Playboy's College Basketball Preview

Over the next five months, 293 Division I college basketball teams will play more than 4500 games and score more than 1,000,000 points on jump shots, dunk shots, three-pointers, free throws, layups, hooks, double-pumps, tips, swats and half-court lobs. Much sweat will be sweat, more than a few punches thrown and countless rolls of paper, diverted from the purpose God intended, will unfurl onto basketball courts across the country, all part of the search for the Holy Grail of college basketball, the national championship.

Part of the beauty of the sport is that even the most insignificant of those 4500 games has the potential to be a little jewel. No game is ever so one-sided that an upset isn't a possibility. Remember Northwestern's 66--64 win last year over defending national champ Indiana. And no team is so obscure that it can't fight its way onto the national scene once tourney time rolls around. Most people probably thought Loyola-Marymount was an all-girls' school until it battled all the way to last year's Final 16.

The warning buzzer is sounding and it's time for our annual survey of the college basketball season.

American South

The competition promises to be as spicy as the cooking down Louisiana way. Louisiana Tech, coached by Tommy Joe Eagles, the best coaching name in basketball, rates as a slight favorite over Arkansas State because of one player, 6'9" Randy White. A worthy successor to Karl Malone, now with the Utah Jazz, White is a ferocious rebounder (11.6 rebounds per game) and a high scorer (18.6 points per game). Look for some heavy-duty board banging when White goes against Arkansas State's 6'7" John Tate. Arkansas State has all five starters back, plus 7'5" Alan Bannister, a transfer from Oklahoma State who will be eligible the second semester.

Atlantic Coast

Two Final Four appearances and two A. C. C. championships in the past three seasons; Playboy All-America Danny Ferry, the conference's leading scorer and potential College Player of the Year, returning; Mike Krzyzewski, one of the best coaches in the nation. How can Duke go wrong?

As coach K. found out when Duke went 3--7 against several national teams on a European tour last spring, games are won on the court, not in the press guide. Still, Duke is the class of the tough A. C. C. and one of the best in the nation.

North Carolina is accustomed to number-one pre-season basketball rankings. However, with all five starters back from last year, including J. R. Reid, it still can't do better than a number-two rating, and that's in its conference. But as coach Dean Smith knows, that's the stuff motivation is made of. Smith and the Tarheels need good outside shooting and a confidence win over Duke to set up a successful season.

Georgia Tech has received four N. C. A. A. tournament bids since coach Bobby Cremins took over the program seven years ago, an amazing statistic considering that it has had only one previous bid in its entire history. Cremins turns out finished players: John Salley, Mark Price, Duane Ferrell. His current star, Playboy All-America Tom Hammonds, is one of his best. Dennis Scott, a 6'8" forward who averaged 15.5 p.p.g. and led the conference in three-point percentage, is only a sophomore.

Last year's Clemson team, long on talent and short on experience, didn't come together until a couple of late-season wins against Duke and Georgia Tech. With 6'10" junior center Elden Campbell, the A. C. C.'s leading shot blocker, the Tigers have to be taken seriously from the season's start.

Maryland and North Carolina State both suffer from the same disease: deficiency of a number-one player. At North Carolina State, center Charles Shackleford made the decision to go to the N. B. A. draft early, thus forfeiting his final year. Coach Jim Valvano still has two big-time players in 6'8" Chuck Brown and guard Chris Corchiani, but having no experienced big man in the middle spells problems for the Wolfpack.

Coach Bob (continued on page 232)College Basketball Preview(continued from page 146) Wade brought the Maryland program back to respectability in one short year and was looking at the prospect of a very strong team this season until 6' 10" center Brian Williams transferred to Arizona.

Atlantic Ten

Playboy Coach of the Year John Chaney has taken Temple from obscurity to national prominence in only a few years. Last season, the Owls made it all the way to the N. C. A. A. quarter finals before bowing to Duke, 63--53. Temple has lost good players to graduation and three promising freshman recruits failed to meet Proposition 48 requirements. Still, Chaney has Playboy All-America guard Mark Macon and enough coaching savvy to get Temple back to the top of the Atlantic Ten.

The big play man for coach Gale Catlett and West Virginia will be 6'8" Darryl Prue. If Catlett can find a big man to play in the paint so that Prue can stay at his natural position of power forward, the Mountaineers can improve on last year's 18--14 record.

Rhode Island surprised almost everyone in the N. C. A. A. tournament last year by knocking off Missouri (87--80) and heavily favored Syracuse (97--94) before falling to Duke. Unfortunately for the Rams, coach Tom Penders has moved to Texas.

St. Joseph's, Penn State, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and George Washington will battle for an advantage in the middle conference slots and hope for upsets of the conference leaders.

Big East

The Big East is going to be big fun this year: great teams that are evenly matched, colorful coaches and exciting freshmen who are--guess what?--eligible to play.

Georgetown coach John Thompson, just back from the Olympics, has the top freshman in the nation, 6' 10" Alonzo Mourning, who may become the most dominant collegiate center since Patrick Ewing. Thompson has loads of other talent, including Playboy All-America Charles Smith, guard Mark Tillmon (13.8 p.p.g.) and sophomore John Turner, who scored 30 points and grabbed 30 rebounds in Maryland's junior college championship last season.

Syracuse came up a dollar short against Indiana in the national championship two years ago and expected to be in Kansas City last year. Unfortunately, the Orangemen couldn't find their tournament chemistry, falling to Rhode Island in the second round. If coach Jim Boeheim can replace Rony Seikaly, lost to graduation, Syracuse can contend again.

There are few things more entertaining than watching Rollie Massimino, hair disheveled, hands waving, propel Villanova's basketball team almost beyond its potential. In 1985, he coached the Wildcats to a national championship. Last season, he guided them to tournament wins over Arkansas, Illinois and Kentucky. Rollie has four out of five starters returning, including vastly improved Tom Greis, a 7'2" center, and guard Doug West (15.8 p.p.g.).

St. John's is going to miss the scoring (18.6 p.p.g.) and rebounding (8.8 r.p.g.) of Shelton Jones, but coach Lou Carnesecca has recruited well. Freshmen Malik Sealy, a 6'7" forward, and Robert Werdann, a 6'11" center, could both start. Greg "Boo" Harvey will anchor the Redmen backcourt.

Connecticut, 20--14 and last year's N. I. T. champ, returns its entire starting lineup, including 6'11" center Cliff Robinson. Seven-foot West German Marc Suhr, a Proposition 48 casualty last year, is also available to third-year coach Jim Calhoun. The Huskies should graduate to the N. C. A. A. tournament this year.

Pittsburgh has lost its entire starting front line: Charles Smith and Demetreus Gore graduated, and Jerome Lane, who would have been the top returning re-bounder in the nation, turned pro. Coach Paul Evans is left with a quick and versatile group of players, including Big East Freshman of the Year Sean Miller and Brian Shorter, a 6'7" forward held out last year by Proposition 48.

Even the bottom third of the conference is exciting. P. J. Carlesimo, last season's Big East Coach of the Year, will field a competitive Seton Hall team despite the loss of forward Mark Bryant. Boston College will have an explosive backcourt with Dana Barros (21.9 p.p.g.) and Bryan Edwards, Massachusetts' all-time high school scoring champ. Providence has a new coach, Rick Barnes, and lots of enthusiasm, though not enough talent to stay out of the cellar.

