Games to watch
Duke vs. Kansas, Nov. 12
Andrew Wiggins gets his first of many tests against Duke and the Blue Devils own hotshot freshman Jabari Parker in the Champions Classic in Chicago.
Arizona at Michigan, Dec. 14
Kentucky and Kansas boast the top freshmen classes in the country, but Arizona has a duo most coaches would die for in forwards Aaron Gordon and Rondae-Hollis Jefferson.
Louisville at Kentucky, Dec. 28
The Bluegrass State will be shut down three days after Christmas for this annual heavyweight bout between title contenders.
Oklahoma State at Kansas, Jan. 18
The top two picks in the 2014 NBA draft — Wiggins of Kansas and point guard Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State — could be facing off in Lawrence.
Duke at Syracuse, Feb. 1
A rivalry will be born the day before the Super Bowl at the Carrier Dome as these two East Coast dynamos meet for the first time in the now juggernaut ACC.
Post Preseason All-Americans
First team
Marcus Smart
G, Oklahoma St. (Soph.)
Smart’s surprising return gives the Cowboys the best point guard in the country. Last season, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Aaron Craft
G, Ohio St. (Sr.)
Perhaps the best defender in the nation, the leader of the Buckeyes will have a chance to showcase his scoring ability with the departure of Deshaun Thomas.
Andrew Wiggins
F, Kansas (Fr.)
There is so much hype and so much pressure, but there is even more skill and athleticism. Every game of his is must-see.
Doug McDermott
F, Creighton (Sr.)
Now in the Big East, the nation won’t have to wait until March to see the conference’s preseason player of the year. McDermott could become the first three-time First-Team All-American since Patrick Ewing and Wayman Tisdale.
Julius Randle
F, Kentucky (Fr.)
The best player on the nation’s most talented team and the only player capable of knocking Wiggins from the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Second-Team
Russ Smith, G, Louisville (Sr.)
Gary Harris, G, Michigan St. (Soph.)
Jahii Carson, G, Arizona St. (Soph.)
Jabari Parker, F, Duke (Fr.)
Mitch McGary, F, Michigan (Soph.)
Storylines to watch
Five biggest issues and developments heading into the season:
1. Realignment continues to destroy rivalries and shape the game, most notably with the AAC and the ever-growing ACC, which adds Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. The new Big East will be an interesting throwback, with 10 basketball-centric schools playing a round-robin schedule.
2. Louisville’s title defense took a hit with the suspension of Chane Behanan. When the junior forward returns, and how he re-acclimates, could be the key to the Cardinals’ hopes of repeating. Kevin Ware, coming back from his horrific leg fracture in the NCAA Tournament, is ready to return and will draw focus every time he jumps.
3. After one of the worst NBA drafts in years, the 2014 class will be the most stacked the league has seen since 2003, which featured LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Headlined by Andrew Wiggins and Julius Randle, this college season has more talent than any in recent memory, and should provide some name recognition on draft night.
4. Marshall Henderson is college basketball’s most interesting player — hated and loved, but never boring. The controversial Ole Miss shooting guard was busted for drug possession over the summer and will be suspended for three games. Last season’s leading-scorer in the SEC will draw many headlines this season, but will they be good or bad?
5. With improved coaching and scouting, as well as too much physicality ruining the flow of games, college basketball saw its lowest overall scoring in more than 60 years last season. New rules have been implemented to limit physical contact with hands and forearms. Will offenses flourish? Will defenses adjust?
Under-the-radar stars
The nation’s best players you haven’t heard of yet:
G/F Wesley Saunders, Harvard
The best player on the nationally ranked Crimson, Saunders led Harvard to its first NCAA Tournament victory last March, over New Mexico, and now the 6-foot-5 wing has more help, a scary thought for the rest of the Ivy League.
F Juvonte Reddic, VCU
The Rams’ “Havoc” defense only works because of the presence of this shot-blocking machine who erases mistakes and reminds some of former VCU star Larry Sanders of the Milwaukee Bucks.
F Cleanthony Early, Wichita State
After leading the Shockers to their stunning run to the Final Four, the Middleton, N.Y., product, who has the back story — a Division III junior college product who lost his brother Jamel three years ago in a drowning accident — to match his immense talent, is back for an encore.
G Semaj Christon, Xavier
One of the best freshmen in the country a year ago at any level, the lightning quick point guard will be integral to the Musketeers’ transition into the new Big East.
G Tyler Haws, BYU
Jimmer Mania took over Provo, Utah, two years ago, and now here comes Tylerpalooza. Haws showed little rust after a two-year Mormon mission, averaged 21.7 points per game — seventh in the nation — last year and now the 6-foot-5 guard is back after a full offseason of basketball that included a trip to Russia with the USA World University Games team.
Top locals
The metro-area hardwood products to keep an eye one this season:
F/G Kyle Anderson (Fairview, N.J.), UCLA
With Shabazz Muhammad gone, the Bruins belong to the 6-foot-10 Anderson, a point guard in a forward’s body who will be given the chance to truly showcase his eclectic mix of talents by new coach Steve Alford.
