College Basketball 1991-92 : Beyond O’Neal, It Isn’t So Clear : Overview: Louisiana State center is the best player in the country, but picking the best team isn’t that easy.

Those camcorder crazies at Nevada Las Vegas--home of the world-famous air-conditioning duct video spy sessions--might be on to something. What if cameras were installed at other college basketball venues and headquarters across the country? And what if the results of those preseason photo shoots were now available to the general public?

Guess what? You’re in luck.

Presenting a glimpse of what might be as the 1991-92 season unfolds, courtesy of air-conditioning ducts everywhere:

At the Southeastern Conference offices in Birmingham, Ala. . . .

You need an abacus to count the reasons SEC officials are smiling these days. Happiness doesn’t do their moods justice. Consider:

--The SEC is the only conference with a 12-team, two-division format, a neat little arrangement that is bound to strengthen the league’s growing reputation, increase television and fan interest and possibly help secure more bids come NCAA tournament time. If the two-division concept is a success, look for other leagues to adopt the format.

--Mighty, tradition-rich Kentucky finally is eligible to compete for the SEC championship and the NCAA title. The Wildcats, on probation since 1989, have been revitalized by Coach Rick Pitino, whose New York accent and up-tempo offensive style have been embraced by Kentucky faithful. Of course, Kentucky faithful will embrace anything as long as the Wildcats win.

--The conference is loaded with good-to-great teams. At last look, there were three teams with top-10 potential--Kentucky, Louisiana State and Arkansas--and one other with top-25 credentials, Alabama. Better yet, LSU is proud owner of a roster that includes center Shaquille O’Neal, the best player in the nation.

--Arkansas, a Southwest Conference defector, and South Carolina, which fled the sagging Metro Conference, have joined the league. Arkansas is the prize catch, of course. Winners of the last three SWC titles, the Razorbacks reached the Final Four two seasons ago and were a Final Eight team in last year’s NCAA tournament.

Predictions: Tournament bids for five SEC teams--Kentucky, Arkansas, LSU, Alabama are givens, with Georgia or Vanderbilt securing the fifth spot. . . . Enjoy O’Neal. Chances are the junior center will opt for the NBA draft at season’s end. . . . The Razorbacks will struggle in November and December as star forward Todd Day serves a 12-game suspension for his involvement in an alleged sexual assault case. . . . If all goes as planned, Kentucky will play Oklahoma State in the final of the preseason NIT, thus setting up a Pitino vs. Eddie Sutton scenario. Pitino succeeded Sutton at Lexington, Ky. . . . Surprise teams will be Tennessee and Auburn. . . . The SEC tournament, played in Birmingham, Ala., will be won by Kentucky. . . . Best player: O’Neal. Best coach: Pitino.

At UNLV. . . .

Here are a few things the world-famous Rebel camcorder didn’t see from its air-duct vantage point: forward Larry Johnson, forward Stacey Augmon, center George Ackles, guard Anderson Hunt, point guard Greg Anthony. In short, the entire starting five--NCAA finalist a season ago and NCAA champion in 1990--is gone. If you include the two reserves who also left the program, the Rebels lost 77.6 points of their 97.7-point scoring average last season. Gone, too, is UNLV’s chance at a Big West Conference tournament title and another run at the NCAA championship. Because of NCAA sanctions, the Rebels can win the Big West regular-season title but are ineligible for postseason play, as well as television appearances. This season also marks the end of Coach Jerry Tarkanian’s 19-year career at the school. Controversial, outspoken and oft-criticized, Tarkanian will leave a legacy of unparalleled success and, with it, plenty of unanswered questions about his methods for achieving that success.

Predictions: Tarkanian will win at least 19 games and become college basketball’s all-time leader in winning percentage. . . . The Rebels won’t be half as bad as everyone says. A top-25 ranking isn’t out of the question. . . . Junior college transfer J.R. Rider, a 6-foot-5 guard, is supposed to be the greatest thing in Las Vegas since Wayne Newton. . . . A ticket to UNLV’s March 3 game against Utah State will be tough to find. That’s the night Tarkanian coaches his last game as a Rebel.

At Duke. . . .

No one has cleared away space for another NCAA championship plaque in the Cameron Indoor Stadium trophy case, but it might not be a bad idea.

