College Basketball Preview: Pac-10

This conference has generally not been all that strong top-to-bottom the last few years, but times they a-changing. UCLA is back, Arizona is loaded, Washington is young and talented, and Oregon might finally play up to their potential. This will be a very solid conference.

Player of the Year: Last year's winner Brandon Roy graduated, making this a wide open race. The frontrunner is probably Marcus Williams from Arizona, and explosive scorer who flirted with the draft. He came back for his sophomore year, and should be the star on what will be a very good Arizona team. Next there are a couple of UCLA guys... Jordan Farmar is gone, but they could be even better this year, in part due to Arron Afflalo and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (the best name in the country). Like Williams, Afflalo was prepared to test the draft water, but decided to come back, which was great news for UCLA. Afflalo is great in the midrange game, but perhaps more importantly is that he's an excellent defender at the 2 guard. Mbah a Moute impresses as a freshman, and looks to have an improved offensive game this year. He averaged over 8 rebounds per game as a freshman, so if the offense is improved as advertised, he'll be a threat to win the award. For the Oregon Ducks, if Malik Hairston finally lives up to his potential, he can be a Brandon Roy-like player. But for my money, I'll go with the steady Arron Afflalo.

Freshmen to Watch: Most of the talk here surrounds Chase Budinger of Arizona, one of the top freshman in the nation and a guy that Lute Olsen has praised over and over. He should be an excellent all-around player and contributor from day 1. Another big-time prospect is Spencer Hawes for Washington. After getting Jon Brockman last year, they scored another big-time big man, as Hawes was possibly the 2nd best C prospect in the country (after Greg Oden). Quincy Pondexter will also have a chance to contribute early for the Huskies. For UCLA, big man James Keefe should be a nice role player, though he won't have as big of an impact as last year's freshmen.

Breakout Players: Lots of great candidates here, especially among the top teams. UCLA will be getting Josh Shipp back from injury, and he was perhaps their best freshman 2 years ago before missing almost all of last year and receiving a medical hardship. Fran Franschilla called Josh Shipp a "human garbage cleaner" in one of his chats. Now, I have no idea what he's trying to say there, but the point is that Shipp is real good. UCLA also has Darren Collison replacing Jordan Farmar... Collison is very fast with the ball and a great defender. UCLA should hardly miss a beat with Collison replacing Farmar.

For the other frontrunner Arizona, they'll be getting Jawaan McClellan back. He's an excellent outside shooter and scorer that just makes them more potent. There are a couple of sophomores from Washington I really, really like. One is the frontcourt man Jon Brockman. He deferred a little to the upperclassmen last year, but he should be excellent this year and could even challenge for the Pac-10 Player of the Year if all goes well. The other guy I like is PG Justin Dentmon. He started as a true freshman as a PG, which is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. He's got great quickness and is a fine player and one of the key reasons Washington will hardly miss a beat.

What Else to Watch: I love Washington's potential, and Oregon should be much improved, but I think the race between Arizona and UCLA will be excellent. Both have great coaching, great depth, and are going to be two of the top teams in the country. UCLA is one of the best defensive teams while Arizona is one of the best offensive teams. This will be a great battle between two giants out West.

Predicted Order of Finish
1. UCLA
2. Arizona
3. Washington
4. Oregon
5. USC
6. California
7. Stanford
8. Arizona St.
9. Oregon St.
10. Washington St.

College Football Picks: Week 11

I was feeling a little under the weather, so I didn't get my picks in before the Louisville/Rutgers game, but suffice to say that was an excellent one. Rutgers for the Title? If they beat West Virginia on December 2nd, I have to think they at least get some consideration. Anyway, on to the 5 biggest games this weekend, with just a quick word so I can continue with the college basketball previews.

South Carolina @ (6) Florida
Steve Spurrier's return to the Swamp... too much Chris Leak, too much Gator defense. FLORIDA 27-14.

Georgia @ (5) Auburn
Georgia's not the same team it's been in the past few years... a national title berth is not out of the question for Auburn if they win out. AUBURN 23-10.

Nebraska @ (24) Texas A&M
Big conference game. Nebraska is playing to clinch their division title, but the Aggies are playing better and are at home. TEXAS A&M 26-24.

