'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 1 |
Free Throw % | 5 |
3-point % | 1 |
Rebounding +/- | 4 |
Turnover +/- | 11 |
Pre-Christmas record: 7-0, but not yet tested.
Pleasant Surprise: Okafor's offense. His defense and rebounding were fully expected, but his 17 points per game (up from 7.9 last season) is a bit of a surprise.
Disappointment: Sophomore Scott Hazelton from Somerville, Mass, a one time McDonalds All-American was expected to contribute and possibly start but he has left the team and withdrawn from school for personal reasons. Hazelton was benched by Coach Jim Calhoun earlier this season for what was deemed "inappropriate behavior at practice."
Impact Freshmen: Denham Brown is averaging 9.7 ppg and is shooting 43% from three point range while averaging 20 minutes per game. Rashad Anderson, ranked as the 27th best incoming freshman according to The Sporting News should also play a significant role this season.
Outlook: Connecticut should have no problem winning the Big East's somewhat weaker East Division. The Huskies will face difficult road games against Pitt, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Oklahoma, but will have a solid chance to land at least a 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 13 |
Free Throw % | 11 |
3-point % | 14 |
Rebounding +/- | 8 |
Turnover +/- | 2 |
Pre-Christmas record: 5-1, with five cupcake wins and a loss to Wake Forest
Pleasant Surprise: Willie Shaw looks to have his shooting stroke back (6/14 from behind the arc).
Disappointment: Hatten is averaging a hefty 18 shots per game in 33 minutes. He may have been infected with Omar Cook disease.
Impact Freshmen: Elijah Ingram has already made a huge impact, averaging 14 points per game and shooting 42% from three point range. Like most freshman, Ingram is turning the ball over quite a bit (3 per game) but those numbers should decline as the season moves along.
Outlook: In Sharif Fordham and Donald Emanuel, the Red Storm lost two solid players, but they will not leave gaping holes in the team's rotation. Ingram should more than make up for the scoring of both players. With the addition of Ingram and the reemergence of Willie Shaw, St. John's will have three legitimate outside scoring threats. Meanwhile, Glover and Kyle Cuffe should be adequate in a conference without much inside talent. All this adds up to a second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid for St. John's in 2003.
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 10 |
Free Throw % | 5 |
3-point % | 8 |
Rebounding +/- | 9 |
Turnover +/- | 5 |
Pre-Christmas record: 6-2, with wins over St. Bonaventure and Iowa State and costly losses to Holy Cross and St. Joseph's.
Pleasant Surprise: Craig Smith. The freshman from Los Angeles has shown amazing abilities in the early stages of his college career. Smith made 18 consecutive field goal attempts during one stretch and is shooting 66% from the floor. At 6'8" and 260 pounds, Smith is also a solid rebounder, averaging eight boards per game.
Disappointment: By far the biggest disappointment is the neck injury suffered by forward Uka Agbai which may have ended the Senior's season, forcing him to redshirt. Ryan Sidney's three-point shooting has been horrendous (1 for 17) and outside of Bell, the Eagles' free throw shooting has been horrendous.
Impact Freshmen: Smith and possibly guard Louis Hinnant, who is averaging 5 points in 24 minutes per game.
Outlook: Last season, the Eagles finished 8-8 in Big East play, but earned an NCAA bid while Georgetown and Syracuse did not mainly because BC played a much more difficult non-conference schedule. This season, the Eagles have put themselves into a difficult position with losses to Holy Cross and St. Joseph's so an 8-8 Big East record will not put the Eagles into postseason play. The Eagles can win 9-10 Big East games but only if Troy Bell regains his shooting touch and if sophomores Nate Doornekamp and Jermaine Watson contribute more than the 5.0 points per game that they have during the first eight games of the season.
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 3 |
Free Throw % | 2 |
3-point % | 2 |
Rebounding +/- | 3 |
Turnover +/- | 13 |
Pre-Christmas record: 5-4, including a win over Michigan State and losses to Marquette and Penn.
