Welcome to The Sports Bank’s second annual college basketball season preview series. Last year we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. This year, we are being slightly more aggressive and expanding to 111 teams in 111 days. We will rank the 74 power conference teams and top 37 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
For the second straight year, the Washington Huskies underachieved a bit in the regular season even though they finished third in the Pac-10. Lorenzo Romar has to replace four starters but has some extremely talented youngsters who should help UW figure into the Pac-12 title race.
WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Last Season: 3rd, 11-7 in Pac-10, 22-14 overall
Predicted Pac-12 Finish: 2nd
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Aziz N’Diaye (Jr)/Jernard Jarraeu (Fr)
PF: Darnell Gant (Sr)/Desmond Simmons (Fr)/Shawn Kemp Jr. (Fr)/Martin Breunig (Fr)
SF: Terrence Ross (So)/Scott Suggs (Sr)
G: Abdul Gaddy (Jr)/C.J. Wilcox (So)/Hikeem Stewart (Fr)
PG: Tony Wroten (Fr)/Andrew Andrews (Fr)
Gone: PG-Isaiah Thomas, SF-Justin Holliday, PG-Venoy Overton, F/C-Matthew Bryan-Amaning
2011-2012 Outlook:
After a disappointing freshman season, Abdul Gaddy was finding his groove until he suffered a torn ACL that sidelined him for all but two conference games. Gaddy’s return combined with the addition of Tony Wroten gives Romar a pair of versatile guards capable of running the point and avoid a major letdown due to the losses of Isaiah Thomas and Venoy Overton.
Wroten might be the most gifted passer of all freshmen point guards. He has outstanding handles, court vision, athleticism, and great size at 6’5. If he can buy into the team concept, he will find a way into the starting line-up and should be a special player for the Huskies. Fellow freshmen Hikeem Stewart and Andrew Andrews will try to work themselves into the rotation.
Justin Holliday is gone but Washington returns a few lengthy wing players that can light it up from downtown. Many are pegging Terrence Ross to have a breakout sophomore campaign based on the way he ended last season being named to the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team. Scott Suggs and C.J. Wilcox each shot above 40% from distance a year ago and could really benefit from Wroten’s ability to drive and kick. Suggs will be out until at least December due to a stress fracture in his foot, but it will be a challenge for Romar to keep all three guys happy with their playing time and make sure there are enough shots to go around when Suggs does return.
Aziz N’Diaye returns to provide a defensive presence in the middle. He is fairly limited on the offensive end but uses his size and athleticism to be a force on the glass and as a shot blocker. N’Diaye should wreak havoc in the paint this season since he will likely see more minutes due to the loss of Matthew Bryan-Amaning.
Darnell Gant started 11 games last season and will likely replace Bryan-Amaning in the starting line-up. Gant is more of a face-up four who has range out to the three-point line. Redshirt freshman Desmond Simmons will compete for minutes off the bench along with true freshmen Shawn Kemp Jr., Jernard Jarreau, and Martin Breunig.
Scoring will not be a problem for the Huskies who finished third in the nation in points per game last season. If they can tighten up their defensive efforts, Washington can cause a lot of problems out west. I think “experts” are sleeping on this team a bit. If Wroten is as good as advertised and Ross makes the jump many expect him to, the Huskies will be a tough team to stop.
Player to Watch: Terrence Ross
As his freshman season progressed, Ross became a more integral part of the Huskies’ attack. He can score from the outside with a sweet stroke but also effective attacking the basket. The Portland native is already a lottery prospect on most NBA Draft boards and could solidify those projections with a breakout year.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/20 at St. Louis
12/2 at Nevada
12/6 vs. Marquette (Jimmy V Classic)
12/9 vs. Duke (Jimmy V Classic)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#27 UCLA Bruins
#28 Butler Bulldogs
#29 Missouri Tigers
#30 Texas Longhorns
#31 Villanova Wildcats
#32 Michigan State Spartans
#33 Florida State Seminoles
#34 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
#35 Harvard Crimson
#36 Illinois Fighting Illini
#37 Oregon Ducks
#38 Wichita State Shockers
#39 Cal Golden Bears
#40 Belmont Bruins
#41 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#42 Saint Mary’s Gaels
#43 Purdue Boilermakers
#44 BYU Cougars
#45 Kansas State Wildcats
#46 West Virginia Mountaineers
#47 Virginia Cavaliers
#48 George Mason Patriots
#49 Old Dominion Monarchs
#50 VCU Rams
#51 Kent State Golden Flashes
#52 Arkansas Razorbacks
#53 St. John’s Red Storm
#54 Northwestern Wildcats
#55 Georgetown Hoyas
#56 Miami Hurricanes
#57 Nevada Wolfpack
#58 Detroit Titans
#59 UCF Knights
#60 Long Beach State 49ers
#61 Virginia Tech Hokies
#62 Clemson Tigers
#63 New Mexico State Aggies
#64 Tennessee Volunteers
#65 Iona Gaels
#66 Murray State Racers
#67 N.C. State Wolfpack
#68 Fairfield Stags
#69 George Washingon Colonials
#70 Indiana State Sycamores
#71 Oklahoma State Cowboys
#72 Indiana Hoosiers
#73 UAB Blazers
#74 Iowa State Cyclones
#75 Creighton Bluejays
#76 USC Trojans
#77 Weber State Wildcats
#78 Maryland Terrapins
#79 Tulsa Golden Hurricane
#80 Minnesota Golden Gophers
#81 Western Michigan Broncos
#82 Dayton Flyers
#83 Stanford Cardinal
#84 Yale Bulldogs
#85 Georgia Bulldogs
#86 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#87 Richmond Spiders
#88 Ball State Cardinals
#89 Utah State Aggies
#90 Arizona State Sun Devils
#91 Marshall Thundering Herd
#92 Oregon State Beavers
#93 Washington State Cougars
#94 Iowa Hawkeyes
#95 Ole Miss Rebels
#96 Nebraska Cornhuskers
#97 Oklahoma Sooners
#98 South Florida Bulls
#99 LSU Tigers
#100 Colorado Buffaloes
#101 DePaul Blue Demons
#102 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#103 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#104 Seton Hall Pirates
#105 Providence Friars
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 South Carolina Gamecocks
#108 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#109 Penn State Nittany Lions
#110 Boston College Eagles
#111 Utah Utes
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.