By Ed Morrone
Ahhh, do you feel that? That’s right, it’s college basketball season again, which in my mind supplants Christmas as the most wonderful time of the year. After all of the crazy developments last March (Florida unexpectedly winning it all, George Mason’s historic Final Four run, LSU and UCLA’s surprising rise to the semifinals, Adam Morrison crying like a little girl, etc.), how can you not be excited for college hoops? It’s basketball with all the fun of the NBA but thankfully without the egos and enormous contracts. It’s a season where fans of other sports can forget about their other disappointing teams (thank you, Eagles and Flyers) and just enjoy players giving it their all every night when an upset is always possible. Keeping all of that in mind, here are five things to look forward to this season, as well as a Top 10 poll and national championship prediction.
1) The title defense: It’s been awhile where a national champion has come into the next season as armed and dangerous as Florida is. The Gators return all five starters from their title team, including Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer, who all could have been NBA first round picks if they chose to make the leap. However, they decided to stay in school, which is why you have to respect these guys. They enjoy playing for Billy Donovan so much that they decided the million-dollar contracts can wait another year while they try to bring another title back to Gainesville. And you know what? Barring any major injuries, I don’t think anybody will be able to beat them, which is why they’ll be the first team to repeat since Duke did it in 1991-92.
2) The continuing rise of the mid-major: Mid-major programs, that is, those not in the six “major” conferences (ACC, SEC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10), have been peaking for the past few years. However, last year was the icing on the cake. George Mason showed that no matter how many highly touted recruits a team has that any team is capable of winning it all come March. The doubters are dismissing Mason as an exception, a rare Cinderella story that happens only once every 20 years or so. But mid-majors and other unlikely schools will continue to seize the opportunities if given, even if the new rule makes high school standouts wait a year before heading to the NBA. As Mason coach Jim Larranaga said, “Is it the last time? In my mind, the answer to that is no.”
3) The freshman: Because of the aforementioned new “NBA rule,” guys like Greg Oden (Ohio State), Kevin Durant (Texas), Thaddeus Young (Georgia Tech) and Brandan Wright (North Carolina) will be playing a year in college, which will only make the game more entertaining.
4) Unlikely teams breaking into the Top 25: While the usual suspects remain in and around the top 15, teams like Creighton, Texas A&M, Wichita State, Xavier and Hofstra will have the chance to make themselves known. One of the best things about college basketball is that the polls never end up the way they are initially predicted, so get ready for some surprises again this year.
5) The game itself: Seriously, is there a better game out there than college basketball? The world essentially stops when March Madness comes around every year, and it’s just so much fun watching a sport knowing guys aren’t playing for money or other ulterior motives. It’s just a sport where eager, determined young men are all competing for the same goal they know is possible thanks to George Mason: a national championship.
Preseason Top 10: 1) Florida; 2) North Carolina; 3) Kansas; 4) LSU; 5) UCLA; 6) Georgetown; 7) Pittsburgh; 8) Ohio State; 9) Wisconsin; 10) Texas A&M
National Championship Prediction: Florida over Georgetown