The NCAA is entering new levels of ridiculous mismanagement. The Associated Press reports that the NCAA might reconsider giving new scholarship student-athletes a $2,000 stipend, though it would have to allow players who have already signed letters of intent to receive the extra cash while banning those who sign later.

Ohio State superstar Jared Sullinger is still hurting from recurring back spasms, and coach Thad Matta didn’t want to say when Sullinger will be back in the lineup for the Buckeyes, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report. But Sullinger answered that question Wednesday night when the Buckeyes beat down USC Upstate 82-58 and Sullinger played 24 minutes and got 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Nobody will face criminal charges in the Xavier/Cincinnati brawl, the Associated Press reports. Joe Deters, a Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor, looked into the matter, deciding not to pursue charges against anyone. One of the factors was Xavier center Kenny Frease’s satisfaction with an apology from Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates, who decked Frease in the head during the debacle.

Seton Hall will gain some more depth this weekend with the return of freshman Brandon Mobley, who had been out with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum since the summer, according to the Associated Press.

Don’t skip your court appearances. Nothing good can happen. Just ask Kansas’ Ben McLemore. The freshman is under arrest after skipping a Dec. 6 court appearance for a citation related to underage alcohol possession, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report.

Also on the list of bad behavior is taunting fans by grabbing your crotch. New Mexico State sophomore Christian Kabongo did that, and now he’s suspended, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

Syracuse still has Melo — Fab Melo that is. If you thought I was talking about Carmelo Anthony, well, I kinda was. The NBA star who led the Cuse to a championship is convinced that Melo 2.0 and the rest of the crew have the talent to win another championship for the first time since 2003.

I’m not gonna lie — I love the fan experience. And if you tell me that a team in California’s tradition is to throw tortillas when a victory is in hand, I find it amusing. I mean, a flying tortilla — presumably uncooked soft tortilla — won’t hurt anyone. Except when your team is only up two and the officials consider giving the home crowd a technical. Yep, that’s how UC-Santa Barbara’s 65-61 win against San Diego went down, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com. When the fans started tossing tortillas, the officials considered tossing out a T. They opted to go with a public announcement that any more thrown items would produce two free throws for the Toreros. The fans settled down, and the Gauchos won.

Kentucky probably has the most talent of any team in the country, but the Wildcats’ youth hasn’t been hard to see. Their freshmen have had their share of growing pains, from Marquis Teague’s early struggles taking care of the ball to Anthony Davis learning how physical the college game can be. It’s for exactly that reason that senior Darius Miller has never been more valuable than much of the early going this time around.

North Carolina is right up there with the Wildcats, but this is an older and more mature team. Whereas the Wildcats start three freshmen, the Tar Heels only played two freshmen yesterday and both came off the bench. But they start a senior, two juniors and two sophomores, and on the whole this is a team quite a ways from its ceiling just like Kentucky.

In the first half, North Carolina led by as many as nine and was the better team. They were hot from long range, going 6-9 from behind the arc in the opening frame. But Kentucky scored seven in a row at the end of the first and start of the second half, momentarily grabbing the lead and then staying right with the Tar Heels until they took the lead for good on a Davis jumper with less than eight minutes to play.

The Tar Heels had one more chance after Teague missed the front end of a one-and-one with 21 seconds left. They got the ball to John Henson, known more for his shot-blocking than scoring, and in a length-versus-length matchup, Davis got a hand on his short jumper and the Wildcats were able to run out the final seconds for a 73-72 victory.

It’s a game that many would love to see a rematch of, and considering that both teams are a ways from their respective ceilings, no one would be surprised if it materialized in the month of March.

While that was the best matchup of the day, there were a few other teams, conferences and player of note.

Marquette

Winning at the Kohl Center is hard for visiting teams to do, but Marquette pulled it off on Saturday and did so without their starting point guard. Before the game, the Golden Eagles announced that Junior Cadougan was suspended for the game due to a violation of team rules. Wisconsin has lost two straight, but neither is a bad loss as they lost to North Carolina earlier in the week. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, are 7-0 with a blowout win over Ole Miss and Saturday’s win at Wisconsin.

Xavier

Xavier is becoming quite the second-half team. On Monday, they trailed by ten in the second half before rallying to beat Vanderbilt in overtime in Nashville. But yesterday they did themselves one better, as they trailed Purdue by 11 at the half and 19 in the second half before coming back to edge the Boilermakers 66-63. In the last 10:44, Xavier outscored Purdue 30-8.

