Nov. 11, 2008

By college basketball writer Rich Fisher for www.atlantic10.org

Perhaps the best illustration of how deep the Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Conference seems to be getting is the case of Charlotte.

The 49ers return 73 percent of their scoring, 87 percent of their rebounding and 86 percent of their assists from a 20-win team that went to the NIT, and they are only picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.

"The league is tremendous," Rhode Island coach Jim Baron said. "It has really developed over the years. We've worked hard to upgrade our non-conference schedule and each team has been able to prove itself outside the conference.

"This year, each team has tremendous returning players. We have some very solid programs and teams that are very well respected."

The A-10 is coming off a campaign in which St. Joe's, Temple and Xavier each went to the NCAA tournament, marking the fifth time since 2000 multiple at-large berths were awarded. Four more teams went to the NIT, with Massachussetts reaching the finals and Dayton getting to the quarterfinals. And Richmond went to the inaugural 16-team College Basketball Invitational.

"We had four or five teams with a resume to be in the tournament," Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said. "Last year, not only were our top teams good, but our middle and bottom teams were very capable of winning games. Unfortunately, we beat each other up and only ended up getting two at-large bids. But we have a lot of quality teams."

Duquesne's Ron Everhart echoed those thoughts.

"The teams at the top are going to be very, very good," he said. "Maybe even teams that can compete for a national championship."

Those teams expected to be at the top in Commissioner Bernadette McGlade's first year are Xavier, Temple, Dayton, St. Joe's, Charlotte, UMass and St. Louis, who were picked to finish one through seven. They were followed by Richmond, Rhode Island, LaSalle, George Washington, Duquesne, Fordham and St. Bonaventure. Here is a look at how each team shapes up:

CHARLOTTE
Coach Bobby Lutz says he has no problem with where his squad is picked, despite its returning talent.

"All it is, is a prediction," said Lutz, now in his 11th year at Charlotte. "I thought we'd be in the top five, and that's where we are.

"We feel like we have a lot of experience from last year. The experience our players received a year ago and in Canada (last summer) will be instrumental to us."

Coming off a 20-14 campaign (9-7 A-10) the 49ers return their complete front line in seniors Lamont Mack and Charles Coley and sophomore An'Juan Wilderness. Mack was the team's second leading scorer (12.8 ppg.), three-point scorer (64) and rebounder (5.1 rpg.) for last year's 20-14 squad. The 6-foot-7 Coley led the team with 6.2 rebounds per game and 46 blocked shots. Wilderness hardly got lost his first year in college as he made the A-10 All-Rookie team after averaging 8.1 points (on 48 percent shooting) and 4.9 rebounds.

The backcourt graduated leading scorer Leemire Goldwire, who averaged 18.6 points and banged a league-high 128 three-pointers. Junior DiJuan Harris (3.2 apg.) returns after leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.77) and had 37 steals. Junior Ian Andersen looks to replace some of Goldwire's perimeter scoring. The guards will be responsible for getting everyone in the act now that Goldwire is gone.

"We want to play a different style," said Lutz, who hopes to go 10 deep. "Our style will change a little, we won't have one guy scoring 18 points. We'll have balance. The strength of our team is depth and our athletic ability. We want to pressure and dictate offensively and defensively. If we can stay healthy we can do a lot of different things."

Charlotte suffered a hit in Canada when it lost touted freshman Shamarr Bowden, but 6-5 junior Rashad Coleman should make an impact after averaging 26 points at Heat Academy.

DAYTON
In looking at the Life - or lives - of Brian, the Brian Gregory era lives on as the Flyers embark on the post-Brian Roberts era. Gregory enters his sixth season at Dayton looking to replace Roberts, a three-time All-Conference guard whose name is prominent throughout the program's record book. Roberts helped Dayton roll to a 14-1 record and No. 14 ranking before injuries took a toll and the Flyers finished 23-11 (8-8).

"Brian Roberts was a focal point and a foundation, but this is a new and different team," Gregory said. "This team is creating its own identity and will be completely different in terms of what we need to do to be successful. We'd make a mistake just filling in hole and saying, `You're Brian Roberts.' We won't be as good a team if we did that."

