College Basketball Top 25: Each Team's Biggest Player Loss and Replacement

We're just days away from the 2011-12 college basketball season!

Coaches have worked tirelessly since the end of last season to recruit and develop returning players' skills in order to fill the gaps created by graduations, transfers and injuries.

Here is a quick look at the preseason Top 25 (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).

We will review the biggest player losses from each team and who they will plug in as their replacements.

No. 25: Missouri Tigers

Laurence Bowers (pictured) was supposed to be one of the top frontcourt players in the Big 12 this season.

The 6'8", 221-pound forward was ready to help the Missouri Tigers challenge for the conference championship.

Last season, Bowers averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, finishing second in the Big 12 with 62 blocked shots.

About four weeks ago, Bowers tore his ACL and is out for the season.

First-year head coach Frank Haith has some other big men to choose from in Ricardo Ratliffe (6'8"), Steve Moore (6'9") and forward Kadeem Green (6'8").

With the depth and talent that the Tigers have in the backcourt, Haith may also look to play some small ball, putting four guards/perimeter players on the court at times.

No. 24: California Bears

Brawny (6'7", 265 pounds) Bears' post man Markhuri Sanders-Frison (10.9 ppg, 7.4 rpg) was a solid contributor to the Cal front-line last season.

Sophomore Richard Solomon (6'10", 220 pounds; 5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg in 15 minutes per game) came off the bench last year, but he is more than capable to fill in for MSF.

No. 23: Gonzaga Bulldogs

Four-year starter Steven Gray leaves a huge hole for Bulldogs head coach Mark Few to fill.

Gray (6’5”, 205 pounds) led the Zags in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg). 

Fortunately for Few, he has lots of backcourt options from which he can choose.

Marquise Carter (6.3 ppg, 2.1 apg) and David Stockton (4.2 ppg, 2.1 apg) both return.

Two four-star backcourt recruits (Gary Bell Jr. and Kevin Pangos) will look to crack the lineup. 

While these players may not be ready to do everything that Gray did last season, the “backcourt-by-committee” might be the answer for Few.

No. 22: Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati always seems to have plenty of physical, tough big men to put out on the floor.

Last year, Rashad Bishop (pictured; 6'6", 220 pounds; 8.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) finished four years of solid contributions for the Bearcats.

Cincy may look to 6'7" freshman wing Shaquille Thomas to fill Bishop's place. Thomas has explosive athleticism and good perimeter skills to step in from the onset.

No. 21: Marquette Golden Eagles

Jimmy Butler (pictured) was a stat-sheet stuffer, helping Marquette in so many ways last season.

He was the Golden Eagles leading scorer (15.7 ppg), steals leader (1.4 spg) and No. 2 rebounder (6.1 rpg).

The Chicago Bulls drafted Butler in the first round (No. 30 pick) of the NBA Draft.

Marquette head coach Buzz Williams will look to incoming freshmen Juan Anderson (6'6", 210 pounds) to pick up some of the slack.

Anderson is a multi-talented wing who can do everything from grab the rebound to lead the break.

No. 20: UCLA Bruins

Tyler Honeycutt was selected as the fifth pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft.

The 6'8" shooting forward did a little of everything last season for the Bruins, averaging 12.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.8 apg and 2.1 bpg.

Ben Howland will have an interesting challenge replacing Honeycutt because his roster is filled with guards and post players, but very few true starting forwards.

Juco transfer De'end Parker may be tapped to fill the wing, but Parker is recovering from a concussion sustained during preseason workouts.

Until then, UNC transfer David Wear (6'10, 225 pounds) will be left to play starting forward.

If Wear works out, look for the Bruins to put one of the nation's biggest starting lineups on the floor.

No. 19: Texas A&M Aggies

Combo guard B.J. Holmes (pictured; 5'11", 175 pounds) led the Aggies in assists (3.2 apg) and was a reliable scorer (9.8 ppg) last year.

The Aggies will get bigger in the backcourt as Naji Hibbert (6'5", 195 pounds) steps up.

Last year as a sophomore, Hibbert averaged 5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg and 1.3 apg.

