College Basketball 2011-12: 10 Teams That Will Fall From Where They Finished
Even though the UConn Huskies were just crowned NCAA champions less than a week ago, we can already begin to look ahead to the 2011-12 season.
There will be some teams that will build off the successes of this past season.
Other programs will have to regroup after players enter the NBA draft.
Still others are going to have to rebuild from graduation departures.
The following is a quick look at 10 teams that will fall from where they finished.
These are teams that had some level of success this year but are going to face some real challenges being close to where they were in the 2010-11 campaign.
10. Colorado Buffaloes
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The Colorado Buffaloes had a breakthrough season of sorts.
Thad Boyle's first year in Boulder saw the Buffs go 24-14 overall and 8-8 in the Big 12.
On the surface, you would think that would be enough to make it into the NCAA tournament.
However, Boyle and his Buffaloes were on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday.
Looking to next season, Boyle has some significant challenges ahead.
Colorado graduates three double-figure scorers in Corey Higgins (16.1 PPG), Levi Knutson (11.7 PPG) and Marcus Relphorde (11.2 PPG).
Replacing their almost 40 points and over 10 rebounds per game will be extremely difficult.
But Boyle's bigger concern is whether or not his leading scorer and All-Big 12 guard Alec Burks will enter the NBA draft.
Burks has not announced his decision as of yet, but it is thought that there is a good chance he will not be back on campus this fall.
If so, Boyle has his work cut out for him, even with surprising freshman Andre Roberson, Nate Tomlinson, and Austin Dufault returning from this year's team, as well as 6'10" injured center Shane Harris-Tunks.
9. Virginia Tech Hokies
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Seth Greenberg was reeling again on Selection Sunday.
For the fourth year in a row, Virginia Tech was not selected for the NCAA tournament.
The Hokies thought that their 21-11 record (9-7 in the ACC), which included beating Duke late in the season, was certainly going to be enough this time...but it wasn't.
To make matters worse for Greenberg, he is having to rebuild after some significant departures.
Malcolm Delaney, an All-ACC first team selection and the Hokies' leading scorer and assist man, was a senior.
So was Jeff Allen, an All-ACC second team selection and the Hokies' second-leading scorer and leading rebounder.
Between the two of them, Greenberg needs to replace over 32 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
It's not all just numbers that they represent. Greenberg also will need to replace their longstanding leadership in the program.
Even though Virginia Tech has a nice recruiting class coming in, it will still take time for things to get going again for the Hokies.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish had a year to remember—one of the best in Notre Dame history.
Brey was named National Coach of the Year.
For the team, going 27-7 overall and 14-4 in the brutal Big East are big-time accomplishments.
Unfortunately, Notre Dame will need more than the "luck of the Irish" to bounce back from the departure of some key players.
Ben Hansbrough, Big East Player of the Year, is graduating.
His tenacious and versatile production (18.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 4.3 apg) will be greatly missed.
More than his numbers, the Fighting Irish will be looking for a new floor general to rally the troops.
Tyrone Nash (9.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG) also graduates. His strong interior play and rebounding will need to be replaced immediately.
To date, Brey has only signed one player, a 3-star SG (Patrick Connaughton), for next year.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
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At least no one can say that life with Bruce Pearl as the head coach in Knoxville was boring.
With specific violations and unethical-conduct accusations swirling, the university and athletic department was left with few options.
After six years of thrills, chills and NCAA infractions, Tennessee decided to fire the colorful head coach.
Enter Cuonzo Martin as the next Vols coach.
He not only needs to wait and see what will come down in terms of penalties and sanctions, but he is also trying to hold on to his top two players.
All-SEC guard Scotty Hopson (pictured) and Freshman All-American selection Tobias Harris are strongly considering bolting for the NBA.
Their departure would mean losing over 32 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Whoever is putting together Tennessee's schedule is not doing Martin many favors either.
The Vols could be facing any combination of Duke, Kansas, Georgetown and UCLA at the Maui Invitational.
National champion Connecticut comes to Knoxville, and the Vols have road trips to Oakland (Mich.), College of Charleston and Memphis.
6. Florida State Seminoles
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Leonard Hamilton's Seminoles had a banner year in 2010-11.
Florida State finished third in the ACC (behind North Carolina and Duke, of course), went 23-11 overall and advanced to the Sweet 16.
In looking ahead to next season, FSU may be hard pressed to stay in the top tier of the conference.
They are losing senior Derwin Kitchen, their multi-talented point guard and floor leader.
There is a better than good chance that they will also be losing their top scorer, rebounder and defender, Chris Singleton, to the NBA draft.
