HAPPY COLLEGE BASKETBALL TIP-OFF DAY! I did it, by the way! 111 team previews in 111 days. The Sports Bank’s fourth annual college basketball season preview series where we break 111 teams in the 111 days leading up to the opening tip-off of the 2013-2014 season in now complete. I ranked the 84 power conference teams (including the new Big East and American Athletic Conferences) and top 27 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order, breaking down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and a player to watch for each team.
With arguably the best recruiting class of all-time and potentially nine future NBA first round picks, it’s obvious why the Kentucky Wildcats are the #1 ranked team in pretty much every preseason poll or prediction that has been released this Fall.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS
Last Season: T-2nd,12-6 in SEC, 21-12 overall
Predicted SEC Finish: 1st
Projected Depth Chart
C: Willie Cauley-Stein (So)/Dakari Johnson (Fr)
PF: Julius Randle (Fr)/Marcus Lee (Fr)/Derek Willis (Fr)
SF: Alex Poythress (So)/Jon Hood (Sr)
SG: Aaron Harrison (Fr)/James Young (Fr)
PG: Andrew Harrison (Fr)/Jarrod Polson (Sr)/Dominique Hawkins (Fr)
Gone: F/C-Nerlens Noel, G-Archie Goodwin, SG-Julius Mays, PF-Kyle Wiltjer (transfer-Gonzaga), PG-Ryan Harrow (transfer-Georgia State), G-Twany Beckham
2013-2014 Outlook:
According to the ESPN rankings, John Calipari snagged the third, fifth, seventh, eighth, and ninth best recruits in the 2013 class. The highest ranked of the group is Julius Randle who brings physicality and finesse to the power forward position. His strength allows him bully around opponents in the paint but the lefty also has a nice face-up game whether he is knocking down outside shots or power driving to the bucket.
Returning players Willie Cauley-Stein and Alex Poythress figure to join Randle in the starting frontcourt. WC-S is a high energy big man, bringing size, length, and athleticism to the middle. He is fairly limited with his offensive ability but scoring won’t be his role this year. Poythress is looking to bounce back from an up and down freshman campaign. He is a combo forward who is physical on the inside but also has range out to three-point line.
A trio of newcomers are competing for frontcourt bench minutes. Dakari Johnson is a big body and brings more touch around the basket than Cauley-Stein. Lee is long and wiry but extremely athletic, excelling on the break and finishing at the rim. Derek Willis brings more versatility to the frontcourt in that he is a stretch four and skilled offensive threat. He should ultimately replace what the Wildcats lost with Kyle Wiltjer’s department from the program.
UK’s guard play was a rollercoaster ride last season loaded with inconsistency so the additions of twin brothers Andrew and Aaron Harrison and athletic off guard James Young bring needed new life to the backcourt. Andrew will run the point and at 6’5, 210 pounds brings terrific size to the position. He is at his best attacking the basket and creating off the bounce for his teammates. Jarrod Polson will see spot minutes backing up Andrew as could freshman Dominique Hawkins.
Aaron and Young will share minutes at the two. Aaron has more of a scorer’s mentality and is a better outside shooter than his twin brother. Young is a lefty who is extremely athletic but also has range out to the three-point line. He should also see some minutes at the three when Calipari chooses to put all three guys on the floor at the same time. Seldom used Jon Hood is a shooter but shouldn’t figure into the rotation with all the talent surrounding him.
Chemistry issues and players failing find their roles were huge reasons why the Kentucky Wildcats were one of the most disappointing teams in college basketball last season as they missed out on the NCAA Tournament and ended up getting bounced in the first round of the NIT. It is a blessing to have this much talent assembled on one team but it can also be a curse.
Calipari needs to find balance throughout his roster, making sure each guys accepts whatever role is deemed his rather than trying to be glory hogs. If that is accomplished, this Kentucky team should be a lot more similar to the 2011-12 Champions as opposed to last year’s debacle (at least by UK standards) of a squad.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/12 vs. Michigan State (at United Center in Chicago)
12/1 vs. Providence (at Barclays Center in Brooklyn)
12/6 vs. Baylor (at Cowboy Stadium in Arlington)
12/10 vs. Boise State
12/14 at North Carolina
12/21 vs. Belmont
12/28 vs. Louisville
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#2 Michigan State
#3 Kansas
#4 Louisville
#5 Duke
#6 Syracuse
#7 Arizona
#8 Florida
#9 Oklahoma State
#10 Ohio State
#11 North Carolina
#12 Michigan
#13 Marquette
#14 Memphis
#15 Notre Dame
#16 Georgetown
#17 Gonzaga
#18 Creighton
#19 Wisconsin
#20 Virginia
#21 Wichita State
#22 VCU
#23 New Mexico
#24 UConn
#25 Indiana
#26 Colorado
#27 Tennessee
#28 Baylor
#29 St. John’s
#30 Harvard
#31 UCLA
#32 Iowa
#33 Boise State
#34 Villanova
#35 Oregon
#36 St. Louis
#37 La Salle
#38 San Diego State
#39 Stanford
#40 Arizona State
#41 BYU
#42 Pitt
#43 California
#44 Iowa State
#45 Providence
#46 Cincinnati
#47 UNLV
#48 Purdue
#49 LSU
#50 Illinois
#51 Xavier
#52 Boston College
#53 Ole Miss
#54 Missouri
#55 Washington
#56 Saint Mary’s
#57 Maryland
#58 Butler
#59 Minnesota
#60 Florida Gulf Coast
#61 Akron
#62 Temple
#63 Alabama
#64 Florida State
#65 Arkansas
#66 N.C. State
#67 Kansas State
#68 Davidson
#69 Dayton
#70 Miami FL
#71 SMU
#72 Texas A&M
#73 Long Beach State
#74 UMass
#75 Northwestern
#76 Indiana State
#77 Georgia Tech
#78 Oklahoma
#79 Richmond
#80 Manhattan
#81 Belmont
#82 Texas
#83 Houston
#84 Washington State
#85 Iona
#86 Oregon State
#87 Louisiana Tech
#88 Towson
#89 Wake Forest
#90 Central Florida
#91 Rutgers
#92 Drexel
#93 USC
#94 Charleston
#95 Seton Hall
#96 Vanderbilt
#97 George Mason
#98 Clemson
#99 Penn State
#100 Nebraska
#101 West Virginia
#102 South Florida
#103 Mississippi State
#104 DePaul
#105 South Carolina
#106 Texas Tech
#107 TCU
#108 Virginia Tech
#109 Georgia
#110 Utah
#111 Auburn
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 to Milwaukee. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet , AND the second most accurate 2013 NBA Mock Draft. (Yup, nearly 3peat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.