Since the spring, Dick Vitale has been locked in his Florida compound mentally and physically preparing for the new season. He has adhered to a strict diet of coffee and Hershey's Kisses, and has spent hours in the gym perfecting his "I'm unbelievably excited about college basketball!!" hand motions.
Thankfully, for Dicky V. and U.S. men's college basketball fans, this week marked the return of his "Diaper Dandy" calls and the beginning of the long road to the Final Four.
Without stepping too much on the toes of today's preview article, here's a brief overview of what to look for this year:
The top five preseason teams in the nation are Duke, Texas, Connecticut, Villanova, and Michigan State, with the order depending on the poll.
Obviously, it's difficult to rank college basketball because so many of its stars graduate and move on, often early, to the NBA. These five teams, however, could be grouped together because their losses were comparably minimal compared with their competition, with many key contributors returning.
To me this team turnover is one fun part about college basketball. Before each year, my inevitable first impression is that the NBA Draft took most of the great collegiate players, so I must look at rosters and previews to see who came back, who's going to step up into a bigger role, and which freshmen are destined to make an impact. Each season is different with new rankings, new stars, and new talent, and each season I find that I stop longing for former players. (Except for Marcus Camby; UMass could definitely use him).
Some notable omissions to this year's top 25 lists of teams are perennial powerhouse Kansas, last year's preseason number one, and defending champion North Carolina, who lost four players to the NBA Draft's first round and last year's top seven scorers. I'll admit the only name I recognized off the Tar Heels' roster is senior David Noel, a guard who averaged just less than four points a game last year.
The Big East looks to be the best conference right now. Although it lost Boston College to the ACC, it gained a top-ten team in Louisville to go along with U Conn, Villanova, West Virginia, and Syracuse, giving it five teams ranked in the nation's top 16.
The preseason consensus number one team and also my pick to be the national champion come April 3rd is Duke.
The Blue Devils feature four seniors in the starting lineup, including two who could be All-Americans in sharpshooter J.J. Redick and big man Sheldon Williams. I've always said that two All-Americans are better than one, or none. The fifth starter is newcomer Josh McRoberts, who many think will be the nation's best freshman.
Duke has a strange mix of seniors and freshmen. The seniors will provide leadership and tournament experience while the freshmen will provide depth and some explosiveness.
The only question marks for this team will be point guard play and athleticism. Sean Dockery currently is the starting ball handler, but his play has been inconsistent over the years and may be replaced by another big-time recruit, Greg Paulus. The Blue Devils also lack proven agile (or bouncy, as Jay Bilas would say) swingmen who can create their own shots and defend slashing guards. Duke is hoping its freshman can fill this need.
The big story for Duke is its two star players. While they came to Duke the same year, Redick made the early splash, becoming popular nailing threes as a freshman (remember, everyone, especially chicks, digs the long ball) and averaging nearly 15 points a game.
Since then, Redick has improved his scoring output while also earning fame for his prolific free-throw percentage that is always between 92 to 95 percent. Last year, he was the ACC Player of the Year and a member of the All-American team.
The lesser known of this duo, Sheldon Williams, will be the bigger factor. The senior is reminiscent of Duke alum Elton Brand; a strong bruiser who can finish and defend. He has battled foul trouble throughout his four years and has worked his way up through the system.
Last year, Williams again improved his numbers, averaging 15.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.7 blocks per game, while being named to the ACC-All Defense team. The last two years, he has shot nearly 60 percent from the field.
I like Williams because he was not an immediate star who blossomed early and left his school. Throughout his tenure, he has been overshadowed by teammates, from Chris Duhon to Luol Deng, and of course, Redick. Williams focused on improving his game and has evolved into a consistent force. Many experts believe that it is Williams, not Redick, who will be the National Player of the Year.
In previous NCAA Tournaments, Williams had forgettable performances. In his sophomore year, Duke battled for the championship against Emeka Okafor and UConn. Williams was plagued by foul trouble, managing to play only 19 minutes before fouling out with 4 points on 1-for-9 shooting.
Last year, Duke was upset by Michigan State in a game in which Williams too fouled out late and gave up a stellar performance to Spartan center Paul Davis.
This year, in his last go-around, I expect Williams to lead his team to the title, delivering a Sean May-in-last-year's-championship-type game and lasting the full 40 minutes with fouls to spare. At the conclusion of the Madness, this deserving big man should get to cut down the nets.
