The 2012 NBA Finals ended way too early, and now attention throughout the association is directed toward the Draft.  In Part 2 of our NBA Draft Preview we look at the players most likely to become All-Stars, as well as the later picks to keep an eye on.

Jerry Stackhouse Group (Potential All-Stars)

Harrison Barnes – The UNC swingman had a rough finish to his career as a Tar Heel, but he has rebounded nicely in pre-Draft workouts and the Scouting Combine.  Testing as one of the best athletes in the Draft, Barnes’ stock has risen, and there is no denying his shooting touch and ability to score.  His game could mature into something resembling Danny Granger circa 2009, which would be a great addition to any team in the early lottery.

Andre Drummond – The biggest boom-or-bust prospect in the Draft, we believe Drummond will succeed given he’s selected by the right team that has strong veteran presence.  He’s a very athletic 4 who has all the skill needed to play at a high level in the NBA.  The glaring questions, however, are his motor and desire to play.  This has been seen many times before, and Drummond can choose to follow the path of Eddy Curry (not good) or Shawn Kemp (good).

Jared Sullinger – Sullinger was a beast at OSU, and that will translate into the pro-game.  He has all the skill a team looks for in a power forward, including a capable mid-range jumper.  What he lacks in athleticism he makes up for in ability to score in multiple ways.  He is comparable to Kevin Love, another 4 who’s athletic ability was believed to hurt his game in the NBA.  The real concern with Sullinger is his back, which has recently begun to scare NBA teams.  As long as he remains healthy, look for Sullinger to play in future All-Star games.

Dion Waiters – One of the best sixth men in college basketball at Syracuse, Waiters’ game translates well into the NBA.  He’s relentless going to the rim and can finish in traffic.  He’s drawn comparisons to Dwyane Wade throughout his career at Syracuse and has the ability to be a combo guard in the mold of a Tyreke Evans at the pro level.  His shot could use some work, but a tough, physical 2-guard is something that will help any team in the lottery.

Monta Ellis Group (Sleepers)

Tony Wroten Jr. – The Washington PG had his ups and downs his freshman year, but his talent has been evident from day one.  At 6’5″, he has great size to run the point, and his athletic ability is freakish.  His court vision is good and he’s a very capable passer.  One of the flashier players in the Draft, his decision making is suspect at times and his shot needs to improve.  The ability is there, however, and he can be a cross of Russell Westbrook and Jason Williams if he develops.

Doron Lamb – Kentucky’s leading scorer in their National Championship victory, Lamb can shoot the lights out.  He has one of the purest strokes in the Draft with seemingly unlimited range.  He’s a smooth player who has the ability to score in the NBA.  He can flourish as a bench player and we see him as a solid sixth man down the road – similar to what Jason Terry has done throughout his career.

Andrew Nicholson – A stretch 4 who was overlooked because he played at St. Bonaventure in Olean, NY, Nicholson received great national exposure in the Bonnies’ run throughout the A-10 and NCAA Tournaments.  Nicholson is a player who can be good at everything and he reminds some of Davis West.  Whichever team selects him will be drafting a player who can contribute from day one and make the team better.

Hollis Thompson – Arguably the best long-range shooter in the draft, Thompson will find a spot on an NBA roster.  At 6’8″, he can get his shot off against most defenders.  He has the ability to drive to the basket and rebound as well, grabbing over 5 boards per game his Junior year at Georgetown.  He reminds us of Jeff Green, and if he develops into what Uncle Jeff was during Green’s first couple seasons with the Thunder then Thompson will be one of the better steals in the Draft.

There’s no doubt that during March Madness and after the end of the National Championship game that there were hundreds of articles posted about the final teams, games, and the national championship winners. Undoubtedly most people have heard about the students have announced after their school finished in the March Madness competition that they will be forgoing the rest of their schooling to go into the NBA draft. While there aren’t more students this year leaving school to go to the draft there still are a lot of them. We all knew that schools like Kentucky and UNC would have students leaving for the draft because they do almost every year. The surprising student that announced that he was leaving for the draft after only two years in school was Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.

Many students and fans of Ohio State knew that it was a possibility that Sullinger would be leaving after this season at Ohio State but not many truly thought that he would go through with it. Many fans that I spoke to after his announcement last week said that they thought he would continue for at least one more year due to the fact that he wasn’t able to play that much this year. In my opinion though, that’s a big factor as to why he is leaving. He wasn’t able to play as much as he usually would because he had some minor injuries, none of which would prevent him from leaving school to go to the draft but ones that could scare him into thinking that if something worse were to happen his chance at playing in the NBA could be over before it even started.