Big Eight

It took Danny Manning, the College Player of the Year, and the kinetic tension of the championship game to finally halt Oklahoma's assault on the national title. The Sooners thundered their way to last season's final game in the same fashion in which they rolled up an average 103 p.p.g. and broke five N. C. A. A. and 54 conference records. In the final minutes against Kansas, Oklahoma failed to put the ball in the hands of Stacey King often enough and finally froze as Manning put them away. Coach Billy Tubbs may get the chance to profit from his experience. The Sooners return Playboy All-America King, plus Daron "Mookie" Blaylock, college basketball's version of Artful Dodger, who had more than 100 steals and 200 assists last year.

All-time Missouri leading scorer Derrick Chievous has gone to the N. B. A., but Coach Norm Stewart has his four other starters back. Center Doug Smith, a first-team freshman All-America last year, will emerge as the Tigers' next big-time player. If Missouri can avoid last season's injuries, it can give Oklahoma a run for its money.

The most improved team in the conference will be Oklahoma State, with forward Richard Dumas, who ranked second only to Temple's Mark Macon in scoring among freshmen. OSU adds size in two returning Proposition 48 victims, 6'10" Thomas Jordan and seven-foot Johnny Pittman.

It's rebuilding time for three of last year's conference powers. Kansas State will miss Mitch Richmond; Iowa State, Jeff Grayer; and Kansas, last year's national champ, Danny Manning, and coach Larry "I'm staying, I'm staying, I'm going" Brown.

Big Sky

Even up in the land of mountain men and lumberjacks, college basketball is a hot topic. Last year, Boise State won the conference tournament and gave Michigan all it wanted before bowing out 63--58 in the N. C. A. A. tourney first round. However, it may not be able to hold off an Idaho team that returns four starters, including center Raymond Brown (16.1 p.p.g.), from a 19--11 season. Idaho's success will depend on how well Kermit Davis makes the transition from assistant to head coach. Montana and Weber State return four starters each, while the rest of the conference will be busy rebuilding this season.

Big South

The Big South not a big deal? Them's fightin' words, sir! This little conference made up of seven schools from Virginia to Georgia takes its basketball very seriously. Last year's champ, Winthrop, has a good chance to repeat. Four starters are back, the schedule features 17 home games and the conference tourney is on its home floor.

Campbell also returns four starters from last year and has added 6'9" sophomore Marvin Edmonds, a 27-year-old six-year Army veteran who has never played organized basketball.

Big Ten

Michigan coach Bill Frieder had all the cards last year but was never able to play them in the right order. The talented and thoroughly frustrated Wolverines, 26--8 on the year, bowed to North Carolina 78--69 in the N. C. A. A. tourney's third round. They should have gone further.

Playboy All-America Glen Rice and 6'10" Terry Mills are the best one-two forward combo in the nation. Rumeal Robinson will replace Gary Grant at point, and 6'8" Sean Higgins, held out of the second half of last season by academic ineligibility, could be the other starting guard. If the chemistry is right, the Wolverines could dominate the conference.

Illinois, a perennial tournament disappointment, is again loaded with talent, with forwards Kenny Battle and Nick Anderson back from last season. Marcus Liberty, the nation's top prep player two years ago, who sat out last year because of Proposition 48, will contribute immediately.

Ohio State is on the upswing, finishing 20--13 last year and capturing second place in the N. I. T. tournament. This season, coach Gary Williams has his best team since he joined OSU three years ago. Guard Jay Burson (18.9 p.p.g.) is back, while Perry Carter and Grady Mateen provide the beef up front.

For the past few years, Iowa coach Tom Davis has successfully used a full-court constant-pressure game because the Hawkeyes were ten and 12 players deep and Davis could substitute freely. This year, he may have to adjust his strategy, because Iowa has only three experienced players--Roy Marble, B. J. Armstrong and Ed Horton--and a bunch of unproven underclassmen.

Love him or hate him, Indiana's enigmatic Bob Knight does things his way. He flirted with a move to New Mexico and then stayed in Bloomington. He sat forward Rick Calloway, an important member of Indiana's 1987 national champion team, so much last season that Calloway transferred to Kansas. He jerked Jay Edwards' (15.6 p.p.g.) athletic scholarship when Edwards failed to live up to his standards, though Edwards vows to play his way back into the coach's favor. None of this is to say that Knight is wrong. One certainty is that the Hoosiers, whichever players they put on the floor, will be well coached.

A lot of people, including coach Gene Keady, thought last season was Purdue's year to take it all. They weren't far from wrong, as the Boilermakers went 29--4 and won the Big Ten title, but the season came to an abrupt end when Purdue lost to Kansas State 73--70 in the regional semifinals. Keady, who lost his three best players from last season, will build this year's team around 6'9" center Melvin McCants.

Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote landed his best recruiting class ever, but the players will take a year or two to develop. Until then, the Spartans and the rest of the teams in the conference will have to play upset maker.

Big West

The old Pacific Coast Athletic Association may have a new name, but the end-of-the-season conference standings are going to tell the same old story: Nevada--Las Vegas. Coach Jerry Tarkanian, the towel gourmand, has another cast of talented runners and gunners, including guards Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony. The Runnin' Rebels will win the conference in a walk.

Utah State, California--Santa Barbara and New Mexico State all have players with size and experience returning and will battle for second place.

Colonial

The parity in college basketball was never more apparent than when Colonial champ Richmond knocked off Indiana and then Georgia Tech in the N. C. A. A. tourney last year before falling to Temple. With star forward Peter Woolfolk graduated, Richmond will likely be replaced as conference king by George Mason. The Patriots have their own outstanding player, Kenny Sanders (22 p.p.g., 11.7 r.p.g.).

The real star of the conference this year will be Charles "Lefty" Driesell, the new coach at James Madison. Driesell, who may have shown some misguided loyalty and a propensity toward the unfortunate quote during the sad Len Bias episode at Maryland, is still an outstanding basketball coach and will have James Madison contending for national recognition in a couple of years.

East Coast

The East Coast Conference boasts some talented teams but could use more inspired nicknames. Lehigh, last year's conference-tourney champ, is the Engineers. Lafayette, our choice this season as the conference's best team, is the Leopards. Bucknell is the Bisons; Drexel, the Dragons; Hofstra, the Flying Dutchmen; and Delaware, the Fightin' Blue Hens. Even with players as good as Lafayette's Otis Ellis (17 p.p.g.) and Drexel's John Rankin (19.6 p.p.g.), these teams aren't going very far at conference time until they get some nicknames that strike terror into their opponents' hearts ... like Tarheels or Sooners. Aw, never mind.

E. C. A. C. North Atlantic

Last season, tiny Siena College (enrollment 2600) won the E. C. A. C. North Atlantic regular conference schedule (16--2). But it lost a chance for an N. C. A. A. tournament berth when it got knocked off by lowly New Hampshire (3--15) in its own conference post-season tourney. Siena should get a second chance this year, because all five starters from last season return. Boston University (23--8), which picked up the N. C. A. A. bid Siena failed to capture, will again be ready to step into the winner's role if the Indians falter.

Ivy League

In the Ivy, you don't make a comeback, you have a renaissance. That's exactly the trick coach Paul Cormier has pulled off at Dartmouth. Cormier learned his magic from his high school coach back in Lexington, Massachusetts, a roly-poly guy named Rollie Massimino.

Dartmouth, which finished second to Cornell last year, has two of its main cogs back: guard Jim Barton (24.4 p.p.g.) and 7'1" Walter Palmer.

Pennsylvania's Walt Frazier, the son of the former New York Knicks great, should lead the Quakers to a second-spot finish. Princeton and Harvard round out the best of the top-bracket Ivy teams.

