Marcus Georges-Hunt is the key man for Georgia Tech this season
Georgia Tech
The Coach: After three lackluster years, Brian Gregory’s seat is starting to feel a bit warm. He has just one winning season (16-15 in 2012-13) in his three-year tenure & has an incredibly inexperienced roster.
Expected Starters: G Travis Jorgenson (Fr), G Marcus Georges-Hunt (Jr), F Quinton Stephens (So), F Charles Mitchell (Jr), C Demarco Cox (Sr)
Key Returning Players: Georges-Hunt (11.7 ppg/4.3 rpg/2.1 apg) is pretty much where the list begins & ends. The Yellowjackets lost Trae Golden & Daniel Miller to graduation & forward Robert Carter transferred. Chris Bolden (5.4 ppg/2.4 rpg) showed flashes last year, but is horribly inefficient on offense (83.7 ORtg/29.8 FG%).
Key Newcomers: Ole Miss transfer Demarco Cox (4.2 ppg/3.9 rpg) is immediately eligible. Cox posted 6 points & 7 rebounds against Marquette in the 2011 Paradise Jam. Maryland transfer Charles Mitchell (6.6 ppg/6.5 rpg) is also immediately eligible this season. ECU transfer Sampson (9.1 ppg/9.2 rpg/1.8 bpg in 2012-13) adds strength to the frontcourt. USF transfer Josh Heath (2.6 ppg/3.6 apg) adds depth at the position & immediate eligibility. Freshman Travis Jorgenson is available after a redshirt year & will get an early look at the point while freshman guard Tadric Jackson was the Georgia high school player of the year & should be able to add some immediate minutes as an offensive threat.
On The Court: Georgia Tech is a team with a lot of questions. If Bolden & Heyward can shed their offensive ineptitude with regular minutes, if Cox, Mitchell, & Sampson can form an effective frontcourt, if freshmen Jackson, Abdoulaye Gueye, & Ben Lammers can add legitimate minutes off the bench, & if Marcus Georges-Hunt can develop into a go-to star, the Yellowjackets could be better than expected & possibly compete for a NCAA berth. Those are a lot of ifs. This is a team that was mediocre on offense & lost 4 of their 5 best offensive players. Gregory’s teams always play solid defense, but virtually everyone is new to the program or new to their role, meaning it will probably take some time. This is a team with some depth & length, but right now presents more questions than answers.
Season Projection: Georgia Tech was picked 13th in the ACC & plays a tough schedule that includes 6 Pomeroy top-100 teams. Year four was when Gregory started to turn it around in Dayton, but it will be hard to duplicate that with this roster. Georges-Hunt can only do so much & defenses will all be focusing on him. Unless the Yellowjackets can answer yes to all of those ifs listed above, they will likely be a pretty bad basketball team.
Michigan State
The Coach: Tom Izzo is one of the best coaches in the country. He enters his 20th season with a streak of 17 straight NCAA bids, 12 Sweet 16s, 2 Final Fours, & 1 National Title. His teams are usually efficient on both ends of the court, with a knack for developing solid inside-outside big men & reliable, efficient guard play.
Projected Starters: G Travis Trice (Sr), G Alvin Ellis (So), F Denzel Valentine (Jr), F Branden Dawson (Sr), C Matt Costello (Jr)
Key Returning Players: Dawson (11.2 ppg/8.3 rpg) is the clear star, though without Gary Harris & Adreian Payne will have to deal with defenses that view him as the focal point for the first time in his career. Valentine (8.0 ppg/6.0 rpg/3.8 rpg) is a dangerous point forward that does a bit of everything, while Trice (7.3 ppg/2.3 apg) will have to step up his game to help replace Harris & Keith Appling.
Key Newcomers: Bryn Forbes (15.6 ppg/3.1 rpg/42.4 3P%) was granted immediate eligibility after transferring from Cleveland State. He will be expected to shoulder some of the scoring void in the backcourt. The Spartans also add some talented freshmen. Lourawls Nairn is a lightning-quick point guard that will provide a change of pace to the offense while Javon Bess & Marvin Clark provide some wing depth.
On The Court: The Spartans are an interesting team. Dawson, Valentine, & Trice are all legitimate high-major starters & the reason Sparty is ranked 18th in both polls. The rest of the team is not as convincing. The only other player on the team to average over 8 mpg was Matt Costello. Forbes looks like the only reliable player off the bench. This team could struggle on offense as they lost 61.2% of their scoring. Defensively, Izzo’s teams are always well-prepared & usually stick to man, though there are concerns after the Spartans failed to impress on the back end in their first exhibition game.
Season Projection: Michigan State was picked 3rd in the Big 10 & is ranked in the top-20, but that seems very optimistic for a team that lost so much. Izzo always seems to have his teams playing their best in March but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see them take some lumps early. Of all the big name teams Marquette could see in the non-conference, this one is probably their best chance at stealing a win. At the end of the year, the Spartans should stay in the top half of the Big 10 & earn a 7-10 seed in the NCAAs. Knowing Izzo, they’ll end up in the Elite 8 as well, but that discussion is still a few months away.
Rider
The Coach: Kevin Baggett spent 6 years on staff before taking over as head coach at Rider. He enters his third season at the helm with a young team & some mixed results. His first season ended up with a postseason berth in the CIT, but his team slumped to 14-17 last year. Baggett’s Broncs will look to get back to the tough defense of his inaugural campaign.
Expected Starters: G Teddy Okereafor (Jr), G Zedric Sadler (Jr), G Jimmie Taylor (So), F Shawn Valentine (Jr), C Junior Fortunat (Sr)
Key Returning Players: Sadler (8.3 ppg/3.9 rpg/3.0 apg) & Taylor (12.1 ppg/3.7 rpg/46.9 3P%) form an efficient backcourt tandem. Kahlil Thomas (3.8 ppg/3.4 rpg) had a solid freshman year but will need to improve to help replace the combined 31.4 ppg & 10.5 rpg lost with the departures of graduated forwards Daniel Stewart & Anthony Myles.
Key Newcomers: The Broncs are high on VCU transfer Okereafor, who should jump right into the backcourt with Sadler & Taylor. Lehigh graduate transfer Anthony D’Orazio will provide backcourt depth while 7-foot Utah State transfer Matt Lopez & freshman big Kenny Grant give the Broncs some depth in the frontcourt.
On The Court: As a team, Rider shot 39.7% from long-range last season & bring back three guys that hit over 40% on at least 50 attempts. Their backcourt looks good if Okereafor can produce, but they lost most of their offensive efficiency up front & virtually all of it in the front court. Rider will take (& make) a lot of threes, work hard to get to the charity stripe, & count on Okereafor to find their shooters in good position. On defense they will look for the steal while trying to close out quickly on shots. A good ball fake can take advantage of their aggressive man-to-man style as they do tend to send the other team to the line as well.
Season Projection: Rider will likely be in the middle of the pack in the MAAC, where they were picked 7th. They have a lot of new pieces to get up to speed & the Orlando Classic could be a rough trip for them. Once they get to conference play, they could make some noise & challenge for the top half of the league if their pieces come together. They will go as far as their backcourt can carry them.