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 Saint Joseph’s Hawks were picked to win the Atlantic 10 title in the preseason polls and with good reason as Phil Martelli returns everybody from last year’s team.
ST. JOSEPH’S HAWKS
Last Season: T-5th, 9-7 in A-10, 20-14 overall
Predicted A-10 Finish: 1st
Projected Depth Chart
F/C: Halil Kanasevic (Jr)/Javon Baumann (Fr)
PF: Ronald Roberts Jr. (Jr)/Papa Ndao (So)/Isaiah Miles (Fr)
SF: C.J. Aiken (Jr)/Daryus Quarles (Jr)
SG: Langston Galloway (Jr)/Evan Maschmeyer (So)
PG: Carl Jones (Sr)/Chris Wilson (So)/Kyle Molock (Fr)
Gone: nobody
2012-2013 Outlook:
The anchor of the team is the backcourt of Carl Jones and Langston Galloway. The duo combined to average 32.5 points per game last season and as you might imagine with that sort of production; can score in bunches. Jones is a terrific creator while Galloway connected on 46% of his triple tries. Chris Wilson will be the main reserve at guard as he hopes to build off a solid freshman campaign. Freshman Kyle Molock could factor into the mix as well.
C.J. Aiken is drawing buzz from NBA Draft forecasters due to his combination of size, athleticism, length, and versatility. He finished fourth in the nation in blocked shots last season and his ability to play multiple positions is a major asset for the Hawks. Daryus Quarles will come off the bench to see some time at small forward when Aikan needs a rest or is playing the four.
6-8 center Halil Kanasevic accomplished a rare feat for a big man; leading St. Joe’s in both rebounds and assists last year; his first with the Hawks after transferring in from Hofstra. The offense can run through him due to his passing ability and his big body is needed on a team that lacks a lot of bangers down low. Ronald Roberts showed steady growth during his sophomore year and is another valuable piece to the puzzle. There isn’t a whole lot of experience behind Kanasevic and Roberts but with Aikan being able to play the four and an elite shot blocker, that is not a huge blow for St. Joe’s.
As I’ve written numerous times already in these previews, the A-10 is stacked this year. If the Hawks’ starting core can stay healthy, I agree with the preseason polls that they are the team to beat in conference and the ones likely to cut down the nets in March.
Player to Watch: C.J. Aiken
Two improvements are needed for Aiken to take his game to the next level; improving his ball-handling ability and becoming more consistent with his jump shot. If he can show strides in those two areas this season, this may be his last season in a St. Joe’s uniform.
Key Non-Conference Games:
11/16 vs. Notre Dame (Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/17 vs. Florida State/BYU (Coaches vs. Cancer in Brooklyn)
11/20 vs. Harvard
12/1 at Creighton
12/11 at Villanova
12/28 vs. Iona
12/31 at Drexel
OTHER 111 IN 111’S:
#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.