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.
With the addition of three key transfers and highly-touted freshman Jabari Brown, the Oregon Ducks have been tabbed a Pac-12 sleeper this season. For that to happen, second year head coach Dana Altman must get his players on the same page from the opening tip of the season.
OREGON DUCKS
Last Season: T-7th, 7-11 in Pac-10, 21-18 overall
Predicted Pac-12 Finish: 4th
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Tony Woods (Jr)/Tyrone Nared (Sr)/Austin Kuemper (Fr)/Chris Larson (Jr)
PF: Olu Ashaolu (Sr)/Jeremy Jacob (Sr)
SF: E.J. Singler (Jr)/Carlos Emory (Jr)
SG: Garrett Sim (Sr)/Brett Kingma (Fr)/Bruce Barron (Fr)
PG: Jabari Brown (Fr)/Johnathan Loyd (So)/Devoe Joseph (Sr)
Gone: PF-Joevan Catron, SG-Jay-R Strowbridge, PG-Malcolm Armstead (transfer-Wichita State), SG-Teondre Williams (transfer-Clayton State), C-Martin Seiferth (transfer-Eastern Washington)
2011-2012 Outlook:
Brown is a potentially program changing player for Oregon as he was a consensus top 30 recruit. He can score in bunches and might be the favorite to win Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. With no true point guard in the starting line-up, Brown will likely share the ball-handling duties with returning starter Garrett Sim which might be a concern.
Johnathan Lloyd will provide the Ducks with a stable floor leader off the bench. He was a solid contributor as a freshman thought he really struggled shooting the ball. Three-point threat Brett Kingma should help in that area. He can light it up from deep and will certainly be a huge scoring threat off the bench. Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph becomes eligible after the first semester and will add even more depth at guard. The former Gopher has good size, quickness, vision as a passer, and can also score the rock when needed.
The frontcourt features a pair of transfers who should step right into the starting line-up. Former Wake Forest Demon Deacon Tony Woods had a disappointing start to his college career and some off-the-court issues, but is hoping for new life in Eugene. Olu Ashaolu entered the NBA Draft this off-season but withdrew his name and decided to transfer. He becomes eligible right away because he completed his undergrad at Louisiana Tech but enrolled in grad school at Oregon. At 6-7, he is a bit under-sized but a very solid rebounder, defender, and range out to the three-point line.
Jeremy Jacob and Tyrone Nared bring terrific experience and depth to the frontcourt. Jacob battled through injury last season but both guys have seen extensive time in the starting line-up. Newcomers Chris Larson and Austin Kuemper don’t figure to see much time on the floor.
E.J. Singler is the top returning scorer and three-point shooter. He showed improvement as a sophomore and must be a steadying force due to all the newcomers. JUCO transfer Carlos Emory is a combo forward who will bring strength and athleticism to the floor.
Altman has Oregon heading in the right direction. A ton of money has been put into the program to upgrade facilities in hopes of drawing interest from a higher level of talent. So far that investment has seemingly paid off, but the Ducks must prove that this season with an expected top five Pac-12 finish and trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Player to Watch: E.J. Singler
It would be easy to pick one of the newcomers but because of Singler’s familiarity with Altman’s system, I think he will vital to the Ducks’ success. Like his older brother Kyle, E.J. contributes in a variety of ways; scoring, rebounding, defending, and playing with a high level of basketball IQ. He can play multiple positions and will allow Altman to show different looks with this team.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/11 at Vanderbilt
11/23 at Nebraska
11/29 vs. UTEP
12/3 at BYU
12/18 vs. Virginia
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#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.
