The winds of autumn have returned to the plains of the Midwest, and with that it is time for me to write a little preview about the coming college basketball season.
Now, I?m not an expert, and I?m sure I will say at least 19 new things for Jake Potter to get mad at me for saying. But, I don?t hold back, especially if it gets on Jake?s nerves.
I borrowed Andy?s team of crack (Half of them are probably on it) scouts and asked them to give me the ?insider? information on most of college basketball?s best teams, players, and coaches.
I didn?t pay them, so I guess you, the readers, will get what I paid for. That?s probably not good.
Preseason Top 12
1. Wake Forest.
Chris Paul comes back from a great freshman season to lead a team that has a lot of balance and can beat teams both inside and outside. If Paul has a season to remember, the Demon Deacons will be heading to St. Louis for the Final Four. Wake Forest has a tough ACC schedule, not to mention a huge ACC/Big Ten Challenge game here in Champaign against the Illini.
2. Kansas.
The Jayhawks just missed out on the Final Four this past season, but they will want to play their last game of the season again in St. Louis. Wayne Simien will be one of four seniors that will have to lead this talent-laden team. Don?t smoke too close to Bill Self?s hair; it might burn like a rug.
3. North Carolina.
I?m not the biggest Roy Williams fan out there, but he has all the talent he needs to try to get that first national title. But can they play defense this year? If they can?t, they might need to get Mark Geragos or something.
4. Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets should have experience and talent on their side after their second place finish last season. The ACC will get a lot of hype, but this year the conference deserves it. However, I do have a little lingering doubt about this team. That’s why I don’t have them higher.
5. Illinois.
Deron Williams comes back for what will likely be his last season at Illinois. Ignoring Bruce Weber?s obvious recruiting struggles for a moment, the Illini certainly have the players that can lead them to a Final Four this year. Illinois will have to avoid the injuries that slowed them down last season (Key bench cog Brian Randle is going to be out for around 10 weeks with a broken hand and may have to redshirt), and they can?t crumble under the huge expectations. But, there is no reason to believe the Illini will fall short of those high goals. This may be the first time in a long time in Champaign that only a Sweet 16 would be a disappointment. Williams may be the best player on this team, but James Augustine?s play will be the deciding factor in how far the Illini go. If he doesn?t play well, the Illini don?t have another big man to contend with most other team?s front lines. Having all five starters return is a huge plus.
6. Louisville.
Rick Pitino and his $10,000 suits, in a state where $10,000 makes a family the richest in the county, has a very good team again. Francisco Garcia, who was pretty darn good last year, has all the makings of really exploding into a national superstar this season.
7. Michigan State.
Expect the Spartans to struggle early, but Tom Izzo will have Michigan State playing really well by the end of the season. They always play defense, and the Spartans may be the #1 contender against Illinois for the Big Ten title.
8. Syracuse.
All five starters return to a team that still has a lot of experience from the national title team in 2003. The Orange, however, has to deal with former Illinois Chancellor Nancy Cantor. And they thought their winters were bad enough already.
9. Duke.
The Blue Devils have some talented players, but Duke is not that deep. Get the front-liners in foul trouble and you can beat the Coach K?ers. All right, that was bad. Moving on?
10. Texas.
A dark horse sort of pick here, but Rick Barnes now has the big-time coaching experience to go along with the loads of talent he has always seemed to have in Austin. Freshman stud Daniel Gibson will be a great player for this team by the time the season is up. But can they survive the Big 12?
11. Oklahoma State.
Speaking of the Big 12, the Cowboys enter the list here at 11th. John Lucas Cubed would be a great NBA leader. Eddie Sutton?s defense and Joey Graham?s all-around play just add to the potential for Oklahoma State.
12. Connecticut.
The defending champs lose Okafor but still have a lot of size, and Jim Calhoun always gets his teams up to play in March. No reason not to love this team if you are a UCONN fan, even Calhoun?s off-court demeanor.
Other players to look for:
Chris Thomas, G, Notre Dame. Experienced and talented. The Domers should be in the Top 25 most, if not all, of the season.
J.J. Redick, G, Duke. This guy can shoot. And shoot from a long way out too. Even as a guy who hates Duke, I have to admit this guy has great skill and talent.
Ike Diogu, PF, Arizona State. Not only does this guy have a cool name, he has a cool game to match. 22.8 points a game last season for the Sun Devils.
Mike Wilkinson, F, Wisconsin. He could break out this year, as he has the ability to control a large part of a game from both inside and outside. br />
Bracey Wright, SG, Indiana. Wright may have to carry the Hoosiers again, and if Indiana is to do anything this year he needs to get more consistent. If they weren?t so annoying, I might actually feel sad for the Indiana fans. But, of course, I don?t.
