2010-2011 Season Preview Top 50 Countdown: Nos. 30-26

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.


30. New Mexico

• Last Season: 30-5, 14-2
  


• Head Coach: Steve Alford
  


• Key Losses: Darington Hobson, Roman Martinez, Nate Garth, Will Brown
  


• New Additions: Alex Kirk, Cameron Bairstow, Chris Perez, Kendall Williams, Tony Snell, Emmanuel Negedu, Drew Gordon
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Dairese Gary, Sr.
  
• G: Phillip McDonald, Jr.
  
• F: Tony Snell, Fr.
  
• F: AJ Hardeman, Jr.
  
• F: Drew Gordon, Jr.
  
• Bench: Emmanuel Negedu, So.; Jamal Fenton, So.; Alex Kirk, Fr.; Kendall Williams, Fr.
  

• Outlook: The Lobos, who had a disappointing end to a 30 win season last year, lose MWC player of the year Darington Hobson and sharpshooting Roman Martinez. In their stead comes Emmanuel Negedu and Drew Gordon, both of whom were top 25 recruits in 2008. Negedu's nearly died two years ago during a workout while at Tennessee, but he is cleared to play this season. He is a strong, athletic forward that will help New Mexico on the glass and in the paint defensively. Gordon will likely be better. A 6'9" power forward that averaged double figures at UCLA will have spent a full year developing his game by the time he gets eligible in December. Its difficult to imagine that Gordon won't be a dominating force in the MWC. AJ Hardeman, a 6'8" forward that played significant minutes last year, is also back. Freshman Alex Kirk, a 6'10" forward that reminds some people of Wisconsin's Keaton Nankivil, could be the x-factor along the front line, as his shooting touch can spread the floor will make him a nice complement to Drew Gordon inside. With this strength in their front court -- particularly Gordon -- don't be surprised if New Mexico looks to get the ball inside more often this season. The Lobos return their starting back court. Dairese Gary is a strong, athletic point guard who loves to have the ball in his hands late and reminds me a little bit of Chauncey Billups. He was a 1st team all MWC performer, and played his best basketball down the stretch. Long range threat Phillip McDonald returns as well. The issue for this New Mexico team will be developing depth. Will Brown and Nate Garth are no longer on Steve Alford's roster, which means that seldom used returners like Chad Adams, Jamal Fenton, and Curtis Dennis, along with Alford's four incoming freshmen, are going to be fighting for minutes. The Lobos have talent at the top of their roster, and as long as Alford can develop some depth, this team will be in the mix for the MWC title when Drew Gordon gets eligible.
  

29. BYU

• Last Season: 30-6, 13-3
  


• Head Coach: Dave Rose
  


• Key Losses: Tyler Haws, Jonathon Tavernari, Michael Loyd, Chris Miles
  


• New Additions: Anson Winder, Kyle Collinsworth, Stephen Rogers
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Jimmer Fredette, Sr.
  
• G: Jackson Emery, Sr.
  
• F: Kyle Collinsworth, Fr.
  
• F: Charles Abouo, Jr.
  
• C: Noah Hartsock, Jr.
  
• Bench: Chris Collinsworth, So.; Brandon Davies, So.; Anson Winder, Fr.
  

• Outlook: The good news is that the Cougars will bring back Jimmer Fredette, their dynamic point guard that had declared for the draft back in April. Fredette may very well be the most exciting player in the country. He's not overly quick or athletic, but he is a lights out shooter off the catch or the dribble with range for days, he has ankle-breaking handle, and he has a crafty game in and around the paint. The bad news is that BYU loses quite a bit outside of Fredette. Jonathon Tavernari and Chris Miles graduated, the talented but enigmatic Michael Loyd Jr. got the boot, and Tyler Haws will be taking two years off for his Mormon mission. The Cougars do get Jackson Emery, who may actually be a better shooter than Fredette, back for his senior season to join Fredette on the perimeter. Junior Charles Abouo also returns, but the key to the perimeter may be the development of freshmen Kyle Collinsworth and Anson Winder, who were both fairly highly regarded high schoolers. Up front, Noah Hartsock and Brandon Davies will both return, as does 6'10" junior James Anderson, who has played limited to this point in his Cougar career. Chris Collinsworth, a 6'9" sophomore (and Kyle's older brother) that just got back from his two-year mission, will also be back. No one on the Cougar front line has much scoring prowess, but there are some big, physical bodies that will be able to bang on the block with just about anyone. Fredette alone is enough to make BYU a contender in the MWC, but the issue is going to be replacing the pieces they lost. Haws and Tavernari, who played some power forward for the Cougars, were good enough shooters to spread the floor and let Fredette have space to operate. Loyd was a dynamic scorer that was able to complement Fredette and provide Rose with playmaker insurance if Fredette got hurt or tired. The Cougars will be in the mix all season long, but I'm not convinced that this team will be as good as they were last year.
  

28. Vanderbilt

• Last Season: 24-9, 12-4
  


• Head Coach: Kevin Stallings
  


• Key Losses: Jermaine Beal, AJ Ogilvy
  


• New Additions: Kyle Fuller, Rod Odom, Josh Henderson, James Siakam
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Brad Tinsley, Sr.
  
• G: John Jenkins, So.
  
• F: Jeff Taylor, Jr.
  
• F: Andre Walker, Jr.
  
• C: Fetsus Ezili, Jr.
  
• Bench: Steve Tchiengang, Sr.; Kyle Fuller, Fr.; Rod Odom, Fr.; Lance Goulbourne, Jr.
  

