College Basketball 2011-12 Predictions: The Top 25 Sophomores in College Hoops

The 2010 college basketball recruiting class is very talented. The fact that the top guys did not defect for the riches of the NBA, only made NCAA basketball more interesting, next season.

Add to that the 2011 recruiting class that is just as talented and full of exciting prospects such as Austin Rivers (Duke), Michael Gilchrist (Kentucky) who have been You-tube sensations for years and that makes next season all the more intriguing.

An NBA lockout is currently in play hence no distractions for the best amateur basketball league in the world.

The Lockout does make the guys that decided to come back to school very clever as they seem to have a firm grasp of the situation.

This list is just ranking the best 25 of the rising sophomores.

Joe Jackson: Memphis Tigers

It was a great boost for the Memphis program when they got local recruit, Joe Jackson to enroll and was also a confidence boost in first time head coach, Josh Pastner.

Some even equated Jackson's decision to stay instate with a program John Calipari "deserted" for Kentucky, on parallel with Penny Hardaway staying home and signing with Memphis.

Never fair to compare a 6'7" point guard to one seven inches shorter. Anfernie Hardaway averaged 17 points and 6 assists his first year (it was actually his second year as he was ineligible his freshman season) which saw Memphis finish 23-11 and lost in the Elite Eight to Cincinnati in 1992.

Joe Jackson (born in 1992) by comparison seems to have had a tough season averaging a mere 9 points and 3.1 assists, hitting 31% of his three point attempts. Memphis (25-10) lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Arizona.

Jackson is currently playing well for USA, undefeated in group play, at the FIBA Under 19 World Championship in Riga, Latvia.

Adreian Payne: Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State had a rough year, too many distractions and injuries curtailed a promising season. The good news is that Adreian Payne is back.

As a top 30 recruit, Payne was meant to bring stability to Michigan State's frontcourt after the departure of Raymar Morgan.

A team that just had two consecutive Final Four appearances, losing only one major contributor, going into the 2010/2011 season, expectations were high.

Injuries and negative behaviour derailed a promising season, however the Spartan should be commended for salvaging their season by keeping their consecutive NCAA tournament streak alive.

This season they need to build upon that and retake the Big Ten. Not an easy feat but some teams are not as strong as last year.

Purdue is without JaJuan Johnson and E'Twan Moore, both were taken in the 2011 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. Ohio State lost two key players in David Lighty and Jon Diebler. Wisconsin lost John Leuer. Those were the top teams in the conference last season.

Michigan State's task to rise back to the top of the Big Ten again would be so much easier if the 6'10" Payne can play to his potential. In only nine minutes of action last season, he posted numbers of 2.5 points and 2.4 Rebounds.

Not the numbers one expects from an NBA prospect on a team that lost 15 games.

Keith Appling: Michigan State Spartans

Keith Appling averaged 6.4 points and 1.4 assists in his freshman year at Michigan State, playing behind Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious (later expelled and is now enrolled at Iowa State).

Appling's productivity increased with more playing time, including a 12 point average in a four game stretch to finish out the regular season. Michigan State went 3-1 in that stretch.

Appling is the clear cut favourite to start for a team that finished twice in the Final Four within the last three years, which made last season a disappointment when they barely made the tournament and lost to UCLA by two points in the second round.

Tom Izzo has always had great point guards, can Appling be the next Martin Cleaves?

Dwight Powell: Stanford Cardinals

Dwight Powell is a face the basket power forward for Stanford who averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 rebounds as a freshman.

Head coach, Johnny Dawkins, has yet to make the NCAA tournament in his three years at Stanford and needs to show some progress or see his first gig as a head coach come to an abrupt end.

If he is to succeed he needs more production form Powell who was a top 40 recruit.

Powell needs to work on his shooting or stop shooting three pointers as he was a woeful 7/25 (28%) as a freshman.

