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Published by The HOOP SCOOP, Inc., P.O. Box 37122, Louisville, KY 40233 Editor & Publisher Clark Francis Email Address: clark@hoopscooponline.com Phone (502) 493-0043 Fax (502) 493-0440 All rights reserved - Copyright 1999

HOOP SCOOP’S PRE-SEASON RANKING OF THE TOP 25 COLLEGE TEAMS

Rk. Team Starters League Overall Conference Comments
1. Arizona 3 13-5  22-7  Pacific-10 A great sleeper pick in a wide-open year!  Three starters return, including second team HOOP SCOOP All-American Michael Wright, and Lute Olson is one of the best in the business.  But the key is Jason Gardner and Loren Woods, both of whom are expected to be among the top newscomers in college basketball.
2. Cincinnati 4 12-4 27-6 Conference USA Don't be surprised if the Bearcats remind you of the old UNLV teams in the early '90s with their relentless pressure, uptempo style, and tremendous talent.  The key will be how quickly Bob Huggins puts all the pieces together and whether Dermarr Johnson and Kenny Satterfield pick up where they left off in high school. 
3. Michigan State 3 15-1 34-5 Big 10 Mateen Cleaves, who is our choice as the best player in college basketball today, is out for a month.  But we rank teams based on where they will be in March, not December.  With the addition of transfer Mike Chappell, the only question is who replaces Antonio Smith inside.
4. Temple 4 13-3 24-11 Atlantic-10 Don't get too concerned about any early loses, because this promises to be John Chaney's best team ever!  Mark Karcher, Kevin Lyde, Lamont Barnes, and Pepe Sanchez are all terrific, but the key is a much improved and injury free Lynn Greer at both guards spots.
5. Florida 4 10-6 22-9 Southeastern Donnell Harvey's takes this group to another level and he may lead the nation in offense rebounding, because Billy the Kid has more guns than they had in theWild Wild West!  But the Gators still may be a year away - there is only one senior on the roster.
6. Auburn 4 14-2 29-4 Southeastern Was the surprise team in college basketball a year ago and nearly everybody is back, including Chris Porter, who is best player in the SEC, as well as one of the leading candidates for National Player-of-the-Year. But will they do it again and will they go farther in the NCAA Tournament than they did last March?
7. Connecticut 3 16-2 34-2 Big East The return of point guard Khalid El-Amin keeps the Huskies in the hunt for the national title, but freshman Tony Robertson, Marcus Cox, and Doug Wrenn have big shoes to fill and we're still aren't sold on Jake Voskuhl at center. 
8. Kentucky 1 11-5 28-9 Southeastern Nobody is better at four positions with the return of Jamaal Magloire, added maturity of Tayshaun Prince, and the additions of Keith Bogans and Marvin Stone, both of whom are candidates for National Freshman-of-the-Year honors.  The only questions are point guard and depth.
9. Kansas 3 11-5 23-10 Big 12 If the Jayhawks were a stock, now would be a good time to buy, because the pre-season polls all have the Jayhawks ranked too low. They go10 deep and Roy Williams is still one of the best in the business, even though a trip to the final four has been missing from his resume since 1993.
10. Stanford 1 15-3 26-7 Pac-10 Only one starter returns, but Mark Madsen provides the mountain upon which to build around and the Collins twins, Casey Jacobsen, Curtis Borchardt, and Michael McDonald provide an all-star cast.  The key will  not be duplicating last year's collapse at the end of the season.
11. North Carolina 4 10-6 24-10 Atlantic Coast Depth and toughness may be question marks, but nobody has a stronger starting five than Brendan Haywood, Kris Lang, Jason Capel, Joe Forte, and Ed Cota. Avoiding another first round NCAA lost is a must!
12. Duke 2 16-0 37-2 Atlantic Coast Shane Battier and Chris Carrawell both return, but the key will be how quickly the talented freshmen - Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, Casey Sanders, and Michael Dunleavy - fill the void created when four Duke players departed for the NBA.   But isn't that why the pay Mike Krzyzewski the big bucks!
13. DePaul 4 10-6 18-13 Conference USA Everybody talks about HOOP SCOOP First Team All-American Quentin Richardson, but two other freshmen - Bobby Simmons and Lance Williams - also played a major part in the Blue Demons18 win season a year ago.  Kerry Hartfield is also back and newcomers Paul McPherson and Steve Hunter also figure to play major roles.   The only question mark appear is point guard.
