A dazzling dozen story lines
Now is the time that basketball lovers get excited. There are so many special match-ups early on. The problem is, everyone is still in football mode, wondering who will win the national championship, who will take home the Heisman, chasing dreams ... there are a lot of questions still to be answered.
I'm not Kirk Herbstreit, I certainly don't have his hair. Let's look at a dazzling dozen story lines for the college hoop season:
Will North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough come back from his shin injury and be as effective as ever? If he does, will the Tar Heels be as dominant as all the pollsters are saying? On paper, they are clearly the creme de la creme but favorites to cut down the nets have been beaten before. That will be an interesting plot to follow.
Does Duke has enough ammunition to overtake North Carolina? Coach K has been re-invigorated big-time since the USA captured the gold medal in hoops. The Dukies have added some young talent in Elliot Williams and Miles Plumlee to go with Gerald Henderson, Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and company. Greg Paulus supplies depth as he comes off the bench. He is excited about this squad.
Can UCLA make it to a fourth straight Final Four? That would be a great accomplishment for Ben Howland's team. Will this be the year they hang up another national championship banner at Pauley Pavilion? The return of Darren Collison and the addition of Jrue Holliday makes the Bruins the best of the west.
How good will the diaper dandies be? Let's remember what recent freshmen classes have produced? Names like Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant stand out my friends. Can guys like USC's DeMar DeRozen have the same type of impact? We will find out if some of these high school stars will be as good as projected.
Can Memphis and Kansas reload? Last year's national championship game participants lost a lot of talent; just look at the first round of the draft! Can these two schools be top 20 caliber clubs? John Calipari will rely on diaper dandy Tyreke Evans. The Jayhawks return two key players with any kind of experience in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrich. Bill Self has one of the best recruiting classes and the fans in rock, chalk, Jayhawk fans may be rewarded if they are patient.
Will there be a mid-major making a run at the Final Four? The one that jumps out at me as a legit contender is Davidson and Stephen Curry. Bob McKillop's squad fell just short against eventual national champion Kansas last season. Can the 'Cats effectively replace the production of point guard Jason Richards?
Will Curry or Notre Dame's Luke Harangody overcome the preseason publicity of Hansbrough and make a run at Player of the Year? Curry and Harangody will put up great numbers in their own right, leading the respective teams to prominent roles in the big dance. The answer to this one will depend on Hansbrough's return from injury.
Will some of last year's wounded warriors return to top form? Guys like Alabama's Ronald Steele and Eric Devendorf of Syracuse are coming back from the injury bug. Let's hope they can return to their prior level as major contributors.
How will the three-point line being moved back a foot affect the sport? I think it will open things up more inside. Teams will still take plenty of trifectas and the percentage should go down a bit with the longer distance.
Will Kentucky be improved in Billy Gillispie's second season? The fans of big blue are not used to seeing their team fall short of the 20-win plateau, which happened last season. The Wildcats need a healthy Patrick Patterson up front.
Can Notre Dame be a legit contender in the Big East? Mike Brey has veteran experience with Harangody and Kyle McAlarney and this team has the potential to compete with Connecticut, Louisville and Pittsburgh for the top spot in America's top conference.
Is the Big East as good as advertised? My answer is yes. There are 10 teams capable of making the big dance, and I feel this is the best conference I've seen in the last 20+ years.
Wow, stay tuned as the most important question of all is answered: which team will stand tall at Ford Field in Detroit. Let the hoops party start as hoops hysteria breaks
