ESPN's Andy Katz Picks Miami to be #12 in Pre-Season for 2008-09

Andy Katz, the one good soldier who prominently features on Disney network telecasts of College Basketball and for my money the smartest prognosticator around (Katz unlike some other media blow hards who publish these pre-season picks without watching enough games or understanding external factors has a very good track record when you look back at his post Final Four, following season predictions) has picked Miami #12 in the nation next year. I believe Miami can be that good maybe even better, and will be a tournament team again no doubt but one question persists in my mind:

Will Dwayne Collins regain the defensive tenacity and the post presence offensively that disappeared down the stretch? Losing Anthony King and Ray Hicks isn't a huge deal if Collins plays as he did until the end of February. However, beginning in Tallahassee on March 8th and culminating in the NCAAs, Collins was not only invisible but committed dumb, desperate fouls more often than not. With King and Hicks around, the Canes had sufficient cover for Collins during his slump. Next year Cyrus McGowan and Juilan Gamble may be able to do the same but we just don't know yet.

If Collins plays as he did for most of the season, Miami can be a top ten team and will be one of the top four teams in the ACC, perhaps even the league's second best team. But if Collins disappears and the defensive burden is shifted to the perimeter where Miami still is at a disadvantage from a quickness and an athletic standpoint versus almost every other ACC team, the equation could change. But as it stands now, Miami's interior defense will likely be one of the best in the country next year and teams will have shoot lights out from outside to beat the Canes.

Katz's top 25:

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