Metro

Was the Metro strong last year? Try this: Louisville, 24 wins; Memphis State, 20; Florida State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Southern Mississippi, 19 wins each. The strongest of strong in the Metro this year is Denny Crum's talent-laden Louisville squad. Pervis Ellison can be a dominating player if he keeps his head on straight. He led the Cardinals last year in scoring (17.6 p.p.g.), rebounding (8.3 r.p.g.) and blocked shots (102). Crum also has sophomore guard LaBradford Smith, seven-foot Felton Spencer, plus Tony Kimbro, who sat out last season for academic reasons. With the cool Crum at the helm, the Cardinals could be Final Four material.

Florida State has more than just a good football team this year. They return four starters from last year's hoops team that racked up an 84.3-point offensive average. George McCloud (18.2 p.p.g.) and Tony Dawson (17.9 p.p.g.) join center Tat Hunter, who, at only 6'7", led the conference in rebounding (9.4 r.p.g.).

Memphis State coach Larry Finch pulled his magician's act again last season. His two best players, Marvin Alexander and Sylvester Gray, were both declared ineligible before Christmas, and yet the Tigers still managed a 20-win season. MSU's outside game will be strong, but post play is a question. South Carolina's coach George Felton signed his best-ever group of recruits, including Troy McKoy out of East Hartford, Connecticut, but the Gamecocks may still be a year or two away. Virginia Tech has one of the best back-court combinations in the nation in Vernell "Bimbo" Coles (24.2 p.p.g.) and Wally Lancaster (23.4 p.p.g.). Unfortunately, the Hokies don't have the talent in the front court to match.

Metro Atlantic

If it weren't for one player, Lionel Simmons of La Salle, the Metro Atlantic would be an evenly matched conference top to bottom. Simmons, who already has N. B. A. scouts drooling, led the Explorers in scoring (23.3 p.p.g.), rebounding (11.4 r.p.g.), blocks and steals. In other words, he can do it all--or at least enough to win the conference title for La Salle.

St. Peter's, a 20-game winner last year, returns four starters and a stingy defensive game. Holy Cross will improve, as it returns all five of last season's starters.

Mid-American

The Mid-American Conference shapes up as a three-team race this season. Give the edge to Ohio University because of forward Paul "Snoopy" Graham, who averaged 20 p.p.g. last year and figures to be the best all-round player in the M. A. C. this season. Western Michigan has all five of last season's starters back. The Broncos will have to improve a weak team defense (they allowed opponents an average of 79.8 p.p.g. last season). Rick Majerus did an excellent coaching job at Ball State last year, getting the Cardinals to 14--14 on limited talent. Majerus has more to work with this season, though Ball State may still need another year to gel.

Mid-Continent

Coach Charlie Spoonhour's Southwest Missouri State team won the Mid-Continent title last year on the offensive skills of Stan Worthy and Kelby Stuckey. Worthy has departed, but Stuckey (15.8 p.p.g.) is back, along with Hubert Henderson, a 6'10" transfer from Mississippi State. The Bears will breeze to another conference title in '89.

Senior Ken "Mouse" McFadden, one of the best point guards in the country, thought he would lead Cleveland State to a berth in the N. C. A. A. tournament this year, but the N. C. A. A. slapped CSU with a two-year ban on post-season play for recruiting violations. Second-year coach Bob Hallberg was disappointed in the performance of Illinois-Chicago (8--20) last year. Darren Guest, a 6'9" center who transferred from Auburn to Chicago State to UIC, will try to make the best of his last year of eligibility.

Mideastern

Last year, North Carolina A & T waltzed through the Mideastern regular conference schedule (16--0) and won the conference tourney before falling to Syracuse in the N. C. A. A. first round, 69--55. This year, conference runner-up Florida A & M will try to cut in on A & T's success. South Carolina State, led by Rodney Mack, who averaged an amazing 13.3 r.p.g. last year, could sneak by the two front runners if seven-foot center George Paulk lives up to expectations.

Midwestern

At St. Louis, the feeling is that it's time to succeed. The Billikens have four starters back from last year's 14--14 squad, and coach Rich Grawer nabbed top junior college player Tony Manuel, a 6'9" forward.

St. Louis' strongest competition will come from last year's conference champ, Xavier. Xavier has talent but will miss four-year scoring leader Byron Larkin.

Loyola-Chicago's chances for a successful season were diminished when Kenny Miller, one of the leading rebounders in the nation last year (13.6 r.p.g.), encountered academic difficulties.

An independent for 82 years, Dayton opens its first season with the Midwestern Conference. Coach Don Donoher, who last year had an uncharacteristic losing season (13--18), will try to build confidence into a team that starts only one senior.

Missouri Valley

Wichita State, which played second fiddle to Bradley last year, is a clear favorite to take the title. The Shockers have added 6'10" freshman Phil Mendelson to complement 6' 10" Sasha Radunovich in the middle. Coach Eddie Fogler's team, which has won 30 out of 32 at home, is one of the nation's top ten (.453) three-point teams.

Northeast

If you don't think great players are turned out by the little conferences, just watch Rik Smits, the N. B. A.'s second pick overall, hit the big time. Smits, a 7'4" import from Holland by way of tiny Marist College, was the Northeast's (formerly the E. C. A. C. Metro) premiere player. Even with Smits, Marist could only tie Fairleigh Dickinson's 13--3 conference record. FDU got the tournament spot because Marist is on an N. C. A. A. probation that bans it from post-season play for two years.

There is no dominant player in the conference this season, but there are some evenly matched teams. Monmouth gets the nod for the conference title because of four returning starters and last year's conference Coach of the Year, Wayne Szoke. Fairleigh Dickinson will continue its "press and mess" running style, despite the graduation of forward Damari Riddick.

Ohio Valley

Not an Ohio Valley Conference fan? Maybe you ought to adjust your satellite dish or tune in ESPN late at night, because the O. V. C. has three teams that could surprise some big-name schools in post-season play.

Murray State, which gave national champ Kansas all it could handle in the N. C. A. A. second round (61--58), returns four players, including forward Jeff Martin, one of the best-kept secrets in the country. Martin, who averaged 26 p.p.g. last year, is the leading returning career scorer in the nation. The Racers also have one of the best under-six-foot players in the country in Don Mann (17.7 p.p.g.).

Middle Tennessee couldn't get by Murray State in the conference even with a 23--11 over-all record but did beat Tennessee (85--80) and Georgia (69--59) in the N. I. T. Four returning starters, including Chris Rainey (16.6 p.p.g.), plus junior college transfer Kevin Wallace, make the Blue Raiders a force to be reckoned with.

Last but not least of the O. V. C.'s big three is Tennessee Tech, which returns all five starters from last season. Forward Earl Wise (17.8 p.p.g.) is the second-best player (after Murray State's Martin) in the conference. Milos Babic, a seven-foot center from Yugoslavia, gives the Golden Eagles plenty of muscle in the middle.

Pac 10

Arizona sent a message loud and clear last season: "The West is back." The Wildcats beat Michigan and Syracuse early in the Great Alaska Shootout and then proved it was no fluke by finishing the season with a 35--3 record. Coach Lute Olson, who coaches as well as he dresses, called the shots, and Steve Kerr and Playboy All-America Sean Elliott made them all the way to the Final Four before the Oklahoma juggernaut derailed the Wildcats' dreams of a national title. The dream isn't dead, because Elliott is back. Says Olson, "We want to put the best four players on the floor with Elliott, regardless of position." Two wide-body freshmen, Sean Rooks and Mark Georgeson, each 6'11" and 245 pounds, give Arizona better size inside, and underpublicized Anthony Cook (13.9 p.p.g.) will continue to improve.

