Monday, April 21, 2008

Look Ahead to the 2008-2009 College Hoops Season


We all know the 2007-2008 NCAA Men's Basketball Season just finished. But there are a lot of us anticipating next season already. With a lot of young talent out there this past season, next year should be just as exciting!

Let's take a look at some of the top teams for 2008-2009:

UNC Tar Heels
Even though they could still lose Tyler Hansbrough, Tywon Lawson, and Wayne Ellington to the NBA, I really doubt they will all leave; one will be the most that leaves, even if that. Hansbrough will likely be back and Lawson's stock is down. Even if Lawson bolts injured PG Bobby Frasor is back and Danny Green is a very capable player as well. They only lose Quentin Thomas for sure and Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson will be good as well.

UCLA Bruins
They could still lose a lot. Kevin Love has already announced he is going to the NBA, same with Russell Westbrook, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (which puzzles me). But Moute will likely be back, Westbrook could too. Josh Shipp, Alfred Aboya, Michael Roll, and James Keefe still return. Darren Collison still needs to make a decision, but even if he leaves they have a great recruiting class lead by Jrue Holiday that are ready to step in.

Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns could have everybody back from a team that lost in the Elite 8. D.J. Augustin still needs to make a decision, but it looks like he'll be back. A.J. Abrams, Damion James, Connor Atchley, Justin Mason, and Gary Johnson are all back and should help them contend for a national title.

Connecticut Huskies
UConn will likely return everybody from a loaded team. Hasheem Thabeet could still jump ship but his mom told ESPN that he is likely staying. This Husky team could be dangerous with A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson, Jerome Dyson, and Craig Austrie all back. With a very good recruiting class lead by PG Kemba Walker, they should be the favorites to win a stacked Big East.

Memphis Tigers
Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Joey Dorsey, and Andre Allen are gone, but the Tigers should still win the C-USA. Robert Dozier, Antonio Anderson, Shawn Taggart, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack are a very solid core returning. Add one of the top PGs in the country in Tyreke Evans and you have another Final Four contender.

Louisville Cardinals
Louisville will have one of the deepest guard rotations in the country again with Edgar Sosa, Andre McGee, Jerry Smith, Preston Knowles, and Will Scott all returning. They do lose David Padgett and Juan Palacios, but forward Terrence Williams is back and they add one of the best centers in the nation in Samardo Samuels. Earl Clark said he will return for his junior year after testing the waters, which should make Louisville a contender again.

Duke Blue Devils
Duke only loses DeMarcus Nelson to graduation. They will still be a big threat from behind the arc with Greg Paulus, Jon Scheyer, Gerald Henderson, and Kyle Singler all back. But the problem still lies in the paint as they still don't have a big-time threat inside.

Gonzaga Bulldogs
Gonzaga should be a top 10 team again with 4 starters back and a good bench, plus they have a good recruiting class coming in with Demetri Goodson. Jeremy Pargo put his name in the draft, but is expected to return. Matt Bouldin, their leading scorer is back along with Austin Daye, Steven Gray, and Micah Downs. Also, Josh Heytvelt will be one of the top big men in the country.

Other teams to keep an eye on:
Kansas, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Marquette, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan St., USC, Arizona, Tennessee, Xavier, & Davidson.

2 comments:

Ed The Sports Fan said...

Okay, this is my time to be a homer. But...Oklahoma is going to be ready next year. They have Blake Griffin, who would've been a top 5 pick in this year's draft, Tony Crocker, Taylor Griffin, and 3-4 other quality role players coming back, plus Jeff Capel landed another McDonald's All-American in Willie Warren which gives the Sooners a primetime shooting option.

BOOMER SOONER!

-Ed.

Anonymous said...

UNLV GO REBELS. This team is a team to watch for they are top 25 caliber and a serious sleeper team to watch out for national supremicy.