Khyle Marshall- Butler Bulldogs

Kyle Marshall's first year at Butler is more than his modest numbers of 5.8 points and 3.8 rebounds a game.

Of the two 2010 NCAA finalists to have a repeat performance, Butler was the underdog rather than Duke.

However it was Butler who made it two straight NCAA finals in a row. Lost both but a phenomenal feat none the less.

With Shelvin Mack's early entry to the 2011 NBA draft and the graduation of the ultimate hustler, Matt Howard, Marshall will be expected to play a lead role in Brad Steven's encore.

The Florida native scored 10 huge points off the bench to help Butler beat Florida, in over time in their Elite Eight match.

Marshall is currently representing USA at the U19 world championship.

C J Leslie: North Carolina State

C J Leslie started the off season with a press conference that made N C State supporters feel good that at least one marquee player will stay during the transition period between Sidney Lowe's resignation, and Mark Gottfried's hire.

All this was negated a few weeks later when the freshman forward tweeted negative thoughts on homosexuality.

This was indicative of Leslie's play on the court. One minute he would snag a rebound way out of his area, or block a shot only to turn the ball over on the very next play.

He brings to mind Chris Leben who surprisingly knocked out veteran mixed Marshall arts specialist, Wanderlei Silva in the first round of UFC 132.

 Like Leben you never know what to get from Leslie who had a very in inconsistent season.

One game he had 14 points 19 rebounds against Youngstown State only to follow that up with 2 points and 11 rebounds against Arizona. Different levels of competition but shooting one from fourteen from a player whose late signing was expected to save Sidney Lowe's job is appalling.

Leslie just needs to decide whether he is a power forward or a small forward. He is a great rebounder averaging 7.2 a game. Added to 11 points a game that would be a solid season for an average freshman but Leslie was expected to only spend one year in college.

However after a season marred by suspensions and other controversies he will be back and Mark Gottfried will be leaning on him for a good start in the ACC.

Trey Ziegler: Central Michigan Chippewas

Saying no to a big conference school and playing for your father is a great story, but in reality it is hard work.

Three guys on this list currently play for their fathers. Doug McDermott of Creighton, Ray McCallum of Detroit and Trey Ziegler of Central Michigan.

Central Michigan finished in the middle of the Western section of the Mid-American conference with a 10-21 (7-9 MAC) record.

With a lot of room for improvement, the Chippewas will be relying on more production from the young Ziegler who averaged 16.3 points, 5.4 rebound and 2.1 assists per contest.

If Ziegler had gone to any big conference school with those averages he would have been ushered to the NBA or at least mentioned in the 2011 Draft.

It would not have looked great for his old man if he had chosen to take his talents elsewhere.

Central Michigan did not play anyone of note last season except Temple. The 6'5" Ziegler scored only 5 points in that loss.

Melsahn Basabe: Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa Hawkeyes' record last year was 11-20 and they finished second of last in the Big Ten.

One bright spark for the future though is Melsahn Basabe, a freshman who averaged 11 points and 6.8 rebounds a game.

The power forward out of New York was an unheralded recruit but is expected to take a leadership role as Iowa attempts to get off the floor of the Big Ten standings.

Patric Young; Florida Gators

Patric Young is currently the leading rebounder on team USA at the U19 tournament and should be higher on this list.

He had a rough first year but with the graduation of Vernon Macklin, Alex Tyus and Chandler Parsons, Young will be expected to contribute more than the 3.4 point and 3.8 rebounds a game he had last season.

Espn had a write up on Young where he stated that he was so frustrated with his role last season that he was not allowing himself to be coached. He has since had a talk with Billy Donavon and is now back on track.

Young was also critiqued for criticising the team on Twitter:

"

u need 2 get the ball more says #oneofmyfollowers yes I kno[w] it is very frustratin we play much better when the ball is inside.

"

That statement is not without merit. Florida's guards have a tendency to over dribble then throw up last second shots. When the ball was in the hands of Vernon Macklin or Chandler Parson's more positive things happened.

