Originally Posted by
dcdevil2009
Wasn't the class of 2011 considered to be much deeper and stronger overall than the class of 2012, so comparing the relative rankings of individual players across classes is somewhat apples and oranges? Granted ESPN's rankings aren't the most reputable, but since they also give grades to players, they're rankings are the easiest to compare across classes. This year, there are only two 98s, but last year, they gave their 8th ranked player, Marquis Teague a 98. Marshall and Alex were both 96s in ESPN's final 2011 rankings (35 and 41 overall respectively). I don't think it's unreasonable to think they've each added a point to their games since last year, which would make them 97s entering their first year of eligibility and put them at worst 20 and 21 in ESPN's rankings (recruits 3-19 have 97 grades). We haven't seen them play, so it requires some conjecture, but a year of practice against D1 players and the added physical maturity should justify an expectation of improvement instead of stagnation or regression.
If Marshall and Murphy didn't have the redshirt stigma and were graded under the same rubric as the rest of 2012's first year players, I don't see how we're not ranked in the top ten to start the season. It's unfortunate that we're going to lose our consecutive weeks in the top ten streak based on a perception, which I believe doesn't comport with reality. Do people really think Andy Katz would have us ranked 15 in his early preseason rankings if we were bringing in his company's 12th, 20th, and 21st ranked recruits to replace Austin Rivers and Miles Plumlee?