---
BASKETBALL PREVIEW
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY OCTOBER 13 2008
BIG12MEN'S PREVIEWS
BY ADAM SAMSON
asamson@kansan.com
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Guard Steve Harvey averaged 9.1 points for the Cornuskers last season.
NEBRASKA (20-13,7-9 BIG 12)
Key losses — center Aleks Maric, forward Shang Ping, guard Jay-R Strow- bodes
Key newcomers - quard Eshaunte Jones
Breakdown — Coach Doc Sadler is going into his third season as the coach at Nebraska. Sadler is 37-27 in his two seasons with the Huskers, and he is only the second person to record 37 victories in the first two years of coaching the Cornushkes.
one other coach to do it was Paul Schlisser in 1921
With the departure of Australian center Aleks Maric, the Huskers will lack size in the post. Adding to the loss of Maric, freshman center Christopher Neimann was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the 2008-2009 season.
Neimann, Sadler's prized recruit from Germany played on a club team in Germany that included professional players. That leaves junior Chris Balham — at 6-foot-8 — as the tallest player on the roster with significant playing time.
Backcourt play will determine whether the Huskers are above .500 in Big 12 Conference play. With Maric gone they will have to have a team effort on the boards.
Look for junior guard Ryan Anderson to step up as the go-to guy for Nebraska this season.
Neimann's ineligibility will hurt the Huskers when facing teams with true centers in the post. Sadler and the Huskers will also have to rely on a four-guard lineup throughout the season.
In year three, Sadler may find it difficult breaking into the top half of the Big 12.
IOWA STATE (14-18, 4-12BIG12)
Key losses — center Jiri Hubalek,
forward Wesley Johnson, forward
Rahshon Clark, forward Cory
Johnson
Key newcomers — center Justin Hamilton, forward Jamie Vanderbaken, forward Clinton Mann, forward L.A. Pompea, guard Wes Eikmeier, guard Dominique Buckley
Breakdown — The Cyclones lose three out of their top four leading scorers from last year. One of the departures came out of nowhere when sophomore forward Wesley Johnson left the team. Many in the program think the relationship between Johnson and coach Greg McDermott came to a crossroads.
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
I Certainly was seeing playing Iowa State sophomore forward Craig Brackins started all 32 games for the Cyclones last year and will be key retURN this season. time, averaging 27 minutes per game.
win just one out of their last 10 games, losing their last five. McDermott had lofty expectations upon his arrival at Iowa State and had a successful first year that didn't carry over to the second season. With four key players on the rotation and a lack of upperclassmen, the Cyclones will turn to senior guard Bryan Petersen and sophomore forwards Diane Garrett and Craig Brackins. Both Petersen and Brackins started all 32 games for the Cyclones last year, and Garrett came off the bench, averaging 22 minutes per game.
All six newcomers were three-star recruits on Rivals.com. One of the newcomers who will be a likely contributor is freshman Dominique Buckley. Buckley was a first-team all-state pick as a senior in Detroit. Another key newcomer that will receive time on this young Cyclone squad is freshman Justin Hamilton. The 6-foot-11 center played on his Utah prep team that was in the top 25 in the high school national rankings. Hamilton set a single-season school record with 77 blocks during his senior season. McDermott may be on the hot seat with another shaky season. If McDermott can create some "Hilton Magic," the Cyclones may receive an NIT bid and save McDermott's job.
Kansas State had it rough in Allen Fieldhouse last season and has lost its top two players.
KANSAS STATE (21-12,10-6BIG12)
Key losses — forward Michael Beasley, forward Bill Walker
**Key newcomers** — guard Denis Clemente, forward Victor Ojleye
**Breakdown** — So who's left? Forward Michael Beasley, after a historic freshman season, now resides in Miami. Beasley's former sidekick, forward Bill Walker, is trying to make a living playing for the Boston Celtics. so who does second-year Kansas State coach Frank Martin have left? Sophomore guard Jacob Pullen is back after an up-and-down freshman season. Sophomore forward Dominique Sutton returns as well. And Martin adds depth in the backcourt with Miami-trainer Denis Clemente no longer eligible. But where will the scoring come from? Well, Martin will have to rely on a team-oriented offensive strategy and hope his team buys into his defense-first philosophy. The Big 12 coaches aren't exactly optimistic. One year after K-State advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the Big 12 coaches picked the Wildcats to finish eight in their preseason poll.
$6 Domestic Pitchers • 50¢ Jello Shots
Jermyl Jackson-Wilson and the Buffaloes could face a tough season after losing their top three scores, including all-time leader Rohw
COLORADO (12-20,3-13BIG12)
Key newcomers — forward Trey Ecklok, forward Austin Dufault, forward Nate Neal, guard Ryan Kelley, guard Nate Tomlinson
Key losses — guard Marcus Hall, guard Richard Roby, forward Marcus King-Stockton, guard Xavier Silas
Toby Veal, guard Ryan Kelley, guard Nate Tomlinson Breakdown — If last season was bad for the Buffaloes, don't tell Colorado fans what's in store this year. Colorado's all-time scoring leader, Richard Roby, graduated, along with the Buffaloes' next two leading scorers. Roby surpassed the 2,000-point mark in his career and landed fourth on the alltime Big 12 scoring chart. One of the key problems for the Buffaloes last year was their lack of big men. Coach Jeff Bzdelik brought in a few missing puzzle pieces in his first recruiting class at Colorado. Time will tell whether Bzdelik's recruiting efforts will help the Buffaloes dig their way out of 12th place in the Big 12.
Bzdelik will try out his Princeton offense again this season, with the possibility of using freshmen recruits Trey Eckloff and Austin Dufault to excel in his system. Eckloff and Dufault have the versatility and size to work the constant motion, passing, and back-door cuts of the Princeton offense.
Sophomore Cory Higgins, who started all 32 games last season, is the leading returning scorer for the Buffaloos and will have to fill the leadership role that is now vacant with Roby gone.
Bzdelik will be given time to develop his own system and bring in more recruits. But it could be another long season in Boulder for Bzdelik.
Bigger
NFL Sunday Ticket Every Game Every Sunday
Seven 10 Foot Screens
1800 E.23rd St.·785-832-2030 www.setemupjacks.com
.