Arizona will not go unchallenged in the Pac 10. Stanford, which won 21 games last year, has four starters back, including Playboy All-America Todd Lichti. With Howard Wright (15.7 p.p.g.) at forward and Terry Taylor, a deadly three-point shooter, at guard, this could be Stanford's best team ever.

Oregon State will make coach Ralph Miller's final season an exciting one. Miller, who before his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame last April announced that the coming season would be his last, has 652 wins in 37 seasons. The Beavers, who won 20 games without a player over 6'6" in the starting line-up, have found some size in 6'10" freshman center Scott Haskin. Gary Payton, with 459 assists in two seasons, is the team leader and one of the best junior guards in the country.

Jim Harrick is the new coach at UCLA. Previously at Pepperdine, Harrick inherits two outstanding players in guard Jerome "Pooh" Richardson and forward Trevor Wilson. The Bruins' lack of success in recent years will give Harrick a chance to succeed. The winning tradition of the Wooden years has finally become history.

Arizona State, Oregon, Washington and Washington State are all a notch or two below the top contenders, but all have a chance to win more games than they lose.

Southeastern

It's the year of the departed stars in the S. E. C. Gone are Kentucky's Rex Chapman and Winston Bennett, LSU's Jose Vargas, Auburn's Chris Morris, Florida's Vernon Maxwell, Georgia's Willie Anderson and Vanderbilt's Will Perdue. In fact, the only team not to lose a key player from last season is Tennessee, and that may give the Volunteers enough of an edge to win the conference.

Tennessee's best player, and the best player in the S. E. C. this year, is Dyron Nix (22.2 p.p.g., nine r.p.g.). Coach Don DeVoe picked up flashy freshman Shaun Thompson, to go along with seven returning veterans.

Florida has the best true center in the conference in 7'2" Dwayne Schintzius. But the Gators will have to depend on freshman talent in the backcourt, and Schintzius has yet to prove he's a consistent gamer.

Always talent-deep, Kentucky was surprised by guard Rex Chapman's decision to go to the pros with two years of college eligibility remaining. Chapman's decision may have been influenced by the flap surrounding the infamous Emory Air Freight caper, in which $1000 allegedly found its way into a package sent to the father of a Kentucky recruit by a Kentucky assistant coach. An N. C. A. A. investigation is under way. The Wildcats also lost two outstanding freshman recruits, Shawn Kemp and Sean Woods, to Proposition 48. It will be a tough year in Lexington.

By season's end, Louisiana State coach Dale Brown will have convinced himself, his players and the LSU fans that the Tigers are again tournament material. It may be Brown's greatest sales job ever. The Tigers, already light on depth, lost five recruits to Proposition 48.

The Georgia Bulldogs have one of their deepest teams in years despite losing Willie Anderson, who was selected tenth in the N. B. A. draft. Alec Kessler, a 6' 10" center, will be Georgia's steadiest performer.

Vanderbilt is going to find that life without Will Perdue is a lot less fun than life with him. Auburn is looking to a couple of junior college players, Kelvin Ardister and Kirt Hankton, to fill some big holes created by the departure of Chris Morris and Jeff Moore.

Southern

Marshall and Tennessee-Chattanooga battled down to the wire last year, with Marshall coming out on top in the conference standings and UTC winning the conference tournament. Both got tournament bids and both made a first-round exit. With Marshall losing more talent to graduation than UTC, give the edge this season to Tennessee-Chattanooga.

UTC's best player is guard Benny Green (17.2 p.p.g.). Marshall will try to replace high-scoring Skip Henderson with junior college transfer Gerry Strickland. Virginia Military Institute will have opponents seeing double with its identical-twin back-court combination of Damon (16.3 p.p.g.) and Ramon (14.9 p.p.g.) Williams.

Southland

Unless you're from deep in the heart of Texas, you probably haven't heard much about the Southland Conference. Round-ball is something to pass the time until the next football season rolls around. But the conference sports some intense competition and a few outstanding athletes, and soon the Southland winner may go further than the N. C. A. A. tourney first round. North Texas, which lost conference Player of the Year Tony Worrell, will be hard-pressed to stay ahead of Northeast Louisiana and Sam Houston State. Northeast Louisiana has 6'3" swingman Anthony Jones, who finished third in ABC-TV's Slam Dunk of the Year contest and high-jumped seven feet in his first track meet. Sam Houston State has its own version of the round mound of rebound in Tracy Pearson, a 6'8", 290-pound behemoth.

Southwest

Texas may not have to wait long for the hiring of coach Tom Penders to pay off. The Longhorns, who wooed him away from Rhode Island, where he had a sparkling 48--17 two-year record, have good basketball players ready to be better in Penders' system.

Arkansas will provide Texas with its stiffest competition in the Southwest Conference, though Razorback forward Ron Huery's status is questionable because of off-court problems. If Huery can't play, coach Nolan Richardson will have to depend on 6'9" center Mario Credit to carry the scoring and rebounding load.

Southern Methodist, Texas A & M and Houston are all solid, except that there isn't a legitimate center among them.

Southwestern

Texas Southern won 21 games last season and, with four starters returning and the addition of a couple of outstanding junior college players, should improve on that victory total.

Grambling State and Alcorn State are on the upswing, while last year's conference champ, Southern, is busy rebuilding after losing four starters from last year's 24--7 squad.

Sun Belt

There is an abundance of returning talent in the Sun Belt this season, and six out of eight teams have legitimate conference-crown aspirations.

North Carolina--Charlotte has returning conference Player of the Year Byron Dinkins (21.5 p.p.g.), plus two outstanding freshman guards, Kenneth Wylie and Henry Williams.

Alabama-Birmingham will try to reestablish its traditionally strong inside game, which mysteriously took a vacation last season. Transfer Andy Kennedy from North Carolina State will provide outside scoring punch.

Virginia-Commonwealth has lost power players Phil Stinnie and John Thompson but has added seven-foot Georgia Tech transfer Antoine Ford. Guard Chris Cheeks (17.3 p.p.g.) also returns.

Coach Ronnie Arrow of South Alabama has recruited some size to complement his two excellent guards, Jeff Hodge (22.3 p.p.g.) and Junie Lewis (21.7 p.p.g.). If his big men have any success, South Alabama will move higher in the standings.

Old Dominion and Western Kentucky, our fifth and sixth picks in the conference, both have good talent and could easily finish higher in this very evenly matched group of six teams.

Trans America

Arkansas--Little Rock came perilously close to shutting down its entire athletic program last spring because of deficits totaling more than $800,000. The sale of more than 5000 basketball season tickets and a restructuring of the athletic budget salvaged UALR athletics and gives the Trojans a chance at the conference title. With flashy guard James Scott, the chance is a real one.

Georgia Southern, perennially underrated, has won at least 20 games in three of the past four seasons, and with Jeff Sanders, conference Player of the Year, returning, it may be underrated again.

Texas--San Antonio, last year's conference tournament champ, will miss Frank Hampton's 18 points a game. Coach Ken Burmeister will count on guard Eric Cooper, a deadly three-point shooter, to take up the slack.

Centenary, Stetson and Georgia State all return the bulk of their starters and any of them could make a run at the conference leaders.

West Coast

Loyola Marymount arrived as a big-time basketball power last season. Its fast-paced offense led the nation in scoring (110.3 p.p.g.) and it posted the longest Division I winning streak (25) of the season. Former L. A. Laker coach Paul Westhead, who took over the Loyola Marymount program four years ago, has proved once again that, with good coaching, there is enough basketball talent available to turn a school without name recognition into a national power. With two of their best players back in Hank Gathers (22.5 p.p.g.) and Bo Kimble (22.2 p.p.g.), the Lions will continue to put up big offensive numbers.

