SB Nation - Eric Gordon

Hoosier Headlines for December 22, 2009: Loyola pregame.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 11:50:54 -0000

More photos » by Ricardo Arduengo - AP

Crean puts Hoosiers on alert to avoid loss (The Journal Gazette, Fort Wayne, Ind.)
"We’ll be in for a real fight. I mean if there’s a Lipscomb moment in our spot right now, it’s Loyola," Crean said, referring to last year’s December 74-69 loss to the Bisons.
IU's Hulls making connections (The Indianapolis Star)
"Slowly but surely, freshman Jordan Hulls is working himself into coach Tom Crean's Indiana basketball rotation. And that's just fine for IU fans who cheer the loudest when The Indianapolis Star Indiana Mr. Basketball from Bloomington South High School enters the game."
Creek lights Indiana's scoring fire(The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN)
"Isn’t this what Eric Gordon used to do, what Calbert Cheaney and Mike Woodson did when they were Indiana freshmen, light up scoreboards wherever they went? Now comes Maurice Creek’s turn, a 6-5 freshman guard taking full advantage of coach Tom Crean’s push-the-pace attack."
IU on letdown alert (Post-Tribune)
"Their record to me means very little when you see that kind of talent and athleticism on the floor," Crean said. "That's not just coach talk for, 'Hey, we've got to get ready to play a big game.' They are talented."

Inside IU’s box score, part I (Player Efficiency) (Hoosier Hype | Indiana Daily Student)
This is worth a look for the stat-oriented.

Tom Crean talks about Bawa’s progress (Inside the Hall)

Crean: Hoosiers might use bigger lineup (The Hoosier Scoop)

Kentucky Wildcats @ Indiana Hoosiers: Pre-Game Analysis

Truzenzuzex — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:29:49 -0000

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

Eric Bledsoe is due for a performance versus the Hoosiers.

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It's time again for the border war -- the Kentucky Wildcats head north to challenge the Indiana Hoosiers in one of the longest-running and best rivalries between two schools in the nation.

This game is simply chock full of tradition and great games, from the 1975 classic in the NCAA Mideast Regional Finals to the 1998 overtime game in Freedom Hall, this series has been full of twists, turns, blowouts and close games. I believe this will likely be the last time UK faces Indiana with a prohibitive advantage in talent, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Kentucky has a small advantage in all-time wins versus the Hoosiers, 29-23, with our last loss to the Crimson and Cream back in 2007 at the hands of Cell Phone Kelvin Sampson's second and final Indiana team that included Eric Gordon and D.J. White. IU creamed the 'Cats that day, 70-51.

The Hoosiers are in the process of rebuilding a team decimated after Sampson's firing and subsequent defection of players to the NBA, loss to disciplinary actions and just plain thrown out. What was left wasn't pretty, and the proud Hoosiers suffered through a 6-25 season in 2008-09, the worst I can ever remember at IU.

But with a strong recruiting class and some solid returning players, the Crimson and Cream are playing much better basketball now than last year, just coming off a huge win over the Pittsburgh Panthers in Madison Square Garden. That victory brought the Hoosier's record this year to 4-4, and although they don't figure to challenge for the Big Ten crown or even an NCAA berth this year, they have a good team that will only get better as the younger players get experience. And we know that Tom Crean is a fine coach, having owned UK the last two times he played us while coach at Marquette.

Today, I had a nice long Q&A with Scott at Crimsoncast, which you can find linked here for your listening pleasure. It was a wide-ranging discussion about the rivalry that you may find interesting.

More after the jump.

Four Factors Analysis

As usual, we will begin our pre-game with the analysis of the Four Factors to Winning, compiled in this nice, interactive dashboard by A Sea of Blue member sylvar.

Looking at the offensive efficiency, we see that in all but the very first game, Kentucky has been far more efficient offensively than the Hoosiers. In fact, the Hoosiers have struggled at times this year, and even in their last game, a victory over a good team, they managed to achieve only 97.7 points/100 possessions. UK, on the other hand, had an OE of 110.6 in a tough, low-scoring battle with UConn. You can see the dial pointer well in the red for Indiana (the ranges use last year's top ten for scale), and Kentucky's is just below the green.

