June is often considered a fallow period in men's college basketball, but there are always a few stories that could impact teams' chances to win their conference or even affect their current odds to make a run at a national title.
The 2012 Navy-Marine Corps Classic
Last
basketball season brought us the Carrier Classic which was the first ever
college basketball game that was played on the deck of a military aircraft
carrier. The Nov.11 matchup between North Carolina and Michigan State garnered
national attention with the President and First Lady in attendance.
This
upcoming season, there will be three games played on the deck of a military
ship starting with the Navy-Marine Corps Classic on November 9 between the
SEC’s Florida Gators and the Georgetown Hoyas, from the Big East, off the coast
of Jacksonville, Florida. In the other two games on the slate, the Big East’s
Marquette Golden Eagles will square-off against the Big Ten’s Ohio State
Buckeyes off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina and the Syracuse Orange,
who are currently in the Big East, will travel to the West Coast to play the
Mountain West’s San Diego State Aztecs off the coast of San Diego.
2012/2013 prominent coaching changes
With close
to 350 schools fielding a Division I basketball program, there are bound to be a
number of coaching changes in any given year. The following is a look at some
of the most prominent changes heading into the 2012/2013 season.
Illinois
Fighting Illini- Bruce Weber was let go after a 17-15 campaign that included a
6-12 record in Big Ten play. In his place is John Groce, who was the former
head coach at Ohio. Bovada has opened the Fighting Illini at 75/1 to win this
season’s national title.
Kansas State
Wildcats- Frank Martin is out at Kansas State after deciding to take over the
top spot at South Carolina and he was quickly replaced with Weber. The
ex-Illinois coach inherits a team that finished 32-7 overall last season and
made it to third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Syracuse. The
Wildcats have been opened at 100/1 to win it all this year.
Virginia
Tech Hokies- Seth Greenburg compiled an overall record of 170-123 during his
tenure at Virginia Tech but a 16-17 record this past season proved to be his
demise. He will be replaced by James Johnson, who was an assistant coach with
the school but left this offseason to take a similar position at Clemson. Less
than three weeks later he was offered the top spot with the Hokies. Virginia
Tech is a 200/1 longshot to make a run at a national title this season.
ESPN’s Top 10 Coaching Jobs
ESPN
recently released its consensus picks for the top 10 coaching jobs in the
country. There were no recent changes at any of the schools on this list, as
these are 10 of the most coveted jobs in all of men’s college basketball. The
following is the list of programs, counting down from 10 to 1;
10. Arizona
Wildcats (PAC-12)
9. Louisville Cardinals (Big East)
8. Ohio
State Buckeyes (Big Ten)
7. Syracuse
Orange (Big East)
6. Duke Blue
Devils (ACC)
5. Indiana
Hoosiers (Big Ten)
4. UCLA
Bruins (PAC-12)
3. Kansas
Jayhawks (Big 12)
2. Kentucky
Wildcats (SEC)
1. North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC)