<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">1. Duke Rating rationale: Those in Connecticut's corner are the only ones who could mount a convincing argument that the Blue Devils aren't clearly the favorites to cut down nets in Indianapolis sometime late in the evening of April 3, 2006. A Hall of Fame coach (Mike Krzyzewski) has two consensus All-Americans in Shelden Williams and J.J. Redick, three other returnees who averaged 22 minutes apiece on a 27-6 Sweet 16 team, along with a five-player freshman class led by the most gifted newcomer in the country (6-foot-10 Josh McRoberts) ? that's a pretty sturdy resume for a preseason No. 1. Concerns: Hmmmm ... that's tough. Any suggestions? Frank says: I'd hate to say anything hasty, such as "pencil them into the final weekend of the season." Nah ... go ahead. 2. Connecticut Rating rationale: Another Hall of Fame coach (Jim Calhoun) has one of the best sets of post players anywhere, led by Josh Boone, a deep group of wings that is paced by sophomore Rudy Gay, and one of the better point guards anywhere in Marcus Williams, who is scheduled to be back on the floor for the Huskies in time for the team's Jan. 3 Big East opener at Marquette. Depth? Oh, yeah. There's plenty of that as well. Concerns: Well, it would have been point guard if Williams' suspension had covered the entire school year. Now, it's ... too many talented players to keep happy? I know; I'm reaching. Frank says: On April 3, one of two things is going to take place: 1) Mike Krzyzewski gets his fourth national title or, 2) Jim Calhoun gets his third. 3. Michigan State Rating rationale: Four starters; underappreciated center Paul Davis; spectacular wings Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown; and a point guard on the verge of a breakout sophomore season, Drew Neitzel, return from coach Tom Izzo's fourth Final Four team. Concerns: Who will be the fifth starter/post to go along with Davis? How quickly can Izzo develop backcourt depth? Frank says: In a season in which Duke and Connecticut seem superior to the rest of the field, we'll give the Spartans the nod at the moment as the "best of the rest." 4. Gonzaga Rating rationale: This squad, led by Wooden Award candidate Adam Morrison, as well as returning starters in point guard Derek Raivio, wing Erroll Knight and post J.P. Batista, has more than enough ingredients to end the season as the school's best ever ? and in Indianapolis. Concerns: Can they defend well enough to advance beyond the second round of the tournament for the first time since 2001? Frank says: Three days in Lahaina (the Nov. 21-23 Maui Invitational) will provide coach Mark Few's players with a lot of pineapple and a sweet opportunity to demonstrate that they're this good. 5. Texas Rating rationale: Despite the loss of their best recruit (swingman C.J. Miles) to the NBA, the Longhorns are as physically gifted as any team in the country (sans Duke and Connecticut). Rick Barnes will field his best frontcourt (Brad Buckman, P.J. Tucker and Lamarcus Aldridge). We'll hold off on any comparisons between sophomore Daniel Gibson and the Texas point guard who won the Wooden Award (remember T.J. Ford, don't you?) for a while. But he's very, very good. Concerns: Will Aldridge evolve into the dominating post presence he's seemed capable of becoming since high school? Frank says: If things fall into place in the Maui Invitational, Duke and Texas could be playing in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 10 as the 1-2 ranked teams in the country. 6. Oklahoma Rating rationale: Four starters (guards Terrell Everett and David Godbold, and posts Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout) return from the team that won 25 games before having the misfortune of running into the University of Utah ? or, more to the point, Andrew Bogut ? in the second round of the NCAA tournament. And Kelvin Sampson has a nice batch of newcomers, most notably UC Riverside transfer Nate Carter. Concerns: Can Bookout stay healthy for his entire senior season? Frank says: The OU-Texas hoops meetings this season should be much more competitive than their football counterpart was. 7. Iowa Rating rationale: The Hawkeyes closed strongly in the Big Ten, winning five in a row before losing to Wisconsin in the conference tournament semifinals. The top eight players off that squad are back, including at least three potential all-conference players in guard Jeff Horner and forwards Greg Brunner and Adam Haluska, who averaged from 14.0 to 14.7 points per game. Concerns: Starting post players Brunner and Erek Hansen combined to foul out 11 times last season. Frank says: Something to keep in mind ? the Hawkeyes beat seven NCAA tournament participants last season. 8. Arizona Rating rationale: Lute Olson coaches the team; need anything else? So be it. The Wildcats lost Channing Frye and Salim Stoudamire to the NBA but return their next six top scorers, including starters Hassan Adams, Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic. And Olson has three freshmen of note, at least one of which ? Marcus Williams, by way of Seattle ? will crack his rotation immediately. Concerns: Even the most fervent of U of A supporters can't soft-sell the loss of Frye and Stoudamire and the impact they had on those 30 victories last season. Frank says: Hall of Fame coach + deep and sizzling perimeter + underrated post players = Pac-10 title and two or three NCAA tournament victories. 9. Louisville Rating rationale: The Cardinals return two critical pieces (guard Taquan Dean and forward Juan Palacios) from a Final Four team and a reserve from that team, guard Brandon Jenkins, should be a double-figure scorer. At least five newcomers, David Padgett (Kansas transfer and 2003 McDonald's All-American), Brian Johnson (redshirted while injured as a freshman) and freshmen Andre McGee, Terrence Williams and Chad Millard will play prominent roles. Concerns: Padgett and Palacios, potentially one of the best sets of posts anywhere this season, are recovering from off-season foot injuries. If they're not operating at close to full efficiency, forget where you saw the No. 9 rating. Frank says: If the Cardinals are at least relatively healthy, the first season in the Big East should be a blast for Pitino & Co. 10. Stanford Rating rationale: Trent Johnson returns three of the best 10 players in the Pac-10 in seniors Chris Hernandez (destined to be a three-time all-conference selection), Dan Grunfeld and Matt Haryasz. Grunfeld seems to have recovered nicely from the ACL surgery in February that kept him out of the lineup for the final nine games. With the addition of three quality freshmen, Johnson should be able to comfortably go 10 deep into his rotation, if he's so inclined. Concerns: Can Hernandez, Grunfeld and Haryasz stay healthy as seniors? Frank says: You'll find as many people within the Pac-10 who believe the Cardinal will win the conference as those who think Arizona will.</div> Full Story
I don't see how anyone can rank Connecticut as the #2 team in the nation with no point guard. I realize that for the most part Marcus Williams is only suspended for games against cupcakes, but he's also absent for the Maui Invitational, in which I don't think they'll even get past their matchup with Arkansas in the first round, much less beat the winner of Arizona/Kansas. With no point guard, they'll probably also wind up losing against one of those teams that we look at now as easy wins. Just ask the 2003 Michigan State team that was knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament how vital point guard play is. They went from a preseason top five team to an unranked, low seed in the tournament all because of lack of a true point guard. I'm also not convinced that Gay is #1 draft pick material like most people seem to be, nor am I convinced that Hilton Armstrong can be productive in serious minutes. All things considered, Connecticut should be a top ten team, but it's bizarre to see people high enough on them to rank them #2.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't see how anyone can rank Connecticut as the #2 team in the nation with no point guard.</div> Agree. A lot of experts seem to be so high on Rudy Gay this season that they are forgetting that this team will not even have a point guard to get him the ball on the break where he can be most effective. To me it seems like the media is making no big deal about Williams, an all-american canidate, getting suspended.
