The Grandest Sport of All

That's right, folks: college basketball has returned from a painfully long offseason, so it's time for my season preview. Before I get to my predictions, I will (as expected) offer up some random thoughts:

* This column would have come sooner had I felt that the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic were a worthy season-opener. The Memphis-Wake Forest/Marquette-St. John's doubleheader two weeks ago was a less-than-tittilating slate compared to the preseason tournaments of years past, which always featured top 10 teams. To me, the season starts in earnest this Tuesday when Michigan St. takes on Kansas.

* I love how everyone looks at Syracuse and says "Oh, losing Carmelo Anthony won't be that big of a deal. Let's rank them in the top ten." There's absolutely no way that Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick will simply fill the void of the #3 pick in the NBA draft. The 'Cuse won't be any higher than a 7 seed in the tournament.

* Every year there are a few players who make me think "What? That guy still hasn't graduated?" This year's winner of the Jason Kapono Award for over-staying one's college welcome goes to Chris Duhon. Doesn't it seem like he started at Duke about six years ago? Honorable mentions go to Jameer Nelson of St. Joe's, Gerald Fitch of Kentucky, Arthur Johnson of Mizzou and Amit Tamir of Cal.

* I look at Maryland's roster and I don't see a single name I recognize. It's unbelievable to think that this is the same school that won the title just 19 months ago.

* I just love the fact that Patrick Ewing's son is playing college basketball. So many questions: will he too sweat like a monsoon? Will he be a frequent customer at the Bloomington area strip clubs? Will he be the ultimate anti-hero that the media loves to hate? Watching him at Indiana will be pure entertainment.

* It's ridiculous to see so many college basketball writers making Final Four picks in the preseason. How in the world are you supposed to predict which teams will end up in which region? As if making final four picks after the brackets are released wasn't hard enough.

* As for which new coaches, will have the most immediate impact, you just have to look at the caliber of their players. I think Roy Williams will have the most success as his trio of sophomores will continue to be outstanding. Bill Self will won't have an easy job at Kansas, because I just don't see Langford and Simien compensating for the loss of Hinrich and Collison. As for Ben Howland, he'll soon realize that Steve Lavin was unsuccessful because he couldn't recruit any smart players.

* The best conference race will be in the ACC. Does UNC have enough firepower to hang with Duke, which will be much-improved with the addition of Luol Deng (and the subtraction of Casey Sanders)? The teams split their regular season games last year and this year's editions will surely remind us again why this is the best rivalry in all of sports. Should the Devils or Heels falter, N.C. State (masters of the Princeton offense) and defending conference champion Wake Forest will challenge for the ACC crown.

* UConn's future one-and-done freshman Charlie Villanueva is a lot like LeBron James in one respect: he looks like he's about 28 years old.

* I absolutely love Stanford's team this year. There's much more intensity, heart and hustle in these players than there were in The Borchardt Era. Curtis really epitomized those years for Stanford basketball: robotic efficiency, consistent success, but a lack of killer instinct and a penchant for inopportune injuries. This year's players are diving on the floor for loose balls, hollering at the crowd after alley-oops and their pre-game huddle bristles like a 13-man riot. If the newly-chisled Rob Little, the tenacious Justin Davis and the frenetic shot-blocker Matt Haryasz (my new favorite player) can stay out of foul trouble, our frontcourt will be outstanding. Matt Lottich and Chris Hernandez are both intense guys who are solid at their positions. The only question: how good does Josh Childress want to be? J-Chill has the talent to be the best player in the conference (and lead us to the Pac 10 crown) but so far hasn't shown the cockiness needed to become The Man. Our future is in his hands.

Mr. Predicto

CONFERENCE WINNERS
ACC: Duke
Big 12: Missouri
Big East: UConn
Big 10: Indiana (sleeper pick alert!)
SEC: Florida
Pac 10: Arizona
Conf. USA: Louisville

FINAL REGULAR SEASON AP POLL
1. Florida
2. Duke
3. Missouri
4. North Carolina
5. UConn
6. Kentucky
7. Gonzaga
8. Arizona
9. Kansas
10. Notre Dame
11. Stanford
12. Indiana
13. NC State
14. Michigan State
15. Louisville

FISRT TEAM ALL-AMERICA
C Emeka Okafor, UConn
F Ike Diogu, Arizona St. (Naismith Award Winner)
F Julius Hodge, NC State
G J.J. Redick, Duke
G Raymond Felton, UNC

2ND TEAM ALL-AMERICA
C Arthur Johnson, Missouri
F Ronny Turiaf, Gonzaga
F David Lee, Florida
G Rashad McCants, UNC
G Bracey Wright, Indiana

NATIONAL CHAMPS
I made this prediction way back in April and I'm sticking with the Gators. In a season with few dominant teams, Florida has the closest thing to a complete package. They've got a nice backcourt with super soph tandem Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh. Their terrific frontcourt combines Christian Drejer (who will merit the hype that he was supposed to live up to last season) with David Lee, who'll be SEC player of the year. Their crafty coach (maybe too crafty if you ask Monty) Billy Donovan is one of the best in the game, with one Final Four appearance already under his belt despite his youth. This time, he'll take home the trophy.