(21) Oregon @ (7) USC
This is new territory for USC, with one loss on their resume. Still, they've got a solid defense and one of the most explosive and balanced offenses in the nation. USC 38-28.

(13) Tennessee @ (11) Arkansas
I really think the Razorbacks are one of the most underrated teams... Jones & McFadden are dynamite in the backfield, and that defense is tough. ARKANSAS 17-13.

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 34-16

College Basketball Preview: Big East

This conference may not have the star power it had last year, but it's still extremely deep and extremely talented. And with all the varying styles from these 16 teams, should be a lot of fun to watch.

Player of the Year: After the departure of a lot of good players, this race is pretty open. The frontrunner is probably Aaron Gray, the big man for Pittsburgh. He gave serious thought about declaring for the draft before returning for his senior year, and Pitt reaps all the benefits. He's about a 20-10 guy, which is real rare in college basketball. He's also solid defensively and a good passer down low. Next there are a couple of big men from Georgetown. Roy Hibbert is huge at 7'3'', and can be a great scorer down low. However, Jeff Green is the more complete player. He can score down low, take his game outside a little more, and is one of the top passing big men in the country. But there's more to the conference than just big men. Dominic James was the Freshman of the Year for Marquette last year, and should be even better this year with a bigger role. He's lightning quick off the dribble, which allows him to consistently get by his man and finish strong at the basket.

There are also some darkhorses for Player of the Year. One is Curtis Sumpter of Villanova. Coming off of major knee injuries, he will be a candidate if he can stay healthy. He's very skilled for his size, and can play inside or hit the outside shot. If he had been healthy last year, Jay Wright's squad may have been the ones cutting down the nets. Another, bigger darkhorse is Juan Palacios of Louisville, a guy I really like. He's got great versatility offensively, and should see his stature rise on a Louisville team that will be improved this year. But in the end, I'm a sucker for the little man, and I think Dominic James will be the best player in the conference, and the Big East Player of the Year.

Freshmen to Watch: The guy that everyone seems to be most high on is Paul Harris of Syracuse. Jim Boeheim's been relentless in his praise of Harris, even saying that Cuse will run some man-to-man this year because of Harris' defensive prowess.. Harris is very versatile, very good defensively, and should contribute immediately to a deep Syracuse squad. Connecticut lost a lot of talent this offseason, but don't feel sorry for them, as they've got freshmen that can step in immediately. First is 7'3'' Hasheem Thabeet, a defensive force down low. There's also Jerome Dyson, who could be the Day 1 starter at SG for the Huskies. Elsewhere, Scottie Reynolds should help in some way offset the loss of the 3 guards for Villanova, and Derrick Caracter can be a nice weapon inside for Louisville if he can stay out of trouble.

Breakout Players: First, let's start with the big guys. Jeff Adrien didn't get to play a ton last year for that deep Connecticut team, but he made the most of it when he did. He's a tough inside scorer, and a good rebounder for his size. Only a sophomore, he's the leader of UConn. If DePaul is going to make it to the Tourney, they will need solid play from sophomore Wilson Chandler, who's a rock down low.

But while the biggest stars play in the post, a lot of the emerging threats are guards. AJ Price has missed the last 2 years for UConn for various reasons, but with Marcus Williams gone, the PG spot is all his. For the Orange, Eric Devendorf started as a freshman, and showed he's got the attitude to be a star in the Big East. He'll be more of a scoring threat this year with G-Mac gone, and should excel in that role. For Villanova, Mike Nardi had to take a backseat to Foye, Allen, and Lowry last year, but he'll have a bigger job as playmaker in addition to his outside shooting. And finally, now that Carl Krauser is gone, that should put LeVance Fields in the starting role. He was very good off the bench last year, and as a sophomore he'll be a very capable starter.

Predicted Order of Finish
1. Pittsburgh
2. Syracuse
3. Marquette
4. Georgetown
5. Connecticut
6. Villanova
7. Louisville
8. DePaul
9. West Virginia
10. St. John's
11. Notre Dame
12. Providence
13. Cincinnati
14. Rutgers
15. Seton Hall
16. South Florida