The Blue Ribbon College Yearbook

[tornado]

Many believe the Blue Ribbon Yearbook is the best of all the issues available.
They have exhaustive reports and obviously have a lot more researchers and contributors than the other issues out there, which accounts for the lofty price tag of the Blue Ribbon Preseason Yearbook - 27th Edition (about $20).

I will begin my review of this issue, and as I read through it, will post more and more.

Here is the cover:



Their First Team Preseason All American Team (pictured on cover):
Drew Neitzel- Michigan State
Roy Hibbert- Georgetown
Chris Lofton (Tennessee)
Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina)
Dominic James (Marquette)


Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook - Preseason Top 25
1. North Carolina
2. UCLA
3. Georgetown
4. Tennessee
5. Memphis
6. Michigan State
7. Kansas
8. Louisville
9. Indiana
10. Marquette
11. Kentucky
12. Washington State
13. Oregon
14. Duke
15. Arizona
16. USC
17. NC State
18. Wisconsin
19. Texas
20. Stanford
21. Clemson
22. Gonzaga
23. Syracuse
24. Arkansas
25. Villanova

[Dubl R 1]

BU will have a tremendous opportunity to make a HUGE statement with that Michigan St game at home this year.

Also, I think that BU could have done a little better than 2 passes for the Braves room for the home opener for the winner of the Red Sea T-Shirt contest. Maybe 2 passes for the braves room for the entire season would have been more appropriate. If they really wanted to crank up the level of participation, BU could have made the prize 2 tickets/transportation for the winner to the South Padre Invitational. I know that is a little much, but I doubt the students are gonna get fired up over a single trip to the Braves Room.

[Da Coach]

I don't know if anyone yet posted the Missouri Valley predictions by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook.

Here they are--

1- SIU
2- Bradley
3- Missouri State
4- Northern Iowa
5- Illinois State
6- Creighton
7- Wichita State
8- Drake
9- Evansville
10- Indiana State

Player of the Year: Daniel Ruffin

All-Conference team:
Daniel Ruffin
PJ Cousinard
Eric Coleman
Matt Shaw
Randal Falker

Newcomer of the Year: David Collins

[Big Mike]

It is nice to see the Braves and Daniel Ruffin get some national press for the upcoming season.......here's to both predictions coming true!

[tornado]

I will have some more info on the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, I just haven't had the time
to go through it.............but thanks, Da Coach, for logging in the MVC predictions.

[tornado]

OK...I finally had a little time and will add more to the review of the Blue Ribbon College Yearbook.

It is BY FAR the best and most thorough of all the issues.

it is impressive merely with its size...it is nearly an inch thick and about the size of a small phone book.


Here's some of what they have............

1st Team All Americans:Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert, Chris Lofton, Dominic James, Drew Neitzel
2nd Team A-A: Sean Singletary, Darren Collison, Brandon Rush, Chase Budinger, DJ White
3rd Team A-A: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jon Brockman, Scottie Reynolds, Brook Lopez, Kyle Weaver
4th Team A-A: Michael Beasley, Richard Hendrix, Eric Gordon, Josh Shipp, OJ Mayo.

Then they have several full pages of writeup about each of the teams in the Top 25, none of whom are Valley teams nor mid-majors.
(keeping in mind that Blue Ribbon works in conjunction with ESPN, it is clear they favor the teams that are going to be the draws on ESPN this coming winter!)

Then all the different conferences in pretty good detail, starting alphabetically with America East.

They don't hit the Valley until page 253!!!

Much of the Valley predictions are above......in Da Coach's post
They name 1. Bradley, 2. ISU, 3. Drake as best backcourts.
And 1. SIU, 2. UNI, 3. MSU as best frontcourts.

Here is what they say about Bradley:

When Daniel Ruffin decided to stay home and play college basketball in Peoria, Bradley coach Jim Les knew he had a special player.
How special?
The former NBA guard wasn't quite sure, but he knew Ruffin, the son of former Bradley guard DanRuffin, Sr., could be someone that takes the Braves places.
Les was right.
Two years ago, Ruffin (13.8ppg, 2.5rpg, 5.4apg, 1.9spg) helped lead Bradley to 22 wins and the Sweet Sixteen. Last year, and with a less talented group, Ruffin guided BU to another 22-win season and the second round of the NIT.
This season the Braves have restocked their talent base and their floor general is at the peak of his game. The 5-10 Ruffin, the half brother of former Indiana All-American AJ Guyton, returns for his senior year as the nation's active leader in assists (475) and a preseason candidate for the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.
"When Daniel joined us, I said to someone that he might be one of the best point guards in the Valley some day," Les said. "Now Daniel is one of the best point guards in the country. It's a credit to him and his hard work.
"He makes the players around him better."
Ruffin's presence and that of 6-5 senior off-guard Jeremy Crouch (13.8ppg, 2.3rpg) are the biggest reasons the folks in Peoria are expecting their Braves to go places again this season.

The Illinois natives , who grew up about 20 minutes apart, complement each other in the backcourt. While Ruffin mixes driving and dishing with the three pointer, Crouch's main weapon is the long ball..............."



That's it for now..the rest of the section on Bradley I will send out via the private route.......
most of you will be getting it soon.

[tornado]

By the way..........for those interested, the writeup in the Blue Ribbon Yearbook
covering the SIU Salukis and their NCAA chances last spring,
is offered free on ESPN and a promo......

Here is the link:

http://assets.espn.go.com/ncb/ncaatourney07/blueribbon/free/79.pdf

[Da Coach]

Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook has teamed with ESPN to put their previews of 328 Division I teams. But you need to be an ESPN Insider to see most of them. They do give one preview free in the MVC, SIU--

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/insider/news/story?id=3039028&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2finsider%2fnews%2fstory%3fid%3d3039028