Pepperdine, nestled next to the beach in Malibu, seems an unlikely spot for basketball, yet the Waves continue to put strong teams on the floor. Forward Tom Lewis (22.9 p.p.g.) is Pepperdine's best player. St. Mary's and Santa Clara will be competitive, but no one will catch Loyola Marymount in this league.

Western Athletic

When New Mexico couldn't pry Bob Knight away from Indiana, it did the next best thing. It hired Dave Bliss, a former Knight assistant at Army and Indiana and most recently head coach at Southern Methodist. Bliss's first order of business was persuading sophomore center Luc Longley, a 7'2" potential superstar from Perth, Australia, to return to the Lobos' team. With Longley back, New Mexico should be good, since all starters return from last season except UNM all-time leading scorer Hunter Greene.

There are five other teams in the W. A. C. with a shot at the conference crown. Utah returns four starters, including Mitch Smith (14.6 p.p.g.). Two outstanding junior college players, Mark Lenoir and Michael Bullock, will also help. Texas--El Paso will come on strong in late season when seven-foot Greg Foster, a transfer from UCLA, becomes eligible. Brigham Young will go as far as Playboy All-America Michael Smith can take it and, as Danny Manning proved last year at Kansas, one great player can sometimes take a team a long way. Wyoming coach Benny Dees has to find replacements for Fennis Dembo and Eric Leckner. Junior college recruit Kenny Smith may be part of the answer. Colorado State will also be a contender, largely due to the scoring (19.3 p.p.g.) and rebounding (6.5 per game) of 6'8" senior Pat Durham. The Rams won 22 games and third place in last year's N.I.T. tournament.

Independents

The Independents weren't able to make much of a dent in either the N. C. A. A. tournament or the national standings last season. DePaul won 22 games but lacked a big man and couldn't get further than the tournament's second round. Notre Dame was 20--9 overall but only 4--8 against teams that qualified for the tournament. Miami struggled to break .500 and Marquette (10--18) would like to forget last season.

At Notre Dame this year, the color is green, not for Irish but for inexperience. Coach Digger Phelps has lost David Rivers and Gary Voce to graduation, Mark Stevenson to a transfer. But this Irish team, without one senior on the roster, may be one of Phelps's most interesting. Highly touted LaPhonso Ellis and Elmer Bennett, both freshmen, are the Notre Dame stars of the next few years.

DePaul coach Joey Meyer thought he'd have a shot at a top-ten ranking until point guard Rod Strickland, the best penetrator in college basketball last season, decided to take an early exit for the pros. Forwards Stanley Brundy and Terence Greene are left carrying the load.

Coach Bill Foster at Miami knows how Joey Meyer feels. Foster's Hurricanes also lost their most important player to an early exit to the N. B. A. Tito Horford, the 7'1" giant from the Dominican Republic, would have been better served by another year of experience in the college ranks.

According to Marquette coach Bob Dukiet, "What happened last year will never happen again." Maybe he's right. Marquette was beset by academic ineligibilities, transfers and injuries. The plus side to the Warriors' plight is that their young players got a lot of experience.

Akron won 21 games last season but was snubbed by the post-season tournament committees because of a soft schedule. Coach Bob Huggins has scheduled all Division I competition this year.

Other independents on the upswing: U. S. International; Oral Roberts, which is trying to recapture the magic it had under coach Ken Trickey a few years ago; Wright State; Chicago State; and Davidson, formerly in the Southern Conference and currently looking for a conference affiliation elsewhere.

Here's hoping your team wins.

"Georgetown's Alonzo Mourning may become the most dominant collegiate center since Patrick Ewing."

Playboy's Top 25

1. Arizona

2. Duke

3. Oklahoma

4. Louisville

5. Michigan

6. Georgetown

7. Illinois

8. Nevada--Las Vegas

9. Syracuse

10. North Carolina

11. Georgia Tech

12. Missouri

13. Villanova

14. Tennessee

15. Florida State

16. St. John's

17. Loyola-Marymount

18. Florida

19. Wichita State

20. Stanford

21. Clemson

22. Texas

23. North Carolina State

24. Notre Dame

25. DePaul

Long Shots

Arkansas--Little Rock, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Murray State, New Mexico, Ohio State, Oregon St., Temple, Tennessee-Chattanooga, UCLA, Utah.

For a complete conference-by-conference listing of the final standings, see page 240.

Special thanks to sheraton world Hotel and Boardwalk & Baseball, Orlando, Florida

The Playboy All-Americas

Mark Macon--Guard, 6'5", sophomore, Temple. Averaged 20.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game as freshman. Only the third freshman (the two others were Ralph Sampson and Patrick Ewing) to be nominated for the Wooden Award as the nation's top college player.

Todd Lichti--Guard, 6'4", senior, Stanford. Already Stanford's all-time scoring leader (1673 points) and needs 653 points to surpass Pac 10 record held by Lew Alcindor. Shot .547 from the floor, .879 from the free-throw line.

Sherman Douglas--Guard, 6', senior, Syracuse. Holds Syracuse single-season record for assists (289) and is sixth in steals (166). Averaged 16.1 points per game last season.

Charles Smith--Guard, 6'1", senior, Georgetown. Averaged 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds per game as Hoyas point guard.

Sean Elliott--Forward, 6'8", senior, Arizona. Pac 10 Player of the Year last season. Averaged 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds. Has 1820 career points. Third in Wooden voting last year after Danny Manning and Hersey Hawkins.

Glen Rice--Forward, 6'7", senior, Michigan. Big Ten scoring leader last season. Averaged 22.1 points, 7.2 rebounds per game.

Michael Smith--Forward, 6'10", senior, Brigham Young. Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year. Averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists per game. Two-time G. T. E. Academic All-America.

Tom Hammonds--Forward, 6'9", senior, Georgia Tech. First team All--Atlantic Coast Conference. Averaged 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds per game.

Stacey King--Center, 6'10", senior, Oklahoma. First player in Big Eight history to block more than 100 shots in one season. Averaged 22.3 points, 8.5 rebounds per game.

Danny Ferry--Center, 6'10", senior, Duke. Atlantic Coast Conference scoring leader last year. Averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 rebounds per game.

John Chaney--Playboy's Coach of the Year, Temple. Coached Temple Owls to Atlantic Ten regular-season and tournament championships, to a 32--2 record and to the Final Eight in last year's N. C. A. A. tournament. Ranks second in winning percentage among active coaches (79.6). Has six-year record at Temple of 154--38. Chaney is a passionate and eloquent advocate for rights of minorities in college athletics.

Rest of The Best

Guards: B. J. Armstrong, 6'2" (Iowa); Kato Armstrong, 5'11" (Southern Methodist); Dana Barros, 5'11" (Boston College); Daron "Mookie" Blaylock, 6' (Oklahoma); Jay Burson, 6' (Ohio State); Vernell "Bimbo" Coles, 6'1" (Virginia Tech); Sean Gay, 6'3" (Texas Tech); George McCloud, 6'6" (Florida State); Ken "Mouse" McFadden, 6'1" (Cleveland State); Gary Payton, 6'3" (Oregon State); Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, 6'1" (UCLA); Rumeal Robinson, 6'2" (Michigan); LaBradford Smith, 6'3" (Louisville); Doug West, 6'6" (Villanova).

