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.
There have to be some bold predictions in my rankings or else I’d be boring. One of those is that the Miami Hurricanes will have a firm grip on being the fourth best team in the ACC since six of their top seven scorers are back from last season.
MIAMI HURRICANES
Last Season: T-4th, 9-7 in ACC, 20-13 overall
Predicted ACC Finish: 4th
Projected Depth Chart
C: Reggie Johnson (Sr)/Julian Gamble (Sr)/Tonye Jekiri (Fr)
PF: Kenny Kadji (Jr)/Erik Swoope (Jr)/Raphael Akpejiori (Jr)
SG: Trey McKinney-Jones (Sr)/Garrius Adams (Sr)
SG: Durand Scott (Sr)/Rion Brown (Jr)
PG: Shane Larkin (So)/Bishop Daniels (Fr)
Gone: SF-DeQuan Jones, PG-Malcolm Grant
2012-2013 Outlook:
In his second year as head coach, Jim Larranaga returns some more than capable scorers on the wing led by Durand Scott. The 6’5 combo guard didn’t make the leap many expected him to as a junior but should certainly be motivated to make the most of his senior campaign. There is terrific depth on the wing with Trey McKinney-Jones, Rion Brown, and Garrius Adams who were all valuable contributors a year ago.
With Malcolm Grant graduating, Shane Larkin takes over as the full-time point guard. After choosing to stay in home state rather than attending DePaul where he originally committed, the son of former Reds shortstop Barry Larkin was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team. Combo guard Bishop Daniels who redshirted last season due to a foot injury could see some time at the point and Scott is capable of running the show as well.
The Hurricanes also have quality depth and balance inside led by the physical Reggie Johnson. He missed the first nine games of last season due to a knee injury and proved to be a force in the paint when healthy. Florida transfer Kenny Kadji made the most of his first season at Miami, bringing more size inside but also the ability to stretch defenses with his outside shooting. At 6-10 and 6-11 respectively, Johnson and Kadji are a tough match-up for any opposing frontcourt.
Miami will also get a boost off their bench with the return of 6-10 Julian Gamble who started thirteen games as a junior but sat out all of last year due to a torn ACL. Juniors Erik Swoope and Raphael Akpejiori provide more depth at the forward while seven-foot freshman Tonye Jekiri doesn’t figure to make an immediate impact though with his size and upside has the potential to be the center of the future for the Canes.
There are no real question marks for Miami this season. They have a solid, experienced starting five with quality depth all across the roster. Now the pressure is on for Larranaga and company to pull it all together and make the most of their talented collection of players.
Player to Watch: Durand Scott
Since they solid balance across their roster, Miami doesn’t need Scott to have a monster senior year. The one positive about Scott is that he can still impact the game without needing to shoot the rock. With that being said, showing more of a killer instinct will only increase the chances of the Hurricanes being able to compete with the likes of N.C. State, Duke, and North Carolina in the ACC.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/24 vs. Detroit
11/28 vs. Michigan State (Big Ten/ACC Challenge)
12/1 at UMass
12/14 vs. Charlotte
12/18 at UCF
12/22 vs. Hawaii (Diamond Head Classic)
12/23 vs. Arizona/East Tennessee State (Diamond Head Classic)
12/25 vs. San Diego State/San Francisco/Ole Miss/Indiana State (Diamond Head Classic)
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#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.