Lawrence Roberts, PF, Mississippi State. He could have gone really high in the NBA Draft if he had gone pro. He?s got a great skill set and he looks NBA-ready. Still being in the SEC is just going to make him look that much better.
Ryan Gomes, F, Providence. Gomes needs to take the next step for Providence. In a conference with as many as seven other teams with a chance to make the NCAA?s, Gomes will be the key for the Providence team. Of course, he does have to live in Rhode Island, which has to be fun for people that like to live half their lives as insane.
Seven teams most likely to overachieve:
1. Mississippi State
2. Michigan State
3. Wisconsin
4. Oklahoma
5. Michigan
6. Pittsburgh
7. Providence
Seven teams most likely to underachieve:
1. Kansas
2. UNC
3. Georgia Tech
4. Louisville
5. UCONN
6. Illinois
7. Wake Forest
Coach of the Year prediction:
Tommy Amaker, Michigan.
It wouldn?t surprise me to see the Wolverines make a much deeper run than expected (Sweet 16?) in the NCAA Tournament.
Player of the Year prediction:
Chris Paul, Wake Forest.
This is a tough one, since there aren?t any clear favorites and there are so many teams that could win the title but could also fall in the first or second round depending on situations and opponents. Wayne Simien and Francisco Garcia are my #2 and #3 choices.
Elite Eight prediction:
Illinois over Louisville
Wake Forest over Michigan St.
Kansas over Duke
UCONN over UNC
Final Four predictions:
Wake Forest over Illinois
Kansas over UCONN
Wake Forest over Kansas.
National Champion: Wake Forest.
So, there you have it. The Illini make the Final Four, as does Kansas, but the Illini don?t win their semifinal game. The awaited Weber-Self game would have to wait another year. UCONN gets to the Final Four in their repeat bid, but falls short to Kansas. In the end, Wake Forest and Chris Paul are able to outlast Wayne Simien, Bill Self, and that goofy Jayhawk mascot, to win the 2004-05 national championship.
There’s everything you need to know about the best teams in college basketball for 2004-05. Now, go and collect some more pennies so we can help the Cubs bring in Carlos Beltran and an actual closer.
I am needed. "But Bo Ryan still looks like he was just missed by the ’83 Caddy two days ago on U.S. 41 south of Green Bay."
Ok, who goes first?
Many of the readers criticized me for explaining most of my jokes in earlier pieces. Now, I’m expected to explain one of my jokes. What am I supposed to do?!?!?!?
If nobody else figures it out in the next couple hours I’ll explain what I’m trying to refer to there when I get back from doing something I need to for work.
There were jokes?
No, seriously. Really?
You’re not supposed to make jokes that aren’t funny and don’t make sense.
Don’t listen to them, BC. I make jokes that are unfunny and make no sense, and Rozner loves me!
Be more funny!
Hey Crozier,
In order for an arcane reference to be funny, at least three people have to know what on Earth you’re referring to, cha-cha. Now I don’t wanna to go off on a rant here, but anybody sitting in their attic developing a dialogue with themselves a la Norman Bates in the gray wig and flaxen gown, expecting the whole world to have the same access to his brain shouldn’t get all Peter-Finch-in-"Network" angry when one of his jokes falls flatter than a topless Grace Jones.
But that’s just my opinion; I could be wrong.
Oh, B.C….
This is just more painful dreck, hoovered up from the likes of SI, ESPN, and the Champaign Bugler.
The article painfully limps across the finish line, as it looks like B.C. started with the usual Illini love-note, and then got the greatest idea in the whole world to hash it out into a full-fledged "article."
It is apparent to this reader that this was just the usual Illini swooning wrapped up in the context of an NCAA baskeball preview. I am just surprised it wasn’t a full-on foretelling of an Illini NCAA title. I guess we can look forward to that after the Illini start the season 3-0.
Seven teams most likely to underachieve:
1. Kansas
2. UNC
3. Georgia Tech
4. Louisville
5. UCONN
6. Illinois
7. Wake Forest
Final Four predictions:
Wake Forest over Illinois
Kansas over UCONN
UCONN on both lists, nice.
Wow. That was pretty harsh, JH.
sorry, forgot about the other final four teams most likely to under-achieve. UNC and National Champ Wake Forest.
B.C., if you need help censoring and deleting critical comments, I am going to be available soon. Unless my pancreas explodes.
All the best,
John
[P.S., your writing is crummy, but you can edit or remove this part if you want. I support any revisionist history you can conjure up. I mean, that’s what admin rights are for, right?]
Good Lord, my 6 year old niece can construct a sentence better than this "If nobody else figures it out in the next couple hours I’ll explain what I’m trying to refer to there when I get back from doing something I need to for work."
Can the chatter, you hockey puck.
B.C. is just way out there on this article. I am all for his witty takes on cruising the backwaters of downstate Illinois or losing his troubles in a rousing PlayStation game, but when he posts weak articles that somehow wind up having a list of teams that he predicts will underachieve, yet still appear in the Final Four, it is important that the folly of his poor writing and thesis be exemplified.
