NCAA Basketball Preview: 2006 (427 hits)
Category: SportsRating: 1.5 on 16 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by nitty (View user info) at 2006-12-06 10:44:46 EST
I love college basketball.
Pro hoops, on the other hand, I find painful to watch, at least until the playoffs when the superstars actually give a shit.
2006 is going to be a banner year in NCAA Men's Basketball. Records will be broken, past champions will fall, and there will be more than one suprise come March.
Perhaps the biggest wrinkle in college basketball is the new NBA rule instituting a minimum age of 19 to play in the league. What a ridiculous rule. Apparently it's been enacted to ensure players fresh out of high school get a bit of the college experience, thus preparing them for the rigors of life as a professional athlete. But what if they're good enough? The LPGA let Michelle Wie play on the tour at the tender age of 15. MLB openly drafts players fresh from high school thinking they can make it in the show. All the age cap rule is going to do is further dilute the ranks of college basketball when superstars such as Greg Oden are forced to play for a year at the college level, knowing full well they'll be gone thereafter. Prediction: this rule will be retracted by 2009.
Second on the list of hot topics is coach Bob Knight - the General - who will, without a doubt, break the all-time win record this season, currently held by former Tar Heel coach Dean Smith. Bob Knight is to basketball what Barry Bonds is to baseball. An eventual record breaker, a lock for the Hall of Fame, yet perhaps with an asterisk. Those who support Knight swear by him. Those who dislike the man absolutely hate him. There is no middle ground when it comes to the former Indiana coach, three time national champion, who is now leading the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Say what you will, but Knight gets the job done. The only difference between Knight, Krzyzewski, Pitino, Boeheim, Tubby Smith, and Williams is that Knight does in public what the others do behind closed doors. Yet he wins basketball games, his kids graduate, and he's a phenominal coach. He deserves the record.
Teams that will disappoint:
Duke: Without question an elite program the last 16 years, Duke is in the midst of a rebuilding season. Their success rises and sets with junior power forward Josh McRoberts, who is simply not ready to shoulder such a load. The Blue Devils barely scraped out a win against a far less talented Indiana squad simply because Indiana had an answer to McRoberts in the form of DJ White. To be successful you need an exceptional point guard. Greg Paulus, while talented, wouldn't be ranked among the top 20 point guards in the country. Duke's weak out of conference schedule will grant them their token 20 wins, but look for them to fall in conference to the likes of Boston College, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech. The 2006 Blue Devils' run will end in the Sweet 16, if they make it that far.
Ohio State: Greg Oden is the best college basketball player in the country. Will he get player of the year? No. Why? He doesn't care. He knows, without question, that he can go the entire season without even suiting up for a game and he'd still be the first pick in the NBA draft. He will play, and he will play well, but his focus will be elsewhere. OSU will win some huge games, but will also lose some games they have no business losing. That's what happens when you rely on freshmen and freshmen alone. Coach Matta is a fantasatic recruiter. I'm still not sold on his coaching skills. Ohio State misses the Final 4 by one game.
Florida: The defending National Champions? A disappointment? Yep. Going soley on history here, it's HARD for a team to repeat in this modern era. It hasn't been done since Duke did it in '91-'92, and the game is different now. Florida returns 5 starters from the championship team, and is picked by most to make a return to the Final 4. Bear in mind that last year Florida lost to the likes of Tennessee and South Carolina (twice). They came together and played their best ball of the year at just the right time - in March. This year they're prone for a huge upset - look for them to lose in the round of 16 or before - probably to whomever is this year's George Mason.
Teams that will Suprise:
Winthrop: Any team who's top 2 scorers also shoot over 42% from the three point line is dangerous. Ask #11 Wisconsin, who barely squeaked by the Eagles in overtime. Ask North Carolina, who got lit up to the tune of 25 points behind the hot hand of Torrel Martin before edging Winthrop 73-66. This team has enough quickness, enough experience, and enough talent to make a run in the tournament.
Maryland: I've not yet seen a team that can match Maryland in terms of quickness. They will beat a lot of people on sheer athleticism alone. The absence of a true pure scorer puts them at a huge disadvantage, but they have the ability to run 90% of teams out of the gym. If their shooters get hot, watch out. Look for them in the Sweet 16.
Nevada: Nick Fazekas is to Nevada what Adam Morrison was to Gonzaga. He has the ability to put the team on his back and carry them for a few games. If those games happen to be in March, all the better. Fazekas would have been a lock for the first round in the 2006 summer draft, but wasn't done dominating college basketball yet.
The Final Four:
LSU: With the possible exception of Greg Oden, no one in the country will stop Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Following in Shaq's Tiger footsteps, he proved his worth by dominating Sheldon Williams in a Sweet 16 matchup last year that sent Duke back to Durham with their tails between their legs. Combine Davis' size with PG Tack Minor (injured last March - did not play) and shooter Terry Martin, the Texas Tech transfer, and this team is dangerous. They'll go into the tournament as a 2 seed, and they'll play on the last weekend.
Wisconsin: Every Final Four has a suprise, and Wisconsin is this year's. A young team with immeasurable talent led by player-of-the-year candidate Alando Tucker, look for Wisconsin to lose some games they shouldn't and enter the tournament as a 6. They could very well be responsible for knocking out the likes of a Florida, UCLA, or Pittsburg - all who will be higher ranked but none who will go as far.
