ESPN Men's Basketball

Take a guess which school could be hit harder than any other if its early entrant decides to stay in the draft.

How about ... Rice.

Why the Owls? Well, no other school could have its postseason chances swing on the decision of one player. Most schools can absorb the hit, but not Rice.

Owls leading scorer Morris Almond declared for the NBA draft with the intent of testing the process. He isn't expected to sign with an agent, but he wants to see where he stands. You're probably not too familiar with Almond, but if you were watching Conference USA, you would have seen the junior average 21.9 points a game, grab 5.8 rebounds and lead the Owls to a 6-8 league record (12-16 overall).

The 6-6 wing isn't a lock for the first round, but through workouts and, potentially, the Orlando pre-draft camp June 6-12, he could entice someone to take a serious look.

If Almond returns to Rice, the Owls have a chance -- and we underscore chance -- to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1970.

"If he comes back, we've got a chance to be really good -- as good as we've ever been," said 14-year Rice coach Willis Wilson. "If he doesn't come back, it's a whole different ball game."

With Almond, Rice would return six of its top eight scorers and Wilson is confident that newcomers should add depth at the point and inside and the toughness that could make this his best Owl squad ever.

"The kid should dominate and impact winning at Rice before he considers this, but how high could he go? Well, at this stage, the draft is wide open and there are several spots for guys to play their way in, and he's a part of that group," one NBA player personnel director said. "He is a good athlete and can get you a bucket."

Wilson said NBA personnel have told him Almond is an unknown commodity, a player who needs to improve his ballhandling, passing and defense. But one undisputable point is that he can score.

He did that in bunches against C-USA champ Memphis, putting up 30 in an 84-79 loss Feb. 4.

"If he comes back and played like he did against us, then he'll put himself in a better position in the [2007] draft," Memphis coach John Calipari said. "They were good with him. They'll have a chance with him back. Look, he killed us with 30."

The deadline to withdraw is June 18.

With Morris, Wilson said he could see C-USA having five teams in play for NCAA berths, with the Owls joining Memphis, Houston, UAB and UTEP.

"And there's no reason why we couldn't get three teams in," Wilson said. "If Morris comes back, we'll be really good because I like our chemistry, our bigs, and [we have] kids who can score and shoot."

The deadline to declare is still 10 days away, so more departures could be coming, but here is a quick look at the potential effect of the early departures announced as of April 19:

Gonzaga: The Zags knew Adam Morrison was going to leave and sign with an agent, so this comes as no shock to Mark Few. What does it do to the program? Well, it means the Bulldogs will have to find other ways to score because no one on next season's roster is averaging 28 a game. Remember, the Zags also lose the power player inside, J.P. Batista.

"We'll have a totally different look, and we'll spread it around," Few said. "We should have great balance."

Few is hoping that Sean Mallon, Josh Heytvelt, Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes, Derek Raivio, David Pendergraft, Jeremy Pargo and Kansas transfer Micah Downs (at midsemester) all have it in them to put up double figures on a given night.

"We need Sean and Pierre to be much more aggressive offensively," Few said.

LSU: Tigers coach John Brady has said he knew 6-9 redshirt freshman Tyrus Thomas was going to declare. And he usually follows that up with a clear statement that 6-10 freshman reserve Magnum Rolle can be a shot blocker just like Thomas. He might not be as explosive with his first jump, but if he adds more meat, he could be a solid replacement.

Miami: The Hurricanes are losing leading scorer Guillermo Diaz (17.2 ppg); he has declared and signed with an agent. Second-leading scorer, Robert Hite, also is gone. The reality is the Canes might have more balance and might mesh better without Diaz. Miami coach Frank Haith said the scoring will come from returnees Anthony Harris, Denis Clemente and Siena transfer Jack McClinton.

"We'll have a different look, but I don't believe it's going to be an issue," Haith said of not having Diaz. "We'll create more from our defense than we did this past season."

Diaz was hard for Haith to coach at the end of games in terms of shot selection.

NC State: Cedric Simmons declared for the draft and could stay in because he has a body suited for the NBA's first round. He has the potential to be a shot-blocker in the Theo Ratliff mold. If Simmons bolts, State will have a totally different frontcourt look next season, as the Wolfpack also might lose Andrew Brackman, a star baseball player who could choose to stick with that sport.

That means the frontcourt would be led by 6-9 Ben McCauley, who played in 27 games in his first season and averaged 2.1 points per game. The Wolfpack would lose their top five scorers and would have only point Engin Atsur and Gavin Grant back among the top seven if Simmons and Brackman don't return.

Connecticut: The Huskies knew they were losing Rudy Gay and Marcus Williams, and likely Josh Boone, so they recruited with the intent of replacing all of them. This team will be younger, sleeker and quicker.

Iowa State: Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock declared, leaving new coach Greg McDermott without a starting backcourt. Blalock could still return, but this will be an overhaul for the Cyclones.

Nevada: Nick Fazekas isn't a lock to stay in the draft. If he returns, the Wolf Pack will be a WAC contender next season. If he doesn't, they won't. It's that simple.

Florida State: If Alexander Johnson returns with Al Thornton, the Seminoles could be picked second in the ACC behind North Carolina. Johnson isn't expected to sign with an agent.

Colorado: Richard Roby's departure would mean the Buffaloes need to find a go-to scorer.

Arizona: Mustafa Shakur isn't expected to stay in the draft, but if he does, the Wildcats are in search of a true point guard. Marcus Williams is still flirting with declaring.

Kentucky: Rajon Rondo is gone, which means the Wildcats will be leaderless unless combo guards Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley can handle the role. The most likely candidate is incoming freshman point Derrick Jasper out of Paso Robles, Calif.

Louisiana Tech: No Paul Millsap means the Bulldogs slide back in the WAC.

Missouri: Thomas Gardner has a choice: be a possible second-round pick or play for Mike Anderson and likely increase his scoring numbers. If Gardner goes, the Tigers will search for another go-to scorer.

Rutgers: Quincy Douby could stay in the draft, but he might be more apt to be the BMOC under former assistant and current head coach Fred Hill.

San Diego State: Marcus Slaughter's decision to declare was a surprise. Brandon Heath's decision to test wasn't a stunner. Still, the Aztecs potentially could lose their top two scorers, putting even more pressure on Mohamed Abukar to be a near-20-point guy next season if he has to shoulder that large a load.

Texas: The Longhorns knew all season that LaMarcus Aldridge was gone. Look for Connor Atchley to get more run in the post and for Dexter Pittman, an incoming center, to get a look. But this could be a team scoring more from the wing (with the arrival of Kevin Durant) than one that relies on post scoring the way it did at times with Aldridge. A decision from P.J. Tucker, who scores from all over the floor, certainly will make a huge difference on the look of this squad next season.

Cal: If Leon Powe stays in the draft, the Bears aren't an NCAA Tournament team next season. Sure, they have another potential pro in DeVon Hardin returning up front and they have a solid guard in Ayinde Ubaka, but not having Powe means the Bears would lose the one player who commands double-teams.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.