2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 35-31

Over the coming weeks, we will be counting down our Top 50 teams in the country. Teams 26-50 will be posted in groups of five, while we will count backwards from No. 25 to the No. 1 team in the country.

For a complete listing of our season previews, click here.

To browse through the rest of our Top 50 Countdown, click here.


35. Florida State

• Last Season: 22-10, 10-6
  


• Head Coach: Leonard Hamilton
  


• Key Losses: Solomon Alabi, Ryan Reid, Jordan DeMercy
  


• New Additions: Jon Kreft, Bernard James, Okaro White, Ian Miller
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Derwin Kitchen, Sr.
  
• G: Michael Snaer, So.
  
• F: Chris Singleton, Jr.
  
• F: Bernard James, Jr.
  
• C: Xavier Gibson, Jr.
  
• Bench: Deividas Dulkys, Jr.; Luke Loucks, Jr.; Ian Miller, Fr.; Okaro White, Fr.; Jon Kreft, Jr.
  

• Outlook: Florida State's biggest issue last season was their ability on the offensive end; simply put, they couldn't score. With the exception of incoming freshman Ian Miller, a four star point guard out of Charlotte, this is going to be the same group. The two best players on the Seminoles roster are Chris Singleton and Michael Snaer. Both are tremendous athletes -- Snaer is more of a guard, while Singleton is a combo-forward -- with a ton of upside, but offensively they were limited skillwise last season. One of those two is going to need to develop into a legitimate threat with the ball. Derwin Kitchen might be the best creator for Leonard Hamilton's club, but he turns 25 during the season. Rounding out the perimeter will be juniors Luke Loucks and Deividas Dulkys. While the Seminoles struggled offensively, they were a tough, physical defensive team with guys like Snaer and Singleton setting the tone on the perimeter. Florida State lost both of their starting front court players -- Solomon Alabi and Ryan Reid -- but should still have enough size this season. 6'11" junior Xavier Gibson is the only rotational big man back from last season, but Hamilton brings in plenty on big men. Okaro White is a 6'8", top 100 forward. Jon Kreft, who initially signed with Florida State in 2006 but has had his share of troubles getting into the school, is a seven-footer and former five-star recruit that will finally get eligible this year. Bernard James is a 6'10" JuCo all-american that spent six years abroad in the Air Force. Those three should be able to offset the loss of Reid and Alabi inside, and if Snaer or Singleton can become the star they seemed destined to be, the 'Noles will be dancing once again.
  

34. West Virginia

• Last Season: 31-7, 13-5 (Big East)
  


• Head Coach: Bobby Huggins
  


• Key Losses: Devin Ebanks, Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith
  


• New Additions: Noah Cottrill, Kevin Noreen
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Joe Mazzulla, Sr.
  
• G: Truck Bryant, Jr.
  
• F: John Flowers, Sr.
  
• F: Kevin Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Deniz Kilicli, So.
  
• Bench: Noah Cottrill, Fr.; Casey Mitchell, Sr.; Kevin Noreen, Fr.; Dalton Pepper, So.; Danny Jennings, So.; Cam Thoroughman, Sr.
  

• Outlook: Expect the Mountaineers to have a bit of a different makeup next season. Three of the five players from their all small forward line-up are gone -- Da'Sean Butler, Wellington Smith, and Devin Ebanks. Whereas the 'Eers were seemingly short of point guards last season, they will be flush this year. Joe Mazzulla may never be a real shooting threat again, but he is a bulldog and a true leader, and his ailing shoulder should be as healthy as it ever will be. Truck Bryant, who dealt with some injuries and inconsistencies after a good freshman year, is also back. Noah Cottrill, one of the better point guard recruits in the class of 2010, is built in the same mold but should immediately be the best shooter of the three. The interesting question for Bob Huggins is going to be what happens on the perimeter. Casey Mitchell (who is currently suspended from the team) and Dalton Pepper were both touted as shooters and scorers coming into Morgantown, but neither really lived up to the hype last season. The front court will be fine for WVU. Kevin Jones is a star-in-the-waiting at the power forward spot, while Deniz Kilicli should fare much better this season without having to serve a 20 game suspension. With guys like John Flowers, Cam Thoroughman, Danny Jennings, and freshman Kevin Noreen -- who may end up being the best scorer of the bunch -- Huggy Bear has plenty of options up front. WVU lost a lot of talent. Its going to be tough to replace that scoring, defensive versatility, and offensive rebounding ability. WVU will look a bit different, but they should still be good enough to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
  

33. St. Mary's

• Last Season: 28-6, 11-3
  


• Head Coach: Randy Bennett
  


• Key Losses: Omar Samhan, Ben Allen, Wayne Hunter
  


• New Additions: Stephen Holt, Brad Waldow, Kenton Walker, Rob Jones
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Mickey McConnell, Sr.
  
• G: Matthew Dellavedova, So.
  
• F: Clint Steindl, Jr.
  
• F: Rob Jones, Jr.
  
• C: Kenton Walker, Jr.
  
• Bench: Jorden Page, So.; Tim Harris, Fr.; Stephen Holt, Fr.; Mitchell Young, So.
  

