AP Top 25: Texas A&M, Memphis, BC
Halfway done with the AP preseason top 25...
13. Texas A&M Looking at of some of the teams ranked in the top ten, and then looking at the Aggies' roster, you can't help but think that some people are perhaps valuing youth and potential over experience a bit too much.
Coach Billy Gillispie has his top six scorers back from a team that went 22-9 last year, beat Syracuse in the first round of the NCAAs, and took eventual Final Four team LSU to the brink in the next round before losing by a point. The group includes two all-conference candidates in senior Acie Law IV and junior Joseph Jones. Law is a do-everything lead guard who reached double figures in all but two games on his way to an average of 16 per, and he is capable of taking over a game with his scoring; he dropped 35 on Oklahoma State in one of the toughest gyms for visiting players. Jones is a 6-9, 250-pound bruiser who had 31 points at Texas in a loss last February. His rebounding average should improve from 6.5 per game with another year of experience under his belt.
A&M isn't a traditional basketball power, so to be ranked this highly really says something about Gillispie, Law, and Jones. If they can get any contribution from the team's role players, they could make a deep March run.
14. Memphis It's hard to feel sorry for a guy who gets top recruits year after year, but a part of you has to reach out to John Calipari. Because if Shawne Williams and Darius Washington Jr. hadn't left early and declared for the NBA draft (Williams went to Indiana in the middle of the first round, Washington went unselected) Coach Cal would've really had something going in the River City.
He still might. After all, Calipari brings this on himself by always going after -- and getting -- blue-chip recruits, so the cupboard isn't bare, even though the loss of Williams, Washington, and the graduated Rodney Carney leaves the Tigers without a returning double-digit scorer. Somebody -- Chris Douglas-Roberts? Joey Dorsey? Antonio Anderson? -- will have to step up as a go-to scorer. The team will also need either sophomore Andre Allen or highly-touted freshman Willie Kemp to fill the leadership void left by Carney (the team's lone senior last year), and Washington (a two-year starter at the point).
The talent is there for this team to be ranked even higher than this, but expectations are tempered a bit because every returnee has been a role player in previous years. How well those Tigers make the transition to heavy producers will dictate the outcome of their season.
15. Boston College Two years ago, the Eagles ended a strong season on a sour note, bowing out in the second round of the NCAAs to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It wasn't just that they lost, but how they lost; being outmuscled and outhustled by a mid-major. That's not supposed to happen to teams from the Big East.
BC acquitted itself well last year as a new member of the ACC, advancing to the Sweet 16 before losing by a single point to top-seeded Villanova. Two key players from that team are gone. Point guard Louis Hinnant is the easier of the two to replace, as sophomore Tyrese Rice showed last year he is more than ready to take the reins. Equally comfortable driving to the basket as he is slinging three-pointers with his smooth lefty release, Rice will be asked to distribute more this year, and he appears willing to do so.
The real challenge facing coach Al Skinner is filling the void left by Craig Smith. It shouldn't be hard to replace his scoring -- Rice, Jared Dudley, and Sean Marshall have all proven they can fill it up -- but his rebounding, more than nine a game, will be tougher. The Eagles aren't off to a good start, as two of the players most likely to take Smith's minutes were suspended before the season. Sean Williams, a superb athlete who may be the conference's best shotblocker, will miss the first two games, and Akida McLain, who avered four points and three boards in just 12 minutes last year, will miss nine.
BC is a veteran ballclub with that plays a great brand of team basketball. If they can find an answer in the post, they'll remain near the top of the ACC.
13. Texas A&M Looking at of some of the teams ranked in the top ten, and then looking at the Aggies' roster, you can't help but think that some people are perhaps valuing youth and potential over experience a bit too much.
Coach Billy Gillispie has his top six scorers back from a team that went 22-9 last year, beat Syracuse in the first round of the NCAAs, and took eventual Final Four team LSU to the brink in the next round before losing by a point. The group includes two all-conference candidates in senior Acie Law IV and junior Joseph Jones. Law is a do-everything lead guard who reached double figures in all but two games on his way to an average of 16 per, and he is capable of taking over a game with his scoring; he dropped 35 on Oklahoma State in one of the toughest gyms for visiting players. Jones is a 6-9, 250-pound bruiser who had 31 points at Texas in a loss last February. His rebounding average should improve from 6.5 per game with another year of experience under his belt.
A&M isn't a traditional basketball power, so to be ranked this highly really says something about Gillispie, Law, and Jones. If they can get any contribution from the team's role players, they could make a deep March run.
14. Memphis It's hard to feel sorry for a guy who gets top recruits year after year, but a part of you has to reach out to John Calipari. Because if Shawne Williams and Darius Washington Jr. hadn't left early and declared for the NBA draft (Williams went to Indiana in the middle of the first round, Washington went unselected) Coach Cal would've really had something going in the River City.
He still might. After all, Calipari brings this on himself by always going after -- and getting -- blue-chip recruits, so the cupboard isn't bare, even though the loss of Williams, Washington, and the graduated Rodney Carney leaves the Tigers without a returning double-digit scorer. Somebody -- Chris Douglas-Roberts? Joey Dorsey? Antonio Anderson? -- will have to step up as a go-to scorer. The team will also need either sophomore Andre Allen or highly-touted freshman Willie Kemp to fill the leadership void left by Carney (the team's lone senior last year), and Washington (a two-year starter at the point).
The talent is there for this team to be ranked even higher than this, but expectations are tempered a bit because every returnee has been a role player in previous years. How well those Tigers make the transition to heavy producers will dictate the outcome of their season.
15. Boston College Two years ago, the Eagles ended a strong season on a sour note, bowing out in the second round of the NCAAs to Wisconsin-Milwaukee. It wasn't just that they lost, but how they lost; being outmuscled and outhustled by a mid-major. That's not supposed to happen to teams from the Big East.
BC acquitted itself well last year as a new member of the ACC, advancing to the Sweet 16 before losing by a single point to top-seeded Villanova. Two key players from that team are gone. Point guard Louis Hinnant is the easier of the two to replace, as sophomore Tyrese Rice showed last year he is more than ready to take the reins. Equally comfortable driving to the basket as he is slinging three-pointers with his smooth lefty release, Rice will be asked to distribute more this year, and he appears willing to do so.
The real challenge facing coach Al Skinner is filling the void left by Craig Smith. It shouldn't be hard to replace his scoring -- Rice, Jared Dudley, and Sean Marshall have all proven they can fill it up -- but his rebounding, more than nine a game, will be tougher. The Eagles aren't off to a good start, as two of the players most likely to take Smith's minutes were suspended before the season. Sean Williams, a superb athlete who may be the conference's best shotblocker, will miss the first two games, and Akida McLain, who avered four points and three boards in just 12 minutes last year, will miss nine.
BC is a veteran ballclub with that plays a great brand of team basketball. If they can find an answer in the post, they'll remain near the top of the ACC.
posted by H.S. Slam, Ph.D at 9:25 PM
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