Defensively, Indiana is much better than they are offensively. As you can see, IU is allowing only 3.4 points/100 possessions more than Kentucky is, and both teams have been on a very even trend lately. So much like UConn, the Hoosiers are a solid defensive squad. Unlike UConn, the Hoosiers have trouble putting the ball in the basket.

Moving on to the Four Factors themselves, we see that UK is creeping up toward the kind of effective FG% they will need to reach the Great Eight at least in March, well over 50%. The Hoosiers are laboring around 47%, and that is an area they will need to improve to be competitive with the 'Cats.

Turnover-wise, the Hoosiers take better care of the ball, but not by much. Offensive rebounding is a mismatch, and will likely represent the statistic that will get the Crimson and Cream blown out if they allow the kind of disparity represented by the trend so far. Surprisingly, the Hoosiers are good at getting to the free throw line, and that is not a statistic that UK usually loses.

Defensively, the teams are very close to equal (remember lower is better for defensive eFG%). Indiana has been forcing more turnovers lately, but they give up way too many offensive rebounds. The Hoosiers also do not mind sending teams to the line, which could be a blessing or a curse for the Wildcats, depending on who they foul.

In the miscellaneous category, the Hoosiers are shooting 35.5% from three versus UK's 36.8%, and the Wildcats actually take more threes than the Hoosiers do per field goal try, which I find a bit surprising. Also somewhat surprising is that the Hoosiers actually play at a higher tempo, on average, than the Wildcats.

Next, we'll look at the players for the Hoosiers, and their stats:

Indiana Hoosiers Basketball Roster

	#	Pos.	Comments	W	H	College
Kory Barnett	-	F	-	186	6-6	sophomore
Bobby Capobianco	23	F	Spot minutes	230	6-9	freshman
Maurice Creek	3	G	Starter	200	6-5	freshman
Devan Dumes	33	G	Major reserve	188	6-2	senior
Derek Elston	32	F	Major reserve	220	6-9	freshman
Brett Finkelmeier	4	G	-	188	6-1	junior
Steven Gambles	24	F	-	220	6-4	senior
Jordan Hulls	1	G	Major reserve	170	6-0	freshman
Tijan Jobe	40	C	Spot minutes	255	7-0	senior
Verdell Jones III	12	G	Starter	176	6-5	sophomore
Daniel Moore	11	G	Spot minutes	167	5-11	sophomore
Bawa Muniru	15	C	-	260	6-10	freshman
Tom Pritchard	25	F	Starter	242	6-9	sophomore
Jeremiah Rivers	5	G	Starter	210	6-5	junior
Matt Roth	30	G	-	186	6-3	sophomore
Christian Watford	2	F	Starter	215	6-8	freshman

Indiana Statistics

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Maurice Creek	8	25.5	5.5	11.4	48.4	2.1	5.4	39.5	2.5	3.6	69.0	1.9	2.3	4.1	2.0	1.3	1.5	0.5	1.8	15.6
Christian Watford	8	26.8	3.9	9.5	40.8	0.4	1.1	33.3	5.1	6.4	80.4	1.6	4.9	6.5	0.6	2.5	1.3	1.1	2.4	13.3
Verdell Jones III	8	28.5	4.8	12.1	39.2	0.4	1.6	23.1	2.6	4.3	61.8	1.0	2.8	3.8	3.1	2.3	1.4	0.6	1.6	12.5
Derek Elston	8	17.6	3.1	6.3	50.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.9	1.8	50.0	2.1	2.6	4.8	0.5	1.1	1.3	0.1	2.1	7.6
Jeremiah Rivers	8	29.3	2.3	5.8	39.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	2.8	4.8	57.9	1.1	4.6	5.8	4.4	4.0	1.0	0.6	2.5	7.3
Devan Dumes	8	15.9	1.5	5.0	30.0	1.0	2.8	36.4	1.0	1.6	61.5	0.5	1.8	2.3	1.4	1.9	1.1	0.1	1.6	5.0
Tom Pritchard	8	17.9	1.9	3.1	60.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.8	64.3	1.6	1.6	3.3	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.6	3.8	4.9
Jordan Hulls	8	15.0	0.8	2.5	30.0	0.5	1.5	33.3	0.8	1.0	75.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	1.4	0.6	0.5	0.0	1.5	2.8
Matt Roth	2	5.5	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.0
Bobby Capobianco	8	9.3	0.8	2.1	35.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.8	50.0	1.0	1.1	2.1	0.3	0.6	0.4	0.0	1.9	1.9
Daniel Moore	6	5.7	0.3	0.5	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.2	71.4	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.0	1.0	1.5
Tijan Jobe	8	6.8	0.4	0.4	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.4	1.5	0.8
Bawa Muniru	4	3.5	0.3	0.8	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.0	25.0	0.8	0.3	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.8	0.8
Kory Barnett	2	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Brett Finkelmeier	2	2.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Steven Gambles	2	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Position Analysis: Point guard

