Observations: Landing Labissiere key for Kentucky; ACC looks stacked
1. Skal Labissiere might be the most important recruit Kentucky hosts this fall
The 6-foot-10 big man visits Lexington this weekend and is arguably the top long-term prospect at the center position in the Class of 2015. Why is Labissiere so important for the Wildcats? Because there's a legitimate chance that all three of Kentucky's big men who play the five --- Dakari Johnson, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Karl Towns --- will leave school after this season and enter the 2015 NBA Draft. If that happens, Labissiere immediately becomes an instant contributor in the pivot for one of the most fabled programs in the sport. The Memphis native has already visited Georgetown and North Carolina while Memphis is also a strong potential landing spot because it's in Labissiere's home town. This will be one of the more interesting players to follow in the Class of 2015.
2. Kevin Ollie has UConn in position to put together a dynamite 2015 class Look at what Kevin Ollie has done already. The Huskies have commitments from two top-100 prospects in talented guard Jalen Adams as well as power forward Steven Enoch and they're in position to land a few more. UConn is still very much in the mix for two top-15 players in 6-foot-10 big man Diamond Stone and talented combo guard Isaiah Briscoe, as well as Philadelphia native Derrick Jones, a lanky 6-6 wing that is dynamite in the open floor. Many wondered how the Huskies would recruit post-Jim Calhoun in the American Conference but Ollie has answered the bell with flying colors.
3. The ACC could become the old Big East in terms of NCAA bids
I'm not saying this league is going to get 11 teams in the field of 68 like the old Big East did in 2011, but it wouldn't shock me if six to eight teams get into the NCAA tourney from this conference on a regular basis. Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, and Syracuse all have the ability to be top-15 programs annually while Florida State and North Carolina State have consistently recruited on an extremely high level under Leonard Hamilton and Mark Gottfried. That's seven schools right there that should always be in the NCAA discussion and we've yet to mention Pitt, Notre Dame, or Miami. Another thing to keep in mind regarding the ACC's bid situation? If other BCS leagues like the Pac-12 or the SEC struggle to identify tournament-caliber teams after the pre-existing alpha dogs already in their conference (Arizona in the Pac-12, Kentucky and Florida in the SEC), programs in the ACC will benefit because they're going to get more opportunities to play quality competition and enhance their NCAA resume with victories against potential tournament teams. Six to eight bids on an annual basis for the ACC? Sounds about right.
4. Illinois will have to rely on Ahmad Starks more than it initially thought
And that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 5-9 point guard was a multi-year starter at a BCS school when he was at Oregon State and now will likely be the Illini's starting floor general after incumbent starter Tracy Abrams was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Illinois coach John Groce told CBSSports.com this week that Starks has "really improved" during his red shirt year and needs to be more vocal moving forward during the 14-15 season. Starks wasn't a part of an NCAA Tournament team during the first stop of his college career in Corvallis but the Illini have the pieces to compete for a bid this year. Starks is one part of a formidable perimeter core that Groce has assembled that also features Seton Hall transfer Aaron Cosby, sophomores Jaylon Tate, Kendrick Nunn, and Malcolm Hill as well as this team's top returning player in fifth-year senior Rayvonte Rice (15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds). Starks averaged 10.4 points and shot 39.5 percent from 3-point range during the 2012-13 season at Oregon State.
5. The back-to-back trip at Utah and Colorado is going to be brutal for visiting teams in the Pac-12
Need a known commodity other than Arizona in this conference? Now you've got it. The Wildcats are clearly the class of the Pac-12 but with UCLA recently losing two rotation players in Jon Octeus (didn't get into graduate school) and Jonah Bolden (ruled as a partial qualifier by the NCAA), it looks like the Utes and the Buffaloes may be the second- and third-best teams in the conference standings. What does that mean for opponents who have back-to-back games in Salt Like City and Boulder? High altitudes, raucous road venues, and a pair of really well-coached teams that are going to be awfully tough to beat on their home floor.
The trip to Boulder won't be easy for Pac-12 visitors this season. (USATSI)
This and that
• How about this stretch for Indiana? The Hoosiers will play Georgetown at MSG on Dec. 27 and then open Big Ten play at Nebraska on New Year's Eve followed up by a trip to East Lansing to play Michigan State on January 5. Indiana then returns home on January 10 to host Ohio State . That's beyond brutal.
• A common theme being echoed among Big East coaches? Xavier could wind up being the league's second-best team behind Villanova. The Musketeers may have lost their top player from last season in Semaj Christon but they return the conference's best power forward/center combo in Jalen Reynolds and Matt Stainbrook while adding arguably the league's best freshman in 6-6 wing Trevon Blueitt. This an exceptionally deep team, with 13 players all capable of contributing.
• 2015 shooting guard Jacob Evans (St. Michael The Archangel High School, Baton Rouge) will visit Cincinnati this weekend. The 6-5 wing is also considering South Carolina, Tulane, and Auburn.
• I'm hearing there's a legitimate possibility that Arizona State could start two juco players -- Gerry Blakes and Roosevelt Scott -- in the back court. The Sun Devils are the mystery team in the Pac-12 and will have six new players on their roster. No one knows what to expect from Herb Sendek's squad.
• Expect Keith Thomas to be an immediate contributor for St. John's. The rugged 6-7, 230-pound forward rebounds like normal human beings breathe and could very well start for the Red Storm at power forward next to Chris Obekpa up front. Thomas played at Westchester Community College last season.
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