COLLEGE BASKETBALL : Competition to Sweet 16 Is Sure to Be Bitter This Season

By IVAN MAISEL

Nov. 19, 1994 12 AM PT

NEWSDAY

It’s got blockbuster written all over it. Cross-country romance, big stars and as always, a happy ending. How’s this for a title: Sweetness in Seattle. Can we get Tom Hanks? No? How about Corliss Williamson? Does he do sequels?

The first steps down the road toward the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship have been taken. There are at least 30 teams convinced that this is Their Year. One of them is right. There will be no Cinderella, not in a season when the four teams that ended their season in Charlotte return 16 of their 20 collective starters. That means the cast is familiar. So, too, is the plot. As the director says, “Action!”

1. Arkansas: What can prevent a repeat? Injuries? Pressure? The Razorbacks dealt with those problems last season and won. It comes down to hunger and head coach Nolan Richardson feeds his players three square homilies a day. What players: Guard Corey Beck and swingman Scotty Thurman made the Goodwill Games team. Forward Corliss Williamson would have save for a broken wrist. The Razorbacks’ bench could make the NCAAs on its own.

2. UCLA: The memory of the whipping UCLA received from Tulsa in the first round of the NCAAs should drive the Bruins over their self-raised mental hurdles. The tools are there: Tyus Edney at point guard and the O’Bannon brothers, Ed and Charles, in the frontcourt. A stellar freshman class will contribute. Are academics important? Chemistry is one subject Jim Harrick’s teams annually fail.

3. North Carolina: Basketball gout: North Carolina consumed such a rich diet of talent last season that Dean Smith didn’t have the minutes to satisfy everyone. But the senior class of Eric Montross and Co. are gone. What’s left is sumptious. Watch forward Jerry Stackhouse and center Rasheed Wallace work. Guard Donald Williams, the hero of the 1993 NCAA title run, and forward Pat Sullivan, who voluntarily sat out last season, provide leadership.

4. Kentucky: Two SEC teams made it to the Final Four last spring and neither one wore Kentucky blue. The Wildcats will make amends next spring. It’s time for forward Rodrick Rhodes to live up to his press clips. Kentucky will get significant inside help from Washington transfer Mark Pope. Guard Tony Delk (37.4 percent on three-pointers) will load it up faster than a teen-ager on a mall shop-a-thon.

5. Florida: Florida won’t sneak up on anyone this season. It won’t matter. The Gators return four starters from the Final Four team. Forward Andrew DeClercq is as tough to guard as he is to spell. The question is who will join All-SEC guard Dan Cross in the backcourt. Two weeks will define the Gators: They play at Wake Forest and at Kansas the first week in December. Alabama and Arkansas come to Gainesville in late February.

6. UMass: You’ve heard this before because Massachusetts has the same team as last year. Center Marcus Camby lived up to his billing as a freshman. Lou Roe is the guts of the team, a 6-feet-7 banger who spent the summer working on outside scoring. That’s where the Minutemen must improve. Mike Williams is too streaky of a three-point shooter. Coach John Calipari has been campaigning for the spotlight. Now he has it.

7. Indiana: Has Alan Henderson been at Indiana as long as Bob Knight? The forward is on track to become the Hoosiers’ all-time leading rebounder. He averaged a double-double (18 points, 10 boards) last season. Henderson, Brain Evans and seven-footer Todd Lindeman mean no one beats the Hoosiers inside. Guard Sherron Wilkerson broke a leg against Temple in the NCAAs. Get well soon -- the sophomore is the veteran in the backcourt.

8. Duke: Forwards Grant Hill and Antonio Lang are gone and how well Duke replaces them will determine the Blue Devils’ success. Cherokee Parks will anchor the frontcourt. Sophomores Greg Newton and Joey Beard will have to move up from the far end of the bench.