While Hamilton got production from a wide variety of players down the stretch and in the tournament, he will have a tough time replacing these two mainstays in their season's success.
5. St. John's Red Storm
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It's been a long time since St. John's basketball was relevant.
After struggling through six years of mediocrity with Norm Roberts at the helm, Steve Lavin was brought in to right the ship.
Lavin had a unique challenge in coming on board: He inherited a team with nine (count 'em, nine) seniors, seven of which made up his nine-player rotation.
St. John's ended up going 21-12, finished fifth in the Big East and made it back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in years.
Now, as all of those seniors depart, Lavin has another unique challenge: combining the talents and personalities of nine (count 'em, nine) new players.
This is a elite-level group that has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation.
The Red Storm will have an amazing collection of length and athleticism to put on the court.
It's just hard to conceive of this all falling into place so quickly and in this first season.
If Lavin can pull this off, he should be awarded some kind of coaching award, a medal or an ambassador's assignment.
4. Washington Huskies
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Lorenzo Romar's Washington Huskies had a good year in 2010-11.
They were one of the top scoring teams in the nation. They rang up a 24-11 record. They won the Pac-10 tournament and advanced to the "third round" of the NCAA tournament before losing to UNC in a close one.
Unfortunately, the Huskies have lots of holes to fill for next year.
Not only are they saying "so long" to seniors Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Venoy Overton and Justin Holiday, who contributed over 32 PPG and 16 RPG.
But now, Isaiah Thomas (pictured), their leading scorer, assist leader and heart and soul of the team, is testing the NBA waters as well.
At this point, he has not signed with an agent, so he could withdraw from the draft and return for his senior season.
Obviously, if Thomas returns, Washington will be in much better shape. Even still, Romar will be facing a rebuilding project, needing to rely on unproven or new players.
3. Kansas State Wildcats
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For the 2010-11 season, Kansas State was a Top Five preseason pick in almost every poll.
During the first two-and-a-half months of the season, they looked anything but worthy of such a ranking.
But as February rolled around, the Wildcats pulled it together and made a nice late-season charge, knocking off Kansas, Missouri and Texas within a two-week period.
They also advanced to the "third round" of this year's NCAA tournament.
K-State head coach Frank Martin (one of the scariest-looking men alive) has a tough job ahead of him.
He has some big roles to fill moving toward the 2011-12 season.
Jacob Pullen finished up his K-State career as the Wildcats' all-time leading scorer. The hole that he leaves behind is a big one.
Combine that with losing senior forward Curtis Kelly (10.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG), and Martin has a mountainous task ahead of him.
As much as Martin will miss Pullen and Kelly's actual production, he will miss their leadership on the floor and in the locker room more so.
2. BYU Cougars
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Unfortunately for the people of Provo and for Dave Rose, the BYU basketball coach, the Jimmer Train has left the station.
Jimmer Fredette has gone from collecting one national Player of the Year award to the next, pretty much making a clean sweep of every honor that is out there.
As good as it was for BYU's fans to enjoy Fredette's exceptional, record-breaking play over the last four years, now Rose has the tough job of rebuilding the Cougars as they move out of the Mountain West and into the West Coast Conference.
Along with losing Fredette, the Cougars will miss senior Jackson Emery, the team's second-leading scorer and school record holder for steals.
On top of these losses, next season's playing status for Brandon Davies, the sophomore forward who was suspended from the team for an honor code violation, is still undetermined.
BYU will not have a 30-plus-win season again this coming year.
In fact, putting together a 20-win season should be viewed as a nice accomplishment.
1. San Diego State Aztecs
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Steve Fisher, the San Diego State head coach, knows what it's like to win. He did it at Michigan, and now he has put together a solid program at SDSU.
This past season's success broke all known school records, with the Aztecs going 34-3, advancing in the NCAA tournament for the very first time and finishing No. 11 in the final polls for 2010-11.
Next year will be a different story at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs lose three key seniors: Malcolm Thomas (11.4 PPG, 8.1 RPG and 2.3 APG), D.J. Gay (11.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG and 3.1 APG) and Billy White (10.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 1.6 APG).
On top of the departure of these three versatile players, Fisher is likely to also lose All-MWC first-teamer Kawhi Leonard to the NBA draft
Leonard, a 6'7", 225-lb. forward, led the Aztecs in scoring (15.5 PPG) and rebounding (10.6 RPG).
Most draft analysts are predicting that Leonard will in fact leave. If he returns, he will face a team in the throws of a serious rebuilding scenario, which could impact his draft stock.
Looks like Fisher will have to start all over again.
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