The starting point guard for the Hoosiers is Jeremiah Rivers. Rivers is a transfer from Georgetown, and the son of NBA player and coach Doc Rivers. Rivers is a tall point, even taller than John Wall at 6'5". Rivers is a good ballhandler and passer, and a very good defender, although he is not ultra-athletic. Rivers does not shoot much from outside, and has only attempted a single three-point shot all year. He prefers to use his size and slash to the basket. Rivers leads the team in assists, and doesn't score a lot.

Rivers' defensive prowess will be severely tested against John Wall. Rivers does have good size to work with, but he is not even in the same universe with Wall when it comes to speed with the ball and the ability to finish at the rim. But Rivers is a very smart player, a coach's son, and he knows how to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses. This will be a very interesting matchup.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Shooting guard

You may remember the name Verdell Jones from back during the Billy Gillispie days. Kentucky recruited Jones, although somewhat indifferently, and he was on the UK recruiting board right up to the very end, when he chose Indiana.

Jones is another tall guard at 6'5", but at only 176#, he is very slight of build. Jones is a very hard-working and intelligent player. He is reasonably athletic and shoots a solid percentage from three, even though he doesn't put the three-point shot up all that much. Jones is also a very good passer at over 3 assists/game, against just over two turnovers.

The matchup between Jones and Eric Bledsoe is one of length versus athleticism. Defensively, I think Jones has a slight advantage on Bledsoe due to his very long arms and size. Defensively, I think Bledsoe comes out on top. Overall, Bledsoe is the more talented player.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Small Forward

Freshman Maurice Creek starts at the wing for the Crimson and Cream. Creek is actually an off-guard rather than a true wing, so Indiana, in effect, is starting three guards.

Creek is a skilled player, a Rivals 4*, and quite dangerous offensively. Creek is leading the Hoosiers in scoring at over 15 points/contest and is a 40% shooter from deep. Creek is also a good passer, leads the team in steals, and is a very good athlete.

Darius Miller is significantly taller than Creek, but Creek is quicker off the bounce and will challenge Miller's defensive skills. Defensively, Creek will have to contend with a much taller and longer player, and if Miller can regain his shooting form after a poor offensive outing against UConn, Creek will be hard pressed to contain him. Overall, this is a fairly close matchup, but Miller's extra year of experience and solid fundamentals give him the edge.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position analysis: Power Forward

Christian Watford is the power forward for the Hoosiers and the star of Tom Crean's excellent 2009 recruiting class. I saw Watford play in the Derby Festival Classic game, and even though he is highly unconventional, he is extremely fast and athletic, can really get up in the air, and seems to invent new ways to get the ball in the basket every single time out.

Watford is second on the team in scoring at 13+ points per game, and leads Indiana in rebounding at 6.5/game. Watford is also a respectable 3-point shooter, and is capable of taking bigger players off the dribble.

Against Patrick Patterson, Watford will struggle in the role of post player. Patterson is bigger, stronger, and just as athletic, but unlike UConn's more ponderous power forwards, Patterson will have to make his living closer to the basket. He is not quick enough to take Watford off the bounce, and Watford is a long, tough matchup on the perimeter.

But Watford cannot match Patterson's experience, skill, and versatility. Patterson is also the superior defensive player and rebounder.

Advantage: Kentucky

Position Analysis: Center

Tom Pritchard starts at center for the Hoosiers, and he is a big body at 6'9"/240#. Pritchard is not a particularly good rebounder for a man his size, nor is he a scorer at just under 5 points per game. Pritchard is slow-footed and not very athletic, but he does take up space down low.

