European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 24 b the stars and stripes wednesday november 13,1991 College basketball 1991-92can Duke repeat by Jim of Connell a basketball writer a conference by conference look at the 1991-92 season Atlantic coast conference As usual one of the very Best conferences. The roster for National Champion Duke May be even better than last season with the addition of freshmen centers Cherokee Parks and Eric Meek to returning starters Bobby Hurley Grant Hill Thomas Hill and player of the year candidate Christian laettner. North Carolina will look different without four year regulars Rick Fox King Rice and Pete Chilcutt but last years fabled freshman class is just about ready. Wake Forest is a Clear Cut third and that could improve if the injured Randolph Childress returns from knee surgery. Georgia tech has to replace Only one starter a Kenny Anderson. Florida state makes its debut in the league with a shot at the first division. North Carolina state knew Chris Corchiani and Rodney Monroe were gone and then lost Junior Forward Bryant Feggins to a preseason knee injury. Maryland is still serving a probation from Bob Wade Era keeping 6-8 Point guard Walt Williams from National  10 the conference lost Penn state to the big 10 and Mark Macon to the Aba. There will be just nine teams despite the Lack of name change. The Macon less Temple owls will still be favored despite a brutal schedule and the ear Lier than expected departure of 7-footer Donald Hodge. Massachusetts is among the leagues Best and the minutemen will have leading rebound Der William Herndon Back after an eligibility question. St. Josephus and Duquesne Are the Young teams of the last two years ready to make a move. St. Bonaventure did no twin a league game last season and still managed a solid recruiting class. Big East it just does no to look right not to have Georgetown and Syracuse atop the preseason standings but the hoyas and orangemen Are just members of the pack although its a very Good pack. St. Johns returns four starters from the team which went to the final eight last season and Seton Hall has a solid Core Back from the team which won the conference tournament and might have advanced in the Mcaa tournament except for a meeting with univ. Connecticut has a solid group of veterans which has to mesh with an eight member freshman class. Georgetown does have Alonzo mourning in the Middle but the surrounding cast is made up of non shooting sophomores. Villanova has most of the cast Back from last seasons underachievers while Syracuse has to make up for the loss of Billy Owens while it handles the investigation into alleged Mcaa violations. Providence and Pitt have to replace graduated stars Eric Murdock for the friars and the fabled class of�?T91 for the panthers. All that will save Boston College from yet another season in the cellar is the addition Miami As the 10th member of the league built for basketball and now doing just Fine in  eight the conferences biggest news is that it replaces the big ten on Espnes big monday telecasts. There wont be any complaining about starting times since whole league is Central or Mountain time. Eddie Sutton has the leagues Best team at Oklahoma state and the Best player in senior Forward Byron Houston who led the conference last year at 22.7 Points per game. Kansas has two starters Back from final two team and that a it for experience. Missouri is Back from probation with Only Doug Smith gone from 20-10 least. Billy Tubbs brought in six Junior College transfers at Oklahoma and if three pan out the sooner will Challenge for title. Iowa state s Johnny Orr will sit out the season opener against Maryland Eastern Shore for disparaging remarks about officials last year. Big sky this will be the last season As a nine team league with Nevada heading for the big West next season. The Wolf pack has a shot at leaving with a title if 6-10 Junior Center Ric Herrin can Start to dominate. Montana won the conference last year and has to replace two starters and coach Stew Morrill who left for Colorado state. Idaho has eight transfers coming to team which ended season with 11-2 run. Boise state has four starters Back from in t  South coastal Carolina became this leagues trademark after solid Mcaa showing against Indiana and revelation of its nickname chanticleers. Coach Russ Bergman was rumoured headed for South Carolina Job but Quot hell he Hack with two time conference player of the year in ony Dunkin. Christian laettner and Bobby Hurley return for Duke s title defense and run for a sixth final four berth since 1986. Augusta dropped from division i done to feel bad a lot of people did no to know either and will be replaced by Liberty. Davidson will leave after its second  return to Southern conference. The wildcats could win the league in their last season As four experienced Sophomore starters  ten Reserve your seats now for Indiana Ohio state and Ohio state Indiana. Those two will be Best of a solid