The Blue Devils feature one of the best lineups in the country and a coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who knows exactly what to do with it. Imagine, a starting five that includes NCAA tournament most valuable player Christian Laettner at power forward; prized Marina High School recruit Cherokee Parks at center; Bobby Hurley, who handed out 43 assists and committed only 10 turnovers in the six NCAA tournament games last season, at point guard; the multitalented Grant Hill at forward or guard, and then, depending on how Krzyzewski wants to attack a team, guard/forward Thomas Hill, forward Brian Davis or forward Antonio Lang. Very scary.

Predictions: If Lang can continue to develop his skills, Duke could be deep enough to win consecutive NCAA championships, which would be the first time that has happened since UCLA did it in 1972 and ’73. . . . Pacific 10 coaches will want to weep every time they see Parks and center Erik Meek of Escondido in Duke uniforms. Just two more Southland players who fled to the East Coast. . . . Another NBA franchise will make a run at Krzyzewski. . . . The best game of the regular season will be Duke vs. LSU. The teams faced each other last year--Duke won by 18--and Laettner thoroughly outplayed O’Neal. This time, the game is at LSU, not Cameron. Expect a battle of the ages when O’Neal and Laettner meet in the middle. And if Laettner is at power forward, watch the confrontation between Parks and O’Neal. . . . Duke will win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, finishing ahead of (in order) North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Virginia, Wake Forest, Maryland, North Carolina State and Clemson.

At the Big Ten Conference offices in Park Ridge, Ill. . . .

Unless Commissioner Jim Delany does something odd, such as making a deal that would send the Nos. 2 and 3 Big Ten teams to the NIT instead of the NCAA, this could be the best conference in the nation this year (sorry, ACC).

From top to near bottom, the Big Ten has a team capable of reaching each of the six levels of the NCAA tournament bracket. Indiana and Ohio State are certainly capable of Final Four appearances. Iowa has enough to make it to the Final Eight. Illinois, now eligible for postseason play after serving a year’s NCAA probation, is a Sweet 16 contender. Michigan State, even without Steve Smith, and Purdue are good enough to win a tournament game or two. And Michigan, with its heralded recruiting class, and Minnesota could stage NCAA surprises.

Indiana--which has all five starters returning--and Ohio State are the teams that deserve most of the attention. Hoosier Coach Bobby Knight might have found a center at last in 6-9 Alan Henderson, a celebrated freshman from Indianapolis who ended his high school career by scoring more points than local legends Oscar Robertson and Eric Montross. Henderson probably won’t start, at least not at season’s beginning. But by the season’s end, he could be a real factor in the Hoosiers’ quest for a Big Ten title and a run in the NCAA tournament.

Coach Randy Ayers also has several new faces, including the much-traveled and controversial Lawrence Funderburke, a Columbus, Ohio, native who originally signed with Indiana, left the school and eventually transferred to Ohio State. Funderburke, once one of the most hotly recruited high school players, is a 6-9 forward whose playing style has been compared to that of Laker Sam Perkins. Now then, can he overcome the personality problems that plagued him at Indiana?

Predictions: If Ohio State falters, Iowa, which has five starters back, will be right there to challenge the Hoosiers for the conference crown. . . . If Ayers, the consummate player’s coach, can’t convince Funderburke to change his moody ways, then no one can. . . . Michigan freshman Chris Webber eventually will rule this league, but for now it belongs to Buckeye guard Jim Jackson. . . . Best Knight observation, courtesy of Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times columnist Bob Hammel, who wrote in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook: “Before the summer was out, Knight had realized an ambition of a totally different sort: He went fishing with baseball (and fishing) great Ted Williams. Their fishing was for Atlantic salmon, in the Soviet Union, days before the quickly aborted coup. Up to now, no one has officially blamed that on either Knight or Williams.” . . . Best player: Jackson. Best coach: Knight.

At Arizona. . . .

Sighted: People who actually say this team might be better without temperamental but talented center Brian Williams, who left Arizona a year early to join the NBA. Good riddance, say those close to the Wildcats’ program.

Of course, that’s easy to say now. But what happens when Arizona has to replace his 14 points and 7.8 rebounds a game? Well, 7-footer Ed Stokes and 6-10 Sean Rooks will probably take up most of the slack caused by Williams’ departure. As for the rest of the lineup, Coach Lute Olson can plug in Matt Othick and the ever-improving Khalid Reeves at the two guard positions and Chris Mills at the other forward spot, opposite Rooks.

