#1 WEST - NORTH TEXAS

WHAT I LIKE: 1. They have smelled the roses and will want to go back. 2. Probably the best starting guards in the conference. 3. Return four starters. 4. Shoot FTs well as a team. 5. Good rebounding team.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE: 1. White particularly played a lot of minutes. Might be a lot of wear over the season if he doesn't get some help. 2. Need to find a replacement for Tramiel. He was a good one.

Not much not to like about this team. They have been there and return most of the main components. To beat them you have to find an answer to White and Thompson, and not many people did.

A lot can go wrong during the grind of the season, but I do think we should be the favorites in the West. ASU should be awful close tho.

You said that part of why you do these is to hear other fans fill in the gaps and answer some of the outstanding questions, so...

White's heavy workload shouldn't be an issue like it was last season. Our starting PG had been and was supposed to be Dominique Johnson, but he was lost for the season just in time to qualify for a medical redshirt. He's back this year, and Josh should not only carry less of a load, but he'll also spend more time off the ball, not worried as much about creating offense for the rest of the team.

Replacing Tramiel is the major question, but the answer could come from a number of different places. Worst case, Odufuwa can take over the scoring post role and one of our returning guys can handle the defensive-oriented responsibilities. Odufuwa can do it all, but emphasized rebounding and defense while Tramiel carried most of the scoring load. This year, we have Kedrick Hogans also coming back from a medical redshirt year. Hogans is a very good shot blocker and rebounder, so I can see a scenario where he does a lot of what Odufuwa handled last season while Odufuwa does more of the scoring and 'glamorous' inside work.

Another potential outcome is that a developing Jacob Holmen is ready to step into the starting lineup. Holmen has a lot of the same offensive abilities that made Tramiel so effective (both can hit 3's, and Holmen seems like a better jump shooter inside the arc than Tramiel did). Holmen showed some typical freshman issues; looked a little confused on defense from time to time and was still passing the ball like a high schooler instead of crisply and precisely enough to break down a D-1A mid-major defense. But he still logged significant minutes last year, over more experienced and proven frontcourt options. If the experience paid off quickly and he's matured enough to start... He could be dangerous for us.

We've also got the JUCO transfer, Alonzo Edwards coming in... Nobody is sure what to make of him. The book on the guy says he's an exceptional 3-point shooter for a post player, and the early reports from people who have seen him practice and play pickup games on campus is that he is a great shot blocker, too... But the concern is that he's coming in to fill a backup role and won't have the skills to carry a Tramiel type load.

Hopefully none of that sounds defensive... The questions are dead on and I'm just trying to fill in what the folks at North Texas are thinking/hoping/expecting the answers will be.

A few question marks, but not enough to keep them from being the solid favorites.

Thanks for the feedback, by the way.