Pritchard, unfortunately, is over-matched by the bigger, stronger, longer and quicker DeMarcus Cousins. Pritchard plays good, tough defense as evidenced by his tendency to get into foul trouble, but Cousins is a very tough matchup for him. If Indiana tries to stay man-to-man (which I doubt they will), the 'Cats should try to get Cousins the ball every time in the post. He will force IU to double-team, and an open shot should be the result.

Advantage: Kentucky

Bench Analysis

Indiana has a couple of solid bench players in freshmen Derek Elston and Jordan Hulls, as well as senior Devan Dumes. These men are all nice players that can shoot, but IU has little bench size and their depth is as painfully young as Kentucky's

Advantage: Kentucky

Overall analysis

The Indiana Hoosiers are a young group, but their young talent is just not as good as UK's this year. Tom Crean has the nucleus of a very nice team, but he is one or two recruiting classes away from getting the Hoosiers back into contention in the Big Ten, let alone nationally.

Indiana plays very good, fundamental basketball and Kentucky will need to be aware of their length and athleticism, which is better than many think. They are a good defensive team who will force UK to beat them with better offense. Even though the Hoosiers are young, they are not the type of team who beats themselves.

UK's size, talent and athleticism will prove too much for Indiana. Crean will not be able to send his big guards to the glass for fear of a John Wall-lead runout, and that's likely to happen anyway. Defensively, the Hoosiers are going to be forced into a zone, and since they are already a poor rebounding team, second-chance points and putbacks are likely to be a frequent occurrence on missed UK shots.

The Hooisers are getting their groove back, but this year, they are no match for the young 'Cats.

Projected score: Kentucky 78, Indiana 63

Why John Wall could be bad for college basketball

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:39:02 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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When Carmelo Anthony was a freshman at Syracuse, and captivated the nation by single-handedly bringing the 2003 NCAA National Championship to upstate New York, there were no blogs, Billy Edelin was a budding star, and my thoughts on the state of college basketball took a back seat to my careful planning of clandestine meetings replete with hard alcohol to be shared among my high school friends.

But now I am older, blog on an aging laptop, get drunk with my parents, and am realizing that John Wall is severely exposing a sad truth: the overall talent on display in college basketball is unimpressive.

Tonight Wall put up 25 points along with six steals in a fantastic win over UCONN, all part of an electrifying atmosphere at MSG. The problem here is Wall has come in to poop on his peers for one season, all with the intent of peacing to the pros come springtime, forgetting that college basketball even exists. It stinks, but has just become part of the deal for us fans.

Do you remember that incredible class of 2007? Freshman Michael Beasley and Kevin Love were first-team All-Americans, Derrick Rose dominated the second and third weekends of the tournament, and Eric Gordon led the Big 10 in scoring. Just one year before that, Kevin Durant casually averaged 29 points-per-game during conference play and logged 20 games of 30 points or more. Meanwhile, Greg Oden showed up in Columbus for just two-thirds of the season and led the Buckeyes to the title game against Florida. Each one of these players, as you know, came to college for one season with no interest in returning for a second taste. And the whole gig was far too easy for them.

We're relying on 17- and 18-year-old players to generate the majority of excitement and hype for this great sport. You know there was another explosive point guard on the floor tonight? His name was Kemba Walker, a sophomore. Nobody seemed to care. After being ignored by his teammates for the first 25 minutes of the game, Patrick Patterson showed he's one of the country's best big men. But he's a junior, which is so "out" this season. Why aren't we looking to market the players we know are in this relationship for the long run?

If the NCAA bigwigs are watching, I hope they recognize their brand of basketball is in trouble. They need to get on the phone with The League and have a say in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Somehow, someway, we need to ensure that blue chip freshman committing to play college basketball stick around for two seasons. That's all I ask. If they can't summon themselves to do that, then effyou! Go play in Europe, wait to turn 20 and get drafted by the Sacramento Kings, a dismal franchise never seen on national television.

We need help, because Blue Jesus and his disciples will continue to betray fans of the college game.

Indiana's performance in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

John M (The Crimson Quarry) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:35:13 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

IU has only one win in this event since knocking off Gary Williams and the Maryland Terrapins seven years ago.