Predictions: Stardom for Mills and Reeves. . . . A Final Eight appearance for the Wildcats. . . . A fifth consecutive Pac-10 championship.

At NCAA headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. . . .

Preparations are already under way for this season’s Final Four tournament at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. It seems only right that preparations begin for the annual search to find surprise tournament teams. The nominees include:

--Pepperdine. The West Coast Conference already knows about the Waves. By season’s end, everyone will. They play great defense. They rebound well. They have Doug Christie, a guard/forward who, if he returns at full strength after suffering a knee injury late last season, could find himself ranked among the top 20 players at his position in the country. They also have Geoff Lear, a forward who averaged 18.5 points and 9.8 rebounds; Dana Jones, the West Coast Conference freshman of the year, and LeRoi O’Brien, the Los Angeles City Division 4-A player of the year last season.

--Wisconsin Green Bay. Had it not been for Steve Smith’s shot at the buzzer, Michigan State would have lost to the Fighting Phoenix (OK, so the nickname needs some work) in the first round of the NCAA West Regional. Green Bay has four starters returning, the most important being guard Tony Bennett, son of Coach Dick Bennett. Tony averaged 21.5 points a game and made 53.3% of his shots from the three-point line. Supported by a more experienced and deeper roster, the younger Bennett might improve on those numbers in 1991. Whatever the case, Green Bay should match last season’s 24-7 record and make a little more noise in the NCAA tournament.

--Washington State. The Cougars missed out on a postseason invitation because they faltered in the late going. That won’t happen again. With all five starters returning, Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team is ready to make the jump from wanna-be to could-be at tournament time.

Taking a page from Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson’s philosophy, Sampson depends heavily on the play of his guards. The Cougars have plenty to go around, including Neil Derrick and Bennie Seltzer.

Predictions: East Tennessee State, even without point guard Keith (Mister) Jennings, will shine, as will Richmond, Temple and Tulane.

At Notre Dame. . . .

Of the 38 new Division I-A coaches this season, few will deal with the pressures that face John MacLeod, who replaced the popular/despised Digger Phelps. MacLeod has been asked to return the Irish to past basketball glories, which will take some doing. Notre Dame hasn’t been to the Final Four since 1978, and MacLeod hasn’t been on a college court sideline since 1973. Of course, he did spend 18 seasons as an NBA coach.

Wish the Irish well, because they will need it. Their schedule includes Indiana, Louisville, Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri, DePaul (twice), Duke, Michigan, Syracuse, UCLA and St. John’s.

MacLeod has promised a faster, more up-tempo offense and man-to-man defense. The offensive scheme should benefit forward LaPhonso Ellis, who missed the second half of the 1990-91 season because of academic difficulties.

Predictions: A wonderful season from Ellis, who knows this is his last chance to impress. . . . A 16- to 18-victory season, which should be enough to get Notre Dame into the NCAA tournament.

Back at NCAA headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. . . .

There have been changes galore in the NCAA’s conference directory.

The SEC, you know about. But were you aware that, at last count, 22 of the 33 Division I-A conferences had altered their lineups?

The changes of note: Florida State joins the ACC. Penn State leaves the Atlantic 10. Miami joins the Big East. Cincinnati, Florida State, Memphis State and South Carolina are gone from the Metro, replaced by North Carolina Charlotte, South Florida and Virginia Commonwealth. The Sun Belt loses five teams but finds eight replacements. Fresno State will leave the Big West in the 1992-93 season and join the Western Athletic Conference.

Predictions: The Great Midwest Conference, in its first year of existence, will place at least three of its six teams--DePaul, Cincinnati and Memphis State--in the NCAA tournament. . . . The ACC will look to add a member.

At St. John’s . . .

Coach Lou Carnesecca has won 507 games. This could be the season he adds an NCAA championship to his resume.

Four starters return, but none is more important than Malik Sealy, probably the best small forward in the game. Sealy has to be watched several times before his many talents can be appreciated.

Predictions: If St. John’s isn’t the obligatory Big East representative in the Final Four, Seton Hall will be. The Pirates have the dynamic P.J. Carlesimo as their coach, Terry Dehere as their shooting guard and 7-1, 290- to 350-pound (it depends on the month) center Luther Wright, who sat out last season. If Wright delivers, so will the Pirates. . . . Connecticut will challenge for the Big East crown, as will Georgetown, helped immensely by a sound Alonzo Mourning, who returns to his favorite position--center.