There was tremendous uproar over the loss that Ohio State suffered to Kansas during the Final Four games. Many fans and students said that they didn’t think Ohio State played as well as they could have but what they don’t realize is how different it is to play in a stadium that is so different than anything a team has played in before. Granted Ohio State was doing really well during the first half and many people, including myself, thought that they would win the game, not lose by two points, Ohio State still played one heck of a game.

Jared Sullinger and his fellow Buckeye’s made it far in the March Madness competition two years in a row, but neither year did they make it to the championship. There’s still a chance that they could next year or any year after that, but from Sullinger’s standpoint, now is the right time to go into the draft and give a shot to the NBA. I know that the team won’t be the same next year without Sullinger but that doesn’t mean they won’t still do well. The team will still have two key players, Aaron Craft and DeShaun Thomas. The Buckeye’s will have a lot of change going on next season without Sullinger being on the team, but now is the time for fans to wonder what is coming next for the team.

I have been watching basketball my entire life, and over the last ten years the college game has changed significantly – not in the way the game is played, but in how programs are structured. If you look at the top programs in the nation today, many of them are built around the notorious “one-and-done” player. Schools like Ohio State, Kentucky, and Texas are all basketball powerhouses, and they consistently win with the top talent college basketball has to offer. Every year, we see multiple five-star recruits go to these schools, and inevitably the question comes up:

How is there enough playing time to go around for all of these players?

Coaches such as John Calipari recruits and hands out scholarships as if his roster is depleted and in need of players every season. He gets two or three of the best high school players in the country and then turns around and does it again the next year. Obviously, everybody expects those players to bolt for the NBA after one season on campus. Most of the top draft picks over the last decade have been “one-and-dones” like Derrick Rose, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Camelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Greg Oden.Yet, this summer we have begun to see a change of heart for many of these top prospects.

And for college basketball fans, we couldn’t be happier.

When I heard that both Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger were returning to school for their sophomore seasons I was both shocked and impressed. Both would have been top-10 picks in June’s NBA draft, but they chose to return to school along with teammates who could have turned pro, as well. These were arguably the two top high school recruits from the class of 2010, and now they are going to be in college for a second year – something incredibly rare these days. But I think it is great for college basketball and the excitement that they will bring to the game in the fall.

Looking back at this past year’s NCAA tournament, excitement was a great word to describe each day. For the second year in a row, mid-major teams made noise every round, and Butler returned to the championship game. There was not much star power in the tournament, and the lesser known teams held their own. That is the essence of college basketball.

Next year, I expect more of the same. North Carolina will be the favorite, with three players returning that all could have left for the NBA. But there will continue to be Cinderella stories that push those stars to the limit and, in some cases, end their seasons prematurely. If all of these stars had bolted for the League, the upsets would not be really that surprising. I wasn’t surprised at all when Morehead State beat Louisville in the first round of the tournament because Morehead State, the definition of a mid-major, was a senior-laden team with experience and poise. On the other hand, the Cardinals were mostly underclassmen that were raw and undisciplined. Next year, those big-time programs are going to have more talent and the mid-majors will be seemingly over-matched. But we all know that there will still be upsets, and any one of those powerhouses could fall at any time. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.

The star power that returns next year is something that will bring an immense amount of excitement back to the college game and hopefully more fans, as well. As one who loves basketball, I think it’s great that these players are coming back, and I believe that if this trend continues, the college game will be back on top of the sports world.

Any Izzo-led team need be considered for title contention, but especially when he returns the majority of his Final Four roster.

By: Brian Mosgaller

With Ben Brust signing up to don the cardinal-and-white for Bo Ryan on Friday, ending his quasi-controversial recruiting situation, Wisconsin men’s basketball finally completed its four-player recruiting class for the upcoming season.

Therefore, let’s commence the premature prediction making.

To a homer, and true believer in the genius of Señor Ryan, the addition of Brust seems like the final piece necessary for the Badgers to make another legitimate run at a league title – something the team has done three times under Ryan’s reign (2002, 2003, 2008).

But without question, the competition will be stiff, and a repeat of last year’s top-heavy finish (when there was a three-way tie for first between Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State, one team one game back – Wisconsin – and one more – Illinois – with more than 10 wins) is quite reasonable, if not more than likely.

