Ten for Tuesday: Booking dates for 2006
The 2005 NCAA Tournament came and went without allowing roughly 265 Division I teams the chance to dance. Of those 265 teams, CBS SportsLine.com has good news for roughly 4 percent of you.
This week's Ten for Tuesday urges the following 2005 sad sacks to start packing, because you're going to the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
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| Thad Matta has upgrades ready to plug in for graduating guards Tony Stockman and Brandon Fuss-Cheatham. (Getty Images) |
2. Arkansas: The freshman-and-sophomore core of Arkansas' 18-12 team ought to be tougher on the road next season, assuming sophomore Ronnie Brewer doesn't get into the NBA's glue.
3. Indiana: With or without Bracey Wright, the Hoosiers will be a Big Ten contender thanks to the maturity of its young nucleus, the eligibility of Auburn transfers Marco Killingsworth and Lewis Monroe, and the addition of Australian big man Ben Allen. As for you, Wright, come back to school. The NBA? Are you serious?
4. Memphis: Not sure who's going to make it to campus in the fall, but as long as Darius Washington, Rodney Carney and recruit Christopher Douglas-Roberts are three of them, Memphis will be fine.
5. California: There were no seniors on the Bears' 13-16 team this past season. There also was no Leon Powe, who redshirted with a knee injury after being one of the country's dominant freshmen in 2003-04. Add power forward Powe to the mix, and the Bears could be in the race for the Pac-10 title.
6. Maryland: With or without combative point guard John Gilchrist, Gary Williams will figure out a way to get his team back into the NCAA Tournament. There were no senior regulars on a Maryland team that beat Duke twice this past season. Gilchrist is considering entering the 2005 NBA Draft, which would be his last bad decision as a college point guard.
7. Dayton: The Flyers used an 11-player rotation to go 18-11 this past season -- and 10 of those players return. Long term, look for Dayton to challenge Charlotte for A-10 supremacy.
8. Georgetown: The Big East is only going to get tougher next season, but the same goes for Georgetown, which returns seven of the top eight scorers from John Thompson III's 19-win debut. And here's something to ponder: If Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert were that good as freshmen, what will they do as sophomores?
9. Michigan: Start researching the biggest one-year turnarounds in Big Ten history, because Michigan is about to experience a lulu -- assuming the Wolverines avoid the injuries and off-court issues that caused their 13-18 record this past season. The top nine scorers are back, plus Lester Abram, who redshirted with a shoulder injury.
10. Miami (Fla.): The Hurricanes get the nod for the 10th spot -- but just barely -- over fellow ACC newbie Virginia Tech, and only if Miami guard Guillermo Diaz doesn't enter the 2005 NBA Draft. With Diaz back and recruit Adrian Thomas filling the gap left by Will Frisby, the 'Canes should improve on their 7-9 ACC record.
