Tyler Hansbrough could be unstoppable this year if he improved his jump shot range in the offseason. Bob Rosato/SI

MAILBAG Seth Davis will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his Hoop Thoughts column. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

North Carolina: Has Psycho T improved his J?

If you ask Roy Williams, he'll tell you the biggest question facing his team is defense. But Roy is always worried about his team's defense, and his teams always end up defending well. (Maybe it's because they're well-coached.) A bigger question I have about this squad is whether 6-9 junior Tyler Hansbrough has improved the range on his jump shot. Hansbrough has earned the nickname "Psycho T" for his unabated intensity under the boards, and since he averaged 18.4 points and 7.9 rebounds a game last year, it'd be foolish for him to spend all his time outside the lane.

But if he is at least a threat to knock down the occasional 12- to 15-foot jumper, then that will make him more unstoppable and open up many more scoring opportunities for his teammates. If Hansbrough is able to give the Tar Heels that extra dimension, I don't think anything besides injuries can keep them from hoisting the trophy April 7.

Oregon: Who will replace Aaron Brooks?

The answer, I'm afraid, is no one. Brooks was a singular talent, a heady floor general and a great scorer (his 17.7 ppg led the Pac-10) who loved to take -- and make -- the big shot. The Ducks return their four other starters from last year's Elite Eight team, but none is a natural point guard. The closest is 5-6 sophomore Tajuan Porter, while he's not a bad passer he's no mini-Brooks as a setup man. Besides, he's too potent a scorer to be looking to get other people the ball.

Thus, the leading candidate is probably 6-2 freshman Kamyron Brown, but it's a lot to ask of a freshman. Oregon has tons of talented wing players (Malik Hairston has changed his running form in hopes of avoiding the injuries that have plagued his career), but without solid play from the point, this group of Ducks will stay grounded.

Pittsburgh: Are the juniors ready to step to the head of the class?

I'm speaking specifically of the Panthers' two junior forwards, Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young. Yes, there are a lot of expectations that 6-7 freshman DeJuan Blair will help make up for the departures of Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall, Pitt's two leading rebounders the last two seasons. But anything you get from a freshman in that situation is gravy, especially since Blair could struggle with conditioning at the start.

Biggs and Young, however, have two years in this program under their belts, and don't have much to show for it. Though they entered last season with much promise, Biggs and Young averaged 1.4 and 6.3 points, respectively, in Big East games (along with 2.7 and 3.1 rebounds). In Young's case, those numbers were actually down from his freshman season. Pitt is well-stocked on the perimeter and has several big -- though inexperienced -- bodies to throw around inside. It needs Biggs and Young to provide consistent, versatile production if it's going to challenge for the Big East crown.

Syracuse: Will Jim Boeheim sacrifice his zone for a quicker tempo?

I know the 'Cuse's half-court zone has been extremely effective over the last decade, but no matter how aggressively you try to play it, it still does not produce as many transition opportunities as man-to-man or other pressure schemes. That could be a problem this year, especially since 6-5 sophomore guard Andy Rautins' season-ending knee injury has left this team with just one dependable outside shooter (Eric Devendorf). Paul Harris had a much better freshman season than people give him credit for (7.1 rebounds per game), but unless he miraculously learned how to shoot a jump shot over the summer, I'd expect him to struggle once more in a half-court offense.

There's a lot of justifiable excitement in Syracuse about the arrival of freshmen Jonny Flynn and Donte Greene, but those guys will be most effective in the open court. And don't forget senior point guard Josh Wright, who unfortunately appears to bring just one real asset to the floor: speed. I don't expect (and would never recommend) Boeheim to completely scrap his zone, but unless he finds a way to get his team running, I fear the Orange will be stuck in neutral for much of the season.

Tennessee: Is UT ready to throw its weight around?

For the Volunteers' offseason strength program, coach Bruce Pearl gave his players shirts with the words "Remember the Alamo" on the back. That's a reference to Tennessee's loss in San Antonio in the Sweet 16, where they blew a 20-point lead to Ohio State.