So, without further ado, here is where I envision the Big Ten chips falling next year, considering Brust’s addition and the fact that all the major Big Ten underclassmen who had flirted with the NBA draft (Purdue’s E’Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, Illinois’ Demetri McCamey and Mike Davis, and Penn State’s Talor Battle) are coming back to school.

1.) Michigan State Spartans

The popular pick in this spot is and will continue to be Purdue, and I understand that. To be fair, they’re both really good teams and the conference race will almost definitely involve both teams until the final game or two. Yet, the reason I give the Spartans the edge is quite simple. Tom Izzo.

When the cupboard is relatively bare and the deck is stacked against this natural born Yooper, he still manages to will his team to top three Big Ten finishes and top six NCAA seeds. But when Izzo returns a Final Four team that will lose only Raymar Morgan, watch out.

Coming off a Big Ten Player of the Year campaign in 2008-09, Kalin Lucas coasted at times last year prior to rupturing his Achilles in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Next year, Lucas should return with a renewed sense of purpose and mission, reestablishing himself as one of the league’s premier guards.

Moreover, Lucas’s absence (not only due to the Achilles’ injury, but also to a sprained ankle) allowed Milwaukee native Korie Lucious to really grow and start to discover his identity as a point guard. On top of that, Durrell Summers figured out his scoring potential as the season neared its end, averaging 19 points a game in the tourney, and Draymond Green, the 20010 Sixth Man of the Year, anchors the post as one of the more talented post presences in the conference.

It goes without saying that MSU teams will rebound, play hard-nosed “D,” and offer maximum effort. Combining all of that with top-tier talent and enviable experience and the Spartans should raise a lucky 13th banner to the Breslin Center rafters.

2.) Purdue Boilermakers

This is definitely a case where that “2” should instead read “1b.” Recall that before team-leader Robbie Hummel went down with a tragic knee injury, this team was ranked No. 3 in the country and boasted a 24-3 overall mark. Impressively, the Boilermakers managed to finish the year 29-6, including an unexpected visit to the Sweet 16.

So, we know they were good.

But they take this spot not because of what they showed last year, but because of today’s news that both E’Twaun Moore – the team’s leading scorer (16.4 per game) and assist leader (2.7 an outing) – and JaJuan Johnson – who finished with marks of 15.5 points per game, a team-best 7.1 rebounds and a league-best 2.0 blocks – would return for their senior year after entering their names into the NBA Draft process.

Everybody wins. Moore and Johnson are both too raw to make an impact at the next level, and with them, Purdue is as formidable as any team in the land because, of course, they will join a healthy (or as healthy as he gets) Hummel, and returning point guard Lewis Jackson.

And the value of those returning contributors outweighs the loss of everyone’s most recent favorite-to-hate Boilermaker Chris Kramer (worse than Brian Cardinal, in my opinion) and mainstay guard Keaton Grant.

Barring another devastating injury, there’s no reason Matt Painter’s squad shouldn’t be in a position similar to the one they were in before Hummel went down.

3.) Wisconsin Badgers

Now I know this pick could incite claims of partiality, but I couldn’t care less. Heading into last season, when the question of post-production had no clear answer, pundits, experts, writers and bloggers all picked the Badgers to finish in the bottom half of the conference.

As usual, Bo Ryan proved everyone wrong, developing Jon Leuer into a legitimate post threat, and then surviving Leuer’s injury by transforming the team’s offensive attack without compromising the team’s defensive foundation. Hopefully, the lesson was learned: don’t bet against Bo.

So I won’t. Sure, the Badgers will need to replace two starting, senior guards, which is never an easy task. But UW is lucky enough to have a player as talented and experienced as Jordan Taylor to take the reins. Beyond that, the guard depth appeared slim, but then the squad added Brust to Port Washington, Wis., recruit Josh Gasser, giving Ryan two more perimeter players to work with. Throw in Rob Wilson, and the guard shortage for Wisconsin is less worrisome than the post situation from the year before.

Most important, though, will be the chance for Jon Leuer to really take over this squad. As a 6-foot-10 forward with a sweet jumper, Leuer is a match-up problem almost every time he steps onto the floor. Personally, I think this is the year Leuer really puts his name on the national map by dominating the Big Ten. As a result, the Badgers will challenge again.

4.) Ohio State Buckeyes

Anytime you lose a player who notched 20.4 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting over 50 percent, you’re going to suffer a bit. Evan Turner did everything for Thad Matta’s unit last year, and his importance was clearly demonstrated in watching the Buckeyes while he was injured and when he came back.