G Russ Smith (Brooklyn), Louisville
“Russdiculous” makes Rick Pitino pull his hair out with his unpredictable and at times out of control ways, but the Louisville fan favorite is a necessary evil: a scoring machine and major reason the Cardinals won a national title last year.
F JayVaughn Pinkston (Brooklyn), Villanova
After a MRSA scare, the chiseled and versatile 6-foot-6 Bishop Loughlin alum is in the best shape of his life, and ready to emerge on a national stage as Villanova’s go-to guy.
F Devon Collier (Bronx), Oregon State
A smooth southpaw with a delicate touch around the basket, Collier has enjoyed a productive career out west, but has experienced very little winning, two losing seasons in three years.
G Chaz Williams (Brooklyn), UMass
The pint-sized blur of a point guard turned down a professional offer overseas to return to college for his senior year, and hopes to lead the Minutemen to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.
Top transfers
F Rodney Hood, Duke (Mississippi State)
The 6-foot-8 forward is an inside-out threat who has drawn rave reviews and gained the trust of head coach Mike Krzyzewski. How much? Krzyzewski has already named him a captain, before his first game in Durham, N.C.
G Eli Carter, Florida (Rutgers)
If Florida can reign in the talented junior’s somewhat shaky shot selection, the explosive scorer from New Jersey could be a huge asset for coach Billy Donovan.
F DeAndre Kane, Iowa State (Marshall)
It’s fair to say the Cyclones hopes rest on the 6-foot-4 point guard’s shoulders after losing 32.3 points per game from their starting lineup. The dynamic Kane, a second team all-Conference USA selection last year who averaged 15 points and seven assists per game, should be up to the task.
G T.J. McConnell, Arizona (Duquesne)
The heady point guard must smile every day. He’s gone from the cold of Pittsburgh to heat of Tucson, and is surrounded by loads of elite level talent that should make his job infinitely easier.
C Josh Smith, Georgetown (UCLA)
Given a controversial waiver by the NCAA after leaving Westwood, the 6-foot-10, 350-pound wide body gives the Hoyas a true inside presence — granted John Thompson III can get Smith to control his weight problems and put in the necessary work to live up to its mammoth potential.
Traveling men
A look at significant coaches in new places:
Andy Enfield, USC
The biggest star of last season’s NCAA Tournament came from the sideline. The 44-year-old architect of “Dunk City,” Enfield left Florida Gulf Coast with his model wife after a remarkable Sweet 16 run and heads to L.A. after just three years as a head coach.
Steve Alford, UCLA
If Alford falls to a double-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament again, like he did twice with New Mexico, the demanding fans and alumni of the 11-time national champions won’t be as understanding.
Eddie Jordan, Rutgers
After a controversy-filled year, culminating with the firing of coach Mike Rice and the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti, Rutgers alum Eddie Jordan — a member of the school’s 1976 Final Four team — has taken on the tall task of restoring pride to the troubled basketball program.
Richard Pitino, Minnesota
The 31-year-old son of the legendary coach gets a chance to carve out his own identity — after multiple assistant coaching positions, most notably at Louisville, and only one season as the head coach at Florida International, which he led to an 18-14 mark last season.
Bobby Hurley, Buffalo
One of college basketball’s greatest point guards of all-time is now running the show. After three seasons working under his younger brother, Dan, at Wagner and Rhode Island, Hurley gets his first opportunity as a head coach.
Top freshman
Andrew Wiggins isn’t the only marquee freshman on college courts this season. Here’s a look at some others:
Andrew & Aaron Harrison
G, Kentucky
The ultra-confident 6-foot-6 Texan twin brothers are dynamic playmakers, Andrew a slick past-first point guard and Aaron a pure shooter just as lethal from beyond the 3-point arc as penetrating through the lane.
Julius Randle
F, Kentucky
There are some who consider the 6-foot-9, 250-pound man-child from Texas the best player in the nation – and not Wiggins — because of his wide array of skills and relentless work ethic. Think of Randle, the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, as a Charles Barkley clone in training — but with additional size.
James Young
F/G, Kentucky
The 6-foot-6 wing from Michigan was thought of as a complimentary piece in Kentucky’s massive freshmen class. Then he got to Lexington and has impressed scouts so thoroughly, outplaying the other freshman besides Randle, he is considered a possible top 10 pick.
Jabari Parker
F/G, Duke
At one point the prized prospect in this dynamic group, the latest star from the Windy City may lack the eye-popping athleticism of some on this list, but the four-time Illinois state champion from Simeon High School – Derrick Rose’s alma mater – and devout Mormon makes up for it with his off-the-charts basketball IQ and sweet stroke.
Aaron Gordon
F, Arizona
The MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game, the 6-foot-9 Californian has drawn comparisons to Clippers dunking artist Blake Griffin – though with a more well-rounded game at this stage of his career.