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Around the NCAA (Week 1)


djsalway
  • It’s finally here guys. The 2014-2015 college basketball season has begun.

Well, the 2014-2015 college basketball season is upon us. Sure, Indiana has had a rough offseason, but the fact that the season is starting is good news for any sports fan. This season will, once again, be dominated by talk of freshmen in college basketball. Duke’s number one recruiting class features Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, arguably the best big man/guard combo to pair up in the past decade. Along with that, they brought in two more top 25 recruits, meaning that losing Jabari Parker won’t be as bad as some may have thought. Kentucky has reloaded with freshmen and Calipari has implemented a “platoon system” where he will play two different five man units. However, there is basically no way that this will last because he will need the best five players on the court in crunch time. I’m sure UK fans are hoping for 40-0 this season, but let’s face it, it isn’t happening. Other top five teams include Wisconsin, who returns basically everybody from last year’s Final Four team, Kansas, who brought in to freshmen Cliff Alexander and Kelly Oubre, and Arizona, a team that brought in yet another stellar recruiting class and has a top-notch coach in Sean Miller.

Last year was filled with huge expectations for the freshman (some called it the best class EVER), an undefeated team entering the tournament (Wichita State), and a guard-oriented team winning the championship (UConn). This year, we can expect more surprises, but only time will tell what comes from the 2014-2015 season. Everything leads to Indianapolis this year and I believe that there are plenty of teams that could end up in the Final Four in April.

The Preseason AP Top 25 is as follows:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Arizona
  3. Wisconsin
  4. Duke
  5. Kansas
  6. North Carolina
  7. Florida
  8. Louisville
  9. Virginia
  10. Texas
  11. Wichita State
  12. Villanova
  13. Gonzaga
  14. Iowa State
  15. Virginia Commonwealth
  16. San Diego State
  17. Connecticut
  18. Michigan State
  19. Oklahoma
  20. Ohio State
  21. Nebraska
  22. SMU
  23. Syracuse
  24. Michigan

T25. Utah

T25. Harvard

What to Watch Around the NCAA:

Miami (FL) vs. (7) Florida

Date and Time: November 17 @ 7 PM

Television Coverage: ESPNU

Preview: Miami had a rough season last year after being a national title contender in 2012-2013, but are hoping for a bounce-back season under head coach Jim Larranaga. With Florida having lost a good portion of their team (four of five starters were seniors), they will rely on young talent to keep them in the SEC race this season. They brought in a top recruiting class, but freshman Brandone Francis has been ruled ineligible for the upcoming season. However, they have Devin Robinson and brought in Jon Horford, brother of former Florida star Al Horford, from Michigan as a graduate transfer. This could be a good, in-state “rivalry” game to open the season. Miami will improve upon last year’s down season, but Florida will still be too much to handle.

(22) SMU vs. (13) Gonzaga

Date and Time: November 17 @ 11 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN

Preview: Just three days before SMU comes to Assembly Hall, they will travel to Spokane to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. SMU came out of last season finishing as the runners-up in the NIT, losing to Minnesota in the championship game, but had high hopes for the upcoming season, expecting to bring in star freshman Emmanuel Mudiay. However, he decided to go overseas and play in China, also signing a multi-million dollar shoe contract. Led by point guard Nic Moore, from Warsaw, Indiana, and big man Markus Kennedy, SMU will still be a formidable team and should be one of the favorites in the AAC. Gonzaga will, once again, most likely win the WCC, a conference that is still relatively weak, even with Gonzaga’s continued success. They return many key players from last year, including Gary Bell Jr. and Kevin Pangos, while adding Kentucky transfer Kyle Wiltjer and USC transfer Byron Wesley. This is by far one of the best matchups of the first week of the season, but I believe the Gonzaga hype has gone too far. SMU will win behind their deep lineup and stars.

(23) Syracuse vs. California (In New York)

Date and Time: November 20 @ 9 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: For the second season in a row, Syracuse will be with a brand new starting point guard. They return quite a few key players, but lost their top three leading scorers to the NBA. Trevor Cooney is one of the best shooters in the country and Boeheim will use his typical 2-3 zone to force turnovers and run in transition, making sure to get Cooney some looks along the way. Cal has some shooters of their own and shooting is the main way to get the Syracuse zone to fall apart. Jabari Bird, once a top recruit, is back for his sophomore season and will look to improve upon his 8.3 ppg last year. California is very young, with only two seniors, but will be looking for production from their young guys and new coach Cuonzo Martin is the right man to lead this young squad. Cal will be dangerous this season and could pull a few upsets, but in the end Syracuse is too good to lose this matchup, especially in New York.