Dayton looks strong up front as sophomore Chris Wright returns after averaging 10.4 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds. Junior guard Marcus Johnson (10.1 ppg., 5.1 rpg.) and senior forward Charles Little (8.0 ppg., 4.6 rpg.) also provide strength on the boards. Little was the league's Sixth Man of the Year in 2007 and Wright was on the All-Rookie team despite suffering a fractured ankle in the A-10 opener and playing just 15 games.

"Chris has only played six minutes of Atlantic 10 basketball, so the big challenge for him is he's never been through the day in and day out grind of conference play," Gregory said. "He'll be faced with challenges in February and March he hasn't seen before. But if anyone can handle that, it's Chris Wright."

Lightning quick junior guard London Warren should assume the point guard role after leading the team with 45 steals and finishing second in assists with 65. Rob Lowery, a transfer from Cecil Junior College, averaged 18.2 points and 8.2 assists last year.

"This is a very coachable, very energetic group," said Gregory, whose team got three first-place votes. "Each guy has to play new roles, everyone has to step up in some different roles. We're a team that will keep growing and when the Atlantic 10 season starts, we might see the kind of team we can have."

DUQUESNE
W.C Fields, who made the term "Go away kid, ya bother me!" famous, wouldn't like this team. Fortunately for the Dukes, coach Ron Everhart feels otherwise. With their top five scorers gone from the A-10's top scoring team the last two seasons; and with eight freshmen arriving in Pittsburgh, the Dukes and league partner Saint Louis feature two of the youngest teams in the country.

"I sort of like what we're going through now," said Everhart as he enters his third season at Duquesne. "We've had a real good preseason. A couple of guys were not cleared until later, but they're back and from a chemistry standpoint, they're coming along every day. I like our improvement and the talent level of the incoming guys."

Everhart is turning things around at Duquesne, which comes off its first winning season (17-13, 7-9) in 14 years. That earned the coach a contract extension through 2013-14.

The leading returning scorers are senior guard Aaron Jackson (9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and sophomore swingman Bill Clark (8.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg), while sophomore forward Damian Saunders is back after averaging 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds, the second best figure on the team.

A touted freshman class is ranked 28th nationally by Hoop Scoop, and includes guards Melquan Bolding (18.0 ppg.), Eric Evans (26.3 ppg.), B.J. Monteiro (21.3 ppg.) and Chase Robinson (23.3 ppg.). Monteiro was Connecticut's Player of the Year, while Evans and Robinson were "Mr. Basketball" finalists in Michigan and Alabama, respectively.

"Obviously, this is a really big challenge from a coaching standpoint," Everhart said. "We're trying to tweak and figure out how we're going to play and what we need to do. We have a bunch of guys not familiar with our system, so we're trying to fit them in.

"This is going to be a first for me. But I like the freshman class. There is talent in that group, the kids like each other. It's going to be interesting to see how they respond when they come up against another opponent. It will be a game-to-game, practice-to-practice kind of thing."

FORDHAM
Although not quite as young as Duquesne, the Rams are still part of the league's Kiddie Corps. Fordham looks to five freshmen and a transfer to help make up for the loss of four starters from a team that went 12-17 (6-10).

"We have a lot of new guys to work in," said coach Dereck Whittenburg upon entering his sixth season in the Bronx. "It's definitely going to affect us with six new guys. Of our returning guys, only (Brenton) Butler and (Herb) Tanner have significant playing time. We're going to have a whole new system.

"We're looking to get pressure and run, play an up-tempo game. Last year we could hold teams in the 60s, we could score 64 points and win a game. We want to get up to 70, 75 points a game. We're going to take more shots, play more aggressive, shoot quicker and pressure defensively."

