ESPN's Early Outlook 2013-2014

[Golden Avalanche]

The way McGary talks, I'm surprised he made it through the first year of school.  The academic requirements (to stay eligible) disproportionately jump after the first year, so unless the faculty is going to take a few pages from Auburn's grading guidelines, McGary may be best served to declare ASAP.

Believe McGary has publicly admitted to a learning disability.

He's also 21. If he stays, and even plays at a high level for an entire season, NBA people will start to use his age against him in subsequent drafting pools. McGary has to take advantage of a ridiculous three weeks and get a paycheck.

[LAMUfan]

i like McGary a lot, but I would not be happy if my NBA team drafted him in the first round.  poor mans tyler hansborough?  maybe?  pass

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

i like McGary a lot, but I would not be happy if my NBA team drafted him in the first round.  poor mans tyler hansborough?  maybe?  pass

I'd love to have Hansborough on the Bulls. That said, I think McGary would be a nice pick based on ability, but his make up scares me. Who wants to hand that kid a couple million dollars?

[dgies9156]

9. Marquette Golden Eagles: If the 2012-13 season taught us anything, it's not to count out Marquette. Not as long as Buzz Williams is its coach. The Golden Eagles lost their two top players (Jae Crowder and Darius-Johnson Odom) from last season's squad, yet still managed to tie for the Big East title and advance to the Elite Eight. Almost every key piece of this season's team will return in 2013-14. That includes leading scorers Vander Blue (14.8 points) and Davante Gardner (11.5) as well as glue guy Jamil Wilson (9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds). Marquette will also add the Class of 2013's No. 3-ranked shooting guard in Memphis native JaJuan Johnson. Rising junior Todd Mayo and incoming freshman Duane Wilson will try to make up for the loss of Junior Cadougan and Trent Lockett in the backcourt. Marquette plays as hard as any team in the country. Next season could be special.

1) As I said in another post, we are a contender for a national championship next year (key word is "contender").
2) "Rising" junior -- who knows what that means? Could Todd not be with us next year? I think there is considerable need for a pick-up in his game next year.
3) Our Juco addition will start next year along with Jamil. Juan, we hope, will do a "Vander" over the summer and pick up his game.


I think "9" may be light given what we think we know about next year.

[Warriors10]

Last year Kentucky was #3, lost in the first round of the NIT.  Next year they are projected as no.1 

The entire model of super freshman "1 and done" classes is on the line next year.  If Kentucky bombs out again, Calipari is going to have to rethink his model.

Now before you tell is why it will not happen again, remember that this year was not suppose to happen in Lexington.  Kentucky was suppose to be the team from the blue grass state cutting down the nets last night.

Fact is relying on Freshman is always dicey.  They could gel into a team, like two years ago, or fall apart like last year.  Problem is they only have a few weeks to get it together.

As long as Calipari continues with this model, every year Kentucky will be No.1 or NIT bound with nothing in between.

Why rethink a model that won you a championship a year ago?

[MU82]

I think it showed in the Elite 8  that a team has to have an inside-out game to advance.  MU has the inside game but JJJ and DuWilson need to play that role as freshman to meet such lofty expectations.  Michigan softened up that Cuse zone forcing Coach Bo to extend it which opened McGary and Robinson in the middle of it or behind it, for example. We know how bad a shooting game against Cuse was for MU, but it was 0.1 pt. way from being the worst eFG% game in recorded history. Those two need to get significant freshman minutes, while JWilson, Jaun, Van and Todd improve to mediocre on treys.

http://statsheet.com/mcb/games/stats?season1=1997&season2=2012&conf=&team=marquette&stat=effective_fg_pct&low=1

MU won this year with a ton of experience and depth and a little talent. No injuries, and just a little drama. If the frosh step up, watch out next year, and I am of the camp that DuWilson starts eventually as MU needs to uptempo it to get transition threes before defenses set up.

Excellent, excellent points, Doc.

Before this past season, I thought a lack of 3-point shooting would condemn Marquette to bubble status. We overcame that with grit, improvement from several players and, yes, some good fortune.

Anybody who watched the tournament could see the impact 3-point shooting had. Luke Hancock was Final Four MOP, for crissakes, and Spike Albrecht almost singlehandedly carried Michigan in the first half last night.

The 3-pointer came into play big time even in Marquette's amazing game against Davidson. We fell behind partly because they hit 3s and we couldn't. And we came back because we suddenly hit three very difficult 3s.

To repeat this year's success -- or to improve upon it, preferably! -- we need to be more of a threat from downtown. Period.

[Benny B]

What's the scouting report on JJJ's and DuWil's shot from range?  Do these guys have the touch from downtown to make any impact?

[kmwtrucks]

About 1/2 the Draft you worry about giving them a $$, Mcgary is a few inchs taller then Tyler and has a much bigger frame and is probably a better athlete.  He has true power forward Size and can actually play center in the NBA with so few true center's in the league.  He has come a long way the last 2-3 years from being a fringe HM that was pretty imature to a 5 star and starting and making a Big impact on a Nat runner up as FR.  

[dwaderoy2004]

What's the scouting report on JJJ's and DuWil's shot from range?  Do these guys have the touch from downtown to make any impact?

Based on what I've read, they both can shoot it, but JJJ is the better pure shooter of the two.  I think both could help with outside shooting if given the chance.