Illinois

It seems like Bruce Weber has been on the hot seat forever in Champaign, but let’s acknowledge not only the job he has done thus far but especially what he is doing this season. After an 82-75 win over Gonzaga on Saturday, the Illini are 8-0 with wins over Richmond and at Maryland as well. Neither of those two is a big NCAA Tournament resume win, but they are worth noting because the Illini haven’t beaten up on a slew of terrible teams and could be 12-0 when they take on Missouri on Dec. 22, though they will have to get by UNLV at home before then. Saturday was the first time all season Gonzaga did not have at least four players score in double figures.

Brigham Young

No Jimmer, no problem for Brigham Young. After Saturday’s 79-65 win over Oregon in Salt Lake City, BYU is 6-2 with a win over Nevada included and the only losses being at Utah State and against Wisconsin. Granted, this isn’t the Oregon team we all thought we would see before the season with the departures of Jabari Brown and Bruce Barron, but the Ducks aren’t pushovers.

Head-scratching in the CAA

A number of conferences have their opening games this weekend before teams resume non-conference play for a little while longer. Perhaps none has had results that might leave one scratching their head as much as the Colonial Athletic Association, where three teams won on the road and preseason favorite Drexel lost to Delaware by 11 (albeit on the road). The Dragons have had a rough go of it thus far, but Chris Fouch is back so they’re closer to having their full team together. Still, Fouch was 0-9 yesterday and the Blue Hens won the battle on the glass by a 40-32 margin over a Drexel team that routinely beats up opponents on the boards.

The one other score that jumps out is Georgia State thumping William & Mary 66-34 in Atlanta. The Tribe didn’t look to be far from being a good team last season, but they’re struggling mightily out of the gates and Saturday may be the low point thus far.

We go coast to coast with other news from the college basketball nation

• Ohio State didn’t miss a beat despite Jared Sullinger being out with back spasms.
• College of Charleston lost a wealth of talent and experience from last season’s team, but the Cougars are 7-1 overall and are one of four teams that went 2-0 in early Southern Conference games this weekend. Chattanooga, who the Cougars beat last night and was picked to win the North Division, is 0-2.
• Connecticut got a big lift from Ryan Boatright with 23 points and six assists in his home debut.
• UCLA is now 2-5 after a home loss to Texas that saw them blow an 11-point lead.

Some of Sunday’s Key Matchups

Sunday is a day full of interesting matchups of teams that we’re trying to find out something about. None of these are like North Carolina-Kentucky, but they will be worth keeping an eye on.

• Baylor at Northwestern
• UNLV at Wichita State
• California at San Diego State
• Dayton at Murray State
• North Carolina State at Stanford
• Notre Dame at Maryland
• VCU vs. George Washington (BB&T Classic at the Verizon Center)
• Kansas State at Virginia Tech

From top to bottom, the Big Ten has the most quality, and those teams were on display Tuesday as the conference grabbed a 4-2 lead in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Among the premier teams, Ohio State thumped Duke 85-63 as the Buckeyes tore through the Blue Devils’ Swiss cheese defense. Four of Ohio State’s five starters scored at least 17 points, led by Jared Sullinger’s 21. As a team, Ohio State shot nearly 60 percent from the field and from 3-point range. When they did miss, they collected the rebounds nearly 30 percent of the time, which is actually off their season average of about 34 percent, according to Ken Pomeroy’s stats. But when you’re already shooting 60 percent, any second chances at all could be devastating for your opponent.

Although the convincing victory is excellent, it’s not altogether shocking. Duke entered a hostile environment in Columbus coming off a tough trip to Maui last week in which the Blue Devils battled tooth and nail three straight days to claim the EA Sports Maui Invitational title. Yes, they had nearly a week off, but Duke looked tired, as several players launched air balls from deep throughout the game. With eight days off until their next game, look for the Blue Devils to rest up and rebound well.

