2009-2010 Tennessee Predictions
2008-09 Record: (21-13, 10-6 SEC East)
Coach: Bruce Pear (5th year, 98-37 at Tennessee)
Assistants: Tony Jones, Jason Shay, Steve Forbes
Ret. Starters/Lost: 0/5

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Overview: The Vols are right there with Kentucky as favorites to win the SEC. Bruce Pearl returns all five starters including star senior wing Tyler Smith (6-7, 215), who averaged 17.4ppg and 5.8rpg last season. He’s not a sure-fire NBA first-round pick, so why not work on his skills? The backcourt is back intact led by sophomore shooting guard Scotty Hopson (6-7, 200), a long and lean guard, who averaged 9.2ppg and 1.4spg last year. He might be their best NBA prospect, who should make a big jump this year if he can improve his free throw shooting and limit the turnovers. At the point, senior Bobby Maze (6-3, 195) returns after averaging 8.2ppg and 3.2apg as a well-travelled transfer from Hutchinson C.C., who started out at Oklahoma. Maze doesn’t have to score a ton with all the talent the Vols have. He just has the defend and distribute. Senior J.P. Prince (6-7, 205) is another long, athletic wing, who averaged 9.9ppg and 4.2rpg last season. He’s just not the most durable guys and has had a career hampered by injuries. Up front, The Vols will go as far as their big guys take them. The guards can score and big men can shoot, but can they defend, rebound and keep other teams out of the paint? Wayne Chism (6-9, 246) is a big senior, who averaged 13.7ppg and 8rpg. He’s a well-rounded player, who can rebound, pass and shoot with anybody. Big junior Brian Williams (6-10, 278) has battled weight and consistency issues his entire career. He gives the team an inside presence, but limited because he can’t run the way the Vols play. Sophomore Cameron Tatum (6-6, 197) is another big wing, who will start next season when Prince graduates. He averaged 7.6ppg last year and shot 42% from the field.

Outlook: The future is now for the Vols, who lose Chism, Prince, Maze and Smith after this season. The Wildcats have the talent, but the Vols have the edge in experience. If they play better defense, who knows how far this team can go?

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2009-2010 Kentucky Predictions
2008-09 Record: (23-14, 8-8 SEC East)
Coach: John Calipari (1st year)
Assistants: Jon Robic, Orlando Antigua, Rod Strickland
Ret. Starters/Lost: 3/2

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Overview: Kentucky got rid of Tubby Smith because he couldn’t recruit and wound up with Billy Gillispie, who couldn’t coach or recruit. Now they get John Calipari, who brings in one of the greatest classes of all time and the only thing for left for Coach Cal to do is win the big one. That may happen here, tough they could be a year away. Barring another NCAA investigation, this should be a team that gets better as the year goes on. John Wall (6-4, 195) was the prized recruit of a great class. He’s a point guard who can elevate, score, rebound and dish it off. He’ll be one-and-done and likely the first pick in the draft unless there’s an elite big man coming up, which there doesn’t appear to be early on. Freshman Eric Bledsoe (6-1, 190) can score and play the point. He’s the ultimate combo guard and will play right away. Aqt small forward, sophomore Darius Miller (6-7, 223) is one of thew few returning players, who averaged 5.3ppg last season and provides a great athlete with good size at the wing. Calipari was left one gift (legal) and that was the return of PF Patrick Patterson (6-9, 235), one of the top big men in the SEC. Patterson, who return to Kentucky and spurned the NBA Draft, averaged 17.9ppg and 9.3rpg last year with 2 blocks per game. He’s not really a center, but the Wildcats have a big horse inside to protect him. Freshman DeMarcus Cousins (6-11, 260) is a very skilled player who can be as good as he wants to be. Rivals had him as the number two prospect in the country. Kentucky has a lot of talent off the bench, led by wing Darnell Dodson (6-7, 215), a sophomore who went to Miami-Dade C.C., after originally signing with Pittsburgh in 2007. He can start for just about any team in they country. Center Daniel Orton (6-1, 255)is another top recruit who signed when Gillispie was coach and remained with the team. It’s scary to have two young big men who can play right away, but you have to wonder if he’ll be happy being the caddy for Cousins if he returns next season.

Outlook: You can never have too much talent, but the key will be how Calipari molds the young stars into a team. That’s always tough when you have so much talent who could be looking ahead to the next level.

