The 3-point line is moving back this year in men's hoops. How much of a difference will it make, if any?

Twelve inches. One foot. The length of a size-11 shoe. The width of an album cover. The height of an average wine bottle, plus the cork.

That distance is going to affect men's college basketball this season and in the years ahead. Moving back the 3-point line one foot — from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20-9 — figures to alter shooting percentages.

It will change the game in subtle ways, as well, from discriminating who shoots 3-pointers to potentially cutting down on the rugby scrums that often occurred around the basket.

"I don't think the great shooters will be affected that much," said William and Mary coach Tony Shaver, whose team last season attempted and made more 3-pointers than any in Colonial Athletic Association history. FULL STORY

2008-2009 John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 List

Player First Player Last Height Position Class University
A.J. Abrams 5-11 G Sr. Texas
Wink Adams 6-0 G Sr. UNLV
DeJuan Blair 6-7 F So. Pittsburgh
Jon Brockman 6-7 F Sr. Washington
Derrick Brown 6-8 F Jr. Xavier
Chase Budinger 6-7 F Jr. Arizona
Nick Calathes 6-6 G/F So. Florida
Dionte Christmas 6-5 G Sr. Temple
Earl Clark 6-9 G/F Jr. Louisville
Sherron Collins 5-11 G Jr. Kansas
Darren Collison 6-0 G Sr. UCLA
Lee Cummard 6-7 G Sr. BYU
Stephen Curry * 6-3 G Jr. Davidson
Devan Downey 5-9 G Jr. South Carolina
Robert Dozier 6-9 F Sr. Memphis
Wayne Ellington 6-4 G Jr. North Carolina
Jonny Flynn 6-0 G So. Syracuse
Taj Gibson 6-9 F Jr. USC
Blake Griffin 6-10 F So. Oklahoma
Tyler Hansbrough ! *^ 6-9 F Sr. North Carolina
Luke Harangody * 6-8 F Jr. Notre Dame
James Harden 6-4 G So. Arizona State
Gerald Henderson 6-4 G/F Jr. Duke
Lester Hudson 6-2 G Sr. Tennessee Martin
Robbie Hummel 6-8 F So. Purdue
Stefon Jackson 6-5 G Sr. UTEP
Dominic James 5-11 G Sr. Marquette
Damion James 6-7 G/F Jr. Texas
Curtis Jerrells 6-1 G Sr. Baylor
James Johnson 6-8 F So. Wake Forest
Marcus Landry 6-7 F Sr. Wisconsin
Ty Lawson 5-11 G Jr. North Carolina
Eric Maynor 6-2 G Sr. VCU
Jack McClinton 6-1 G Sr. University of Miami
Jerel McNeal 6-3 G Sr. Marquette
Patrick Mills 6-0 G So. Saint Mary's
Raymar Morgan 6-7 F Jr. Michigan State
A.J. Ogilvy 6-11 C So. Vanderbilt
Jeremy Pargo 6-2 G Sr. Gonzaga
Patrick Patterson 6-8 F So. Kentucky
A.J. Price 6-2 G Sr. Connecticut
Scottie Reynolds 6-2 G Jr. Villanova
Tyrese Rice 6-1 G Sr. Boston College
Kyle Singler 6-8 F So. Duke
Tyler Smith 6-7 F Jr. Tennessee
DaJuan Summers 6-8 F Jr. Georgetown
Hasheem Thabeet 7-3 C Jr. Connecticut
Robert Vaden 6-5 G/F Sr. UAB
Terrence Williams 6-6 F Sr. Louisville
Sam Young 6-6 F Jr. Pittsburgh
! 2008 John R. Wooden Award Winner
* 2007-08 Wooden Award All-American
^2006-07 Wooden Award All-American

Towson suspends 3 for team infractions; all will miss opener vs. Navy

TOWSON, Md. -- Towson basketball coach Pat Kennedy has suspended three players for violating team policy, doling out punishments from one to five games.

Senior forward Tony Durant will miss the season opener against Navy on Nov. 14; senior forward Junior Hairston will sit out the Tigers' first three games and freshman forward Rick Brown was suspended for the first five games, the school announced Friday.

Hairston was Towson's leading rebounder last season and ranked third in scoring, averaging 12 points. Durant averaged 8.7 points and ranked third in rebounding.

Back To One Bid In CAA?

HARRISONBURG - As the Colonial Athletic Association approached the basketball season the past two years, optimism abounded - thanks to NCAA Tournament victories that boosted the league up the mid-major pecking order.

This year, things are a bit more subdued.

No earth-shaking Final Four run to relive. No tournament giant-slaying to revel in. After two years of at-large berths and victories that reshaped March Madness, the CAA sent only its champion - George Mason - to the playoffs last season, and the Patriots fell to Notre Dame in the first round.

Although coaches and administrators continue to assert that the conference is improving, CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager's annual goal - to get at least two teams in the NCAA Tournament and notch at least one win - failed to materialize in 2007-08.

"We said after 2006 that we didn't want to be a one-hit wonder, and we repeated in 2007," Yeager said. "Reputation of leagues and kind of the pecking order is built on longevity, so, yeah, it goes without saying that you want to keep progressing, you want to re-establish to be a regular participant in multiple teams in the NCAA Tournament. While our goal is to put multiple teams in, our fear is we don't."

And they have reason to fear that they won't in 2008-09, either. FULL STORY

Preseason Mid-Major All-American team

With the announcement of the 2008-2009 AP pre-season All-American team, I have put together my own version of the All-American team. Too many times, players from "Mid-Major" programs do not get the national attention they deserve until the NCAA Tournament.

Of course, this year is a little different with Davidson guard Stephen Curry because of the run he and the Wildcats had in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. And the fact that Curry is the son of former NBA sharpshooter, Del Curry. Curry was selected to this year's AP preseason All-American squad along with North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough, UCLA guard Darren Collison, Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody and Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin.

Before I reveal my picks, I just want to explain to all my readers out there that since Mid-Major programs are largely dominated by guard play, I have chosen to go with four guards and one forward for my All-America squad. Feel free to complain if you want, but this is the way it should be in the world of the Mid-Majors.

So without further ado, here are my selections for the 2008-2009 preseason Mid-Major All-American team: FULL STORY