Top 10 College Basketball Storylines

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 11, 2008

Top 10 College Basketball Storylines

How long will Tyler Hansbrough be nagged by injury?

Sure, North Carolina will be fine for a few games without him, but is there really an unquestioned title favorite without Psycho-T? A stress reaction isn't actually a serious injury, but if it's a sign of stress fractures ahead, Carolina fans should be holding on tight.

Can Stephen Curry handle his move to point guard?

Curry made his fame in the shooting guard spot, but he worked all summer -- including at the Steve Nash camp and LeBron James Skills Academy -- to perfect his point guard skills. He has always possessed the court-vision of an elite point guard -- the question is, will he have someone to pass to?

Can the Big East land a record nine in the tournament?

If nothing goes wrong, UConn and A.J. Price (pictured), Notre Dame, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Villanova and Georgetown should slip in without a problem. Expectations should be high, too, for West Virginia and Syracuse. A weaker ACC should help the cause.

Can Arizona regroup?

In one week, Arizona lost legendary head coach Lute Olson and three recruits, it was turned down by another coach for the head coaching job and had to deny Jeff Withey's request to transfer. Can it regroup and regain the trust of incoming freshmen so the phrase "rebuilding year" is an accurate one?

Can Carolina win the national title?

Assuming Tyler Hansbrough is healthy, no team is more talented than Carolina. But anything can happen in the NCAA tournament, as Ty Lawson (pictured) and the Tar Heels discovered in last season's Final Four.

Are Billy's kids on the rise again at Florida?

The good times seemed over when the Oh-Fours took off, leaving a lackluster, cocky bunch of players behind. Now it seems like Billy Donovan is back in the saddle, with three returning starters, including 2007-08 SEC co-freshman of the year Nick Calathes (pictured). Losing Jai Lucas is a blow, but incoming point guard Erving Walker could help ease the pain and lift the Gators back to the top of the SEC again.

Just how bad will Indiana be?

One returning player and a coach who's trying hard to encourage students to come back to games doesn't exactly sound like the Indiana basketball tradition. If Tom Crean can meld a ragtag group of juco transfers and former walk-ons, they'll be .500 at best.

Who's the real king of the Big East?

The combination of A.J. Price and Hasheem Thabeet makes UConn nearly unstoppable, but the Huskies aren't exactly far ahead of Louisville and its 6-8, 240 pound Samardo Samuels (pictured) in the preseason rankings. When the two face off on Feb. 2 -- their only regular season duel -- it will be one for the ages. That is, if both have gotten past the rest of the fight-to-the-finish Big East.

Who will be the king of the freshmen?

Let's be clear. There is no Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley or O.J. Mayo in this freshman class. But that doesn't mean that there's not a few who will contribute right away. Rivals.com ranks B.J. Mullens on top of the class, but our scouts say keep an eye on Jrue Holiday (pictured) at UCLA. DeMar DeRozen softens the blow of losing Mayo at USC, Delvon Roe could turns heads at Michigan State and Tyreke Evans will try his best to take Memphis back to the Final Four

Is Michigan State ready to retake the Big 10?

Over the summer, Tom Izzo promised he would bring back the running style that twice took his squad to a Final Four. With freshman Delvon Roe (pictured) grabbing rebounds and sophomore Kalin Lucas running the point, Michigan State could win the conference title.