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The New Freddy Krueger

April 19, 2009

Yes, that’s the man that will be playing icon Freddy Krueger in the upcoming A Nightmare On Elm Street remake. Jackie Earle Haley has been signed on to take over the role that Robert Englund made famous 25 years ago. I grew up on Jason and Freddy films, so I keep close tabs on anything to do with my favorite horror franchises and while the idea of remaking A Nightmare On Elm Street, and especially recasting Freddy, is kind of taboo, it’s also a little exciting and refreshing. I don’t like this casting as much as the Billy Bob Thornton rumor (who I thought would be great), but Haley played Rorschach in Watchmen, so it’s not much of a stretch to imagine him as Freddy Krueger. I don’t expect him to inject the humor that Englund did into the role, but that’s honestly a good thing in my opinion. Like the recent Friday The 13th remake, I hope this reboot takes the franchise back to its more serious and scary roots.

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Next Judd Apatow Film

April 17, 2009

I saw this trailer before “I Love You, Man.” It’s the next film from Judd Apatow (”40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up”) and is called “Funny People” starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen. Uhm… Judd Apatow + Seth Rogen + Adam Sandler + stand up comedy + touching story = sign me up

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I Love You Man Is Hilarious

April 17, 2009

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Yeah, I said it. I Love You, Man is greatness, possibly a comedy classic in the making. Time and repeat viewings will say whether or not that is true, but this was by far the most fun I’ve had watching a movie this year. Thank God for Judd Apatow and his buddies ushering in the era of the R-rated comedy. In general, ever since 40 Year Old Virgin was released in 2005, the quality of comedies has drastically increased over the past half decade. Though I thought some of the movies from this genre (i.e. Pineapple Express, Zack & Miri Make A Porno) were a bit overrated last year, I Love You, Man is a very solid step back in the right direction.

The film centers on Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a real estate salesman planning to marry the woman of his dreams, Zooey (Rashida Jones). After overhearing Zooey’s friends making fun of his lack of a social circle, Peter decides: “I need some fucking friends.” After a series of hilarious “man dates” with various guys, Peter finally comes across Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) at an open house he’s hosting and instantly finds Sydney’s honesty and blunt nature endearing. They become quick friends and it doesn’t take long for this new friendship to cause problems between Peter and Zooey.

The cast in this is really terrific. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel have both become legitimate comedy stars. Both Rudd and Segel have grown from supporting characters in the first couple of Judd Apatow films to being stars in their own movies. Both actors are phenomenal in this movie and Rudd really hams it up as Peter Klaven, doing an excellent job of showing how awkward it can be to try to meet new people and vibe with them. The way he blurts out random non-words (“Joben”) and repeatedly stumbles over his sentences show a complete lack of confidence in his surroundings and makes for good laughs throughout the whole film. Years ago, I wouldn’t have ever thought that Paul Rudd could be a regular leading man in a comedy, but I’m convinced of it now. Segel is another rising star, whose Sydney is played with confidence and an air of experience that doesn’t quite reach snobbery. Whether predicting if someone needs to fart or explaining the lubricant and condoms on his desk (“this is where I masturbate”), Sydney’s honesty and tendency for bluntness comes across as genuine.

The supporting cast is solid and funny as well, with a number of B-list celebrities taking on roles. Jaime Pressly and Jon Favreau are hilarious playing a dysfunctional couple that are friends with Peter and Zooey. Andy Samberg is pretty good as Peter’s gay brother and J.K. Simmons is great no matter what he does. Rashida Jones is absolutely adorable as Zooey in her first major film role. The gorgeous actress is quite talented and after proving her comedy chops on The Office and in this film, I wouldn’t be surprised if stardom awaits her. Sarah Burns stars as Zooey’s desperate friend Hailey and does such a good job of channeling Kristen Wiig that I actually thought it was the SNL star.

