ESPN Men's Basketball

Ever since it was announced that Tim Frazier would remain at Penn State for his final season of eligibility, there has been considerable chatter proclaiming the Nittany Lions the sleeper of all sleepers in the Big Ten. Though each analyst who hypes up PSU admits the squad, if beset by one or two injuries, could significantly falter, there was still much made about the combination of Frazier, D.J. Newbill, and newcomer Geno Thorpe. However, a slew of recent announcements might have put a halt on the continuation of any 'Penn State a serious Big Ten contender' talk.

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Other than Sim Bhullar, the 7-foot-5 sophomore who towers over most collective frontcourts, New Mexico State does not possess much size. Coupled with the loss of Bandja Sy and Tyrone Watson, and Aggies' coach Marvin Menzies needed to upgrade his squad's frontcourt this offseason.

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Taran Buie was one of the brief highlights for Hofstra and coach Mo Cassara last season. As essentially the Pride's sole offensive threat, Buie was handcuffed by opposing defenses whenever he took the court, and while his tempo-free statistics are not overly efficient, it is worth noting that since he was under the defensive gaze consistently, we have to wonder what Buie would be able to accomplish with some additional offensive support.

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North Carolina Central was on the verge of making its first NCAA tournament appearance last season, virtually running through the MEAC while just having to win the conference's tournament title. However, a loss to North Carolina A&T doomed coach LeVelle Moton and his squad's season, and looking ahead to 2012-14, the Aggies will have to compete without Stanton Kidd. We have written frequently about Colorado State's recruiting efforts, prospects that could push the Rams to the top of the Mountain West Conference; after highlighting Jeremiah Paige and David Cohn, we wondered what Kidd, somewhat a virtually unknown despite his breakout season at NCCU, might provide Larry Eustachy and his staff.

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Akil Mitchell may be the member of Virginia's frontcourt who has drawn the most notice from tempo-free analysts, but after Mike Tobey cracked the U19 lineup, it might be time to begin mentioning the rising sophomore forward. Tobey was somewhat overlooked during the recruiting process; even though he is from the NYC-area, Tobey played AAU basketball with the Gauchos program, an outfit whose influence and standing has declined in recent years. It was unexpected what he would provide coach Tony Bennett and his staff during his inaugural season, but other than a case of mono that sidelined Tobey in early February, the 6-foot-11 big showcased some considerable upside.

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Lorenzo Romar's Washington Huskies have missed the NCAA tournament each of the last two seasons, but the addition of highly touted point guard Nigel Williams-Goss could be just what the program needs to get back in the big dance.

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Maryland missed on a star transfer from Marshall; DeAndre Kane ended up choosing Iowa State instead of the Terrapins. Now, could Maryland turn to a star transfer named Marshall?

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St. Joseph's will reportedly welcome a 2014 forward to campus this week.

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The severity of Greg Whittington's leg injury is not yet confirmed, though ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman writes this morning that sources indicate that Georgetown's veteran forward suffered a "significant knee injury that could force him to miss the entire 2013-14 season." CasualHoya.com, which reported the injury on Monday, adds this morning: "Was just told by 2 different people w/ knowledge of the situation that it is indeed the ACL."

Any way you look at it, the chances appear to be high that Whittington will miss some, if not all, of next season. How will the Hoyas adjust in his absence if that's the case? Lets take a look.

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An ESPN 100 power forward will reportedly visit Tuscaloosa at the end of the month.

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UPDATE: We speculated correctly last month that LSU could be the school to watch out for as a suitor for UNC-Ashville transfer Keith Hornsby. ESPN's Jeff Goodman reported late last night that Hornsby is in fact headed to Baton Rouge to play for the Tigers. How can the 6-foot-4 shooting guard help Johnny Jones' team? Lets take a look.

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Trevor Lacey won't be able to play for NC State until the 2014-15 season, but his decision on Monday night to join the ACC school gives the Wolfpack an experienced player it can turn to in the backcourt in the not-too-distant future.

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In what was essentially a trade between two former Big East teams, J.J. Moore transferred to Rutgers and, recently, Derrick Randall decided to trek from New Brunswick to Pittsburgh. There is a slight chance Pitt will pursue a waiver to allow Randall to suit up next season, but it is more likely that Randall will have to sit out the 2013-14 season. Due to the loss of various Panthers, from Tray Woodall to Steven Adams, coach Jamie Dixon will have a plethora of points to replace when the college season tips; at one point, DeAndre Kane was going to play a major role in Pitt's offense, but the former Marshall guard reconsidered his decision and trekked to Ames. While James Robinson will certainly have to bridge the role of facilitator and scorer, we wanted to highlight another Panther who could see his role widen this upcoming year.

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When Providence takes the court for the start of next season, Vincent Council's absence will duly be noted. The guard, a mainstay in the Friars' backcourt and a guard who consistently had one of the nation's top assist rates, has no more eligibility left, and control of Ed Cooley's offense will now be run through Bryce Cotton and Kris Dunn, a sophomore who missed much of the first half of the 2012-13 season. Since Cotton is more skilled off the ball and is known throughout the Big East as a player capable of offensively taking over the game, especially from beyond the arc, we want to specifically focus on Dunn.

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