25 Bold Predictions for the Coming College Basketball Season

The 2011-12 college basketball season is getting ready to kick off, and we all have a lot to look forward to during this upcoming season.

North Carolina and Kentucky have kept star players and brought in incredible recruiting classes, becoming clear-cut favorites to meet in the finals of the NCAA tournament.

The 2011 recruiting class is an incredibly strong one, and there are going to be a few freshmen who turn out to be superstars.

While the NBA is locked out, we will still have college basketball, and I can't think of a better season for these kids to have such a big audience.

With all that being said, these are 25 bold preseason predictions about what NBA-turned-college fans will be seeing along with the rest of us.

The Big East Will Have the Best One-Two Punch of Any Conference

The Big East has been surrounded by controversy recently, with Syracuse and Pittsburgh going to the ACC in a couple of years, but they will still have the best one-two punch of any conference.

While Syracuse is still in the conference they will be one of the top teams.  Jim Boeheim has quite a few talented players to use, including big man Fab Melo, who is going to step up this season, and point guard Scoop Jardine.

The team is deep, and with Boeheim being the master that he is, this team is going to be tough to beat.

They will, however, be challenged by fellow top-five team Connecticut.  The Huskies may have lost Kemba Walker, but one player does not a team make.

Walker was the leader, but with Alex Oriakhi and Jeremy Lamb ready to step up, and a recruiting class led by center Andre Drummond and swingman DeAndre Daniels, this team is going to be even better than last season when they won it all.  Yeah.  I said it.

Robbie Hummel Emerges Back onto the College Basketball Scene

While most people have forgotten about Robbie Hummel because he was seriously injured the past two seasons, including missing the end of the 2009-10 season and the entire 2010-11 season, he is poised for a comeback.

Playing for the Purdue Boilermakers, Hummel will be subjected to physical Big Ten play, but once he gets hit, takes a charge and so forth, he will adjust back into the game.

Hummel was an absolute force before getting hurt, averaging 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in about 30 minutes per game.  He has been working out a lot lately, and he is going to be ready for the start of the season.

In what will be his senior season, Hummel will have a slow start as he adjusts to the game, but he will be putting on a show during the Big Ten schedule, conference tournament and the NCAA tournament.

Welcome back.

Coach K Becomes the Winningest Coach of All Time

Mike Krzyzewski is currently second on the all-time wins list for a coach.  He is currently sitting at 900 wins, a mere two wins behind Bob Knight's 902.

Coach K has been one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, and he is about to have the most wins of any coach.

It's not exactly going to be a stretch for Coach K to win three more games this season, but it's definitely still worth noting.

Austin Rivers Wins ACC Freshman of the Year Award

The son of Doc Rivers, Austin Rivers, has become a star player.  We are all waiting to see what Rivers can do in college, and he is expected to be a superstar for the Duke Blue Devils.

Self-dubbed Sub-Zero, Rivers is either No. 1 or No. 2 on most recruiting lists, and many people expect him to win the National Freshman of the Year award.  However, he will have to settle for the ACC Freshman of the Year.

Rivers was expected to be the leader, but he is probably going to be overshadowed by Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee.

Despite all that, he will still be the ACC Freshman of the Year just because he is so talented.

Andre Drummond Wins National Freshman of the Year

Andre Drummond is coming to college instead of going to prep school, and that's big news.  Drummond is an absolute force in the paint, and in this fine picture of him, he is dunking on Isaiah Austin, the best center in the 2012 recruiting class.

The Connecticut Huskies were a top-20 team before Drummond committed to them, and they are now a top-five team.  Drummond is a huge difference maker, and despite Alex Oriakhi being there as well, Drummond will be the star big man.

We can expect big things from Drummond at UConn, including winning Freshman of the Year.

North Carolina Wins the ACC

The North Carolina Tar Heels are absolutely stacked.  With an NBA-ready frontcourt of Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson, the Tar Heels are big and talented.

Kendall Marshall runs things for Roy Williams and the Heels, and his ability to feed the ball to these three big men will be vital.

The Tar Heels are pretty much destined to win the ACC, despite rival Duke being ranked No. 6 in the country, and Florida State and Miami putting together good programs as well.

If Carolina won the conference with Duke being ranked higher last season, surely the Heels will win it this season.

UConn Wins the Big East

The Connecticut Huskies have shot up from a middle-of-the-pack top-25 team to a top-five team.  Despite losing the heart and soul of last year's team, Kemba Walker, this team is a legit threat to win it all.

By signing Andre Drummond, the team adds another big man to join Alex Oriakhi.  They also have swingman DeAndre Daniels joining them, and Jeremy Lamb is ready to step up and become a force.

Jim Calhoun has a great group of guys on this team, and they are ready to repeat as champions.  The Huskies' first step, however, will be to win the Big East, which they will surely do over the Syracuse Orange.

Ohio State Wins the Big Ten

The Ohio State Buckeyes are joined once more by center Jared Sullinger.  Sullinger led this team to an incredible season, going 32-2 last year.  Now he's back, and he's on the path to a championship.