I Love You, Man is easily the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year. The actors were all great and funny and the pacing of the film was solid even through the inevitable conflict segments. I laughed throughout the whole film and really enjoyed all the performances. I can’t wait to see it again. It’s the first movie of 2009 that I’ve gone out of my way (*ahem* aside from writing on a blog, that is) to recommend to people. Go see it immediately!

Grade: 8 out of 10 (Must Own)

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Seattle Mariners 2009 Baseball Preview

April 15, 2009

Yes… I realize that we are over a week into the major league baseball season, but I don’t think it’s too late to give a preview of what to expect from the
Seattle Mariners this season. Here’s one thing I don’t think you should expect from the M’s this season: keeping up the hot start they have going at the moment.

First, I’m going to break this team down position-by-position:

Catcher – The only people that should be happy to see Kenji Johjima behind the plate for us are his relatives and personal friends. This guy is not an asset at all. After a reasonably good debut season in 2006, his numbers dipped noticeably in 2007 and then fell off the face of the earth last year. There’s no reason to expect him to turn things around this season and the M’s would be much better off letting Jeff Clement develop in the majors, with Johjima playing the roll of veteran backup. Grade: F

First Base – Is there anything worse than Richie Sexson? Maybe…. and his name is Russell Branyan. Branyan is pretty much a Sexson clone that hasn’t ever been able to hold down a regular job in the bigs. He could be making some new fans in Seattle with his current .280-.357-.520 line, but that’s pretty fluky. Like Sexson, Branyan has legitimate pop, but will always be a black hole in the line-up because of his inability to make consistent contact. It’s quite possible that he will hit 35 home runs this year, but expect that lofty total to come with a .230ish average and 200 strikeouts. Grade: D

Second Base – Jose Lopez is probably the brightest spot in the M’s line-up outside of Ichiro Suzuki. After hitting .297 with 17 HRs, 41 2Bs, and 89 RBI in his age 24 season, it’s unlikely that we’ve seen Lopez’s ceiling as far as power is concerned. While I’d like to see more patience at the plate and a bit more speed on the base paths, I do think Jose Lopez just might be the most underrated player 25 years old or younger in the majors. Grade: A-

Shortstop – I’ll say that I’m a Yuniesky Bentancourt fan, but I don’t think he’s much better than the average major league shortstop. He’s not really an asset or a liability. I like his range defensively, but he does make a lot of errors. Offensively, he is a solid hitter from the ninth hole, but I don’t think we’re going to see too much improvement from him in the future. Grade: C

Third Base – Okay, so Adrian Beltre is not a .330 hitter with 40 homer potential… us Mariner fans have learned that much during his tenure with the team. Beltre had one of the all-time greatest fluke seasons in 2004 and is yet to top 100 RBI, 26 HR, or a .300 average as a Mariner. With that said, if you can overlook the anomaly season in 2004, Beltre has actually been one of the most consistent offensive third basemen in baseball the last four years. On top of that, Beltre plays a real solid 3-bag defensively. Also, it’s worth noting that even though Beltre is off to a slow start, this is a contract year for him and we all know how he did last time he was in this spot. Grade: B

Left Field – Endy Chavez has been nice out of the gate this season… he’s got nice speed and is a good glove in left, but his hitting leaves something to be desired. In reality, no MLB team should be too excited to have this guy as a regular starter on their team. So far, so good though. Grade: D+

Center Field – The jury is still out on Franklin Gutierrez. I’m not really sure what to expect from him, but I think he has some good upside. Again, defensively, he seems solid and our outfield as a whole should be one of the better defensive outfields in all of baseball. Offensively, it looks like Gutierrez could have 15-15 upside, but not much else. Grade: C

Right Field – Ichiro Suzuki returns to the line-up today and won’t hurt a team that is already off to a solid 6-2 start. I don’t really need to tell anyone that Ichiro is the best hitter by a long shot on this team. On top of a being a guarantee for 100 runs, a .300 average and 40 SBs, Ichiro is a gold glove caliber right fielder. Grade: A

