Baylor Gets Very High Preseason Marks from Athlon Sports
2:17 P.M., THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010
CHRIS YANDLE  (EMAIL)
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Baylor senior guard LaceDarius Dunn is one of three Big 12 players from Texas on the cover of Athlon Sports' College Basketball 2010-11 Preview magazine, which hits the newsstands this week.

For hoops fans nationwide, the month of September unofficially ushers in the start of the college basketball season as college basketball preview magazines begin hitting the newsstands. Earlier this week, Athlon Sports' College Basketball 2010-11 Preview hit newsstands around Waco with a familiar face gracing the cover - Baylor senior guard LaceDarius Dunn (joined by Texas' Jordan Hamilton and Texas A&M's B.J. Holmes).

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Baylor, which finished the 2009-10 season ranked No. 10 in the final ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, is ranked No. 10 in Athlon's Preseason Top 25. The Bears are one of three Big 12 teams in the top 10 - Kansas (No. 4) and Kansas State (No. 5). Missouri is ranked No. 14 in the preseason poll.

Dunn garned preseason first-team All-America honors from Athlon and is joined on the first team by BYU's Jimmer Fredette, Purdue's JaJuan Johnson, Duke's Kyle Singler and Georgia's Trey Thompkins. Dunn was one of only two Big 12 players named to one of Athlon's three teams; Kansas State's Jacob Pullen was named to the third team.

In addition to his first-team All-America accolades, Athlon tabbed the Monroe, La., native as the nation's No. 1 scorer. Baylor Nation should be very familiar with the rest of the names on Athlon's list, including Pullen, Nolan Smith (Duke), Alec Burks (Colorado), Cory Higgins (Colorado) and Malcolm Delaney (Virginia Tech).

ALL-BIG 12
After posting its best Big 12 finish, Baylor is projected to finish third in 2011 by Athlon. Dunn is Athlon's pick for Big 12 Player of the Year; Dunn and freshman sensation Perry Jones represent Baylor on the All-Big 12 first team. Junior Quincy Acy is a preseason third-team All-Big 12 selection.

ATHLON'S FINAL ANALYSIS: SWEET 16
It's hard to immage Baylor having a better season than it did in 2009-10, when it tied for second place in the Big 12 race before pushing eventual national champion Duke to the brink in the Elite Eight. Still, even with the loss of Ekpe Udoh abd Tweety Carter, the Bears have enough star power to beat any team in the country. The frontcourt of Quincy Acy, Anthony Jones and Perry Jones will be tough to stop, and LaceDarius Dunn is as good of a scoring guard as there is in the country. A lack of quality depth and the absence of a proven point guard are the biggest hurdles. If A.J. Walton steps up - or if Stargell Love matures quickly - the Bears will be a top-10 team all season.

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