Predicting the 10 Most Painful Teams to Watch for 2013-14 NCAA Basketball Season
With months to go before the actual season tips off, most college basketball crystal ball predictions are focused on the best teams in the nation and how new recruits will blend in with their respective rosters.
But for every national championship-caliber squad, there are plenty of teams that are just plain bad. These are groups (for the most part) that will in all likelihood win single-digit games and may even struggle to get to five victories.
Read on to see the 10 most painful teams to watch for the 2013-14 college hoops season.
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Ranking the 10 Best NCAA Basketball Backcourts for 2013-14 Season
Last season was the year of the guards.
The best backcourt in the country, Michigan’s Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr., carried their team to the national championship game. You could argue the second-best backcourt ended up winning the national title.
So if you’re trying to predict what will happen in 2014, it’s a good idea to take a look at the backcourts. These are the best 10.
All advanced stats used in this piece come from KenPom.com (subscription needed).
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Predicting the 10 Most Exciting Alley-Oop Combos in NCAA Basketball for 2014
As much as the alley-oop is a flashy, look-at-me play, it’s also a great demonstration of teamwork. It takes both a terrific pass and a great finish to make a highlight-reel alley-oop, and there are going to be plenty of them in college basketball next season.
One pairing that few thought they’d see in the college ranks again is Oklahoma State’s backcourt of Marcus Smart and Markel Brown. But, with both standout guards back for another year, Stillwater will once again be a prime site for top-notch alley-oops.
Herein, a closer look at the Cowboys’ skywalking potential and nine more of the most electrifying passer/dunker duos in the country for 2013-14.
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Best Landing Spots for Top NCAA Basketball Seniors Looking to Transfer
College basketball’s free agent market is in full swing right now. Have a hole in your roster and need an immediate impact player? No problem. There’s probably a senior transfer out there available for a quick fix.
The rule that allows seniors to transfer and not sit out if they earn their undergrad degree first has some high-profile players on the market. These are the best available and where they could land.
Tarik Black, former Memphis power forward
Considering: Oregon, Duke and Kansas (according to Zagsblog.com)
Where Black Fits: All three teams have a need for an experienced big man.
This one season for Black is like a tryout for the NBA, as he’s always been an intriguing prospect who hasn’t quite proven himself. The main reason to consider Kansas would be Bill Self’s ability to develop big men.
The drawback at KU is competition. Bill Self has plenty of talent in the frontcourt, but it’s all pretty green. Perry Ellis is a lock to start at the 4 spot, and Black would have to compete with incoming freshman Joel Embiid and sophomore-to-be Jamari Traylor for the other starting spot.
According to Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com, Kansas could be in the lead.
If it’s guaranteed playing time that Black wants, the better options would be Duke or Oregon.
Black would likely be the starter next to transfer Rodney Hood at Duke. Mike Krzyzewski returns two post players who were part of the rotation last year—Josh Hairston and Amile Jefferson—and both are probably better suited coming off the bench.
The school that would guarantee Black the most playing time is Oregon, where Dana Altman has already begun rebuilding his frontcourt with UNLV transfer Mike Moser.
Altman had success last year with Arsalan Kazemi, another one-and-done transfer big man. That shows that he’s more than willing to put Moser and Black in his starting lineup right away. The Ducks return a talented backcourt, but they didn’t have much coming back up front.
Considering the impact Black could make, Oregon seems to make the most sense. But if he’s looking for one solid year of development at a big man-friendly program, Kansas is a solid choice.
Antonio Barton, former Memphis guard
Considering: Maryland and Tennessee (according to the Baltimore Sun)
Where Barton Fits: Both schools were bubble teams last season that need a guard because of their own guys transferring out.
At Maryland, Barton would compete with incoming freshman point guard Roddy Peters, who is ranked as the 10th-best point guard in the 2013 class by Rivals.com.
At Tennessee, Barton could take the place of starting point guard Trae Golden, whose unexpected transfer is on the fishy side if this report by Jimmy Hyams of the “Sports Animal” in Knoxville is the reason why Golden departed.
Both teams have some intriguing talent on their roster, but the Vols could be the team that’s one player away from making some noise in their league. Tennessee returns three all-league guys in Jordan McRae, Jarnell Stokes and Jeronne Maymon. Maymon had to sit out last season because of a knee injury.
Since Golden’s transfer kind of came out of nowhere, the best spot for Barton to guarantee himself playing time and the chance to play for a contender is at Tennessee.
Michael Dixon, Missouri
Considering: East Carolina, Baylor, Colorado and Loyola Marymount (according to Jason King of ESPN.com)
Where Dixon Fits: It’s not a given that Dixon would be allowed to play right away.
Dixon missed last season after he was kicked off the team when an MU student accused him of rape, which, as recently reported by the Columbia Tribune, the police decided not to press charges.
Dixon, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has yet to complete his undergraduate coursework. But he’s still hoping to receive a waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to play immediately at his new school.