Designated Hitter – It’s easy for us Mariner fans to get excited about the return of Ken Griffey Jr. and that’s understandable. However, it’s important to remember that The Kid is in the twilight years of his career and his glory days are long past so we all need to temper our expectations. Regardless, Jr. still has that beautiful swing and the ability to knock the ball out of the park. The M’s need to keep Griffey off the field as much as possible and ensure that he stays healthy. If he can log 140 games or so, I don’t think 30 homers and 80 RBI are out of reach for the 39 year old. No matter the case, it’s awesome seeing the best player to ever rock a Mariner uniform back on the team and we will all pay money to see him play again. Grade: C+

Bench – Mike Sweeney is in a similar position as Griffey, albeit without all the nostalgia, nor was he nearly as good as Griffey during their primes. It’s been four years since Sweeney had a relevant season and there is no reason for M’s fans to expect him to make an impact this year. Ronny Cedeno and Rob Johnson are irrelevant back-ups as well. Matt Tuiasosopo is really the only intriguing reserve after ripping up spring training, but it’s quite likely that he will be sent to Tacoma for more seasoning to make room on the roster for Ichiro. Grade – F

Starting Rotation – Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez have crazy potential. Bedard is only a 15 months or so removed from being the best pitcher in the American League, so his hot start is not all that surprising to me. I owned him in a fantasy league in 2007 where he didn’t lose a single game for a four month stretch. The question is whether he can stay healthy or not. If so, he can be a force at the top of our rotation. It’s easy to forget that King Felix is only 22 years old this season when you overlook the fact that he’s got three full seasons under his belt and broke into the rotation as an 18 year old. As longtime M’s fans that saw the early emergences of Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez, we might have a misconception of how rare it is for an 18 year old kid to be major league ready. Considering that, Felix has as much upside as any starting pitcher in the American League and is still a few years shy of the typical breakout season age. I wouldn’t be shocked to see both Bedard and Hernandez win 15 games a piece. The back 60% of the rotation is where things start to get murky. I don’t care if Jarrod Washburn threw a no hitter in his first start, I still wouldn’t be excited about his potential this season. He’s a #5 starter (if that) in a #3’s clothing. He sucks. Carlos Silva is similar to Washburn, just much, much worse. After those two, the #5 spot is up in the air… Currently Ryan Rowland-Smith occupies the slot… and while he’s put up impressive numbers in his short career (3.48 ERA, 120 Ks in 160 IP, 2:1 K/BB ratio), anyone that is slotted behind Carlos Silva is a scary proposition. Grade: D

Bullpen – Another weak spot for the Mariners. Although I like what we got back in the J.J. Putz trade, I don’t really understand it. Honestly, I think our rotation needs Brandon Morrow more than the bullpen does and considering that was the plan heading into 2009, the Putz trade makes even less sense. Who did they expect to step up and close games if Morrow was starting? Miguel Batista? Roy Corcoran? Outside of maybe Mark Lowe and Morrow, there’s not really an arm you an trust after our starters get ousted. Grade: F

Overall – Yes, things look great for the M’s after a nice 6-2 start, but I don’t think it’s realistic to expect this trend to continue. Our offense is merely mediocre and we’re going to be hard-pressed to keep on winning these low-scoring games. After Bedard and Felix, our rotation looks miserable and our bullpen can’t really be relied upon in close games. This not the kind of make up that a first place team usually has. If you take a look around baseball, you’ll also find the Baltimore Orioles, San Diego Padres, and Kansas City Royals holding down first place, respectively, in their divisions. All of those teams are projected last place squads. So yeah, the M’s are looking good right now, but it’s only a matter of time before the back end of the rotation implodes and this team shows it’s true colors. I would consider this season a success if we win 80 games. Grade: C-

MVP – Ichiro Suzuki
Ace – Felix Hernandez
Speed Demon – Ichiro Suzuki
X-Factor – Erik Bedard
Closer At Year’s End – Brandon Morrow

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New Eminem Video – “We Made You”

April 7, 2009

It’s always an exciting time when Eminem releases new music… but he’s been pretty bad for several years now, so who really knows what to expect from him anymore. Well, today, we get this gem. At first I was completely appalled by it… it’s just so corny and horrible.. but after digesting it a bit more, I think it’s funny and he’s rapping pretty good on it. The video also makes me smirk. Obviously, I don’t want anything else on the album to sound even remotely like this though. Thoughts?