Forwards: Kenny Battle, 6'6" (Illinois); Ricky Blanton, 6'7" (Louisiana State); Chucky Brown, 6'8" (North Carolina State); Derrick Coleman, 6'9" (Syracuse); Anthony Cook, 6'8" (Arizona); Hank Gathers, 6'7" (Loyola-Marymount); Gerald Hayward, 6'6" (Loyola-Chicago); Tom Lewis, 6'7" (Pepperdine); Jeff Martin, 6'6" (Murray State); Terry Mills, 6'10" (Michigan); Dyron Nix, 6'7" (Tennessee); J. R. Reid, 6'9" (North Carolina); Kenny Sanders, 6'5" (George Mason); Dennis Scott, 6'8" (Georgia Tech); Lionel Simmons, 6'6" (LaSalle); Mitch Smith, 6'8" (Utah); John Tate, 6'7" (Arkansas State); Charlie Thomas, 6'7" (New Mexico); Randy White, 6'9" (Louisiana Tech).

Centers: Joe Calavita, 6'11" (Vermont); Elden Campbell, 6'10" (Clemson); Pervis Ellison, 6'9" (Louisville); Melvin McCants, 6'9" (Purdue); Alonzo Mourning, 6'10" (Georgetown); Sasha Radunovich, 6'10" (Wichita State); Dwayne Schintzius, 7'2" (Florida); Doug Smith, 6'10" (Missouri).

Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete

The Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award recognizes achievement both in the classroom and on the basketball court. Nominated by their universities, the candidates are judged by the editors of Playboy on their collegiate scholastic and athletic accomplishments. The award winner attends Playboy's pre-season All-America Weekend, this year held at the Sheraton World Resort in Orlando, Florida, receives a bronzed commemorative medallion and is included in the team photograph published in the magazine. In addition, Playboy awards $5000 to the general scholarship fund of the winner's university.

This year's Anson Mount Scholar/Athlete Award in basketball goes to Derek Wilson of Coastal Carolina College. Wilson is a 6'6" forward and last year averaged 14.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was chosen Big South Player of the Year last season. Derek, a senior this year, is an accounting major with a 3.45 grade-point average last year. He has received Coastal Carolina's Minority Leadership Award and has been nominated to Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society.

Honorable mentions: Alec Kessler (Georgia), Steve Rothert (Army), Willie Haynes (St. Peter's), Rick Hall (Ball State), Michael Smith (Brigham Young), Mark Griffin (Tennessee), Scott Haffner (Evansville), Terry Taylor (Stanford), Dan Conway (Utah State), Jim Rhode (Idaho State), Kevin Presto (Miami), Barry Goheen (Vanderbilt), Robyn Davis (Wyoming), Joe Calavita (Vermont), Jeff McCool (New Mexico State), Wes Lowe (Texas Tech), Matt Roe (Syracuse), Ed Fogell (Penn State), Carl Nichols (Mississippi State), Mike Vreeswyk (Temple), Mike Butts (Bucknell), Joe Gottschalk (Navy), Michael Rios (Niagara), Bobby Reasbeck (Marist), Mark Dobbins (Kansas State).

Projected 1989 Men's Basket

American South

*1. Louisiana Tech

2. Arkansas State

3. Southwestern Louisiana

4. Lamar

5. Pan American

6. New Orleans

Standouts: Randy White, Byron Newton (Louisiana Tech); John Tate (Arkansas State); Kevin Brooks, Sydney Grider (Southwestern Louisiana); Freddie Williams, Anthony Bledsoe (Lamar); Lee Boddie, Melvin Thomas (Pan American); Willie Richardson (New Orleans).

Atlantic Coast

*1. Duke

*2. North Carolina State

*3. Georgia Tech

*4. Clemson

*5. North Carolina State

6. Maryland

7. Virginia

8. Wake Forest

Standouts: Danny Ferry, Robert Brickey, Quin Snyder (Duke); J. R. Reid, Jeff Lebo (North Carolina); Tom Hammonds, Dennis Scott (Georgia Tech); Elden Campbell (Clemson); Chucky Brown, Chris Corchiani (North Carolina State); Richard Morgan, John Crotty (Virginia); Sam Ivy (Wake Forest).

Atlantic Ten

*1. Temple

2. West Virginia

3. Rhode Island

4. St. Joseph's

5. Penn State

6. Duquesne

7. St. Bonaventure

8. George Washington

9. Rutgers

10. Massachusetts

Standouts: Mark Macon, Mike Vreeswyk (Temple); Darryl Prue, Chris Brooks (West Virginia); Kenny Green, John Evans (Rhode Island); Henry Smith. James Owens (St. Joseph's); Tom Hovasse. Ed Fogell (Penn State); Clayton Adams, Collins Dobbs (Duquesne); Rocky Llewellyn (St. Bonaventure); Ellis McKennie, Glen Sitney (George Washington); Tom Savage, Anthony Duckett (Rutgers); David Brown (Massachusetts).

Big East

*1. Georgetown

*2. Syracuse

*3. Villanova

*4. St. John's

*5. Connecticut

6. Pittsburgh

7. Seton Hall

8. Boston College

9. Providence

Standouts: Charles Smith, Mark Tillmon, Alonzo Mourning, John Turner (Georgetown); Sherman Douglas, Derrick Coleman, Billy Owens (Syracuse); Doug West, Kenny Wilson, Tom Greis (Villanova); Greg "Boo" Harvey, Matt Brust, Jayson Williams (St. John's); Cliff Robinson, Phil Gamble (Connecticut); Sean Miller, Rod Brookin, Brian Shorter (Pittsburgh); John Morton, Ramon Ramos (Seton Hall); Dana Barros, Steve Benton (Boston College); Marty Conlon, Eric Murdock (Providence).

Big Eight

*1. Oklahoma

*2. Missouri

*3. Oklahoma State

*4. Iowa State

5. Kansas State

6. Kansas

7. Nebraska

8. Colorado

Standouts: Stacey King, Daron "Mookie" Blaylock, Andre Wiley (Oklahoma); Doug Smith, Byron Irvin (Missouri); Richard Dumas (Oklahoma State); Elmer Robinson (Iowa State); Steve Henson (Kansas State); Pete Manning (Nebraska); Brian Robinson (Colorado).

Big Sky

*1. Idaho

2. Boise State

3. Montana

4. Weber State

5. Nevada-Reno

6. Idaho State

7. Montana State

8. Northern Arizona

9. Eastern Washington

Standouts: Raymond Brown, James Fitch (Idaho); Chris Childs, Wilson Foster (Boise State); Wayne Tinkle (Montana); Rico Washington, Timmy Gibbs (Weber State); Darryl Owens (Nevada-Reno); Jim Rhode (Idaho State): Mike Fellows (Montana State); Scott Williams (Northern Arizona).

Big South

*1. Winthrop

2. Campbell

3. Radford

4. Baptist

5. North Carolina--Asheville

6. Augusta

7. Coastal Carolina

Standouts: Greg Washington, Shaun Wise (Winthrop); Henry Wilson, Brad Childress (Campbell); Aswan Wainwright, Ron Shelburne (Radford); Heder Ambroise (Baptist); Milton Moore. Brandt Williams (North Carolina-Asheville); Tim Daniels, Vincent Jackson (Augusta); Derek Wilson (Coastal Carolina).

