AP Top 25: Ohio St., Georgetown, Wisconsin
Continuing with observations about the AP preaseason top 25...
7. Ohio St. I was tempted to leave the Buckeyes out, or at least put off writing about them until later, because there is no way they are the seventh best team in the country right now. Not with all those freshman who have yet to play a single meaningful minute of college basketball.
And certainly not with Greg Oden sidelined.
The 7'1" freshman -- who, by the way, would have been the top draft pick in each of the last two NBA drafts, if eligible -- will be out with a wrist injury at least until Ohio St. kicks off the Big Ten season after the new year. The injury robs coach Thad Matta of valuable court time to meld his outstanding recruiting class (four freshman ranked in the top 30) with a solid core of returnees.
Those predicting big things for the Buckeyes are essentially expecting Oden to have the kind of impact Carmelo Anthony did in his lone season at Syracuse. Like 'Melo did, Oden will have plenty of help, from both experienced players and fellow freshman. And the kid is undoubtedly a monster, a player we'd never have seen in college ball prior to the NBA establishing the age limit.
The question is not his talent, it's team chemistry. Incorporating all these freshmen is a difficult enough task, but with Oden missing the first month and a half of the season, the Buckeyes will have to jell twice. As a center, Oden will rely on his teammates more than a perimeter player might, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Buckeyes regress a bit once Oden is in the lineup. This could be one of those teams that plays below expectation all season before making a deep run in the tournament.
8. Georgetown Everyone appears ready to annoint Roy Hibbert the next in a long line of dominant Hoya big men. Me, I want to see him produce for a full year before I start seriously mentioning his name in the same breath as Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo.
Hibbert had a serviceable sophomore season, essentially doubling his scoring and rebounding production from his freshman campaign. But he really raised eyebrows during the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, following up a 17-point, nine-rebound performance against Northern Iowa with a dominating 20-and-14 game against Ohio St.
It's not that I don't think he has the skills to be an elite big man; the problem with Hibbert has always been as much about intensity and desire as it has been about polish, and he showed plenty of the former in the Big Dance. But can he -- will he -- keep it up for an entire 30-plus game season?
The Hoyas already have the Big East's best frontcourt, with junior Jeff Green -- one of the players I most enjoy watching -- returning and the addition of Ewing Jr., the transfer from Indiana, joining the team. Jonathan Wallace will have to step up his production on the perimeter to replace the scoring of departed seniors Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook, but his most important role may simply be protecting the ball and getting the ball to Green, a point forward through whom the Hoyas like to run the offense.
9. Wisconsin On paper, the Badgers looked a lot better than a 19-12 team last year. They had one of the Big Ten's best players, Alando Tucker; a blossoming big man in former McDonald's All-American Brian Butch; and a high-scoring guard in Kammron Taylor (known to many as a dead ringer for Chris Rock).
So what happened?
I'd submit that last year's Badgers underscored the importance of having a lead guard who can create opportunities for other players. Wisconsin finished with just 421 assists on the season (ahead of only lowly Purdue in the Big Ten). Taylor, their alleged point guard, led the team in assists with just 2.4 per game. Again, the Boilermakers were the only other conference opponent to not have a player on the roster average at least three dimes.
When you play the low-tempo brand of half-court basketball favored by Badger coach Bo Ryan, someone who can create with the shot clock winding down is imperative to success. With the notable exception of Ohio St. (see above), the Big Ten heavies are down this year, and so the lack of a true playmaker may not keep Wisconsin from a top-three finish in the league, like it did last year. But if they hope to make noise nationally, the Badgers will need to find someone -- Taylor, or perhaps freshman Trevon Hughes -- to fill the role of a traditional point guard.
And 1 Every so often I'll have a fourth point to make, and when I do, I'll call it "And 1" and put it here.
Caught my first college game of the season tonight, Vermont vs. Maryland in the second round of the 2k Sports Coaches vs. Cancer tourney. Living just outside DC, Terrapins basketball is pretty much forced upon me, and while it's early in the season, I think Maryland is set for a bounceback season. I noticed a marked difference in the team's attitude tonight; the "snarl" that seemed to define the team last year left with the graduations of Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, and Chris McCray, and the current bunch of Terps look refreshed, and appear to be enjoying the game.
There are still kinks to be worked out, of course -- their bigs need to stay out of foul trouble and it remains to be seen how well their freshman guards perform against tougher competion -- but the body language and energy I saw bodes well for Maryland fans.