14. Ohio State 3 12-4 27-9 Big 10 Ohio State has the best backcourt in college basketball with Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd, but they were overachievers a year ago and when the  NCAA ruled 7'3 Aleksandar Radojevic, who signed with the Buckeyes last fall, but was drafted #12 in the NBA draft in June, it was a major setback.  So Jim O'Brien's outstanding coaching and the continued development of 6'11 Ken Johnson at center appear to be big keys.
15. Louisville 3 11-5 19-11 Conference USA Louisville head coach Denny Crum doesn't have any McDonald's All-Americans, but he does have more talent than he's had in recent years.  A big key is the addition of excellent guards in Reece Gaines, Caleb Gervin, and Rashad Brooks, which should give the Cardinals the talent, depth and athleticism to be able to run people out of gym. 
16. Illinois 4 3-13 14-18 Big 10 Four starters return, including Big 10 Freshman-of-the-Year Cory Bradford, but that's not why the Fighting Illini are ranked #16 on our list.   Instead, it's the new players - Marcus Griffin, Brian Cook, and Frank Williams, all three of whom should be among the best players in the league - that get us excited. 
17. Utah 4 14-0 28-5 Mountain West Everybody is back except star point guard Andre Miller, so the Utes should once again walk through their league.  However, juco transfer Trent Whiting could prove to be just as good at the point, while Hanno Mottola, Alex Jensen, and Nate Althoff provide Rick Majerus with all the talent and experience he needs up front.
18. UCLA 4 12-6 22-9 Pac-10 The early departure of Baron Davis to the NBA keeps the Bruins from being one of the teams in college basketball this season. But all the front line guys return and Earl Watson should be good enough at point.  So the big key will be freshman Jason Kapono, who will provide Steve Lavin with a multi-dimensional player and, most important, a great outside shooter, which was something the needed a year ago.
19. Oklahoma State 4 10-6 23-11 Big 12 There aren't many on the bench better than Eddie Sutton and he should be especially dangerous this year as five of his top six, including Desmond Mason, Joe Adkins, and Doug Gottlieb, return for their senior year.  Sutton also has more than his share of size, as six players in the program are 6'9 or bigger.
20. Tennessee 3 12-4 21-9 Southeastern The Volunteers might be ranked a lot higher if it weren't for their demise in the NCAA Tourney last March.  Tony Harris, Vincent Yarbrough, C.J. Black, Charles Hathaway, and Isiah Victor are all terrific, plus the bench is deep thanks to an excellent an freshman class.
21. Syracuse 5 10-8 21-12 Big East Jim Boeheim is at his best when his team doesn't get the respect it deserves, which appears to be the case here, as three seniors starters - Ryan Blackwell, Jason Hart, and Etan Thomas - and two junior starters - Allen Griffin and Damone Brown - all return.  The Orangemen have also added two excellent recruits, in Deshawn Stevenson and Jeremy McNeil, but this group underachieved a year.
22. Delaware 3 15-3 25-6 American East Our Cinderella pick in our top 25 is Delaware, which returns three starters, including 6'5, 240 lbs. Mike Pegues, who is one of the most underrated players nationally in college basketball.  Mike Brey also welcomes back Darryl Presley, who was the league tournament MVP two years ago, but missed last year due to academic problems, and has Billy Wells, a transfer from Tulane ready to step in at the point spot.
23. Fresno State 4 9-5 21-12 Western Athletic Most of the high maintenance guys are gone, but it's still hard to believe that Jerry Tarkanian has yet to get the Bulldogs into the NCAA Tournament.  Which is why they aren't ranked any higher, despite the fact the lineup will likely include Melvin Ely, Terrance Roberson, Larry Abney, Courtney Alexander, and Nick Irvin.
24. N.C. State 4 6-10 19-14 Atlantic Coast Last year was a disappointment, but that trend should reverse itself thanks to the addition of three outstanding freshmen - Damien Wilkins, Clifford Crawford, and Marshall Williams - and the return of Archie Miller, who was out with a back injury last season. As a result, the Wolfpack will be two deep at every position, except center. 
25. Pennsylvania 3 13-1 21-6 Ivy League The Quakers should expect early season losses on the road at Kentucky, Auburn, and Kansas, but that should get them ready for their league, as undefeated conference season may not be out of the question.  Michael Jordan might be the best player in the league and freshman Ugonna Onyekwe may not be far behind.