Big Ten

*1. Michigan

*2. Illinois

*3. Ohio State

*4. Iowa

*5. Indiana

*6. Purdue

7. Wisconsin

8. Michigan State

9. Northwestern

10. Minnesota

Standouts: Glen Rice, Rumeal Robinson, Terry Mills (Michigan); Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson, Lowell Hamilton, Kendall Gill (Illinois); Jay Burson, Perry Carter (Ohio State); Roy Marble, B. J. Armstrong, Ed Horton (Iowa): Jay Edwards (Indiana); Melvin McCants, Steve Scheffler (Purdue); Trent Jackson. Danny Jones (Wisconsin); Ken Redfield, Steve Smith (Michigan State); Walker Lambiotte. Brian Schwabe (Northwestern); Richard Coffey, Willie Burton (Minnesota).

Big West

*1. Nevada--Las Vegas

2. Utah State

3. California--Santa Barbara

4. New Mexico State

5. Fresno State

6. San Jose State

7. California-Irvine

8. Long Beach State

9. Cal State--Fullerton

10. University Of The Pacific

Standouts: Stacey Augmon, Greg Anthony, David Butler (Nevada--Las Vegas); Dan Conway, Reid Newey (Utah State); Carrick DeHart (California--Santa Barbara); Willie Joseph (New Mexico State); Jervis Cole (Fresno State); Dietrich Waters (San Jose State); Kevin Floyd (California-Irvine); Andre Purry (Long Beach State); Domingo Rosario (University of the Pacific).

Colonial

*1. George Mason

2. North Carolina--Wilmington

3. Navy

4. Richmond

5. American

6. James Madison

7. East Carolina

8. William & Mary

Standouts: Kenny Sanders, Steve Smith (George Mason); Larry Houzer, Greg Bender (North Carolina-Wilmington); Byron Hopkins (Navy); Ken Atkinson (Richmond): Mike Sumner (American); Claude Ferdinand (James Madison); Blue Edwards (East Carolina).

East Coast

*1. Lafayette

2. Bucknell

3. Drexel

4. Towson State

5. Delaware

6. Hofstra

7. Lehigh

8. Rider

Standouts: Otis Ellis (Lafayette); Mike Butts (Bucknell); John Rankin (Drexel); Kelly Williamson (Towson State); Elsworth Bowers (Delaware); Frank Walker (Hofstra); Scott Layer (Lehigh); Jim Cleveland (Rider).

E. C. A. C. North Atlantic

*1. Siena

2. Boston University

3. Northeastern

4. Niagara

5. Maine

6. Hartford

7. Canisius

8. Vermont

9. Colgate

10. New Hampshire

Standouts: Marc Brown, Rick Williams (Siena); Jeff Timberlake, Russell Jarvis (Boston University); Derrick Lewis, Barry Abercrombie (Northeastern); Eldridge Moore. Mark Henry (Niagara); Reggie Banks (Maine); Keith Jones (Hartford); Marvin Bailey (Canisius); Joe Calavita (Vermont); David Crittenden (Colgate); Derek Counts (New Hampshire).

Ivy League

*1. Dartmouth

2. Pennsylvania

3. Princeton

4. Harvard

5. Columbia

6. Cornell

7. Brown

8. Yale

Standouts: Jim Barton (Dartmouth); Walt Frazier (Pennsylvania); Bob Scrabis, Kit Mueller (Princeton); Neil Phillips, Ralph James (Harvard); Matt Shannon (Columbia); Josh Wexler (Cornell); Marcus Thompson (Brown); Dean Campbell (Yale).

Metro

*1. Louisville

*2. Florida State

3. Memphis State

4. South Carolina

5. Virginia Tech

6. Southern Mississippi

7. Cincinnati

Standouts: Pervis Ellison, Labradford Smith. Tony Kimbro, Felton Spencer (Louisville): George McCloud, Tony Dawson (Florida State); Elliot Perry (Memphis State); John Hudson, Terry Dozier (South Carolina); Vernell "Bimbo" Coles, Wally Lancaster (Virginia Tech); Randy Pettus (Southern Mississippi)

Metro Atlantic

*1. La Salle

2. St. Peter's

3. Holy Cross

4. Fordham

5. Fairfield

6. Iona

7. Army

8. Manhattan

Standouts: Lionel Simmons (La Salle); Willie Haynes, Sean Moseby (St. Peter's); Glenn Tropf, Glenn Williams (Holy Cross); Joe Paterno, Dan O'Sullivan (Fordham); Troy Bradford, Tom Squeri (Fairfield); Nestor Payne, Sean Green (Lona); Derrick Canada, Ron Wilson (Army).

Mid-American

*1. Ohio University

2. Western Michigan

3. Ball State

4. Eastern Michigan

5. Miami University

6. Bowling Green

7. Central Michigan

8. Toledo

9. Kent State

Standouts: Paul "Snoopy" Graham (Ohio University); Mark Brown (Western Michigan); Curtis Kidd (Ball State); Howard Chambers (Eastern Michigan); Jim Paul (Miami University); Lamon Pippin (Bowling Green); Carter Briggs (Central Michigan); Fred King (Toledo); Reggie Adams (Kent State).

Mid-Continent

*1. Southwest Missouri State

2. Cleveland State

3. Illinois-Chicago

4. Eastern Illinois

5. Wisconsin-Green Bay

6. Northern Iowa

7. Western Illinois

8. Valparaiso

Standouts: Kelby Stuckey, Lee Campbell. Hubert Henderson (Southwest Missouri State); Ken "Mouse" McFadden, William Stanley (Cleveland State); Derrick Johnson, Darren Guest (Illinois-Chicago): James Parker, Jason Reese (Northern Iowa); Bob Smith (Western Illinois); Jim Ford (Valparaiso).

Ball Conference Standings

Mideastern

*1. Florida A & M

2. North Carolina A & T

3. South Carolina State

4. Morgan State

5. Howard

6. Coppin State

7. Delaware State

8. Bethune-Cookman

9. Maryland--Eastern Shore

Standouts: Leonard King (Florida A & M); Carlton Becton (North Carolina A & T); Rodney Mack (South Carolina State); Damone Williams (Morgan State); Phil Booth (Coppin State); Paul Newman (Delaware State).

Midwestern

*1. St. Louis

2. Xavier

3. Loyola-Chicago

4. Dayton

5. Evansville

6. Butler

7. Detroit

Standouts: Tony Manuel, Anthony Bonner (St. Louis); Stan Kimbrough, Derek Strong (Xavier); Gerald Hayward (Loyola-Chicago); Anthony Corbitt (Dayton); Scott Haffner (Evansville); Darren Fowlkes (Butler); Darian McKinney (Detroit).

Missouri Valley

*1. Wichita State

2. Indiana State

3. Creighton

4. Southern Illinois

5. Bradley

6. Illinois State

7. Drake

8. Tulsa

Standouts: Sasha Radunovich, Joe Griffin (Wichita State); Eddie Bird (Indiana State); James Farr (Creighton); Kai Nurnberger (Southern Illinois); Anthony Manuel (Bradley); Jarrod Coleman (Illinois State): Bart Friedrick (Drake); Ray Wingard (Tulsa).

Northeast

*1. Monmouth

2. Fairleigh Dickinson

3. Robert Morris

4. Long Island

5. Marist

6. Loyola-Maryland

7. St. Francis--Pennsylvania

8. Wagner

9. St. Francis--New York

Standouts: Fernando Sanders, Harrie Garris (Monmouth); Charlie Roberts (Fairleigh Dickinson); Vaughn Luton (Robert Morris); Freddie Burton (Long Island); Miroslav Pecarski (Marist); Michael Morrison (Loyola-Maryland); Joe Anderson (St. Francis-Pennsylvania).

