College Basketball Roundtable: Overrated, Underrated, and More

With the college basketball season about to get into full swing, we’ve gathered the masses (OK, just our staff writers) to answer a few hot topic questions.

Joe Dexter, Jamal Murphy, and myself have all sat around the big roundtable in the Busting Brackets headquarters, and we’re ready to share our thoughts.

Here’s a look at the five topics in our first roundtable of the season:

• 1. The most overrated team heading into the season is…..

Joe Dexter: Baylor. Maybe I’m overlooking things, but putting this team in contention for the Big 12 championship is stretching it a bit. When you have a player like Perry Jones III (What’s With Baylor? RGIII and PJIII? hmm) anything is possible. Quincey Miller adds some athletic talent as a freshman, and this might be the most athletic team all around in the country.

But there is no chemistry. If this team is at the top of the nation down the stretch, it’s going to take this team some time to gel. The Bears averaged less than 12 assists a game last year. That’s not going to cut it in 2011-12. They have just the cookie-cutter schedule to get some rhythm going, but the Bears won’t reach near the mark the
pundits think they will.

Jamal Murphy: Now this is an interesting question, as there seems to be a general consensus about the top 30 or so teams with the only discrepancy being the order. My most overrated team heading into the season is Texas A&M. The Aggies are ranked 20th and 19th in the AP and USA Today/ESPN Top 25 polls, respectively. I have also seen them ranked as high as 16 in another publication. While I believe A&M will sneak into the NCAA Tournament, I do not see them as a top 25 caliber squad.

I attribute most of Texas A&M’s recent success to the now departed coach, Mark Turgeon. Turgeon was able to take role players and squeeze 48 wins out of them in the last two years. The Aggies jumped out to a 16-1 start last season, but came back down to earth to end the season at an 8-8 clip. This year, the Aggies look a bit shaky in the backcourt and there will be an adjustment period (perhaps, a long one) under new coach Billy Kennedy (who we are happy to hear is expected to be back on the bench soon, after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease), whose offensive philosophy is the polar opposite of Turgeon’s.

Blake Lovell: While we’re on a Big 12 kick, I’m gonna say Kansas. I understand everything that Bill Self has accomplished, and yes, they did go 35-3 a year ago. But this is a different team that has some issues. Thomas Robinson is expected to be a breakout star…..but after that, there’s a ton of question marks.

What about depth? Their bench is nowhere near as loaded as it was last season. What about Tyshawn Taylor? After getting suspended last season, he’s already been suspended for exhibitions this season, along with Elijah Johnson. There’s no doubt that Taylor has the talent to be a first-team Big 12 player. But he has to be the leader they need him to be if they are going to be successful. And not getting Ben McLemore and Jamari Taylor cleared hurts too. The Jayhawks will win games, I’m not saying that. We might be overrating them a little though entering the season.

• 2. The most underrated team heading into the season is…..

Joe Dexter: Memphis. Things are rolling in Tiger Town, as all five starters return to a 25 win Josh Pastner team from a year ago. Plus, they bring in one of the nations best recruits. Adonis Thomas could be the x factor in getting the Tigers back in the national picture in 2011-12. What he can do on the court compliments well with the pieces already put together in the puzzle. Joe Jackson broke out in the conference tourney last season and is due for a big year. If the Tigers play solid defense, they should be a top team in the nation when it’s all said and done. As long as Pastner doesn’t try to over coach this squad.

Jamal Murphy: My pick here, is a team that is not at all used to the term “underrated.” Michigan State is missing from many preseason top 25 polls, including the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls. Of course, we live in a “what have you done for me lately” society and lately, as in last year, Sparty was a huge disappointment. However, I wouldn’t bet on Tom Izzo disappointing us two years in a row. There is still plenty of talent on Izzo’s roster, led by senior forward Draymond Green and a few highly touted freshmen and sophomores. I expect the Spartans to be a staple in the Top 25 this year.

Blake Lovell: Well, I picked them to win the Pac-12, and they aren’t ranked in any preseason Top 25 polls. I’m talking about Washington. They lost a lot of production from a year ago scoring-wise, but can more than make up for it with the group that they have in place right now. Terrence Ross has All-American potential, and freshman Tony Wroten Jr. can flat out play. There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most underrated team in the country because I think they have Sweet 16 and beyond potential.

• 3. What major conference coach could be on the hot seat?

