NostradAustinus

Thought that I would look into the crystal ball for some bold predictions for the 2009-2010 season and beyond. Here goes...

Patrick Patterson will still be the guy that everybody looks up to. He is going to do the little things that don't show up on the stat sheets or win you post season awards. If we need a basket in crunch time Pat will still be the first option. He will also be the team's third leading scorer. He is still going to get 15-16 a game, but I think that will put him just barely behind Cousins and Wall. Which is exciting to think about. Some might consider picking Pat as anything but the leading scorer as a bold prediction, but I see Wall being the leading scorer fairly easily. Placing Cousins ahead of Pat on the other hand might surprise some. I think it will be easier for Cousins to score. He creates more distinguishable mismatches, and I think he has more potential to go for big games. Pat will get his steady 15+, but I see Cousins having the kind of big nights that will push his scoring average a little higher than Pat. Let's take a closer look...

Wall: 17 ppg
Cousins: 16 ppg
Pat: 15.5 ppg
Dodson: 8 ppg
Bledsoe: 7 ppg
Miller: 7 ppg
Orton: 5.5 ppg

Rest of the team will average 8 points to push the team to 84 Points Per Game.

Demarcus Cousins is currently projected as the #17 pick in the NBA draft according to nbadraft.net. That will look silly by the time the draft rolls around. Cousins will be a top five pick on draft night. I understand where the questions about Cousins surfaced. He looked somewhat lazy and unfocused at times as a prep standout. However, you haven't heard any of that from his Coach or teammates since he came to Lexington. I think we will see a more focused Cousins than the player scouts saw during high school. He wasn't in good enough condition to give a consistent effort as a high school player, and as he gets that down he will be able to answer the questions surrounding his character. Big Cuz doesn't have the luxury of sleepwalking his way into the NBA Draft. He is going against very talented guys in practice every day and has no choice but to bring his best effort if he wants to stay on the court.

When we look back at this team down the road, we will count Bledsoe and Orton among the players that would later play in the NBA. As for this year, they are going to be very important players. At times they will be frustrated freshman trying to find their way, and at others they will be dominant forces to be reckoned with. Al Mcquire coined the phrase that 'the best thing about freshman is they become sophomores.' It may be true that the best lay ahead for Daniel and Eric as it will take a couple years for their games to be polished enough for the next level. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty to enjoy this year from these two diaper dandies.

We will lead the NCAA in Blocks. At among least the teams that matter. It is a little annoying when a team like VMI or Binghamton reach statistical accolades playing against diluted competition.

The Krebs Effect will gain worldwide acclaim. This new theory will gain steam over the course of time. Everything that Mark Krebs does in life will become more efficient and worthwhile. The Krebs Effect will eventually lead to its namesake Mark Krebs winning the Nobel Prize. There will be much debate over which Prize to award, as the Krebs Effect is applicable to any walk of life or educational discipline. The Committee will ultimately decide to award Krebs the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as the prize for Physics, Chemistry, and Economics. Apparently the Krebs Effect will trickle down to the U.S. economy and bring us out of the current recession. Thanks Mark!

Employing the same faulty logic of sportswriters casting their MVP ballots during the Michael Jordan Era, Nobel Laureates decide against awarding Krebs the awards in Literature and Physiology. Undeterred, Krebs will outline a groundbreaking new Health Care Plan in his new book, The Krebs Effect: Finally Fixing Health Care. You know the rest of that story.