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Twilight Is Not Harry Potter

April 3, 2009

So what is a 26 year old grown man doing reviewing Twilight? Well, for one, I fancy myself an amateur film critic and it would be folly of me to not post my thoughts on a film as big as Twilight. Secondly, the series of vampire novels from author Stephenie Meyer were getting the kind of buzz the Harry Potter franchise was getting back in the early 2000s. I originally made some poor assumptions about the HP series (i.e. children’s lit) and that has grown into one of my all-time favorite book series. Not wanting to make the same mistake with The Twilight Saga, I jumped on the bandwagon much earlier this time. With that said, I borderline hated the first book in the series. I’ll get into more detail on my problems with the script (a.k.a. the novel) later, but I just wanted it to be known ahead of time that I was not a fan of the original material for this film.

I figured this film was moderately doomed from the start. As soon as I saw Robert Pattinson wearing lipstick on the cover of Entertainment Weekly I knew the filmmakers missed the mark on this one and any chance the story had of being presented in a serious manner was being flushed down the toilet. Not that I expect a ton of realism from a film about vampires, but the presentation of the source material was looking pretty corny before the film was even released. Actually watching the film, the level of quality really dropped as soon as the rest of the Cullen family was introduced. Not only was the acting from the Cullen family unnatural and rigid, but the whole baseball scenario was horribly adapted. The creators of this film need to holler at the makers of “Smallvillle” for some advice on super speed special effects.

I don’t want complain too much about the acting in the film, but something about it did rub me the wrong way. Kristen Stewart seemed so focused on “acting” that she looked like she was trying to remember her lines half the time. She always seemed to have a confused look on her face. It doesn’t help much that she had to take on the role of one of the worst heroines in the history of fiction. Okay, so I guess I can’t help but dive into my problems with the book. One of the biggest problems I had reading Twilight was that I absolutely hated Bella. If I was supposed to hate Bella, I’d say “hey, great job with the character,” but I’m pretty sure Bella is supposed to be likable. Well, she’s not. She’s an uptight, reactionary bitch that doesn’t seem to have a clue what she really wants. I thought she was continually unfair in her treatment of Edward and her disregard for every other guy in the book made her seem like a snob. Reading the book, I couldn’t come up with any reason Edward would be attracted to her. Speaking of which, how likely is it that an 80 year old vampire would find his soul mate in a 17 year old girl? I’m almost 27 and I can’t hold a five minute conversation with the idiot 18 year old girls my roommate sometimes has over for his “parties.” I just don’t buy into the fact that someone with that much life experience would fall in love with a kid. It’s not only an unlikely pairing, it’s perverse.

The comparisons between Twilight and Harry Potter are ludicrous and unfounded. The level of writing in the two series are not even comparable. J.K. Rowling has a thousand times the imagination that Stephenie Meyer has. What about Twilight is so unique? Vampires have been done to death and the only truly original elements being introduced here are the baseball thing and the way the sun makes their skin turn colors. How exciting. I could go on forever about how original the Harry Potter franchise is. Perhaps I’m being overly harsh on Meyer since I’ve only read the first book in the series and the first HP book didn’t exactly blow me away… but I didn’t dislike it either. It’s possible that the series will grow on me as I read more of the books, but that’s the problem, I didn’t like the first book enough to want to read the rest of them. Anyways, the box office totals say it all:

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone: $317.5 million
Twilight: $191.5 million

Score: 3.5 out of 10

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Watchmen Review

March 30, 2009

I had a chance to see Watchmen before opening day, but ultimately had to pass it up because I wasn’t finished reading the graphic novel yet. By the time I was done reading the GN, I’d heard enough mixed feedback that I was no longer in a rush to see the theatrical version and finally got around to doing so last week. Before I get into my thoughts on the film, I just want to say that the graphic novel blew me away. I thought the story was amazing and the writing was phenomenal overall. However, I wasn’t really sold on how well it would translate to the big screen and the mediocre acting in the trailers had tempered my expectations for the film.