Butler, a junior guard, is the lone returning starter after averaging 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds. Tanner, a junior guard who started two games and played 13.9 minutes per contest, averaged 2.5 points. Guard Mike Moore also returns after averaging 5.5 points as a freshman. The backcourt should get a boost from freshmen guards Alberto Estwick and Jio Fontan, teammates on a St. Anthony's (N.J.) squad that went 32-0 and was the nation's top-ranked team. Trey Blue also has potential.

"When you get two young men from St. Anthony, you bring in a championship attitude, so those kids bring a lot to the table," Whittenburg said. "Trey Blue is a wonderful shooter and a good guy."

The frontcourt must replace 15-point scorers Bryant Dunston and Marcus Stout, which is where the newcomers will come in. Jacob Green, a 6-9 forward, is a transfer from West Virginia who becomes eligible in December. High school teammates Khiry Gordon and Lamar Thomas also seek time up front along with holdovers Luke Devine, Chris Bethel and Dan Landisch.

"Jacob Green can help us with size," Whittenburg said. "Our freshman class is really, really solid and has great potential. As we develop, I think these guys have a chance to help tremendously. They're hungry, they're a breath of fresh air. It's a work in progress but their energy level and competitiveness will help us in the future."

GEORGE WASHINGTON
Coach Karl Hobbs knows that his team will eventually rebound from a rare losing season that saw the Colonials go 9-17 (5-11) and miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four years. When it does bounce back, it will be for more than just one season.

"The great thing about this university is we know who we are," the eighth-year coach said. "We are about character, we're not about quick fixes. We've been successful going out and getting guys who didn't have name recognition, but turned into success stories. The fun part is going through this process again.

"Its been a while since I've been this enthusiastic about the start of season. With me it's always fun to build a team. That's the easiest part, the hardest part is staying at that level. This year we'll focus on the process. We want to get to a point of competing. When we compete, we'll focus on winning. When we win, we'll focus on maintaining that level and getting back to winning championships."

GW will build around second-team A-10 preseason pick Rob Diggs, a senior forward who averaged 13.9 points and 7.7 rebounds last year. Diggs shot nearly 50 percent and had 31 blocked shots.

"Rob has to advance his game a little bit," Hobbs said. "He needs to step out on the perimeter, and will have to carry us in the beginning of the season with rebounding and scoring."

Diggs is joined up front by returning starters Wynton Witherspoon (11.0 ppg., 4.2 rpg.) and Damian Hollis (9.1 ppg., 6.3 rpg.). Witherspoon led the team with 30 steals, while the versatile Hollis creates match-up problems with his ability to launch a jumper or penetrate. Depth is provided by Joseph Katakura and Jabari Edwards.

Sophomore guard Travis King returns after missing all of last season with a knee injury. He averaged 5.7 points and 2.4 assists as a freshman. Senior Noel Wilmore (6.0 ppg.) is back after making a team-high 42 three-pointers. At 6-6, sophomore Xavier Alexander provides size on the perimeter. Freshmen guards Matt Allbritton, Tony Taylor and Aaron Ware all averaged over 20 points in high school last season.

LA SALLE
The communication gap has finally been bridged at Explorer practices this year.

"The most interesting thing for me is being so familiar with my players, and them being familiar with what we want to do," said coach John Giannini as he readies for his fifth year at La Salle. "For the first time in a long time, we're not relying on players who've never played before. This is a completely different animal than what I've ever had at La Salle.

"We've been a freshman-sophomore dominated roster, now we're a sophomore-junior class. It's nice to have kids who know what the challenges are, who know what a good practice is. They've had a good off-season and made good individual improvement."

Coming off a 15-17 (8-8) season, the Explorers return four starters and six of their top seven scorers. Junior guard Rodney Green was second on the team last year with a 13.4 ppg average, and led with 101 assists as he slowly learned the nuances of point guard.

"He actually played there as a freshman, but it's a big adjustment," Giannini said. "It's like taking a great athlete in football and putting him at quarterback. There's still a lot to learn. Rodney finished extremely strong last year, he's bought into it and he wants to be a point guard."

