Insiders?

[Galway Eagle]

Anybody with insider want to post the "Marquette favorite in New Big East" article and the "Next Season's All Americans" article, at least the part that pertains to any New Big East teams. 

[NWarsh]

It will be an exciting year in college basketball for many reasons. One is that we'll get to see the development of a new conference. Sure, the new Big East might be better described as an iteration and it won't necessarily have the strength of the ACC. Still, it will have the basketball tradition and clout the teams have earned over the decades. Butler, Creighton, and Xavier could not be any better additions, as those three bring a tradition of excellence, prime focus on basketball, and fan bases that reflect that. But who will be the favorite?

Marquette figures to be the top dog in the Big East next year. Every major contributor from last year's Elite Eight squad returns and Buzz Williams has proven he can get the most out of his team any year. It will be fascinating to see which team asserts themselves immediately, as that team can set the tone for the newest era in Big East basketball. Here's Jason King with why the Golden Eagles can do just that.

Jason King
Marquette will be strong again
"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 points) 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."

[NWarsh]

There's always early speculation about which teams will be good next season, but not as much about which players will be good. At least part of the reason is that it's easier to identify breakthrough teams than breakthrough players. Observers thought Indiana would be one of the best teams in the country this past season even without being able to predict that Victor Oladipo's effective field goal percentage would jump from 49 to 65 between his sophomore and junior seasons.



I'm going to try to predict the All-American teams next season. This will be a fairly subjective exercise, but there are some guiding principles involved here. Mainly, it's easier to project a player's role than his efficiency. Take Oladipo, for example. His usage rate didn't change much last season, actually dropping slightly from 23.7 percent to 22.7 percent, but his efficiency skyrocketed due to the massive improvement in his shooting numbers. Oladipo didn't jump into the national consciousness because he took more shots. It was because he was more efficient when he took shots. (I know, I know, it was also because he was really athletic and very disruptive on defense.)



There are exceptions, of course, but if a player played a limited role on his team last season, he's unlikely to get the ball enough to turn into a star the following season. So in predicting who will be named All-Americans, I'll be keying on guys who proved they could create shots, even if those shots didn't go in very often.



While a player's efficiency is more variable from season to season than his usage, efficiency tends to improve the most after a season when he played a lot of minutes and used a larger than average share of his team's possessions. Trey Burke is a good example of this. Even though his success was more widely anticipated last season, he was not close to becoming the best offensive player in the country during his freshman season. However, he was essentially Michigan's go-to guy as a freshman while playing nearly every meaningful minute for the Wolverines. Both were good statistical signs for the improvement we saw as a sophomore.



With all this in mind, we have the additional challenge that as of this writing, the best college players still have two weeks to decide whether to turn pro. In my predicted first and second All-American teams that follow, I'm leaving out guys in the top 50 of Chad Ford's Top 100 who appear to be seriously contemplating turning pro.



Obviously, players like Doug McDermott and Kelly Olynyk are going to be solid favorites to be first-team All-Americans if they decide to return for their senior seasons. This also eliminates three-fifths of Michigan's potential starting lineup, and guys like Michigan State's Adreian Payne, Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tennessee's Jarnell Stokes, each of whom could put up monster numbers if he decides to come back.



There is no doubt that some of the undecided prospects will opt to return, but instead of filling All-American teams with a bunch of players who might not actually play, what follows is a group of the 10 best players who are expected to play next season.





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First Team



Jahii Carson, G, Arizona State Sun Devils
Carson might end up being the best true point guard in the country next season. Whether his team can achieve relevance by making the NCAA tournament might influence Carson's fate in terms of All-American recognition. He fits the Trey Burke profile of having played a ton of minutes as a freshman and taken a bunch of shots, but he was underwhelming in the efficiency department. Next season Carson won't have teammates the caliber of Burke's supporting cast, but expect his numbers to improve anyway.




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P.J. Hairston, G, North Carolina Tar Heels
Despite prodigious rate stats, Hairston received limited playing time for the first two-thirds of the season. But after breaking into the starting lineup, he remained a very efficient player who took on a large share of the Tar Heels' offense. He's also a surprisingly productive offensive rebounder for someone who takes 60 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.




