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Ready for tipoff Arizona is king of my preseason top 20
Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl will answer your questions every Wednesday during the college basketball season. Click here to send him a question. SEATTLE -- It's my favorite whirlwind trip of the year, the equivalent, I suppose, of going out on the hustings during a political campaign. Tucson one day, Palo Alto the next. Onward to Westwood and South L.A. and Malibu, just as all of my Sports Illustrated colleagues were doing in college towns across the country. Our annual season-preview journeys for the mag are always a blast, and for all sorts of reasons. Just last month, I sat in UCLA coach Steve Lavin's office, getting my own personal chalk talk on a dry-erase board. I saw identical burbling rock gardens in the lairs of Arizona's Lute Olson and USC's Henry Bibby (stress problems, guys?). I met Casey Jacobsen's eighth-grade brother, whose bottle-blond hair made him look, well, exactly like Casey. And I talked with Pepperdine's Brandon Armstrong about Pamela Anderson sightings at Malibu restaurants. We also talked a bit of basketball, of course. And so, before I get to this week's questions, here's my preseason top 20 (not to be confused with SI's preseason top 20, which you'll see in our preview issue next week). In any case, I'm fired up for the season, and I hope you are too. Keep the questions coming!
Chew that over for a while. On to the 'Bag ... I see Michigan State ranked in the top five of nearly every Top 25. I think it is wrong to rank them so high because they are so dependent on two freshmen. Do you agree?
Well, Andrew, you'll see that I have the Spartans No. 7, which should tell you that I think Michigan State has some room to improve. I don't like giving too much credit to coaches, who don't even play the game, but if Tom Izzo can nurture freshmen Randolph and Taylor enough to make people forget about Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson right off the bat, I'll be awfully impressed. I don't think it's going to be so easy, but if last year was any indication, how you play at the end of the season is all that matters (remember MSU's loss to Wright State?). How do you think Kansas stacks up against the likes of Duke and Arizona? Not many people seem to realize that KU has just as much talent as either of these teams. Drew Gooden and Nick Collison will dominate, Kenny Gregory will dazzle fans, and Luke Axtell and Jeff Boschee will light up opponents from behind the arc. Tho only real question mark is if Eric Cheno"wimp" will remove his head from his rear and play basketball. What is your take on all of this?
Sorry, Mack. Count me among the people who don't realize KU has as much talent as Arizona. Sure, the Jayhawks are a deep bunch, but right now they lack a guy who can win you a game when you absolutely need it. Maybe that guy will be Gooden or Collison or Boschee, maybe it won't. All I know is that it will be awfully interesting to watch Chenowith, who wasn't even starting late last season. If he gets off to a slow start (and we'll get an idea Thursday night against UCLA), the Jayhawks have enough depth that they might cut their losses and leave the big guy behind in a reserve role. They can still win without him. I was wondering what your take is on the Big Five schools? Villanova looks like it has a legit shot in the Big East, and Temple will be solid as usual. Do you think any Philly teams will make some noise come March?
Let me put it this way: I think it will be a great year to watch Big Five games. The teams are all pretty even, but you know who might be the best of the bunch? Penn. Really. The Quakers' Ugonna Onyekwe is the most athletic player the Ivy League has seen in a long time, and the Quakers will present trouble for Temple (last year was the year for John Chaney to go to his first Final Four) and Villanova (which is a second-tier Big East team, in my mind, despite the addition of Kentucky transfer Michael Bradley ). La Salle and St. Joseph's won't be as strong as the other three, but as I'm sure you know, nothing's guaranteed in the Big Five. You're a lucky guy to be a Philly hoops junkie. I am a huge Stanford fan, but I don't know if I can agree with a preseason top-10 ranking. While Casey Jacobsen is a stud, the Collins twins are two of the weakest 7-footers I have ever seen. They get manhandled by any big man with talent, and now that the refs are going to control the contact in the middle, they will foul out of each game. I don't feel this team has done much to fix some of its problems from last year. Where is the quickness on the perimeter? Who, other than Mr. Jacobsen, is going to score? These questions keep me awake at night.
Relax, pal. The Collins twins haven't quite lived up to the hype they had entering Stanford, but I wouldn't say they get manhandled by talented big men, either. Nor do I follow your logic that tighter control of contact in the post will get them in foul trouble. After all, quicker whistles will help finesse players, not hurt them (you don't attend Stanford, do you?). That said, the key player for Stanford this year is going to be Jarron Collins. I'm convinced Jacobsen will be a star on the outside, but if Collins can turn more consistent on the inside, defenses will have a much tougher time. Stanford will never be the quickest team in the world, but the Cardinal do have a dead-eye shooter in Ryan Mendez on the wing, and coach Mike Montgomery told me Mike McDonald is practicing splendidly at the point. Also keep an eye on redshirt freshman Justin Davis, who eventually is supposed to be a more athletic version of Mark Madsen. I think this year's Auburn team, with Adam Harrington, Marquis Daniels, Mack McGadney, Lincoln Glass, Jamie Brewer, Abdou Diame, Scott Pohlman and Kyle Davis, etc., may be better than last year's. What do you think?
Sorry. Don't buy it. As overrated as the Tigers were last season, they lost four starters (i.e., everyone except Pohlman), which doesn't bode well for the new campaign. This reminds me ... I need a new team to kick around this year, a new "most overrated team in the country." Current candidates are Tennessee and Maryland, but if any of you have some ideas please let me know. I frequently laugh at the comments in both your MLS and college basketball coverage. Is there anyone as interesting as Miami Fusion coach Ray Hudson in college basketball? Any chance you need an apprentice in your work? Are the Wyoming Cowboys going to get into the tourney this year?
Andy, I'm assuming those laughs are coming from intended and not unintended comedy. For the uninitiated, Ray Hudson is one of those loose-cannon coaches loved by journalists far and wide. Like any sport, college hoops has its share of annoying politician-types, but there are also some wonderfully quirky coaches, guys I really look forward to interviewing: John Chaney (Temple), Phil Martelli (St. Joseph's), Billy Donovan (Florida), Gene Keady (Purdue), Cliff Ellis (Auburn) and Billy Tubbs (TCU), to name a few. See you next week ...
Click here to send your college basketball question to Grant Wahl.
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