Cincinnati is Number 1, but How About the Rest?

With the first season of the new millenium just underway, it has become convincingly clear that predicting the outcomes of tomorrow's games will be very difficult. Many newcomers are proving their stuff, while others are not living up to the hype. In other cases, old veterans are not playing to the level they were expected to play to. The Top 25 will do a lot of shuffling before conference play begins.

While nobody knew how good Cincinnati would be, everyone knew that their top two freshmen, guards Kenny Satterfield and DerMarr Johnson would be good. Just not this good. Satterfield has proven his abilities as a ball-handler, and will be a great leader for the Bearcats as long as he stays on this team. The real story, however, is Johnson, the vaunted All-American who is big enough to play forward, but has the quickness and perimeter ability of a guard. His 6'9" body gives him a nightmarish matchup against opponents, and he has made an immediate impact. Add along potential player of the year, Kenyon Martin, who is making a name for himself this season. With excellent all-around numbers and an arm which is a basketball swatter, Martin is on his way to becoming the Elton Brand of this year. These three, Pete Mickeal, and the vaunted class of last season all add up to make the Number 1 team in the country.

The defending champs seem to back on their way. After an opening day loss to unranked Iowa and a sloppy victory against Duke, the Connecticut Huskies are on a tear, winning seven in a row since their only loss of the season. Khalid El-Amin has shown why he may be the best point guard in the nation, and the depth of the Huskies has led to a 7-1 start, including a win against No. 2 Arizona. Yet Arizona is a team which should be in the hunt come March.

The Wildcats reached their peak this season at No. 2, and even with the loss against UConn, they have rebounded with a win over No. 4 Michigan State. Their lineup is formidable and incredible. Freshman Jason Gardner may be the best of the past four Arizona point guards, who include Jason Terry, Mike Bibby, and Damon Stoudamire. But the real story is the frontcourt, which features star Michael Wright, as well as the explosive Richard Jefferson and the 7'1" Loren Woods. Wright may be the best inside player in the country, and Jefferson is an excellent small forward with athleticism and shooting ability. Woods has scary potential, and was once labeled as the next Tim Duncan.

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