Perhaps the best win of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge last night was Northwestern’s 16-point victory at Georgia Tech. For a team searching for its first NCAA Tournament bid in school history, the Wildcats had to win this one. Georgia Tech does not figure to be competitive for the ACC title this year, but the Thrillerdome remains a tough place to play. Northwestern was on its game, shooting 55 percent from the field, with John Shurna leading the way with 25 points. The Wildcats’ win is impressive because it’s not like the team is totally unfamiliar to the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech coach Brian Gregory was an assistant to MIchigan State’s Tom Izzo for several years, including in 2003, Bill Carmody’s first season in Evanston. And it’s not like his style of play has changed much in eight years, according to Pomeroy’s stats.

The Big Ten will look to continue its strong play tonight, highlighted by a huge match up in Chapel Hill between North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Here are some other news and notes from across the college basketball nation.

North Carolina’s Harrison Barnes is expected to play in that clash with the Badgers tonight after spraining his ankle in the Tar Heels’ loss to UNLV last weekend, ESPN reports.

Bernie Fine is out at Syracuse after new and more troublesome allegations of sexual abuse emerged during the past week. However, the Associated Press’ John Kekis writes, Orange coach Jim Boeheim isn’t worried about his own job security, despite vehemently defending Fine when the allegations first appeared, going as far as to call the accusers liars. The investigation continues in this case, so Fine is innocent until proven guilty. But there apparently was enough smoke for Syracuse to find cause to ditch the veteran assistant before a raging fire broke out.

USC forward Dewayne Dedmon, averaging 7.7 ppg and 6.0 rig, will miss about a month because of a stress injury in his right foot, the Associated Press reports. The Trojans have been struggling already this season with one of their big men in the lineup. This certainly won’t help the cause.

Eamonn Brennan notes for ESPN’s College Basketball Nation blog that Florida coach Billy Donovan picked up win No. 400 in his career when the Gators dismantled Stetson 96-70. At age 45, Donovan is one of the few coaches in the game who have the early success that could put him in position to challenge Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record for Division I wins — whenever Coach K calls it a career.

As I am writing this, I am anxiously awaiting tip-off of the North Carolina vs. Michigan State game being played on the bow of the USS Carl Vinson in homage of Veterans Day. Regardless of the outcome, this is a very important game for college basketball and its relativity to America.

With the impending lack of an NBA season, it is important that the nation stay tuned into men’s basketball during the months that don’t end in –arch.  The game will be a spectacle on display to the whole world — with US troops tuned in across the world — that could set the stage for an upset by the Michigan State Spartans. Coaches Roy Williams and Tom Izzo have been planning the game for some time, and both will have their teams ready to impress in the bright lights.

If MSU manages the upset, the Spartans have Duke waiting just down the road for them. This brutal nonconference schedule should help State’s freshmen develop big game calluses and get them ready for their conference schedule in the months that follow.

The biggest story in sports right now comes out of the Big Ten and has nothing to do with basketball at all. Or does it?

The Penn State football program’s child molestation scandal will be felt for more than just this weekend’s game against Nebraska. The Nittany Lions will have to deal with this stigma for at least the next year every time they garner national attention, including basketball. I know the school has already begun to lose football recruits, and it remains be seen if the scandal affects their recruiting in other sports. First-year basketball coach Patrick Chambers will have his work cut out for him as he tries to attain success in distraction-laden “Happy” Valley.

Other Big Ten News:

• Michigan coach John Beilein announced that he’s going to start freshman Trey Burke over senior Stu Douglass at point guard this year for the Wolverines, writes Chantel Jennings for ESPN.com and WolverineNation. Burke is the reigning Ohio Mr. Basketball. Douglass will come off the bench as a sixth man.
• The class of 2012 No. 1 overall shooting guard prospect Gary Harris commits to Coach Tom Izzo and Michigan State, reports ESPN.com’s Dave Telep.

Big Ten Champion, Sweet 16 appearance (Defeated by Kentucky 62-60).

Coach Thad Matta (190-57 at OSU) returns for his eighth season.

