Welcome to The Sports Bank’s third annual college basketball season preview series. Two years we looked at 99 teams in 99 days. Last year, we were slightly more aggressive and expanded to 111 teams in 111 days and will do so again as we look ahead to the 2012-2013 season.
We will rank the 75 power conference teams and top 36 mid-majors in reverse power ranking order. We’ll break down rosters, transfers, incoming freshmen, non-conference schedules, and pick a player to watch for each team.
The Georgetown Hoyas lose their top three scorers from a year ago but have some talented young players who will need to step into bigger roles this season for the team to be a player in the Big East Conference.
GEORGETOWN HOYAS
Last Season: T-4th, 12-6 in Big East, 24-9 overall
Predicted Big East Finish: 7th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Nate Lubick (Jr)/Moses Ayegba (Jr)/Bradley Hayes (Fr)
F: Otto Porter (So)/Mikael Hopkins (So)/Brandon Bolden (Fr)
G/F: George Whittington (So)/Stephen Domingo (Fr)/Aaron Bowen (So)
SG: Jabril Trawick (So)/D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Fr)
PG: Markel Starks (Jr)
Gone: G-Jason Clark, C-Henry Sims, SF-Hollis Thompson
2012-2013 Outlook:
One player who is capable of making the leap this year is versatile, athletic forward Otto Porter. As last season progressed, Porter continued to improve and became a major asset in almost every area of the game. Improving his outside shooting and accepting a more assertive role as G-Town’s go-to option will really allow Porter to take his game to the next level.
As is typically the case, there is no shortage of size on the Hoyas’ roster. Nate Lubick is the most experienced guy in that group and will probably see the offense run through him a little more since he is a capable passer. Mikael Hopkins was used seldomly last year but figures to see a more prominent role off the bench.
There are three other bigs who will compete for minutes inside as well. Moses Ayegba returns from an injury that cost him all of last season while freshmen Bradley Hayes and Brandon Bolden offer even more size at 7’0 and 6’10 respectively. Tyler Adams’ season is already over and possibly his career due to a heart issue.
The backcourt will rely heavily on returning starter Markel Starks and sophomore Jabril Trawick. Starks is really the only true point guard on the roster so he must stay healthy and embrace the role as floor leader which Jason Clark had a firm grip on last season. Trawick had a shaky freshman campaign and with an expected increase in minutes, he needs to be more reliable to score from the off guard position.
I really like Greg Whittington and think he’s ready to blossom in his sophomore year. Like Porter, Whittington is lengthy, versatile, and athletic. He can stroke it from deep which is a nice weapon to have when you are 6’8. If he can become more effective off the bounce, Whittington and Porter could be a very intriguing one-two punch for the Hoyas.
Aaron Bowen, D’Vauntes Rivera, and Stephen Domingo who reclassified and enrolled a year sooner than expected will compete for playing time off the bench at the wing position. Rivera is the logical choice to play some point when Starks needs a breather. Domingo is another long, athletic, versatile wing while Bowen’s biggest strength is his outside shooting.
Because of the length in their frontcourt and on the wing, Georgetown should once again be a solid defensive team especially when the play some 2-3 zone. The offensive production is the biggest question mark for John Thompson III. There is capable talent and JT3 has a tendency of getting his players to rise to the occasion in expanded roles.
Player to Watch: Otto Porter
His ability to play a couple different positions is a terrific weapon for JT3 to have. The Hoyas can play him at the four and go with a quicker, more athletic line up. They can also play him at the three utilizing a taller, lengthier five. That is part of the reason too he is a potential NBA Draft lottery pick.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/9 vs. Florida (on USS Bataan)
11/19 vs. UCLA (Legends Classic in Brooklyn)
11/20 vs. Indiana/Georgia (Legends Classic in Brooklyn)
11/30 vs. Tennessee (Big East/SEC Challenge)
12/4 vs. Texas (Jimmy V Classic at MSG)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#33 Ohio Bobcats
#34 Texas Longhorns
#35 Miami Hurricanes
#36 Purdue Boilermakers
#37 Alabama Crimson Tide
#38 St. Joseph’s Hawks
#39 Murray State Racers
#40 VCU Rams
#41 Davidson Wildcats
#42 Stanford Cardinal
#43 UMass Minutemen
#44 St. John’s Red Storm
#45 Butler Bulldogs
#46 Florida State Seminoles
#47 Drexel Dragons
#48 St. Louis Billikens
#49 West Virginia Mountaineers
#50 BYU Cougars
#51 Temple Owls
#52 Washington Huskies
#53 California Golden Bears
#54 Kansas State Wildcats
#55 Nevada Wolfpack
#56 Colorado Buffaloes
#57 Iowa State Cyclones
#58 Northern Iowa Panthers
#59 Colorado State Rams
#60 Iowa Hawkeyes
#61 South Florida Bulls
#62 Valparaiso Crusaders
#63 Illinois Fighting Illini
#64 Arkansas Razorbacks
#65 Wichita State Shockers
#66 George Mason Patriots
#67 Virginia Cavaliers
#68 Villanova Wildcats
#69 Maryland Terrapins
#70 Marshall Thundering Herd
#71 Iona Gaels
#72 Northwestern Wildcats
#73 Oklahoms State Cowboys
#74 Rutgers Scarlet Knights
#75 USC Trojans
#76 UConn Huskies
#77 Harvard Crimson
#78 Xavier Musketeers
#79 Ole Miss Rebels
#80 Clemson Tigers
#81 Oregon State Beavers
#82 Texas A&M Aggies
#83 Providence Friars
#84 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
#85 Oklahoma Sooners
#86 Lehigh Mountain Hawks
#87 Washington State Cougars
#88 Long Beach State 49ers
#89 Belmont Bruins
#90 Vanderbilt Commodores
#91 Dayton Flyers
#92 Houston Cougars
#93 UCF Knights
#94 Old Dominion Monarchs
#95 Oregon Ducks
#96 LSU Tigers
#97 South Carolina Gamecocks
#98 Seton Hall Pirates
#99 Georgia Bulldogs
#100 DePaul Blue Demons
#101 Boston College Eagles
#102 Penn State Nittany Lions
#103 Arizona State Sun Devils
#104 Virginia Tech Hokies
#105 Texas Tech Red Raiders
#106 Auburn Tigers
#107 Wake Forest Demon Deacons
#108 TCU Horned Frogs
#109 Mississippi State Bulldogs
#110 Utah Utes
#111 Nebraska Cornhuskers
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 and the most accurate 2012 NBA Mock Draft on the internet (Yup, repeat champ… #humblebrag.)
You can follow him on Twitter at David_Kmiecik.