Young is very positive and enthusiastic about next season but he will need to be a little more patient and avoid foul trouble as he will have a lot of playing time available.

Another forward that was expected to make great strides next season is junior Erick Murphy (older brother of Duke's Alex Murphy) who is currently suspended for allegedly breaking into a car.

Deshaun Thomas; Ohio State Buckeyes

Deshaun Thomas was an effective bench player for Ohio State last season.

With the graduation of David Lighty and John Diebler, Thomas should be a slam dunk to start however he will be competing against Sam Thompson and LaQuinton Ross two four star rated wing players Thad Matta has coming in.

As a freshman, Thomas was a gunner off the bench looking to score at every opportunity. The 6'6" small forward averaged 7.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.

 It is not hard to imagine that with more playing time this player could be more productive.

He will have to pay a lot more attention to defense though if he is to replace Lighty in the starting line up as the offense will flow through William Bufford and Jared Sullinger.

Hopefully they can improve on their Sweet Sixteen finish in the last tournament where they lost to Kentucky by two points.

Ohio State only lost three games last season and will be favoured to win the Big Ten next season.

Joshua Smith; UCLA Bruins

After the tragic death of Robert "Tractor" Traylor, a 34 year old, 6'8" 290llb forward drafted sixth in 1998 by the Dallas Mavericks,  players like Joshau Smith should be worried. Traylor died of a suspected heart attack in a hotel room in Puerto Rico where he was recently playing.

Smith a 6'10" forward who had a great start at UCLA averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 assists a game. The rising sophomore will be leaned on a lot, by coach Ben Howland, as sophomore forwardTyler Honycutt entered the 2011 NBA Draft.

It is crucial that Smith gets in shape as Travis and David Wear, the North Carolina transfers, are now eligible.

If Smith is still struggling with his weight he can always look up Dexter Pittman and Udonis Haslem, both with the Miami Heat at the moment.  Pitman lost a lot of weight to get himself in shape for Texas Longhorns and was eventually drafted by the Heat.

Haslem went undrafted out of Florida but after losing about 70 pounds was invited to the Miami heat playing summer camp. Needles to say he is now major a part of that LeBron / Wade team.

This is what Ben Howland had to say about Smith in respect of next season.

"He's just too big, too strong. You don't have guys like that often. The only other guy we've had like him was Kevin (Love.) Kevin was unstoppable 1-on-1 in the low post and Josh is the same deal. So it's really going to be nice for the perimeter players, because if (opponents) don't double on him, if they don't help on him, then it's over. He's going to score."

Reggie Bullock: North Carolina Tar Heels

Reggie Bullock is a solid basketball player and in time he will be great for North Carolina. Will be be patient enough though? 

Everyone expected Harrison Barnes to be in the spending his NBA dollars by now but instead he is keeping Bullock second string if not third. Bullock can play small forward at 6'7" but his preferred position is shooting guard.

5-star Recruit P J Hairston plays that position, so does Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald. Bullock is a better shooter than the latter two but the freshman's game will demand Roy Williams play him some serious minutes.

 Add to that the recovery of a season ending injury in March and that is several obstacles to overcome but North Carolina will need Bullock for the coming season and don't discount Roy Williams too much in finding a niche for the Kingston, North Carolina native.

Bullock is a lot better than the 29% he shot on three pointers. He only averaged 6.1 points in 14.5 minutes a game but it is not hard to imagine that one day this guy will have a career at UNC as good as Jawad Williams or Reyshawn Terry.

Ray McCallum Jr: Detroit Titans and Shabazz Napier: Connecticut

UCLA wanted Ray McCallum very badly as they needed a poit guard of his skill set, but the Detroit Country Day Product chose to stay very close to home and play for his dad, Ray McCallum Snr.

The 6'1" guard was joint leading scorer averaging 13.5 points, 4.9 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game but Detroit finished in the lower half of the Horizon League, 16-16 (10-8 Horizon).

