April L. Brown / AP

Few shooting guards are better than Tennessee's Chris Lofton, writes SN's Mike DeCourcy.

OPINION

By Mike DeCourcy

updated 5:43 p.m. ET Oct. 7, 2007

Mike DeCourcy

In case you still were searching, you can find him here. Drew Neitzel, I mean. You can call him a point guard all you want, and certainly that'll be the position he'll ultimately play professionally, but he spent last year playing primarily as a shooting guard for Michigan State. So until further notice, he's a shooting guard.

And a pretty doggone good one.

There are other players on this list who handle the ball quite a bit, specifically Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon and Arkansas' Patrick Beverley. But none lately has been a point guard in the traditional sense. So here they are, crowding out some of those the catch-and-shoot guys. Some years, that's the way it goes.

1. Chris Lofton, Tennessee
Twice a member of the Sporting News All-America team, this time he is an excellent candidate to finish the year with all of those trophies that wound up in Kevin Durant's case a year ago. Lofton had ridiculous shooting numbers as a junior (47.9 percent from the field, 41.9 from 3-point range.) Think that's easy? When J.J. Redick was a junior, he shot 40.8 from the field.

2. Eric Gordon, Indiana
Apparently, some of you don't like the idea of ranking a freshman based on his potential. (I'm going to guess that particular subsection of this site's readers slept through the 2006-07 season. Go find some clips of Kevin Durant on YouTube and thank me later). Gordon is going to be great. He has everything you want in a college shooting guard: touch, range, muscle, athleticism, a high-level understanding of the game. He hasn't done as much as those ranked below him here. But he'll do more this year. This isn't a lifetime achievement award.

3. Stephen Curry, Davidson
Let's be honest about this. Curry does not have the raw talent of many others at this position. But greatness starts with seizing opportunity, and no one did that better last season than Curry. Remember, Lofton is not as physically gifted as many college wings, but he continued to improve his skill level and sophistication. Curry knows how to score. As he continues to grow in the game, as his body matures, he'll become a complete player.

4. Drew Neitzel, Michigan State
Found him! Neitzel carried the Spartans last season and won't have to do as much this time around. The team is deeper and more athletic on the perimeter than it was a year ago. Neitzel will need to be a leader, shooter and scorer, and not the entire offensive life force.

5. Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
It's easy to sit here and think that if Gordon were a better shooter he could rank No. 1 among shooting guards, since that's an important part of the job. A couple of things about that, though. First, Gordon improved dramatically from his first season to his second, and it's quite possible he could flirt with 40-percent long-distance accuracy as a junior. Second, if Gordon were already a 40-percent 3-point shooter, he'd already be in the NBA.

6. Patrick Beverley, Arkansas
Only a freshman when he averaged 13.9 points, Beverley could take a huge leap after performing so well for the U.S. team in the U-19 World Championship. Don't be surprised if he delivers a triple-double -- or two or three.

7. Mario Chalmers, Kansas
A terrific defender and efficient offensive player, Chalmers never has been able to assume a commanding position in the KU attack. With Julian Wright gone, this might just be his chance to star.

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8. Marcelus Kemp, Nevada
With so many key teammates gone, there'll be more for Kemp to do -- he could look at that as increased pressure, or increased opportunity.

9. Wayne Ellington, North Carolina
The Tar Heels are relying on Ellington becoming a confident offensive force. He had moments as a freshman. He needs to have a season as a sophomore.

10. Jerel McNeal, Marquette
Is he the nation's best defender? With Greg Oden out of the way, maybe so.

Almost, not quite: Gerald Henderson, Duke. Curtis Jerrells, Baylor. A.J. Graves, Butler; Derrick Low, Washington State; Josh Shipp, UCLA; Scottie Reynolds, Villanova; A.J. Abrams, Texas.

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