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Wednesday, November 15, 2000

Experience gives edge to Arizona
Veteran squads Wildcats, Blue Devils favored to meet for championship
By Mark Zuckerman
Caller-Times
Wondering what the single most important key to success in college basketball is today?
   Think experience.
   One need only look at recent national champions to realize that the best teams are those that have a core group of veteran leaders.
   Last year's champs, Michigan State, relied on the "Flintstones" - seniors Mateen Cleaves, Morris Peterson and A.J. Granger - to carry them through the NCAA Tournament.
   Two years ago, the UConn Huskies won their first national championship behind the consistent play of veterans Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin and Ricky Moore.
   With the 2000-01 season now underway, as 319 Division I programs fight for that one elusive title, two teams stand out from the rest of the pack as the country's finest.
   It should come as no surprise that the No. 1 thing each has going for it is a wealth of experience.
   Arizona and Duke, the consensus top two teams in nearly every preseason poll, are the odds-on favorites to meet for the national championship next April in Minneapolis.
   Returning starters
   The Wildcats boast five returning starters, all potential all-Americans, all probable pro players in the making.
   "If you had to draw up a college basketball team, how could you draw up a better team?" Wildcats junior forward Richard Jefferson was quoted as saying. "On paper, we're as good as it gets."
   The key for Arizona lies in whether Loren Woods' back is back. The 7-foot senior missed the final month of the season with a compressed disc in his back that required two surgeries. But he is reportedly, ahem, back at 100 percent, giving longtime coach Lute Olson a lineup loaded with both talent and experience.
   Jason Gardner and Gilbert Arenas continue Arizona's long-standing tradition of great backcourts. Jefferson and Michael Wright join Woods up front.
   The Wildcats don't have a ton of depth, so any significant injuries to one of the big five could prove fatal. But if they all stay healthy, it's hard not to imagine them reaching the Final Four.
   Strength at Duke
   Like their counterparts to the West, Duke has tons of experience. That doesn't mean the Blue Devils are old, though. The five projected starters have played in an average of only 60 college games each. But all were key members of a squad that earned a No. 1 seed in last year's tournament.
   Senior forward and likely all-American Shane Battier leads the way for coach Mike Krzyzewski, but Battier's got a talented cast of characters behind him. Guards Jason Williams and Nate James accounted for a combined 25 points per game last year, while Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer are coming off solid freshman seasons.
   Though they've come painfully close on several occasions recently, it's been nine years since the Blue Devils won a national championship. The only thing standing in their way this time could be Arizona.
   The talent level drops somewhat behind the top two, but there are eight to 10 other teams that will be in the hunt for a Final Four trip this season.
   Michigan State's road to a second-straight national title will be bumpy without Cleaves, Peterson and Granger. But Tom Izzo still has a outstanding trio in Andre Hutson, Charlie Bell and Jason Richardson, meaning the Spartans will still be a factor.
   Jerry Green has very quietly built the Tennessee men's basketball program into one almost on par with the school's well-known women's program. The Vols reached the Sweet 16 a year ago, and with Tony Harris, Vincent Yarbrough and Isiah Victor back, they may be headed a few rounds deeper into the tournament.
   Big fish, big pond
   Stanford would be favored to win almost any conference in the country, but unfortunately for Cardinal fans, Arizona is also in the Pac-10.
   North Carolina has one of the nation's top inside-outside combinations in guard Joseph Forte and center Brendan Haywood, but the Tar Heels are an unknown of sorts with new head coach Matt Doherty in town.
   Former Tulsa coach Bill Self looks to continue his winning ways at Illinois, while Roy Williams turned down the North Carolina job to stay at Kansas, which should be back in the hunt.
   Maryland and Florida round out our top 10, though both have question marks entering the season. The Terrapins need to overcome their recent tournament collapses, while the Gators have to overcome the losses of Mike Miller, Donnell Harvey and Kenyan Weaks.


Staff writer Mark Zuckerman can be reached at 886-3747 or by e-mail at zuckermanm@caller.com

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