Before you know it college basketball will be right around the corner. I thought it would be a good idea to start my college basketball preview. In the following weeks and months I will be breaking down the teams in each conference as well as the top players, freshman, coaches and much more.
Today I look at the Pac 12; here are my power rankings for teams 7-12 in the Pac 12 for the 2011-12-college basketball season.
7. Oregon State- Starters Returning (3) Cunningham, Collier, Brandt
The good news is that the Beavers return 3 of their top 4 scorers, and the bad news is those same players went 11 and 20 last season. The Beavers are loaded in the backcourt; they are led by Jared Cunningham (14.2 ppg). He does a little bit of everything. He is a great defensive player and he can also get to the free throw line. Ahmad Starks (7.8 ppg) returns at point guard; he made a lot of threes last year, but he needs to make more of them. Guard Roberto Nelson (7.5 ppg) will likely start at small forward; he has the potential to be a star. Rhys Murphy will be the back up here. Freshman Challe Barton, a Swedish native, will help out the backcourt with depth. Returning in the frontcourt is Joe Burton (7 ppg) and Devon Collier (7 ppg). Burton has a great skill set for his size. Collier shot a good percentage last season. The Beavers have tons of depth here led by center Angus Brandt (4.8 ppg), Eric Moreland returns from injury, Kevin McShane (.9 ppg), Chris Brown (.8 ppg), and finally true freshman Daniel Gomis.
8. Arizona State- Starters Returning (2) Cain, Lockett
Last year was a disappointing season for the Sun Devils filled with injuries. They lose 3 out of their 4 top scorers. This will be a very young team with no seniors on it. They will be led by shooting guard Trent Locket (13.4ppg). He is a freak athlete and great rebounder for a guard; he needs to improve his outside shooting. Guard Keala King (3.7 ppg) returns; he has the talent to do more. There will be two newcomers to watch in the Sun Devils backcourt. First is Chris Colvin who played in 29 games at Iowa State. The biggest newcomer will be freshman Jahil Carson, who will likely start at the point. He was rated as a top 10-point guard in the country. Leading the way in the frontcourt is Kyle Cain (5.4ppg); he led the team in rebounding last season. Jordan Bachynski (2.8 ppg) and Ruslan Pateev (3 ppg) are two 7-footers in the frontcourt. Carrick Felix (4.6 ppg) will likely start at small forward; he played well In spots. Chanse Creekmur (3.1 ppg) will back him up. Freshman Jonathan Gilling will add depth in the frontcourt.
9. USC- Starters Returning (1) Jones
The Trojans would be a lot higher on this list, but Jio Fontan tore his ACL on the team’s trip to Brazil, they also lost 3 starters. Maurice Jones (9.9 ppg) is the leading returning scorer despite being only 5 foot 7, but don’t let this kid’s size fool you; he is a complete player. JUCO transfer Greg Allen will start at shooting guard; he is a great shooter. The Trojans depth lacks experience. Byron Wesley and Alexis Moore both freshman will supply the depth in the backcourt. Wesley is the better player. Garrett Jackson (3.2 ppg) will likely get the start at small forward. Leading the way in the frontcourt is Iowa transfer Aaron Fuller, who is also very undersized at power forward, but at Iowa he put up numbers. JUCO transfer Dewayne Dedmon is a 7-footer that can shoot it. He started playing the game of basketball. The Trojans also have depth questions here; Evan Smith has battle injuries, and James Blasczyk is another JUCO transfer, who started his career at Texas A&M. The depth took a big blow when Curtis Washington underwent shoulder surgery in August.
10. Washington State- Starters Returning (3) Capers, Moore, Lodwick
The Cougars only lost 2 players from last year’s team, but those 2 players were their best players including all everything Klay Thompson. Shooting guard Faisal Aden (12.7 ppg) does a little bit of everything, but he needs to be more consistent. Point Guard Reggie Moore (9.1 ppg) battled injuries and the law last season, but he is a great talent. Marcus Capers (5.8 ppg) will also start; he is a great defensive and tough player. Providing the depth here is Aussie Dexter Kenrich-Drew, freshman DaVonté Lacy, and Fresno State transfer Mike Ladd. Brock Motum (7.6 ppg) leads the way in the frontcourt. He has great size and had a great shooting percentage last year. Abe Lodwick (3.5 ppg) put up good rebounding numbers for the amount of minutes he got. The Cougars have plenty of depth here led by Patrick Simon (3.2 ppg), Steven Bjornstad (1.3 ppg), JUCO transfer D.J. Shelton, freshman Greg Sequele, and Charlie Enquist (.5 ppg). Shelton is the best talent here; he started out at Cal State Fullerton.
11. Colorado- Starters Returning (1) Tomlinson
The Buffaloes are now in the Pac 12, and they have lost their top 4 scorers from last year’s team. Colorado’s best returning player is forward Andre Roberson (6.7 ppg); he led them in rebounds last season. Austin Dufault (6.6 ppg) also returns inside ; he is a high percentage scorer. Colorado has a lot of depth in the backcourt. Shane Harris-Tunks returns from ACL surgery, Ben Mills (1.4 ppg) and Trey Eckloff (1.4 ppg) return, and freshman Damiene Cain. Utah transfer Carlon Brown could be a star for the Buffaloes, because he averaged 12.6 for Utah; he will start at the 3. Juco transfer and ex Texas A&M player Jeremy Adams will back him up. Nate Tomlinson (3.1 ppg) will start at shooting guard; he needs to score a lot more. Shannon Sharpe (2.1 ppg) will be the man at the point; he played pretty well in limited minutes last year. The backups here will be freshman Spencer Dinwiddie and Askia Booker. Dinwiddie should play first.
12. Utah- Starters Returning (2) Watkins, Foster
Gone are the glory days of Utah Basketball, and now comes in new head coach Larry Krystkowiak. The Utes only return 4 players that were on the team last year; they also lost 4 transfers. They are led by senior point guard Josh Watkins (14. 5 ppg). Watkins finds ways to get to the rim; he can also pass the ball well. Chris Hines (4.9 ppg) is a great shooter. The depth will come from JUCO transfer Cedric Martin, and freshman Kareem Storey and Anthony Odunsi. George Matthews is their best recruit; he will start at small forward. David Foster (2.9 ppg) returns inside; he is 7 foot 3 inches tall. He’s not much of a scorer but he’s a great shot blocker. Jason Washburn (6.0 ppg) also returns inside; he is a much bigger scoring threat. JUCO transfer Javon Dawson could start from day one at power forward. The depth will come from JUCO transfers Dijon Farr and Corbin Green.
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Tags: Arizona State, Colorado, Oregon State, Pac 12, Pac 12 college basketball power rankings, USC, Utah, Washington State
that ACL injury killed our season another long season in LA and to make matters worse UCLA is looking like the best team in the conference.
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You are being quite generous to Arizona State. Jahii Carson has of this post, yet been cleared by the NCAA to participate. The 3 Seniors(Abbott, McMillan, Kuksiks) that they graduated accounted for 47% of their scoring, 56% of the assists, 62% of the Steals while totaling 44% of the minutes played.
In addition, Abbott(.387), Kuksiks(.395, and McMillan(.372) led the team in 3ptFG% on a team that averaged (.351). As most know, Herb Sendek’s offense relies heavily on perimeter shooting and will again predominately play a 4-out 1-in set based on the roster.
[...] Today I look at the Pac 12; here are my power rankings for teams 1-6 in the Pac 12 for the 2011-12-college basketball season. A few days ago I looked at teams 7-12. [...]