conference. Indiana has everyone Back from a 29-5 team and Junior Forward Calbert Cheaney will Lead the hoosiers and Battle the buckeyes Junior swing Man Jimmy Jackson for player of the year honors. Jackson will miss the bulk of Perry Carter and Treg Lee up front but he works will with returning guards Mark Baker and Jamal Brown. Michigan has four starters Back but All know their jobs could be in jeopardy with the Star studded freshman class led by 6-9 Chris Webber. Michigan state has to replace Steve Smith and his 25.1 Points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Iowa is As deep As Tom Davis likes his teams and Illinois is coming off probation thinner than thin after losing leading scorer Andy Kaufmann to academic problems just before the season. Northwestern May have lost a Chance to escape the cellar when 3-Point specialist Todd Leslie was injured in an Auto Accident and lost for the  West univ is the big West and the big West will have to get along without the running rebels postseason Success since they Are barred from the Mcaa tournament. Univ will be around for the regular season Jerry Tarkanian s last at the Helm. He in have an All new team with the five starters gone from last seasons near perfect squad. The rebels still have 7-0 Elmore Spencer solid forwards Evric Gray and Melvin love and a cast of former Juco stars. Fresno state will Benefit from univ not being eligible for conference title in its last year in the league before heading for the wac. New Mexico state has to reload from last years Mcaa team while Cal Santa Barbara has to rebuild after rare sub.-50 season. Rookie coach Rod Baker at Cal Irvine will look to Marquette Transfer Keith  Richmond usually does no to get National attention until its Mcaa first round upset. But watch spiders All season As five starters Are Back from team which shocked Syracuse last season. Even with the loss of Georgetown n Transfer Milton Bell to academics coach Dick Tarrant has eight players Back who started games last season. Letty Driesell lost everyone from two time regular sea son Champion James Madison but he turned to the Transfer cupboard and found former Georgetown swing Man Michael Venson and Boston College Point guard Bryan Edwards. Old Dominion replaces Navy in the conference and the monarchs come aboard with Rookie coach Oliver  coast conference there a no automatic bid for the league this year because of All the movement. Delaware and Drexel headed for the North Atlantic and rider will go to the Northeast after this season. Brooklyn College the last of the Eastern independents joins this year along with division ii upgrade Buffalo which goes by the nickname bulls. Towson state went to the Mcaa tournament the last two years As conference Champion and no. 3 looked like a lock with five starters Back. Tough schedule could give tigers a Chance at bid As an at Large team. Hofstra a Butch Van Breda Kolff is still division is oldest coach and the loss of four starters wont make him feel any  Midwest the inaugural season will Start with a Black tie affair on nov. 29 when Depaul visits to open Memphis states new Arena the Pyramid. Stranger than the buildings name is Depaul being in a conference. The Blue demons had always seemed to be ready to die an Independent. The Choice of leagues for the Blue demons appeared to be solid As the Rookie conference made almost every top 10 of league rankings. Joey Meyer has a Veteran team at Depaul led by lean scorer David Booth. Memphis state has three starters Back for the much awaited debut of prop 48 Sophomore Anfernee Hardaway who has recovered from a summer shooting in a robbery. A a no Nat has four Junior College transfers to improve in nit berth while St. Louis Alabama Birmingham and Marquette round out the six team  league half the teams have new coaches and the bad news for them is that Princeton still has Pete Carril. The tigers made Villanova their annual Mcaa first round near upset last year and everyone except player of the year kit Mueller returns. 3 Harvard s Peter Roby resigned unexpectedly in August and Frank Sullivan was Given the Job. Dave Faucher fakes Over at Dartmouth and Jan Van Breda Kolff follows m his father s footsteps at Cornell. Browne a Frank Dobbs will be one of division i s youngest head coaches at 29. Columbia still has the leagues leading scorer in Junior Buck Jenkins but he May have to move to the Point to replace Mike Jelinsky. Who had major knee surgery and is out for the year. 6 3metro Atlantic it s not Mac As in mid american and it s not metro As in Louisville s league. This is the Mac and that Means watch Tor la Salle to win the conference. I 4.-porers May not walk through the Field As in the Sam pm is Davs but Quick trigger guard Randy s h a is nou8l to keep them in first place Siena Jill has Marc Brown s supporting cast in place but a Back injury to Forward Mike Brown has cast a pall Over it i l1> a ular season. Manhattan has its top six scorers Hack As the jaspers continue climb to .500