Oddly, however, Matta’s Buckeyes aren’t shit out of luck. Far from it. Rather, OSU will return the other four starters and add two McDonald’s All-Americans, including hometown favorite Jared Sullinger.

And honestly, this isn’t something new. Matta has already dealt with Greg Oden, Daequan Cook and Mike Conley, Kousta Koufos, and B.J. Mullens leaving early and he has hardly missed a beat. Expect that trend to continue this year.

5.) Illinois Fighting Illini

Outside of Purdue, there wasn’t a happier Big Ten town today than Champagne. The cause? The announced returns of standout point guard Demetri McCamey and versatile (if frail) forward Mike Davis.

Like last season when the Illini finished out of the top-of-the-league party, they probably don’t have enough to seriously contend for top honors. Nevertheless, they are probably a lock for nine Big Ten wins and an NCAA bid. More or less, though, this team will go as far as McCamey takes them. The big point guard reminiscent of Deron Williams led the league in assists last year (7.1) while contributing 15.1 points. Yet at times, McCamey could be petulant, and he butted heads with coach Bruce Weber.

If McCamey can get on the same page as his coach and help some young talent to develop, Illinois shouldn’t be on the outside of the bubble for a second straight year.

6.) Minnesota Golden Gophers

Many like Northwestern here, but come on, it’s Northwestern. Although it will be difficult to fill the shoes of graduating departees Lawrence Westbrook, Devron Bostick and Damian Johnson, the Gophers still bring back second-leading scorer Blake Hoffarber, Devoe Joseph, and two 6-foot-10 plus posts, Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson.

And, like with Izzo, when rosters compare closely and the rest is unknown, go with the better coach. So I will, taking Tubby Smith and the Gophers to hover on the tenuous bubble surface.

7.) Northwestern Wildcats

Could this finally be the year the lovable losers from Evanston get invited to the Dance? It just may be. The Wildcats flirted with such a fate last year before fading as the conference season wore on.

This year, the Wildcats will benefit from the return of Kevin Coble, injured all of last year, who had led the team in scoring and rebounding his first three years. Coble will now join John Shurna, who finished the year third in the league in scoring (18.2 per) and seventh in glass-cleaning (6.4).

In short, this is the best chance these destitute fans have had in a long time to realistically watch a tournament team. We can only wait and see if Coble and Co. can handle that pressure.

8.) Penn State Nittany Lions

Nittany Lion fans must be thanking their lucky stars today as they receive the news that Talor Battle, who was second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.5 ppg), will return. Battle was already a one-man team and will be so even more next year (if that makes sense) with the transfers of Chris Babb, the Lions’ third-leading scorer, and contributor Bill Edwards.

Frankly, after Northwestern, none of these teams have much of a shot. But having Battle will at least allow this team to compete on a frequent basis. Unfortunately, that’s more than can be said for…

9.) Indiana Hoosiers

It’s an intriguing query: If Tom Crean could go back in time, would he take this job twice? Probably not, but he did, so here we are. Slowly but surely, Crean’s recruiting acumen is paying dividends, but the proud Hoosiers just aren’t there yet.

Crean’s crew, led by 16.4 point per game scorer, Maurice Creek, does bring some scoring punch to the table, averaging a respectable 66.2 points per contest last season. It’s the other side of the ball that is their true problem, as IU surrendered over 71 a game.

The upside here is that the team is still incredibly young and could surprise people if they can somehow find a way to get stops.

10.) Michigan Wolverines

Last year, the maize-and-blue were one of those teams on the schedule you hated because you should beat them, but you knew you were in for a dogfight. And for the Wolverines, the dogs they entered in the fight were dynamic offensive producers Manny Harris (18.1 ppg) and DeShawn Sims (16.8 ppg). If Harris and Sims were on, watch out. If they weren’t, opponents were in good shape.

Now, both are gone and the team’s leading returning scorer is Zack Novak, who chipped in just over seven a game.

John Beilein is a good coach and seems like a better man. Alas, that isn’t enough to win games, and the Wolverines will struggle to score this year.

11.) Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa, Iowa, Iowa. Well, at least you’ve still got football, right?

There’s not much to say here – the Hawkeyes hardwood prospects are bleak and the program is looking at another cycle of rebuilding after firing Todd Lickliter (setting in motion the Ben Brust transfer).

Lickliter’s replacement Fran McCaffrey, from Siena, did remarkable things with the Saints in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). In Iowa City, however, he inherits a mess and it will take him awhile to get things right.

Stupid Steve Alford…