Welcome to The Sports Bank’s third annual college basketball season preview series. Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75 power conference teams and top 36 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
As expected, the BYU Cougars’ transition to the West Coast Conference was smooth as they advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight season. Steady goes the course for Dave Rose as he should have BYU competing for another trip to the dance.
BYU COUGARS
Last Season: 3rd, 12-4 in WCC, 26-9 overall
Predicted WCC Finish: 3rd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Nate Austin (So)/Ian Harward (Fr)
PF: Brandon Davies (Sr)/Stephen Rogers (Sr)/Agustin Ambrosino (Jr)
SF: Brock Zylstra (Sr)/Josh Sharp (So)
SG: Tyler Hawes (So)/Anson Winder (So)/Raul Delgado (Jr)/Cory Calvert (Fr)
PG: Matt Carlino (So)/Craig Cusick (Sr)/Cooper Ainge (Fr)
Gone: PF-Noah Hartsock, SG-Charles Abouo, SG-DeMarcus Harrison (transfer-Clemson), PG-Nick Martineau, F-Chris Collinsworth
2012-2013 Outlook:
One of the biggest questions facing BYU is who will replace veteran Noah Hartsock. Having Brandon Davies back (and following the school’s honor code) certainly provides one piece of stability but finding a frontcourt running mate will be a work in progress.
6-11 Nate Austin appears most suited to step in for Hartsock. He was solid in a reserve role last season, rebounds well, and can step out and knock down jumpers. Depth may be a concern though as Stephen Rogers continues to battle knee problems that might cause him to miss part if not all of the upcoming season. Junior college transfer Agustin Ambrosino should factor into the equation. He has the ability to stretch defenses with his outside shooting. Ian Harward adds another body inside though he doesn’t appear ready to make a major contribution quite yet.
Chris Collinsworth was supposed to return from his Mormon mission to bring some versatility to his frontcourt but his career was cut short due to ankle surgery. Younger brother Kyle still has one more year on his mission but will be back for the 2013-14 season.
The backcourt lost DeMarcus Harrison to transfer but returns Tyler Haws from his mission. The shooting guard was an All-Mountain West Third Team selection during his freshman year and provides some offensive firepower on the wing. Add in returning point guard Matt Carlino and wing Brock Zylstra, and the Cougars have a solid trio of starters.
There is depth in the backcourt as well with key reserves Anton Winder and walk-on Craig Cusick back in the fold. Josh Sharp also returns after playing sparingly a year ago while junior college transfer Raul Delgado is a more than capable scorer. Freshmen Cory Calvert and Cooper Ainge, the son of former BYU great Danny, provide Rose with even more options at guard.
The WCC has solid talent at the top with usual top dogs Gonzaga and St. Mary’s as well as a Loyola Marymount teams that returns a solid core from last season. BYU will certainly factor into that mix and Rose’s recent track record should have the Cougars in the thick of the race for the conference crown.
Player to Watch: Brandon Davies
With plenty of talent in the backcourt, Davies will carry a major load on his back in leading the frontcourt charge. He answered the call last season with a bigger workload and to complement his solid mid-range game, must be more assertive on the inside to help open up opportunities for the shooters on the wing.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/16 vs. Florida State (Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/17 vs. Notre Dame/St. Joseph’s (Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/28 vs. Montana
12/1 at Iowa State
12/5 vs. Utah State
12/8 vs. Utah
12/21 at Baylor
12/29 vs. Virginia Tech
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#52 Washington Huskies
#53 California Golden Bears
#54 Kansas State Wildcats
#55 Nevada Wolfpack
#56 Colorado Buffaloes
#57 Iowa State Cyclones
#58 Northern Iowa Panthers
#59 Colorado State Rams
#60 Iowa Hawkeyes
#61 South Florida Bulls
#62 Valparaiso Crusaders
#63 Illinois Fighting Illini
#64 Arkansas Razorbacks
#65 Wichita State Shockers
#66 George Mason Patriots
#67 Virginia Cavaliers
#68 Villanova Wildcats
#69 Maryland Terrapins
#70 Marshall Thundering Herd
#71 Iona Gaels
#72 Northwestern Wildcats
#73 Oklahoms State Cowboys
#74 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#75 USC Trojans
#76 UConn Huskies
#77 Harvard Crimson
#78 Xavier Musketeers
#79 Ole Miss Rebels
#80 Clemson Tigers
#81 Oregon State Beavers
#82 Texas A&M Aggies
#83 Providence Friars
#84 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#85 Oklahoma Sooners
#86 Lehigh Mountain Hawks
#87 Washington State Cougars
#88 Long Beach State 49ers
#89 Belmont Bruins
#90 Vanderbilt Commodores
#91 Dayton Flyers
#92 Houston Cougars
#93 UCF Knights
#94 Old Dominion Monarchs
#95 Oregon Ducks
#96 LSU Tigers
#97 South Carolina Gamecocks
#98 Seton Hall Pirates
#99 Georgia Bulldogs
#100 DePaul Blue Demons
#101 Boston College Eagles
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.
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