YCS College Basketball Preview-Laziness Has Set In

The shocking thing about this is that it did not happen sooner. I will go back to my garguantally long preview for Big Ten and Big East, but in the mean time here are abriged write-ups for the ACC and SEC. Also, my lazy ass completely ignored editing this MoFo since I'm not competing in the grammar rodeo anytime soon.

ACC:
1. North Carolina-Freshman of the year Tyler Hansbrough and talented wing Reyshawn Terry will lead the talented young pups. Three freshman, forward Brandan Wright and guards Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington, will likely start with Hansbrough and Terry. Wright's an athletic swingman similar to Kansas's Julian Wright, Ellington's a complete scorer, and Lawson is UNC's latest jet quick point guard. Another freshman, Alex Stephenson, should be the first big man off the bench. Three sophomore, Bobby Frasor, Marcus Ginyard, and Danny Green will be perimeter reserves. Frasor can play both guard spots, and is a solid perimeter shooter and capable floor general. Ginyard may be UNC's best defender, and Green does a little bit of everything. Tremenous talent and ridiculous depth make Carolina my preseason pick to win it all.

2. Florida State: Picked with my surprise teams, I really think Leonard Hamilton's crew puts it together.

3. Georgia Tech: The Jackets played much better than last season's 11-17 record. The arrival of point guard Javaris Crittendon, a missing component last season, will turn their close losses into wins. Of course, that Thaddeus Young cat should also fire up Hot-lanta. These two will nicely complement returing guards Anthony Morrow and Lewis Clinch. Also, big man Re-Sean Dickey will have an all-conference type of season.

4. Duke: Their inclusion among my disappointing teams may look foolish since Greg Paulus's broken foot miraculously healed in two weeks. I still think they will not be a top 10 team, but they'll likely outperform any disappointment talk.

5. Boston College: Al Skinner's crew always overachieves, but the incoming talent in ACC may knock them down a peg this season. Jared Dudley should still be an all-conference player, but they will badly miss Craig Smith. Tyrese Rice should score more as a sophomore starter, and Sean Williams could rank among the nation's best shot blockers. Also, big guard Sean Marshall will be a steady scorer this season. Junior forwards John Oates and Akida McClain will play major minutes up front. Freshman guard Daye Kaba and forward Shamari Spears also could earn minutes.

Virginia has a great backcourt in Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds, but need better production upfront. Maryland once again has plenty of talent, but will need freshman guards Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez to be the Terps primary ballhandlers. Virginia Tech has a nice veteran roster, but they have to live up to their potential. Wake Forest has a strong freshman class, but may be a year away from returning to top of the ACC. NC State will miss Herb Sendek's steadiness, and will battle with Miami and Clemson to avoid the cellar.

All-Conference Team:
G Sean Singletary, Virginia
G/F Jared Dudley, Boston College
F Al Thornton, Florida State
F Josh McRoberts, Duke
F Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

Player of the Year: Hansbrough
Newcomer of the Year: Toney Douglas, Florida State

SEC:
East Division:
1. Florida: They return their strong starting five, and they've been featured in many college basketball previews. Joakim Noah can do everything but shoot it well. Al Horford is an athletic bull down low. Corey Brewer has become a complete player on both ends of the floor. Lee Humphrey drains the Gators outside shoots. Point guard Taureen Green does a nice job of balancing setting up his teammates and looking for his own shot. The Gators will have four solid reserves off the bench, led by senior big man Chris Richard and sophomore combo guard Walter Hodge. The other two top reserves are freshman, sharpshooting forward Dan Werner and developing big man Marreese Speights.

2. Tennessee: Listed with my surprise teams, Bruce Pearl's squad should harass the SEC once again.

3. Georgia: Dennis Felton has done a great job cleaning up the mess left by Jim Harrick. The Bulldogs should compete for an NCAA Tournament, but may be a bit short up front to sneak in. They have a very solid back court with Levi Stukes, Channing Toney, Sundaita Gaines, Mike Mercer and Billy Humphrey. Stukes, Toney and Gaines start, with Mercer and Humphrey providing an offensive spark off the bench. Upfront, the Dogs suffered a major setback when heralded JuCo post player Takais Brown was declared academically ineligible. Brown would have started at the 4 spot, and could have been the low post presence to life Felton's squad back to the Big Dance. Servicable senior Dave Bliss and freshman Albert Jackson will now be the primary frontcourt options, and they will struggle handling the front lines of Florida, Alabama and LSU.

