Eight key questions as the first day of practice rings in the new season

Friday is the first day of practice for most Division I college basketball teams. Yahoo Sports begins its season preview coverage with a look at some of the key questions facing the nation’s top programs and the answers that could emerge between now and the new season tipping off Nov. 14.   

1. How will Kentucky divvy up playing time among its nine McDonald’s All-Americans?

John Calipari’s chief issue entering practice should come with the hashtag #titlecontenderproblems. The savvy Kentucky coach has to find enough playing time to satisfy every member of a talent-rich roster that boasts a record-tying nine former McDonald’s All-Americans and a tenth player, center Willie Cauley-Stein, who is projected to be taken in the first round of next June’s NBA draft.

The challenge will be most daunting in the frontcourt, where Kentucky boasts three 7-foot centers, fellow big men Marcus Lee and Trey Lyles and 6-foot-8 combo forward Alex Poythress, who is far more effective near the rim than he is on the perimeter. Either Poythress and one of his teammates will be logging major minutes at small forward, or one or two highly touted big men will not be part of Kentucky’s rotation. 

Calipari’s initial solution has been introducing the idea of employing a platoon system of separate five-man units, each playing almost exactly half the game. The Kentucky coach also has hired an analytics specialist whose job description includes keeping players happy by showing them — and NBA scouts — how their stats would look were they playing 30-32 minutes per game. 

That system worked fine during a tour of the Bahamas this summer and it will surely be just as effective against exhibition opponents and overmatched lower-tier Division I foes. But nobody with half a brain thinks Calipari will stick to that approach in the second half of close games against elite competition when Kentucky needs its best players on the floor in their proper positions. It’s then that we’ll truly find out if the Wildcats are each willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. 

2. Can Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones play alongside one-another at Duke? 

Just like Calipari, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has an enviable problem to work through this fall. He has barely a month to decide whether senior Quinn Cook will retain the starting point guard job, consensus top 15 recruit Tyus Jones will replace him or both will start alongside one-another at the expense of one of the Blue Devils’ wings.

For Duke, the advantage of starting Cook and Jones together is having two ball handlers on the floor, both of whom can attack off the dribble, find their teammates for open shots or knock down floaters and jumpers themselves. The disadvantage is that it takes either 6-foot-5 Rasheed Sulaimon or 6-foot-6 Justise Winslow off the floor, making the Blue Devils smaller and less effective guarding the ball on the perimeter. Duke was woeful defensively last season, though the presence of a true center to defend the paint should help.  

Both Cook and Jones are saying the right things so far, insisting that it’s not a competition, that they’re both out to make the team better and that going against one-another in practice is making both better. Krzyzewski has been publicly non-committal but he did name Cook a team captain earlier this week. Take that as a sign he views Cook as an integral part of the starting lineup for now. The best guess on where things stand entering practice? Cook, Jones and Winslow starting with Sulaimon coming off the bench.

3. Who will win Kansas’ point guard competition?

Leading returning scorer Perry Ellis and elite recruit Cliff Alexander and form a formidable frontcourt duo. Breakout candidate Wayne Selden and top prospect Kelly Oubre are a potent pair at wing. Really the only question facing Kansas entering the new season is will one of its unproven point guards will solidify a position that was a season-long weakness last year? 

With erratic Naadir Tharpe leaving the program after the season, Kansas’ best options are either freshman Devonte Graham or sophomores Frank Mason or Conner Frankamp. Graham is a late-blooming top 100 prospect who spent an extra season in prep school after Appalachian State refused to release him from his letter of intent. Mason excelled at creating off the dribble as a backup last season and Frankamp is a deadly shooter who would need to prove he can be effective distributing as a point guard. 

The man to beat is probably Mason because of his experience, but Self has said he wants multiple ball handlers in his rotation. Expect Frankamp to fill that role as the first guard off the bench with Graham carving out a bigger role for himself too as the season goes along. The freshman is bigger than Mason and more athletic than Frankamp but may need time to get stronger and to acclimate himself to high-level Division I basketball. 

4. How will highly touted Myles Turner fit into Texas’ crowded frontcourt rotation? 

Texas already returned its top four big men from a frontcourt that dominated the paint and controlled the glass last season. Adding highly touted five-star freshman Myles Turner to that quartet could either bolster an already strong group or create an unwieldy logjam that leaves veterans grumbling about a newcomer eating into their minutes.

One way Rick Barnes could diffuse that potential problem is by sliding 6-foot-8 Jonathan Holmes from power forward to small forward. Holmes has the skill and shooting ability to play extended minutes on the perimeter, but he was extremely efficient in the paint offensively last season and he may lack the agility and lateral quickness to defend opposing wings. 

If Holmes proves ill-suited for the perimeter, that will force Barnes to play three guards again this season and will leave him with only 80 minutes to divvy up among five deserving frontcourt standouts. Turner is an athletic 7-footer who thrives running the floor, blocking shots and knocking down mid-range jumpers. Ridley is a space-eating back-to-the-basket scorer who nearly averaged a double-double last season. Holmes led Texas in scoring and shot 51.2 percent from the field. And Connor Lammert and Prince Ibeh established themselves as two of the nation’s most effective backup big men.