• Outlook: Losing Jermaine Beal and AJ Ogilvy, logic would say its difficult to think that the Commodores can make a push to the top of a very good SEC East. That said, there are still some talented basketball players on this roster. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that John Jenkins could turn into one of the best scorers in the SEC by the time his career is over. A former top 20 recruit, the sophomore is one of the most pure shooters in the country, and as the rest of his game develops he will only become more potent as a scorer. Forward Jeffery Taylor is an athletic specimen and a potential first round draft pick. His ball skills need improvement, but he's a good defender and rebounder for his size. Brad Tinsley, Andre Walker, and Lance Goulbourne are all capable, versatile role players. Fetsus Ezeli, Steve Tchiengang, and a couple of freshmen will provide the muscle inside. For my money, there will be two x-factors on this club. The first is at the point, where Beal was the man for the last few years. Who replaces him? Brad Tinsley looks like he will start, but freshman Kyle Fuller should see minutes running the show as well. His importance for Vandy shouldn't be understated. Then there is Rod Odom, a talented 6'8" forward. How good is Odom? If he becomes a capable offensive option to put alongside Taylor and Jenkins, the Commodores may very well end up being a tournament team.
  

27. Texas

• Last Season: 24-10, 9-7
  


• Head Coach: Rick Barnes
  


• Key Losses: Damion James, Justin Mason, Dexter Pittman, Avery Bradley
  


• New Additions: Cory Joseph, Tristan Thompson
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Cory Joseph, Fr.
  
• G: J'Covan Brown, So.
  
• G: Jordan Hamilton, So.
  
• F: Gary Johnson, Sr.
  
• C: Tristan Thompson, Fr.
  
• Bench: Alexis Wangmene, Jr.; Shawn Williams, Fr.; Dogus Balbay, Sr.; Clint Chapman, Sr.; Jai Lucas, Sr.
  

• Outlook: The Longhorns were quite the disappointment last season. A preseason national title favorite that climbed to No. 1 in the country, the 'Horns stumbled down the stretch, eventually being ousted in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by Wake Forest. While the Longhorns lose a ton of talent -- Damion James, Avery Bradley, Dexter Pittman, Justin Mason -- this roster was as equipped as any to handle it. In the back court, J'Covan Brown, Jordan Hamilton, and Jai Lucas are back, while Dogus Balbay should be back to full strength after suffering season ending injuries last season. The best Longhorn guard may just end up being Cory Joseph, a top ten recruit out of Canada that could very well be the starter at the point from day one. Don't be surprised is Jordan Hamilton becomes an all-conference player for Rick Barnes. He's a gunner, but if he can learn some shot selection, the kid is talented and can really put up points in a hurry. The front court is a bit thinner than it was last year, with Gary Johnson, Alexis Wangmene, and seldom-used Shawne Williams all back. Like the guards, the best big man of the group will likely end up being Tristan Thompson, Joseph's high school teammate at Findlay Prep and a fellow Canadian. I don't think the Longhorns can win a Big XII title this season, but a top four finish and possibly a Sweet 16 run are not out of the question.
  

26. Utah State

• Last Season: 27-8, 14-2 (1st WAC), lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Texas A&M
  


• Head Coach: Stew Morrill
  


• Key Losses: Jared Quayle
  


• New Additions: Ben Clifford, Leon Cooper Jr., James Walker III
  


• Projected Lineup:


• G: Brian Green, Sr.
  
• G: Tyler Newbold, Sr.
  
• G: Pooh Williams, Sr.
  
• F: Tai Wesley, Sr.
  
• C: Nate Bendall, Sr.
  
• Bench: Brockeith Payne, Jr.; Brady Jardine, Jr.; Matt Formisano, Sr.; Ben Clifford, Fr.; Antonio Bumpus, Jr.; James Walker, Fr.
  

• Outlook: Utah State is arguably the most underrated program in the country. They've won at least 23 games each of the past 11 years, with nine of those seasons resulting in either a WAC regular season or tournament title and seven seeing them earn NCAA Tournament bids. Last year, USU won 27 games, went 14-2 in the WAC, won the conference by three full games, and earned an at-large bid to the dance. And, for the second straight season, they only graduate one senior, meaning that this is going to be a very good, very experienced group once again. The 2010-2011 version of the Aggies will center around their bigs. Tai Wesley has proven himself to be one of the best players in the conference. He's a high energy guy that can rebound and score in the paint, while also finishing second on the team at 3.3 apg. Joining him up front is Nate Bendall, a 6'9" senior that did an admirable job filling in for Gary Wilkinson last season. Brady Jardine and Matt Formisano should provide solid minutes once again off the bench, while freshman Ben Clifford has the make-up -- 6'8" face-up forward with some athleticism and a jump shot -- to be a solid player in this offense. In the back court, the loss of Jared Quayle, who was arguably the best all around point guard out west last season, is going to hurt, but there are some pieces here to fill that void. It starts with returning starters Tyler Newbold and Pooh Williams. Newbold is more of a shooter while Williams is more of a slasher (and an excellent defender), but both are going to need to be more aggressive and selfish this season on the offensive end to pick up some of the scoring slack. At the point, there are a few options. Brian Green seems like he could slide into the position, while JuCo transfer Brockeith Pane may also be good enough to fill this role. JuCo transfer Antonio Bumpus and James Walker should give the back court a boost in athleticism, while Preston Medlin, EJ Farris, and Leon Cooper will also provide depth. Once again, Utah State is going to be deep and talented.