Is it bad when I skip reading the actual column just to get to the comments?
We knew it was going to be a long article when we saw that joke.
Wow! Double usage for crack. Here’s a third:
This column was pulled outta my crack!
Yuk! Yuk!
I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I, for one, cannot wait until B.C. returns from doing something he needs to do for work so that he can tell us what he was trying to explain to us on the U.S. Highway 41….um, "joke".
I am no use in solving the Bo Ryan mystery.
No, Oleg, you aren’t crazy. And I’m not high. The comments of B.C.’s articles are always better than the article.
Thanks for posting, B.C.! You always know how to perk up a listless Desipio crowd on a Friday afternoon.
Now, Oleg, sing ‘Berzerker!’
Is it a reference to his being a little bug-eyed and maybe looking like he almost got hit by a car? I have no idea how "U.S. 41 south of Green Bay" fits.
All right, I’m going to take a crack at BC too. The past few articles he’s written have harped on what he percieves as Bruce Weber’s shortcomings. However, I don’t think you can judge Weber on this basis yet, because almost any coach would have a hard time recruiting at Illinois right now, due to the fact that there are no real openings on the team. As BC noted, the entire starting 5 has returned, and most of the bench. No major recruit wants to be told: "well, you can come to Illinois and be the 10th man, then when Brown, Augustine, Williams and the guys graduate or leave, you can start". High school players want to go somewhere they can get playing time and exposure, and they don’t want to wait for it.
Sorry, that should read "Bruce Weber’s recruiting shortcomings".
My brain just exploded, again. Thanks a lot, B.C.
I got run over by a Caddy on King’s Highway in St. Louis in 1967. This is no laughing matter, B.C.
I’ve been thinking about it, too, and that’s the best I can come up with.
Don’t know how this was passed over for ridicule: "But can they [North Carolina] play defense this year? If they can’t, they might need to get Mark Geragos or something." Yeesh.
Who the phuck is Kent Mercker and why is he calling me using the Desipio comments?
I usually have to read these twice before I get them.
My verdict is being held up by an hour so I can read BC’s college hoops preview.
Hey, all of you shut up! Here’s what BC had to get to work doing, he had to fly his helicopter into a BC Fan Club rally.
Journalism is a mostly thankless job, Brian. That’s why I hide behind a systems analyst mask.
"Of course, he does have to live in Rhode Island, which has to be fun for people that like to live half their lives as insane."
Damn, BC. You are SUCH a bitch.
Does this help?
No, I guess it doesn’t.
Andy, I can’t get a hold of Rozner today. Could you please post an glowing article about Magglio Ordonez’s miracle knee surgery? I’ll e-mail you the text.
If they weren’t so annoying, I might actually feel sad for the Indiana fans.
That’s strange, BC. Because you’re so annoying, I actually feel sorry for you.
Quick aside–
Does the US 41 Caddy victim ALWAYS wear sneakers with his suit?
If so, is this common? Seriously. I really don’t follow hoops anymore, I only stopped by because, well, you know.
Notice the skid marks in the right lane. We do have evidence of such an incident happening! And perhaps the sneakers are worn so he can avoid moving vehicles more readily!
We don’t know how Wilkinson is involved, although it looks like he was in Indianapolis in March, and in Evanston in February.
I will be cited as missing within the next 45 minutes, thus leading to deletions of this and every other comment on the board.
It’ll Illinois-Kansas at some point in the NCAAs, with the Illini coming out on top.
I just talked to Bill Self and he told me that, "The Illini are awe-some." Then again, he thinks everybody’s awe-some.
I forgot a "be" in that first sentence.
"This may be the first time in a long time in Champaign that only a Sweet 16 would be a disappointment."
It may be, and it may sound good, but it isn’t at all. Not even close.
In 2001, the Illini were ranked #2 behind Duke in most preseason polls. Only making the Sweet 16 would have been beyond a disappointment.
But they made the Elite 8 and returned everyone but McClain and Griffin for 2002, which again earned them a Top 5 ranking in most polls, including SI who ranked them #1 in the nation.
Does it mean I often get lucky on the road?
EVERYONE gets lucky on the road.
Me? Not so much.
Is this B.C.?
![]("http://www.mailgreeting.com/private/pics/Priceless/priceless018.jpg"/)
I find out if I’m free to go or free pending my certain appeal in about 5 minutes!
I’m toast!
I’m going to need some soap on a rope.
Don’t drop me, Scott.
Tough break, kid.
Hey, B.C., I think you have it wrong. I couldn’t have done worse with this guy leading my defense:
I could give a shit about Scott and Laci Peterson.
Enough about me, go back to bashing BC.
This just in.