Pleasant Surprise: The freshmen are all contributing in a big way. Guards Allan Ray (not to be confused with Ray Allen) and Randy Foye and forward Jason Fraser are averaging 29 points per game combined. Ricky Wright is shooting 56% from the field through nine games.
Disappointment: The Wildcats would love to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999, but with four losses already that goal will be an uphill battle.
Impact Freshmen: As I mentioned above, Villanova has four impact freshmen in Ray, Foye, Fraser and, to a lesser extent, forward Curtis Sumpter. Fraser will be the key among these four newcomers because Villanova is very weak at the power forward and center positions.
Outlook: Villanova could be a solid team by the end of the year as the freshmen mature and blend their skills with the veterans. The mix of raw young talent and experienced veterans will make Villanova dangerous in February and March. With four non-conference losses already and a game at Memphis on the horizon, the Wildcats may need to win 10 Big East games to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. I think they will come up a bit short this season, but the future could not be brighter for Jay Wright's team.
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 7 |
Free Throw % | 1 |
3-point % | 5 |
Rebounding +/- | 12 |
Turnover +/- | 4 |
Pre-Christmas record: 4-4, with losses in four of their last five games. In other words, not good.
Pleasant Surprise: Freshman Robert Hite has chipped in with 8.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in the early going. Senior Rafael Berumen is shooting 56% from the field and 82% from the free throw line in limited time.
Disappointment: Junior guard Michael Simmons has made just 25% of his field goal attempts and has only 18 assists in eight games.
Impact Freshmen: Hite is making a solid impact, though not on the same level as Craig Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Torin Francis or Elijah Ingram.
Outlook: Miami has clearly taken a major step back after winning 24 games last year. Jones and Rice will fill up the basket, but the Canes will struggle to find offense from the other positions. With four non-conference losses already, the NIT may be Miami's most likely destination
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 11 |
Free Throw % | 10 |
3-point % | 13 |
Rebounding +/- | 14 |
Turnover +/- | 1 |
Pre-Christmas record: 4-3, including a loss to #3 Alabama
Pleasant Surprise: Sophomore Ryan Gomes has been on fire with three consecutive double-doubles and a 19.1 ppg average. Gomes also appears to have improved his rebounding, averaging 10.9 boards per game so far this season. Gomes had 21 points and 12 rebounds against #3 Alabama.
Disappointment: 6'10" Junior center Marcus Douthit has only 7 baskets and 20 rebounds and has averaged only 10 minutes per game. Mills' injury is certainly a major concern for Coach Tim Welsh.
Impact Freshmen: 6'4" point guard Donnie McGrath has started all seven games and is leading the Friars in minutes played. He is averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 assists per game and has a solid 2.6 assist to turnover ratio.
Outlook: Even with the emergence of Gomes and the healthy return of Laksa, the Friars will have a difficult time returning to the NCAA Tourney in 2003. The loss of Linehan is simply too great a hole to fill at this point. Look the Friars to be an NIT invite in March.
'01-'02 Big East Rank | |
Field Goal % | 9 |
Free Throw % | 8 |
3-point % | 6 |
Rebounding +/- | 1 |
Turnover +/- | 14 |
Pre-Christmas record: 5-5, with losses to William & Mary, Wofford and East Carolina. Ouch!
Pleasant Surprise: Sophomore center Dimari Thompkins has started seven games, averaging 6.6 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Disappointment: The Hokies have had virtually no contribution from the freshman class. Philip McCandies is the leading Frosh scorer averaging only 3.7 ppg while averaging 14 minutes.
Impact Freshmen: So far the Hokies have not seen much production from the incoming class, but this may change as the season moves along. Athletic 6'6" swingman Fabian Davis is considered Tech's top 2002 recruit.
Outlook: Last year, VA Tech's basketball team won two more games (10) than its football team (8). If the Hokies can beat Air Force in the San Francisco Bowl and grab their tenth win, my money will be on the football team this year.