Basketball 1988-89Friday, November 18, 198827
Conferences
from page 26
be the mainstays of the team, but they
aren't a serious title threat.
4. SEC
The SEC is without a national
contender in 88-89 but is very
balanced, so look for a good race for
the conference title.
Florida is the nation's most over
rated team for the last three years,
and this year is no exception. Dwayne
Schintzius looks clueless sometimes,
but Livingston Chatman is a player.
Add Dwayne Davis on the boards
and make them the favorites for the
SEC title.
Tennessee and Georgia will be
close behind the Gators and should
get NCAA bids. The Vols have the
conference's best returnee in Dyron
Nix, and the Bulldogs are the con
ference's deepest team. Look for LSU
to be NCAA-bound too, because the
NCAA refuses to have a tourney
without Dale Brown.
5.Pac-10
Finally, the Pac-10 is rebuilding.
Not since the UCLA days have the
kids from the coast really been
competitive. This year, the Pac-10
will sport two very fine teams and
some good tests for those teams who
thought they were scheduling easy
wins.
The Cardinal of Stanford is the
consensus pre-season favorite here,
but make Arizona the pick. The
Wildcats have the NCAA's Player of
the Year-to-be in Sean Elliot, and
look out for Anthony Cook. But
Stanford has all five starters back,
and Todd Lichti is the best player
no one has heard of.
UCLA, Oregon State and Califor
nia each have a shot at an NCAA
bid this year. UCLA has a new coach
with some good ideas in Jim Harrick,
and he couldn't ask for a better point
guard than Pooh Richardson. Ralph
Miller is in his last year as the Beavers'
coach, and with four starters back,
it could be a sweet farewell.
6. Big Eight
The Big Eight placed three teams
in the Final Four last year, and the
Oklahoma-Kansas game was terrific.
But now it's back to reality for those
cowpokes. Danny Manning, Derrick
Chievous, Harvey Grant, Jeff Grayer
and Mitch Richmond are all NBA
bound, so the cupboard isn't so
stocked, but it isn't bare either.
Oklahoma is a legitimate title
threat with Stacey King and Mookie
Blaylock. King is simply awesome,
and Blaylock fits Billy Tubbs' system
like a glove. They'll be tough to stop.
Missouri will give the Sooners a run
for their money. Doug Smith and
Byron Irvin are ready to explode, but
the Tigers haven't won an NCAA
game in a looong time.
Kansas State and Oklahoma State
are solid teams with NIT berths
nearly locked already and are looking
for a ticket to the big dance, Kansas
is on mega-probation.
7. WAC
For years they've cried for lack of
respect; now it's their time. The W AC "
has three NCAA likelies and three
more NIT hopefuls that's six of
nine teams playoff bound.
New Mexico is the strongest of the
teams in the WAC and a legitimate
Top 20 team. They have forward
Charlie Thomas and three players
over 6-foot-10. Plus, the Lobos play
in the Pit. Even the Lakers would
have trouble beating New Mexico
there.
UTEP and Utah will be strong this
year. UTEP has a terrific coach in
Don Haskins and a UCLA transfer,
7-foot center Greg Foster. Utah has
forward Mitch Smith and four
returning starters. The NCAA will
look at both teams. BYU still has
WAC '87-'88 Player of the Year
Michael Smith back for another year,
but there is little support after him.
Look for them in the NIT.
8. Metro
Is there a more mysterious confer
ence? The Metro is up and down
faster than an elevator, but one thing
is always consistent no one ever
knows if Memphis State is on pro
bation or not.
Well, Memphis State isn't on
probation this year, but it won't
matter because Louisville is the class
of the Metro. The Cardinals have
Pervis Ellison, still. Last year, he got
rid of those braces and emerged as
the talent everyone expected he'd be.
If Louisville gets some consistent
point guard play, they are ready for
another championship.
Florida State is NCAA-bound and
is tough with all five starters back.
If Pat Kennedy can do a little magic,
they may be Metro champs. And
those Tigers of Memphis State can
finally participate in post-season play,
and they will somewhere, behind the
leadership of tiny Elliot Perry.
9. Atlantic 10
Temple was in the top slot longer
than anyone last year, and because
of that they are receiving Top 20 votes
this year. Actually, that's not the
whole reason. There is this sopho
more, Mark Macon, who can score
tons of points but also shoots more
than Rambo with a full clip. The
difference this year is that point guard
Howard Evans and the Owls' windex
man, Tim Perry, are gone. Rebound
ing is the question, but with the easy
conference schedule, they're NCAA
bound. With Temple weak inside, the
Mountaineers of West Virginia
should bang their way to the confer
ence title and a little ways in the
NCAAs. They have the roughest,
toughest forwards in college ball in
Fenry fops AII-ACC selections
From staff reports
Duke's Danny Ferry, the returning
Atlantic Coast Conference player of
the year, is the odds-on favorite to
retain that honor during the upcom
ing 1988-89 season.
The 6-foot-10 Blue Devils senior
forward from Bowie, Md., is the lone
unanimous selection in the balloting
by the media for the preseason team,
being named on all 95 ballots at the
27th annual ACC Operation Basket
ball. Ferry, also selected as the 1987
88 ACC athlete of the year, was
named on 81 ballots to repeat as the
player of the year.
Ferry was the conference's leading
scorer last year with a 19.1 average
as he led Duke to a spot in the NCAA
Final Four before bowing to eventual
national champion Kansas in the
semifinals.
Senior Tom Hammonds of Geor
gia Tech finished second to Fery in
both preseason team balloting as well
as the player of the year voting.
Hammonds collected 88 votes in the
team balloting and six for player of
the year, while J.R. Reid of North
Carolina placed third in both
categories.
, Reid, who was the leading vote
getter for both team and player
honors prior to last season, had 87
team votes and five for player. Ferry,
Reid, and Hammonds are the three
returning members of last year's all-
conference team.
Juniors Sam Ivy of Wake Forest
and Elden Campbell of Clemson are
the other two members of the pre
season team. Campbell was the No.
3 scorer a year ago as well as the
leader in field goal percentage and
blocked shots while Ivy was fifth in
scoring. Reid was second in rebound
ing and sixth in scoring. Ivy also was
a member of the all-conference
second team.
Darryl Prue and Chris Brooks.
However, at the foul line, they look
like a combination of Greg Kite and
Dennis Rodman. Still, with four
starters back and unbeatable at home,
WVU is looking up.
The Cinderella Rhode Island Rams
lost their backcourt of "Silk" Owens
and Tom Garrick to graduation and
their coach to UCLA, but they do
have Kenny Green, and he is enough
for tournament play somewhere.
Best of the Rest
10. Independents Notre Dame and
DePaul are still on top.
11. Sun Belt UNCC and Byron
Dinkins are going to the NCAAs
again.
12. Missouri Valley Wichita State
will shock some people.
13. SWC Houston has rebuilt Phi
Slamma Jamma with Richard Hollis.
14. Big West (formerly PC A A)
When will UNLV get in a real
conference?
15. Metro Atlantic La Salle's
Lionel Simmons is the second-best
player no one knows.
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