Daryl Kile is still dead.
I’ll be back with my exclusive interview with Roy Williams on this and the conviction of Scott Peterson.
DK 57!
I do give a shit about you, Bonnie, buddy!
Hey look, two Dicks!
"Bonnie, where’s your other hand?"
C’mon, Bonnie, say it…
Fine.
"Hey, two Dicks!"
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Bonnie, how’s my groin feel?
The Ryan comment was made because many people think he looks like a rat. And rats can be run over by cars. Or non-motorized vehicles, whatever the residents of Wisconsin prefer.
To clarify on one other point of contention, just because I say a team is likely to underachieve does not necessarily mean that I think they will. I’m just noting the likelihood of possibility by my statement. For those that think my listing of those teams should preclude me from then predicting them to go to the Final Four or Elite Eight, I must say I think you are simply wrong. Again, those lists are only my feelings about the likelihood those teams will underachieve or overachieve, NOT if I think they WILL do that. I hope that explains that.
Other than that, I’m certainly open to fair criticism, which most (not all) of you guys seem to have put on here today.
I didn’t know a lot of us were getting hit by ’83 Caddies on Highway 41 just south of Green Bay.
Writer most likely to underwhelm:
1. BC
Best writer ever:
1. BC
B.C. should really stop hitting me before he writes stuff.
Hey Andy–
When’s the NEXT BC Gamecast?
Jerome,
Your groin feels great!
I rejected using these jokes in my article today:
The Rocket
Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens won the Cy Young award at age 42. He also won the less prestigious but more aptly named Cy Geezer award.
All kinds of fun
Fans lined up for many hours to buy the hot new video game “Halo 2.†The game is pretty wild, if you’re able to get Tara Reid to flash, you get an obscene call from Bill O’Reilly and Martha Stewart goes to prison.
What is wrong with California juries?
Apparently the Scott Peterson jury has been eating off of the same plates as the O.J. Simpson jury.
There hasn’t been a jury as stupid as the Scott Peterson jury since O.J. Simpson lied about those ugly-ass shoes.
Ah… I get the analogy now. That was so obvious. I think you’ve got a future career writing the sequel to the DaVinci Code.
Next time, you can compare a person to a scorpion and use this obscure fact: You can become immune to scorpion venom. Catch a centipede, and discard its head. Mash the rest, and then scratch your arm and wipe a bit of the juice on the scratch.
Oh, there are even more inane comments on my website…
What are your three favorite cities to watch a game? – Mark Mitchell
Ooh. Tough one, Mark. I’d have to say for the NFL (even though standing on the sidelines during a January game is BRUTAL!!), Green Bay is one of my top choices. Amazing, loyal fans who live and die by the success of their Packers. Plus, so much history has taken place on the "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field", it’s tough not to feel nostalgic when you’re there.
Final Four city? San Antonio. Cool, fun town…great atmosphere…everything’s centrally located…good food! So psyched we’re back there in 2004!
Ballpark? Wrigley. I love so much of the history of the place… how, back in the day (before high-rises) they would raise the "W" or "L" flag so all the folks around town knew if the Cubs won or lost. I love how it’s right in the middle of the neighborhood… how, if you sit out on your porch, you can hear the fans go crazy when Sammy hits one out, almost as if you’re in the stands. It’s just a really neat place to watch a game.
OK, so you might tell me that they still put the W or L flags up, and that they never were visible for the whole city to see, that it was a Bill Veeck idea so that commuters on the El could see how the Cubs did.
But the idea that the whole city would look out toward Wrigley to find out that day’s results is a better story.
I can’t see the flag because Steve Stone told me the visibility was low today, so tell me….did the Cubs win?
Is BC starting to sound like me or what? Senility before finsihing college…how depressing…
#13, "revisionist history"?
Where in the world did you come up with that one?
I only edit posts from people when I feel they are truly out of line, and I only did that on one comment today. Also, the character and substance of that comment didn’t change after my edit, as I only took out something I thought was a little too much of a personal attack.
I feel as if I’ve been very open to the criticism here today, whereas maybe a month or two ago at least some more of these comments would have probably been edited/deleted.
As long as it isn’t something I think is personal, I’m going to allow a criticism. Even the ones that might put me into a ten-year manic depressive cycle.
Don’t know shyte about college hoops, but GOOT-GOT-DAYUM, BC, Frank Williams sure does suck. What happened?
Good question KD. I just wonder if Frank doesn’t quite have the mental strength and work ethic needed for the NBA. He sure has talent, but ever since he came to Illinois the question with Frank has always been desire and knowing what to do on the court. I sure hope he figures it out soon…..
These are my final four teams.
They are also my ‘most likely to underachieve’ teams.
If they don’t make it to the final four, no one could say I was wrong because I said they would underachieve!
Grow a set, kid
Redick can shoot? From anywhere???
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