Rivals preseason top 25

Old School · Nov 4, 2010

November 4, 2010

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1147967

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Rivals.com
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff
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The 2010-11 season begins Monday and we've made you wait long enough: Here is the Rivals.com preseason top 25.
<STYLE type=text/css></STYLE><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=bluebar colSpan=2>Preseason top 25</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>1. DUKE</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: Duke has perhaps the nation's top returning player in F Kyle Singler, the Most Outstanding Player of last season's Final Four. The arrivals of Liberty transfer Seth Curry and highly touted freshman Kyrie Irving should make up for the loss of All-America G Jon Scheyer in the backcourt. Duke also boasts arguably the nation's best coach in Mike Krzyzewski.
The key player: Irving arrives on campus as the No. 4 prospect in the 2010 recruiting class, and the Blue Devils need him to live up to his billing. Irving, Curry and All-America candidate Nolan Smith all have the ability to play either guard position, but Irving is the most natural point guard of the trio. Duke will need this freshman to play with the poise of an upperclassman by the time March rolls around.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>2. MICHIGAN STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: The Spartans could be better than the team that reached its second consecutive Final Four last season. Michigan State made its tournament run with G Kalin Lucas on crutches and F Delvon Roe hobbled by injuries. F Draymond Green is Evan Turner-like in his versatility, and G Durrell Summers was the team MVP in March.
The key player: Lucas had an up-and-down season because of injuries; he missed the Final Four run with a torn Achilles tendon. When healthy, he's one of the best point guards in the country, but he missed the entire offseason rehabbing his injury.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>3. KANSAS</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: With freshman G Josh Selby, Kansas would be the favorite to win the Big 12. Selby is a do-it-all point guard, with tremendous athleticism. Team him with underrated PF Marcus Morris, and KU would have one of the best inside-outside duos in the nation. But while coach Bill Self has said he thinks Selby will play this season, the NCAA hasn't officially ruled on his eligibility yet. Without Selby, KU is good - but it wouldn't be this good.
The key player: Obviously, it's Selby. But even if Selby is eligible, G Tyshawn Taylor can't be overlooked. He is a solid all-around player, and his defense and passing were strong last season. He seemingly can get to the rim against anybody, but Taylor must improve his outside stroke. If he becomes an adequate 3-point shooter, KU would become exceedingly tough to beat.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>4. PITTSBURGH</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: If there were any lingering doubts about coach Jamie Dixon's abilities, they ended last season. This has become a big-time program, one that re-loads and not rebuilds. G Ashton Gibbs is a big-timer, and Brad Wanamaker and Travon Woodall complete one of the better guard triumvirates in the nation. There also are a lot of big bodies up front that will help the Panthers play their aggressive and physical brand of defense.
The key player: While the backcourt gets most of the attention, don't sleep on the frontcourt. Keep an especially close eye on senior C Gary McGhee. He has the size and skill set to be a low-post enforcer on defense and a productive garbage man on offense. If he can push his scoring average to around 10 points - a jump of 3.1 from last season - coach Jamie Dixon would be happy.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>5. OHIO STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: Do-everything swingman Evan Turner is gone, but the Buckeyes still have enough talent returning and arriving to make another run in the Big Ten. Freshman Jared Sullinger will step in and make an instant impact in the frontcourt. William Buford was perhaps underrated in Turner's shadow; that won't be the case anymore.
The key player: The Buckeyes have plenty of guards (Buford, Jon Diebler), but no true point guard. Senior David Lighty, who played on a Final Four team as a freshman, could claim Turner's role as the do-everything swingman.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>6. KANSAS STATE</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: Kansas will be a hot place to be this basketball season, what with the Jayhawks, Missouri Valley favorite Wichita State and these guys. The Wildcats fell to Butler in the Elite Eight last season, and the bulk of the key players are back, including potential All-America G Jacob Pullen. There also are some solid newcomers who will help K-State challenge Kansas for supremacy in the state and in the Big 12.
The key player: F Wally Judge was the crown jewel of last season's freshman class, but Judge never really seemed to adapt to the trappings of major-college ball. He certainly has all the physical tools. If he lives up to his high school hype, the Wildcats will have one of the best frontcourts in the nation, as he and fellow holdovers Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels will be joined by transfer Freddy Asprilla and freshman Nino Williams.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>7. VILLANOVA</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: Scottie Reynolds - a backcourt fixture for the Wildcats for, what, about 12 or 13 seasons? - is gone, but coach jay Wright still has one of the best backcourts around. Look for senior G Corey Fisher to become a star, and Dominic Cheek, Corey Stokes and Maalik Wayns lend ample backcourt support. Senior F Antonio Pena willingly does all the little things.
The key player: Sophomore C Mouphtaou Yarou was sidelined by hepatitis B early last season and struggled to gain his footing once he was healthy. But he has the athleticism and skill level to be a defensive force, and he should be able to provide 10 or so points per game as well. Plus, with Yarou in the lineup, Pena can play power forward, his natural position.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>8. SYRACUSE</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: Wesley Johnson, Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins - all gone. But weep not for coach Jim Boeheim, who once again will be busy in March. Look for junior K Kris Joseph to make the jump from important reserve to go-to guy. Rich Jackson is a physical presence up front, and Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche are solid combo guards.
The key player: Freshman C Fab Melo arrives with a load of hype, and the 7-footer should be able to live up to most of it. His name is a perfect fit for Syracuse (come on - anyone named "Melo" has to play for the Orange), and his skills in the low post fit should fit perfectly with what this team needs.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>9. BAYLOR</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: The Bears were in the Elite Eight last season, and while they lost some key players from that team, there's still some talent on hand. Most notably, G LaceDarius Dunn is back for his senior season. Dunn is one of the best offensive players in the nation. Big things are expected from true freshman F Perry Jones, an athletic big man who will score, rebound and block shots.
The key player: Sophomore A.J. Walton will try to fill the shoes of departed PG Tweety Carter. Walton has good range and while he's not likely to score as much as Carter (who averaged 15.0 points last season), he has the potential to be a double-figure scorer and a guy who gets four or five assists a night.

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</TD></TR><TR><TD id=headbar colSpan=2>10. NORTH CAROLINA</TD></TR><TR><TD id=chatter>Why they're here: This ranking admittedly is a leap of faith, considering North Carolina failed to reach the NCAA tournament last season. But we're betting freshman F Harrison Barnes immediately establishes himself as one of the nation's top players, and that five-star prospect Reggie Bullock shores up the backcourt. We're also counting on sophomore F John Henson to make major strides and C Tyler Zeller to stay healthy.
The key player: The easy answer is to go with Barnes, but we're betting he's the real deal. We also could focus on the continued development of Henson and PG Larry Drew III. But it would really help the Tar Heels if Zeller could stay healthy for an entire season after being injured for large chunks of the past two. If he can play a full season, this highly skilled 7-footer could shore up a frontcourt that has plenty of star power but serious depth concerns.

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Old School · Nov 4, 2010

Duke bashers are going to have such a great season..

:SIB

shawn555 · Nov 4, 2010

I hate Duke, but they are going to win it all again and will probably average 95 points a game.

Skipper · Nov 7, 2010

Amazing what has been at Baylor by Crew.

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