Joe Dexter: If Tom Crean didn’t have such a studly class coming in for the 2012-13 campaign, then his name would be at the forefront of coaches who are on the brink of losing their job. One name that wouldn’t be surprising is Georgetown’s John Thompson III. His lackluster performances the last few seasons is being noticed by fans, but the family lineage with the Hoyas probably gives him a longer leash, but that doesn’t mean the former Princeton head man won’t choke on it. If it gets really ugly this season, you can count Thompson out of a job in 2012.

Jamal Murphy: Ummm, Joe Paterno? Oh, I’m sorry, wrong sport. Seriously though, I have no doubt that Indiana coach, Tom Crean, is a very good basketball coach. However, compiling a 28-66 record in your first three years at THE university in basketball crazed Indiana does not exactly afford you job security. Yes, Crean’s squads have been ravaged by injuries and misfortune. But, excuses are like…well, you get the idea. Crean did gain a huge recruiting victory by convincing 6’11, McDonald’s All-American, Cody Zeller, to stay in his home state for college. Still, the Hoosiers might still be a year away from real progress in the Big Ten. The question is whether Crean will have used up all of Indiana’s patience by then.

Blake Lovell: I’ll go a little under the radar here and go with Darrin Horn at South Carolina. Even though South Carolina won a share of the SEC East in 2009, last year they went 14-16, and this year won’t be much better. Given the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri next season, things are only going to get tougher for this program. Horn is a good coach, there’s no question about that. And they only have one senior on the roster. But given the competition, it’s hard to see them winning a lot of games, especially since Bruce Ellington won’t return until football is over. Horn has some good players. But he’s in a situation that might not be getting better anytime soon when it comes to wins and losses. Personally, I don’t think he should be on the hot seat. This is a business of winning though, and they are going to struggle.

• 4. What non-conference game, aside from North Carolina-Kentucky, are you most looking forward to?

Joe Dexter: One of the true tests early in the season will be a solid Ohio State/Duke match up on November 29th as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. For both squads, this is an indication game of what we are going to get heading into the stretch of the season. It also has a couple intriguing match ups that will be fun to watch.

Jamal Murphy: How’s this for a New Year’s Eve match-up? Rick Pitino, with some talent, versus John Calipari, who always has talent, get together on December 31st on CBS. Coming off of their recent mini spat, where Coach Cal stated that his Kentucky squad was the only team in town, to which Pitino responded by basically calling Calipari ignorant; this match-up at Kentucky should be a doozy. Of course, Kentucky is stacked again this year with a monster freshmen class and even has a couple of big-time sophomores this go-round. But, Louisville is also loaded with talent and is in many people’s preseason top 10. Oh, and did I forget to mention that like many an in-state rivalry, these two schools – and now, maybe coaches – hate each other?

Blake Lovell: I’ve gotta go with Louisville-Kentucky as well. The atmosphere in Rupp will be electric when Pitino walks out onto the court, and Louisville has a team that can compete with Kentucky. And like Jamal mentioned, the verbal jabs from both coaches will only intensify this one even more. This game is gonna be must-see telvision.

• 5. The best non-big six/non-BCS conference this season will be…..

Joe Dexter: By Far it’s the CAA. Virginia Commonwealth is coming off one hell of a tournament run and are coached by one of the best young minds in the game. The Drexel Dragons return a bunch of their talent and George Mason is always a threat to do some dancing. It’s been fun to watch this conference emerge as one of the best in the country. Throw Old Dominion and Hofstra in the mix as well.

Jamal Murphy: I’m going to have to go with the Atlantic 10. While it is a very close call, with the Colonial Athletic, Conference USA and the Mountain West all very competitive, the two best teams in the A10 are likely better than any of the teams in these other non BCS conferences. In fact, I’m not so sure it’s fair to consider the A10 a non BCS conference in basketball when you consider their long and distinguished history in the sport. However, in reality, there indeed is no football money in this conference and no “BCS bid,” which makes it a “non BCS conference.”

Back to talking basketball, Xavier and Temple will be national players this year and that is not all the A10 has to offer. St. Louis and St. Joseph’s should be relevant again, after disastrous 2010-11 seasons and teams such as George Washington, Duquesne and Dayton give this league the true depth to be considered the class of the non BCS conferences.

Blake Lovell: We don’t really lump in the A-10 with the major conferences anymore, although they do have a national title contender in Xavier. But when you look at the CAA, there’s just a lot of teams that are very intriguing. Drexel, VCU, and George Mason should be the ones battling for the conference crown. When you look even deeper down the line though, there’s some very quality teams there. I don’t think we’ll see any of these teams make a VCU-like run this season. But then again, we didn’t think VCU would last year, did we?

Well there’s our opinions. How would you answer some of these questions?

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