Looking Forward

Might we see yet another Ohio State v. Florida game next April? Richard and Humphrey won't be back. What about Noah? It seems like if he liked college enough to stay for his junior year, he might as well come back for his senior season. Maybe he could refine his shooting technique before making the jump to the pros, unless he wants to become the next Anderson Varejao. Al Horford put up solid numbers, but looked more like a good college player with a tough transition ahead of him than a sure-fire, can't miss, NBA prospect. Maybe the two of them, along with PG Taurean Green, can convince Corey Brewer to come back to school. If so, they might be on to something. If not, they'll have a huge void to fill. Brewer's performance from beyond the arc at the Final Four has to have his stock soaring, when you combine that facet of his game with his tremendous length, athleticism, and defense.

On the other side, it's hard to see Oden coming back after that performance. He was spectacular and kept the Buckeyes relatively close. It's too bad they couldn't get anything to fall from the outside and all the loose balls (and shots of the side of the backboard) seemed to be bouncing the Gators' way. Ohio State was 4-23 from 3, with 2 of the makes coming late when the contest wasn't really in doubt. At one point, they were 2-18, while UF was 10-18 (which is where the Gators finished). I don't know if OSU made their 19th attempt or not. The Buckeyes were 4-14 against Georgetown, 5-17 against Memphis, 8-22 against Tennessee, 9-21 against Xavier, and 11-20 from deep against Central Connecticut State. Interestingly, they got progressively worse as the tournament went on. Maybe Roy will graph it for us. Back to Oden, when he comes out, he's going to be a top pick, whether that's this year or next. With another year of seasoning on those youngsters, I'll take the Buckeyes over the Gators even if Green, Brewer, Noah and Horford are ALL back (and Donovan).

And, because we're on the subject of the Florida Gators, might it be time for Billy Donovan to ride off to the Kentucky bluegrass? If there is a mass exodus of Gators to the NBA draft, what does he have left in Gainesville? Sure, he's probably got enough in the bank from the back-to-back championships that the fans won't be on his butt. But, if he has to rebuild, why not rebuild at Kentucky rather than Florida. Roy Williams lost Felton, McCants, May and Marvin Williams to the NBA after winning the title at UNC. The next year was rough, but he rebuilt quick at his (it seems) dream job. Is Florida Donovan's dream job? I doubt it ... so it seems like now is the time to move on. There is no place to go but down, maybe even if he gets all the juniors back.

Looking forward to next year, a lot of teams hinge on whether or not players leave for the NBA. Texas could be a handful with Durant, James, and Augustin as sophomores alongside Abrams and someone tall, but they aren't nearly as scary without Durant. KU should be dangerous, even if Julian Wright leaves, because they'll still have Robinson, Chalmers, Rush (he won't leave, will he?), Collins, and Stewart for the outside positions and Kaun, Arthur and Jackson inside. Ohio State will be great with Oden and could be a dangerous uptempo team without him. They'd just have to turn to Hunter, Terwilliger and their center recruit in the middle. They should still have Conley, Butler, Cook and Lighty. UNC should be back to challenge for the title as well. And, if Afflalo stays at UCLA, the Bruins should be back to challenge for the Final Four as well. What's my point? Well, I'd like to see a lot of the underclassmen back and I'd like to see Florida at full strength because I don't think they'll win if that's the case. Oh, that would be nice.