|
Rank
|
Team
|
Conference
|
Skinny
|
|
26
|
Siena
|
Metro Atlantic
|
The Saints go marching up and down the floor: Nation's third-highest scoring team last year- 86.6 points per game- has four starters back
|
|
27
|
Louisville
|
Conference USA
|
Three returning starters-forwards Nate Johnson and Tony Williams and guard Marques Maybin-all averaged between 12.1 and 12.3 points
|
|
28
|
Stanford
|
Pac-10
|
Bad news: Cardinal has only one starter back. Good news: He's league player of the year candidate Mark Madsen (13.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 60.5 FG%)
|
|
29
|
Miami
|
Big East
|
Hurricanes will rely heavily on Big East's most improved player last season, guard Johnny Hemsley, who increased scoring from 14.1 to 17.8
|
|
30
|
Maryland
|
ACC
|
Terps must find help for Terence Morris, who last year was lone player in ACC top 10 in scoring, rebounding, blocks, steals, FG% and FT%
|
|
31
|
New Mexico
|
Mountain West
|
Lobos will no longer follow their Bliss (coach Dave was replaced by Fran Fraschilla). Instead they'll rely on guard Lamont Long (16.8 ppg)
|
|
32
|
Oregon
|
Pac-10
|
Conference's most prolific three-point shooting team hopes 7'2" center Chris Christoffersen can improve on so-so freshman year
|
|
33
|
Wake Forest
|
ACC
|
Junior point guard Robert O'Kelley can score (17.5-point average, tops in ACC) but needs to improve his playmaking (2.0 assists)
|
|
34
|
Fresno State
|
WAC
|
Return of senior guard Courtney Alexander (21.4 ppg) plus fact that league tournament is in Fresno equals return to NCAAs for Tark
|
|
35
|
Indiana
|
Big Ten
|
Hoosiers have won just two games in last four NCAA tournaments; senior guard A.J. Guyton (16.0 ppg) lacks the help needed to add to that total
|
|
36
|
Weber State
|
Big Sky
|
Forward Harold (the Show) Arceneaux (22.3 ppg) and point man Eddie Gill return from team that shocked North Carolina in 1999 NCAAs
|
|
37
|
Georgia Tech
|
ACC
|
Seven-foot Jason Collier and 6' II" Alvin Jones, who combined for 29.9 ppg and 17.0 rpg last season, give Tech formidable Twin Towers
|
|
38
|
Tulsa
|
WAC
|
Realigned WAC won't get automatic NCAA berth, but center Brandon Kurtz (11.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg) should lead Hurricane to sixth bid since 1994
|
|
39
|
Missouri
|
Bigl2
|
Expectations are high for new coach Quin Snyder, who will up the tempo to capitalize on talents of sophomore star Keyon Dooling
|
|
40
|
Michigan
|
Big Ten
|
Knee injury to forward Brandon Smith (out until January) will give top recruit LaVell Blanchard a chance to develop into a star
|
|
41
|
Alabama
|
SEC
|
New coach Mark Gottfried's bumper crop of recruits is led by junior college All-America forward Schea Cotton (25.8 ppg)
|
|
42
|
Penn
|
Ivy
|
Senior guard Michael Jordan (15.3 ppg) leads deep Quakers, who will face Kentucky, Kansas and Temple in nonconference games
|
|
43
|
New Mexico State
|
BigWest
|
Eight of the top nine players- including senior point guard Billy (the Kid) Keys (13.7 ppg) -are back from a team that won 23 games
|
|
44
|
N.C. State
|
ACC
|
Freshman Damien Wilkins (Gerald's son and Dominique's nephew) counted on to end Wolf pack's eight-year NCAA tournament drought
|
|
45
|
Oklahoma
|
Big 12
|
Forward Eduardo Najera (15.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg) is a star, but Sooners will miss Ryan Humphrey (7.5 rpg), who transferred to Notre Dame
|
|
46
|
Toledo
|
Mid-American
|
The MAC should once again get two NCAA bids if the Rockets' 6'8" junior Greg Stempin (15.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) continues to improve
|
|
47
|
Vanderbilt
|
SEC
|
Lanky 6'11", 220-pounder Dan Langhi is as dangerous on the perimeter as he is inside (17.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg, .385 three-point FG%)
|
|
48
|
Bradley
|
MVC
|
All five starters are back, led by 6'4" guard Eric Roberson, who led the Braves in rebounding and had nine steals in one game
|
|
49
|
Kent
|
Mid-American
|
Golden Flashes have top six scorers back from team that won 23 games but still must find a point guard to lead them
|
|
50
|
Xavier
|
A-10
|
Hopes for 11th NCAA tournament bid in last 15 years rest on surgically repaired right knee of Darnell Williams (17.3 ppg in 1997-98)
|
|
51
|
Detroit
|
Midwestern Collegiate
|
Coming off upset of UCLA in the NCAAs, Titans will again rely on defense that held opponents to 55.3 ppg, third best in the nation
|
|
52
|
Indiana State
|
MVC
|
Sycamores could win a second NCAA bid for conference behind all-around talent Nate Green, who led league in assists with 4.6 per game
|
|
53
|
Samford
|
TAAC
|
With Reed Rawlings leading all five starters back from a 24- 6 team, the Bulldogs may run Princeton's offense better than Princeton
|
|
54
|
Delaware
|
America East
|
Will again rely on 1999 conference player of the year, 6'5", 240-pound forward Mike Pegues, who bulled his way to 21.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg
|
|
55
|
Appalachian State
|
Southern
|
The buzz on coach Buzz Petersen's team: It's deep enough to end College of Charleston's stranglehold on conference title
|
|
56
|
Murray State
|
OVC
|
Racers have won conference regular-season championship II times in last 12 years, and six returning seniors should ensure another title
|
|
57
|
Lafayette
|
Patriot
|
Leopards boast a lineup that contains two former conference players of the year, center Stefan Ciosici and guard Brian Ehlers
|
|
58
|
Arkansas State
|
Sun Belt
|
Chico Fletcher is only 5'6" but ranked second in nation in assists, with 8.3 a game, and led Indians in scoring, with 17.0 points a game
|
|
59
|
East Carolina
|
Colonial
|
Evaldas Joeys, 6'9" senior forward, averaged 13.8 ppg and made 42.5% of his treys on a bum leg last year—and now he's healthy
|
|
60
|
Md.-Baltimore Cty
|
Northeast
|
With four starters back, the Retrievers, who won their first 15 league games last year but lost in the conference tournament, look golden
|
|
61
|
Louisiana-Monroe
|
Southland
|
This school figures to improve on woeful 41.8% marksmanship to earn first NCAA bid since 1996, when it was called Northeast Louisiana
|
|
62
|
Norfolk State
|
MEAC
|
Damian Woolfolk (23.2 ppg, fifth-best in country) should put former Division II powerhouse in NCAAs in its first year of eligibility
|
|
63
|
Southern
|
SWAC
|
Jaguars are smilingthanks to 6'7" Adarrial Smylie (19.0 ppg), the consensus choice to win conference player of the year honors
|
|
64
|
Winthrop
|
BigSouth
|
Lost a lot of frontcourt firepower, but senior point guard Tyson Waterman (11.5 ppg) should make the Eagles fly again
|
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