Projected starting five:

So. F Jared Sullinger (Averaged 17.2 ppg, 10.2 rpg)
So. F Deshaun Thomas (High point scorer in four games last season)
Sr. G William Buford (44% 3-point average, only returning senior)
So. G Aaron Craft (Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year award winner)
Fr. C Amir Williams

Important departures:

David Lighty: 12.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.3 apg, 42.9 percent from 3-point range
Jon Diebler: 12.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 50.2 percent from 3-point range
Dallas Lauderdale: 4.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.5 blocks per game

Additions:

Fr. PF Trey McDonald (Rivals.com three-star player)
Jr. PF Evan Ravenel (transfer from Boston College)
Fr. SF LaQuinton Ross (Rivals.com four-star player)
Fr. PG Shannon Scott (Rivals.com four-star player)
Fr. SF Sam Thompson (Rivals.com four-star player)
Fr. C Amir Williams (Rivals.com four-star player)

Outlook:

Ohio State adds forward Evan Ravenel, a transfer from Boston College, along with guard Shannon Scott and center Amir Williams, both McDonald’s All-American team members, as part of a loaded recruiting class. They should make an immediate impact coming off of the bench. The Buckeyes will need the young players to step up quickly after losing three starting seniors: G David Lighty, G Jon Diebler and F Dallas Lauderdale, who played prominent roles in last year’s campaign. Also, assistant coach Chris Jent returned to his alma mater after a brief stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Kuwik left Matta’s staff to head to Dayton.

Schedule highlights:

Ohio State has one of the most difficult nonconference schedules in Division 1 basketball. They play Florida early and travel to Kansas right before a late season division stretch. But every Buckeye fan has circled Nov. 29. That is when the Duke Blue Devils come into Columbus in what could be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 midseason match up. Regardless of the outcome, Ohio State will have to either keep or gain momentum heading into the new year as the team faces a brutal stretch between Jan. 29 and Fed 18 that finds it playing Michigan twice, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan State. As long as they can keep their loss column miniscule, they should repeat as Big Ten champions.

Prediction: First

Next: Penn State Nittany Lions
Back to Big Ten preview

As we prepare for the 2011-12 season, let’s take a look back at the top players from the 2010-11 season. To tally the top 50, I added the top players in various statistical categories to the list of players from major conferences. That adds the likes of Cleveland State’s Norris Cole, College of Charleston’s Andrew Goudelock and Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried to a list that predictably includes Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker and Derrick Williams.

Of last season’s top 50 players, 15 will be back in action this season. Michigan State’s Draymond Green tops that list as the No. 5 overall player last season with a TIQ of 38.1 points. Even though Green averaged only 12.6 ppg, he was a veritable stat stuffer: He added 8.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.8 steals per game and 1.1 blocks per game. Green has the range to knock down 3 pointers and the size and athleticism to be a factor in the post.

In addition to Green, Wisconsin’s Jordan Taylor (TIQ = 37.9 points), Ohio’s D.J. Cooper (TIQ = 36.6 points), Kansas’ Thomas Robinson (TIQ = 36.3 points) and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger (TIQ = 35.4 points) rank as the top returning players. Everyone except Robinson played about 75 percent of his team’s minutes last season, so they’re already bona fide dominant starters. Coach Bill Self will be looking for Robinson to step into the roster position of one of the Morris twins and maintain his excellent production in a vastly expanded role.

Cooper’s presence in that group is indicative of the TIQ’s ability to credit excellent talent outside the power conferences.

In fact, Cleveland State’s Cole (TIQ = 39.6 points) and College of Charleston’s Goudelock (TIQ = 39.4 points) come in at No. 1 and 2 for their ridiculously great performances last season.

Cole proved he could be a prolific scorer, averaging 21.7 ppg last season. However, he didn’t stop there. Cole also delivered 5.8 rpg and 5.3 apg for the Vikings. That’s a sick stat line, worthy of the No. 1 spot in the rankings. He didn’t receive much serious consideration for All-American status, but the AP writers did name him as an honorable mention for their list.

Goudelock got the same honor from the AP — and the same lack of attention from everyone else. The Cougars’ star put up 23.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 4.2 apg. He didn’t have as many non-scoring contributions as Cole did, but Goudelock was a slightly better shooter at 45.5 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from three-point territory. Both players could turn out to be solid contributors in the NBA, whenever the league gets back onto the court.

Among power conference teams, the No. 1 draft pick takes the overall No. 3 spot in the TIQ ratings. Duke’s Kyrie Irving was a beast for the Blue Devils before injuring his foot. He ended up playing barely 20 percent of the season. However, in that time, Irving tied Goudelock with a TIQ of 39.4 points. You can’t blame the Cleveland Cavaliers for wanting to build around him.

Without any further ado, here’s your top 50 players from last season.