The Buckeyes have lost David Lighty and Jon Diebler, who were consistently knocking down threes, but having an older, more experienced Sullinger will help make up for lost points, as will Aaron Craft shooting from outside.

The Buckeyes look great in a weak Big Ten, with the next best team being No. 14 Wisconsin more than 10 sports back of the Buckeyes.

Ohio State is going to dominate the Big Ten...again.

Baylor Wins the Big 12

The Baylor Bears are joined once more by forward Perry Jones, whose 6'11" stature and athleticism makes him a force for this team. Jones will be joined in the frontcourt by Quincy Miller, who can also dominate in the paint.

The Bears have a lot of talent in their frontcourt, and while guard play can be streaky for most teams, two excellent big men make a team next to impossible to beat.

The Bears are ranked No. 12 in the country, with No. 13 Kansas, No. 19 Texas A&M and No. 25 Missouri also part of the Big 12. While they do have some competition for the Big 12 crown, a formidable frontcourt of Jones and Miller will lead them to the top of the Big 12 and quite far in the NCAA tournament.

Arizona Wins the Pac-12

The Arizona Wildcats have lost Derrick Williams, but they have more than enough talent, returning and new, to fill the void he has left.

Sean Miller has built a well-balanced team that requires no true leader because he has so many different players who could step up at any moment.

Junior Solomon Hill and senior Kyle Fogg can be the leaders, and the Wildcats have freshmen Josiah Turner and Nick Johnson in the backcourt.

Miller's crew is a talented bunch, and in a weak Pac-12, they should be able to overcome UCLA and California, who both managed to scrape a spot in the Top 25 coaches poll.

Kentucky Wins the SEC

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats gave the NBA three more players, including Brandon Knight, who was the No. 8 pick in the NBA Draft.

Enes Kanter, who was drafted No. 3 overall, cannot be considered a loss, however. He was not eligible to play for the Wildcats in college because he received about $33,000 in excess benefits from playing overseas.

Doron Lamb, Darius Miller and Terrence Jones were all starters for John Calipari's Final Four team from a year ago, and they will be joined by four incredible recruits, including three top-eight recruits: Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist and Marquis Teague.

The Wildcats are absolutely stacked, and they are going to have one of the best starting fives in the nation, complemented by the best bench in the country.

Kentucky is poised to win another conference title, as the next closest to them is No. 7 Vanderbilt, who is not on the same level as Calipari and company.

North Carolina Will Have Two First-Team All-Americans

As I said before, the North Carolina Tar Heels have talent coming out of the wazoo.  They have more talent than they know what to do with, and they will be guaranteed two first-team All-Americans.

Small forward Harrison Barnes is a lock, as he is arguably the most talented player in college basketball, and he is ready to build on his impressive freshman campaign.

Point guard Kendall Marshall is most likely to be the second All-American because there is no true point guard quite like him.  Marshall is an assist-machine, and he is going to be able to thread the needle to get the ball to UNC's talented big men.

Tyler Zeller is one of those big men, and the seven-footer has a small chance to be a first-team All-American.  Zeller is huge and very talented, but because he may have to split time with James McAdoo, he may be held back.

John Henson is the same mold as Zeller.  He's big, talented and may be splitting time.  However, if teams decided to focus on Zeller instead of Henson he could be a dark horse first-team All-American.

Khris Middleton Wins Big 12 Player of the Year

Khris Middleton is one of the most underrated players in college basketball, but he will finally get some recognition.

He is a shutdown defender who should win Defensive Player of the Year, but he won't because he doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Middleton plays incredibly tight man defense, but he only averaged 1.2 steals per game because his man usually doesn't get passed to often.

Middleton is also a valuable offensive player, averaging 14.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game last year in his sophomore season.

If Middleton can cut down on his turnovers (1.2 per game in 2009-10 season, 2.7 per game last season), then he will surely lead the Aggies and win Big 12 Player of the Year over Perry Jones.

C.J. Aiken Wins Defensive Player of the Year

C.J. Aiken of St. Joseph's is a shot-eraser. He is a great shot blocker with incredible timing and length, and his stats say it all.

In only 27.5 minutes per game last season, Aiken rejected 3.5 shots per night. To put that in perspective, if he had player 40 minutes per game, he would have averaged more than five blocks per game, which would have led the NCAA last season.

With Idris Hilliard having left, Aiken is now the starting center, and his increase in playing time will result in a huge boost in blocks.

Blocking shots is a way to play defense physically and mentally, because it disrupts the opponents' confidence and rhythm. Aiken was the third-best shot blocker in the nation last season despite coming off the bench, and he will lead the NCAA this season.

Harrison Barnes Does NOT Win National Player of the Year

Although I have previously dubbed Harrison Barnes the 2011-12 college basketball National Player of the Year in my preseason awards, I have changed my mind.

While Barnes is arguably the best player in college basketball, the fact that he plays for the North Carolina Tar Heels will hurt him more than it will help him.

Barnes may be sharing time with James McAdoo, and there is no doubt that he will not be the only star of the team, so his stats will be somewhat disappointing.

Speaking of disappointments, the expectations for the Tar Heels are so ridiculously high that they can't possibly live up to them. Experts will see their season as disappointing, and Barnes, as the leader, will have some of that disappointment projected onto him.

