The Case Against

Some of the concerns below are more fiction (e.g. Dee Brown’s health) than fact. But in every case they represent the three most significant fears I would have as a fan of

Wake Forest: (1) Skip Prosser won’t have the experience to lead the Deacons come March. (2) The same health problems that plagued Wake Forest last season (Vytas Danelius’ shoulder and Chris Ellis’ right foot) will return. (3) Defense will remain a problem and Wake will stumble during outings in which the team shoots poorly from the field.

Kansas: (1) The departures of Jeff Graves and David Padgett will enable opponents to collapse on Wayne Simien, limiting the big fella’s effectiveness. (2) One or more of the Jayhawks’ summer injuries (to Keith Langford’s knee, Wayne Simien’s groin, J.R. Gidden’s sore foot and Alex Galindo’s wrist) will return, undermining the team’s depth. (3) Aaron Miles will struggle from outside, putting undue pressure on Langford to lead.

Georgia Tech: (1) Marvin Lewis’ points and quiet leadership will be sorely missed. (2) Will Bynum will be much less effective as a starter than a role player. Further, Will’s height will become an issue. (3) Luke Schenscher won’t rise to the occasion during this season as he did in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina: (1) Raymond Felton won’t mature as a player, failing to live up to the media hype surrounding his potential. (2) The Tar Heels will miss J.R. Smith and lack a slasher on the wings. (3) Marvin Williams will pull an Eddie Griffin.

Illinois: (1) Lack of points production down low. (2) Contrary to countless recent columns, Dee Brown is not healthy and has not fully recovered from last season’s injury. (3) A weak Big 10 won’t toughen the Fighting Illini for a lengthy March Madness run.

Connecticut: (1) Not a single player will step up and establish themselves as the team’s new leader. (2) Lacking maturity, Rudy Gay will disappoint. (3) With or without a visible leader, the Huskies will fail to develop the chemistry necessary to weather the ups and downs of a long season.

Syracuse: (1) The Orange will lack a third scoring option. (2) Billy Edelin won’t return. Or will return, but in so doing disrupt team chemistry. (3) Craig Forth will continue to get into early foul trouble, enabling teams to concentrate on containing Hakkim Warrick’s productivity on offense.

Duke: (1) The lack of a true point guard. (2) A short rotation (particularly up front) will dilute the benefit of team practices and enable opposing clubs to exploit tired Blue Devils as games wind down. (3) On nights that J.J. Redick is off, Duke will be unable to score at the clip necessary to keep pace with other premier clubs. (DeMarcus Nelson won't be ready to contribute immediately).

Oklahoma State: (1) Eddie Sutton will find it harder to replace Tony Allen’s production than he had hoped. (2) Neither Joey Graham nor John Lucas III will have developed and matured as could (and should) have been expected after last year’s success. (3) JamesOn Curry will disrupt team camaraderie and prove he didn’t deserve a second chance.

Arizona: (1) Salim Stoudamire will assume the role of a destructive team leader, selfishly pouting more often than he unselfishly inspires. But no other player will step up and take control of the ‘Cats fortunes. (2) Mustafa Shakur will pursue his dreams of an NBA career during the NCAA season. Rather than focusing on directing the Arizona offense, he’ll try to impress scouts and hangers-on with flashy passes and frequent shots. (3) Channing Frye will lack the bulk to be a dominating college big man.