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Andrew Wiggins, F, Undecided
Given the numerous scouts who have sung the praises of Wiggins on the prep circuit and the lack of strong candidates to fill out the first team, it's not a reach to project him to the first team. The only reservation is if he lands at Florida State, a team with a history of struggling offenses.




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Chane Behanan, F, Louisville Cardinals
If Russ Smith decides to leave, the Louisville offense figures to run through the front line more frequently. Behanan's numbers will benefit from such an adjustment, although it would help if he could do better than the 55 percent he shot at the free throw line last season since he draws fouls rather frequently.




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Cory Jefferson, F, Baylor Bears
The Bears' run to the NIT title highlighted Jefferson's transformation from defensive specialist to all-around force. His final seven games of the season give the hint that he can function efficiently with a high workload. Jefferson is no lock to return yet, but with the departure of Pierre Jackson, there will be plenty of shots available if he does. Solid rebounding and block numbers are a given with Jefferson. If he becomes a consistent double-digit scorer, watch out.




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Second Team



Shabazz Napier, G, Connecticut Huskies
The Huskies, ineligible for postseason play, toiled in obscurity last season. That was a shame for Napier, who was one of the most improved players in the country. He raised his 2-point percentage from 42 to 49 and lowered his turnover rate significantly. And he made about 40 percent of his 3-point attempts.




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Marshall Henderson, G, Ole Miss Rebels
The Rebels' bad boy figures to rack up a lot of points. His propensity to take shots is legendary -- he came one 3-point attempt short of setting the NCAA's single-season record -- and it helps that he plays in one of the fastest-paced systems in the land. With the departure of Murphy Holloway, Henderson isn't likely to shoot any less. He should lead all power-conference players in scoring, and that will be enough for All-American honors even if Ole Miss doesn't make the tournament (which they still might).




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Spencer Dinwiddie, G, Colorado Buffaloes
Assuming their starting five returns, the Buffaloes will enter the 2013-14 season with high expectations, and rightfully so. No combo guard got to the free throw line like Dinwiddie did last season. Even with uninspiring shooting numbers, he was a weapon because of this 83 percent mark at the line. The one thing holding him back will be the balanced lineup that Colorado has. Dinwiddie is unlikely to monopolize the offense's possessions.




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LaQuinton Ross, F, Ohio State Buckeyes
Ross fits the profile of the guy who was able to take a lot of shots but not make enough of them. In the NCAA tournament, he was able to get to the free throw line quite a bit, and if that becomes a part of his game next season, he'll be significantly more reliable as a scorer. He figures to see increased minutes to replace what Deshaun Thomas vacates, and if he becomes more efficient, he'll morph into one of the more potent wings in the country.




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Davante Gardner, F, Marquette Golden Eagles
The only thing holding Gardner back from recognition is playing time, which will continue to be a challenge because of his size (6-foot-8, 290 pounds). He's a beast in the middle, shooting better than 55 percent on 2-pointers in each of his three seasons, and drawing oodles of fouls in the process. He's also a consistent producer on the offensive glass. If Marquette wins the Big East, Gardner figures to be an important reason for it.

[Galway Eagle]

Thanks!

[The Process]

Marquette will also add the Class of 2013's No. 3-ranked shooting guard in Memphis native JaJuan Johnson.

I love reading that.  JJJ will be a great get for MU.  While some of us mourn not getting Embiid, I'm excited about getting JJJ.

[Rockmic87]

Anybody with insider want to post the "Marquette favorite in New Big East" article and the "Next Season's All Americans" article, at least the part that pertains to any New Big East teams. 

Note: Being an Insider is worth every penny. You should consider the investment.

[Galway Eagle]

Note: Being an Insider is worth every penny. You should consider the investment.

Going to need to be a super senior with my only income being from boxing and bagpiping.  I don't have the money for those kind of luxuries yet.  I intend to get it the moment I can. 

[Otule's Glass Eye]

Getting some love from some non-Marquette fans in the comment section, saying Vander Blue could be an AA as well and that we should be a F4 team.

[wardle2wade]

Jason King of ESPN has always been objective, informed, and also complimentary on MU.  I don't know about you guys, but King and Eamon Brennan (Chicago guy) are easily my favorites hoops writers on espn.