Better Than You Think

There are three college basketball teams that aren't being talked about as elite right now that should be. Let's take a look at those teams, along with a player on each team that might have a breakout year.

Butler Bulldogs

Some think of them as the darlings of mid-major schools, and other are left unimpressed, but this year's Butler team isn't going to be much worse than the 2010-2011 version that made it to the national championship game. I'm not saying they'll make it that far again — I don't think they will — but their level of talent is comparable to last year's squad. Some players, like incoming freshman Roosevelt Jones, have very high ceilings and haven't yet had a chance to show what they can do with 25-30 minutes per game.

One player to watch may be Sophomore Khyle Marshall. He only played more than 26 minutes one time last year, and in that game he recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The 6'6" Forward may get considerable playing time with Matt Howard gone, and if he does, don't surprised if he averages something in the vicinity of his numbers from that game.

Villanova Wildcats

Head coach Jay Wright has led this team to the Sweet 16 or farther in four of the last seven years, and I think he'll do it again this year. They had their second worst year under Wright (as far as conference standing in the Big East) last year, but look for them to bounce back this year. Think more along the lines of 10-8 or 11-7 in the Big East, and 25-8 overall. The 2011-2012 team should look a lot like the 2009-2010 team by the end of the year.

The Wildcats player to watch should be Maalik Wayns. The junior guard averaged nearly 14 points per game last year, and should be able to top those numbers this year. He may not be the most talented or even the most explosive player on the team, but I think he'll be the most consistent. Don't be surprised if averages near 19 points per game this year, something he did last year in every game in which he shot 40% or better from the field.

Wichita State Shockers

Last year's Shockers team hit their stride a little too late, but still ended the year with 29 wins and a NIT championship. The team this year looks different, but not too much worse. They have not one, but two seven-foot centers, and they have one of the hottest coaches in the country right now.

Most surprising to me is how far off of most people's radar they are. The sexy pick in the MVC appears to be the Creighton Blue Jays, who are a fantastic team, but I think they'll play second fiddle to Shockers this year. Wichita State's average victory in their NIT championship run was 76-60, including wins over teams that had received votes in top 25 polls previously in the year. They'll continue that kind of success this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if they won 30 games.

A player to watch for Wichita State is Garrett Stutz, a 7'0" junior center. In games in which he scored 10 or more points last year, the Shockers were 10-0, but they were 6-7 when he scored 5 or less. He didn't play much last year (he never played more than 23 minutes in a single game), but in games in which he played at least 20 minutes, he averaged 14 points per game. If he's given the playing time he probably deserves, he could average around 16 points and 8 rebounds per game this year.