Brutal Big East heads college hoops storylines

Don’t call the POY race yet
North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough was a unanimous selection to the AP preseason All-America team and he is everyone’s favorite to win Player of the Year honors. But let’s play the games before we hand out the postseason awards. In fairness to the rest of the field, wipe the slate clean.

There are at least two other players who should make this a heated debate. Davidson guard Stephen Curry, and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin.

This has nothing to do with the recent stress reaction in Hansbrough’s right shin. If the Tar Heels meet all their expectations, he will likely be the dominant force and repeat as national POY.

But don’t forget the magic Curry performed in the NCAA Tournament. It matters not what position he plays this season, Curry is one of the country's top players. Griffin is good enough to be in the NBA now. If Oklahoma wins the Big 12, Griffin will be a legitimate threat to Hansbrough too.

One step back
There’s a new line in college basketball. After much discussion and debate, the three-point line has been moved back from 19 feet-nine inches to 20 feet-nine inches.

Let the revolution begin? Not exactly.

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The three-pointer was a radical change in 1986 but this adjustment has been made simply to keep things in proportion. Those who studied the change don’t expect a big change in the number of threes taken or the shooting percentage. But the new distance should weed out a group of shooters who had no business stepping behind the line. And we should notice better spacing in half-court offenses.

Since the women will continue to use the old line, there could be some confusion with two lines, especially early in the season. “We may have to explore the solid band, where if a woman’s foot is on the band it’s a three and we have to be behind it,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, a member of the Division I rules committee. “For the fan, that might be better to look at, too.”

Tough times ahead
Fans at Indiana and Arizona are seeing red and we’re not talking about school colors. These two elite programs have fallen on hard times and it will take time to turn things around.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber reportedly predicted in June that “Indiana will suck” this season. Weber might be well advised to mind his own business, but the Hoosiers are reeling from Sampsongate and the ensuing NCAA investigation. With only one scholarship player returning, the Hoosiers will likely suffer through just their fourth losing Big Ten season since 1971. First-year coach Tom Crean faces an enormous challenge in Bloomington. Hopefully, in time, order will be restored.

More recently, Arizona fans had to deal with the news that coach Lute Olson was retiring. A week later, word came that he had suffered a stroke. The Wildcats now face a second straight season under an interim coach and already the impact on recruiting has been devastating. Success will be measured differently at these two schools for the next few years.

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These are the champions?
Kansas coach Bill Self trotted out a starting lineup of Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Conner Teahan, Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed when the Jayhawks played their exhibition opener against Washburn.

Yes, the defending national champions are starting over. Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and the other key Jayhawks who cut down the nets in San Antonio have moved on to their pro careers. Kansas will rely heavily on freshmen and transfers to replace their points and rebounds. Another Big 12 title seems too much to ask. But with a little maturity, Collins can be a terrific lead guard. And Aldrich is ready to bust out during his sophomore season. Self has established himself as an elite coach and by the time March rolls around, this will be a good basketball team.

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