9. UConn: Everyone is back for Connecticut except Donyell Marshall. Remember the Supremes without Diana Ross? No, no, no. The Huskies will challenge for the Big East championship. Sophomore Ray Allen is the next star. He broke the scoring record at the U.S. Olympic Festival last summer. Kevin Ollie is the league’s best defensive guard. Seven-foot junior Travis Knight has bulked up and won the center’s job.

10. Maryland: The Maryland woes have faded in the distance, thanks to sophomore Joe Smith. He lit up the paint and the entire state by leading the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen. The next step is possible. Forwards Exree Hipp and Keith Booth give coach Gary Williams a formidable frontcourt. Off-guard Johnny Rhodes led the ACC in steals. Depth is non-existent, which could prove deadly in the ACC.

11. Syracuse: The U.S. Goodwill Games team literally left Syracuse guard Lawrence Moten standing. Coach George Raveling cut him the morning the team left for Europe. That should motivate Moten to take the Orangemen a long way. He is the leader. Bet the rest of Syracuse on the come. Forwards Lucious Jackson and John Wallace are stars on the rise. Coach Jim Boeheim seems quietly confident. Arizona on Dec. 22 will be a good yardstick.

12. Arizona: Now that Arizona has shed its March Sadness by reaching the Final Four, can Damon Stoudamire take the Wildcats there again? The nation’s best point guard will shine again, even without the departed Khalid Reeves alongside. Small forward Reggie Geary likely will replace Reeves at off-guard. Geary’s quickness underneath will be missed. Look for Ben Davis to be a force inside once he becomes eligible in December.

13. Georgetown: In exhibitions, Allen Iverson has been the guard everyone said he would be when he went to Georgetown. Can he stand up to the abuse he will receive from opposing fans? Hey, this is Georgetown. The Hoyas love that stuff. Junior Othella Harrington is the linchpin of the typically stifling defense. The question, as always, is whether Georgetown can shoot. Look for Iverson and guard George Butler to take care of that.

14. Alabama: Should Arkansas stumble, Alabama will control the SEC West. Forward Jason Caffey, when he returns from a foot injury next month, and center Antonio McDyess are big and love to bang. Backup Roy Rogers, yes, triggers opposing shots into the stratosphere. Jamal Faulkner is a proven scorer and sophomore Eric Washington stunned everyone by hitting five threes against Kansas State Wednesday.

15. Michigan: Michigan’s Fab Five has dwindled to the Senior Two. Point guard Jimmy King and swingman Ray Jackson will provide leadership to a precocious group of freshmen (there are five of them but we aren’t allowed to call them the you-know-what). Look for Jerod Ward and Maurice Taylor to make themselves known off the bench. Look for Steve Fisher to once again prove himself of the best coaches in the nation.

16. Virginia: Worried about Cory Alexander? The Virginia point guard, who missed last season with a broken ankle, scored a career-high 29 in the Cavaliers’ opener Wednesday. That takes care of that. Coach Jeff Jones must unlock the mystery of power forward Junior Burrough, whose sum rarely adds up to his considerable parts. This is much the same team that went far in the NCAAs two years ago. Alexander should bring them back again.

Best of the Rest:

Kansas ... Jacque Vaughn is Little Big Man at six feet.

Wake Forest ... Is Randolph Childress the best guard in the ACC?

Georgia Tech ... Or is it Travis Best, whose name describes his play?

Cincinnati ... Youth will be served, if they don’t drive coach Bob Huggins nuts first.

Michigan State ... Shawn Respert makes Jud Heathcote’s last year a happy one.

Oklahoma State ... Bryant “Big Country” Reeves has little experienced help.

Wisconsin ... With Michael Finley and Rashard Griffith underneath, who needs guards?

Iowa State ... New coach Tim Floyd fell into a wealth of talent.

Memphis ... Sophomore center David Vaughn becomes a force.

Villanova ... Kerry Kittles brings the Wildcats to post-Rollie bliss.

St. John’s ... Give Felipe Lopez some breathing room. Settle for three Final Fours.