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Tomorrow night, IU will play in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge for the ninth time. Bob Knight always was opposed to letting ESPN (once his enemy, now his employer) dictate any part of IU's schedule, and so 2001-02, Mike Davis's second season, was the first time IU played in the event. Here is a quick look at IU's performance to date, which has yielded a 3-5 record:

2001-02: Indiana 79, North Carolina 66 (Chapel Hill): North Carolina's 2001-02 season was roughly equivalent to IU's 2008-09 season. IU took the lead at 3-2 and never relinquished it, and won comfortably at the Dean Smith Center. AJ Moye led IU with 20 points and Tom Coverdale added 17.

2002-03: Indiana 80, Maryland 74 (Indianapolis): In a rematch played eight months after Maryland defeated IU in the 2002 NCAA championship game, IU obtained a small measure of revenge by beating the Terrapins in overtime. Steve Blake's desperation shot at the end of regulation went in, but was a fraction of a second after the buzzer, and the Hoosiers controlled overtime. To date, this game is IU's only BT-ACC game played on a neutral court. Tom Coverdale scored 30 points to lead IU, and freshman Bracey Wright scored 19 (on 7-25 from the field...ugh).

2003-04: Wake Forest 100, Indiana 67 (Winston-Salem): The demise of the Davis era was in full swing by 2003-04, and the Wake Forest game amplified concerns about the program. Bracey Wright led IU with 27 points, but future NBA star Chris Paul scored 20 points and had 8 assists. This remains IU's worst loss in the event.

2004-05: North Carolina 70, Indiana 63 (Bloomington): Sean May's return to Bloomington went the Tar Heels' way. May himself played poorly, but eventual NCAA champion UNC held off a few IU runs in the second half. Bracey Wright again led IU with 18 points.

2005-06: Duke 75, Indiana 67 (Bloomington): Another year, another Hoosier schoolboy who jilted IU cannot be avenged. Marco Killingsworth, the Auburn transfer who spent his senior year at IU, scored 34 points but never came close to that output again. JJ Redick led Duke with 29 points. Carmel's Josh McRoberts scored only 7 points but, like May, was on the winning team.

2006-07: Duke 54, Indiana 51 (Durham): Armon Bassett scored 16 points, and IU held Duke to 31 percent shooting, but Duke held on. IU had two chances to tie the game in the final minute.

2007-08: Indiana 83, Georgia Tech 79 (Bloomington): Eric Gordon scored 29 points to lead the Hoosiers past Georgia Tech in IU's only Challenge win of the last six seasons.

2008-09: Wake Forest 83, Indiana 58 (Winston-Salem): After a promising first ten minutes, an oversized Wake Forest team made easy work of an undersized and inexperienced IU team.

More on Maryland before tomorrow's game, of course.

Know your March Madness Spoilers

SFBE.NF — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:34:26 -0000

Joe Lunardi resurfaced today on ESPN.com, and he wasn't kind to the little guy. This year, according to the original Bracketologist, only Xavier will qualify as a non-BCS, at-large tournament team. It's sad to think, but maybe true. I say we blame the economy!

Despite this sobering news, below are 10 players we reccommend you at least take heed of, so you're not Googling them when Greg Gumbel is singing their praises after an incredible first round upset in March.

Luke Babbitt; Sophomore, Nevada - So you're a McDonalds All-American and receive offers from nearly every Pac 10 school, Ohio State and Gonzaga...what do you do? Well, if you're Luke Babbitt, you stay close to home and go to Nevada. After initially committing to play for Thad Matta, Babbitt got cold feet and decided he wanted to remain near his parents. He's a pro prospect, but playing in a lesser conference seems to put more pressure on the sophomore, who will be expected to be great for the entire season, turn his "Freshman of the Year" award into "Player of the Year" and build upon his 17/7.3/1.3 stat line.

Marqus Blakely; Senior, Vermont - OK let's get this out of the way...America East is one of the least basketball-centric conferences in the country, so when a player catches our eye, he must be impressive. Blakely is a two-time American East player of the year and is going to have quite a burden on his shoulders, as the Catamounts graduated 35 percent of their scoring and it's all time assists leader Miki Trimboli. But at 6'5" 235, Blakely is an explosive scoring threat, and a feared shot blocker who probably will lead his team in all major categories.