Frankly, neither the mantra nor the weight lifting will do this team any good unless it learns use its muscle to get the dirty work done. Tennessee plays hard at the fun parts of the game -- behind its full-court pressure it led the SEC in steals and was third in offensive rebounds (which lead to buckets). Yet, the Vols were last in the league in field goal defense and scoring defense, and they were 10th in rebound margin. What's more, one of Tennessee's strongest players, 6-7 sophomore power forward Duke Crews, has been indefinitely suspended after campus police found marijuana in his dorm room.

Texas A&M: Can the new sheriff in town lay down the law -- without the Law?

Billy Gillispie took the Aggies from total irrelevance to consecutive Sweet 16s before riding off to the greener pastures of Lexington, Ky. Now in his stead sits Mark Turgeon, who alighted from Wichita State knowing that this program has much more room to go down than up. In some ways, it's a no-win situation: If the Aggies win, Turgeon has done it with Gillispie's players. If they lose, well, Gillispie would have won with those players.

Turgeon's job is especially hard considering the team lost All-America guard Acie Law IV as well as underappreciated big man Antanas Kavaliauskas. The good news is Turgeon has a powerhouse frontcourt to work with in senior Joseph Jones and freshman DeAndre Jordan, as well as the nation's best three-point shooter in 6-7 junior Josh Carter.

Still, Law and Gillispie leave some mighty big voids to fill. Turgeon is smart and experienced enough to handle the situation, but there are bound to be a few occasions when he realizes he's not in Kansas anymore.

UCLA: Will the Bruins succumb to the poor air quality in Los Angeles?

Pretty lame, I know, but to be honest, I couldn't think of any more pressing questions this team faces heading into the season. That doesn't necessarily mean it's my pick to win it all, but even though UCLA lost leading scorer Arron Afflalo from last year's Final Four squad, the Bruins have plenty of weapons to make up for that. Junior point guard Darren Collison could have been a first-round pick had he gone into the NBA Draft, and his backup, sophomore Russell Westbrook, could start on 90 percent of the teams in Division I.

The other guards might not be quite as good at creating their own shots as Afflalo was, but that will be more than compensated by the arrival of 6-9 freshman forward Kevin Love, who could be the best passing big man to come into college basketball in the last decade. Thus, the only thing that can truly trip up this bunch is injury. Perhaps the smog in L.A. will be able to do to this team what the rest of the Pac-10 can't.

Villanova: Will youth be served?

Few major programs will be more reliant on freshmen this season than Villanova. In that respect, they face much the same situation as Texas did last year, and while there's no Kevin Durant on this team, coach Jay Wright does have a tantalizing trio in 6-1 Corey Fisher, 6-foot Malcolm Grant and 6-5 Corey Stokes.

Of the three, Fisher will be called upon to contribute the most right away as he tries to fit in alongside last season's Big East freshman of the year, Scottie Reynolds. Reynolds and Fisher need to have the ball in their hands a lot, which could become a problem, but fortunately there are plenty of minutes to go around. I see this young bunch looking impressive out of the gate before hitting typical freshmen speed bumps early in the conference season. From there, they'll either tank or grow up fast.

Washington State: Are the Cougars ready for their close-up?

This time last year, Washington State was getting ready for the season after being picked to finish last in the Pac-10 by the league's media. All the Cougs did was climb into the top 10 en route to 26 wins, which tied a school record.

Now that Washington State is returning four starters, most notably the backcourt tandem of Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver, even us dolts in the media understand this will be one of the best teams in the country. That, however, will change the game. Not only won't Washington State be sneaking up on teams this season, but it will also get its opponents' best shot night after night. That can be extremely taxing on a team's psyche. I believe this group can handle it, but it's the kind of thing you have to experience to understand just how hard it can be.

Xavier: Will the Musketeers rebound?

I ask this question in a figurative sense, because it's not easy to rebound from a disappointing loss like the one Xavier suffered in overtime to Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. But I also mean it literally, because this team lost its top three rebounders from last season (Justin Cage, Justin Doellman and Brandon Cole).

Sophomore jumping jack Derrick Brown is a burgeoning star who grabbed 16 rebounds in the Musketeers' first-round win over BYU, but he is not going to get as many weakside looks now with Cage, Doellman and Cole gone. Ditto for 6-9 senior Josh Duncan, who now jumps to the top of opponents' scouting reports.

Xavier's newcomers are mostly perimeter players, so this team will have to mentally commit itself from Day One to apply its speed and toughness to its board work.