EDIT: This will be my final post on BTD for the foreseeable future, as I will now be co-managing the Pac-12 microsite at Rush the Court. I'm going to miss everyone here, but especially fanoverboard :) Now, on to the preview!

Here is the final part to my weekend college basketball preview, in which I will predict the conference standings, break down each team, predict the all-conference teams, and go over the must-see games. Enjoy!

Predicted Standings

1. California
2. Arizona
3. Washington
4. UCLA
5. Oregon
6. Oregon State
7. Stanford
8. Colorado
9. Washington State
10. USC
11. Arizona State
12. Utah

Team Breakdowns

1. California: The Golden Bears will be an interesting team to watch this year as they boast one of the best starting five's in the nation, yet their bench is a relative unknown. Jorge Gutierrez and Harper Kamp should be able to lead this team on talent alone to the sweet sixteen, but I don't see the Bears advancing past there.

2. Arizona: If freshman Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson live up to expectations, the Wildcats can go ten or elven deep without worry. This kind of depth will be unrivaled in the Pac-12 this season and will allow them to compete with California for the conference crown.

3. Washington: The Huskies success in 2011-2012 will depend on guards Terrence Ross and Tony Wroten Jr. If they perform at the top of their potential and get some help down low from 7-footer Aziz N'Diaye down low, the Huskies could make some noise come March.

4. UCLA: The Bruins' season will come down to the play of their backcourt and how much they create and score. Senior Lazeric Jones will be expected to lead the team and be the primary ball-handler, but if he can improve on his 9.1 PPG mark from last season, it will take the pressure off some of the more inexperienced shooting guards. The post will be held down by junior Reeves Nelson and sophomore Joshua Smith.

5. Oregon: I hate it, but I really like Oregon's chances to have a great year. In my mind, they are a sure-lock for the NIT and maybe even the NCAA's if they pull a couple of big upsets along the way. Freshman shooting-guard Jabrai Brown, who spurned Connecticut to come out to Eugene, should take control of the Oregon offense from day one and give a new dynamic to the team that they haven't seen since Tajuan Porter's playing days.

6. Oregon State: The theme for the 2011-2012 Beavers is raw talent. The Beavers are full of it, in both the back and front courts, and if everything comes together at the right time this team can be very good. Junior guard Jared Cunningham is the only sure-fire guy on the roster, but if Roberto Nelson, Ahmad Starks, and Devon Collier all build on the good games they had at the end of last season, the Beavers are a good bet to make the NIT.

More previewing after the break

Continue reading this post »

All throughout the weekend here on BTD I will be focusing on previewing the college basketball season. Today: Predicting the Surprises of the Pac-12. Enjoy!

Arizona - In my opinion, the overreaction to the loss of Derrick Williams has been unnecessary. Yes, Williams was a force and he will be missed, especially on defense. But the Wildcats still return Kyle Fogg, Solomon Hill, and Jesse Perry, and with the additions of sure one-and-done point guard Josiah Turner and shooting guard Nick Johnson, I don't see how Arizona can be stopped on offense.

Besides for Turner and Johnson, Arizona also adds forward Sidiki Johnson and Angelo Chol, meaning this team can go ten or eleven deep comfortably, depending on the availability of Kevin Parrom. With that much talent, there is no way the Cats finish outside of the top two in the Pac-12.

Schedule Overview

I have Arizona going 23-6 this year, with their losses coming against Florida, Gonzaga, UCLA, Colorado, California, and Washington. They will miss duplicate games against the Oregon and Bay Area schools, which are usually good for two additional losses. In the end, I think Arizona finishes at a close-second behind California, with the defacto conference championship game coming on February 2nd in Berkeley.  

Oregon - Hopes are high in Eugene this season, with a sixth or seventh place finish in the Pac-12 being predicted by most people around the country. I actually think the Ducks will surpass those expectations, most likely finishing fifth, or possibly, even as high as fourth. Freshman guard Jabari Brown will need to make an immediate impact early on if the Ducks are to have a good year, andI do not see any reason why Brown can't make that impact.

Other impact players on this year's team will be senior forward Olu Asholu and junior forward E.J. Singler. Asholu comes by way of Louisiana Tech, who is able to play immmediatelyafter transferring last year since he has already graduated. To show you how talented he is, Olu averaged 14.2 PPG at LA Tech last year and was considering transferring to Texas or going to the NBA before finally deciding to Eugene. Also down low is Singler, who averaged 11.7 PPG last year and will be looked upon to lead this team in tough early season games against Vanderbilt, Nebraska, and BYU.

Schedule Overview

Oregon's toughest games of the eason will be their November 11th meeting with Vanderbilt in Nashville and their January 14th game in Tucson against Arizona. Those are almost sure-losses for the Ducks, but we will get to see just how talented they are when they match up against the BYU Cougars on December 3rd in Salt Lake City. The Ducks will miss the Arizona and Los Angeles schools in duplicate games this year.

My final surprise team is after the break

Continue reading this post »

All throughout the weekend here on BTD I will be focusing on previewing the college basketball season. Today: A Look at the Top Five Early-Season Events. Enjoy!