What to Watch in the Big Ten

(8) Louisville vs. Minnesota (In Puerto Rico)

Date and Time: November 14 @ 7 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN

Preview: Minnesota is coming off of an NIT championship last year and Louisville is a top ten team, but the real storyline in this game is the two coaches. This will be the first matchup between Louisville coach Rick Pitino and his son, Richard Pitino, the coach of Minnesota. Rick Pitino is a Hall of Fame coach and has the talent to wreak havoc on the ACC this year, in their first season with the conference, while Minnesota is still a middle of the pack B1G team. This will be a crucial matchup for the younger Pitino, not only because he can be his father, but to establish an image for Minnesota in the coming years. This will be the first of many matchups between the father and son combo, but unfortunately for the Big Ten, I cannot fathom a way that Louisville gets beaten in this game.

(4) Duke vs. (18) Michigan State (In Indianapolis)

Date and Time: November 18 @ 7 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN

Preview: This could very possibly be a down year for Michigan State after losing Keith Appling, Adreian Payne, Gary Harris, along with a few offseason departures. Duke also lost their biggest player, Jabari Parker, but were able to bring in a much better recruiting class than that of Michigan State. However, the coach of the Spartans is still Tom Izzo last time I checked, and as long as he is the coach they have a chance to be a solid team. Michigan State still has formidable guards such as Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine, as well as Branden Dawson as a forward, but they do not have a dominant big man that can defend Jahlil Okafor in the post, which could prove to be their biggest downfall in this matchup. Duke has too much star power to lose this game, especially on the big stage in the Champions Classic in Indy, where they could very possibly end the season.

Marquette vs. (20) Ohio State

Date and Time: November 18 @ 7:30 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: Marquette is coming into this season with a brand new coach after Buzz Williams’ departure to Virginia Tech. The new coach is former Duke Assistant Steve Wojciechowski and I’m sure the Golden Eagles are hoping he can bring a little bit of Coach K’s knowledge with him. They also only have eleven players on their roster, with Luke Fischer being out for the first semester. Ohio State, on the other hand, is loaded with talent. This will be the first year since the turn of the millennium that the Buckeyes are without Aaron Craft, their red-cheeked, scrappy little point guard and they will be looking for leadership from someone else this season. They bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, including star D’Angelo Russell and will compete for a top four seed in the NCAA tournament come March. In this matchup, Wojciechowski’s first as a head coach, will unfortunately for him not end in his favor. Ohio State will win this one… Big.

(10) Texas vs. Iowa (In New York)

Date and Time: November 20 @ 7 PM

Television Coverage: ESPN2

Preview: There is a pretty good chance that Texas will end Kansas’ streak of 10 straight Big 12 regular season titles, and for good reason. Texas brought in a top five player in Myles Turner, while returning numerous key players from last year’s team that went 24-11, including big man Cameron Ridley. With another year of improvement under their belts and adding Turner, they will be one of the best teams in the country by the end of the season. Their opponents, however, will be a competitor in the Big Ten this season and could very possibly make the NCAA tournament for a second straight season. Roy Devyn Marble will be hard to replace for the Hawkeyes, but returning Aaron White and the emergence of Peter Jok will be huge in 2014-2015. This could be a much closer game than the Longhorns would like it to be, but Myles Turner and company are too good and should bring home a win in this one.

(22) SMU vs. Indiana

Date and Time: November 20 @ 8 PM

Television Coverage: BTN

Preview: There is simply no reason for me to preview this game. It will receive a bunch of coverage leading up to it and is the first huge test for the young Indiana Hoosiers. It will be the first game back for sophomores Troy Williams and Stanford Robinson, as well as freshman Emmitt Holt. This could be a great game and let’s hope that Assembly Hall is rocking when Larry Brown and his team come to town.

Once again this year, ESPN is airing their annual Tip-Off Marathon on November 17th and 18th.

Here is the schedule for the two-day event:

Monday, November 17th:

7 PM – Miami (FL) at Florida (ESPNU)

11 PM – SMU at Gonzaga (ESPN2)

11 PM – Detroit at Oregon (ESPNU)

Tuesday, November 18th:

1 AM – Auburn at Colorado (ESPN2)

3 AM – New Mexico State at Saint Mary’s (ESPN2)

5 AM – High Point at Hawaii (ESPN2)

7 AM – Iona at Wofford (ESPN2)

9 AM – Northern Iowa at Stephen F. Austin (ESPN2)

11 AM – Manhattan at Massachusetts (ESPN2)

Noon – Baylor at South Carolina (ESPN)

2 PM – Wichita State vs. Memphis (ESPN)

4 PM – Utah at San Diego State (ESPN)

6 PM – Toledo at VCU (ESPNU)

7 PM – Michigan State vs. Duke (ESPN)

7:30 PM – Marquette at Ohio State (ESPN2)

9:30 PM – Kansas vs. Kentucky (ESPN)

9:30 PM – Texas Tech at LSU (ESPN2)

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