No. 18: Michigan Wolverines

Combo guard Darius Morris (pictured; 6'4", 190 pounds) did a little of everything last year, leading the Wolverines in scoring (15.2 ppg) and assists (6.7 apg).

With Morris being drafted by the Lakers, head coach John Beilein (who has gone 67-67 in four years in Ann Arbor) will need to insert highly touted freshmen guard Trey Burke earlier.

Burke (6'1, 180 pounds) will infuse the Michigan lineup with quickness and playmaking, getting the ball to Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zack Novack on the wings.

No. 17: Alabama Crimson Tide

Head coach Anthony Grant has so much talent returning and more arriving on campus this fall.

The only hole that he needs to fill is at shooting guard with the departure of Charvez Davis (pictured; 8.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg).

Two freshman shooting guards who were top-50 national recruits, Trevor Lacey and Levi Randolph, will more than replace Davis.

Lacey, a two-time Mr. Basketball in Alabama, plays with a high basketball IQ and has a nice stroke from the outside.

The 6'5" Randolph can handle the ball and, like Lacey, fill it up from the perimeter.

This could be a very big year for 'Bama basketball.

No. 16: Arizona Wildcats

Derrick Williams may have left as big of a hole as any individual player on any team on this list.

Williams (pictured) not only led the Wildcats in scoring (19.1 ppg), he was the only player that averaged double figures.

He was not only the top rebounder (8.1 rpg), but he had almost twice as many per game as Arizona's No. 2 rebounder, Solomon Hill (4.4 rpg).

Williams was listed as the center in the Wildcats starting five, but he was far from an anchored-on-the-block post player.

Head coach Sean Miller may go again without a true center in the lineup. Freshmen forwards Sidiki Johnson and Angelo Chol have a real chance of seeing significant minutes right away.

If Miller goes with a more conventional post, Kyryl Natyazhko (6'11", 270 pounds) will get the first shot.

No. 15: Xavier Musketeers

The Musketeers lineup will miss Jamel McLean.

McLean (pictured) was Xavier's leading rebounder (8.4 rpg) and a double-figure scorer (10.8 ppg).

Head coach Chris Mack will confidently turn to Travis Taylor, a transfer from Monmouth.

Taylor is tough around the basket. In the 2009-10 season, he averaged 17.8 ppg and 7.6 rpg for the Northeast Conference school. 

No. 14: Wisconsin Badgers

Losing All-Big Ten selection Jon Leuer is huge for Wisconsin.

Leuer (pictured) was the Badgers leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (7.2 rpg).

Head coach Bo Ryan will count on always-intense junior forward Mike Bruesewitz to pick up some of the slack.

Bruesewitz (4.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg) proved during last year's NCAA Tournament that he is no slouch, nearly doubling his season outputs by averaging 8.7 points and 6.3 rebounds.

No. 13: Kansas Jayhawks

Marcus and Markieff Morris (both pictured) together accounted for 30.9 ppg and 15.4 rpg, approximately 40 percent of Kansas' scoring and rebounding stats.

Fortunately for Jayhawks' head coach Bill Self, Thomas Robinson didn't keep his name in the NBA Draft.

Robinson may be one of the nation's top "breakout" players of the upcoming season.

While playing fewer than 15 minutes per game last year, Robinson averaged an amazing 7.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg.

It doesn't take a math major to see that if he keeps that level of production up as his minutes increase, Robinson could very well average somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 points and 13 rebounds per game.

No. 12: Baylor Bears

It may seem strange to suggest that Baylor could be better off without last year's No. 2 Big 12 scorer, LaceDarius Dunn, in its lineup.

While Dunn scored lots of points (19.5 ppg), his selfish shot selection shut the Bears offense down.

Baylor coach Scott Drew will look to junior college point guard Pierre Jackson and Boston College transfer Brady Heslip to elevate the Bears backcourt.

No. 11: Pittsburgh Panthers

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon will have a tough job in replacing his big center, Gary McGhee (pictured; 6'11", 250 pounds).

McGhee anchored the Panthers' defense and led the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg), while chipping in 7 points per game.