I can’t really complain about the adaptation. The screenwriters did a very good job of staying faithful to Alan Moore’s graphic novel, with the sole exception of the climax being drastically different, although the significance of this change has been exaggerated; I think the thematic issues and ultimate goal of the graphic novel remain intact. The problem I did have with Watchmen was that a year after The Dark Knight believably brought Batman and The Joker into our world, Watchmen still comes across hokey despite all of its heroes being normal human beings (with the exception of Dr. Manhattan). With the exception of Rorschach and Dr. Manhattan, the characters in the film are all one-dimensional and boring. Despite massive amounts of background story, you still don’t have much of an emotional investment in anyone. It’s also bad timing to ask someone to play Richard Nixon just months after Frank Langella gave an Oscar-nominated performance of the man in Frost/Nixon. The acting, in general, was poor at best from just about everyone in the cast. Kudos to Billy Crudup (Dr. Manhattan) and Jackie Earle Haley (Rorschach) for not making me cringe every time they were on screen.

By far my favorite thing about the film was the character of Rorschach (I used the Silk Spectre poster because, well… she’s hotter). He was my favorite character in the graphic novel as well, but his awesomeness is even more apparent in the film version, simply because all the other characters are lamer in the movie. He’s cold and heartless. He’s Batman without the moral code. He’s a bad ass. He keeps a journal. And he’ll fucking kill you. It’s kind of refreshing to see a completely ruthless hero in a time when our heroes are scared to get their noses dirty. The only thing that disappointed me about Rorschach was that the film didn’t make it obvious that he was the homeless-looking dude walking around town with the “End Is Nigh” sign. Oh, that and the fact that his mask moving around was specific to the film and kind of distracting.

I definitely wasn’t blown away by Watchmen by any means. The acting is really subpar and the story just didn’t translate amazingly well. It’s definitely worth watching though for the visual effects and Rorschach, but I wouldn’t rank it with the better comic book adaptations of all-time. It’s simply mediocre, if not mildly disappointing.

Score: 5.5 out of 10

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Calipari To Coach Kentucky in ’09-10???

March 30, 2009

It’s kind of a big news day for college basketball, but nothing is bigger than John Calipari possibly taking the head coaching position at the University of Kentucky. This is a somewhat shocking development in my opinion. My first instinct was that there is no way he’d even consider taking the job, but I was playing poker when I heard the news and the chatter at the table was that he’d be an idiot not to take it. Plus, ESPN was running a blurb saying that Calipari met with Memphis officials and players and everybody left the meeting with the feeling that Calipari was going to take the Kentucky job. We all know that Kentucky is one of the most storied programs in college basketball history and Calipari is certainly going to make more money coaching an SEC team.

Here’s what I don’t understand though:

–Memphis has a better basketball program than Kentucky: Yeah, not historically, but over the past 3-4 years Memphis has developed into a powerhouse. Kentucky was a one and done team in 2008 and broke a string of 17 straight NCAA tournament appearances this year when they were relegated to the NIT. Meanwhile, Memphis has posted three straight undefeated seasons in Conference USA and have made it to the Sweet 16, Championship Game, and two Elite 8s over the past four seasons.

–Memphis might have the best recruiting class of all-time for the 2009-2010 season: Calipari has already inked two of the top three recruits in DeMarcus Cousins and Xavier Henry. John Wall, the #1 high school player in the nation (according to www.rivals.com, also has shown a strong interest in going to Memphis. So Memphis has already signed two players that are ranked higher in this year’s incoming freshman class than Tyreke Evans was in last year’s (arguably weaker) incoming class… with the potential of landing the top high school player in the nation on top of that. It’s scary to think of what those three players could accomplish together. On top of that, Memphis has signed three other four-star recruits. Despite being young, that core of players would probably make Memphis the favorites for a national championship next year… and Tyreke Evans hasn’t even declared for the draft yet. Yikes.