• Outlook: The Gaels will be a much different team this season than the one that had the school's most successful season in history -- which included a run to the Sweet 16 -- mostly due to the fact that they lose their starting front court, particularly Omar Samham. The strength on this year's team will be on the perimeter. Scrappy sophomore Matthew Dellevadova, who came into Moraga with a lot of hype and didn't disappoint, has a chance to develop into a star this season. Sharpshooting point guard Mickey McConnell is back as well, and will once again be relied upon quite heavily to orchestrate Randy Bennett's offense. Redshirt freshman Tim Harris, whose season was cut to one game with a hamstring tear, will see heavy minutes, as will Stephen Holt, a freshman point guard that is one of Bennett's most heralded recruits. 6' sophomore Jorden Page and 6'7" junior Clint Steindl will also play heavily into Bennett's perimeter rotation, and Beau Levesque could see minutes as well. The front court is a different story. Rob Jones, a tough, rugged 6'6" forward and transfer from San Diego, will likely see time at both forward spots. He should be a key contributor for this team after averaging 9 points and 6 boards in two seasons at San Diego. 6'9" Creighton transfer Kenton Walker may end up starting for the Gaels at center this season. Three bigs return -- Mitchell Young, Phil Benson, and Tim Williams. Young was the only one that got consistent minutes last season for the Gaels, but with the void left by Samhan and Ben Allen, all three of these players will be counted on to produce inside. The Gaels are not as good as last year's team, but this is still a squad that will compete for a spot in the NCAA Tournament and, if things break right, could give Gonzaga a run for the league title.
  

32. Temple

• Last Season: 29-6, 14-2 (A-10)
  


• Head Coach: Fran Dunphy
  


• Key Losses: Ryan Brooks, Luis Guzman
  


• New Additions: Anthony Lee, Aaron Brown, Jimmy McDonnell
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Juan Fernandez, Sr.
  
• G: Ramone Moore, Jr.
  
• G: Rahlir Jefferson, So.
  
• F: Lavoy Allen, Sr.
  
• F: Michael Eric, Jr.
  
• Bench: Craig Williams, Sr.; Scootie Randall, Jr.; TJ DiLeo, So.
  

• Outlook: The Owls had a fantastic regular season, using a stifling defense to win both the A-10 regular season and tournament title, only to once again flame out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. While Temple loses leading scorer Ryan Brooks, they should still have more than enough weapons to compete for the league title. Junior sharpshooter Juan Fernandez is back and should be expected to have a bump in production as he becomes the centerpiece of Fran Dunphy's perimeter attack. Big man Lavoy Allen, who flirted with the NBA Draft, also returns after averaging a double-double last season. Combine those two with talented junior Ramone Moore, who won the A-10 sixth man of the year award, and the Owls once again have a solid core. Michael Eric, a 6'11" Nigerian junior, has shown some promise and could develop into a nice sidekick for Allen, while sophomore Rahlir Jefferson is a talented swingman that seems to be a nice fit for Dunphy's defensive style. Temple was not all that deep last season, especially towards the end of the year as Craig Williams, Scootie Randall, and TJ DiLeo, who should slide into the starting point guard role, really saw their minutes shrink. With two starters -- Brooks and Luis Guzman -- that combined for 68 minutes a game gone, Dunphy is going to have to find minutes somewhere, and it seems as if those three, plus incoming freshmen Aaron Brown and Anthony Lee, will be the ones competing for that time. Temple is always going to be competitive with their defensive ability, but there were times when this team struggled to score last season. With Brooks gone, that could become more of an issue. I think Temple will be a tournament team and a contender for the A-10 title, but they need depth, another scoring option, and a point guard to develop for that to happen.
  

31. NC State

• Last Season: 20-16, 5-11 (ACC)
  


• Head Coach: Sidney Lowe
  


• Key Losses: Dennis Horner, Farnold Degand, Julius Mays
  


• New Additions: CJ Leslie, Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Javier Gonzalez, Sr.
  
• G: CJ Williams, Jr.
  
• G: Scott Wood, So.
  
• F: CJ Leslie, Fr.
  
• F: Tracy Smith, Sr.
  
• Bench: Lorenzo Brown, Fr.; Ryan Harrow, Fr.; Richard Howell, So.; Jordan Vandenburg, So.
  

• Outlook: It seems that Wolfpack fans that have been patient with Sidney Lowe's tenure will finally be rewarded this year, as NC State looks to have a team that can make a run at a tournament bid. Its starts up front, where the Pack got some great news when Tracy Smith, who led the team in scoring and rebounding as a junior, withdrew from the NBA Draft and decided to return for his senior season. The news got better when Lowe scored a recruiting upset, landing 6'9" Raliegh native CJ Leslie, a top 20 recruit with a ton of length and athleticism with a still-developing post game. With Richard Howell and 7'0" sophomore Jordan Vandenburg also returning, the Wolfpack have a very good front line. Lowe will also have a nice combination of experience and young talent in his back court. Javier Gonzalez, who started at the point last season, will be back for his senior season. 6'7" shooter Scott Wood also returns, as does CJ Williams, a 6'6" swingman who started 16 games as a sophomore. Freshmen guards Lorenzo Brown and Ryan Harrow were both heralded recruits. Harrow is more of a point guard, while Brown is more of a combo guard, but both should be impact players in the ACC. This is the most talented, and probably the deepest, team Lowe has had at NC State. It will be a disappointment if he cannot lead this group to the NCAA Tournament.