This year can be seen as a transition year for college basketball due to the creation of a new conference called the Catholic 7, which consists of the seven non-football members of the Big East who decided to separate. Since those seven teams moved, the Big East added Creighton, Butler and Xavier to fill in the void left by the Catholic 7. These universities also signed a media rights deal with Fox Sports to broadcast their games. Another storyline is the rise of ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference) who added former Big East powerhouses Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. These powerhouse teams will not be the only ones showcasing their talent this year.
Teams to watch: The University of Louisville will make a strong case to repeat this year. The Cardinals will be trying to defend their national championship and are trying to make their third straight Final Four under head coach Rick Pitino. USA Today Sports has Louisville ranked #1 to start the season, and Russ Smith, who averaged 18.7 points per game last year, will lead them. Even though they lost point guard Peyton Siva, the Cardinals will still be a dominant force in 2013.
Many people wonder if Kentucky is going to get back to dominance after their huge let down season last year. The Wildcats are still lead by head coach John Calipari, but they failed to reach the NCAA tournament last year. Kentucky lost in the first round of the NIT. This will not happen again this year because Calipari’s recruiting class won’t let it. Kentucky’s recruiting class is made of five of ESPN’s top 10 high school players in the country: point guard Andrew Harrison, shooting guard Aaron Harrison, power forward Julius Randle, center Dakari Johnson and small forward James Young. These players are compared to the Fab Five at Michigan in the early 1990s. They will look to prove that last season was a fluke, and it is an abomination that Kentucky is unranked to start the year.
The Ohio State Buckeyes will definitely be in the conversation for the national title this year because of their four returning starters, led by senior point guard Aaron Craft, who will be one of the top defenders in the perimeter this year. Their X Factor will be small forward LaQuinton Ross, who averaged 13.4 points per game in the NCAA tournament and will be essential for Ohio State to overtake Michigan State in the Big Ten this year.
Players to Watch: The most anticipated player to look for this year is freshman Kansas Jayhawks guard/forward Andrew Wiggins. Some people call him the next LeBron James, and he is projected to be selected #1 in the 2014 NBA draft. Jayhawks head coach Bill Self calls him a “rock star.” Wiggins is a preseason All-American who is the All-USA boys’ basketball player of the year. College basketball fans should expect great things from Wiggins and the Jayhawks.
Michigan’s power forward Mitch McGary will be on the radar for the Wolverines this year after his coming out party during his freshman year. McGary was a huge part of the Michigan team who led the Wolverines to the national title game against Louisville. He passed up on the chance to declare the NBA draft with fellow teammate Trey Burke to stay at Michigan. McGary averaged 14.3 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game during the six NCAA tournament games he played in. He should play a vital role in the Wolverines success this year. Another player to watch is Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart, who surprised the basketball community by not declaring the NBA draft to stay during his sophomore season. The All-American averaged 15.4 points a game and 4.2 assists, which led to him being named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year. Smart should help led the Cowboys deep into the NCAA tournament after their disappointing loss in the second round last year against Oregon.
Teams that will disappoint: The University of Arizona has come off a good season that led them all the way to the Sweet 16, but they are not the same team this year. Arizona lost their two top scorers in Mark Lyons and Solomon Hill (who averaged 28 points per game) in addition to forward Grant Jarrett to the NBA draft. They have voids to fill, but their freshman class will not fill them in. The Wildcats are ranked 14th in the polls, but expect a let down from a team who finished second in the Pac-12 with their top scorers last year.
Another team that will not live up to expectation is the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who did finish 32-3 last year, but all of those losses came in conference play. It is hard to see the comparison between the WCC and ACC. The loss of Elias Harris in the frontcourt will be costly on both ends of the court, especially on defense. The Bulldogs will have a hard time replacing him, and this will be more of a transition year for a team who will have another early exit in the NCAA tournament.
Cinderella teams/Bracket Busters: Now the moment bracketologists have been waiting for: the Cinderella teams. If you want to make a bold prediction in your bracket this year, look for teams like Creighton and St. John’s. Some people are probably wondering as they read this if these teams will even make the tournament at all. The answer is “yes, they will” and here is why: Creighton will make the NCAA tournament due to the performance of forward Doug McDermott, who is arguably the best scorer in the country. He averages 23.1 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per. His dynamic performance led him to be a first team All-American for the second straight season. The most dangerous thing about them is the ability to produce on every part of their starting lineup. The St. John’s Red Storm have all of the pieces to make some noise in the tournament this year. They have 90 percent of their scoring back from last season. Head coach Steve Lavin will have something to prove against Big East favorites Georgetown and Marquette. D’angelo Harrison and forward Jakurr Sampson will be the key reason for their success. They also have Chris Obekpa, who averaged four blocks last year and will be a nightmare in the backcourt. The Red Storm have a history of NCAA tournament success with a Final Four appearance in 1985. Expect Lavin’s dynamic team to make a name for themselves this year. These teams may not have the same impact as Florida Gulf Coast’s “Dunk City,” but they have a lot of upside.
Overall, this upcoming college basketball season will be an exciting one, and the excitement should set the stage for March Madness. The anticipation for Selection Sunday is knocking at the door.
Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@spartans.ut.edu.