College Basketball: '97-98

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Well, another college basketball season is upon us, five great months leading up to the frenzy we know as March Madness. On this page, you'll see a few things: a Top 25 with brief insights on each team, a NCAA Tournament prediction, 3 all american teams, and a group of sleepers ripe for the upset.

TOP 25

  1. Kansas- The past two years, Kansas has had the most talent in the country and has been unable to win it all. This year they may get it done, as two All-Americans, in Paul Pierce and Raef Lafrentz return. A lot of hope has been placed in Lester Earl, a midseason transfer from LSU. Jacque Vaughn is gone but Ryan Robertson will fill in admirably, although he can't hope to be as good as Vaughn.
  2. Duke- Although on their own, neither Trajan Langdon or Steve Wojciechowski is spectactular, together they form a deadly tandem which will be tough to stop. A great deal rides on the recruits, especially Burgess, Brand, and Battier. These three should lead the inside game which will determine how far Duke goes, the backcourt is a given.
  3. Arizona- You know Arizona's loaded for a repeat when their leading scorer isn't even one of the top three returners. Miles Simon, Mike Bibby, Micheael Dickerson, and company are back and better than last year. But like Arkansas, UCLA, and Kentucky know, everyone will be shooting for them, making it tough to repeat.
  4. UCLA- Rarely does a team with only four noteworthy returning players and a second-year coach with slicked-back hair get ranked this high, but when those players are the four UCLA has, we'll make an exception. Toby Bailey and J.R. Henderson are the stars with Kris Johnson, Jelani McCoy and one of the top 2 recruiting classes in the nation helping out.
  5. North Carolina- The team with the top player in the nation deserves recognition. Antawn Jamison is that player, but he is not alone on the Tar Heels. Vince Carter is a spectactular athlete and Ed Cota and Shammond Williams provide an admirable one-two punch in the backcourt. No Dean Smith won't make much difference this year, but a couple of years down the line will be the real test.
  6. Georgia- This is a strange pick, I agree, and one I might get burned on, but why is everyone counting out the Bulldogs? Everyone returns from a 24-9 team and 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Everyone except Coach Tubby Smith who left for division rival Kentucky. But Ron Jirsa helped recruit these players as an assistant and knows them well, so there should be little adjustment.
  7. Kentucky- Just like #5 and #6, #7 Kentucky has a new head coach in Tubby Smith. No returner averaged double figures, it's a down year for Kentucky, right? Wrong, just like always someone will step up, probably Jeff Sheppard, Wayne Turner, or Allen Edwards. Nazr Mohammed must improve his consistency.
  8. Cincinnati- Last year, Cincinnati was tabbed as a national championship favorite; they exited quietly in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Look for senior Ruben Patterson to makes his presence known. Coach Bob Huggins needs Melvin Levett and D'Juan Baker to step it up this year.
  9. Purdue- A quiet 8 seed last year in the Tournament after 3 straight Big 10 Championships, Purdue will make some noise this year. Coach Gene Keady returns his top seven players including Chad Austin (17.0 ppg), Brad Miller (14.3 ppg), Brian Cardinal and Jaraan Cornell, all double figure scorers. The Boilermakers should win the Big 10 and make a strong push for the Final Four.
  10. Clemson- Clemson returns almost everyone from a team which took Final Four participant Minnesota to double overtime in the NCAA's. Terrell McIntyre Greg Buckner, and newcomer Johnny Miller are three outstanding players, but none are over 6-4. Teams with a strong inside threat could hurt the tigers.
  11. Arkansas- Call this one a crazy hunch. The Razorbacks posess a great backcourt in playmaker Kareem Reid, 3-point artist Pat Bradley, and upcoming Glendon Alexander. However, the inside game poses questions. An injury to either Derek Hood, Nick Davis, or freshman Jason Jennings could be devastating.
  12. Xavier- With everyone back, including five double figure scorers, the Musketeers are the team to beat in the Atlantic 10. Unfortanetly, this is the Atlantic 10, a less than stellar conference, so Lenny Brown, Gary Lumpkin, and company will lack the seasoning needed to make a serious run in the tournament.
  13. South Carolina- South Carolina returns the SEC's top player in BJ McKie and the top backcourt in McKie and Melvin Watson. Either Bud Johnson or beanpole Ryan Stack needs to step up on the inside for the Gamecocks to improve on last year's 24-8 record.
  14. Miami, Fla.- It's a low year in the Big East when Miami is the top team. Actually, the Hurricanes have consistently improved and will fight for the Big East Championship. Tim James is the star, but either of the 6-9 recruits needs to make an immediate impact for Coach Leonard Hamilton to have his first NCAA berth.
  15. Louisville- Even after a "down" regular season, Louisville advanced to the Elite Eight before North Carolina closed the door. However, there are a number of question marks on this year's squad. Nate Johnson had a great freshman season and Alex Sanders is good. The season may depend of USC transfer Cameron Murray's ability to replace Dejuan Wheat.
  16. Temple- Temple is always dangerous with John Chaney at the helm, but this year, they also have a little more talent than usual. Rasheed Brokenborough averaged 16 points last year while Juan Sanchez made it impossible for opponets to focus on Brokenborough. Forward Lynard Steward is a good defended and Lamont Barnes looks to have a breakout year.
  17. Syracuse- Two short years ago, Syracuse and John Wallace raced to the Championship game and held their own against Kentucky. Todd Burgan is the lone remaining contributor from that team, but he is excellent averaging 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds. Jason Hart had an excellent freshman year as the starting point guard.
  18. Indiana- As always, there was Bobby Knight criticism during the offseason, but he is still in Bloomington, as is star senior Andrae Patterson. Knight has a good nucleus of players in Patterson, A.J. Guyton, Jason Collier, Charlie Miller, and newcomer Luke Recker. Look for the Hoosiers to challenge Purdue for the Big 10 crown.
  19. Valparaiso- Bryce Drew is the second best small conference player in the country and as a senior he should only improve. A new challenger, Oral Roberts, in the Mid-Continent Conference will make Valpo dangerous come tournament time. Coach Homer Drew has two of the best named big men in the country in Zoran Viskovic and Antanas Vilcinskas.
  20. Massachusetts- Marcus Camby and John Calipari are gone, but suprisingly Massachusetts' basketball program is still strong. Coach James Flint has molded a winner with Tyrone Weeks, Lari Ketner, and Charlton Clarke. Traditional powers UMass and Temple will continue to battle it out in the A-10 .
  21. Stanford- Although Brevin Knight is gone, Stanford shouldn't experience much drop off thanks to Tim Young. When Young is healthy, he is a 7-1, 250 pound terror for opponets. Kris Weems has become an excellent guard.
  22. UNC Charlotte- The 49ers continue to try to join the upper tier of Conference USA, meaning Cincinnati and Louisville. They are getting especially close with star forward DeMarco Johnson (18.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) and guard Sean Colson. Coach Melvin Watkins' ability to recruit, shown in this year's fine class, is what will get the 49ers up with the Bearcats and Cardinals.
  23. Mississippi- Ole Miss Coach Rob Evans has done the impossible: he has built a winner in Oxford. Led by Ansu Sesay and Keith Carter, the Rebels should make a run at the SEC Championship, the key year is next year when Sesay, Anthony Boone, and Joezon Darby graduate, then we'll see if Ole Miss is here to stay.
  24. Fresno State- Tark the Shark has collected the best group of talent ever seen at Fresno State. Of course, that was said last year, and the Bulldogs only managed an NIT berth. But four good transfers from California, USC, Boise State, and Syracuse, respectively, along with Daymond Forney will make Fresno State the WAC favorite.
  25. New Mexico- Hot on the heels of the Bulldogs will be the New Mexico Lobos. Despite the loss of all-time New Mexico leading scorer Charles Smith; Clayton Smith and Kenny Thomas are bonafide stars. New Mexico could get hot and make noise in the tourney.