Kentucky 76, North Carolina 69

Possessions:

Kentucky 69

North Carolina 71

Offensive efficiency:

Kentucky 110

North Carolina 97

The Kentucky defense was a big story here. The Wildcats held North Carolina, as noted above, to an average defensive showing in the efficiency department. The tempo was more in line to the Tar Heels’ liking. Part of the reason was due to Kentucky getting out and running their own fast break to establish an early lead. John Calipari’s club did a great job limiting the Tar Heel finishes on the break, as Carolina scored only 12 points on fast break opportunities.

DeAndre Liggins drew a starting assignment for the Wildcats. The senior guard’s main task was containing UNC lead guard Kendall Marshall, especially in not allowing him to ignite the Tar Heel transition. Liggins did the job and on his own behalf hit a huge three that increased UK’s lead to four with just under a minute remaining. The Kentucky defense was also reflected in their holding the opposition to a 46 percent eFG percentage.

John Henson of North Carolina was limited to a 4-point, 9-rebound performance before fouling out. Henson played only 23 minutes. Coach Roy Williams missed Henson’s presence to grab offensive boards and block shots. A further point can be made that Henson’s absence allowed Kentucky to pay a little more attention to Tyler Zeller, who did lead UNC with 21 points, down low.

The semifinals:

North Carolina 81, Marquette 63

Possessions:

Marquette 73

North Carolina 69

Offensive efficiency:

Marquette 86

North Carolina 117

The first half was a “Murphy’s law” twenty minutes for Buzz Williams & Co. Marquette had an efficiency of .44. Worse, they had twice as many turnovers (12) as field goals (6) and no assists. The TO rate was an astounding 35 percent. A 19-0 Tar Heel run during the opening twenty minutes was instrumental in building a 40-15 lead at the break.

The second half saw the Big east representatives settle down. Their offense improved (52% ercent shooting) as did a defense that limited the Tar Heels to a 38 percent field goal percentage after intermission.

Tyler Zeller (27 points) and John Henson (14 points) did the damage inside for Carolina. Harrison Barnes with 20 was effective inside and out. Defensively, Dexter Strickland frustrated Marquette’s Darius Odom-Johnson 97 points) into a tough 2-of-9 shooting night.

Kentucky 62, Ohio State 60

Possessions:

Kentucky 59

Offensive efficiency:

Kentucky 105

Ohio State 100

The pace was right in line for both clubs. Kentucky was hurt on the boards as the Buckeyes had a 39-26 percent advantage in offensive rebounding percentage. That was offset by a defense that limited Ohio State to a 38 percent eFG mark. Known for forcing turnovers on defense, Ohio State could only disrupt the Wildcats into a 19 percent TO rate. That figure is better than the 20 percent cutoff and showed UK’s ability to care for the ball. Jared Sullinger led Ohio State with 21 points 16 rebounds 98 offensive). The freshman phenom was forced to work for everything by Josh Harrellson, a 17-point, 10-rebound performer in his own behalf.

It all came down once again to Brandon Knight. The UK freshman struggled (nine points on 3-of-10 shooting) but came up big late as he did in round one against Princeton. Knight hit a crucial three-pointer late in the game and nailed the eventual game-deciding shot with nine seconds to play.

Ohio State is already in the top five in the polls, and Sullinger is a favorite for top honors among freshmen this season, so it’s not like Sullinger and the Buckeyes are under the radar. And his stats clearly make him a candidate to finish the season as a first-team All-American.

Sullinger started the season with a bang, posting back-to-back double doubles, including 26 points and 10 rebounds at Florida. But in recent weeks, Sullinger has been even better and more important to the Buckeyes. Veterans like William Buford have struggled a little from the field, but Sullinger remains ruthlessly efficient, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.

In one of the most dominating performances of the season, Sullinger was 12-of-17 from the field against IUPUI, finishing with 40 points. With the rest of the Buckeyes shooting worse than 42 percent from the field, Ohio State needed its freshman big man to become the centerpiece of the offense. Of the updated Total Impact Quotients from the ACC, Big East, Pac-10 and Big Ten, Sullinger ranks as the best player in those four power conferences, with a TIQ of 20.3 points.

Check out a complete introduction to the TIQ and description of what it means.

Here are the latest ratings for the Big Ten, through games of Saturday, Dec. 25.