Rivals.com had McCallum as the 40th ranked recruit in the class of 2010, but Shabazz Napier of Connecticut Huskies was ranked at 98th.

Napier was instrumental in Uconn's recent championship providing steady ball handling and some great on ball defense. With the graduation of Kemba Walker, Napier will be favored to be a starter next season.

the 6' Boston native, averaged 7.8 points, 3 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 23.8 minutes a game.

Napier came alive in the NCAA tournament and was credited for being able to take care the ball, allowing Kemba Walker to become tournament MVP. The 6'1" Napier sank two crucial three throws to beat Kentucky in the Final Four.

Just goes to show in a set organised program a player can play to his strenght while another, McCallum, is required to do everything.

He learned a lot last year,” McCallum Sr. said of his son. “He did a great job handling everything: The McDonald’s All-American tag, being the face of a program, being a coach’s kid – all while playing the toughest position in college as a freshman.”

Steve Nash and Tim Hardaway came from small program, Ray McCallum may well be the next small school player, Like Eric Maynor of VCU, as well.

Detroit is favored to win the Horizon league by default. They have two NBA prospects (6'11" Eli Holman being the other beside McCallum) and six seniors. With Butler being weakened by graduation and an Early NBA defection by Shelvin Mack.

UConn Added top ten recruit Deandre Daniels and returned most of the players that won the championship. Napier is expected to lead this bunch back to the promised land.

McDonald's All-American, McCallum is helping his father build Detroit into a contender in the Horizon League.

Willl Barton: Memphis Tigers

Will Barton wisely stayed another year at Memphis, not because of the NBA lockout but because the 6'6" guard averaged 12.3 points, 2.8 assists and 4.9 rebounds but shot 26% on three pointers.

Had he entered the 2011 Draft he would have been in danger of going undrafted like Illinois' Jereme Richmond, former Mr Basketball of Illinois and McDonald's All American.

At 175 pounds Barton is just not ready to play professionally.

if he could have a solid season and help Memphis make a deep tournament run he could make some noise in the 2012 Draft.

Doron Lamb: Kentucky Wildcats

Doron Lamb hit connected on 48% of his three point attempts last season and set a freshman scoring record for Kentucky, with 32 points against Winthrop.

Playing time next season might be limited but the 6'4" Lamb averaged 12.3 pints, 2.3 assists and 2 rebounds a game.

Kentucky has four 5-star prospects coming in but none plays shooting guard.

Lamb may have to battle with senior Darius Miller, which should be no problem for the rising sophomore as he has proven that he could be just as effective as a bench player or a starter.

Terrence Ross: Washington Huskies

With Isaiah Thomas early entry to the NBA Terrence Ross is next big thing in Washington.

This may not be obvious with Tony Wroten Jnr a top ten point guard who will be a Husky this fall.

Abdul Gaddy was a very good signing for Lorenzo Romar three years ago but injuries has limited his potential.

When Terrence Ross signed he probably expected to play with Terrence Jones, who ditched Washington at the last minute to sign with Kentucky. That would have made a great frontcourt but Ros is a a star on his own.

The first time I saw Ross play was the last game of the season against North Carolina in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament. I had seen the Huskies play previously but I had never noticed Ros like that before. he was quick and he finished with ease around inside. Not an Easy Task with John Henson, a great help defender, around.

Ross finished that game with 19 points and 6 assists. A far cry from his season averages of 8 points, 2.8 in 17 minutes.

Jeremy Lamb: Connecticut Huskies

Jeremy Lamb averaged 11 points as a freshman but upped that to 15 points as UConn's went on an eleven game winning streak to take the Big East tournament and the NCAA Championship.

Not bad for a guy not even ranked in the top 100 recruits list of 2011 by ESPN!

Jim Calhoun will be expect Lamb to keep his play on the same level as the tournament.

