PJ Guippone

College hoops has returned to the practice court, and with it, all the joy in my life has returned. As if hoops on the horizon isn’t enough happiness for me, today I had the pleasure of seeing this tweet.

I don’t think I can say I have ever found so much joy in someone else’s pain. All in one tweet, I: 1. am reminded that college hoops is back, 2. am reminded that Rick Pitino is not going to be on the Louisville sideline, and 3. got to laugh at another old head for increasing the size of their text font.

Other than Rick Pitino not monitoring the sidelines in gaudy white suits, there are hundreds of other things to get amped about for this upcoming basketball season. There are teams filled with intrigue, another Ball brother, looming controversy, and the perennial quest to see if Virginia can break the 70-point mark.

Is Wichita State all the way back?

Last season, we had the pleasure of watching a Wichita State team back in a Cinderella role. Fans of the NCAA tournament will know that there is nothing scarier in the whole world. I would rather come face to face with a black mamba snake than to play Wichita State in March when no one respects them. Sure, they couldn’t make it out of the first weekend, but the loss was crushing, to a very good Kentucky team, with bad decision making at the end. Wichita State put everyone on alert that they are back.

This season, they are basically the exact same team they were last year when they were 31-5. The majority of their play has always been from the guard position and they are again blessed with an elite backcourt in Landry Shamet, who can do everything, and their sharpshooter Conner Frankamp. Vegas has recognized these ingredients and has given them respect with the tenth-highest title odds in the nation at +2600. That’s higher than Gonzaga, UCLA and Oregon. It’s almost double Iowa State.

This ultimately comes down to where Wichita State enters the tournament. If they are a five seed or less, watch the fuck out. Preseason, this is a lock for the Sweet Sixteen, and now they have more chances to prove themselves throughout the year following their move to the American Athletic Conference. Better competition will push them further and have them more ready for competition in March. Watch out for the Shockers come March.

How long till Grayson Allen has a temper tantrum?

Grayson Allen the captain lost his temper just over a month into the season last year, starting a dialogue of “why is this dude such a bitch?”

This season, Allen is again the captain, as voted by his teammates. Good for him. Maybe this time, he can keep his head on straight and not be Odell Beckham Jr. on the sideline. If we’re really lucky, maybe he will get a nose job or something so he doesn’t look exactly like Ted Cruz. But I digress.

Regardless, I don’t buy any of that. This man is an emotional being. Ron Burgundy would probably say he is in a “glass case of emotion.” This attitude isn’t something that simply goes away. It is the way he plays. Take out the emotion, and he will also lose the fire that makes him dunk with the ferocity of a grizzly bear. Eliminate emotion, and late game heroics turn into losses.

I’m looking at this season to be a lot like last year, but with enough production that the emotion isn’t a narrative. Let’s say a month and a half before we see Allen crying on the sideline. Crying, I might add, all the way to All-America honors and a first-round draft pick.

Jay Wright + 5-Star big = ?

Last season, Nova Nation was robbed of the opportunity to see Omari Spellman in what truly should have been his freshman year. The five-star center from Ohio was set to play alongside Brunson, Hart and Jenkins. Instead, the NCAA decided he was not eligible for his freshman year, which was compounded by a leg injury.

Now, he is ready to take the court. He has had a full year to sit on the sidelines and view JQ Jay run the Wildcats. He is fully healthy and primed to carve out miles of space on the block. Additionally, he will be playing against Jalen Brunson, who is another year older and might not turn the ball over once this year.

So the question is, what will Jay be able to do with this diamond in the rough. Think of Wright’s most recent elite big man, Daniel Ochefu. For those of you that follow college basketball, you will probably remember not hearing that name until about his junior year. For those of you that don’t follow Villanova basketball that closely, it is because he sucked. His footwork was horrible, his hands were bricks covered in butter, he could only shoot within five feet and his jump hook was shitty. Even his defense, which he hangs his hat on now, was bad. So, if Jay Wright created an NBA prospect out of a guy that wouldn’t have been in division one if he was 2 inches shorter, what can he do with a five-star stud?

Only the season will be able to tell, but look for Spellman to fill a lot of holes perceived in the Nova roster. Most importantly, watch this man on the boards. Early matchup of the year to watch out for is Nova vs. Seton Hall for the Spellman/Delgado big man battle.

With Pitino gone, does Coach Cal claim the throne of biggest douche in Hoops?

Yes.