The Good Doc’s Abbreviated Basketball Preview

The 2006-2007 preseason college basketball coaches poll is out, and I noticed something wrong with it.

1. Florida
No issues here.  The Gators are the most-talented, scariest defending national champions since Duke was in 2002.  They return everyone and they’ll be tough to beat.

2. Carolina
I’m just really hoping there are serious chemistry issues on this team.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  Really. 

3. Kansas
Bill Self lost starting center Sasha Kaun through Christmas after having already suspended his backup, C.J. Giles.  Kaun averaged eight and five while Giles averaged six and five last season.  Kansas will be ok. 

4. Ohio State
If Oden is healthy by Christmas, this is a legitimate national championship contender.

5. Pitt, UCLA (tied)
These are two really good teams that I don’t really care all that much about.

What bothers me is how on earth in the name of Lakista McCuller can you leave out Sidney Lowe’s mighty Cardiac Pack? 

Shameful. 

This is a team that averaged 74.5 points per game in its ’05-’06 campaign and returns 27.1 of that with the hobbled Engin Atsur (10.8), wet-back Gavin Grant (8.3), Brandon Costner (2.8), Ben McCauley (2.1), Courtney Fells (2.0), Braxton Albritton (0.9), and #20 in your programs but #1 in your hearts, Bryan Nieman (0.2). 

How can you underestimate a squad bringing back 36% of its total scoring and 34% of its total minutes?  How can you not be excited about a team that will start three guys that combined to average seven points and six minutes per game last season?

This team is reminiscent of that 1995 team, which beat Carolina in Reynolds when they were #1 and then-undefeated and also gave second-ranked Kansas everything they could handle.  Of course, we don’t have a dominant center like Todd Fuller.  Actually, that ’95 team finished 3-13 in the conference and lost to Duke in the Les Robinson Classic, so let’s not reminisce after all. 

All that really matters is that this team has a new coach with a new attitude, new style, but the same (winning) tradition.  Plus, the new traditional-looking uniforms and the Reynolds-esque paint scheme on the court are both very sharp and have the Doc’s complete approval.

So to the Woffords, Deleware States, and Gardner Webbs out there: beware.  This is a team that could really step up and surprise some people this season.  This is a team that is very capable of finishing as high as tenth in the conference, and should not be overlooked.