College Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll: Teams Ranked too Low

13

Top 10

Before the preseason poll even hit the public, I had anticipated the Bruins would get too much love on the grounds of unproven [but really talented] freshmen. Turns out, UCLA may have been underestimated by the poll instead. Outside shooting is a major concern, and speed on the perimeter is a gaping weakness for Ben Howland’s squad. And the Bruins, as usual under Howland, will have a lot to prove in the way of a functional half court offense. But to place this team—with this much talent—out of the Top 10 altogether seems to be an instance of the coaches not taking seriously the quartet of stud freshmen in Westwood this season. Their mistake. Shabazz Muhammad is the best freshman in the nation. Period. And by season’s end, the gap between he and the next best rookie could be wide. Muhammad’s running mate, Kyle Anderson, could well prove to be the runner-up. If you can’t get over Anderson’s glaringly slow foot speed—so slow, in fact, that it appears he’s running in quicksand—you’ll come to realize this is the most skilled and polished freshman in the class. Anderson will play a lot of point forward this season, guarding opposing 3’s on defense while running point on offense. His court awareness, passing, knack for getting into the lane despite a lack of quickness and overall play-making ability makes him one of the most unique freshmen to ever enter college. Mix in the undervalued Wear twins, now entering their junior seasons, and the combination of veteran experience and talented youth is there for the Bruins to be a consistent Top 10 team. I get wanting freshen to prove themselves first, but if there’s one thing the coaches should have learned from last season, a lethal freshman recruiting class CAN be the foundation for a championship team.

Michigan State

14

Top 10

Tom Izzo is used to it by now. Despite consistently doing more with less and developing seemingly non-descript teams into tournament pests by season’s end, Izzo and his Spartans have seldom curried much favor with coaches in the preseason poll. Unranked in the preseason coaches’ poll last year after losing Kalin Lucas, Durrell Summers, Korie Lucious and Delvon Roe from the year before, Michigan State ultimately won the Big 10 and played its way into a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. This year’s group loses less from last season than last year’s bunch—which was a top-five team to finish the regular season—loses from the disappointing group that preceded it in 2010-11. Draymond Green is an enormous loss, don’t get me wrong. His leadership, rebounding and value on both the offensive and defensive ends will be sorely missed. The Spartans may, however, have the backcourt firepower to atone for his loss. Guards Keith Appling and Branden Dawson form a one-two punch that should challenge their in-state rivals in Ann Arbor for the top backcourt in the league. Adreiane Payne and Derrick Nix are back, and Gary Harris figures to be one of the best freshman guards in the country. With Izzo’s knack for turning chicken scratch into chicken salad, and given the lack of separation between any teams in the preseason Top 10 in terms of roster outlook, it’s a bit surprising to see the Spartans squeezed out of the Top 10. Of course, Michigan State started the 2010-11 season ranked No. 2 in the preseason coaches’ poll and packed with expectations, yet that team went on to have a disappointing regular season low-lighted by an opening round loss in the NCAA tournament. The Spartans seem to be at their best when flying under the radar, so write off Sparty at your own peril. But don’t say you weren’t warned.

UNLV

19

Top 10

No team in the first installment of the coaches’ poll has been undersold more than Dave Rice’s Runnin’ Rebels. UNLV may not overwhelm right off the bat—with Pitt transfer Khem Birch not available until January and a cast of new faces to integrate-but the Rebels have legitimate top-five potential if everything comes together. By March, this could be a popular Final Four dark-horse. UNLV has all the makings of a championship contender—experience (especially in the backcourt), balance, a talented incoming recruiting class, depth in the frontcourt and tournament experience from the season before. Mike Moser is a real All-American candidate. Anthony Marshall is one of the best point guards in the nation nobody talks about. Carlos Lopez could well be the best backup big man in college basketball (he may start this season with Brice Massamba moving on and Birch not eligible until the second semester). Anthony Bennett is one of the top-five incoming freshmen in college hoops, the best recruit the Rebels have landed since Larry Johnson. The loss of Chace Stanback, one of the best 3-point shooters in college basketball last season, stings, but sharp-shooting freshman Katin Reinhardt is next in line to fill that void. Mix in the top impact transfer for the second semester in Birch and something special could be cooking in Vegas. Tournament experience + top-notch recruiting class (and two sure-fire impact recruits) + the best college frontcourt player west of the Mississippi + the top transfer + senior-laden backcourt = a product much greater than the preseason No. 19 team in the country. The Rebels are legitimate, folks. Guess the coaches will have to learn the hard way.

Cincinnati

Unranked

Between 20 and 25

No offense, Florida State (who Cincy knocked out of the NCAA tournament last season) or Texas, but the Bearcats are far more deserving of a preseason ranking than either of you. Sure, Cincy faces major attrition inside with the departure of senior big man Yancy Gates. And Mick Cronin’s backcourt takes a hit with the loss of Dion Dixon. But the Longhorns and Seminoles lose plenty themselves, and frankly the Bearcats bring back a heck of a lot more talent. Start with Sean Kilpatrick, a preseason favorite for first-team All Big East honors. The tandem of Kilpatrick and senior point guard Cashmere Wright figures to comprise the best backcourt in the Big East next season. That has to count for something, no? JaQuon Parker is ready to break out, and Justin Jackson, the best passing big man in college no one knows about, will shock you with his Magic Johnson-esque court vision (I’m not kidding, watch this guy play). Reports out of Bearcats camp say keep an eye on Ge’Lawn Guin. Reports out of Busting Brackets say don’t let the coaches fool you. Cincy owns a top-25-caliber squad.

VCU

Unranked

Between 20 and 25

It’s amazing the lack of respect coaches are showing Shaka Smart despite his teams continually proving doubters wrong. Smart has won six NCAA tournament games over the last two years, tied with Roy Williams, Thad Matta and Jim Calhoun for third most over that span and trailing only John Calipari (10) and Bill Self (8). That’s some company. This year’s team may be Smart’s best yet, which is saying something given how strong his last two squads have been. Bradford Burgess is gone, and the NCAA ruled his highly touted brother, a VCU freshman, a partial qualifier for this season (meaning he must sit out the season). Still, the Rams return most of last year’s squad—seven of their top eight contributors from last season—and welcome star freshman guard Melvin Johnson. With the older Burgess out of the equation, the basketball should touch more pairs of hands this season and create a more balanced offensive attack. The stifling, aggressive defense will always be there—serving as an equalizer of sorts even in years when the talent isn’t necessarily there. But the talent is there in Virginia this season. This is Smart’s most talented team to date. And if each of his last two squads were deserving of top-25 mention, then there’s no excuse for omitting this group from the list.