Let’s face it: we are still 5 months away from the Final Four, but that hasn’t stopped many sport-writers and fans from speculating on which teams will take the NCAA Basketball National Championship. The Sports Book Industry has been a bit more conservative, having yet to put up consolidated lines for the NCAA Championship favorites, but the Kansas Jayhawks and the Michigan State Spartans are certainly going to be among the top four picks. Allow us to start this preseason overview with the Jayhawks. They are the preseason’s No1 ranked team. They are not only expected to have a good performance this season, but are expected to take it all, including the National Championship. But being the number 1 ranked team before the season begins is not necessarily the best omen for the Jayhawks. It’s just a matter of looking back to what happened last time Kansas began the season as No1, back in 2004-2005. The Jayhawks suffered through one of their most disappointing seasons, a dismal repetition of 1996-97 in their otherwise quite impressive history. So, why number one? For starters, Kansas is coming back this year with at least four players from last year’s Championship squad: Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Brady Morningstar and Tyrell Reed. Even more, with the sole exception of the talented and much-loved Matt Kleinmann, everyone is back this year. Bill Self, Kansas head coach, is quite optimistic about the teams’ future. He knows he has a good base team, and the addition of Xavier Henry, top high school recruit, will certainly not hurt his chances to build up some good momentum for March. Sherron Collins is considered by many one of the best guards in the tournament, and Aldrich might be the most consistent center in the league. All this, summed with the experience and charisma of Bill Self (on his 7th straight year with the Jayhawks), makes it quite clear why Kansas is ranked number 1. But not everything that shines is gold. True. This also holds for the Jayhawks. Things have gotten a bit sketchy, to say the least, for some players’ behavior off the court. First, Tyshawn Taylor was involved in an altercation with some Kansas Football players over a girl. And, not two weeks later, Morningstar was arrested on suspicions of driving under the influence of alcohol. Perhaps head coach Bill Self has a great team, but he might also have a handful of player related issues to deal with off the court. On the other hand, the Michigan State Spartans have yet to make the sports headlines with off-the-court antics. But they have sure made some noise since last year’s Regional Semifinals. Tom Izzo is aiming for an even better season this year. He wants another chance at the Championship Game, to repeat his’ 1999-2000 title. Izzo has guided Michigan State to five of eleven NCAA Final Fours from the years 1999â€2009, an accomplishment unmatched by any other college basketball program during that period. The prospects for a National Championship winning season are there. Kalin Lucas is back, and he is back for good. Matter of fact, the core of Michingan State’s championship contending squad is back in full throttle this year. And they better be, because they are facing a very rough season start, taking on Gonzaga, Baylor, and North Carolina early in the season. Izzo showed his concerns about the teams’ offensive-defensive transition. But the two new kids on the block might just fit there very well. Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman are both big strong fellows that could fill in for Marquis Gray and Goran Suton, who left the program last season. The bottom line is that both teams start this season with astronomical expectations. All we have left is for both teams to start sharpening their game, and see if they can live up to their expectations once the season is underway, when it matters most.
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