5. How does San Diego State replace do-it-all point guard Xavier Thames? 

With all but two rotation players returning from a 31-win team and the highest-ranked freshman class in school history set to make its debut, San Diego State is well positioned to again establish itself as one of the West’s elite teams next season. The only warning sign is the Aztecs will have to find a way to make up for the graduation of Xavier Thames.

Though Thames averaged 17.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals last season, stats don’t begin to fully demonstrate his impact. Not only was he San Diego State’s emotional leader, he also was the Aztecs’ offensive catalyst, creating opportunities for himself or his teammates off high ball screens whenever the shot clock began to bleed dry.  

San Diego State’s heir apparent at point guard will either be freshman Kevin Zabo or returning role players Aqeel Quinn and D’Erryl Williams. Quinn and Williams can set up the offense and play solid defense, but they’re better suited to a backup role, meaning the Aztecs will be hoping Zabo proves capable of seizing the job right away.

Regardless, replacing Thames’ perimeter scoring output will be a collective burden shared by Dwayne Polee Jr., Winston Shepard, Matt Shrigley and perhaps some of the freshmen if they prove ready as the season goes along. Polee excelled late last season as a complementary scorer to Thames, while Shepard is an elite talent whose erratic decision making and wayward outside shot can sometimes overshadow his ability to attack the rim.

6. How prepared are Kaleb Joseph and Chris McCullough to star right away for Syracuse?

With C.J. Fair graduating and Tyler Ennis and Jerami Grant leaving early for the NBA, the only-double digit scorer Syracuse brings back is senior Trevor Cooney, a shooting guard who gets his points mostly off catch-and-shoot opportunities. Defensive-minded big man Rakeem Christmas could become a bigger focal point offensively this season, but the players with the best chance of evolving into the catalysts Syracuse desperately needs are decorated freshmen Kaleb Joseph and Chris McCullough. 

Joseph, the only true point guard on the roster, is the obvious candidate to inherit the starting job from the ultra-efficient Ennis, joining his predecessor, Jonny Flynn, Gerry McNamara and Pearl Washington as point guards who have started as freshmen for the Orange. He should instantly provide offense too. Whereas Ennis was a crafty pass-first point guard whose first instinct was to distribute rather than score, Joseph excels at getting by his man with his strength and explosiveness but is still learning how to create shots for others in addition to himself.

The bigger wild card is McCullough, a 6-foot-10 forward rated Rivals.com’s No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2014. One of the most athletically gifted big men in this year’s freshman class, McCullough runs the floor exceptionally, finishes in transition with aplomb and excels at crashing the offensive and defensive glass. He and sophomore Tyler Roberson are the two most likely candidates to replace what Syracuse lost when Fair and Grant left. 

7. Will anyone emerge as a solution for Indiana’s frontcourt woes? 

Indiana boasts one of the Big Ten’s premier point guards in Yogi Ferrell and a wealth of options at wing, so why aren’t the Hoosiers appearing in most preseason Top 25 polls? Well, it probably has something to do with a frontcourt so unproven that Tom Crean worked feverishly to try to find a late addition this summer before ultimately 6-foot-7 Emmit Holt in late August.

Holt joins a frontcourt that also includes fellow freshman Jeremiah April and returners Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Devin Davis, a duo that combined to average all of 5.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in limited minutes last season. Indiana will be thrilled if the 6-foot-9 Mosquera-Perea develops into a tough interior defender and rebounder who sets solid screens and consistently finishes around the rim. Davis also is in line for increased playing time if he can cut down on his turnovers and fouls and emerge as a force on the glass. 

One other potential solution for Indiana is to go small in an effort to maximize the impact of its plethora of wings and diminish the role of a frontcourt lacking talent. That would probably mean Troy Williams would see a lot of time at the four, a potentially successful strategy if the 6-foot-7 sophomore can defend opposing power forwards a la Glenn Robinson III at Michigan. Indiana would also have to rebound collectively as a unit to make up for only having one true big man on the floor.   

8. Who will Wichita State tab as Cleanthony Early’s replacement in the lineup? 

Just like Wichita State had to prove it could succeed without point guard Malcolm Armstead and big man Carl Hall last season, the Shockers have another key player they must find a way to replace this year. Second-team All-American Cleanthony Early is now with the New York Knicks, leaving a void of 16.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Shockers to fill at power forward. 

The leading candidates to start alongside 6-foot-7 back-to-the-basket scoring specialist Darius Carter are junior college transfers Tevin Glass and Tom Wamukota, redshirt freshman Shaquille Morris or true freshmen Rauno Nurger or Rashard Kelly. It’s also possible Wichita State could go ultra-small with four guards and play 6-foot-5 Evan Wessell for extended minutes at the four. 

The decision of who starts will probably come down to a combination of which newcomer shows the most promise in practice and what coach Gregg Marshall values most. If it’s size and shot blocking, the 7-foot Wamukota may be the choice. If it’s athleticism and rebounding, the 6-foot-8 Glass could get the nod. Don’t count out the 6-foot-10 Nurger or 6-foot-7 Morris either. Nurger has plenty of experience for a freshman after a year in prep school and time with the Estonian national team, while Morris has shed 20 pounds since last season and hopes to prove being in better shape can help him stay injury-free.  

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!

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