With the late signing of Deandre Daniels, a top ten recruit, UConn is expected to be favoured for Big East supremacy, not an easy feat as this is considered the most competitive conference in college basketball right now.

He is currently one of the top scorers for team USA competing in the under 19 championships. He scored the go ahead basket to help USA out pace Lithuania, 107-105, in over time and finished with 35 points.

UConn has a very good chance of repeating a championship for Jim Calhoun next year.

Aaron Craft: Ohio State Buckeyes

This is the second Buckeye to be ranked in the top 25 rising sophomores for next season. Just goes to show that Thad Matta does not just recruit talent but, crucially, he recruits players whose skill sets match each other.

Craft looks like the clear cut favourite to be the starting point guard next season. He averaged 6.9 points and 4.8 assists in 29 minutes a game. He wasn't expected to be a scorer as a freshman as Ohio State had scorers around in Jared Sullinger, David Lighty, William Buford and Jon Diebler.

With the arrival of McDonald’s All-American point guard Shannon Scott,

Craft may have to prove that he is the best man to lead this team from the point though Matta has not ruled playing both together.

“Aaron is going to be on the court. He can be just about anywhere,” Matta said. “Shannon has a shot to be a very good player.”

With William Buford at the off guard, Sullinger at power forward, Deshaun Thomas most the likely small forward, and freshman Amir Williams at center, only one of these quality point guards can start.

Scott probably has the edge, scoring the basketball but if anyone can hold this squad together it would be Craft. Not to mention his defence is superb.

Tim Hardaway Jr: Michigan Wolverines

I like the these young Wolverines and Tim Hardaway Jnr is bst player.

The 6'5" guard averaged 14 points, 1.7 assists and 3.8 assits a game but will have to do much better than that as a sophomore with Darious Morris taken in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Lakers.

Morris shot a respectable 36% from on three pointers but the knock on him is that he settles for this shot too often. With his lenght and athletic ability he should be able to get to the free throw line more often

Kendall Marshall: North Carolina Tar Heels

Watching Kendal marshall play is a kin to witnessing Van Gogh at work.

Marshall is an artist and all 94 feet of the basketball court is his canvas. He controls the game as a point guard should, and sees things four plays before the spectators see them.

With the talent around him at North Carolina, don't be surprised if Marshall averages a double double in assists. He came into the starting line up, amid some controversy, more than half way through the season but that was enough for the him to lead the ACC in assists.

His obvious weakness is shooting, but that won't be an issue until he reaches the professional level.

Jason Kidd used to receive criticism for his shooting woes but he was instrumental in leading the Dallas Mavericks, over the loaded Miami Heat, to the NBA championship.

Marshall is similar to Kidd, in that they have above average basketball IQ, both about the same height but not extremely athletic though Kidd was a better scorer in his two years at California.

Sad thing for UNC is that Marshall has started to appear on draft boards, lottery. UNC may have at least 5 players chosen in the top 14 picks in the 2012 Draft rivaling Kentucky Wildcats.

Sad for Kentucky because Marshall was previously considered a four year player.

The left-hander averaged 6.2 points, 6.2 assists and 1.1 steals each game.

Doug McDermott: Creighton Bluejays

This guy is so underated Bleacher Report does not even have a picture of him.

Doug McDermott averaged almost 15 points and 7.2 rebounds a game to help Creighton finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Incredible because coming out of high school McDermott was not even ranked inthe top 100, 2010 recruits. Maybe because at 6'7", 210 LLbs no one was sure whether he was a wing player or a power forward.

McDermott conected on 40% of his three point attempts last season playing for his father.

Just like Butler's Gordan Hayward, who had a solid freshman season then blew up playing for Team USA under 19 team, young McDermott will be watched very closely in his sesond season.

He is currently one of the top players for team USA at the under 19 championships in Riga, Latvia.

Terrence Jones: Kentucky Wilcats

When Terrence Jones feels like playing he is unstoppable especially when those left handed floaters are falling.