Dixon hopes that junior Dante Taylor (6'9", 240 pounds) will finally fulfill his potential. A former McDonald's All-American, Taylor scored 5.1 points and pulled down 4.5 boards per game in a backup role.

Dixon also has elite-level recruit Khem Birch (6'9", 220 pounds) coming on board this fall.

If Taylor and Birch can learn to play side by side, look out Big East, and look out March Madness!

No. 10: Florida Gators

The Gators' 2010-11 front court of Vernon Macklin, Chandler Parsons (pictured) and Alex Tyus is gone. They combined to average 32.0 points and 19.4 rebounds a year ago.

The loss of Parsons (6'9", 200 pounds), last year's SEC Player of the Year, is the most significant in that he led the team in both rebounds and assists. A unique combination, for sure.

The emergence of sophomore forward/center Patric Young (6'9", 245 pounds) and forward Erik Murphy (6'10", 230 pounds) is crucial.

Young led the team in blocked shots last season and attracted a lot of attention over the summer as he played for the USA U19 Team.

Don't be surprised when Gators' coach Billy Donovan puts three or even four guards on the court at the same time.

Florida returns its two leading scorers from a year ago in guards Erving Walker (14.6 ppg) and Kenny Boynton (14.2 ppg).

The Gators also will get tons of production from Rutgers transfer Mike Rosario and freshman phenom Brad Beal.

Rosario (6'3", 180 pounds) averaged over 16 points per game in both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Rutgers.

Beal has already been projected as a 2012 NBA lottery pick.

No. 9: Memphis Tigers

The Memphis Tigers will again be one of the youngest, most talented teams in the country.

Their biggest loss from last year's team is Will Coleman (pictured), a power forward who only averaged 19.2 minutes per game.

Coleman's 7.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg should not be a problem to replace.

Tarik Black, a 6'8" forward is projected ,as a future first-round draft pick. As a freshman, Black averaged 9.1 points and 5.0 rebounds.

He’ll start in the middle and be backed up by Stan Simpson, a 6'10" post player who averaged 14.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg in junior college.

No. 8: Louisville Cardinals

Preston Knowles' (pictured) graduation leaves a big hole in the Cardinals' backcourt.

Knowles led Louisville in scoring (14.6 ppg) and helped out by grabbing 3.9 boards and handing out 3.1 assists per game.

Head coach Rick Pitino may go with Mike Marra (6.4 ppg), a long-distance shooting specialist who struggled to connect from beyond the arc last season (28 percent).

Freshman Wayne Blackshear was thought to be a possible starting shooting guard until he tore his labrum (shoulder) in practice this last week. Blackshear's injury will require season-ending surgery.

No. 7: Vanderbilt Commodores

Few teams were impacted less than Vanderbilt by players leaving due to the NBA Draft, graduation or transfer.

Head coach Kevin Stallings had to wait and see if some of his players would return (three had declared for the draft, but none signed with an agent). By summer, Stallings knew that he had virtually everyone coming back from one of the most talented teams in school history.

The Commodores return their top seven scorers.

Andre Walker (pictured; 3 ppg, 3 rpg), a backup forward who graduated after playing fewer than 18 minutes per game, is virtually the only player not returning for the upcoming season.

This last week, senior post player Festus Ezeli (13 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.6 bpg) sprained ligaments in his right knee in practice and will miss six to eight weeks.

Sophomore forward Rod Odom (6'9", 207 pounds; 3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg) will more than cover the sparse minutes available to frontcourt players coming off the Vandy bench until Ezeli returns in late December/early January.

No. 6: Duke Blue Devils

No team in this year's preseason Top 25 sustained more significant losses than Duke.

They lost a four-year starter who was the 2010 Final Four Most Outstanding Player: Kyle Singler.

They have to replace a 2010 First Team All-American and the 2010 ACC Player of the Year: Nolan Smith.

They need to figure out who will take the place of the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft: Kyrie Irving (pictured). 

It is unclear who Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski will plug in for his starting lineup.

