Men's Hoops shaping up to be a dandy

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By Ryan Noel

The college basketball season has started out well, with some of the traditional powers rolling early while a couple have struggled to start the season.

The No. 1 ranked Kansas Jayhawks are off to a typically strong start, led by All Americans, and National Player of the Year candidates, Cole Aldrich (junior) and Sherron Collins (senior). The Jayhawks won the rematch of the 2008 National Championship game by beating Memphis in the opening week 57-55 in St. Louis, MO.

With the addition of an elite shooter in highly touted freshman Xavier Henry and the astounding offseason progress of sophomore twin forwards Marcus and Markieff Morris, Coach Bill Self thinks this particular group of Jayhawks has the potential to be every bit as good as the team that won the NCAA title in 2008. The Jayhawks will be in action Sunday against UCLA, who beat them in the 2007 Elite Eight.

Big Ten favorite and No. 2 ranked Michigan St. has started equally as strong, with a close win over Gonzaga. All American point guard Kalin Lucas and potential All American Raymar Morgan have eased Coach Tom Izzo's team into the new year, providing a smooth transition from the loss of stalwarts Goran Suton and Travis Walton from a year ago.

The Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 3 and bolstered by yet another stellar recruiting class, are already facing their first injury crisis after losing guard Varez Ward for the year to a ruptured quadriceps. Freshmen Avery Bradley (ESPNU's #1 recruit for the 2009 class) and Jordan Hamilton join a squad loaded with talent, including 6'9", 280lb center Dexter Pittman and potential All American swingman Damion James.

Kentucky, ranked No. 5 and the talk of the country through the offseason, are off to a shaky start under new head coach John Calipari. Freshman star point guard John Wall and All American junior forward Patrick Patterson have burst out of the gates for the Wildcats, but the rest of the vaunted freshman class has yet to fully impress.

Close wins over a poor Stanford squad (73-65 in overtime) and Miami-Ohio (72-70) have brought more than a few questions about the validity of Kentucky's early rankings and hype. Freshmen Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, and Demarcus Cousins are still trying to find their way in Calipari's system.

Tobacco Road once again features a bevy of contenders, including defending National Champions North Carolina and the ever-present Duke Blue Devils. Duke, ranked No. 7 and coming off a disappointing season in 08-09, is looking to ride their All American forward, Kyle Singler, to another ACC championship. North Carolina, on the other hand, is reeling from the loss of NBA draft picks Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green. The Tar Heels have already faltered once early, losing convincingly to Coach Jim Boeheim's Syracuse Orangemen.

This season won't be dominated by the blue-bloods of college basketball, though, as Butler, Purdue, Tennessee, and West Virginia have all made appearances in the Top 10 early this season.

At the other end of the spectrum, though, there are some perennial powers that are struggling mightily out of the gates.

UCLA, who has been to three of the last four Final Fours, has come out ice cold to start the season. Despite being loaded with well-regarded talent, UCLA has already lost to Cal State Fullerton (68-65 in OT) and was blown off the court by Portland (74-47).

Oklahoma is reeling from the loss of National Player of the Year and #1 NBA draft pick Blake Griffin. Potential All American guard Willie Warren is now the face of the program, but it hasn't been enough as they lost three in a row to VCU, San Diego, and Houston last week.

Originally Published: Issue 825 - December 2, 2009

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