If Dixon wants to go to a team where he can be the star and put up a lot of points, East Carolina and Loyola Marymount make sense. ECU graduates its two leading scorers. Loyola Marymount went 1-15 in the WCC last year.
What makes more sense for Dixon if he wants to be back in the spotlight is to go to Baylor or Colorado.
The Buffs already have a talented backcourt with Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker. Dixon could start alongside those two, moving Dinwiddie to the 3 spot, and allowing the Buffs to play fast, which is the pace best-suited for all three guards.
Dixon can also play point guard, and that’s where he could fit in at Baylor. Scott Drew has a lot of talent returning, but his team will be unproven at point guard. Dixon could fill that role or slide over to the 2 if JUCO transfer point guard Kenny Cherry turns out to be a talent similar to Pierre Jackson, who was also a JUCO transfer.
Drew has a lot to sell, but it could be wise for Dixon to stay away from the Big 12—opposing fan bases are plenty familiar with his story. Colorado seems like a good fit.
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Ranking the Top 10 3-Point Threats in NCAA Basketball for 2013-14 Season
The best two three-point shooters in college basketball (in my subjective opinion) play in the same state.
Can you name those players?
Here’s a hint: One is from Canada and the other is about to set an NCAA record.
If I were commissioner of the college basketball offseason—a job I’d be willing to take on—I’d want these two to square off in a three-point shooting contest. And you could go ahead and throw the other eight shooters on this list in as well.
Feel free to name shooters I should have included. I’ll put them on the waiting list for my imaginary offseason competition.
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Predicting the Next 5 NCAA Basketball Coaches to Be Inducted into Hall of Fame
Figuring out what makes a Hall of Famer and who isn’t quite good enough will lead to debates that lead to loud noises. (They usually escalate quickly!)
In September, Rick Pitino, Jerry Tarkanian and Guy Lewis will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. For fans of Pitino and Tarkanian, it should have been an “it’s about time” reaction. Both coaches could have been inducted years ago.
The selection committee’s criteria for electing college basketball coaches has been pretty clear. In the last 25 years, 15 college coaches (counting this year’s soon-to-be inductees) have made it to Springfield. Out of those coaches, only two didn’t have at least 500 wins (John Chaney and Al McGuire) and only two didn’t win at least one Division I national title (*Chaney and Guy Lewis).
*Chaney did win a D-II title in 1978 at Cheyney State. Lewis made it to back-to-back title games in 1983 and 1984.
With those numbers in mind, here’s a prediction of the next five coaches to get in.
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Updated Predictions for 2013-14 NCAA Basketball Preseason Top 25 Poll
It’s been over a month since our first look at which NCAA basketball teams might top the preseason polls in the fall, and a lot has changed in that time. Some players expected to jump to the NBA haven’t; some who were expected to stay are gone, and the biggest name of the recruiting class has finally made his decision.
That last player, of course, is Andrew Wiggins, who immediately becomes the best player on an inexperienced Kansas team. Of course, “inexperienced” is a far cry from “untalented,” and Naadir Tharpe and the Jayhawks jump into the top 10 with Wiggins’ arrival.
Read on for a look at a full, updated projection of which teams will land where when the preseason rankings come out in November.
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Ranking the 10 NCAA Basketball Players with Most Complete Offensive Skill Sets
My generation grew up rooting for Jordan to go for 60 every night, and we weren’t happy when Tony Kucok decided he should start shooting. It was just more fun to watch Jordan try to shake someone off the dribble or hit one of those patented fadeaway turnaround jumpers or drive baseline and dunk on Patrick Ewing. Watching Jordan with the ball was a clinic.
Few college players make it into the “pass him the ball so we can watch him score” list. The game is more about motion offenses and the coaches are the stars, but a few of these guys exist. Some don’t even realize they have the skill set to be dominant scorers.
Here are 10 guys worth watching every time they touch the ball next season. Set your DVRs accordingly.
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Ranking the 10 NCAA Basketball Players with Most Complete Offensive Skill Sets
My generation grew up rooting for Jordan to go for 60 every night, and we weren’t happy when Tony Kucok decided he should start shooting. It was just more fun to watch Jordan try to shake someone off the dribble or hit one of those patented fadeaway turnaround jumpers or drive baseline and dunk on Patrick Ewing. Watching Jordan with the ball was a clinic.
Few college players make it into the “pass him the ball so we can watch him score” list. The game is more about motion offenses and the coaches are the stars, but a few of these guys exist. Some don’t even realize they have the skill set to be dominant scorers.
Here are 10 guys worth watching every time they touch the ball next season. Set your DVRs accordingly.
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One Team in Each Major NCAA Basketball Conference Not to Sleep on
Every college basketball season there is a team or two in each major conference that the preseason favorites overlook or don’t see as a serious threat that pulls off a handful of major upsets and stays in the league race until March.
Even though some of the conferences will look a bit unfamiliar in the 2013-14 campaign, that reality won’t change. Read on to see one team in each major league that the favorites would be wise to not sleep on.
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