4. Kentucky: Mentioned with my disappointments, the Cats streak of 15 straight NCAA Tournaments will be snapped this season. Even with Tubby Smith's excellent coaching ability, they do not have the talent to compete in the talented SEC.

Vanderbilt and South Carolina will battle to stay out of the SEC East basement. Vanderbilt has an incredibly talented shooter in Shan Foster and a strong wing player in Virginia transfer Derrick Byars. South Carolina has to replace last season's two best players, Renaldo Balkman and Tarence Kinsey. The Gamecocks have won the last two postseason NIT's, but they will likely not qualify for the three-peat this season.

West Division:
1. LSU: A true big man, Glen "Big Baby" Davis will lead the Bayou Bengals to the top of the SEC again this season. The defending SEC player of the year, Davis will have a better chance to repeat after shedding 40 pounds this summer. Sophomore Magnum Rolle and senior Darnell Lazare will compete for the starting spot vacated by Tyrus Thomas. Rolle has tons of potential, and could be the SEC's most improved player this season. Garrett Temple, Tack Minor and Marquette transfer Dameon Mason will man the Tigers backcourt. Temple is an outstanding defender, and complements the slashing ability of Mason and Minor. Texas Tech transfer Terry Martin may also earn minutes in the backcourt. The Tigers likely lack the playmaking guard to make a return trip to the Final Four, but they be among the best in the SEC once again.

2. Alabama: The return of star guard Ronald Steele and emerging big man Jermareo Davidson make the Tide extremely tough once again. Steele does everything well, and Davidson has a strong inside-outside game. Talented sophomores Alonzo Gee and Richard Hendrix should be nice complements to them. Gee does a nice job of getting the basket, and Hendrix will bang with anyone down low. Pesky guard Brandon Hollinger returns to play tenacious defense and hit the open perimeter shot. With the graduation of Jean Fucking Felix, the Tide does not have a proven option off the bench. However, their top four players can play with anyone, and Mark Gottfried always does a good job at getting the most out of his talent. Alabama will be a real tough out come March, and if a couple of reserves step up, they have a chance to be playing on the final weekend of the season.

3. Arkansas: The Razorbacks have to replace talented guards Ronnie Brewer and Johnathan Modica, but Stan Heath's crew should make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. An outstanding froncourt with Charles Thomas, Steven Hill and Darian Townes leads the way. Thomas and Townes can both be bigtime post scorers, and Steven Hill is a shot blocker supreme. Cyrus McGowan, Vincent Hunter and freshman Michael Washington give the Backs an extremely strong frontcourt rotation. A young, but talented backcourt will try to complement the big guys. Swingman Sonny Weems was the top rated JuCo player, and Mississippi State transfer Gary Ervin should thrive in Heath's up-tempo attack. Freshmen Patrick Beverly and Stefan Welsh will compete for the final spot, with Beverly likely to win the job. A strong scorer, Beverly will be a very nice SEC player if he can reign his game in. Stan Heath has the Arkansas program back on track, and with no seniors on the roster they should be a real factor these next couple of seasons.

Mississippi State has a nice one-two punch with Charles Rhodes and Jamont Gordon. They should improve on last season's 15-15 record if those two get any help. Korvotney Barber could be a break-out player for Auburn, but Jeff Lebo's squad lacks the firepower to compete with the SEC's best. Dwayne Curtis could be all-league for Old Miss, but Andy Kennedy has a major rebuilding job on his hands.

All-Conference Team:
G Ronald Steele, Alabama
G Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
F Joakim Noah, Florida
F Al Horford, Florida
F Glen Davis, LSU

Player of the Year: Noah
Newcomer of the Year: Duke Crews, Tennessee