2005 College Basketball Preview

Wunderdog's Pre Season NCAA Basketball Preview

March Madness Picks

The pageantry that is College Basketball is back once again for the 2005-2006 college basketball season. Make sure your boss knows now that you will not be working on Thursday or Friday during the first round of the tournament.

I expect a resurgence from collegiate hoops as the NCAA got a huge assist from the NBA when they enacted their 20 year old age limit, which should keep the studs in college for a longer period of time. Thi is advantageous to the young men and college programs in general. Headlining the news this year is the unveiling of the new Big East which will be a ridiculous basketball conference led by the likes Villanova, Louisville, UCONN, Syracuse, and Boston College.

Top Teams

Duke –  JJ Reddick and Sheldon Williams are back and ready to vault Duke back into the Final Four. There is a great mix of experience and young potential for this team. This looks like another tremendous Duke team. Newcomer Josh McRoberts is reportedly the real deal, and will add big minutes for the Devils.

Oklahoma – Taj Gray and Kevin Bookout form the best front court in the Big 12 and maybe the country. Gray will have a huge year and Oklahoma has turned Norman into one of the toughest places to play in the country. Samson always has killer non conference schedules which get his teams ready for Big 12 play.  The Big 12 is down a bit this year and this looks like Oklahoma’s to lose.

UCONN –  Same old story for the Huskies in 05. This team is extremely talented and will get deep into the tournament one more time this season. Gay is a great player in the making and Boone is a big time post player. The role players are very solid. One question that has recently surfaced when discussing the Huskies is their defense. They seem to play half-assed at times which kills them in the big games.

Villanova – Nova is loaded this season with four top tier players in Allen, Sumpter, and Fraser. If they can stay healthy, and there are already questions about Allen’s health, this will be a very good team. It will be interesting to watch the Big East however, and see if teams can survive such a brutally deep schedule. It will be great for fans but not as much for the muscles and joint of the players.

Top Players

JJ Reddick, Duke. The best shooter in the country, and maybe the best shooter of all time. It’s hard to believe that Reddick is still around but he is, and he’ll lead the way for the Dukies this season. Has the ability to rain threes, and should average well over twenty per outing this season.

Sheldon Williams, Duke. The hardest working player in college basketball. His skills get better every year. He is a force on the low block on both ends of the court, and should excel in his senior season. Foul trouble has been a problem for him, but he’ll get more calls that benefit his talent this season.

Taj Gray, Oklahoma. This JUCO transfer took the Big 12 by storm last year and the conference can expect more of the same this year. He is extremely athletic for a man his size and runs the court very well.

Josh Boone, UCONN. This is the year when Boone explodes. Villanueva is gone so the spotlight will be on Boone and Rudy Gay in Storrs. Boone’s numbers went up to 12.5 a game last season and they should increase this year as well. He is one of the top post men in the country.

Jason Fraser, Villanova. Fraser’s stat lines are not overly impressive but if you watch him play, it becomes evident that he is the heart and soul of the Wildcats.  He is a big physical player that does not allow opponents to muscle him down low. Nova will only go as far as Fraser this season as Nova fans pray for injury and foul trouble avoidance.

Curtis Sumpter, Villanova. This is the do-everything player for a very talented Nova squad. He has battled injuries of late and Nova will need him healthy if they are going to live up to their preseason hype. Originally from New York City, he averaged 15.5 points last season and is a big time shooter.

Daniel Gibson, Texas. A poor man’s TJ Ford, but may be more flashy than his predecessor. Struggled at times last season but UT will be back with a vengeance this season and this ultra quick playmaker will lead the way.

Adam Morrison, Gonzaga. Burst on the scene last season and is the next great Zags player. Long frame and deft touch make him tough to defend. He is an excellent player who will parlay another big season into big bucks.

Hassan Adams, Arizona. Double digit scorer in each of the last two seasons for the Cats. With the departure of Frye and Stoudemire, Adams will see his touches explode and has the talent to put up some huge numbers this winter.

Teams That May Surprise 

Colorado – Colorado has a ton of experience which showed towards the end of last year when they made a run in the Big 12 tournament. They lost no players off their roster from one year and added the leading scorer from JUCO in Coleman. Roby is back as well, but losing Ashby to academics until January will hurt.

LSU – Glenn Davis or baby Shaq, leads the Tigers into the season. They have been stockpiling talent for three years, and while the loss of Brandon Bass hurts, there is ample talent all along the roster. LSU will surprise once again in the SEC and should be dancing come March.

Biggest Disappointment

Kansas –  This could be a frustrating year in Kansas. Self is recruiting lights out, but they have had the benefit of experience the past couple of seasons which does not appear to be the case this season. Gone are their seniors, who were much ballyhooed, but never really did anything special. Gone is Giddens, who was stabbed in an altercation and then transferred to New Mexico. Also gone is Galinda. They will be relying heavily on young kids, so they'll struggle at times and are probably a year away. That being said, they still finish in the top seven in the Big 12 but they’ll take some lumps away from home.