NCAA Tournament Predictions

1st Round

2nd Round

Sweet 16

Elite Eight

Final Four

Championship

National Champion: Kansas

All-Americans

1st Team

2nd Team

3rd Team

Top 10 Sleepers-What makes a sleeper? Usually you'll find a sleeper where you find a good coach along with one exceptional player. On any given night, the coach can motivate his players to play above and beyond their normal capabilities.

  1. California- The Golden Bears return only 3 players and 14.7 ppg from last year. However, Pac-10 Coach of the Year Ben Braun last year guided the Bears to the Sweet 16 without injured Pac-10 player of the year Ed Gray. 6-10 center Sean Marks from New Zealeand needs to become a leader.
  2. Arizona State- The Sun Devils are led by the outstanding Jeremy Veal (18.7 ppg). However Mike Batiste and Eddie House both averaged at least twelve point last year. With no player over 6-8, this team will have trouble sustaining a season-long run.
  3. Colorado State- Colorad State returns everyone from a 20 win season. This is a well-balanced team, with four returners averaging double figures, including Bryan Christiansen and Ryan Chilton. Look for the Rams to pull some WAC shockers over the likes of Fresno State and New Mexico.
  4. Colorado- This pick is based solely on the skill of Coach Ricardo Patton. Had Chauncey Billups returned, the Buffaloes would have challenged for second in the Big 12. Instead, they are an upset waiting to happen, and Patton would pull his share.
  5. Seton Hall- First year coach Tommy Amaker is blessed with an outstanding backcourt in Shaheen Holloway and Levell Sanders. Hopefully for Pirate fans, he picked up some of Mike Krzyzewski's coaching expertise as a Duke assistant.
  6. Mississippi State- Only two years ago the Bulldogs were in the Final Four. Coach Richard Williams returns everyone and pulled in the top recruiting conference in the SEC. Horatio Webster is a star and newcomer Detrick White is one in training.
  7. Ohio State- The Buckeyes are getting accustomed to the bottom of the Big 10. But for the second straight year, the Buckeyes return everyone, only this year they also have a new coach in Jim O'Brien. If not this year, O'Brien has Damon Stringer, Jermaine Tate and company all back for 1998-99 as well.
  8. Duquesne- Scott Edgar is an excellent recruiter, and if the newcomers are good, the Dukes have a chance to leave the A-10 cellar. Kevin Price and Mike James must replace the departed Tom Pipkins and his 19.3 points per game.
  9. Florida State- The Seminoles, under new head coach Steve Robinson should be the fifth ACC team in the NCAA's. Look for Corey Louis and Randell Jackson to up their 11 ppg average and surprise a few people.
  10. Iowa State- Two years ago, the Cyclones lost everybody and were counted on for the Big 12 cellar. Instead, Coach Tom Davis brought in Dedric Willoughby, Kelvin Cato and company, and a second place team emerged, a similar situation emerges for this year.

This page was made and is maintained by Andrew Brill. Any questions or comments may be e-mailed to this address. Thank you