5. Carrier Classic

This classic takes place on November 11th in San Diego, California between Michigan State and North Carolina. The game was designed as a tribute to the US Navy on Veterans Day, but it also got a pair of top twenty teams to play in the game, making this is a must-see for everyone around the nation. The game will be televised on ESPN and will take place on the USS Carl Vinson. The Spartans come into the season ranked #19 in the Rivals.com preseason poll, but a win here would jump them into the top five and make them a serious final four candidate with forward Draymond Green leading the way.  

North Carolina comes in ranked third in the nation and for good reason. The Heels return forwards Harrison Barnes, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller, giving them by far the best front line in the nation. They also signed two five-star prospects in James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston, the ladder of which will be counted on early and often this season for a team that struggled from three-point land last year.

I expect this one to be tight all the way through with North Carolina pulling away in the final few minutes. In the end, Carolina is just simply more talented and deeper than the Spartans and they will prove that down the stretch.

Prediction: North Carolina 82, Michigan State 75

4. Orange Bowl Classic

This classic takes place on December 17th in Sunrise, Florida. There will be a doubleheader of action, with the first game featuring Miami (Florida) and Florida Atlantic. For the first time in a while in Coral Gables there are some big expectations for the basketball team, and for good reason.

The Hurricanes hired former George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga after Frank Haith left the Canes to take the job at Missouri, and Larranaga will be welcomed by two of the best guards in the ACC, Malcolm Grant and Durand Scott. Grant and Scott both averaged in double-figures for points last year. Florida Atlantic will be no pushover either though, as the Owls return four of their starters from last season's NIT club. In the end, I expect Miami to win this one, but don't be surprised if the Owls pull off the upset

Prediction: Miami (Florida) 70, Florida Atlantic 63 

The second game of the doubleheader is the feature, pitting #11 Florida against #13 Texas A&M. The Gators are incredibly talented this year despite the loss of power forward Chandler Parsons. The only problem is that they are very young, which could lead to a slow start. I like this Aggies team a lot. They return their top two scorers from last year, Khris Middleton and David Loubeau, and they also add Washington transfer Elston Turner at guard, traditionally a thin position for them.

While both of these teams have talented scorers, this will be a defensive battle. For some reason, I just love this Texas A&M team and I think they pull out an overtime victory against a future conference-rival.

Prediction: Texas A&M 67, Florida 66

3. Puerto Rico Tip-Off

This tournament takes place on November 17-20 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Alabama, Colorado, Iona, Maryland, Purdue, Temple, Western Michigan, and Wichita State are in this year's field. All games will be televised on the ESPN Family of Networks.

Best Set Matchup - Maryland vs Alabama (Nov. 17, 2:00 PM PT, ESPN2)

Many people around the country are predicting the Terripans to struggle this season in the first year of the Mark Turgeon era. They will most likely be right, but Maryland can prove everyone wrong with a win over the #18 Crimson Tide in this one. However, Alabama is going to be tough to stop this year with do-everything forward JaMychal Green back for his senior season. In the end, I think the Alabama offense comes alive and takes advantage of a weak Maryland defense. Both teams will put up points, but I'm picking Alabama for a 71-64 victory.

Best Potential Matchup - Temple vs Alabama

This would most likely be the championship game of the tournament, pitting the 14th ranked Owls and the aforementioned Crimson Tide. Temple brings in one of the most balanced attacks in the nation with Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez at guard and Michael Eric down low. Because of this balance and Alabama's off-and-on struggles from three-point land, I'm taking Temple with a 77-67 win.

PREDICTIONS

Champion - Temple
Runner Up - Alabama
Third Place - Purdue

Click the jump for a look at the top two early-season events

Continue reading this post »

It's the last weekend without college football, which means it is the Sunday when the sports pages are filled with football features, getting the casual reader ready for the season. In this state, it means the trend to "green" journalism has reached record proportions. But there are some good reads on the Beavers as well.

The best one is by the Gazette-Times' Cliff Kirkpatrick, who has a wide-ranging interview with Oregon St. offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf. It's always refreshing when someone other than the head coach speaks (from any team), and often revealing into the where the mindset is at.

Langsdorf's comments about having a plan to get the variety of players that are a part of the "running back by committee", which really means by specialty, into the game without giving away the play, don't go into great depth, but are a welcome departure from "coach speak".

Cliff has really cranked out the content today, with a look at the offensive depth chart, the schedule ahead, and his prediction that the Beavers will go to a bowl game.

Continue reading this post »

The NCAA Tournament concludes tomorrow night in Houston with the National Championship.

This year, I will be picking every NCAA Tournament game. If you want to join me in the comments section, I'll keep everyone's records as well. Enjoy!

Monday, April 4th (All Times Pacific)

Butler vs Connecticut, 6:25 PM, CBS

As a casual college basketball fan with no rooting interest outside of the Pac-10, you couldn't ask for a better championship game. On one side, you've got the perennial cinderella team in Butler. The Bulldogs are here after victories against Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Florida, and VCU. On the other side, representing the big, bad Big East, are the Connecticut Huskies. The 3-Seed Huskies have beaten Bucknell, Cincinnati, San Diego State, Arizona, and Kentucky.

Both teams have obviously had great seasons, and this should be a close one all the way. But for no particular reason, I'm going with Butler. Something about the team just gives off a championship feeling, and instead of falling short like last season, I think they escape with the crystal basketball this year. Prediction: Butler

Record: 48-18