Following Green in the scoring column were sophomore forward Jerrell Williams (9.1 ppg., 6.4 rpg.), junior forwards Yves Mekongo Mbala (8.3 ppg., 6.0 rpg.) and Kimmani Barrett (7.8 ppg.), junior guard Ruben Guillandeaux (7.7 ppg.) and the team's lone senior, forward Paul Johnson (6.7 ppg., 5.0 rpg.).

A key newcomer will be 6-9 junior Vernon Goodridge, who sat out last season after transferring from Mississippi State.

"He's really physically gifted in terms of size, strength and athleticism," Giannini said. "He ranks with the best players I've seen in the Atlantic 10. He's been dominant in practices but hasn't had the opportunity to do it on game night yet. Doing it night in and night out when the popcorn is popping is a little different than summer ball or practice. But if he plays up to his potential, we could have a special year."

MASSACHUSSETTS
Memories of Minutemen glory days have returned in the form of their head coach. After 12 years serving as a John Calipari assistant at UMass and Memphis, Derek Kellogg is taking over as head coach. Kellogg was part of the Massachussetts juggernaut in the early 1990's.

"It's been a great homecoming so far," Kellogg said. "Statewide it's been good. Pretty much wherever you go, people are excited for the program."

Kellogg inherits a team that went 25-11 (10-6) and reached the NIT finals before losing to Ohio State. But there is a huge void left by the departure of Gary Forbes, the A-10's Player of the Year.

A strong backcourt returns with junior Ricky Harris (18.2 ppg., 56 steals, 104 three-pointers) and senior Chris Lowe (11.8 ppg., 57 steals). Harris won the Chris Daniels Most Improved Player Award, while Lowe averaged a league-high 6.29 assists per game, which was in the top 15 nationally.

"I'm expecting Chris to be a first-team All-Conference player who will put a team on his shoulders and lead the team every time we step on the court," Kellogg said. "Getting to know him, I think we have a chance to be a pretty good basketball team."

Sophomore Anthony Gurley is also being counted on after transferring from Wake Forest and sitting out last year. Swingman Matt Glass and combo guard Gary Correia should see expanded roles.

Seniors Luke Bonner and Tony Gaffney return at forward. At 7-1, Bonner hit 21 three-pointers while averaging just 11.1 minutes per game. Gaffney averaged 4.8 rebounds and had 59 blocks and 39 steals.

Kellogg plans on incorporating the high-intensity system that his old boss lives by.

"We're looking to play an exciting style on offense and defense," he said. "On offense we want to push the tempo and on defense we want to play the fun, high-paced style that fans want to see. We have some pretty athletic guys who can get up and down the floor, but you'll never know until we actually play opponents."

Whether UMass' run to the NIT finals will carry over remains to be seen.

"I'm not sure," Kellogg said. "Those guys now have a feeling they can win in a tournament. I'm just trying to set my own tone."

RHODE ISLAND
With some quality players left over from a 21-12 (7-9) team and some promising newcomers joining the ranks, it could be an interesting year in Kingston.

"I think it's been a real good transition," said coach Jim Baron of how his incoming players have meshed with the veterans. "They're really good athletes. We want to try to continue pushing the basketball like we did the last two years. "These new guys will add a lot of depth, as well as athleticism to a solid program. Along with that, our sophomore class will make it very exciting."

Not to mention senior guard Jimmy Baron, a third-team preseason A-10 pick who averaged 14.2 points and made 99 three-pointers last year. Senior forward Kahiem Seawright chipped in with 9.2 points and a team-high 8.4 rebounds, while junior forward Lamonte Ulmer averaged 7.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Junior guard Keith Cothran (7.3 ppg.) led the team with 59 steals.

The sophomores Baron alluded to are guard Marquis Jones and center Will Martell. Jones had a 1.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a freshman, while the 7-0 Martell provides size in the middle.

Baron's eighth season with the Rams could be impacted by the new blood, which includes Connecticut transfer Ben Eaves. At 6-7, the Lancashire, England, product is a shooting threat from the perimeter. Also joining the team are freshmen guards Stevie Mejia and Jamal Wilson, and 6-9 forward Orion Outerbridge.