Of course, all of this is subject to change if Calipari decides to jump ship. If that happens, surely John Wall will play elsewhere. I’m not sure what the ruling on backing out of a Letter Of Intent is, but who knows how Cousins and Henry will react when the coach that recruited them is no longer a part of the picture. Personally, despite the financial security and exposure that an SEC head coaching job will bring, I think Calipari would be wise to stay in Memphis. He has the potential to build a dynasty type of program there and I’d hate to see him walk away from it.

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Maccent’s Journal

March 25, 2009

March 26th, 2009:

Just got back from Watchmen. Movie is very long. Mixed feelings. Graphic Novel is better. Rorschach is bad ass. Must remember to elaborate further.

Been busy with college basketball updates. Will have some movie updates sometime in the next seven days. Also watched Role Models and Milk. Will discuss soon. Brother Ali released new EP. It is great. Will explain why.

Lifted weights for first time in six years yesterday. Legs very sore. Can barely move. Started 4000 calorie diet today. Will gain massive amounts of weight. Progress will be posted. Current Weight: 145 lbs.

Maccent
March 26th, 2009

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College Basketball – 2009-2010 – A Brief Preview

March 23, 2009

With the 2008-2009 season winding down, I’ve been thinking about what players are graduating, what players are likely getting drafted, and what players will most likely be returning next season and thinking of what teams are looking to be strong next year.

In no particular order, these teams look like they are going to be beasts next year:

Kansas: Even if Cole Aldrich enters the draft and gets picked, which is very likely, Sherron Collins is probably coming back and so is every other piece of a young team that has played its way into this year’s Sweet 16. Kansas figures to lose no one from what was largely considered the #2 recruiting class this past season and already have a solid class this upcoming season that includes 5-star talent Thomas Robinson and top 30 recruit Elijah Johnson.

Bottom Line: I’m leaning towards Aldrich being gone, but even so, Kansas is going to have to be considered a top 10 team heading into next season. If Aldrich decides to come back, they jump to a top 3-5 team.

Syracuse: Syracuse will graduate three seniors from their 2009 Sweet 16 team, but none of those seniors are vital part of the team. Paul Harris, Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Andy Rautins, and Rick Jackson (5 of the top 6 scorers) are all certainly coming back for next season. The question mark here is whether or not Jonny Flynn comes back. He’s easily the most talented player on the team, but he’s appearing on most mock drafts late in the first round, so there’s a solid chance he’ll be gone. ‘Cuse does not have a strong recruiting class next season.

Bottom Line: If Flynn doesn’t come back, a year of growth for everyone else should make Syracuse at least as good as they are now. If Flynn comes back, they have a championship caliber team.

Villanova: Scottie Reynolds hasn’t been appearing on many mocks, so I’m banking on him coming back for his senior season. Losing an immensely improved Dante Cunningham is going to hurt, but Nova is going to be returning both Coreys (Fisher and Stokes) and those kids can play. Despite graduating three seniors that get regular minutes, Nova should still have a good amount of depth next year as they are bringing in a remarkable freshman class that includes three top 25 recruits and another 4-Star power forward.

Bottom Line: Already a Sweet 16 team, Nova will bring back most of its scoring and add one of the best freshman classes in the nation. They should be better next year than Kansas was this year.