Barnes is an exceptional player—there's no questioning that—but he won't be able to win National Player of the Year honors.

But He Will Win the ACC Player of the Year Award

As I said, Barnes is a great player, and while he won't be the National Player of the Year, he will easily be the ACC Player of the Year.

The next closest players to Barnes are Austin Rivers of Duke, Malcolm Grant of Miami, C.J. Leslie of North Carolina State and Barnes' teammate Tyler Zeller, none of whom have much of a chance.

Jared Sullinger Is the National Player of the Year

If Harrison Barnes doesn't win National Player of the Year, Jared Sullinger will.

Sullinger is the leader of the Ohio State Buckeyes, and while his team does have talent, they won't take away from Sullinger's chances because they are not as good as he is.  The Buckeyes have just enough talent to spread the floor and take pressure off of Sullinger, allowing him to dominate in the paint.

Sullinger is just a monster, averaging 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game in his freshman season.  We have seen the trend that most freshmen improve greatly in their sophomore season, and that would mean Sullinger averages more than 20 points and 13 rebounds per game.

That's definitely good enough for Player of the Year honors.

North Carolina Is the No. 1 Overall Seed in the NCAA Tournament

Just to reiterate, the North Carolina Tar Heels are incredibly good.  They have a very good chance of going undefeated this season.

The Tar Heels have two huge tests: facing Kentucky and playing Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  If they can beat those teams then they are waltzing their way to the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

Baylor Takes a No. 2 Seed in the NCAA Tournament

They Baylors Bears have arguably the second-best frontcourt in college basketball this season behind only the North Carolina Tar Heels. Perry Jones and Quincy Miller make up their formidable frontcourt, and they will be the leaders of an undervalued Baylor team ranked No. 12 by the coaches.

Look for the Bears to steadily move up the rankings and secure a No. 2 seed after winning the Big 12.

The Top Four Teams Are All No. 1 Seeds

The top four teams in the nation according to the coaches are North Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio State and Connecticut.

These four teams are all on a different level than the rest of the field, and while this may never have happened before, they will top the standings at the end of the season as well.

Vanderbilt Suffers Another First-Round Loss

The Vanderbilt Commodores suffered a first-round loss to the Florida Gators in last year's NCAA tournament, and they will suffer the same fate this season.

While the Commodores have John Jenkins, arguably the best shooting guard in the country, they do not have the heart to succeed in the NCAA tournament.

The Commodores seem to always stumble at the end of the season, and they will not be able to take the next step because of it.  Look for them to fall to a No. 4 or No. 5 seed and then be upset in the first round.

Baylor Makes It to the Final Four

After reading this article you probably think that I have high expectations for the Baylor Bears. That's an understatement.

This team is absolutely incredible.  Perry Jones and Quincy Miller make up the second-best frontcourt in the nation, and they are going to be consistently reliable.

The fact that they are ranked No. 12 in the nation is an insult, as their big men will carry them to the Final Four.

Imagine Ohio State having two smaller but more athletic Jared Sullingers. That's what Baylor has this season.

Connecticut Makes It Back to the Final Four

The balance on this Connecticut Huskies team is incredible.  They have five good players starting, and their bench isn't bad either.

Having Andre Drummond and Alex Oriakhi inside is huge, as is having Jeremy Lamb and DeAndre Daniels draining threes.

This team looks better than last year when they won it all, and they are going back to the Final Four.

Injury Strikes North Carolina

I really hope I'm wrong here.  I can't say it enough: I really, REALLY hope I'm wrong.

This North Carolina team looks like arguably the best college basketball team ever assembled. Heard that about any other sports team recently?

The Miami Heat fell short in the NBA Finals with their Big Three.  The Philadelphia Phillies lost in the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals with their four (or five) aces. The Dream Team in Philadelphia in the form of the Eagles has become a nightmare. Why not Carolina?

It just seems that this team is too good. Something can't be right here, so there may be injury holding them back.

If the injury is to a big man, they still have James McAdoo, but if the injury is to a guard, the Tar Heels are paper-thin.

That could spell trouble for Roy Williams and company.

North Carolina Does NOT Win the National Championship

While the North Carolina Tar Heels are an incredible team, they will not be hoisting the trophy in early April.  They will not be visiting the President.  They will not be doing anything that comes with winning the national championship.

The Tar Heels do not have good guard play.  While Kendall Marshall is a true point guard, he is not going to be scoring a lot.  P.J. Hairston is an interesting option because he shoots well, but he probably won't be a starter.  Dexter Strickland looks like the starting shooting guard, but I wouldn't trust him with the ball at the end of games.

Besides that, the Tar Heels are very thin at guard, and if Marshall goes down the team doesn't look too good.

While the Tar Heels will be able to hold any lead, it will be difficult for them to come back without a guard to knock down threes.

Also, if the Tar Heels run into another team with a great frontcourt (say Baylor or Ohio State), they will probably have a very difficult time beating them.

There are chinks in the armor of the Tar Heels, and they aren't going to be able to win the NCAA tournament because of them.