"I think we lost two very good players," Baron said, referring to Will Daniels and Parfait Bitee. "It's going to be a little bit of a rebuilding year for us but by the same token, we have an excellent nucleus coming back. We're going to have to work our way up the ladder.

"We have a couple guys who really have to be able to step up and use their athleticism as well as high energy. We have to come together and continue to build chemistry. We have to use November and December to get ready for league play in January. We want to continue to be up-tempo on defense as well as offense."

RICHMOND
Entering his fourth season as Spiders coach, Chris Mooney finally has a group of players that are predominantly his recruits.

"That can make a huge difference," said Mooney, coming off his first winning season. "It's always a difficult test to come in and take over a program unless you were an assistant there. Lack of familiarity with players is always difficult. It takes a lot of time to get to the point where everyone is comfortable.

"Having mostly guys we recruited makes it much easier. Everything kind of goes a lot more smoothly. The talent side, the comfort level of coaching guys you recruited is all big."

Mooney hopes it's big enough to offset the loss of 6-9 junior center Dan Geriot, a third-team All-Conference election who led the Spiders in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and rebounding (5.5 rpg.) during a 16-15 (9-7) campaign. Geriot suffered a knee injury playing a summer league game and will redshirt.

"While we're young we do think we'll hopefully be able to move forward and build a team around our speed and athleticism," Mooney said. "For the first time, we feel we have quality depth at every position. We have good talent and enough experience that we know what we're doing. We don't have to start over. Our trip to Spain helped us last summer, we've been able to hit the ground running "

Most of the team returns, led by junior swingman David Gonzalvez (11.7 ppg., 61 three-pointers) and sophomore guard Kevin Anderson (10.7 ppg., 3.0 apg.). Anderson was the A-10 Rookie of the Year and ranked fourth in the league in minutes (34.8 mpg.).

Forward Jahron Giddings is the squad's lone scholarship senior and is fighting for a starting spot, while junior guard Ryan Butler had 44 steals and shot 34.3 percent from three-point range. Sophomore forwards Kevin Smith and Justin Harper also showed potential, while freshmen Josh Duinker, Darrius Garrett and Francis Cedric could make an immediate impact.

"I think we took a major step forward last year," Mooney said. "We're a little on the radar now and not so much under it. The challenge is to continue to win games with a little more of a mark on us. I think we're able to do that."

ST. BONAVENTURE
When asked how he knew his players names the first day of practice, Bonnies coach Mark Schmidt laughed.

"We have them on their foreheads," he said.

Probably not a bad idea, considering St. Bonaventure returns just three players from a team that went 8-22 (2-14) in Schmidt's first season. Then again, he's used to that.

"Taking over last year's program, we had 12 new guys," he said. "It's very similar to this year. It's going to be baby steps. We have to show a lot of patience. There's a lot of enthusiasm, the guys are excited and I'm excited about the guys we have. We have better depth than last year but it's going to be a process."

The three returnees are seniors Tyler Benson and D'Lancy Carter and sophomore Malcolm Eleby, who combined to average just under 15 points last season. The 6-10 Carter is the team's returning leader in scoring (6.6 ppg.), rebounding (6.2 rpg.) and blocks (24).

"Those guys have to step it up a little," Schmidt said. "Leadership is the big thing. They have to teach the younger guys what I'm all about, what the Atlantic 10 is all about."

Schmidt's first full recruiting class is ranked 26th nationally by Hoop Scoop. Three are junior college transfers - guards Ray Blackburn (19.7 ppg.), Jonathan Hall (18.8 ppg.) and Lewis Leonard (25.2 ppg.). Blackburn was a NJCAA Division II All-American. Incoming freshmen feature 6-9 forward Andrew Nicholson and guards Michael Davenport, Da'Quan Cook and Marquise Simmons. Cook sat out last season. Two other transfers are Chris Matthews from Washington State and Maurice Thomas from UTEP.

"We've got athletic guys, gym rats who like to work on their game," Schmidt said. "We want to play an up-tempo, fast game."