Osiris Eldridge; Senior, Illinois State - Finishing a close third to Siena's Just-in'love Smith and Cal's Bak Bak, Eldridge holds claim to one of the baddest names in the college game. Last season ended on a sour note for Eldridge, as he missed a three pointer that would have forced a second overtime against Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Tourney Final. Expect the Redbirds to be matched-up against the Panthers once again when the precious NCAA Tournament berth is on the line. Also please take note of his nicely maintained Euro-hawk.

Kenneth Faried; Junior, Morehead State - Quick, who was second in the NCAA last season in double-doubles? No idiot, it wasn't Eric Devendorf, this title belongs to Faried, a New Jersey native who migrated to eastern Kentucky to serve as one of the most imposing players in Ohio Valley Conference. This guy probably plays harder, meaner and faster than any of his opponents, and just may be the country's most prolific rebounder by the end of this season.

Paul George; Sophomore, Fresno State - Come March, George's time as 'just a nice mid-major player' will likely be long gone. After a surprise freshman season (averaging 14 and 6) George often executes foolish dunks, strokes at a 45 percent clip from behind the arc, and is a legit NBA prospect drawing comparisons to Rudy Gay. Yeah, many BCS-schools are kicking themselves for missing this one.

Anthony Johnson; Senior, Montana - In his first season playing DI basketball as a JuCo transfer, Johnson lit up the Big Sky last year putting up scoring numbers not seen by the conference since Rodney Stuckey was killin it at Eastern Washington. Johnson is the reigning conference POY and as a 6'3" wing player, is very efficient . He shoots at 50 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from long range.

Johnathan Jones; Senior, Oakland - Last season's NCAA leader in assists, Jones dropped double-digit dimes (now there's some alliteration) in nine of the Grizzlies last 12 games. Starting every game since he's been on campus, and the only player to ever chalk up 1000 points and 500 assists in a career, Jones has already earned the title as the program's most decorated player. And with that darling Ben Woodside of North Dakota State moving on, Oakland is the favorite to win the Summit league as Jones will enjoy dishing out to three other returning starters all season long.

Larry Sanders; Junior, Virginia Commonwealth - No Eric Maynor, no Anthony Grant, no problem! The 6'10" junior who shares the same name as Gary Shandling's hit HBO show is still here! Sanders has a freakish 91 inch wingspan, and was 11^th in the country last season in blocks. While it's quite rare in college basketball, Sanders will be a triple-double threat this season if CAA players repeatedly try and shoot over this guy. NBA scouts like him, but will love him if he develops are more consistent offensive game this season. Nonetheless, first year coach Shaka Smith has a real asset in his frontcourt.

A.J. Slaughter; Senior, Western Kentucky - He's still eligible? That's right, after two years of playing along side Courtney Lee, Tyrone Brazelton and Orlando Mendez-Valdez, Slaughter is still kicking around and arguably the top player in the Sun Belt. Along with Steffphon Pettigrew, Slaughter will lead a team that returns four starters and itching to get back to the dance after being on the wrong side of one of last season's plays of the year.

Edwin Ubiles; Senior, Siena - For what it's worth, Edwin Ubiles has won more NCAA Tournament games than recent college basketball notables Nick Calathes, Eric Gordon, and Greg Monroe combined. After a dramatic victory over Ohio State last season, Siena comes in this season as the trendy mid-major looking to be a Top 25 mainstay this season- and Ubiles will be the man to lead them. Georgia Tech aside, the Saints schedule is pretty benign, so the selection committee will leave little wiggle room for this program to be an at-large bid candidate. Ubiles' athleticism is on par with the top players in the country, and if he develops any sort of outside game he could be an NBA draft pick.

2009-2010 Team Previews: Illinois Fighting Illini

everydayezag — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:22:55 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber has his most talented and deep squad since the 2004-2005 group that made the national title game.

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Since leading Illinois to the Final 4 in 2004-2005, head coach Bruce Weber seemed to face a constant storm of fans questioning his ability to maintain a high level of quality for the basketball program. Weber has faced constant questions about his ability to recruit, as local stars like Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose have elected to go out of state to pursue their college careers. While there have been questions about his ability to lure top recruits to campus, there can really be no questions about how solid of a coach Weber has been. Perhaps the greatest coaching job of his career came last season, when Weber led the Fighting Illini to a 24-10 record and a tie for second in the Big 10.