Ohio State: This is hard to call. Evan Turner wasn’t on anyone’s radar before the season started, but now I’m seeing his name regularly in the middle of the first round in most NBA mock drafts. I’d hate to see him go pro after this season, but it’s seeming more and more likely, and he was certainly one of the more impressive all-around talents I saw play all year. BJ Mullens has received the opposite treatment; he started the season near the tip top of most mocks, but his stock has dropped drastically after what most people would consider to be a disappointing freshman season that saw him start a mere two games and only show brief moments of brilliance. He is definitely someone that needs another year of seasoning in college, but it’s going to be hard for the pro teams to pass up a future top 5 pick when he slides to them in the mid-to-late first round. The Buckeyes will lose no one important to graduation and return Dallas Lauderdale, Jon Diebler, and William Buford, who was very impressive as a freshman. David Lighty, injured almost all season, will be back and healthy next year. The administration must have confidence in its current roster because no one has signed a letter of intent to play at OSU next year.

Bottom Line: It all depends on Turner and Mullens. If they don’t come back, OSU will still return a solid core of players that should make them competitive next year. If Turner and Mullens return, and the latter develops, this could be a championship caliber team.

Purdue: Another current Sweet 16 team that figures to lose no one important to the draft or graduation. I saw Purdue play twice this year and JaJuan Johnson looked NBA ready in both games (30 points vs Ohio State, 22 points 5 rebounds vs Washington). All indications point to him coming back for his junior season and improving even more. 5.6 rebounds per game from a 6’10” stud is probably the reason he’s not making regular appearances on draft boards. He could be next year’s Dante Cunningham. Robbie Hummel, the Big Ten Preseason Player Of The Year, will be back with something to prove after a year of inconsistency and injuries halted his progress a bit. Hummel’s skill set is pretty similar to Kyle Singler’s, whose name is appearing late in the first round of NBA mocks while Hummel has been completely absent. E’twuan Moore makes up the third part of the triumphant of stud players that Purdue will return next season. Chris Kramer, Keaton Grant, and Lewis Jackson will all be back and add depth next year. Purdue has a modest set of in-state prospects coming to the team next year.

Bottom Line: There’s no question marks here. Everyone from this year’s Sweet 16 team will be back next year and I expect significant growth from both Hummel and Johnson. The recruiting class isn’t very strong, but that won’t matter. Assuming OSU loses Turner and Mullens, Purdue has to be the team to beat in the Big Ten next year and should be considered a top 5-10 team overall.

Washington: The bad news is that Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon will be graduating. The good news is that Isaiah Thomas and Quincy Pondexter will return. IT should continue to develop into one of the best guards in the Pac-10 and Q-Pon’s offensive output should increase dramatically. While UW can certainly function without Dentmon, filling the void left by Brockman is going to be tough. Matthew Bryan-Amaning has looked capable of taking on that roll at times, but he looked awful and confused a lot of the time this past season. An off-season focused on improving his skill set and confidence would do wonders for this team. Abdul Gaddy, the #2 high school point guard in the nation, will be a more than competent replacement for Dentmon and should take the table-setting pressure off of Thomas and allow him to focus on scoring. Tyreese Breshers, a 4-Star power forward whose season was lost to injury, could also help replace Brockman if he returns healthy. Elston Turner and Venoy Overton are great options off the bench.

Bottom Line: UW unexpectedly won the Pac-10 and was 3 points shy of making it to the Sweet 16 this year. Even with the loss of Brockman and Dentmon, expectations should be higher next season and their will be a target on this team’s back. Abdul Gaddy is a better prospect than Brockman ever was, but it’s unlikely he’s going to have the same kind of impact that the big guy did. I think the X-Factor here is Bryan-Amaning and how much he can grow as a player next season. Regardless, I like UW’s chances to repeat as Pac-10 champs.

Florida: This team that narrowly missed the NCAA tournament only had two upperclassmen and will only lose one player to graduation. While it boggles my mind that Nick Calathes isn’t on draft boards, it looks likely that he will be returning for his junior season. Calathes is one of the best all-around players and another year of growth should do wonders for his draft stock. Calathes is more likely to go off for a triple-double than anyone else in college basketball. Florida will return everyone else from a team that posted a 25 win season with only one senior.

Bottom Line: With Calathes returning and a solid recruiting class, Florida has to be the favorite in the SEC next year.

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