Schmidt feels by doing that, it might make things less pressurized for the youngsters.

"When you play up tempo, every position is not the most critical and you get more possessions," he said. "You don't' have to run as many sets or a halfcourt offense. For a young team it's hard sometimes to put in stuff that's tough to grasp."

SAINT JOSEPH'S
The Hawks made the final season in their old Fieldhouse one to remember as they staged a frantic run to the finals of the Atlantic 10 Championship and earned their first NCAA berth since 2004.

This year, as the old gym undergoes a much-anticipated renovation, St. Joe's will call The Palestra home. Phil Martelli, whose 14th season with the Hawks makes him the league's longest tenured coach with the same team, feels playing in the legendary arena will have its pluses and minuses.

"It's the best college basketball building in all of America and an honor for us to be part of that tradition," Martelli said. "Having said that, The Palestra has a certain number (of seats). If you fill 4,000 it's half that number, anything over that and it's The Palestra. We get people in there and need that to be our home court.

"The challenge our team faces is our routine. We arrive an hour-and-a-half before a game. At the Fieldhouse we just walk over there. But now, every game we're on a bus, even our home games."

That being said, the Hawks look to be in the league's upper echelon despite losing leading scorer Pat Calathes from a team that went 21-13 (9-7). Three starters return, including senior forward Ahmad Nivins (14.4 ppg.) and guards Tasheed Carr (10.8 ppg.) and Darrin Govens (9.8 ppg.). The 6-9 Nivins, a two-time All-Conference performer, averaged 5.8 rebounds and shot 64.7 percent. Carr was second in the league with 5.6 assists per game and Govens was second on the team in three-pointers with 68.

Junior Garrett Williamson is a fierce perimeter defender who had 89 assists last year, while Idris Hilliard will compete for a starting job.

St. Joe's has added depth with a freshman class that includes forward Bryant Irwin, a 31-point scorer last year who also averaged 11 rebounds. Guards Mike Auriemma and Chris Prescott both averaged over 20 points, while 6-11 center Temi Adebayo and guard A.J. Rogers could also see time.

"We have a lot of newcomers and our older guys have an air of confidence after what happened last year," Martelli said. "A big question is how we're going to rebound the ball. And we need to have a balance between offense and defense. We're not going to be out-shooting people, we need to be outplaying people."

SAINT LOUIS
The Billikens have one new arena, and eight new players to put in it. Rick Majerus begins his second season as Saint Louis coach with one of the nation's youngest teams, along with Duquesne. There are eight freshmen on the roster as the Billikens move into their state-of-the-art, on-campus Chaifetz Arena. Majerus was candid when asked what kind of impact his eight newbies will have.

"I don't think they add to the improvement of the team, just by virtue of their age," he said. "I'm excited about what they can become, but certainly you don't want to be young in any venture or endeavor. But that's where we are right now. We'll have to go through some growing pains, but hopefully we will reap the benefits of that."

One plus for the Billikens is a veteran backcourt combination of seniors Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell. Lisch averaged a team-high 14.6 points and led the way with 96 assists and 61 three-pointers. Liddell averaged 12.3 points and 4.3 rebounds. Both have surpassed the 1,000-point mark and could move into the school's top 10 scoring list. They helped Saint Louis lead the A-10 in scoring defense (61.6 ppg.) and rank fourth in the conference in field goal percentage defense (.423).

Majerus is quick to point out that Lisch and his sister Theresa, who plays on the Billikens' women's team, are both Academic All-Americans. Also back are senior forward Barry Eberhardt (6.0 ppg., 3.8 rpg.) and sophomore guard Paul Eckerle (3.8 ppg.).

The freshman class is ranked among the top 40 by Scout.com, and includes Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year Kwamain Mitchell (18.5 ppg), and 6-10 center Brett Thompson, who totaled 1,776 points and 1,008 rebounds in high school. Also on board are guards Kyle Cassity (20.0 ppg), Ruben Cotto (22.3), John Femi (17.2) and Daniel Lisch (9.2), and forwards Brian Conklin (20.4) and Willie Reed.

