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When the teams take the floor on Sunday, a litany of new players will be making their debuts for the Crusaders. The women will have six players on the court who didn't play last season while the men will have seven or eight, depending on if coach Homer Drew decides to redshirt Hrvoje Vucic.

Starting with the women, it's anyone's guess as to who the starting lineup will be this season. Coach Keith Freeman will often say that it doesn't matter who is on the court for the beginning of the game, but who is there at the end. That being said, for both the men and the women, I don't think it matters much who starts at the beginning of the season, but who will be in the starting lineup by the time conference play begins in January.

As we stand now, Lauren Kenney is the only true lock for the women's starting lineup. I'd expect Whitney Farris to start as well as Kelly Peller, depending on her recovery from compartment syndrome, which kept her out of action last year. Kelly Watts or Ashley Varner will likely play in the post, although if they both start, then either Farris or Peller will come off the bench.

The biggest question for Freeman's squad is point guard. Freshman Skyler Gick comes in with as many accolades as any player has had in recent history. At the same time, junior Rashida Ray has shown flashes in her first two years and isn't rolling over in practice. Does Gick get the keys from day one or will Ray beat her out? If Ray wins the job, is she ultimately just holding the position until Gick gets more experience?

2009-10 Valparaiso women's basketball projected starting lineups

Nov. 14 - Rashida Ray, Whitney Farris, Kelly Peller, Kelly Watts, Lauren Kenney

Jan. 2 - Skyler Gick, Farris, Watts, Ashley Varner, Kenney

My Jan. 2 projected lineup may be post-heavy, but we could be in for a new brand of VU basketball this season. Other than Betsy Adams, it's hard to find a three-point specialist without knowing the talents of Gick, Laura Richards and Raegan Moore.

I'm excited to see how the season unfolds. The schedule is brutal as always and Freeman will be asking four freshmen to take the roster spots of four talented seniors from last year, so the early going could prove to be difficult. As cliche as it sounds, this team will be significantly better by March than they are right now.

Trying to determine how the playing time shakes out for the men down the stretch is an even tougher task. If one were to believe all the hype, then this could be the greatest recruiting class ever assembled at VU. Of course there was plenty of hype surrounding De'andre Haskins, Logan Jones, Keaton Fyre, Paul Guede, Aris Williams, Vince Humphrey and the immortal Beas Hamga. Sadly, I think I'm guilty for some of this hype, and I'm proud to say that I'll be guilty again.

I've seen the freshmen play a number of times and they are good. The biggest problem with that statement though is the inclusion of the word freshmen. Growing pains are bound to occur with the newcomers. Good thing there is some talent among the upperclassmen as well.

Brandon McPherson didn't come back for a fifth year to sit on the bench, so he is a lock to start...at least you'd think. Jared Nuness came back for a fifth year, and he came off the bench for a while. Ali Berdiel came back for a fifth year and he rarely started. Jarryd Loyd came off the bench during his senior year. Regardless of past history, I think it's easy to say that McPherson will be starting from beginning to end.

Drew is very loyal when it comes to playing time, at least in terms of the starting lineup, so I think we'll see Howard Little and Michael Rogers at the beginning of the year. Cory Johnson seems like he'd be a lock to be in the starting lineup and from everything I've seen and/or heard, Brandon Wood is also going to be a starter.

As the season moves forward, I think the only two starting jobs up for grabs will be from Little and Rogers. If Little can get his shot to fall and plays lockdown defense, it's hard to take him out of the lineup. If Rogers displays the athleticism that we've all seen from him in the past, then he'll be hard to take from the lineup. At the same time, if Little's shot misses the mark and Rogers falls into energy lapses, Drew can make a hook this season much quicker than he did last year.

From what I've seen, Ryan Broekhoff has all the tools to be a star at VU. I asked someone close to the program if he was like Sam Haanpaa and he responded "Sam was a specialist, Ryan can do it all." Matt Kenney is another player who could earn playing time. He has been limited by an ankle injury recently, but his play has been earning rave reviews from inside the ARC. Let's also not forget the late-season surge that Cameron Witt showed last year. He could earn minutes if Johnson gets into foul trouble. Chris Halvorsen, Milos Milosevic and Tommy Kurth are the three other freshmen and your guess is as good as mine to see if they play or not. They all have talent, but is there enough minutes?

The one player that I've yet to mention is Erik Buggs. The buzz last season from the coaching staff was that he was going to be unlike any player VU had ever had before. I'm not suggesting that Buggs is a bust, as a matter of fact, I'll go out on a limb and say the exact opposite. I think he'll be an integral part of the team this season and could be the key to the second unit. Imagine a team with McPherson, Wood and Buggs running the show. Find me a depth chart in the Horizon League with more athleticism at the point. Journalists are supposed to be objective and unbiased, but count me down as someone who is pulling for Buggs this season. I mean, how can't I after rewatching the highlight of that one-handed dunk against UNC last season.

2009-10 Valparaiso men's basketball projected starting lineups

Nov. 13 - Brandon McPherson, Brandon Wood, Howard Little, Mike Rogers, Cory Johnson

Dec. 31 - McPherson, Wood, Ryan Broekhoff, Rogers, Johnson