Ohio Valley

*1. Murray State

*2. Middle Tennessee

3. Tennessee Tech

4. Austin Peay

5. Eastern Kentucky

6. Morehead State

7. Tennessee State

Standouts: Jeff Martin, Don Mann (Murray State); Chris Rainey, Randy Henry (Middle Tennessee); Earl Wise, Anthony Avery (Tennessee Tech); Darrin O'Bryant (Eastern Kentucky); Darrin Hale (Morehead State).

Pacific Ten

*1. Arizona

*2. Stanford

*3. Oregon State

*4. Ucla

5. Arizona State

6. Oregon

7. Washington State

8. Washington

9. California

10. Southern California

Standouts: Sean Elliott, Anthony Cook (Arizona); Todd Lichti, Howard Wright (Stanford); Gary Payton, Will Brantley (Oregon State); Jerome "Pooh" Richardson, Trevor Wilson (Ucla); Tarence Wheeler, Mark Becker (Arizona State); Randy Grant, Márzel Price (Oregon); Brian Quinnett, Brian Wright (Washington State); Eldridge Recasner, Mike Hayward (Washington); Leonard Taylor, Keith Smith (California); Chris Moore, Ronnie Coleman (Southern California).

Southeastern

*1. Tennessee

*2. Florida

*3. Kentucky

*4. Louisiana State

*5. Georgia

6. Vanderbilt

7. Auburn

8. Alabama

9. Mississippi State

10. Mississippi

Standouts: Dyron Nix, Greg Bell (Tennessee); Dwayne Schintzius, Livingston Chatman (Florida); Eric Manuel, LeRon Ellis (Kentucky); Ricky Blanton, Wayne Sims (Louisiana State); Alec Kessler, Pat Hamilton (Georgia); Barry Goheen, Barry Booker (Vanderbilt); John Caylor, Derrick Dennison (Auburn); Michael Ansley (Alabama); Reginald Boykin, Greg Lockhart (Mississippi State); Gerald Glass, Tim Jumper (Mississippi).

Southern

*1. Tennessee-Chattanooga

2. Marshall

3. East Tennessee State

4. Virginia Military

5. Furman

6. Appalachian State

7. The Citadel

8. Western Carolina

Standouts: Benny Green. Daren Chandler (Tennessee-Chattanooga); John Taft. Andy Paul Williamson (Marshall); Damon Williams, Ramon Williams (Virginia Military); David Brown (Furman); Leon Bryant (The Citadel); Bennie Goettie (Western Carolina).

Southland

*1. North Texas State

2. Northeast Louisiana

3. Sam Houston State

4. Texas-Arlington

5. Mc Neese State

6. Northwestern State--Louisiana

7. Southwest Texas State

8. Stephen E Austin State

Standouts: Ronnie Morgan, Deon Hunter (North Texas State); Anthony Jones (Northeast Louisiana); Tracy Pearson (Sam Houston State); Willie Brand (Texas-Arlington); Anthony Pullard (McNeese State); Terrence Rayford (Northwestern State-Louisiana); Torgeir Bryn (Southwest Texas State); Scott Dimak (Stephen F Austin State).

Southwest

*1. Texas

*2. Arkansas

*3. Texas A & M

*4. Southern Methodist

5. Houston

6. Texas Tech

7. Texas Christian

8. Baylor

9. Rice

Standouts: Travis Mays, Alvin Heggs (Texas); Ron Huery, Mario Credit (Arkansas); Donald Thompson (Texas A & M); Kato Armstrong, Todd Alexander (Southern Methodist); Richard Hollis, Derrick Daniels (Houston); Sean Gay, J. D. Sanders (Texas Tech); John Lewis (Texas Christian); Michael Hobbs (Baylor); David Willie (Rice).

Southwestern

*1. Texas Southern

2. Grambling State

3. Alcorn State

4. Southern

5. Alabama State

6. Jackson State

7. Mississippi Valley State

8. Prairie View

Standouts: Fred West (Texas Southern); Joseph Miller (Grambling State); Roosevelt Tate (Alcorn State); Daryl Battles (Southern); Demetrius Abram (Jackson State); Tim Pollard (Mississippi Valley State); Michael Ervin (Prairie View).

Sun Belt

*1. North Carolina--Charlotte

2. Alabama-Birmingham

3. Virginia Commonwealth

4. South Alabama

5. Old Dominion

6. Western Kentucky

7. Jacksonville

8. South Florida

Standouts: Byron Dinkins, Frank Persley (North Carolina--Charlotte); Reginald Turner, Larry Rembert (Alabama-Birmingham); Chris Cheeks, Antoine Ford (Virginia Commonwealth); Jeft Hodge, Junie Lewis (South Alabama); Anthony Carver (Old Dominion); Brett McNeal (Western Kentucky); Sean Byrd (Jacksonville); André Crenshaw (South Florida).

Trans America

*1. Arkansas--Little Rock

2. Georgia Southern

3. Texas--San Antonio

4. Centenary

5. Stetson

6. Georgia State

7. Mercer

8. Hardin-Simmons

9. Houston Baptist

10. Samford

Standouts: James Scott, Johnnie Bell (Arkansas--Little Rock); Jeff Sanders (Georgia Southern); Eric Cooper (Texas--San Antonio); Byron Steward (Centenary); Randy Anderson (Stetson); James Andrews, Chris Collier (Georgia State); Reggie Titus (Mercer); Sedrick Evans (Hardin-Simmons); George Christopher (Houston Baptist); Arnold Hamilton (Samford).

West Coast

*1. Loyola-Marymount

2. Pepperdine

3. St. Mary's

4. Santa Clara

5. Gonzaga

6. San Francisco

7. Portland

8. San Diego

Standouts: Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble (Loyola-Mary-Mount); Tom Lewis, Craig Davis (Pepperdine); Robert Haugen, Terry Burns (St. Mary's); Doug Spradley. Jim McPhee (Gonzaga); Mark McCathrion (San Francisco).

Western Athletic

*1. New Mexico

*2. Utah

*3. Texas-El Paso

4. Brigham Young

5. Wyoming

6. Colorado State

7. San Diego State

8. Air Force

9. Hawall

Standouts: Charlie Thomas, Rob Loeffel (New Mexico); Mitch Smith. Watkins "Boo" Singletary (Utah); Tim Hardaway, Antonio Davis (Texas-El Paso): Michael Smith, Marty Haws (Brigham Young); Robyn Davis, Derek Turner, Kenny Smith (Wyoming); Pat Durham (Colorado State); Mitch McMullen (San Diego State); Raymond Dudley (Air Force); Chris Gaines (Hawaii).

Independents

*1. Notre Dame

*2. Depaul

3. Miami

4. Marquette

5. Akron

6. Maryland--Baltimore County

7. Missouri--Kansas City

8. U.S. International

9. Oral Roberts

10. Davidson

11. Chicago State

12. Central Florida

13. Wright State

14. Central Connecticut

15. Nicholls State

16. Northern Illinois

17. Youngstown State

18. Brooklyn

19. Southeastern Louisiana

Standouts: Keith Robinson (Notre Dame); Stanley Brundy, Terence Greene (DePaul); Eric Brown, Dennis Burns (Miami); Tony Smith (Marquette); Eric McLaughlin (Akron); Kenny Reynolds (Maryland--Baltimore County): Mark Oliver (Missouri--Kansas City); Steve Smith (U.S. International); Haywoode Workman (Oral Roberts): Laurent Crawford (Chicago State); Ben Morton (Central Florida); Rondey Robinson (Wright State); Bryan Heron (Central Connecticut); Donnell Thomas (Northern Illinois); Tim Jackson (Youngstown State); Stafford Riley (Southeastern Louisiana).

*Our predictions to make the N.C.A.A. post-season tournament.