Answering the biggest questions for 20 elite teams

	Joakim Noah and the Gators will get every team's best shot every time they hit the floor. John Biever/SI
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I will resist the temptation to make cliched references to Friday the 13th -- except to say that while Midnight Madness is a joyous occasion for hoopheads like us, it can be a scary proposition for the actual participants. That's because the moment practice begins for the 2006-07 season, teams will be facing more questions than they currently have answers for. The underlying message of Midnight Madness? Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Therefore, it is once again up to me, your courageous professional Hoop Thinker, to list for my faithful readers the most critical questions facing 20 prominent programs. To be sure, this is not Sports Illustrated's preseason top 20 rankings; you'll have to wait a few weeks for our annual preview issue to see that. Rather, I have simply selected 20 elite programs and listed them in alphabetical order.

Don't be a fraidy-cat, hoopheads. I say we get this season started with a game of 20 Questions.

Alabama: Can anyone turn this Tide into a three-point machine?

I think Alabama is going into the season mildly underrated. The Tide have arguably the best guard in America in Ronald Steele, and the inside tandem of 6-foot-10 senior Jemareo Davidson and 6-8 sophomore Richard Hendrix is formidable. Still, last year 'Bama ranked ninth in the SEC in made threes per game (5.61) and was seventh in three-point percentage (34.5 percentage), and that inability to bomb from long range proved to be its undoing. Jean Felix, who made only 31.6 percent from behind the arc but went for a season-high 31 points in the NCAA first-round win over Marquette, is gone. There is no obvious replacement, and Alabama needs to find one soon.

Arizona: Can the Wildcats find the chemistry to match their talent?

Andre Iguodala. Salim Stoudamire. Chris Rodgers. Hassan Adams. All had great talent, yet for different reasons they were locker-room killers in recent years. Now Arizona has a chance to make another fresh start with a richly talented team bookended by 6-7 forward Chase Budinger, whom Lute Olson has already called the best freshman he's ever coached, and seniors Mustafa Shakur, Ivan Radenovic and Kirk Walters. If everyone gets along and puts the team's well-being first, Olson is looking at a potential national championship. If not, he's looking at another trying season in Tucson.

Boston College: Are the Eagles ready to take wing?

For the last four years, Boston College built its attack around one of the strongest and most dependable post players in the nation, 6-7 bull Craig Smith. Smith's departure, though lamentable, should force the Eagles to play at a faster pace with a higher emphasis on shooting three-pointers -- and that's a good thing. BC has the requisite fleet-footed wing men in 6-7 senior Jared Dudley, 6-6 senior Sean Marshall and 6-10 junior Sean Williams. Handing over the point-guard duties from defensive stalwart Louis Hinnant to the flashier Tyrese Rice should also pick things up. I say this is good because his style will work better in the ACC and the NCAA tournament. Getting comfortable playing this way is a must.

Connecticut: Is there any magic in these young beans?

Expectations are so warped in the Nutmeg State that the fans declared last year's team, which lost only four games and came within an overtime loss of reaching the Final Four, a major disappointment. Now coach Jim Calhoun can relish lower expectations for a squad that doesn't have a single upperclassman on scholarship. Unlike North Carolina, Ohio State and Texas, UConn doesn't have one eye-popping talent who will dominate, but it does have a wide array of players with exciting potential. There's nothing wrong with being young -- lots of teams are. If Calhoun's young guns can grow like Jack's beanstalk, you could be looking at one of the season's big surprises.

Duke: Is McRoberts ready to get McNasty?

Josh McRoberts, a 6-10 multi-skilled forward, had a fine freshman season. He averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 24.5 minutes and contributed a valuable 14 points and 12 rebounds in Duke's second-round win over George Washington. But while it might be understandable that McRoberts was overly deferential on a team dominated by J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, there is no excuse for such diffidence on a squad with one junior and no seniors. McRoberts is clearly the best player on this team, and if he doesn't act like it from Day 1, the Devils will be hard-pressed to play deep into March. There's also the question of how McRoberts' health will hold up following offseason surgery on his back.

Florida: Just how heavy is that crown?

You'd think a national champ that returns all five starters should be a shoo-in to win another title. Yet the only two times in the past 40 years that a team won a title and remained intact -- Arkansas in 1994 and Arizona in '97 -- someone else walked away with the trophy. It's also easy to forget that the Gators began last season unranked and then stumbled early in SEC play before catching their stride at just the right time. Lots of things can derail their quest for a repeat: expectations, the lurking NBA, weariness from taking everyone's best shot every night. Florida has the ability to win it all again, but its ability to handle this new reality will determine whether that actually happens.