Scandal casts pall over season tipoff
College basketball is better than ever on the floor. Scoring is up, stars players fill every corner of the country and fan support is sky high.
Off the floor, it has an image problem.
A federal probe this summer uncovered the dark underbelly of college basketball, revealing a web of bribes and kickbacks from shoe companies funneled toward recruits. The arrests of 10 people, including assistant coaches at four prominent schools, casts a shadow over the sport heading into the season — and likely beyond.
“It’s a big egg on a lot of our faces,” Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. “It kind of speaks for the entire entity, and we’re part of it.”
The federal investigation led to the arrests of assistant coaches from No. 3 Arizona, No. 10 Southern California, Oklahoma State and Auburn, along with an Adidas marketing executive. The probe has already taken down No. 16 Louisville coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich, and more shoes could drop as the investigation digs deeper.
The other major programs, particularly those with high-end recruits, could be looking over their shoulders all season to see if they will become ensnared.
“You have to eliminate the clutter and understand the class has to be tight,” Arizona coach Sean Miller. “You have to talk to people, but only we know what happens on a daily basis in our program.”
On the court, Miller has the type of team that could end his Final Four-less run. The Wildcats have a solid core of experienced players returning from last year’s Elite Eight team — preseason All-American Allonzo Trier among them — to go with a stellar recruiting class, highlighted by athletic big man Deandre Ayton.
Of course, there are plenty of deep, talented teams capable of making a run to San Antonio.
Duke is the preseason No. 1 for the second straight season with senior Grayson Allen back and the addition of Marvin Bagley III, coach Mike Krzyzewski’s latest one-and-done wonder. Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has plenty to work with this season, playing with a stacked deck bolstered by the return of preseason All-American Miles Bridges.
No. 4 Kansas has reloaded and is gunning for Big 12 title No. 14 in a row. So has No. 5 Kentucky, where coach John Calipari is never without a roster full of future NBA players.
Defending national champion North Carolina lost a lot from a year ago, but the return of point guard Joel Berry II was huge, even if he will miss the start of the season after breaking his hand punching a door.
“We’re not defending (the national championship) because it’s not the same team playing against the same teams, but we’re the only team that can go out and say we could do this a second year in a row,” Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. Leading scorer Jae’Sean Tate returns and will be asked to handle the ball at times while remaining one of the nation’s top undersized post players. A healthy Keita Bates-Diop figures to be a massive boost to the offense, but the Buckeyes won’t do much without bigger years from Kam Williams and C.J. Jackson. Williams struggled as a junior, and Jackson came on late after transferring from a junior college in Florida. Both will have to be standouts. Bates-Diop presents matchup problems for opponents — even allowing the Buckeyes to experiment with a “small” lineup that features him at center — and coach Chris Holtmann has mentioned that Bates-Diop can guard nearly every position. Sophomore center Micah Potter has trimmed down and bulked up in the hope he will be able to provide a more formidable physical presence.
Key defensive players
As a freshman, Andre Wesson made his presence felt in subtle ways as Big Ten play progressed. Although he averaged only 2.3 points last season, he was 10 of 23 (43.5 percent) from three-point range in conference play and saw more than 13 minutes of playing time in nine of the final 13 Big Ten regularseason games. The addition of graduate transfer Andrew Dakich could have the biggest immediate impact. During Dakich’s four years at Michigan, the Wolverines won six NCAA Tournament games, one Big Ten title and one Big Ten tournament championship. He brings a winning mentality to Ohio State and will provide much-needed depth at the point. Dakich won’t be asked to play 15-20 minutes per game, but he will have a significant impact. Jackson, through no fault of his own. Projected to be the backup for JaQuan Lyle for the rest of his career, he outplayed Lyle as last season progressed and seized on a starting spot thanks to his willingness to accept coaching and always play hard. Now he’s the go-to point guard on a team that could struggle to score in Big Ten play, and he doesn’t have much of a safety net behind him. Starting on Thanksgiving, Ohio State probably will have six straight games against upper-level competition. The Buckeyes play three games in four days in the PK80 Invitational in Portland, Oregon, then come home to host Clemson in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Next up are the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin on Dec. 2 and a home game against Michigan two days later. That would test any team, much less one with as many unknowns as Ohio State. Ohio State lost five games by a combined Bates-Diop is a first-team all-Big Ten player, the interior defense improves significantly, and C.J. Jackson plays out of his mind at the point for the entire season.
Secret weapon Biggest offseason move Pressure’s on … Key stretch Stats that must change Buckeyes go dancing if … Buckeyes suffer if …
Jackson can’t handle being the go-to guy at the point, Kam Williams’ shots don’t fall, and the amount of passion on the roster can’t overcome a lack of depth.
Where do they end up?
16-15 overall, 6-12 and 12th in the Big Ten.