn did a decent job of filling that role last year, connecting on 41.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, but Shawn Vanzant and Grant Leiendecker both have the potential to play a significant role if they can score more consistently.

Final Projection:

There is nothing stopping this team from winning 25 games again. The Horizon League is not too bad, so they might not cruise through the conference, but Butler fans should hope their conference can do better as a whole this time around or Butler will once again lose just a handful of games and then be stuck with an eight or nine seed when they deserve a three or four seed.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Shelvin Mack, Sophomore, Guard, 11.9 points per game

Ronald Nored, Sophomore, Guard, 4.2 points per game

Willie Veasley, Senior, Guard, 8.9 points per game

Gordon Hayward, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 points per game

Matt Howard, Junior, Forward, 14.8 points per game

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

Poll: Best Conference in 2009-10?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:07:04 -0500