Jones has made two wise decisions in his short career, choosing Kentucky over Washington and electing to go back to school for his sophomore year.

This is not a knock on Lorenzo Romar, his reputation speaks for itself but as LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade has shown, if you want to get to the top it is easier playing with better quality players.

As for coming back for a second helping of Kentucky, well it is easier to play in a system with expectations, rather than training on your own due to an NBA lockout that prohibits players from having contact with their employers.

If there is a training camp at all it would be interesting to stand by the scales of some teams!

Jones averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds his freshman season but his production tailed off towards the end of the season.

Notre Dame fighting Irish, finished second in the Big East, arguably the best conference in college basketball, but Jones dropped 27 points and 17 rebounds on them in a blow out win last December.

His scoring dipped but his rebounding rate remained constant and he only took 9 shots in the Final Four game against the eventual champions, UConn. Maybe LeBron's habit of disappearing in big games is contagious.

Jones is an exciting player and will make a case for him being taken first in the 2012 Draft, in the coming season.

Harrison Barnes: North Carolina Tar Heels

Had a very bad start last season but finished strongly, ushering North Carolina to the Elite Eight.

At the moment the only competition for the number one spot in next year's draft lies with Kentucky freshman, Anthony Davis, but any of the top four players on this list can up stage Barnes.

Barnes is always looking to improve and is currently the only forward at the Chris Paul basketball camp.

``I want to work on my ball handling and what better way than to work with one of the best point guards in the world,” Barnes said. ``Ball handling a big emphasis for me this offseason."

Much of the criticism Barnes received was about the fact that he is reluctant to beat his man off the dribble. if he can learn to do that efficiently he will be the number one draft choice next year, unless the Minnesota Timberwolves have the first pick. They need another small forward right now like Seattle needs more rain!

The 6'8" forward averaged 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds his first year playing for Roy Williams.

Barnes may be the consensus number one pick for the next NBA draft but this is not a list of top NBA draft prospects, at least not directly.

Jared Sullinger: Ohio State Buckeyes

In this time and era power forwards and centers do not feel that they are ready unless they have a jump shot or can extend their range to the three point line.

That's a wise decision, but it is very nice when a power forward wants to be a power forward. Back to the basket, a dancer's foot movements and more importantly the ability to draw fouls on opposing big men.

He took twelve shots from the three point line and made 25% of them, but some of those shots were mostly shot clock beaters.

The 6'9" 280llb forward averaged a double double last season for Thad Matta, with 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds.

His main focus this off season is to get in shape and be ready for the coming season. He could have been playing for USA basketball but turned that down to focus on being a leader to the incoming Buckeyes freshmen.

"I stay in the moment," he said. "I'm focusing on the next game. Now it's the next workout. I'm about winning, not about where I'm projected in the NBA draft."

Perry Jones: Baylor Bears

Of the top four guys on this list, Perry Jones probably made a mistake going back to Baylor as he would have more than likely given Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams competition for the top two picks in the 2011 Draft.

If Jones has the same season he had as a freshman, he would just be wasting everyone's time as a student at Baylor.

The 6'11" forward averaged 14 points and 7.2 rebounds as a freshman but his production tailed off towards the end of the season through Big 12 play.

It is widely thought that without LaceDarius Dunn there will be more shots available for Jones so he has the most up side of everyone on this list. He just needs to take on a role for Baylor similar to what Derrick Williams did for Arizona.

Jared Sullinger is the obvious choice for the top sophomore as he averaged a double double his freshman season.

That was an extraordinary accomplishment and he is now more likely to either match that or do slightly worse especially without Diebler's shooting to keep the double and triple teams at bay.

Harrison Barnes just has too many talented team mates to shine as an individual.

Jones just needs to up his production and lead Baylor deep into the NCAA tournament and he will will make a very strong case for the highest lottery pick in the 2012 draft, if that's his ultimate goal.