In an exhibition against Bellarmine, Coach K rolled out a starting five of Mason and Miles Plumlee, Alex Murphy, Seth Curry and Austin Rivers.

Ryan Kelly and Tyler Thornton both played significant minutes off of the bench. Andre Dawkins, Josh Hairston and Quinn Cook also saw double-digit minutes of playing time.

No. 5: Syracuse Orange

No other Big East team (except UConn) suffered a bigger loss from an individual player than the Orange.

Rick Jackson (pictured), Syracuse's brawny power forward last season, led the conference in rebounding (10.3 rpg), blocked shots (2.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (58.8 percent).

Jackson was also the Orange's No. 2 scorer, averaging 13.1 points per game.

Head coach Jim Boeheim could plug in sophomore forward C.J. Fair (6'8", 210 pounds; 6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg) or may go with freshman shot-blocker Rakeem Christmas (6'9", 222 pound).

Either way, Boeheim will be giving up important size and experience.

No. 4: Connecticut Huskies

Though UConn head coach Jim Calhoun has tons of talent returning and arriving, he has a huge task in figuring out how he is going to replace Kemba Walker.

Walker was a 2011 First-Team All-American, the 2011 Final Four Most Outstanding Player and the Bob Cousy Award winner as top point guard.

Walker was the Huskies' leading scorer (23.5 ppg) and assists leader (4.3 apg), as well as the team's No. 2 rebounder (5.3 rpg).

Beyond the numbers, Walker was the heart and soul of this team, willing the team to the Big East Tournament and NCAA Tournament championships.

As strange as it sounds, UConn may still be one of the top perimeter teams in the country. Shabazz Napier and Jeremy Lamb will start in the Huskies backcourt.

Freshmen guard Ryan Boatright will fit right into UConn's up-tempo attack.

No. 3: Ohio State Buckeyes

David Lighty filled lots of roles on last year's Ohio State team.

For the Buckeyes, Lighty was No. 2 in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and assists (3.2 apg).

He was a double-figure scorer (12.1 ppg) and a top-notch three-point shooter (42.9 percent for the season; seven-for-seven from beyond the arc in OSU's round-of-32 game in the NCAA Tournament).

The loss of Jon Diebler, the Buckeyes' best three-point shooter (50.2 percent from beyond the arc) and a 12.6-points-per-game scorer, also needs to be addressed.

Diebler, like Lighty, helped spread the court for Jared Sullinger to operate down low.

OSU head coach Thad Matta may pair point guard Aaron Craft with incoming McDonald's All-American Shannon Scott to create a tough-to-defend dynamic duo to put alongside William Buford on the perimeter.

Deshaun Thomas, a 6'7" forward who averaged 7.6 ppg and 3.6 rpg in 14 minutes per game, should see an increased role in the Buckeyes attack, but he doesn't possess the shooting stroke of either Lighty or Diebler.

No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats

In the fast-moving world of Kentucky Wildcats basketball, elite-level players move in and move on.

Brandin Knight lived up to his press clippings of being a guard who could do it all.

The hot-shooting freshman combo guard led the Cats in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and minutes (35.9 mpg).

Marquis Teague, the No. 1 point-guard recruit in the nation, will be UK's trigger man as a freshman.

Teague, a dynamic distributor and an explosive finisher, will be the fifth consecutive highly touted frosh to play the point for Coach Cal.

If he can effectively follow in the steps of Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans at Memphis and John Wall and Knight at Kentucky, all will be well in Lexington.

No. 1: North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels made a deep run in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, and they return six of their top seven scorers.

The only exception, Leslie McDonald, technically returned for his junior year, but went down in July with a season-ending torn ACL while playing a summer-league game.

McDonald was primarily a backup guard, filling in at both backcourt positions (7 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 15.7 minutes per game).

Fortunately for head coach Roy Williams, McDonald's injury, while sad for the player, does not impair the team at all.

Dexter Strickland (7.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.2 apg) returns ready to battle.

Reggie Bullock (6.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg) is back from his own injury and ready to compete for minutes.

And freshman shooting specialist P.J. Hairston could be the best pure shooter of the three.