Expectations will certainly be high for his upcoming season, as Illinois will return the bulk of their scoring and also incorporate some exciting freshman. The hardest individual to replace will likely be Chester Frazier. Frazier was the heart and soul of the 2008-2009 team, as he was a lockdown defender and the type of guy that was willing to sacrifice his body for the team. Frazier showed incredible versatility in averaging 5.7 points,4.8 rebound, and 5.3 assists. Illinois will also need to find a replacement for Trent Meachem. The 6'2 guard was an excellent shooter from behind the arc, and was tremendously effective in stretching the opposing defense. Even with these two gone, this team has the talent and depth to improve on last season and to contend for a Big 10 championship.

Last Season: One of the most important pieces to making the NCAA Tournament is to beat the teams that you can and should beat. Last season, Illinois used this concept to put together a surprisingly successful season that saw the team earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Bruce Weber had this group ready to roll at the start of the season, and they jumped out to a 12-1 record, which included quality wins over Clemson and Missouri. Once Big 10 play started, the Fighting Illini took care of business against the lower half of the conference, while they struggled against the top of the conference. Despite being swept by Michigan St. and Penn St. during the regular season, they were able to gain a lot of confidence with the tournament selection committee by sweeping Purdue during Big 10 play. After being eliminated in the second round of the Big 10 tournament, Illinois was awarded a 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for Bruce Weber and his team, their season would come to an end against Western Kentucky in a 76-72 loss in the 1st round.

New Faces: When discussing the new faces for this team, the first name that needs to be discussed is D.J. Richardson. The 6'3 guard has is an absolutely explosive scorer who thrives when the tempo is high and he is able to run in transition. Even more important for the style of play that Illinois is known for, Richardson is an in your face defender who has the quickness and instincts to jump passing lanes with great success. If the early reports are any indication, except to see Richardson in the starting lineup throughout his freshman season. Another freshman guard that will likely be in the rotation is Brandon Paul. Paul is a gifted athlete on the perimeter, but he doesn't quite possess the confidence or attacking instinct that Richardson does at this point. Paul does a lot of things on the court very well, but he doesn't yet possess a unique or excellent ability at any one thing on the court. Paul will be able to provide valuable depth for this team while he continues to develop and improve his game. Tyler Griffey and Joseph Bertrand round out the incoming freshman for Bruce Weber. Griffey is a developing big that does a good job of shooting the ball. However, he will need to improve his strength and physicality before he can play at the Big 10 level. Bertrand is a very physical guard that should be a nice fit for this program. He is a strong shooter from the perimeter, and even more importantly he is a willing and physical defender.

Players to Watch: In Demetri McCamey, the Fighting Illini return one of the most explosive guards in the Big 10. Last season, McCamey led the team in scoring at 11.5 points per game, and was also second on the team with 4.6 assists. McCamey has done a great job developing and improving his game since arriving in Champaign, but this year he will need to mold himself into a leader both on and off the court. Illinois also returns arguably the top front court player in the Big 10. Mike Davis is a rapidly improving power forward, who averaged 11.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Davis has a tendency to float around the court and does not always assert himself in games. However, when he is involved and playing well, Davis can be nearly unstoppable with his length. Much was expected of Alex Legion when he transferred to Illinois after his time at Kentucky. Legion was unable to make a huge impact in 22 games last season, but the hope is that he can provide the shooting that he was known for as a recruit. If Legion can play up to the expectations he had as an elite high school recruit, this team could have one of the more exciting back courts in the country.

Concerns: At times, we have seen Gonzaga teams that have flat out struggled when facing physical defense. Along with Michigan St., this Illinois group will be the most physical and tough group that Gonzaga will face all season. Guys like Meech Goodson, Elias Harris, and Steven Gray must prove that they can handle the tough and in your face style of basketball that they will see. This will be a great learning experience for the freshman, and the hope is that they will be prepared for this type of game by January.

What we are watching for: I think this will be the type of game where Gonzaga will look use the depth and athleticism that this team has. If the Zags can get out in transition and force this to not be a halfcourt game, then I absolutely love their chances. Guys like Mangisto Arop, Elias Harris, and Rob Sacre will have to look run the court when given the opportunity, as there could definitely be some easy baskets available. If this game turns into a halfcourt game, then Illinois will be able to take long possessions and dictate the tempo and style of the game, which could be a huge problem for this team.