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2009-2010 USC Predictions
2008-09 Record: (22-13, 9-9 Pac-10)
Coach: Kevin O’Neill (1st year)
Assistants: Gib Arnold, Bob Cantu, Phil Johnson
Ret. Starters/Lost: 2/3

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Overview: Disaster struck at USC after three players left for the NBA Draft, Tim Floyd resigned after a pending NCAA investigation and most of the recruits who Floyd signed or verballed, signed elsewhere. So the challenge for journeyman coach Kevin O’Neill is just to keep a competitive team on the court. O’Neill does have some talent, even after losing star DeMar Derozan (13.9ppg) to the NBA along with center Taj Gibson(14.3ppg, 9rpg). At guard, Dwight Lewis (6-5, 215) is one of the only returners with experience and will have to carry the load. Last year, he averaged 14.4ppg and 3.3rpg. Junior Marcus Simmons (6-6, 200) also returns and will have to do more than just be a defensive specialist this season. Sophomore Percy Miller (Master P’s son), should also get some minutes this year at the point. Charlotte transfer Mike Gerrity (6-1, 180) will be eligible after eight games and should immediately help at the point. Up front, there are more issues. Sophomore Leonard Washington (6-7, 230), who averaged 6.1ppg and 4.2rpg will have to step up. Sophomore Nikola Vucevic (6-10, 220) adds skills on the perimeter and has the size to rebound and perform in the paint. The big key will be getting transfer Alex Stepheson (6-9, 235) from North Carolina. Junior Kasey Cunningham’s (6-7, 225) career has been curt short due to knee injuries. As of press time, USC was down to seven players.

Outlook: The big key for O’Neill is finding enough players to practice. It will be ugly this season for USC, as they’ll get give up some size and depth. Thank you Tim Floyd.

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2009-2010 Washington State Predictions
2008-09 Record: (17-16, 8-10 Pac-10)
Coach: Ken Bone (1st year)
Assistants: Ben Johnson, Curtis Allen, Jeff Hironaka
Ret. Starters/Lost: 2/3

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Overview: The Cougars lose center Aron Baynes (12.7ppg, 7.5rpg) and point guard Taylor Rochestie (13.2ppg, 4.5apg) from an 8-10 team. The key will be the improvement of sophomore guard Klay Thompson (6-6, 187), who averaged 12.5ppg last year and 4.2rpg. Thompson is a future star and son of former NBA star Mychal Thompson. They do need to replace Rochestie and will have several options. The top one right now is Reggie Moore (6-1, 175), who is considered a combo guard who can play point or wing. Sophomore Marcus Capers (6-4, 172) is thin but lengthy and can also play either spot. At the wing, senior Nikola Koprivica (6-6, 216) has good size, but lacks great quickness since tearing his ACL (3.1ppg, 2.4rpg). Up front, sophomore DeAngelo Casto (6-8, 229) was an outstanding defender as a freshman. This year, he’ll improve his offense after averaging 4.4ppg and 4rpg last year. They lack depth after Casto as freshman Brock Motum (6-9, 215) out of Australia is raw and freshman James Watson (6-7, 210) is undersized.

Outlook: Thompson will be a star this year and Casto is solid, but the rest of the team is a huge question mark. They just don’t have enough to contend in the first season of new head coach Ken Bone.

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2009-2010 Stanford Predictions
2008-09 Record: (20-14, 6-12 Pac-10)
Coach: Johnny Dawkins (2nd year, 20-14 at Stanford)
Assistants: Dick Davey, Rodney Tention, Mike Scrage
Ret. Starters/Lost: 2/3

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Overview: The Cardinal lost three key players, including guard Anthony Goods (16.2pg) and forward Lawrence Hill (13.6ppg, 5.9rpg). Johnny Dawkins won’t have to start from scratch, but he will essentially have to rebuild this team. The backcourt starts with sophomore Jeremy Green (6-4, 190), who made 46% of his treys last year, after averaging 6.4ppg. With more time, he should be a top scorer. Sophomore Jarrett Mann (6-3, 180) takes over at the point, after seeing spot time last year as a freshman. Senior Drew Shiller (6-0, 170) can also fill in if needed. Up front, the Cardinal are led by senior Landry Fields (6-7, 210), who averaged 12.6ppg and 6.6rpg last season. He really needs to step up his game (and early on in the season he has). Junior Josh Owens (6-8, 215) is undersized for a center, but is very explosive as a shotblocker. Last year, he averaged 6.9ppg and 3.6rpg. Sophomore Andrew Zimmerman (6-8, 215) is a transfer who sat out last season after transferring from Santa Clara, and provides some size and rebounding up front. Another key is freshman Andy Brown (6-8, 215), who suffered a turn ACL in late February and could see time in December.

