College Hoops Tip Off
By Bill Milton
Our favorite day of the (sports) year is coming, and that is the start of the College Basketball season. Our Bill Milton is a college hoops junkie, and November 8th could not come soon enough for him. He has been scouring the internet and the preseason magazines for months now, and is ready to rock and roll this college hardwood season. This article takes a look at Bill's Top Five overall plus his five most overrated and five most underrated teams! Triple Threat Sports has had 73 out of 111 winning days in November the last six seasons (6-3 last year), our 4* College Hoops plays are hitting 65% over the last EIGHT years (115-62) and our College Hoops Best Bets are 34-18 (65%) on Best Bets (5* or better) in College Hoops over the last four seasons.
Top Five Overall:
5) Kansas State - The KSU trip to the Elite Eight last season was not a fluke in this view, and to the great credit of the team and coach Frank Martin, they are not satisfied having been one of the final eight teams standing. Martin's mantra this year:" We didnt reach the Final Four...we didn't win the Big 12." This shows me that this team is still very hungry for succes, and with All American caliber senior guard Jaccob Pullen leading the charge, the deep, tall, and talented team from Manhattan could win the Big 12 AND get to the Final Four this season.
4) Kentucky - May not like the one and done nature that John Calipari has quickly cultivated here for his recruits, but cannot ignore talent, and the Wildcats have that to spare. They brought in THREE top 15 national overall recruits in Enes Kanter, Terrance Jones, and Brandon Knight, and a fourth ranked "only" 21st - giving the Cats the almost unaninous #1 recruiting class in the nation. Kentucky is counting on three returnees to lend some experience (Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, Josh Harrellson) and hopes for a more versatile offense that should not allow for the 0-20 start from three point land that led to a loss to WVU in the NCAA Tournament last year.
3) Duke - Love em or hate em, the Blue Devils return as defending national champs thanks to the lat second miss of Butler's Gordon Hayward in the championship game. This will be a different Duke team from last year though, but it will still have a familliar feel to Duke fans, as they are going to be able to score almost at will with Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and Seth Curry to go along with super frosh point guard Kyrie Irving. However, as has been the case many times, defense - especially interior defense - will be an issue. Still, this is a very, very good team, and will have Dick Vitale hooting hand hollering more than a few times this year.
2) Kansas - Yes, they lost a lot of talent in Xavier Henry, Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich, but Bill Self's cupboard is far, far from being bare! The Morris twins will dominate the inside and allow for more trapping on the outside, leading to more easy baskets and a style of play much like the 2008 national title team. Tyshaun Taylor, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed are interchangeable perimeter parts that each contribute something different and thus are a matchup nightmare for other teams. They have also added some talented newcomers in Josh Selby and Royce (son of NBA star Orlando) Wollridge. This is a team that may struggle a bit early on as they adjust but Self will have them playing their best ball late in the season and we see them as a true national title contender.
1) - Michigan State - Tom Izzo is no fool. He did not pass up a chance to coach LeBron James (and #23 may have stayed had Izzo come) and cash Dan Gilbert's checks for nothing. This is a team that lost by two points to Butler in the national semifinals, and advanced that far without their best player, PG Kalin Lucas. Now that Lucas is back he again joins forces with Durrel Summers. It is telling that, like Izzo, both players turned down a chance to play in the NBA, and that gives the Spartans two veteran guards and a great coach - a formula of many past national champions. Forward Draymond Green is a player few have heard of but last year's sixth man should burst onto the national scene this year and we see him as (at least) and All Big 10 performer. There are many other solid players on this team as well, including Korie Lucious, who hit the game winner against Maryland in the Sweet 16 last season. This team has it all; stars, depth, experience, and a great coach. This team has made it to the last two Final Fours, and with the inspiration of Izzo, Lucas and Summers coming back, it says here that not only will the Spartans make it three in a row in the Final Four, but that they will have their "One Shining Moment" on April 4th!
Top Five Most Overrated Teams:
Syracuse, North Carolina, Ohio State, Gonzaga, Memphis
We have seen the first three teams on this list in most everyone's Top Ten, but we just do not see it. Scoop Jardine is the best player on the Orange roster. Just say that out loud and then ask yourself how that is a Top Ten team....Carolina was an NIT team last year and only won that thanks to a tremendous scheduling edge, and while they are better still do not see greatness.....Ohio State stll has David Lightly and recuit Jared Sullinger will be great inside, but the loss of Evan Turner makes keeps this team out of my Top Ten. Still solid, but still on the overrated side...Gonzaga will be good, and in fact should cruise to the WCC title after being challenged each of the last two years, but this team is not as dynamic on offense as past editions, and that will hurt them when they play upper level teams...Calipari took a bunch of Mephis freshmen and made the title gametwo years ago, but not convinced second year man Josh Pastner is up to that challenge. This will be a good team, but C-USA is very tough this season, and as such cannot see this bunch in the Top 15 as some have projected.
Top Five Most Underrated Teams:
Butler, Virginia Tech, Utep, Southern Miss, San Diego State
Butler was much more than a one man show last year, Hinkle Fieldhouse is still a nearly impossible place to win for opponents, and keep in mind also that this team was 29, 30, and 26 games in the three seasons prior to last year. This team is not going anywhere...Good case could be made that VT should have been in the Big Dance each of the last two seasons, but (barring big injury issues) they are NOT missing the Tournament this time around. Five returning starters and a solid coach in Greenberg are back from a 25 win team from a season ago...Mentioned above that C-USA is much improved, and at the top of that improvement list are Utep and Southern Miss. Actually, Utep may not be as much "improved" as they are simply good! Tim Floyd takes over for Tony Barbee and inherits three starters from a 26-7 team that was 15-1 in the conference a year ago. Seven of the top eight scorers are back from that team...Southern Miss made the CIT last year and has visions of more letters on their post season invitation this time around. Larry Eustachy has all five starters back from that 20-14 team plus a talented recruiting class as well. If USM can improve a bit on offense they have the defense to pull some surprises...SDSU is in my Top 20 and I think Steve Fisher's team has a chance to be at least a #5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, with a #4 not at all out of the question. They were an #11 seed last year, losing by three to Tennessee in the first round. All five starters from that team are back, with the star being Kawhi Leonard - who bypassed the NBA to come back for his sophomore season. Quick but tough as nails, teams will continue to have big time trouble matching up with him. Three others averaged double digits in scoring as well, and the reserves are deep and talented. This could be the MWC hoops version of a BCS buster! This is a very, very good team.