[MU72491]

Nice recognition, but I'd hardly call Mayo a "rising junior." Also, I think Jamil is far more than a "glue guy."

agreed 100%

[Coleman]

Last year Kentucky was #3, lost in the first round of the NIT.  Next year they are projected as no.1  

The entire model of super freshman "1 and done" classes is on the line next year.  If Kentucky bombs out again, Calipari is going to have to rethink his model.

Now before you tell is why it will not happen again, remember that this year was not suppose to happen in Lexington.  Kentucky was suppose to be the team from the blue grass state cutting down the nets last night.

Fact is relying on Freshman is always dicey.  They could gel into a team, like two years ago, or fall apart like last year.  Problem is they only have a few weeks to get it together.

As long as Calipari continues with this model, every year Kentucky will be No.1 or NIT bound with nothing in between.

Care to make a wager? UK will never just make an NCAA tournament during Calipari's tenure? Only win it all or go to the NIT?

Your analysis is decent most of the time, and your premise is right (1 and dones are dicey), but the hyperbole gets old.

[Bocephys]

Nice recognition, but I'd hardly call Mayo a "rising junior." Also, I think Jamil is far more than a "glue guy."

It shows how little they pay attention to the team when they keep thinking Mayo is going to be a major contributor.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

It shows how little they pay attention to the team when they keep thinking Mayo is going to be a major contributor.

What do we know about this Todd mayo kid?

He's oj's little brother.

Ah. Rising junior it is.

[The Lens]

Not one pundit has raised the possibility of Chris Otule coming back.  It's unreal to me how little insight there is in these things.  We only know about MU...imagine how off they are on other schools.

[MerrittsMustache]

Not one pundit has raised the possibility of Chris Otule coming back.  It's unreal to me how little insight there is in these things.  We only know about MU...imagine how off they are on other schools.

When you cover 100+ teams, it's tough to keep track of which role-playing, senior center is getting a sixth year of eligibility.

[MomofMUltiples]

We're 7 on NBC's list, and 10 on CBS's.  CBS has Otule listed as "expected to leave."

http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/09/the-way-too-early-preseason-top-25/

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/22036310

[wadesworld]

i like McGary a lot, but I would not be happy if my NBA team drafted him in the first round.  poor mans tyler hansborough?  maybe?  pass

Hansborough?  They play 2 very different games.  If McGary compares to anybody in the NBA while coming out of college, it's Kevin Love.

[Pakuni]

Hansborough?  They play 2 very different games.  If McGary compares to anybody in the NBA while coming out of college, it's Kevin Love.

McGary isn't nearly the shooter that Love was/is.

I'd liken him more to a smaller Andrew Bogut.
And, yeah, I too am falling into the trap of comparing a white guy to a white guy.

[Lennys Tap]

Hansborough?  They play 2 very different games.  If McGary compares to anybody in the NBA while coming out of college, it's Kevin Love.

He reminds me a little of Joakim Noah. Athletic, runs the floor well, good handler and passer for a big man.

[ChicosBailBonds]

The way McGary talks, I'm surprised he made it through the first year of school.  The academic requirements (to stay eligible) disproportionately jump after the first year, so unless the faculty is going to take a few pages from Auburn's grading guidelines, McGary may be best served to declare ASAP.

He had to repeat his entire junior year of high school.  It would be entertaining to have the Wonderlic test for the NBA draft.

[brandx]

People point to this year as the norm for Cal/Kentucky and say 1 and done doesn't truly work, claiming that their National Championship was the exception to the rule.  We forget that they were in the Final Four with a lot of 1 and dones the year before and I believe the Elite 8 the year before that.  He also had his years at Memphis where it worked out just fine for him.  I hate the guy and I hate the way he wins, but this year was more the exception than it was the rule.  Even this year, Kentucky was starting to come around whenNoel got injured.

I guess we'll see what happens, but I would not at all be surprised if they are right back at the top next year.  I don't see Cal failing to succeed with his system for an extended period of time; however, not many programs will be able to follow the same system...only so much 1 and done talent to go around.

Huge difference between last year's class for Kentucky and the one coming up. On paper, this class is far better than the one from 2 years ago and light years above last year.

Obviously games haven't started yet, but this is the most highly rated class ever!

[Pakuni]

He reminds me a little of Joakim Noah. Athletic, runs the floor well, good handler and passer for a big man.

That's not a bad call, but from what I've seen of McGary he's not as athletic as Noah or nearly as good on defense. Of course, the latter criticism is pretty harsh, given that he's only a frosh.

[Lennys Tap]

That's not a bad call, but from what I've seen of McGary he's not as athletic as Noah or nearly as good on defense. Of course, the latter criticism is pretty harsh, given that he's only a frosh.

Agree he's got miles to go to become Noah, but think his future is as a "point center" like Joakim.

[wojosdojo]

Jason King has always been one of the very few to talk highly of MU. I think 9 is very fair but just don't believe we will get the support from the other voters.

[wadesworld]

Jason King has always been one of the very few to talk highly of MU. I think 9 is very fair but just don't believe we will get the support from the other voters.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/202226261.html

The lowest any of these list us is at 12 (and they have the Badgers at 11 in that one, so I don't think that one's the most accurate of them all...).  Other than that everyone else has us above 10.