This week, FanHouse is taking a way too early look at the top teams heading into 2007 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. It's a time-honored filler for the off-season, and who are we to buck tradition? Today we look at teams 20 through 16.
One thing that held NC State back last year was depth. There was a bulk of the season where they played just 6 or 7 guys. This year, the Wolfpack will return four starters, bring in two transfers and four freshmen. Oh, and they return of the ACC's best big men.
In a conference with Tyler Hansbrough and Josh McRoberts ... Brandon Costner's name wasn't heard as much. He should be. He was dominant last year, leading all ACC freshmen in scoring. Not just that, but he was a beast during the ACC tournament, showing his perimeter game as well as his post precense. Now State will put McDonald's All-American J.J. Hickson alongside him ... making him much more of a mismatch. Costner's my sleeper pick for the ACC Player of the Year.
A big issue will be replacing guard Engin Atsur. The Wolfpack seemed lost without him last year. Transfers Farnold Degand [Iowa State], Marques Johnson [Tennessee] and freshman Javier Gonzalez will get the opportunity to fill the void. There's also the ongoing immigration problems with Gavin Grant. Those are key losses, but their only significant ones. This was a very thin team that got a lot of playing time last year and a crash course in how coach Sidney Lowe wants things done. The same thing could happen this year with six new faces on the roster.
Why they should be ranked here: They bring back five of their top six scorers [provided Grant comes back] and this team that got a ton of court time last year welcomes in a very good freshmen class. Also, the ACC should be down a bit after losing several underclassmen to the NBA. The Wolfpack can rack up some wins.
Why they should be ranked higher: This team won 6 of its last 9 to end the season ... which included an improbable run to the ACC Championship game. In that game, they gave UNC all they could handle. If that is a sign that these players are grasping Lowe's system, this could be the start of the next great era of Wolfpack basketball. Oh, and this kid Hickson is one heck of a talent.
Why they shouldn't be ranked: Losing floor general Atsur hurts, and they have no experienced replacement. Incoming freshman Javier Gonzalez may get a shot, as will the two transfers ... but there are enough experienced point guards in this league that could expose them.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-10-2007 @ 11:46PM
StoneyFF said...
If there's one position that they can best recover from weakness at, it's point guard... if anyone can teach being a point guard, it's Sid! And look at the point guards the Wolfpack has had historically... it's always been or become a strong position for them... Sid will do the same thing this year he did last... he'll make a weakness work for them instead of against them
Stoney
{who goes back to the David Thompson era, and who thinks Sid's the best coach we've had since then... he's got Valvano's enthusiasm and motivational talent, and he's got the basketball skills himself to back it up and to teach the system as well as sell it to the team... We got the BEST coach we could have!}
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