7. Ohio St. I was tempted to leave the Buckeyes out, or at least put off writing about them until later, because there is no way they are the seventh best team in the country right now. Not with all those freshman who have yet to play a single meaningful minute of college basketball.
And certainly not with Greg Oden sidelined.
The 7'1" freshman -- who, by the way, would have been the top draft pick in each of the last two NBA drafts, if eligible -- will be out with a wrist injury at least until Ohio St. kicks off the Big Ten season after the new year. The injury robs coach Thad Matta of valuable court time to meld his outstanding recruiting class (four freshman ranked in the top 30) with a solid core of returnees.
Those predicting big things for the Buckeyes are essentially expecting Oden to have the kind of impact Carmelo Anthony did in his lone season at Syracuse. Like 'Melo did, Oden will have plenty of help, from both experienced players and fellow freshman. And the kid is undoubtedly a monster, a player we'd never have seen in college ball prior to the NBA establishing the age limit.
The question is not his talent, it's team chemistry. Incorporating all these freshmen is a difficult enough task, but with Oden missing the first month and a half of the season, the Buckeyes will have to jell twice. As a center, Oden will rely on his teammates more than a perimeter player might, so I wouldn't be surprised to see the Buckeyes regress a bit once Oden is in the lineup. This could be one of those teams that plays below expectation all season before making a deep run in the tournament.
8. Georgetown Everyone appears ready to annoint Roy Hibbert the next in a long line of dominant Hoya big men. Me, I want to see him produce for a full year before I start seriously mentioning his name in the same breath as Ewing, Mourning, and Mutombo.
Hibbert had a serviceable sophomore season, essentially doubling his scoring and rebounding production from his freshman campaign. But he really raised eyebrows during the first weekend of the NCAA tournament, following up a 17-point, nine-rebound performance against Northern Iowa with a dominating 20-and-14 game against Ohio St.
It's not that I don't think he has the skills to be an elite big man; the problem with Hibbert has always been as much about intensity and desire as it has been about polish, and he showed plenty of the former in the Big Dance. But can he -- will he -- keep it up for an entire 30-plus game season?
The Hoyas already have the Big East's best frontcourt, with junior Jeff Green -- one of the players I most enjoy watching -- returning and the addition of Ewing Jr., the transfer from Indiana, joining the team. Jonathan Wallace will have to step up his production on the perimeter to replace the scoring of departed seniors Brandon Bowman and Ashanti Cook, but his most important role may simply be protecting the ball and getting the ball to Green, a point forward through whom the Hoyas like to run the offense.
9. Wisconsin On paper, the Badgers looked a lot better than a 19-12 team last year. They had one of the Big Ten's best players, Alando Tucker; a blossoming big man in former McDonald's All-American Brian Butch; and a high-scoring guard in Kammron Taylor (known to many as a dead ringer for Chris Rock).
So what happened?
I'd submit that last year's Badgers underscored the importance of having a lead guard who can create opportunities for other players. Wisconsin finished with just 421 assists on the season (ahead of only lowly Purdue in the Big Ten). Taylor, their alleged point guard, led the team in assists with just 2.4 per game. Again, the Boilermakers were the only other conference opponent to not have a player on the roster average at least three dimes.
When you play the low-tempo brand of half-court basketball favored by Badger coach Bo Ryan, someone who can create with the shot clock winding down is imperative to success. With the notable exception of Ohio St. (see above), the Big Ten heavies are down this year, and so the lack of a true playmaker may not keep Wisconsin from a top-three finish in the league, like it did last year. But if they hope to make noise nationally, the Badgers will need to find someone -- Taylor, or perhaps freshman Trevon Hughes -- to fill the role of a traditional point guard.
And 1 Every so often I'll have a fourth point to make, and when I do, I'll call it "And 1" and put it here.
Caught my first college game of the season tonight, Vermont vs. Maryland in the second round of the 2k Sports Coaches vs. Cancer tourney. Living just outside DC, Terrapins basketball is pretty much forced upon me, and while it's early in the season, I think Maryland is set for a bounceback season. I noticed a marked difference in the team's attitude tonight; the "snarl" that seemed to define the team last year left with the graduations of Nik Caner-Medley, Travis Garrison, and Chris McCray, and the current bunch of Terps look refreshed, and appear to be enjoying the game.
There are still kinks to be worked out, of course -- their bigs need to stay out of foul trouble and it remains to be seen how well their freshman guards perform against tougher competion -- but the body language and energy I saw bodes well for Maryland fans.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 5:53 PM
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