2009/10 Hoops Preview

For several years now the best college basketball has been played on the Coasts and in the West according to college hoops experts. The ACC has long been thought of as the best conference in college basketball until the last few years. That title was then given to the Big East and rightfully so.


Teams like North Carolina, Duke, Connecticutt, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Villanova have or had been powerhouses for several years. Then you've had Kansas in the far Midwest, and teams like UCLA and Arizona in the west being powerhouses.


But I think the power is shifting back to the heart of hoops...The Midwest.


Is it far-fetched to believe that the Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball? It seems somewhat laughable at first. The Big Ten? An argument could still be made for the Big East being the best conference. I don't think one can be made for the ACC though.


Maybe I have a bad memory, but I can't remember what any other ACC team besides North Carolina has done in the last 3-4 years. For a conference that ESPN and many of its experts considered the best conference for many years, I think it has fallen off quite a bit. There may be 3-5 conferences better, with the Big Ten, Big East, Big 12, and Pac 10 all possibly better then the ACC this year.


Back to the Big 10...a few reasons I think this could be the best conference in the land in 2009/2010


-Final 4 participant Michigan State returns most of its team. Izzo is a great coach and taking that team to the Final 4 last year was just great coaching. They weren't the most talented team, but Izzo got the most out of them. I'd expect them to be at least an Elite 8 team again this year.

-Tubby Smith took Minnesota to the NCAA tournament and his team got hammered. But it was their first year back and I would think they'll build on last years success and dissapointment in the tournament game.

-Ohio State also lost in the first round, but returns Evan Turner, one of the best players in the nation, along with other young talent.

-Sweet Sixteen participant Purdue returns most of its roster

-Northwestern and Penn State, unimpressive basketball programs in most of their existences, return solid rosters that could compete for NCAA tournament spots...



and finally....John Belien at Michigan. He is just a tremendous coach. He took Michigan to the second round of the NCAA tournament in only his second year. I think Michigan could be a sleeper to win the conference.



In Michigan State, Purdue, and Michigan you have 3 teams that could go deep into the NCAA tournament. Ohio State would be a dangerous tournament team that could go deep as well. Add in Minnesota, Illinois, Penn State, Wisonsin and Northwestern, and you have a very good conference...even Iowa and Indiana should be improved, but I don't know if those two team have enough talent to contend on a nightly basis in the league.





But it isn't all about the Big 10! I think the Big 10 is having a resurgence,but I think Mid-majors are going to enjoy a resurgence as well. But I also am intrigued at the potential level of play in the area where I live. I live in Ohio, but it's not just Ohio where there are several good teams. Within 4-5 hours of Dayton, Ohio, there are potentially 10-12 NCAA tournament teams.


The teams that I think have this potential...
-Wright State
-Dayton
-Ohio State
-Miami of Ohio
-Cleveland State
-Butler
-Purdue
-Western Kentucky
-Kentucky
-Louisville
-West Virginia
-Pittsburgh


West Virginia and Pittsburgh were actually afterthoughts. ha! I started to wonder. I wonder how far those two schools are from Dayton. After looking the distance up on Google Maps, it turns out both schools are only a little over 4 hours away.



But if you love college basketball, I think Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky should be fun places to be this year.


Being a Wright State fan I'm of course excited about the Raiders this season. Butler of course is the team that everyone is talking about, and they deserve the accolades. I honestly think they may be the best team out of the 12 I mentioned.


Butler has all the pieces for a special run in the NCAA tournament. It may not be this year either. It could come next year when the bulk of their talent is juniors and seniors. But I have a feeling they are going to be a Sweet Sixteen this year. Once you get there, anything can happen, with George Mason being the ultimate example.


But Butler isn't George Mason. They are a legitimate Top 20 program now, that has an outside chance to make the Final 4 in the next 2-3 years with the talent they have. Which in my opinion actually makes the George Mason run so impressive. That is for another blog, but I still consider George Mason's run to the Final 4 one of, if not the best sports stories in the past 25-30 years. The point is, it wouldn't be outlandish for Butler to make the Final 4, especially next year.


But we're talking about this year, and with Shelvin Mack, Gordon Hayward, and Matt Howard returning, Butler should be special. I think someone else will step up also, maybe someone off the bench, that is a difference maker. I could see Garrett Butcher being that guy, but I'm not sure.


As for my beloved Wright State Raiders. I think the thinking in Raider-land is that this is also going to be a special season. I think the Raiders could even excede the high expectations if they stay healthy. Health will determine how good the Raiders are in my opinion.


I think if you asked people who Wright State's 4 best players are, people would tell you that Vaughn Duggins, John David Gardner, Todd Brown, and Cory Cooperwood are those guys.


For Wright State to be great, those 4 guys have to be healthy and feed off of each other. Todd Brown is a solid player. He's a solid rebounder, very good shooter, and a clutch shooter. But he's at his best when there are other guards penetrating and creating open looks for him.


I think Brown and Cooperwood benefit the most from a healthy Gardner and Duggins. N'Gai Evans off the bench is also an important part of the puzzle. He continually improved and could be a great spark off the bench with his quickness and speed. I actually wouldn't mind him starting, but I think the combo of Gardner and Evans at point guard is pretty good.


Again though, the key is to keep Gardner and Duggins healthy. I could see Brown having a sensational year this year feeding off of those two guys being healthy and getting him the ball behind the arc.


But it's not just about those 4 guys. The depth is what provides so much promise. Need some shooting off the bench? Bring in Troy Tabler or Cooper Land. Need some toughness and grit off the bench? Bring Scott Grote and Paul Darkwa.


This Raiders team has the potential to be right there with Butler at the end of the year in the conference. That sounds crazy to some, but if things fall in place for Wright State they could go 16-2 or 15-3 in the conference.


I could write more about the Raiders, but this is getting long so a few more thoughts on the Horizon League and another Mid-Major conference, the A-10.


-I think the Horizon League is going to break out of one of these years and have a year that resembles what the Missouri Valley Conference had a few years back. That brings another thought, and confession as well. I don't know much about the MVC this year. It's a great conference, and has been better then the Horizon League. It's been the premier Mid-Major league, and they have better fan support then Horizon League teams. But I don't think it's far-fetched to think that the Horizon League is almsot right there with the MVC.


Horizon League teams gotta do something in the out-of-conference games though to gain a better reputation. It's time for Wright State, Cleveland State, Milwaukee,Green Bay, and Detroit to gain some big out of conference wins for the conference. CSU had a big one last year at Syracuse.


I think if Wright State wins at either Washington or Mississippi it'll change the perception of their program for the year and for the next few years. Sometimes it just takes one big win to change things.



Ok...final thoughts! I know A-10 fans don't think of their conference as a Mid-major, but it's not quite a major conference either. But Dayton should be very good this year. I know as a Wright State fan I am suppose to hate UD! But I don't...I'm not really fan of them, but as an innocent bystander, I have to admit they are impressively talented.


Xavier is always good, and teams like Richmond, Lasalle, and Duquessne are expected to be pretty good. I can't be the only one that thinks it proves that a great coach can change any program when Duquessne and Lasalle have high expectations! But both schools are expected to have very good seasons.


So I think the A-10 is gonna be solid this year. And the Horizon League of course I believe will be solid as well.


Basketball is back after a lackluster year from Mid-Major conferences. It's also back in the Big-10. It should be a fun year.