Outlook: Dawkins has waited a long time to get this opportunity, but is a few years away and a big body or two from contending for the league. The loss of the backcourt players, especially Goods, will be tough to overcome.

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2009-2010 Arizona State Predictions
2008-09 Record: (25-10, 11-7 Pac-10)
Coach: Herb Sendek (4th year, 54-45 at Arizona State)
Assistants: Dedrique Taylor, Scott Pera, Lamont Smith
Ret. Starters/Lost: 3/2

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Overview: Herb Sendek’s team has to replace the best player in the Pac-10-James Harden-, who was picked third overall in the NBA Draft. There’s no Harden on this team so the pressure is on senior point guard Derek Glasser (8.8ppg, 4.8rpg) to become more of as scorer, but continue to lead the team. Taking over for Harden at shooting guard will be Trent Lockett (6-5, 185), an outstanding freshman . Junior Ty Abbott (6-3, 215) is also in the mix in the bakcourt after averaging 7.1ppg and 4rpg last season. However, he has to improve on his 28.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Junior Jamelle McMillan (6-2, 180), who averaged 4.8ppg last season can fill in for Glasser or play shooting guard. Up front, center Eric Boateng (6-10, 245) has played very little since transferring from Duke. With Jeff Pendergraph (14.5ppg, 8.2rpg) gone, Boateng will need to step up big-time this year as a senior. Junior Rihards Kuksiks (6-6, 205) is the leading returning scorer at 10.3ppg, and was strictly a three-point shooter (44.3%). Freshman Victor Rudd(6-7, 200) is a big-time recruit, who may have to play. Freshman Ruslan Pateev (7-2, 240), from Russia, provides a big body.

Outlook: The Sun Devils lost so much scoring and on the boards, that it will be difficult for the to get back to the tournament. Never count on Sendek though, who has a scrappy team that will be a tough out in the conference this year.

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2009-2010 Oregon Predictions
2008-09 Record: (8-23, 2-16 Pac-10)
Coach: Ernie Kent (13th year, 219-157 at Oregon)
Assistants: Mike Dunlap, Kenny Payne, Yasir Rosemond
Ret. Starters/Lost: 5/0

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Overview: The Ducks, led by Ernie Kent, now the dean of the Pac-10, is now on the hotseat after 12 years at the school. He shook the coaching staff up by hiring Mike Dunlap, a former associate head coach at Arizona, who led Division II Metro State to two national titles as head coach. Oregon, who finished 2-16 in the league, does return an explosive backcourt. Senior Tajuan Porter (5-6, 150) can flat-out score (15.4ppg, 1.7apg), but can he get others involved? His shot selection leaves much to be desired. Junior swingman LeKendric Longmire (6-5, 200) is also on the verge of stardom. He averaged 9.9ppg and 3.7rpg last season. Sophomore guard Teondre Williams (6-4, 210) barely got off the bench last year, but will be a key cog in the rotation this year. Junior guard Malcolm Armstead (5-10, 185) is a JC transfer who can play the point and take pressure off of Porter. Up front, the Ducks have issues. Sophomore Michael Dunigan (6-10, 250) has potential after scoring 8.4ppg, but needs to improve rebounding numbers (4.6rpg). Highly-touted freshman Jamil Wilson (6-7, 190) has all the tools to be an outstanding small forward. Senior Joevan Catron (6-6, 235) also returns up front (7.2ppg, 6.6rpg) as an undersized low post player. Sophomore Jeremy Jacob (6-7, 220), who started his career at Georgia, should also be in the mix.

Outlook: Kent’s team should be much-improved with the addition of Armstead in the backcourt and Wilson up front. But is that enough to save Kent’s job?

This PAC 10 conference prediction is courtesy of the ATS Sports Blog. If you are looking for winning college basketball betting picks be sure to choose ATS Consultants this year, A featured sports handicapping service on Touthouse.com