"The freshmen are going to play," Majerus said. "Who plays well is kind of a crapshoot."

TEMPLE
Dionte Christmas is chasing history. While he does, the rest of the league will be chasing him.

"He's going to be guarded differently each end every time this year," said Owls coach Fran Dunphy. "He's going to have two or three people on him at all times. He'll certainly be a marked man so he's going to have come off some screens and if he's guarded that difficultly, he'll have the opportunity to make his teammates better."

Christmas, a first-team All-Conference pick last year, is attempting to become the first player in league history to lead the A-10 in scoring three times. He averaged 19.7 points and had 104 three-pointers last year. Christmas also had 86 assists and averaged 5.9 rebounds.

"I think my teammates and coaches will do a good job of calling the right plays and getting me the ball," Christmas said. "It's up to me to do the job. I'm definitely ready to take on the challenge."

As for the longer distance of the three-point line, Christmas said matter-of-factly, "I've always shot a foot behind the line."

Christmas is not the only reason the Owls are picked second after going 21-13 (11-5) and reaching the NCAA Tournament in Dunphy's second year in North Philly. Seven-foot center Sergio Olmos is back after averaging 5.8 points (on 56.3 percent shooting) and blocking 49 shots. Also returning up front is sophomore Lavoy Allen, an All-Rookie selection who averaged 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds while leading the Owls with 52 blocks. Allen was at home on the big stage, scoring 13 points against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.

"He wants to be good," Dunphy said. "He has to want to be great and if he gets that mindset, he'll make some big money playing basketball."

Complementing Christmas in the backcourt is junior Luis Guzman, who took over at point guard five games into last season and finished with 54 assists. Guard Ryan Brooks averaged 8.6 points off the bench. A strong group of freshmen is spearheaded by guard Ramone Moore and 6-9 forward Michael Eric, who both sat out last season. Moore averaged 25.1 points and Eric hit for 19.0 ppg.in high school.

"We have to work as hard as we can, it's no different than any other year," Dunphy said. "We talked about where we finished and how well we finished. We're not sneaking up on anybody, that's for sure."

XAVIER
It's hard to tell what's hotter in Cincinnati lately, the Skyline Chili or the Musketeers. Since Sean Miller took over in 2004, Xavier has done nothing but get better, winning 17, 21 and 25 games before last year's 30-7 record-setting campaign.

The two-time defending regular-season champions have reached the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons and seven of the past eight. They became one of nine schools to make multiple Elite Eight appearances in the last five years, before losing to UCLA in the 2008 regional finals. Three starters are gone, but one who returns feels another step up is not out of the question.

"The bar here is high," said junior forward Derrick Brown. "We had 30 wins last year. It's a new year, our team is capable of winning 31 games. I feel like we can do that."

If so, Brown will be key. The preseason first-team All-Conference pick averaged 10.9 points and 6.5 rebounds last year to go along with 30 blocks, 33 steals and 63 assists.

"The successful seasons we have had are in a large part due to the fact he was on those teams," Miller said. "He has a bigger role this year and I think he can be even better than his first two years."

Xavier's other returning starter is senior swingman C.J. Anderson (10.7 ppg), who can score in a variety of ways. Senior B.J. Raymond averaged 9.9 points and drained 82 three-pointers coming off the bench. Junior forward/center Jason Love (6.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) is a bruiser inside and sophomore guard Dante' Jackson is a slick defender.

Key newcomers include freshmen Brad Redford, who averaged 36.7 points en route to wining Michigan's Mr. Basketball last year; and Kenny Frease (20.6 ppg), a 7-0 All-America center. Also on board are freshmen guards Terrell Holloway (14.0 ppg) and Mark Lyons (21.0). Transfer Jamel McLean averaged 6.0 points and 4.8 rebounds at Tulsa in 2006-07.

"Any number of different teams at the end can win this conference," said Miller, the reigning A-10 Coach of the Year. "It's a goal of ours to do that, but having been through it a number of times, you certainly have to be a very good team in our conference be anywhere near the top."