Five Bold College Basketball Predictions

A season outlook I will probably try to overlook come March. The best team in the SEC will be Mississippi State. Forget about the John Wall Show at Kentucky: The only team in the SEC coming off an NCAA Tournament berth and returning all five starters plays in Starkville. Add Renardo Sidney, currently caught in eligibility limbo, and the Bulldogs may have the most imposing frontline in college hoops in Sidney and one-man block party Jarvis Varnado. Maintaining the quietly above-average guard play of last season could be their key. Kansas' turmoil will not matter. Sure, the Jayhawks have had their fair share of drama in the off-season, but in Sherron Collins and Cole Aldrige, they have the best inside-outside duo in college hoops, and if super-recruit Xavier Henry is coming off the bench, it is clear that depth is not an issue for this talented squad. Their biggest problem could well be Texas, which is similarly loaded and adds lightning bug Jai Lucas at point guard. There will ...