TIQ position averages:
Centers: 11.6
Forwards: 10.4
Guards: 6.6
TIQ = Total Impact Quotient
PD% = Position differential in % difference from average

Player Rankings

The Buckeyes are a well-balanced team that excels on defense. They have a mix of veterans like Jon Diebler and David Lighty to go with super-talented freshmen like Jared Sullinger. But no Buckeye ranks in the top five at his position in the Big Ten in the Total Impact Quotient.

Instead, the Buckeyes show how total balance delivers exceptional results. The team’s top seven players in minutes all rank in the top 30 in TIQ among their fellow Big Ten guards and forwards. Sullinger is the highest ranked player, at No. 7 among forwards. But unlike other teams that lean heavily on one or two stars, Ohio State can turn to any one of several weapons to lead the team any given night.

And this Ohio State team is improving. The top four returning players — Jon Diebler, David Lighty, William Buford and Dallas Lauderdale — are all making a more significant impact this season. With the departure of Evan Turner to the NBA, Ohio State has morphed from a team with a bunch of players who revolve around one superstar to a team that has a bunch of solid players who fill specific roles consistently and productively. That is a recipe for success, especially in March and April.

For a complete introduction to the TIQ rating system, check out this list of frequently asked questions.

And now on to the ratings for the Big Ten, through games as of Saturday, Dec. 4.

TIQ position averages:
Centers: 11.5
Forwards: 10.2
Guards: 6.7
TIQ = Total Impact Quotient
PD% = Position differential in % difference from average

Player Rankings

Player Rankings for 2009-10

These 2010 guys are out to prove something, though. One won’t know just how great a draft class it will be until years down the road, once these soon-to-be-rookies go on to participate in several All-Star games, win an MVP or simply bust out to play in Europe.

With that disclaimer in play, here is the best the 2010 NBA Draft has to offer.

1. John Wall, point guard, Kentucky

Wall’s undisputedly No. 1. Not only did he help make Kentucky one of the best teams in college basketball last season, he did it as a freshman while averaging great numbers: 16.9 points, 6.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. The 19-year-old is a pure point guard with terrific size, speed and court vision. What he needs to improve is his inconsistent jump shot. But other than that, he’s exactly what troubled Washington — owner of the No. 1 pick — needs after such a tumultuous season.

2. Evan Turner, small forward, Ohio State

Averaging 20 points and almost 10 rebounds per game, Turner got to the rim and grabbed misses almost at will in college. He’s an offensive workhorse who can pass while also excelling on defense. His court vision also is outstanding, evidenced by his six assists per game in 2009-10. Just call him Mr. Versatility. It would be interesting to see how much he gets the ball in Philadelphia, which has the No. 2 pick, though. He was the man in Ohio, but he would be Andre Iguodala’s sidekick in Philly.

3. DeMarcus Cousins, center, Kentucky

So Wall didn’t make Kentucky a contender by himself. He had himself a stud of a big man helping him. Standing at 6-11 and weighing 270 pounds, Cousins averaged 15.1 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in limited playing time — mostly because of foul trouble. He’s only 19 years old and has a lot of potential, good and bad. He has great hands and a scoring mentality, but there are concerns about his weight and maturity. There’s no question Cousins has all the tools necessary to be very good in the NBA. The New Jersey Nets, who have the No. 3 pick, would hope he decides to use them.

4. Greg Monroe, power forward, Georgetown

Two seasons at Georgetown was all Monroe needed to be NBA ready. He’s a double-double machine with great passing ability, and he’s a lefty. He can create his own shot but needs to work on his jump shot, a lot. He’s only 20, though, so there’s a lot of potential for the already-skilled big man. He’ll be a nice pickup for Minnesota, if the Timberwolves take him with the No. 4 pick, who could really use the help after going 15-67 last season.

5. Derrick Favors, power forward, Georgia Tech

The youngest player entering the 2010 NBA Draft, Favors was among the top players in field goal percentage (61 percent) during the 2009-10 season. He averaged 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. He’s a very effective big man with quickness and athleticism. His youth also means his body hasn’t fully developed, though, so he’ll need to gain some muscle to be a difference-maker. There’s nowhere to go but up for Favors, and the Kings (No. 5 pick) will likely take him.

The only certainty in this 2010 Draft, it seems, is that Wall will go No. 1. Turner at No. 2 is also as good a prediction as a Tim Duncan bank shot. Picks No. 3 through 5, however, can be switched around among New Jersey, Minnesota and Sacramento. None of those big men will be immediate franchise saviors. Potential is their main label.