College Ball Preview B
UCLA (4): The UCLA Bruins always manage to stay on top of the conference. They lost three huge NCAA talents to the draft (most notably Kevin Love) and still are loaded with talent. They are lead by NCAA All-American guard Darren Collison but it doesn't end there. They have enough talent (again) to make a deep run for the NCAA National Title.
Arizona State (15): Arizona State was a real surprise last year in the PAC-10. They were expected to be terrible and, even though they didn't make it to the NCAA tournament, they made it to the NIT.
This year they have their stud freshman guard of last year, James Harden, returning. Plus, he's taller and stronger than he was last year. Combine him with their senior big man, Pendergraph, and they are going to make a run at the tournament this year.
USC (18): Forget OJ Mayo. Their freshman sensation of last year gives way to their freshman sensation of this year. DeMar DeRozan is that guy. He has all the talent and skill to make a one year NCAA splash and then head right for the lottery. They also have some talent coming off of shortened seasons due to injury. Mamadou Diarra is one of those guys. Look out for this seven-footer to be a powerful presence in the paint. He has great length and impressive agility for a guy his size. Look out for the Trojans in the NCAA this year, they aren't as good as UCLA but they can make a run on the national scene.