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.
Mike Brey continues to produce results as Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach. With pretty much everybody back from last year, ND will once again be a major player in what figures to be their final year as members of the Big East Conference.
NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
Last Season: 3rd, 13-5 in Big East, 22-12 overall
Predicted Big East Finish: 3rd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Jack Cooley (Sr)/Garrick Sherman (Jr)/Mike Broghammer (Sr)
F: Scott Martin (Sr)/Thomas Knight (Sr)/Zach Auguste (Fr)/Austin Burgett (Fr)
G/F: Pat Connaughton (So)/Cameron Biedscheid (Fr)
SG: Jerian Grant (So)/Joey Brooks (Sr)
PG: Eric Atkins (Jr)
Gone: F-Tim Abromaitis, SF-Alex Dragicevich (transfer-Boston College)
2012-2013 Outlook:
What the Irish does on the court with their burn offense is by no means sexy but it has certainly been efficient the past couple of seasons. Returning in the backcourt for Brey is the junior combo of Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant. Due to a lack of guard depth, the duo logged heavy minutes for the Irish last season and that will likely be the case again this year.
Joey Brooks was used as a reserve guard last season but will sit out this season to preserve his final year of eligibility which further limits Notre Dame’s already thin backcourt since he was the lone true guard coming off the bench. In fact, it seems likely that Brooks might end up transferring and playing elsewhere for his senior season.
As expected, Tim Abromaitis was not granted a sixth year medical hardship waiver by the NCAA meaning his college career has ended. Scott Martin on the other hand was awarded a sixth year and his versatility is a major asset for Brey since he can play multiple positions. He will start on the wing next to scrappy sophomore Pat Connaughton who can quickly catch a hot hand and light it up from deep but needs to show more consistency with that outside shot.
The Irish do lost key reserve Alex Dragicevich to transfer but have a freshman capable of replacing his minutes and production. Cameron Bedscheid has performed well in the pre-season and is a capable shooter off the bench. His versatility also allows him to play some two guard which will be needed as well though Connaughton and Martin can play the two also.
Perhaps the biggest revelation for ND last season was the growth of big man Jack Cooley. He went from being an energy role player primarily used for his body to a reliable low post option who attacks the glass with force. Michigan State transfer Garrick Sherman becomes eligible after sitting out last season and provides some size off the bench.
Brey’s bench is typically short in terms of his regular rotation and that figures to be the case again this year with only seven guys expected to play every night. Senior post Mike Broghammer continues to battle nagging knee injuries and his collegiate career is likely over because of that. Thomas Knight could see spot minutes while freshmen Zach Auguste and Austin Burgett will likely wait their turn with one of them possibly even redshirting.
Honestly, watching Notre Dame basketball tends to put me to sleep. I’m not questioning their fundamentals or how well they play together or how hard they play on defense, but waiting until the shot clock hits ten to initiate your offense tends to be a bore. Brey has that style working for the Irish though and they should once again be a notch below the elite teams in the league; this year, Louisville and Syracuse.
Player to Watch: Jack Cooley
Since Luke Harangody is the captain of my All “Anti-Boy” Team and Cooley is a dead ringer for Harangody, I can’t help but hate Cooley too. With that being said, he made incredible strides during his junior year and should once again be a force in the paint for the Irish.
Key Non-Conferences Games:
11/16 vs. St. Joseph’s (Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/17vs. Florida State/BYU(Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/29 vs. Kentucky (Big East/SEC Challenge)
12/15 vs. Purdue (Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#19 Cincinnati Bearcats
#20 Marquette Golden Eagles
#21 Creighton Bluejays
#22 Gonzaga Bulldogs
#23 Minnesota Golden Gophers
#24 Memphis Tigers
#25 Baylor Bears
#26 Wisconsin Badgers
#27 Tennessee Volunteers
#28 Pitt Panthers
#29 New Mexico Lobos
#30 St. Mary’s Gaels
#31 Georgetown Hoyas
#32 North Texas Mean Green
#33 Ohio Bobcats
#34 Texas Longhorns
#35 Miami Hurricanes
#36 Purdue Boilermakers
#37 Alabama Crimson Tide
#38 St. Joseph’s Hawks
#39 Murray State Racers
#40 VCU Rams
#41 Davidson Wildcats
#42 Stanford Cardinal
#43 UMass Minutemen
#44 St. John’s Red Storm
#45 Butler Bulldogs
#46 Florida State Seminoles
#47 Drexel Dragons
#48 St. Louis Billikens
#49 West Virginia Mountaineers
#50 BYU Cougars
#51 Temple Owls
#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.