College Basketball Preview 2013-14: Key Storylines To Watch For Upcoming Season
By Nathan Giese
Marshall Henderson and the Ole Miss Rebels will be a story to watch this season.
Sports never have a shortage of storylines. College sports are no different. Whether it’s the building legacies of the Dukes and Kentuckys of the national landscape to NCAA sanctions to miraculous stories about triumph of a player’s background, college sports gives every fan something to relate to.
This season in college basketball, there are a number of key storylines to pay attention to. Last season it was the resurgence of Michigan’s basketball program after the Fab Five era, Louisville’s run to the National Championship after Kevin Ware’s gruesome broken leg in the NCAA Tournament and the reclaiming of the junior and seniors in the nation taking the attention back from the freshman.
To gear up for this season, we’ll break down some of the biggest and most noteworthy stories that every fan should have a grasp on to continue the HoopsHabit college basketball preview 2013-14.
Kentucky’s attempt at recreating their 2012 national championship team with freshmen.
During the 2011-12 season, John Calipari led a group of talented freshmen to one of the best seasons in college basketball history, finishing 38-2 (a record for most wins in a season), going undefeated in Southeastern Conference play (16-0) and winning the national championship. What was so miraculous about this is that the Wildcats started three freshmen all season en route to this incredible season.
Calipari hoped to recreate this sort of success the following season, starting four freshmen (Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress, Willie Cauley-Stein and Archie Goodwin) for most of the season before Noel’s season ending injury. Kentucky entered the season being ranked in the top five in the country and projected for another championship run. Even before Noel’s injury, this class was failing to live up to expectations, ultimately finishing the season with a 21-12 record and losing in the first round of the NIT to Robert Morris.
Now, Kentucky has, once again, brought in one of the most highly touted freshman classes in the nation. This class has garnered much attention for being a collective group and has them projected in many major publications as the favorite to win the national championship.
Whether this is going to end up being a remake of the 2012 Wildcats or the 2013 Wildcats relies entirely on Julius Randle, James Young, and Aaron and Andrew Harrison, as well as the other members of Kentucky’s freshman class. The talent is there, just like the two previous years, but it will be interesting to see if this becomes the successful class that won a national championship or the disappointing NIT team.
That 2012 national championship team was special, something that is highly unlikely to ever be recreated. Expecting another potential undefeated season is asking too much of these freshmen. However, a successful season is expected and a definite possibility. It might be a littler premature to call them favorites to win it all, but that’s what Calipari and the Kentucky faithful expect out of their teams.
Marshall Henderson’s troubles have biggest impact on Ole Miss’ season hopes.
Perhaps the most charismatic (if that’s the choice of words you want to use) player from last season was Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson. Henderson averaged more than 20 points a game last season and helped propel the Rebels to a 57-46 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in the round of 64 in the NCAA tournament.
While his scoring on the court brought him his attention, it’s his actions without the ball that has kept him in that attention. Perhaps the biggest moment in Henderson’s season came when he taunted the Auburn Tigers’ fans on the road. Or maybe it was the moment he casually flipped fans the bird after being eliminated from the NCAA tournament after a 76-74 loss to La Salle. What’s most troubling, though, is that he was busted for possession of marijuana and cocaine this summer, which resulted in a suspension from the team.
As of right now, Henderson is still suspended from the team. How many games he misses to begin the season will be determined by coach Andy Kennedy when the time comes. While Ole Miss does return Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White, two capable players, the season lives and dies with Marshall Henderson’s existence and eligibility. He’s one of the most electric and purely talented players in the country. Without him, the Rebels go from a potential NCAA tournament team to one that would be lucky to get an NIT nod.
Marshall Henderson is what Johnny Manziel is to college football. You either love him or you hate him. Despite that, Ole Miss is hoping these offseason issues works itself out, much like Manziel’s did.
Potential impact of Chane Behanan’s suspension on Louisville Cardinals.
The Louisville Cardinals’ run to a potential repeat national championship was already going to be difficult with the departures of point guard Peyton Siva and center Gorgui Dieng. Now, as reported on Thursday, the Cardinals have suspended Chane Behanan indefinitely for a violation of school rules.
Behanan, Louisville’s second-leading returning scorer, is going to miss all of November and isn’t eligible to return until mid-December. As talented as Behanan is, he had multiple suspensions last season and has already broken one of the rules coach Rick Pitino and the Louisville athletic director placed for him to return to the team.
Louisville is without a leader on the floor without Siva. As talented as Russ Smith is, he’s not going to be that guy. Behanan was expected to be that guy, but this suspension proves that he doesn’t have it in him. The Cardinals will likely use Smith, Kevin Ware, Montrezl Harrell, Wayne Blackshear and Luke Hancock as their starting rotation, going with the type of small lineup that helped them to the national championship last season.
While Behanan’s suspension is unfortunate, it does not spell immense trouble for the defending champions. Pitino knows how to put a winning product on the floor and if Behanan can’t follow the rules to stay on the floor, maybe he isn’t in the cards this season.
Got any other storylines to watch for this season? Let me know in the comment section below or on the Twitter Machine @NathanGiese.
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