National college basketball at a glance
Grayson Allen, Duke, 6-foot-5, junior: The latest in a line of Duke players opposing fans love to hate, he averaged 21.6 points and shot almost 42 percent from three-point range and is equally comfortable at both guard positions.
Top Five Player of the Year Candidates
Grayson Allen, Duke, 6-foot-5, junior: The latest in a line of Duke players opposing fans love to hate, he averaged 21.6 points and shot almost 42 percent from three-point range and is equally comfortable at both guard positions.
Dillon Brooks, Oregon, 6-7, junior: After leading the Ducks to the Elite Eight, he was not invited to the NBA combine, so he's back for another season causing havoc for opponents at more than one position.
Josh Hart, Villanova, 6-5½, senior: The best player on the national championship team embarks on a season in which he could be the best player in the country, given his total commitment to both ends of the court.
Ivan Rabb, California, 6-11, sophomore: He passed on being a certain lottery pick after averaging 12.5 points and 8.6 rebounds but added strength and bulk to make himself more effective inside.
Melo Trimble, Maryland, 6-3, junior: Nagging hamstring and ankle injuries last season cooled the NBA's interest in him, so he has returned to the backcourt, where he will have to be the team's offensive catalyst.
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New Faces in New Places
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Coaches
Tubby Smith, Memphis (from Texas Tech)
Jamie Dixon, Texas Christian (from Pittsburgh)
Kevin Stallings, Pittsburgh (from Vanderbilt)
Johnny Dawkins, Central Florida (from Stanford)
Steve Pikiell, Rutgers (from Stony Brook)
Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech (from Memphis)
Jerod Haase, Stanford (from UAB)
Zach Spiker, Drexel (from Army)
Players
Marcus Foster, Creighton (from Kansas State)
Austin Nichols, Virginia (from Memphis)
Paschal Chukwu, Syracuse (from Providence)
Canyon Barry, Florida (from Charleston)
Eric Paschall, Villanova (from Fordham)
L.G. Gill, Maryland (from Duquesne)
Jordan Mathews, Gonzaga (from California)
Rodney Pryor, Georgetown (from Robert Morris)
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Top Games Before Jan. 1
nolead ends Nov. 11: Indiana vs. Kansas, Honolulu
Nov. 11: Arizona vs. Michigan State, Honolulu
Nov. 14: Villanova at Purdue
Nov. 15: Wisconsin at Creighton
Nov. 15: Duke vs. Kansas, Madison Square Garden
Nov. 15: Kentucky vs. Michigan State, Madison Square Garden
Nov. 29: Michigan State at Duke
Nov. 30: North Carolina at Indiana
Dec. 3: Gonzaga vs. Arizona, Los Angeles
Dec. 17: Kentucky at North Carolina
Dec. 21: Kentucky at Louisville
Dec. 28: Virginia at Louisville
Dec. 31: Indiana vs. Louisville, Indianapolis
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The Real Top 10
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1.
Duke. Coach Mike Krzyzewski will turn 70 this season, but there's nothing like a solid freshman class joining veterans such as Grayson Allen and Amile Jefferson to make one feel young.
2.
Kentucky. The Wildcats lost five significant contributors from last season but that never stops coach John Calipari, who brought in five top-notch freshmen.
3.
Villanova. Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu have departed, but 'Nova is expected to dominate the Big East again and perhaps contend for another national championship.
4.
North Carolina. The Tar Heels want to go one step farther than they did last year and will be helped by the return of six of the team's top eight scorers.
5.
Kansas. The Jayhawks bring back an excellent backcourt tandem of Frank Mason II and Devonte' Graham and have one of the nation's top freshmen in Josh Jackson.
6.
Oregon. The Ducks usually surpass expectations, but an Elite Eight run last season, and the return of Dillon Brooks, has their fans excited about the new season.
7.
Virginia. All-American Malcolm Brogdon is gone, but the leadership and scoring of London Perrantes will help the Cavaliers keep pace in a very competitive ACC.
8.
Xavier. The Musketeers have two of the Big East's top players in Trevon Bluiett and Edmund Sumner, but they need to find a replacement for the suspended Myles Davis.
9.
Wisconsin. Greg Gard did a fine job replacing veteran Bo Ryan as head coach, and Nigel Hayes, one of the best players in the Big Ten, leads a group of nine returning players.
10.
Michigan State. The Spartans lost player of the year Denzel Valentine but return some veterans with an excellent freshman class, led by 6-foot-7 forward Miles Bridges.
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Top Local Division I Players
nolead ends Amile Jefferson, Duke, F, Sr., Friends Central, Philadelphia
Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame, G, Sr., St. Joseph's Prep, Medford
Maurice Watson, Creighton, G, Boys' Latin, Philadelphia
Mikal Bridges, Villanova, F, Great Valley High, Malvern
Lamarr Kimble, St. Joseph's, G, Neumann-Goretti, Philadelphia
Traci Carter, Marquette, G, Life Center Academy, Philadelphia
Tim Abruzzo, Navy, G, Pennridge, Perkasie
Darnell Foreman, Penn, G, Pitman High, Camden
Miles Overton, Drexel, G, St. Joseph's Prep, Philadelphia
B.J. Johnson, La Salle, G/F, Lower Merion High, Philadelphia