Kansas: Last year, Kansas went 13-2 their final 15 games. They also started 3 freshmen and 2 sophomores. One of those freshman, Brandon Rush, led the Jayhawks in scoring. All 5 are back, only now with experience and even more chemistry. Looking to avenge last year's opening round upset to Bradley, Kansas has a hunger that can't be taught. This year there will be 2 #1 seeds that reach the Final Four. Kansas will be one of them.
North Carolina: Thanks to Coach Roy Williams, a ridiculous amount of talent was walking around Chapel Hill when the fall semester began. Tyler Hansbrough averaged 19 points per game last year as a natural freshman, and he's not slowing down for his sophomore campaign. As other teams will be aiming to stop the big man, enter 6'9" freshman Daniel Wright, who has the ability to score down low with either hand. Freshman PG Ty Lawson is arguably the most talented to fill that postion since Phil Ford. Throw in the senior leadership of Reyshawn Terry and the defense of Marcus Ginyard, and the team is stacked from top to bottom. Skeptics argue their youth will hinder them - well when the coach has the ability to pull the first five and insert five veterans, it makes a point to the youngsters on the team. The Tar Heels can run 12 deep, and will do so often. Look for them to average 90+ points over the season, look for them to enter the tournament as a #1 seed, and look for them to cut down the nets while "One Shining Moment" plays in the background.
But maybe I'm a little biased.
User Reviews
Submitted by cuberat (user info) at 2007-09-18 16:53:12 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
What about a 2007 season prediction?
Submitted by YoMikeyA (user info) at 2006-12-07 14:09:53 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Kansas....all the way
Submitted by ubetidid (user info) at 2006-12-06 21:06:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
oh ubet this is my favorite time of year.
Coach K would surely tell you that Bob Knight taught him
everything he knows.
Duke is my heart, but I'm putting my money on NC this year!!!
Submitted by Shlongy (user info) at 2006-12-06 18:08:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Why is your kid wearing YOUR Tarheel pajamas?
Submitted by iddqd (user info) at 2006-12-06 17:08:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
"Greg Oden is the best college basketball player in the country. Will he get player of the year? No. Why? He doesn't care. He knows, without question, that he can go the entire season without even suiting up for a game and he'd still be the first pick in the NBA draft. He will play, and he will play well, but his focus will be elsewhere"
if this statement is true, this is what will make this guy a failure.
Submitted by Spacegrass (user info) at 2006-12-06 15:34:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I like this year's UConn team because it only has one player who was convicted of trying to sell stolen laptops. We consider this positive progress. Plus Jeff Adrien is like 6'6" with about a 7'2" wingspan. He can almost brush his knuckles on the floor without bending over.
Submitted by ChristPuncher (user info) at 2006-12-06 15:32:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
POOR FIGHTIN ILLINI
WEEP
GO COLLEGE B-BALL WOO
GO BEARS MORE WOO!!!
Submitted by TheSpook (user info) at 2006-12-06 14:46:59 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
UNC didn't impress me too much. They almost lost it to a Big Ten team without their best player.
Plus all the fans looked pretty gay jumping around inside an arena. Real college sports are played outside.
Submitted by congo (user info) at 2006-12-06 14:35:48 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Amen, Loki!
Every time Duke loses, it's a national holiday. Looking forward to a lot of holidays this year.
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2006-12-06 12:47:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
How could Duke having a bad season possibly be disappointing?
Submitted by HotWillie (user info) at 2006-12-06 12:21:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
For the picture only.
Submitted by Adamdidit2u (user info) at 2006-12-06 12:00:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
LET'S GO MARYLAND!
WOO WOO GO TERPS!
(BTW I like how the team with the slowest possible mascot was singled out by you for thier astounding quickness.)
Submitted by congo (user info) at 2006-12-06 11:53:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Comparing Knight to Bonds is a little unfair, because Knight didn't cheat to get all those wins. He actually earned them. He was just an asshole to a lot of people along the way.
I know if I had a kid going to play division I college basketball, I'd want Bobby Knight coaching him.
Submitted by sergestorms (user info) at 2006-12-06 11:14:28 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
nice topic
but it's gonna be AARON GRAY and the pitt panthers cutting down the nets in march (or does it end in april this year)the Big East is gonna be strong again, and UNC is just too young still. Florida is one Noah or Horford significant injury away from 20-12, Duke is really white this year and Paulus is way overrated, i like a kansas-Pitt final this year
Submitted by Yougotthatright (user info) at 2006-12-06 11:00:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
UNC all the way.
Hey don't know you but I have a piece of advice for the new tyke-ster. I had a buddy who had a little girl awhile back and when she was born, he took her first B-day pictures with this silly set of pink rabbit ears on her head. Well one thing led to another and every year he'd take out these silly bunny ears and take another picture of her in them at her birthday. It never made sense to anyone until she was getting married and it was his time for the "Fathers speech" at her reception. That's when the lights went low, and a screen came down behind the wedding party and this powerpoint presentation started to play...and it was a year-by-year slide show of her growing up (morphing - age progression) in those stupid bunny ears with the music that she had grown up to playing in the background. Coolest thing I had ever seen at a wedding. Think how cool it'd be having something like that of your boy in your work shirt or something like that for HIS wedding.
just an idea.
cary on
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2006-12-06 10:52:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Plus a million because of college hoops, -1 because of the nigger tar heel baby.