While the college basketball season may have just ended, it doesn't mean that all of the action is over. Let's look at some of the weeks biggest stories and discuss how it might change a team's NCAA basketball odds next season.
NCAA Basketball News and Notes-April
25
After a
trilling season that culminated with the Kentucky Wildcats adding another national title to
its resume earlier this month, you would think there would be a lull in the
action in NCAA basketball, but that is hardly the case. The recruiting season
is in full swing as the major powers begin to set their roster for next
season’s run for a national championship.
The
following is a look at this week’s more prominent news and notes that could
end-up having a major impact on a team’s NCAA basketball odds to win their conference and
national title next season.
Missouri transfers fill the void
Tigers’ head
coach Frank Haith has tried to quickly put the memory of this season’s early
and unexpected exit from the NCAA Tournament behind by focusing his attention
on building a team that is capable of making a long run next season.
While most
programs are focusing on high-school recruits to fill the void of lost talent,
Faith is counting on a couple of transfers to replace the loss of Kim English,
Marcus Denmon and Ricardo Ratcliffe, who are all graduating this spring. He
already added Keion Bell from Pepperdine, Jabari Brown from Oregon, and Earnest
Ross from Auburn, who spent this past season on campus and were able to
practice with the team. The fourth transfer to join the Tigers is Alex Oriakhi
from Connecticut, who left the Huskies because of their recent ban from
postseason play.
All four
players have proven they can play at this level and bring a sense of enthusiasm
that should carry over to the rest of the team. While none of the four can do
anything about Missouri’s stunning loss to No.15-seed Norfolk State this past
March, they could have a huge impact on helping the Tigers earn another
two-seed for next year’s tournament.
A Bear changes his mind
After a very
successful 2012 campaign that resulted in a run all the way to the Elite 8, the
Baylor Bears were thrilled to hear that freshman sensation Quincy Miller had
decided to return for his sophomore year. That all changed this past week when
Miller changed his mind and decided to declare himself eligible for the 2012
NBA Draft.
Miller
started 35 games this past season for the Bears and averaged 10.6 points and
4.9 rebounds. He was expected to be a huge part of Baylor’s plans for another
long run next season, but now becomes just another void that needs to be
filled. The Bears have already lost senior forward Quincy Acy and sophomore
forward Perry Jones III, who announced earlier this month that he was leaving
the team for the draft.
Both of these moves will really hurt this team's stock in the eyes of the college basketball lines makers, but we will have to wait and see if the Bears will be able to pull in any fresh new talent before we count them out.
Xavier is down to just one Musketeer
The 2012
season was one of Xavier’s best in school history with a 23-13 record and a run
all the way to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. If this team is going to
have any chance to duplicate that success next season it will have to do it
with a whole new set of Musketeers.
Coach Chris Mack’s decision this week to part
ways with redshirt junior guard Mark Lyons leaves freshman forward Dez Wells as
the only returning starter from last year’s team. Lyons was Xavier’s
second-leading scorer with 15.5 points a game, but the friction between him and
Mack throughout the season along with his unwillingness to change some of his
ways led to his departure from the team for his fifth and final season. The
Musketeers three other starters; Tu Holloway, Kenny Frease, and Andre Walker
will all graduate this spring.